RB Camp Battles To Watch For Fantasy Football: Is George Holani Coming For Jadarian Price?

With new faces integrating into their respective camps, former heavy-usage RBs are now forced to compete for their jobs, while a rookie in Seattle is expected to hit the ground running. With plenty of RB battles to monitor, below is a breakdown of some of the key matchups taking place over the next few months and the impact they may have heading into draft season.

RB Camp Battles To Watch for Fantasy Football

Jaylen Warren vs. Rico Dowdle

Poor Jaylen Warren, just when it looked like it was finally going to be his job for the taking, the Pittsburgh Steelers went ahead and signed another productive back who will eat away at his usage rate. Even when splitting carries last season, Warren was still able to maximize the efficiency of his carries, averaging 4.5 yards per carry while ranking in the top-10 in yards over expected per rush attempt.

With Rico Dowdle in the fold, Warren will need to hold off his new teammate if he wants to be utilized as an RB1. Unfortunately for the Steelers RB, head coach Mike McCarthy has already made it clear he wants two fresh legs rotating throughout their games, giving him little room for error if he wants to remain on the field.

More frustrating yet, Warren has been the more efficient runner when compared to Dowdle, edging him out in yards over expected per rush attempt while running behind an offensive line that graded out worse in run block grade, per PFF. Warren has also been more effective through the air, averaging 8.3 yards per reception to Dowdle’s 7.6.

While his situation is certainly not ideal in regard to fantasy, their training camp battle is worth monitoring as a positional flip on the depth chart will make Warren’s season-long outlook look even more bleak. Barring an injury, expect Warren to continue to be handicapped or suffer a slide down the board if Dowdle starts to pick up steam.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs Everybody

After carving out a role as the Washington Commanders' lead back, Jacory Croskey-Merritt has taken a step back after stumbling down the stretch, now in serious jeopardy of losing his job to a slew of new faces in their backfield. Head coach Dan Quinn has already called him out regarding finding a role in their pass attack, suggesting they may be looking elsewhere.

While no news has been reported about someone dethroning Merritt for the Commanders' starting role at RB, his status is still worth monitoring while he attempts to hold off a crowded committee. Especially with Jayden Daniels making his return under center, giving whoever their starting RB is a bump heading into the season, with opposing defenses no longer able to stack the box at a high rate.

Jadarian Price vs George Holani

With all eyes on Jadarian Price, the Seattle Seahawks pulled the rug, giving George Holani starting reps at the beginning of OTA’s. A stunning development when a majority of analysts expected the job was Price’s after the Seahawks used a first-round pick on the Notre Dame running back, now muddying up the waters until we get more clarity on the situation.

The job was already fragile with Zach Charbonnet’s return from injury looming, making every bit of information we can get about their battle vital to determining whether either player is worth their price at the time of drafts. If Price wins the job and his ADP remains fairly unaffected, draft him in dynasty leagues knowing you may need a backup option should his usage plummet when Charbonnet takes his job back.

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RB Camp Battles To Watch For Fantasy Football: Is George Holani Coming For Jadarian Price?