Anthony Richardson Vs. Daniel Jones Headline 5 NFL Training Camp Battles To Monitor

Track these top 5 NFL training camp battles—featuring key position competitions on the Colts, Browns, Chargers, Broncos, and Packers—that could make or break your 2025 fantasy football draft strategy.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) gives a thumbs up before the snap during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

NFL Training Camps are starting up, and in many cases, what happens in camp will dictate who sees playing time come fantasy football season. Some of these key camp battles will be important to pay attention to before your NFL drafts, so you know which players could have great value and others that you should avoid. These are five of the most important camp battles to watch early on in camp.

Indianapolis Colts Quarterbacks

Anthony Richardson Vs. Daniel Jones

While there are other quarterback competitions around the league, like in Cleveland and New Orleans, this is the only one where the starting quarterback could emerge as a legitimate fantasy option that fantasy owners might draft in single-quarterback leagues. Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones will be battling it out for the starting job in Indy. If Jones ultimately ends up winning this job, it's an upgrade for the Colts' pass-catchers. While Jones isn't a great passer by any measure, he is far more accurate than Richardson. Wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr, Josh Downs, and rookie tight end Tyler Warren would all see a slight bump in value and have a much safer floor with Jones under center.

However, if Richardson ends up winning the job, his upside as a rusher is undeniable. Any week he suits up, he has high-end QB1 upside. He also could bust any week and makes his pass-catchers extremely volatile. The dynamic QB does also bring more big-play upside, but it's nearly impossible to predict. Running back Jonathan Taylor could also be slightly better sharing a backfield with Richardson as well, but nothing significant.      

Cleveland Browns Running Backs

Quinshon Judkins Vs. Jerome Ford Vs. Dylan Sampson

This camp battle just got much more interesting, albeit under unfortunate circumstances. There is now a lot up in the air after star rookie Quinshon Judkins was arrested for domestic violence this past weekend. We won't speculate on the situation itself, but this could result in him not missing a single snap this season or ending up suspended for a significant amount of time. We just don't know if he will face any additional punishment by the Browns, the NFL, or the law. 

Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins arrested for battery and domestic violence https://t.co/moun4oi5dr pic.twitter.com/piB4ZZXg6K

— New York Post (@nypost) July 13, 2025

The uncertainty surrounding Judkins suddenly opens the door up for Jerome Ford and rookie Dylan Sampson to become important fantasy names heading into the 2025 season. Sampson was a very strong prospect who, with the right landing spot, could be making a lot of noise this offseason. Nevertheless, landing on bad offense behind an even better rookie prospect did him no favors. 

Ford, we know is reliable and the Browns trust. He's far from a star, but he has proven he can be fantasy-relevant when given significant touches. This team is going to run the ball as much as they can with their disastrous quarterback situation. So this is an important backfield to keep an eye on.    

Los Angeles Chargers Running Backs

Najee Harris Vs. Omarion Hampton

This is another battle that took a weird turn before camp even got started. The stage was set for veteran Najee Harris and star rookie Omarion Hampton to battle it out for the Week 1 starting job in Los Angeles. While we believe that is still the case, a firework accident that reportedly injured Harris's eye on July 4 could change things significantly. We don't know the extent of the injury, and all we've heard is that he's expected to be ready for the start of the season. 

It's possible he's in camp by the end of the month and ready to fight for this job, or Hampton could get all the first-team reps and show why he deserves to be the guy much quicker than otherwise expected. If Hampton enters the season locked in as the RB1 in LA, he has legitimate RB1 overall upside and could be a league winner.  

Denver Broncos Running Backs

RJ Harvey Vs. J.K. Dobbins

We stay in the AFC West for another running back battle. Rookie fantasy darling RJ Harvey and 2024 surprise breakout veteran JK Dobbins will compete for snaps this summer. Harvey winning this job is not the foregone conclusion that far too many experts would lead you to believe it is. Last season, Dobbins took 195 carries for over 900 yards and scored nine touchdowns while catching 32 passes. Injuries have always been a concern for Dobbins, but he's a good player when healthy. Harvey is an exciting rookie, but may be getting over-projected and over-drafted with an RB2 ADP. The truth is that this probably ends up being a full-blown split-backfield and disappoints owners. However, if one of these guys can run away with the starting job, they can be a fantasy difference-maker.     

Green Bay Packers Wide Receivers

Matthew Golden Vs. Jayden Reed Vs. Romeo Doubs

This is an extremely intriguing WR corps. The Packers drafted Matthew Golden in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he could push Jayden Reed off the field on two-WR sets. Golden, Reed, and Romeo Doubs will all be competing in camp, but there is a good chance the reliable Doubs is locked into an outside role. How this group plays out could have a significant impact on the fantasy season for many owners. This passing attack was already unpredictable, and it got even tougher this offseason despite Christian Watson being out with a torn ACL. According to their current ADPs Reed is currently being drafted as the WR44 and Golden the WR46, so they are currently very close in value and being drafted in the same round.