By: Scott Sommers

With training camps, just around the corner, we at are going to break down the training camp battles and let you know how we think they are going to pan out and what they mean to your fantasy team. So without any further delay, here we go.

Baltimore Ravens
Quarterbacks: Next to Cleveland, this will be one of the most watch battles in the AFC. Chris Redman and Kyle Boller will each have ample opportunity to prove their worth. Throw in Anthony Wright and it could be a three-horse race. My bet is that Redman will start off the year at the qb spot. Even it doesn’t really matter. The Ravens are a run-first team and won’t put a lot of pressure on the quarterback.
Running Backs: Jamal Lewis seems to have recovered fully from his knee injuries. He is a monster and will be used even more so this year. Keep on eye on the battle to back-up Lewis. Chester Taylor and Musa Smith both fit into the Ravens’ offense pretty well. If Lewis goes down, Taylor will be the first to see action. Don’t be surprised if Smith sees touches down the stretch.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: The Ravens upgraded their receiving corps a bit adding Frank Sanders and Marcus Robinson. Robinson could be a huge steal for the Ravens if he can stay upright. Robinson is slotted right now as the third wideout, but if he has a strong camp he could take it away from Sanders. Ron Johnson, who played well last year, will end up as the fourth wide-out, maybe third, depending on Robinson’s health. Heap is the starting tight end and will stay there as long as he is healthy.

Buffalo Bills
Quarterbacks: No derby here. Drew Bledsoe is the man with Alex Van Pelt holding the back-up spot. Travis Brown will carry the clipboard.
Running Backs: After Travis Henry’s little tirade about Willis McGahee,  he calmed down a bit and came back to earth. Henry is the starter, but who backs him up is up in the air. Both Olandis Gary and Sammy Morris have struggled with injuries. Look for Gary to win the role of back-up with Morris taking up space until McGahee gets activated.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Josh Reed and Eric Moulds are set as the starters. Charles Johnson and Bobby Shaw will battle it out for the third wide-receiver spot. Look for Shaw, who I believe has the better hands, to beat Johnson out. Johnson has been a forgotten entity since leaving Pittsburgh and look for that to continue. Mark Campbell and Dave Moore will be used quite a bit in the run-blocking. Campbell has good hands and could be a solid sleeper in a draft. Bledsoe loves to throw to tight ends and it could mean some big numbers.

Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterbacks: Everyone can talk about Carson Palmer, but he won’t win the job in camp. Palmer will only see the field if Kitna falls on his face during the regular season. Matthews is the back-up.
Running Backs: Corey Dillon starts and has been a workhorse for the past couple of years. Brandon Bennett and Rudi Johnson may also see some time this year. Bennett will step in for Dillon if he goes down.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Chad Johnson has entrenched himself as a starter. Ron Dugans and Peter Warrick are having it out over the other spot. Dugans has been the more consistent of the two, so look for him to win it. Warrick will be a third wide out, while Farmer is fourth right now. Don’t be surprised if Kelley Washington moves up the chart as the season progresses. Matt Schobel is the starting tight end because of his blocking skills. Kelly is a fine receiving tight end. Brewer is a rookie, but has already turned some heads.

Cleveland Browns
Quarterbacks: The biggest talk of all the training camps has been the battle between Tim Couch and Kelly Holcomb for the starting spot. Butch Davis has been playing close to the vest as to who will be the starter. According a source close to the Browns camp, Couch has been looking very sharp no matter which team he has been running with. Holcomb has struggled a bit and hasn’t been looking as sharp as Couch. Look for Couch to win the job, but he will have to look over his shoulder the entire season.
Running Backs: William Green is locked in as the starter, while Jamel White will still be the third down back. James Jackson has almost become the forgotten man and if Lee Suggs can get healthy, he will be.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: This is almost an unwritten battle. Northcutt had a big year last year and has started to make some noise about a new contract, ala Kevin Johnson. Northcutt won’t be able to crack the starting line-up with Johnson and Quincy Morgan there. Andre Davis could make a push on Northcutt to be the third wide-out. This quartet may be the league’s best bar none. Throw in Jackson and King and this spot is loaded and someone won’t stay. Darnell Sanders and Steve Heiden are the tight ends. Sanders can catch the ball, but needs to work on his blocking skills. Heiden is Davis’ kind of guy and will be steady.

Denver Broncos
Quarterbacks: Jake Plummer is the starter and so far has been faring pretty well. Darius Jackson is pushing Steve Beuerlein for the back-up job, but Beuerlein should be able to hold him off.
Running Backs: CLinton Portis is the starter while KaRon Coleman is the back-up for now. Quentin Griffin will eventually take over that spot, but not at this moment. Mike Anderson is the starting fullback and will get an occasional touch or two.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Rod Smith is as good as gold in one spot, but Easy Ed is struggling with Ashley Lelie on his heels. Lelie is younger and not as beat up as Easy, so look for him to take the starting job away. Ed will make his living as a third down wide-out, but will still be a fantasy factor. Sharpe is the tight end, while the other two are for blocking purposes.

Houston Texans
Quarterbacks: David Carr took a beating last year, but he still remains the best option at the quarterback spot. Tony Banks will provide relief just in case. Don't expect it to happen.
Running Backs: This is the most interesting battle. Stacey Mack comes over from Jacksonville with hopes of winning the top spot. He is going to have to, due to the fact that he signed only a one year deal. Jonathon Wells will be Mack's top competitor, while James Allen will be the change of pace back. A person to watch is rookie Tony Hollins, who was chosen in the supplemental draft. He has to overcome a nasty ACL injury, but healthy, he is a load.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Corey Bradford started off hot, but cooled down when the Texans didn't have to take the heat off of him. He will be the Texans possession receiver. Jabar Gaffney will be the Texans home-run hitter if Carr gets time Rookie Andre Johnson will see plenty of time and should start the season at worst case scenario, the third wideout. Tight end Billy Miller is vastly underrated, but could be a late-round steal for a lot of fantasy owners.

Indianapolis Colts
Quarterbacks: Peyton Manning is the man.
Running Backs: Edge (Edgerrin James) is back and that is good news for the Colts. Right now they don't have a healthy back-up with Dominic Rhodes and James Mungro both ailing. If James returns to form, they won't need any back-ups.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Marvin Harrison is still one of the game's best. Reggie Wayne is making a big push to become the second wide-out and he should be able to do so. Marcus Pollard and Dallas Clark could form the best 1-2 tight punch in the league.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterbacks: Mark Brunell is a lame duck and he knows it. David Garrard is looking to steal time and could do so. He will replace Brunell at one point or another during the season. Byron Leftwich will carry the clipboard once he gets into camp.
Running Backs: Fred, "ouch something is hurting" Taylor is fresh with new contract and the top spot. Elvis Joseph looks to take the back-up role and needs to be handcuff to Taylor.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Jimmy Smith is the top guy, but he is starting to get up there in age. J.J. Stokes was brought in to take the second spot, but that is not a sure thing.

Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterbacks: Trent Green holds down the top spot and thank goodness he does. Last year, when Green didn't play, Todd Collins didn't perform too well. Collins is still the back-up, but that will probably change next year.
Running Backs: Priest Holmes has been squawking about a new contract and should get his wish very soon. Larry Johnson will be brought along slowly and eventually fill the back-up role. Look for Johnson to get some goal line carries this year.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Gonzo is simply the best in the game at tight end, while Eddie Kennison, Johnnie Morton and Marc Boerigter will hold down the top three spots. All three will play a big role in the Chiefs' offense.

Miami Dolphins
Quarterbacks: Jay Feidler couldn't have that good of a feeling when Brian Greise came into camp. Feidler will start, but if falters at all, Greise will step in ASAP. Sage Rosenfals will carry the clipboard.
Running Backs: Ricky Williams is the MAN. Travis Minor will be the change of pace back, while Rob Konrad will be the blocking back.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Chris Chambers is hoping to bounce back from last year's tough season. Derrius Thompson has been making strong strides all throughout camp and looks to have the second spot wrapped up. James McKnight will hold down the third spot. Oronde Gadsden, who is injured again, will struggle to make the team.

New England Patriots
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady should have no competition this year, again.
Running Backs: Antowain Smith came into camp out of shape again, allowing Kevin Faulk a chance to gain ground on him. Faulk is a great change of pace back, so look for. Smith to hold the starting job. Patrick Pass may see some time as well if Smtih doesn't pan out.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Troy Brown is the Pats' top wide-out, While David Patten and Deoin Branch will vie for the second spot. Branch could win the second spot and Patten be the third wide-out

New York Jets
Quarterbacks: Chad Pennington is the Jets qb. He took over for Testaverde last year and hasn't look back.
Running Backs: Curtis Martin is still the top guy, but he lost some carries near the goal line to Lamont Jordan. Don't be surprised if this continues to be a trend to save Martin's weary legs.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Curtis Conway comes over from San Diego with hopes of taking over the top spot. He should be able to do that with Santana Moss and Wayne Cherbet fighting it out for the second spot. Look for Chrebet to win it, while Moss gets the third spot.. Tight End Anthony Becht is on the hot seat this year despite scoring five times last year. He will need to be a bigger part of the offense this season.

Oakland Raiders
Quarterbacks: Old man Rich Gannon continues to run, but this maybe his last run as the Raiders quarterback.  Marques Tuiasosopo is waiting in the wings.
Running Backs: Charlie Garner will be the feature back to a point. He will see that ball a lot, but the Raiders love the RBBC method. Zack Crockett and Tyrone Wheatly will split time on short-yardage situations. Rookie Justin Fargas could very well see sometime if something would happen to Garner.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Jerry Rice and Tim Brown are on their last legs. Jerry Porter, who emerged last year, will stay as the third wide out. Tight end Doug Jolley adds one more punch to a potent passing attack.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterbacks: Tommy Maddox staved off Stewart and now holds the starting job without looking over his shoulder.. Charlie Batch will be there to pick up the pieces just in case.
Running Backs: Bettis claims he is in the best shape of his life and he will need to be there to hold off Zereoue. Either way, there will be no clear-cut winner. Look for the RBBC.
Wide Receivers/Tight End: Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward make a powerful one-two punch. Randle El is a terrific third wide out and compliments them very well. Terrence Mathis steps in as the fourth wide out giving the Steelers a formidable quartet.

San Diego Chargers
Quarterbacks: Drew Brees is the man and if he goes down, forget it.
Running Backs: Ladainian Tomlinson now has a blocking fullback in Lorenzo Neal. All Neal has done is help lead six consecutive rushers to a 1,000.  Tomlinson could hit that by game nine.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: David Boston finally leaves Arizona and gives the Chargers a deep threat. Reche Caldwell is the two guy.

Tennessee Titans
Quarterbacks: Steve McNair is back, as is Neil O'Donnell, so nothing has changed as far as the Titans go.
Running Backs: Eddie George is back as the main guy, but now has some competition. Chris Brown is looking good so far, while John Simon is the change of pace back.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Kevin Dyson is gone, but Derrick Mason is still there. Drew Bennett and Justin McCareins will battle it out for the second spot. Look for Bennett to win the battle for more playing time.