Biggest Fantasy Football Questions That Will Be Answered in Training Camps

The end of July is a great time of year for football fans. As training camps get underway from coast to coast, hope springs anew for 32 teams across the NFL.

OK, maybe not everywhere. Sorry, Jets fans. And Bears fans. And Browns fans.

There's a double dip of dreams if you're also an aficionado of fantasy football. As franchises across the league put their teams together, it's time for fantasy owners to do the same.

As folks prepare to assemble their fantasy squads for 2017, there's uncertainty afoot. Questions hang over a number of prominent players, from grizzled veterans to newcomers. For some, it's injury-related. For others, it's a battle for depth chart supremacy.

In any event, these questions could have a substantial impact on  players' fantasy value for the 2017 season. Here are the 10 biggest ones heading into training camps.

Can Todd Gurley Recapture Past Glory?

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Coming off a phenomenal rookie season, Los Angeles Rams tailback Todd Gurley was a consensus first-round pick last year, per Fantasy Football Calculator.

That did not end well.

After averaging 4.8 yards per carry as a rookie, Gurley managed just 3.2 in 2016—tied for second-worst in the NFL. According to ESPN.com's Sheil Kapadia, his yards per carry before contact fell from 2.7 to 1.6. Gurley didn't come close to 1,000 rushing yards, failed to gain 100 yards in a single game and saw his touchdown total drop by 40 percent.

Needless to say, these numbers did not portend great fantasy success. As he told Lindsey Thiry of the Los Angeles Times, "It can't get any worse than it did last year."

Gurley also told SiriusXM Radio (via Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com) that improved play from second-year quarterback Jared Goff could open things up in the backfield.

"Oh, he's been getting better. Obviously, he didn't go No. 1 for no reason. He has the talent, and he's just been getting better. He definitely had a great OTAs, great minicamp. Coaches have been doing a good job with him. Just his preparation, him being there all day, he's been great so far, man, so I'm definitely looking forward to it."

Fantasy owners appear to be on board with a bounce-back season from Gurley in 2017. He's conimg off draft boards as a top-10 tailback in the middle of Round 2.

They apparently believe Gurley will run better. And Goff will throw better. And the Rams line will block better.

Maybe "believe" isn't the best word. "Hope" might be more like it. 

Who Will Start at Quarterback for the Houston Texans?

Associated Press

Tom Savage

From a fantasy perspective, the competition to start under center for the Houston Texans isn't about fourth-year pro Tom Savage or rookie first-rounder Deshaun Watson. If either of those young quarterbacks are starting for your fantasy team, you're in trouble.

But as anyone who wasted a high draft pick on wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins last year will attest, as goes the quarterback so go the recipients of his passes.

With (mainly) Brock Osweiler at quarterback for the Texans in 2016, Hopkins' numbers fell off a cliff. However, as ESPN.com's Sarah Barshop reported, Hopkins is confident Savage can run the team's offense.

"I like his leadership," Hopkins said. "From last year, when he wasn't playing on the field, he was still showing the guys, telling us what we should do, helping us out like he was the starting quarterback. Now that he's in that role, it's no surprise to anybody on this field that he deserves that role. He has earned it, not just from playing, but from the chemistry he has built in the locker room with everybody."

Savage enters camp as the favorite to start, largely because of his experience in Bill O'Brien's offense. But that experience wasn't so great for Hopkins. In the two games in which Savage played the majority of the snaps last year, Hopkins had 11 grabs on 23 targets for 130 yards.

Those aren't terrible numbers. But extrapolated over a 16-game season, they aren't what fantasy owners are looking for from a third-round pick, either.

Will Ezekiel Elliott Miss Time to Start the Year?

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

The early-season status of Dallas Cowboys tailback Ezekiel Elliott has become one of the biggest clouds hanging over fantasy drafts this year—and it has nothing to do with anything that happened on the field.

As NFL.com's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported, the league is wrapping up its investigation into a number of off-the-field incidents involving Elliott, including allegations of domestic violence. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones maintains nothing he's seen merits discipline from the league office (in his opinion), per ESPN's Todd Archer.

"I have reviewed everything, and there is absolutely nothing—not one thing— that had anything to do with domestic violence," Jones said. "My opinion is there's not even an issue over he-said, she-said. There's not even an issue there."

ESPN's Adam Schefter recently reported the 2016 NFL rushing king is bracing himself for a short suspension, which sent shockwaves across the fantasy landscape.

Prior to Schefter's report, Elliott was a consensus top-three pick. Now, his asking price is all over the place. In some drafts, his value remains unchanged. In others, he's slipped from Round 1 altogether.

The sooner the NFL hands down its judgment, the sooner Elliott's fantasy value will stabilize. Assuming he's looking at a one- or two-game suspension, he should only fall a few spots at most.

Can Sammy Watkins Stay on the Field?

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Two years ago, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins offered a glimpse of the potential that spurred the Bills to move up in the NFL draft the year before, topping 1,000 receiving yards and finishing as a top-10 fantasy option in PPR leagues in fantasy points per game.

Some fantasy owners took that potential as a sign of things to come and bet big on Watkins last season. That blew up in their faces, as he missed eight games and tallied just 430 receiving yards.

Yet, despite the foot injury that plagued him throughout 2016—an injury that required additional surgery in the offseason—Watkins' current ADP has him coming off the board early in the fourth round of 10-team leagues.

According to Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News, head coach Sean McDermott indicated Watkins is expected to be "close to 100 percent" when training camp for the Bills opens on July 27.

"Credit to Sammy, credit to our training staff and the way he's attacked the rehab with them," McDermott said. "That has to continue, though. This is one step in that process of getting Sammy back to where he needs to be and where we need him to be."

If Watkins gets on the field soon and appears to be anywhere close to his 2015 form, drafters that spend a third- or fourth-round pick on the 24-year-old can breathe a little easier. But if his foot continues to hamper him as the calendar turns to August, his ADP will free-fall.

Will It Be Dr. Joe(kyl) or Mr. Hyde at RB for the 49ers?

Associated Press

Carlos Hyde

Among the top 20 fantasy running backs in 2017, few (if any) are more divisive than Carlos Hyde of the San Francisco 49ers.

Some see a talented tailback with 1,000-plus-yard upside. Enough fantasy drafters see that for Hyde to be off the board by the middle of Round 5 on average.

Others, however, see an injury-prone player who isn't a great fit for new head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. From the moment that the Niners moved up in the 2017 draft to select Utah's Joe Williams, buzz emerged suggesting Hyde's days atop the depth chart were numbered.

CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco came down somewhere in between—predicting that Hyde would start but cede significant touches to Williams and Tim Hightower.

"Hyde is probably still the favorite to win the starting job," Maiocco said, "but he will have to earn it. However it shakes out, it is probably safe to assume the club will employ more of a backs-by-committee approach with Williams and Tim Hightower available for key roles."

However, NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal recently reported the 49ers could release Hyde outright during camp. 

Given the uncertainty surrounding who will start at running back for a bad 49ers team, the best course of action might be avoiding that battle altogether. If you do invest an early pick in Hyde, circling around to acquire Williams later will afford some measure of insurance.

That is, unless another owner in your league spends a pick on Williams as a late-round lottery ticket in the hope that he either impresses in training camp or Hyde once again can't stay healthy.

Does Carson Palmer Have One Big Year Left?

Matt York/Associated Press

Two years ago, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer threw for almost 4,700 yards and 35 scores en route to a top-five fantasy finish at his position. Last year he, um, did not.

The 37-year-old's numbers dropped significantly across the board in a disappointing 2016 season. That disappointment didn't rest solely with Palmer, but compared to the year before, he looked old.

After changing up his offseason routine, however, Palmer told Bob Baum of the Associated Press that he feels much better now than at this time a year ago.

"It's hard to explain. You just feel better," Palmer said. "You feel like you have more zip, more velocity. ... I feel like I can go out and throw 150 balls in practice. I don't think I felt that way coming into camp last year."

Palmer's decline began late in that 2015 season after he hurt his thumb, which culminated with his implosion against the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game. To preserve him this time around, Arizona is limiting Palmer's reps in camp and the preseason—for instance, he won't take the field at all during the Hall of Fame Game, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

If early fantasy drafts are any indication, there isn't much optimism that Palmer can turn back the clock in 2017. He's the 20th quarterback off the board in terms of ADP, sitting behind the likes of Tyrod Taylor of the Buffalo Bills and Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, Palmer has no shortage of skill-position weapons at his disposal, and he runs a vertical offense tailor-made to racking up fantasy points.

The more good news we hear regarding Palmer over the next few weeks, the better he's going to look as an upside backup pick with minimal risk and the potential for a big reward.

Who Will Be the Lead Back for the Minnesota Vikings?

Associated Press

Dalvin Cook

Give credit where credit is due: Once the Minnesota Vikings moved on from Adrian Peterson at running back, they moved on.

First, the Vikings signed free-agent tailback Latavius Murray, who scored 12 rushing touchdowns for the Oakland Raiders in 2016 and topped 1,000 rushing yards the year before.

The Vikes weren't done. In the second round of the 2017 NFL draft, they selected Florida State's Dalvin Cook, a do-it-all back who topped 2,200 total yards for the Seminoles last year.

Cook made it clear to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press that he is in no way trying to replace the best running back in franchise history.

"He is a future Hall of Famer," Cook said. "This is my first year in the NFL. I am not as close to him, so I cannot compare myself to him at all because he is going to go down as one of the greatest backs in history probably. So I just have to go out there and work, and I cannot have that in my head."

However, the prevailing school of thought suggests Cook will be the team's primary back out of the gate. The rookie is coming off draft boards as a lower-end fantasy RB2—nearly seven full rounds before Murray.

There's merit to that belief. Cook is an elite physical talent who can do it all—run between the tackles, take it off the edge, catch the rock out of the backfield. You name it, Cook can (in theory) do it. And with Murray recovering from ankle surgery, Cook had a chance in OTAs to get a head start.

However, doing it in theory and doing it on an NFL field aren't the same thing. Rookie backs often struggle in pass protection. And Murray is a more proven commodity who is nearing a return to the practice field, even if he opened camp on the PUP list.

If Murray carves out a sizable role for himself, Cook will be hard-pressed to live up to that ADP.

Which Third-Year QB Is About to Break Out?

Associated Press

Marcus Mariota

In 2015, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick. The Tennessee Titans immediately proceeded to choose Oregon signal-caller Marcus Mariota.

Both young quarterbacks showed marked improvement in their second NFL season, leading their respective clubs to nine wins. Both now enter 2017 amid talk of a playoff run and increased fantasy hype.

For Winston, that hype started the moment the Buccaneers signed veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson as a complement for young star Mike Evans. When Tampa turned around and drafted an athletic tight end in O.J. Howard and a talented young slot receiver in Chris Godwin…well, let's just say Winston has plenty of targets to rocket passes toward when the Hard Knocks cameras fire up in camp.

A broken leg prematurely ended Mariota's second season, but his third year begins with him at the helm of a completely revamped aerial attack.

The Titans used their first of two first-round picks in 2017 to bring in Western Michigan's Corey Davis, the type of big-bodied, sure-handed No. 1 receiver the team lacked a year ago. What they didn't expect was for a second such pass-catcher to land in their lap after the New York Jets cut Eric Decker.

Both of these young quarterbacks are being selected either just inside or just outside weekly starter territory in 12-team fantasy leagues. Both have fantasy ceilings far higher than that. As a matter of fact, for much of last year, Mariota was fantasy's highest-scoring quarterback.

The answer to the question "Which third-year QB is about to break out?" may wind up being "both." 

And both are poster players for why waiting to draft a quarterback in 2017 is wise.

Will the Chargers' Rotten Injury Luck Continue?

Associated Press

Tyrell Williams

Good luck finding a team in the NFL that's had worse injury luck over the past half-decade than the Los Angeles Chargers. And while they moved from San Diego to Los Angeles this offseason, it appears that dark cloud followed the Bolts up the California coast.

Partly because of the durability concerns with top receiver Keenan Allen, the Chargers spent the seventh overall pick on Clemson's Mike Williams. The rookie has yet to take the practice field as the result of a back injury—one severe enough that it could require season-ending surgery, per Schefter.

According to Lakisha Jackson of NFL.com, Williams vehemently denied that report Saturday.

"I'm good. Everything good. The back situation. That was some false information being released," he said. "I don't know who released it but everything is good."

Seeing as Williams is already behind in acclimating to the NFL and is set to open camp on the PUP list, everything most assuredly is not "good."

Allen, who is coming off fantasy draft boards early in the fourth round of 10-team leagues on average, barely played last year after tearing his ACL in the season opener. Since topping 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie, Allen has missed over half of the past three seasons.

During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show (via NFL.com's Chris Wesseling), Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said Allen "looks just as good as before he got hurt." Regardless, it's probably being kind to call the 25-year-old a risk/reward fantasy option. 

At this point, the safest bet among Chargers' receivers may well be Tyrell Williams, who came from nowhere to top 1,000 yards a year ago. But despite that big year, Williams is a fantasy afterthought this summer—his lies outside the top 40 at his position.

Who Will Key the Washington Ground Game?

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Rob Kelley

First-round draft picks don't win fantasy leagues. Those players are supposed to post big numbers.

Late-round picks are the ones who can really turn the tide—the surprise stars from whom little was expected but much is received. 

Given that neither Robert Kelley or rookie Samaje Perine has an ADP inside the top 35 running backs so far this summer, the young Washington Redskins tailbacks are good candidates to provide that sort of late value. The fact both are being taken within a handful of picks of one another, however, demonstrates that the fantasy community has no idea which one it will be.

Per Stephen Czarda of the team's website, Kelley will open camp as the lead back after averaging 4.2 yards a carry last year as a rookie. Head coach Jay Gruden said he's been impressed by Kelley's growth over the offseason..

"It's exciting to see how far he's come in a short period of time," Gruden said. "With that experience comes confidence and I think he's more confident with every rep that he takes."

Per Diane Chesebrough of Redskins Wire, Gruden also talked up Perine, a hard-charging 233-pound grinder who set the NCAA single-game rushing record with 427 yards against Kansas back in 2014.

"You can see that his pad level is always down that he's got good vision," Gruden said. "He's got good feet in the hole and he caught the ball well."

Neither of these young backs may assert themselves to the extent that they become a true 20-plus-touch bell cow. Gruden admitted as much to Czarda.

But so long as their ADP remains in the ninth or 10th round, fantasy owners should keep an eye on both. 

Getting even a "flex" starter that late could be a game-changer.

All ADP information via FantasyPros and is based on 10-team PPR leagues. All positional rankings via FFToday.