With the preseason here and all the teams playing this week, we finally get to see teams play some real football instead of playing against air or defenses that have to hold back. There have been a lot of stories and rumors of how position groups and teams may shake out, but I wanted to highlight six storylines I’ll be watching that either have been discussed throughout the offseason or may be getting overlooked. Let me know what you’ll be watching for this first week of the preseason, and let’s get excited about getting closer to some real football!

1. Who Looks Like the Starting Quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings?

It can be hard to get a read of who is winning quarterback battles in camp. That’s why I’m excited to see who looks to have the lead in the quarterback competition between Sam Darnold and JJ McCarthy. From what I’ve seen, both of their performances have been shaky, with some good moments and some bad. This is expected with both quarterbacks being new to the system and team and needing to get a feel for the timing and chemistry with their receivers. 

I would expect Sam Darnold to end up getting the starter spot due to being the veteran, getting most, if not all, of the first-team reps, and giving JJ McCarthy more time to develop. However, if McCarthy impresses in the preseason, we could have a Russell Wilson, Matt Flynn situation where McCarthy gets the opportunity to start week one.

It could be bad news for the Minnesota Vikings pass catchers’ fantasy outlook, but I also don’t think it would be a major downgrade from Darnold. However, where there could be some great opportunity is JJ McCarthy being a steal late in drafts with his strong supporting cast and rushing upside.

2. How Healthy Does J.K. Dobbins Look?

Running backs can also be hard to get a read on during camp since contact balance is such an important skill of the position, but teams need to minimize contact to reduce injuries. So, the Los Angeles Chargers running back room and specifically J.K. Dobbins.

It has been the belief for most of the offseason that Gus Edwards will be the lead back for the Chargers, but Dobbins has received a lot of praise from his coaches, rewarded a fair number of media appearances during the offseason, and even got a shoutout by Daniel Jeremiah to draft Dobbins this year.

Now, Daniel Jeremiah has actually said this exact same sentiment for J.K. Dobbins in the past, but health has been Dobbins’ biggest obstacle in his young career. From what I watched of him in college and in his rookie year, the talent is there. The question now, though, is how his Achilles is and what type of opportunity he will be given this.

3. Which Denver Broncos Running Back has the Most Juice?

Another thing we’ve heard all offseason is the demise of Javonte Williams. We’ve seen stories from a couple of beat writers that he lacks explosiveness, and may not even make the roster while backs like Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin look like the top backs during minicamp. Fast forward to training camp, and a lot of those rumors about Williams seem to be going to rest as he’s been getting praise from writers and his coaches. 

With the whiplash of reports, I’m just interested to see who the Denver Broncos seem to view as their top back and who has the most juice once we have full-contact football. Now, Sean Payton had the backfield run as a full committee last year and did previously with the New Orleans Saints. So, it may not make a major difference for fantasy purposes. However, I think it will still be interesting to see what is really going on with the Denver backs.

4. Who Plays the Slot Position for the Seattle Seahawks?

I mentioned this in my article focusing on the Seattle Seahawks offense, (which you can check out with this link: (How to Handle the Seattle Seahawks in 2024 Fantasy Football), but the slot position specifically has my attention due to the emphasis the slot receiver gets in Ryan Grubb’s offense. During

Grubb’s tenure in Washington, Jalen McMillan saw a lot of success winning underneath routes while Rome Odunze stretched the defense. So, we can expect similar results with Seattle stretching defenses with DK Metcalf.

I mentioned in my article that Jaxon Smith-Njigba played from the slot last year, so we could see him stay in that role. However, Tyler Lockett isn’t getting any younger and could make the switch to slot like many other veteran receivers have in the past. If Smith-Njigba retains the slot position, I think this could drastically raise his ceiling. If Lockett gets moved to the slot, he could raise his floor and be a possible flex option 

5. Who looks Like the WR2 for the Dallas Cowboys

I could have the Dallas Cowboys running back room here, but I think they will go pass-heavy again this season, which makes me more interested in seeing who ends up as the WR2 for the team. Last year, it was the CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson show, with Brandin Cooks as the team’s WR2.

However, Cooks had a down year and potentially showed some early signs of his athleticism declining, with struggles separating downfield as consistently as he had before. With Cooks another year older, there’s an opportunity for someone to steal the spot from him.

Jalen Tolbert has gotten a lot of positive reports throughout camp and could be in for a year three jump after needing the first two seasons adjusting from the Sun Belt Conference in college to the NFL. Also, Jalen Brooks has reportedly been having a good camp as well, and the 2023 seventh-round pick could also be in for an increase in responsibilities.

We also can’t count out Ryan Flournoy, who had some nice moments before experiencing a knee injury. So, there’s a lot of competition for the WR2 spot, and whoever wins could have a really productive season.

6. What Type of Formations Is the Buffalo Bills Offense Running?

The Buffalo Bills are another offense that I think could be a bit hard to predict until we get more information on their plan for the offense. I pointed out in my article that focused on the Buffalo Bills offense, (which you can check out with this link: (How to Handle the Buffalo Bills Receivers in 2024 Fantasy Football), that Joe Brady made the change to more 11 personnel formations when he took over as offensive coordinator.

If that continues, there should be plenty of opportunities for Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Dalton Kincaid to all be on the field at the same time more frequently. However, if the team reverts back to a high frequency of 22 personnel, it could mean trouble for Shakir to be reliable from the slot like he was at the end of last year.

Based on Joe Brady’s past and most recent tendencies, I would expect the team to stick to 11 personnel, especially since it would get their most talented players on the field. That being said, stranger things have happened in the NFL. I don’t think we can look at what a team runs in week one or preseason and assume it’s exactly what they’ll do in the regular season. However, it will be worth monitoring for some possible early expectations.