2024 Fantasy Football IDP: 32 Teams, 32 Training Camp Battles To Watch
This time of year, our Twitter (X?) feeds are full of highlight reel plays, mainly by uber-talented offensive players in shorts and a T-shirt against little to no defensive competition. I don't want to be the guy who shows up and downplays all of it because, after all, we're all just excited that football is almost back. But most of it is completely irrelevant.
There are nuggets of meaningful information that come out at this time of year, though. Positional battles that are won and lost on those practice fields, and while the offensive depth charts and pecking orders get a lot more attention, I thought it'd be a useful exercise to go around the league and look at each team and highlight an IDP-relevant battle that's taking place between now and Week 1.
If you're new, welcome to 4for4. If you're not new but you're wondering what I am doing on this side of the website, I understand. I usually hang out on the betting side of things, but I've been creating weekly tackle projections for a few years, and it's changed how I understand and watch football. Now, I'm here on the fantasy side of things, here to expand on the edge that our betting subscribers have exploited with me over the past few seasons.
More IDP Content: Linebackers | Defensive Linemen | Defensive Backs | IDP Primer
2024 Training Camp Battles
Arizona Cardinals
Even though the Cardinals only used two or more linebackers on 68% of their snaps last season, deeper leagues need to keep an eye on the LB2 spot in Arizona. Kyrs Barnes is the incumbent, and he stepped into an every-down role late in 2023 after Kyzir White was injured, but Mack Wilson is pushing for this job.
Wilson never got a chance to play consistent snaps in New England, but he was impactful when on the field. He's proven to be a more efficient tackler than Barnes and could separate due to his unique ability as a second-level pass rusher.
Atlanta Falcons
This is going to be a frustrating IDP situation all season long. It looked as though this was a battle for the LB2 spot next to Kaden Elliss, but when Nate Landman took to the podium after practice on Monday and said that he's wearing the coveted green dot in practice, that changed things.
Listening to new Falcons head coach Raheem Morris gush about his linebackers will make you think that we're in for a rotation of sorts. "These three guys that got well-documented snaps for us and have gone out there and played a lot of football is so much fun to watch," Morris said during OTAs. "To watch them communicate, to watch them do different things, they've got different styles of play, they've got speed differences, they've got hand usage. They do so many good things."
I'd still give Elliss the slight edge here and make him the favorite to lead the team in snaps, but the situation is less clear than it was a week ago.
Baltimore Ravens
With each passing day, this is becoming less of a camp battle. It looked like Malik Harrison could give second-year linebacker Trenton Simpson a run for his money here, but everything coming out of Ravens camp is that Simpson is more than ready to take on the LB2 role vacated by Patrick Queen's departure this offseason.
New defensive coordinator Zach Orr was on Mike Macdonald's staff last season, and Orr will likely put his own stamp on this defense, but I wouldn't anticipate a drastic departure from a scheme that was extremely successful last season. The Ravens ran two linebacker sets on 95.7% of their defensive snaps last season, and while that could dip a bit if Orr wants more defensive backs on the field in certain instances, I'd be surprised if that rate dipped below 90%.
Buffalo Bills
It's a new era in Sean McDermott's defense in Buffalo, and the turnover at safety is a noteworthy one, with both Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde no longer with the club. Last year's swing safety, Taylor Rapp, has a stranglehold on the starting strong safety spot, and you'd have to think second-round pick Cole Bishop is the most likely candidate to play the second-most snaps at safety for the Bills this season. But that doesn't mean he'll get them right away.
Bishop is in a three-way battle with Mike Edwards and Damar Hamlin. I think McDermott would love to give early-season snaps to a veteran and bring Bishop along slowly. Edwards and Bishop have both been dealing with injuries in camp, opening up an opportunity for Hamlin to play more than anyone was expecting. Missing camp reps is not ideal for any rookie who's looking to carve out a significant role as a rookie.
Carolina Panthers
There aren't many compelling battles going on in Panthers camp, but I'm curious to see if defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero's linebacker usage last year was a scheme-related plan or due to the team's lack of depth after Shaq Thompson was lost for the season in September.
New addition Josey Jewell played under Evero in Denver, so his learning curve is lessened as he transitions to a new team. I think Jewell could have a useful fantasy season in this defense, but Carolina only used two linebackers on 50.1% of the snaps last season. I believe that was out of necessity, so I'd draft Jewell without much concern, but it's something to watch during the pre-season.
Chicago Bears
The Bears don't have any IDP-relevant camp battles to watch right now, assuming everyone stays healthy throughout camp. They need an EDGE rusher to emerge opposite of Montez Sweat, and DeMarcus Walker, Dominique Robinson, Jacob Martin, and Austin Booker should get a crack at it, but it's unlikely that any of them will become fantasy-relevant.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati's defense has too many moving parts right now. Having more capable bodies than available starting spots is a good problem, but it can create a headache for IDP gamers.
How the safety room shakes out is more fantasy-relevant than anything else. Jordan Battle would be the clear IDP target of this group if we knew he had a full-time role ahead of him, but that's not the case right now. Geno Stone appears to be locked in as the team's starting free safety, but Vonn Bell is back in Cincinnati after a year in Carolina, and his return is a wet blanket on Battle's IDP upside. We need more clarity on how this is going to play out, and my guess is that a rotation is coming, which makes all players involved a lot less appealing.
Cleveland Browns
No team used a designated LB1 less than the Cleveland Browns last season. With most clubs leaning on a primary linebacker for 95%+ snap share, Cleveland's 83% mark stands out as an outlier. Injuries among other linebackers and improved play led to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah taking on a near-every-down role down the stretch last season, but his path to a repeat of that role is murky after the Browns added Jordan Hicks this offseason.
Earlier this week, head coach Kevin Stefanski said he thinks Owusu-Koramoah can be an every-down, green-dot-wearing linebacker. "Certainly, you want to keep your best players on the field as much as possible, and that's up to Jeremiah in a lot of ways to be comfortable in those roles."
Both players are capable fantasy assets if they play 85%+ of the snaps, but the ceiling is likely to be capped on both, regardless of who wins this competition.
Dallas Cowboys
We're going to see a very different Cowboys defense this season. The shift from Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator is about as drastic as it can get, and while I'm interested to see what happens at defensive end after Sam Williams's recent injury, the IDP intrigue here starts at linebacker.
Free agent addition Eric Kendricks is a familiar face for Zimmer, who coached Kendricks in Minnesota for seven seasons. With Leighton Vander Esch forced to retire, Kendricks walks into the top-dog role in a defense where off-ball linebackers have thrived historically. I'm comfortably above market on Kendricks, who finished as the LB23 on a per-game basis last season with the Chargers, and I believe he has even more upside than this ranking indicates.
Based on Zimmer's tendencies in Minnesota, Dallas will likely use a second linebacker at one of the highest rates in the league, so while Kendricks is underrated in drafts right now, so are Damone Clark and DeMarvion Overshown. Clark is the incumbent and was thrust into a near-every-down role last season, and Overshown's rookie campaign never got off the ground after a training camp injury derailed his 2023 debut. Early camp reports are gushing about Overshown's explosiveness, and he's seeing a decent rate of first-team reps alongside Kendricks. This is a crucial situation to monitor because there's a lot of value in whoever wins this job.
Denver Broncos
Denver's secondary has a few spots up for grabs in training camp as they look to get younger at both positional groups, but the fantasy-relevant battle here is the LB2 spot next to Alex Singleton. Cody Barton was signed as a free agent, and in-house option Jonas Griffith is returning from a knee injury that cost him all of the 2023 season.
Barton has a leg up on Griffith due to his experience, starting 24 games over the past two seasons for the Seahawks and Commanders, while Griffith has been behind Singleton and the now departed Josey Jewell on the Broncos roster. In deeper leagues, the winner of this battle could possess some sneaky upside.
Detroit Lions
I wouldn't classify the situations in Detroit as "battles," but I do think there are a handful of IDP-relevant takeaways from what transpires there over the next month. The main one is centered around Brian Branch. No matter what happens, Branch is a top-10 defensive back in IDP leagues this season, but I have him even higher than that.
We don't have 100% clarity on what his role will be this season, but it's clear that he's no longer pigeonholed as the team's slot corner. Injuries in the secondary forced Branch to work exclusively in the slot down the stretch last season, which limited his snap rate a bit and impacted his ability to get downhill and play the run as much as he did early in the season. Head coach Dan Campbell has made it clear that he's earned a bigger role this season, and positional versatility should help fantasy gamers fill out their roster.
There's a chance that Brian Branch's increased role comes at the expense of either Ifeatu Melifonwu or Kerby Joseph, but we need to see how things play out. Melifonwu is the exciting option here. He was an absolute menace last season when he was on the field, though he didn't start seeing meaningful snaps until Week 14. During that late-season stretch and into the playoffs, Melifonwu ranked second in pressures, first in sacks, sixth in run stops, and ninth in overall PFF grade. His alignment is what we're looking for as well, with 49.75% of his snaps coming in the box or in the slot. The kid can play.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers selected Edgerrin Cooper in the second round, making him the first linebacker off the board in this year's draft. Green Bay will be looking to replace De'Vondre Campbell, who left for San Francisco in free agency. Isaiah McDuffie has posted elite snap-per-tackle rates when given a chance to fill in for Campbell and Quay Walker over the past two seasons, and new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was McDuffie's college coach at Boston College, so it's safe to assume he'd have a slight edge based on his familiarity with Hafley's system. According to early camp reports, Cooper was playing behind McDuffie and is now out with a groin injury, which severely impacts my early-season expectations for the rookie.
Houston Texans
Jalen Pitre was an IDP monster in his rookie season, but just about everything that could go wrong went wrong for Pitre in Year 2. So far in camp, he's been working in a hybrid role and playing primarily in the slot, with Jimmie Ward and Eric Murray lining up as the safeties. Moving around more and getting more snaps closer to the line of scrimmage is a good thing for Pitre overall, but if it comes at the expense of consistent snaps, that's far less exciting. For now, I'm not changing my projection on Pitre until we get more clarity, but he's about as high-risk, high-reward as you can get right now.
Indianapolis Colts
The pecking order is pretty clear among the positional groups in Indianapolis right now. The season-ending injury to Samson Ebukam hurts, but the Colts have depth at EDGE rusher, and this opens the door to a higher snap share and ceiling outcome for Laiatu Latu. Early camp reports about the rookie's performance are extremely positive. In general, we should temper our expectations on rookies making a major impact in their first season, but I was high on Latu in the pre-draft process, and these glowing camp reports only confirm my biases.
Jacksonville Jaguars
It sounds like Jacksonville is planning on using free agent addition Darnell Savage in a nickel/slot role after he primarily played a more traditional free safety role with the Packers. That could make Savage an interesting dart throw late in drafts while opening up more consistent reps for Antonio Johnson next to Andre Cisco. I'm struggling to project these players until we have more clarity around their alignment, but there could be some deeper league value here.
Kansas City Chiefs
There aren't a ton of training camp battles for the defending Super Bowl champs, but the biggest IDP news so far in Chiefs camp is the status of Nick Bolton. After an up-and-down 2023 campaign, I had high hopes for a Bolton bounceback in 2024, but he left practice this week with an elbow injury, and we haven't heard a ton about his status since. If Bolton is back healthy, he'll likely regain his every-down role in the middle of this Kansas City defense. That'd make him a great value in IDP leagues at cost since he should be a top-five fantasy asset in that scenario. If Bolton misses time, Drue Tranquill becomes a priority add, and Leo Chenal is the most popular 'sleeper' in the space.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are another team with minimal camp battles that'll tilt IDP Rankings between now and Week 1. I'd love to see more from second-year EDGE rusher Tyree Wilson, but regardless of how he plays in camp, he'll be sharing time with the underrated Malcolm Koonce opposite of Maxx Crosby.
Los Angeles Chargers
Despite missing time in camp after surgery to remove his appendix, I still believe rookie linebacker Junior Colson is the top IDP asset in the Chargers linebacker room. He's already passed his physical and has returned to practice, albeit on the side with trainers, but it's a step in the right direction. Veteran Denzel Perryman will likely be the primary linebacker until Colson is ready to return, but I'm comfortable buying the dip on Colson's three-down skill set and familiarity with coach Harbaugh's system.
Los Angeles Rams
When you remove the best defensive tackle in the league's history from your lineup, things are going to change. Aaron Donald walked away at the peak of his powers this offseason after spearheading a shockingly adequate performance from the 2023 Rams defense under Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator. Both men are gone, and the path forward for all left behind will be a bit harder than it was with them in the building.
Kobie Turner made a charge for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, and Byron Young and Michael Hoecht also played well for stretches last season. However, Donald's ability to draw double and triple teams freed these young players to play one-on-one snaps at an above-average rate, and the calculus will change in 2024. Young and Hoecht will share time with rookie EDGE rusher Jared Verse this season, lowering the ceiling for all of them this season. I'd expect Young to be the best run defender in the group, which could give him an edge over his peers in terms of overall snap share, but I'll be listening closely to what new defensive coordinator Chris Shula has to say over the coming weeks.
Miami Dolphins
Even though Jordyn Brooks has never worn the coveted green dot, the thought was he'd get the first crack at it this season after joining the Dolphins this offseason. But that's not the case, as David Long will be calling the defense for new coordinator Anthony Weaver. I don't believe this impacts Jordyn Brooks all that much, but it does help the case for David Long, who's one of the best run-stuffing linebackers in the league and is massively undervalued at his current ADP. Long was such an emotional rollercoaster for IDP owners last season, so even though it's a new coordinator, I want to make sure this early report holds true, but I'm willing to take Long above ADP before my league mates adjust.
Minnesota Vikings
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores used a second linebacker on a league-low 43.5% of the team's snaps last season, essentially using safeties Josh Metellus and Harrison Smith as hybrid backers in place of a traditional off-ball linebacker. There's a chance that injuries had a lot to do with that decision, and I'm intrigued by what Flores will do this season with more tools in his tool chest.
In last year's draft, Ivan Pace Jr. profiled more as an undersized EDGE rusher than an off-ball linebacker, but attrition at the position forced Pace into the role for Minnesota, and he thrived last season. Minnesota brought in Blake Cashman after his breakout campaign in Houston under DeMeco Ryans, and the EDGE group is deeper, too. The team flip-flopped Danielle Hunter to the Texans for Jonathan Greenard, added Dallas Turner in the first round of the NFL Draft, and signed Andrew Van Ginkel from Miami, who was drafted by the Dolphins while Flores was the team's head coach.
Someone will likely deserve more snaps than they're getting, so proceed with caution.
New England Patriots
New Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has been a part of this New England defense for a long time, but it's hard to separate his impact from Bill Belichick as long as Belichick was the head coach. Last season, the Patriots used two linebackers at one of the league's lowest rates and three at one of the highest. Does that change under Mayo? Ja'Whaun Bentley will be the team's primary linebacker, but the battle between Jahlani Tavai and Sione Takitaki could matter if Mayo pivots from pass usage under Belichick. Tavai's familiarity with the system should give him a leg up on Takitaki.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints deployed two linebackers on 84.7% of their snaps in 2023. Demario Davis is an underwhelming fantasy asset and a better real-life linebacker than IDP'er, but he'll be out there on nearly every snap for as long as he's healthy. The camp battle to watch is between incumbent Pete Werner and free agent Willie Gay Jr.
Werner disappointed last season, dipping from a 77-percentile tackle versus expected rate in 2022 down to 20% in 2023. Gay's production also dipped last season in Kansas City, but he never really got the chance to show what he could do on a near-every-down role like Werner had. Gay is a better athlete and significantly better pass rusher than Werner, which could appeal to Dennis Allen and is something that was discussed after signing him. Werner had nine pressures last season on 74 pass rush snaps, while Gay totaled 14 pressures on just 71 pass rush snaps while playing nearly 300 fewer total snaps than Werner saw in 2023.
New York Giants
According to defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, the strong safety spot vacated by Xavier McKinney is Dane Belton's to lose. Well, sir, frankly, I don't believe you. Tyler Nubin missed time early in camp with a strained calf muscle but returned after missing a handful of practices and, according to local beat reports, looked every bit the part of the top safety in this year's draft class. It's clear that nothing is being handed to Nubin, and that's the way it should be, but he's head and shoulders above Belton. It's worth noting that Belton is ahead of Jalen Mills on the depth chart if Jason Pinnock or Nubin go down with an injury.
New York Jets
There's a lot of continuity on one of the top defenses in the league, and barring an injury, there's likely very little that'll impact IDP drafters between now and Week 1. I'm interested to see if second-year EDGE Will McDonald can earn more than the 183 snaps he played last season, with Haason Reddick and Jermaine Johnson II clearly ahead of him in the rotation, but it's a great problem to have if you're the Jets.
Philadelphia Eagles
The 2023 Eagles linebacker group was in flux all season. There's a chance that 2024 might bring more of the same. Nakobe Dean was a popular breakout candidate last season after basically redshirting as a rookie, but injuries cut his season short, and he's entering his third year in the league with just 229 snaps to his name. Philadelphia added veteran Devin White this offseason, and White's penciled into a starting role, but free agent Zack Baun has been playing ahead of Dean often, according to early reports out of Eagles camp.
Baun was drafted by the Saints as an EDGE prospect out of Wisconsin, and he's fluctuated between EDGE and linebacker for most of his four seasons as a pro. New defensive coordinator Vic Fangio only used two linebackers on 69.4% of the snaps in Miami last season, but the pecking order matters here, both in the long and short term.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh's linebacker room is crowded after the Steelers gave Patrick Queen a big-money contract in free agency and then added dynamic but oft-injured prospect Payton Wilson in this year's draft. Last year's opening-day starter Cole Holcomb is still here, along with uber-efficient backup Elandon Roberts, who put up solid IDP production after everyone ahead of him on the depth chart went down with an injury.
The challenge here is Mike Tomlin has used a rotation at linebacker during most of his tenure as head coach, and with the investment sunk into Queen, it's hard to envision a second linebacker carving out a huge role after Pittsburgh used two linebackers on just 57.3% of their defensive snaps last season. But let's be clear, if you're going to take a step at one of the depth options behind Queen, it has to be Payton Wilson.
The winner of both the Chuck Bednarik and the Butkus Awards, which recognize the top defensive player and linebacker in college football, respectively, fell to the third round after leading the ACC in tackles and showing incredible movement skills at 6'4" and 238 pounds. Wilson put on a show at the Combine, posting an eye-popping 9.89 Relative Athletic Score (RAS). Wilson was available at pick No. 98 for a reason. Shoulder and knee injuries ended multiple seasons and led to numerous surgeries, including the loss of his ACL in one knee. Wilson has put up elite tackle numbers due to his ability to read a play quickly and close with that upper-echelon athleticism. He posted an above-average 76.8 pass-rush grade last year, according to PFF, along with 26 coverage stops, which led all linebackers in 2023.
San Francisco 49ers
Sometimes good is boring, and that's the case with the NFC Champion 49ers. The only question here is if Dre Greenlaw will return at all this season after his heartbreaking blown Achilles, an injury that happened while harmlessly running onto the field during the Super Bowl. De'Vondre Campbell was signed to replace Greenlaw until he returns, but that might not happen, which makes Campbell an enticing pick at his current ADP.
Seattle Seahawks
There appears to be a pretty clear pecking order among all the units in Seattle's new defense led by Mike Macdonald, and I think this could be one of the most improved defenses in the league. I don't think there's a path for him to play his way into meaningful snaps without an injury, but I really liked linebacker Tyrice Knight when looking at this linebacker class in the pre-draft process.
Knight is a bit undersized but tested fast, which matches his tape. During his senior season at UTEP, he led FBS with 84 solo tackles, 140 overall. He also posted 15.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 7 pass breakups, and one forced fumble. He's a name to watch.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers desperately need to generate something from their pass rush this season, and there's very little standing in the way of Alabama rookie Chris Braswell. Braswell is an impressive athlete with exceptional initial burst, pursuit speed, and raw strength that translate well to the NFL. He utilizes a powerful bull rush that consistently pushes back offensive tackles. His development was hampered by limited playing time behind teammates Dallas Turner and Will Anderson Jr. at Alabama, but what former head coach Nick Saban said sets him apart is his coverage awareness – a rarity for EDGE rushers.
YaYa Diaby should hold down a majority of the snap share on one side, but Braswell is competing with Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Randy Gregory for snaps opposite of Diaby. JTS has been a massive disappointment to date, and Gregory signed a cheap one-year deal after struggling with the Broncos and 49ers in 2023. There's some appealing upside here, and the cost is next to nothing.
Tennessee Titans
New defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson spent last season coaching the defensive backs in Mike Macdonald's defense in Baltimore. Overall, that's a positive, but we're still guessing with scheme tendencies and alignment for the 2024 Titans. The linebacker position is the one to watch, with Kenneth Murray as the early lead role favorite. Jack Gibbens has also reportedly played well in camp and should have a leg up on rookie Cedric Gray.
If Wilson pulls from his predecessor, the LB2 could matter quite a bit. The Ravens used two linebackers on 95.7% of their snaps last season, so the winner of the green dot battle could be meaningless if the second guy is still topping 90% of snaps. General manager Ran Carthon went out of his way to say that he sees rookie Cedric Gray has a green dot wearer after his insanely productive three-year run at the University of North Carolina. It's Gibbens's job to lose right now, but I think we'll hear from Gray before the end of the season.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders were active in free agency this offseason and added Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu at linebacker. That left Jamin Davis out in the cold, and he appeared destined to play a backup role in the last year of his deal. The one area that the Commanders are still lacking is at EDGE, so to the surprise of many, Davis has been getting work at EDGE rusher in camp. The early returns are mixed. I think using Davis as an off-ball linebacker while using Frankie Luvu at EDGE makes a lot more sense than trying to jam this square peg into a round hole, but here we are. Wagner and Luvu aren't at risk of losing snap share to Davis, but Davis could either be cut or find his way onto the field in a way that no one expected, which could provide him with a bit of late-round value in deep leagues.
