Watch These Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Training Camp Battles

Watch These Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Training Camp Battles originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

With teams around the NFL back in pads, fantasy football draft season is picking up steam. It's imperative to follow the latest news on training camp positional battles, and we have you covered on the key competitions to keep tabs on over the next few weeks.

Also see: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Tight ends

Houston Texans

Christian Kirk vs. Jayden Higgins vs. Jaylin Noel

Kirk is a couple seasons removed from doing anything of value in fantasy, but he's still on the right side of 30 and, better yet, now healthy. The Texans desperately need someone behind Nico Collins to step up for C.J. Stroud, and Kirk is just the safety blanket to do it -- so long as he can avoid the injury bug.

That primarily leaves two rookies competing for one spot, and Higgins should be granted the presumptive leg up based on his draft placement (34th pick) vs. Noel coming off the board a round later at No. 79 overall. They offer very different skill sets, too, with the former being a big-bodied perimeter guy, who plays more like Collins, another physical, 6-foot-4 wideout.

Noel is a 5-foot-10, 201-pounder, and his game is built on explosive plays after the catch. He should serve as the role replacement for the recovering Tank Dell (knee).

Projected result: Calling it a "battle" is a bit of a misnomer since it appears Higgins is locked into the Z role with Kirk playing from the slot, and Noel getting mixed in at times. The competition will be for Stroud's eye, which ultimately impacts playing time. Higgins is the one to draft with greater confidence for immediate results, though Noel is a speculative flier as Kirk's career has been marred by injuries, especially of late.

Los Angeles Chargers

Quentin Johnston vs. KeAndre Lambert-Smith

Rookie Tre Harris is a near lock for a top-three gig after the retirement of Mike Williams, leaving fellow a 2025 draft pick in KeAndre Lambert-Smith to challenge 2023 first-rounder Quentin Johnston for a starting role. KLS has turned heads thus far in the early going of training camp -- but so has Johnston, who made notable strides last year after a dismal 2023 rookie campaign.

Ladd McConkey figures to once again be the top target for Justin Herbert. Harris is a more powerfully built receiver, akin to another Ole Miss product, A.J. Brown, and he's expected to serve as the split end.

Projected result: Lambert-Smith isn't likely to outright unseat Johnston early on, if at all this year, but their similar skills as downfield threats could lead to interchangeability if the veteran fails to take another step forward.

New England Patriots

Kyle Williams vs. Efton Chism and Kayshon Boutte vs. Ja'Lynn Polk vs. Kendrick Bourne

Shockingly, a 31-year-old Stefon Diggs returned to the practice field only eight months removed from a torn ACL. The unencumbered veteran will man the WR1 role for quarterback Drake Maye.

Slot receiver DeMario Douglas has his post practically set in stone, leaving the competition focused on third-round rookie Kyle Williams vs. the undrafted Chism. Williams brings a more explosive element to the passing game than any of the aforementioned receivers. Veteran Mack Hollins (undisclosed) is on the active/PUP list and appears to be a lock to stick around.

That leaves Boutte, Bourne and Polk to vie for what should be the final two roster spots.

Projected result: Given Polk was a 2024 second-rounder under Eliot Wolf and Boutte saw extensive work earlier in the spring, the veteran Bourne appears to be the odd man out. To his credit, though, is having worked in this offense before. Williams should beat out Chism, who may land on the practice squad. In that event, Williams is a No. 5/WR6 flier in deeper leagues.

San Francisco 49ers

Demarcus Robinson vs. Jacob Cowing vs. Jordan Watkins

With an ever-growing infirmary population in the Bay Area, the "battle" may come down to last man standing at this point. Well ahead of camp, the 49ers already had both Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall on the active/physically unable to perform list with knee and hamstring injuries, respectively, only for Cowing to suffer a hammy strain of his own on July 23.

That leaves Watkins and Robinson to compete for reps and chemistry-building targets from Brock Purdy. Jauan Jennings remains the lone healthy holdover from last year, and he's not exactly happy with the front office.

In 2025, San Francisco will be without veteran Deebo Samuel after a trade sent him to Washington. Aiyuk's 2024 midseason ACL and MCL injuries have him likely slowed in the first half of the upcoming season. The duration of Cowing's absence is unknown at press time, but he's missing valuable time to compete with Watkins, a rookie fourth-rounder.

Projected result: Once fully healthy, Aiyuk is the top WR here, though arguably behind TE George Kittle in targets. Pearsall will be given every chance to excel as a 2024 first-round investment. Behind those three and Jennings -- don't forget running back Christian McCaffrey will get a ton of targets, too -- it really doesn't matter much for fantasy gamers.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.