NFL Preseason Week 4: Fantasy-Relevant Position Battles

Most perceived starters get Week 4 of the NFL preseason off in preparation for the grueling regular season schedule ahead. However, Week 4 can also be the last chance for players in position battles to separate themselves from their competitors.

This season is no different, and many position battles remain wide open heading into the final 60 minutes of preseason action. Although there are obviously dozens of position battles for special teams spots, defensive positions and offensive linemen jobs, we’re going to focus on the some of the more potentially fantasy-relevant battles still taking place in the final preseason matchups.

The Falcons figure to feature a robust offensive attack in 2015, and fantasy owners will obviously hope that running back figures into that equation. In the changing NFL landscape, feature starting RBs are almost exclusively a thing of the past.

Can the Falcons give fantasy players one more feature back?

Last season the Atlanta Falcons drafted Devonta Freeman out of Florida State as the heir apparent to Steven Jackson. But Freeman never really got the chance to shine, carrying the ball more than eight times in a game just once and ending the season with fewer than 250 yards rushing.

After Freeman’s uneventful rookie season, the Falcons drafted Tevin Coleman in the third round out of Indiana, providing fantasy owners another potential running back headache.

Unfortunately, this preseason has proven completely unfruitful for both Coleman and Freeman. Both players missed the first two games with injuries, and only Coleman played in Week 3, providing only two yards on four carries.

Chances are they’ll enter the season as a split-carry duo, but Week 4 could shed some light on which player sees the bulk of those carries. Right now in ESPN fantasy leagues, Coleman is going an average of 102.6 overall while Freeman is being taken at 111.2.

Unfortunately, at that stage of the draft, you’re going to have to take risks, especially on running backs.

Freeman is expected to miss the final week of the preseason, so if Coleman shines, he could end up being first on the depth chart.

Oh, Jordy Nelson. The preseason always lays claim to a star or two, and unfortunately for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, elite wide receiver Jordy Nelson was one of those sacrificed to the NFL injury gods.

That moves Randall Cobb, ignoring his injury, up on the depth chart. It also leaves room for a new No. 3.

Rodgers’ second-favorite receiver last season (Cobb) finished with 91 catches for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those numbers were good enough to make him a top-10 wide receiver in standard leagues.

But who’s the third wide receiver, and will it matter? Last year’s No. 3 receiver (Adams) hauled in 38 passes for 446 yards and three TDs.

That was good enough to make him the 72nd-best fantasy wide receiver in standard leagues. In other words, not really ownable.

Still, stranger things have happened, and as the Packers know, injuries do too. Speculating on Rodgers’ third WR could prove completely fruitless, or it could end up being the next man up.

Pay attention to Jeff Janis and Ty Montgomery in the final week of preseason. If Cobb or Adams miss time at any point this season, one of those two will be a must-add.

Sankey was supposed to be the best rookie running back in fantasy in 2014. Instead, he was a complete dud.

Now he has some legitimate competition in 2015 rookie David Cobb.

After Week 3 of the preseason, in which Cobb carried the ball 11 times for 53 yards, Tennessee Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt suggested the starting job may be Cobb’s to lose in an interview with ESPN's Paul Kuharsky.

I don’t think we were necessarily a running back committee in the third quarter last night (with Cobb at running back). That was a lot of what you would hope to envision we could run the ball like. I think that’s part of what the preseason is about. We can find out if we can have that guy, not to be cliché, that’s the bell cow.

Sankey, on the other hand, has underwhelmed this preseason, carrying the ball 20 times for just 77 yards. Take away Sankey’s 19-yard run against the St. Louis Rams in Week 2 of the preseason, and he’s averaged just over three yards per carry.

If the Titans backfield is a committee, avoid it. If Cobb can pull through in Week 4 of the preseason and cement the starting job, he could be a nice sleeper/flex pick up.

This is probably the messiest backfield in the NFL for fantasy purposes. At this point, the Browns might have more running backs than Spinal Tap had drummers.

And to add more fuel to the fire, there was this report by Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith about Ray Rice possibly joining the fray. It seems mostly speculative, but jeez.

From that same report, Smith talks about just how bleak the backfield is in Cleveland.

Last year the Browns had one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL, and if anything their running backs look even worse this preseason: The leading rusher, Terrance West, has just 78 yards on 22 carries, and overall the Browns’ running backs are averaging 2.8 yards a carry through three preseason games. So it would seem that Rice — even though he averaged just 3.1 yards a carry in 2013 — could be an improvement.

If the Browns end up signing Rice, he might be worth a waiver claim or late-round draft pick. Otherwise, just stay away.

Stats and info provided by ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.

Preseason stats provided by NFL.com.

Follow Aaron Brand on Twitter @AaronBrand47.