Fantasy Football's Biggest Winners and Losers from NFL Training Camps

Training camp is a time of hope and excitement for NFL fans, as the first real chance they get to see the coming year's iteration of their favorite team.

It's also a time of great interest for fantasy football managers ahead of draft season ramping up in August. It's a chance to see how players who were injured the year before have recovered and to get an idea about how position battles are breaking down.

However, while there's also a lot of information to be gleaned from training camp reports, they can also be misleading.

It's usually wise to take camp assessments with a grain of salt. But when you keep hearing the same thing over and over, there could be something there, whether it bodes well for a player's fantasy prospects or not.

There's a bit of both in this column. But as the calendar turns to August and the preseason gets underway this week, these players have been turning heads enough that fantasy managers would be well-served to take notice.

QB Winner: Drake Maye, New England Patriots

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Drake Maye

Drake Maye has been one of the more talked-about young quarterbacks in fantasy this summer. After showing flashes with both his arms and his legs as a rookie, he enters Year 2 behind an improved offensive line and with better weapons in the passing game.

His average draft position in fantasy is still outside the top-15 quarterbacks, but he was already gaining some positive momentum before camp even began.

While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN's Peter Schrager said Maye has done nothing but build on that momentum in camp:

"I hear Drake Maye is just absolutely wonderful so far also. Again, it's early, these might not be surprises, but when you get Year 2 leaps, it means they spent the offseason working. I'm telling you, the juice out of Patriots camp right now about Drake Maye is very real."

Maye wasn’t really fantasy-relevant last year. He was 21st in fantasy points among running backs and 24th in fantasy points per game. But that was playing behind one of the NFL's worst offensive lines with passing-game weapons around him that weren't scaring anyone.

Now, the Pats have overhauled the offensive line with the likes of tackles Morgan Moses and Will Campbell. With the addition of Stefon Diggs, Maye now (in theory) also has a true No. 1 receiver.

The 22-year-old was also quietly ninth among all quarterbacks with 421 rushing yards last year—a number that should pique the interest of fantasy managers.

If Maye wasn't already on the upside QB2 list in 2025, he is now.

Loser QB: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

AP Photo/Darryl Webb

Training camp is a time of year when hyperbole can run rampant. Every good throw destines a quarterback for stardom; every bad one dooms a signal-caller to failure.

One shaky practice does not a season make, but Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals told reporters that the team's first padded practice (one where his first throw in 11-on-11 drills was picked off) was not its best work:

"We haven’t had a bad day until today, so that’s unfortunate that I have to talk to you all today after that. Today felt like one of those days where nothing could go right. Even when it went right, it just felt bad. We’ve shown flashes. The highest of the highs with the best of them, but we have to continue to do it each and every game, each and every day."

Murray wasn't a bad fantasy quarterback in 2024, as he was 12th in fantasy points at the position. But he was also a so-so 14th in touchdown passes and 17th in passer rating for a Cardinals team that ranked a mediocre 18th in the league in passing offense in 2024.

Those aren't the numbers the Redbirds expect from a quarterback making over $45 million a season. But given Murray hasn't taken part in a preseason game since 2021, the practice field is likely the only opportunity the Cardinals will have to avoid the passing attack opening the regular season out of sync.

And if that is the case, Murray could be hard-pressed to return value on his QB9 ADP.

RB Winner: Miles Sanders, Dallas Cowboys

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

In early June, Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer talked up what he believed veteran running back Miles Sanders brought to the Cowboys:

"I don't know why anyone would be surprised by Miles' ability. Having been in the division and playing against Miles when he was in Philadelphia, you talk about a guy that's a home run threat, a guy that's got incredible ability to hurt you running, catching out of the backfield, all that stuff."

However, fantasy drafters haven’t been buying what the Cowboys head coach was selling. After two miserable seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Sanders' ADP is RB66. In other words, in more leagues than not, he isn't being drafted at all, while fellow veteran Javonte Williams (ADP: RB38) and rookie Jaydon Blue (ADP: RB43) are going much earlier.

Apparently, someone forgot to tell Sanders he was an afterthought in the Dallas backfield—after a strong showing in OTAs, he hit the ground running once training camp began in earnest, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.

"Veterans Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams still remain the top two on the depth chart," Machota wrote. "Sanders has consistently stood out the most, both running and in the passing game."

Sanders has shown the ability to produce, after he topped 1,200 rushing yards, scored 11 touchdowns and was a top-15 PPR fantasy option with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.

The Cowboys don’t have much invested in any of these backs. If Sanders continues to outplay Blue and Williams, it's not that wild to imagine him opening the season as their lead back.

And lead backs available for free are worth their weight in gold to fantasy managers.

RB Loser: Joe Mixon, Houston Texans

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

The last thing fantasy managers want to see is a player go down with an injury in training camp.

But the ankle injury that has sidelined Houston running back Joe Mixon stretches back to the spring, when the 29-year-old got hurt working out on his own.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans tried to downplay the idea Mixon's Week 1 status was in real doubt:

"Nothing’s changed with Joe. Joe is still working in the background. I know we get reports about Joe, nothing’s changed. He’s still working. Whenever it’s time for Joe to be back, he’ll be back. I know a lot of people want to report a lot of things about guys with injuries. My thing is this, ‘Are you really concerned about our guys or are you really just trying to get something out there?’ For me, I always put my players’ health and safety first and foremost. So, I care about the guys. So, you guys don’t hear me talking a lot about injuries because that’s their personal information. Guys are working through that and there’s nothing to report or get in an uproar about."

However, the fact that this injury has lingered so long has to be viewed with considerable concern. The 29-year-old is an aging back with over 2,100 career touches who missed three games last year and appeared to wear down as the season progressed. In terms of PPR points per game, he was a top-10 running back last season.

So, as long as these injury issues drag on, drafting the ninth-year veteran as even a fantasy RB2 is a risky play.

Who's ready for Nick Chubb season?

WR Winner: Deebo Samuel, Washington Commanders

AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

The Washington Commanders went all-in on improving on last season's success in the offseason, swinging a pair of big-name trades for offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

But while Samuel's arrival generated plenty of buzz in NFL circles, the enthusiasm from fantasy managers has been muted—right now, his ADP in drafts is WR37.

However, we could be in for some good old-fashioned August ADP creep, because per Dean Jones of Riggo’s Rag, Samuel showed to training camp looking to make the doubters eat their words:

"Samuel has been getting heat from all angles. Most of this centered on his attitude, conditioning, and work ethic. It's early days, but the former second-round pick out of South Carolina is on course to emphatically silence his doubters. The versatile weapon showed up at camp in tremendous shape. Samuel's hard work away from the team has paid off handsomely. He's sharp, explosive, and developing a strong rapport with quarterback sensation Jayden Daniels. The trajectory is firmly pointing up."

Samuel's 2024 season with the San Francisco 49ers was disappointing, but the 29-year-old battled the effects of a severe case of pneumonia for much of the season. As recently as two years ago, he was a top-15 fantasy wideout in PPR leagues.

Now, healthy and playing for an offensive coordinator in Kliff Kingsbury who already appears intent on scheming Samuel the ball in space, a return to WR2 status isn't a huge reach.

And a fantasy WR2 with a WR4 price tag is what we call value.

WR Loser: Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams

AP Photo/Ryan Sun

The argument could already be made that Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua was being overdrafted in 2025, despite the arrival of more competition for targets in Davante Adams,

Nacua's ADP lies in the top-five among wide receivers, which is a handful of spots higher than he finished in PPR points per game a year ago.

Now, that lofty asking price is looking that much more difficult to justify for reasons that have nothing to do with Nacua.

The problem is quarterback Matthew Stafford—or more specifically, his back. Soreness has sidelined the 37-year-old.

Head coach Sean McVay told reporters the Rams aren't especially worried about Stafford's status for the season to come:

"Going into Year 17, we were going to take a modified approach with him, kind of similar to what we did in the offseason program, so we'll allow him to just work kind of off to the side on his own, get himself feeling as good as possible, and then he'll be ready for block 2, which will really represent once we finish the five-day acclimation period. He feels good about that, I feel good about that, and ultimately it's about having him feel as good as possible mentally, physically, emotionally, going into Year 17."

That's a lot of coachspeak, folks.

Now, maybe Stafford's soreness will abate, he’ll be out there for the opener and things will be fine. Or the injury could linger, he could miss time this year, and Nacua and Adams will be forced to catch worm-burners from Jimmy Garoppolo.

Winner TE: T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Rick Osentoski

The 2024 season is one Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson would rather forget. After tearing his ACL late in an excellent 2023 campaign, he was a shell of his usual self last season, with just 41 catches, 455 yards and the same number of touchdowns as me.

However, the 28-year-old is reportedly fully healthy now. And he told reporters he is looking forward to building a strong rapport with quarterback J.J. McCarthy:

"His arm talent is there. He's got a sick arm. I told him this the other day, I said I remember catching passes from [Matthew Stafford] and it's one of those balls and it just zips on you. It looks like it's not coming, but it's coming—and J.J.'s got the juice behind it where it kind of has that effect. It doesn't look like it's coming, it's a tight spiral, but it's coming. It's humming in the air. He's got an insane talent, arm talent, and really the personality he has goes really well and I think he's going to have a long career."

That rapport appears to be developing. McCarthy has looked Hockenson's way early and often in camp.

A safety valve over the middle can be a young quarterback's best friend. And while Hockenson isn't coming cheaply in drafts (ADP: TE5), he has a legit chance to crash the elite tier at his position if he gets a large role in the Minnesota offense.

TE Winner (Part 2): Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

There's still plenty of time for disaster to strike, and there have been a few nicks and bruises, but the news regarding the NFL's fantasy-relevant tight ends has been mostly positive so far.

Kyle Pitts posted 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie, but there's no denying the earliest-drafted tight end in NFL history has been a fantasy disappointment.

However, from the moment training camp started for the Falcons, it has been one rave report after another regarding the 24-year-old. First, it was quarterback Michael Penix Jr. telling reporters that the TE was going to get the ball a lot in 2025.

"You see we got KP the ball today," Penix said. "There's going to be a lot of that. He's been working hard. He's had a great summer, and I know he said he feels really good coming into camp. I can see it."

Then, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot talked up Pitts.

"That's the way he's showed up," he said. "He really wants to be the best that he can for us, but he looks good physically. He's moving well. He's as healthy as he's been. Again, the mentality of just being a great teammate, building that chemistry with the guys the right way. So, it's all positive."

Fantasy managers burned by Pitts in the past are understandably reluctant to draft him. But his athleticism has always been there. And with an ADP of TE17, it's not like it will take a major investment on draft day to obtain him.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on X at @IDPGodfather.