It's time to drink from the firehose of training camp news! We will be distilling the torrent down to a weekly training camp report in August, but if you want to traverse the waters yourself, consider this a "viewer's guide" to the storylines that could have the most consequence when we make adjustments to our final draft rankings and strategy before our most important drafts.
Arizona - WR1
Candidates: Marvin Harrison Jr.. (ADP: 65) vs Michael Wilson (ADP: 91)
Once Harrison left with an appendectomy in the middle of the 2025 season, Wilson went on a prodigious tear as a garbage-time-fueled #1 target. Harrison never really got fully healthy after that, and the Cardinals offense is now run by new head coach Mike LaFleur and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, so the top of the wide receiver pecking order is very much up for grabs. Wilson has said that he is playing Z receiver this year (as opposed to X when Harrison was out), and said that previous offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's system "runs through the X receiver", so this system is "completely different".
Atlanta - WR2
Candidates: Zachariah Branch (ADP:206) vs Jahan Dotson (ADP: Undrafted)
There's not much fantasy intrigue here, but if the dynamic Branch wows in his first camp and establishes himself as the #2 wide receiver, then he could have value if Drake London or Kyle Pitts Sr. go down because this is a superconcentrated pass offense. Don't count out Dotson, who the Falcons liked enough to give a two-year, $15 million deal in the offseason.
Baltimore - Zay Flowers role/usage, WR2
Flowers is looking for a new contract just as the team has a brand new coaching staff. It is only rational for offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to feature Flowers in the same way the Seahawks used Jaxon Smith-Njigba. We'll be listening to see if his role and target share is being expanded. The Ravens' WR2 is going to come from this list: Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker, Elijah Sarratt, Ja'Kobi Lane. Sarratt is a fourth-round pick who could carve out a big role as a rookie, and the team is looking for Bateman - a former first-rounder - to get out of the funk he was in last year. The winner isn't worth targeting in fantasy drafts. However, if the team feels that signing a veteran is necessary, or the competition doesn't have a true standout, it could lead to greater reliance on Mark Andrews and highlight a weakness that defenses could exploit.
Buffalo - Josh Allen/DJ Moore chemistry, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer health
The big story here is how Josh Allen gets along with his new #1 receiver. Moore played for Bills head coach Joe Brady in Carolina, which should help. Early reports had the duo as a work in progress. Shakir is coming back from March ankle surgery, while Palmer's 2025 was derailed by a leg injury. If they are healthy, they should be the #2 and #3 targets, but rookie fourth-round pick Skyler Bell and redemption story Keon Coleman will be asked to do more if they hit any bumps in the recovery road.
Carolina - Role/usage of Tetairoa McMillan, play of replacement OTs Monroe Freeling and Rasheed Walker
This storyline revolves around the development of third-round pick Chris Brazzell II, who has already been mixing in with the first team as an X receiver (and promptly aggravated a nagging knee issue, clouding his 2026 outlook). Head coach Dave Canales said that will allow the team to use McMillan in the slot more, which can only be good for his fantasy value. Brazzell will be the third target behind Jalen Coker, but if he's ready for a significant role in Week 1, then he should be on our radar as a potential early-season waiver addition and boost for Bryce Young's value. That is, if the offensive line is functional with left tackle Ickey Ekwonu out for a good part of the 2025 season after suffering a torn patellar in the wild card loss to the Rams and right tackle Taylor Moton sidelined into the regular season with no return date because of blood clots. Luckily, the team drafted a tackle in the first round and signed a starting tackle from last year in free agency, so they could weather the storm until their starters are healthy enough to play.
Chicago - Luther Burden III drumbeat
When the head coach is, in their own words, "buying stock in a player," we should probably pay attention. Placing the 2025 second-round pick high in the game plan priorities will also help Ben Johnson's mission to raise Caleb Williams' completion percentage. Just how productive could Burden be? We saw Rashee Rice put up WR1 numbers in a narrow, but high-volume role for Patrick Mahomes II. Of course, Mahomes didn't have the Bears' running game or the quality of young pass catchers, but you get the idea. If Burden's drumbeat gets louder, he will move up the list of high-ceiling picks in PPR leagues.
Cincinnati - WR3
The Bengals' third wide receiver is not anyone we should be targeting late in drafts, but given the nature of their passing offense, they are a player who could have waiver wire value during the season. Andrei Iosivas should win the job in his fourth year after coming into the league as an athletic specimen from the Ivy League, but the team drafted Colbie Young in the fourth round, and UDFA Mitchell Tinsley continues to outplay his pedigree.
