ing away from what we were able to accomplish last year and what I think we are able to accomplish in the | Forum

When NFL training camps begin there are always battles being waged for playing time. Wes Horton Jersey . Some of those battles have been more or less decided -- Michael Vick is the starting quarterback in Philadelphia, Daryl Richardson is set to start at running back for St. Louis, Blaine Gabbert is starting at quarterback for Jacksonville -- but there are other situations that are still to be sorted out over the final couple weeks. Here are some of the more intriguing position battles for fantasy owners to watch: Montee Ball vs. Ronnie Hillman, Denver RB With an offence focused on passing, the Broncos may not place high priority on which of their backs is running more often. Hillman has the early edge, working with the first team, but the second-year back only had 327 rushing yards (3.9 per carry) as a rookie, so hes not anywhere close to secure in that position. Ball was a thundering force at Wisconsin, scoring 61 touchdowns in his last two seasons. The big concern with Ball has to do with pass protection, but hell have to be more effective all around if hes going to knock Hillman from the role. If neither one of these young backs takes hold of the job, Knowshon Moreno could sneak past them into more playing time. Kevin Kolb vs. E.J. Manuel, Buffalo QB The Bills seemed set to make the rookie Manuel their starter, but then he suffered a knee injury and will miss the rest of the preseason, opening the door for Kolb, who had missed time in camp with his own knee injury, to take the starting job. Kolb has 21 career starts and figures to get the starting job for Week One, when the Bills host New England. Even if the expectation is that Manuel will take over the starting job, it will be harder to make the change if Kolb is productive in that starting role. Dallas Clark vs. Ed Dickson vs. Visanthe Shiancoe, Baltimore TE Considering that the Ravens had big plans for Dennis Pitta in their offence this season, prior to suffering his season-ending hip injury, there is an opportunity for at least one of the Ravens tight ends to fill that void. Clark has the track record and a history with offensive co-ordinator Jim Caldwell; Dickson, who is hurt right now, had a 54-catch season with the Ravens and QB Joe Flacco in 2011, and Shiancoe is 34, but did have 18 touchdowns in the 2008 and 2009 seasons with Minnesota. DeAngelo Williams vs. Jonathan Stewart, Carolina RB Ankle problems continue to plague Stewart, which gives Williams the opportunity to not only be the Week One starter, but a chance to get significant touches in that role. Its been three years since Williams last rushed for more than 1,000 yards, but hes averaged 4.9 yards per carry throughout his career, so if he could get 200 carries, a 1,000-yard season could be achievable. Of course, if Stewart gets healthy, hes sure to get his share of carries too, effectively sabotaging the fantasy value of both backs. Demaryius Thomas vs. Wes Welker vs. Eric Decker, Denver WR There isnt really a battle for position so much as competition for targets from QB Peyton Manning. Thomas and Decker had tremendous seasons for the Broncos last year, with Thomas racking up 1,434 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, while Decker added 1,064 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. How will those numbers shake out with the addition of Welker, who has at least 100 catches and 1,000 yards in five of the last six seasons? Sure, Welker in the slot can take some touches away from the tight ends in the Broncos offence, and maybe they will pass a bit more with a suspect running game, but dont some of the targets have to get pulled away from Thomas and Decker? Thats my suspicion, but well have to see how Manning chooses to distribute the football. Nate Burleson vs. Ryan Broyles, Detroit WR Coming off injuries, the pair of Lions wideouts are competing for the job across from superstar Calvin Johnson. Burleson hasnt put up big numbers (under 50 yards per game) in three seasons with Detroit, but is a reliable complementary receiver. Broyles is the up-and-comer who had six catches for 126 yards against Houston in Week 11 last season, only to suffer a torn ACL the following week. If Broyles can become the viable second receiver for the Lions, he has a chance to be a productive part of an offence with a quarterback, Matthew Stafford, that has passed for more than 10,000 yards in the last two seasons. Eddie Lacy vs. Johnathan Franklin vs. DuJuan Harris, Green Bay RB When the Packers were bounced from the playoffs by San Francisco last season, without a potent rushing attack, it was a position to address in the offseason. Drafting Eddie Lacy, out of Alabama, in the second round and Johnathan Franklin, out of UCLA, in the fourth round was a clear effort to upgrade the running game and while Franklin hasnt impressed in camp, Lacy looks like he can be the kind of physical runner that the Packers seek. If Lacy isnt up to the job, though, a trio of holdover vets are still pushing for time. DuJuan Harris is a smaller, quicker option, who could be a change-of-pace back if Franklin doesnt improve. Alex Green rushed for 464 yards last season, but only 3.4 yards per carry, while James Starks has run for 934 yards in 22 games for the Packers over the last three seasons. With this cast of characters, Lacy should emerge as the most valuable of Green Bays ball carriers. Lamar Miller vs. Daniel Thomas. Miami RB In some circles, Lamar Miller is getting pub as a breakthrough candidate, following a rookie season in which he rushed for 250 yards (4.9 per carry), but the latest reports suggest that both backs will be getting carries. Since Thomas has averaged only 3.5 yards per carry in his first two seasons, he doesnt seem like a great challenger to Miller but even if Thomas only turns out to be the short yardage and goalline back, that will negatively affect Millers value. Jerome Simpson vs. Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota WR Simpson struggled through an injury-marred season last year, his first with the Vikings after showing promise in Cincinnati, but hes currently ahead of the Vikings first-round pick, Patterson, for the starting spot opposite veteran Greg Jennings. There may not be much appeal for the Vikings No. 2 wide receiver, given their focus on RB Arian Peterson, a still-developing quarterback, Christian Ponder, and an improving young tight end, Kyle Rudolph, who can play a bigger role in the passing game. Nonetheless, it appears that Simpsons lead isnt by a large margin, so Patterson should be expected to challenge for the role throughout the season and its likely just a matter of time before Patterson is in the starting lineup. Darren Sproles vs. Pierre Thomas vs. Mark Ingram, New Orleans RB Having three backs consistently involved in the Saints offence effectively ruins the fantasy value for all three. Ingram has some upside, if the Saints were to ever make him their primary everydown back, but hes averaged 3.9 yards per carry through his first two seasons, so hes not exactly breaking down the door. Thomas is a steady contributor who has at least 800 yards from scrimmage in four of the last five seasons. So long as hes getting touches, that limits Ingrams appeal. Sproles is a different animal, more targeted as a receiver than a runner out of the backfield, but in two seasons with the Saints, Sproles has gained 2,224 yards and scored 17 touchdowns, so hes not going to get pushed aside and that means shared duty in the New Orleans backfield. Chris Ivory vs. Bilal Powell vs. Mike Goodson, N.Y. Jets RB Ivory comes from New Orleans, where he was struggling to find playing time with the other three backs on the roster, and he still has a chance to earn a significant role, but Powell, who has 458 rushing yards (3.7 yards per carry) in his first two seasons, appears to be the leading candidate to start. Goodson is reportedly expected to arrive in Jets camp soon, but weapons charges have derailed Goodons offseason, so now hes more of a player to watch during the season rather than an actual threat to open as the starter. Mark Sanchez vs. Geno Smith, N.Y. Jets QB Not only do the Jets have questions in the running game, there is still the possibility that rookie Geno Smith can unseat Mark Sanchez as the starting quarterback. He is Mark Sanchez, after all. At the same time, Smith actually has to do something to push Sanchez aside and Smith will get a good opportunity to do so when he starts against the Giants this week. David Wilson vs. Andre Brown, N.Y. Giants RB Second-year runner David Wilson may get more carries in the Giants backfield, thanks to higher upside, but the job appears to be a timeshare at this point, which hinders the value of both and even if Wilson gets more carries, Brown could get the short-yardage and goalline work. Jonathan Dwyer vs. Isaac Redman, Pittsburgh RB Rookie RB LeVeon Bell was likely to emerge as the starter for the Steelers, but a foot injury has sidelined him for six-to-eight weeks, leaving Dwyer, who rushed for 623 yards last season, in the lead for carries in the Pittsburgh backfield. Redman rushed for 410 yards last season, with a similarly powerful running style, while LaRod Stephens-Howling could offer a different look as a smaller and quicker option. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Luke Kuechly Jersey . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Derek Anderson Jersey .ca. Kerry,  Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count?  All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. http:///...ott-panthers-jersey/ . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid.AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Brad Keselowski rolled into Phoenix International Raceway a year ago locked into a tight championship battle with Jimmie Johnson, and left the track poised to claim his first Sprint Cup title. Back at the track where his fortunes turned, Keselowski is a mere spectator to this years title fight. "Im relaxed, but not in a good way," he admitted. "Id much rather be fighting for a championship, everyone can agree with that." Instead, its Johnson, again, in the mix. The five-time champion leads Matt Kenseth by seven points -- the same margin Johnson held over Keselowski at this stage last season -- heading into Sundays penultimate race at Phoenix. Barring some sort of collapse by both drivers, it will be either Johnson or Kenseth who claims the Sprint Cup trophy following next weeks finale at Homestead. And with that, Keselowskis reign will come to an official end. Some will say he went out with a whimper. In failing to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, Keselowski wasnt eligible to defend his title. But hes proud he defeated five-time champion Johnson a year ago -- a feat only he and Tony Stewart have accomplished since 2006. "To me, knowing the playing field and how it all works, its something I take a lot more pride in than if I didnt understand the playing field," Keselowski said. "Obviously, that team is immune to the cycles that everyone else is, and to beat them is a very large accomplishment in this sport. Whether that was Tony the year before me, and then myself, they are just a great team and it takes a clutch effort to beat them. Im proud of the fact we were able to deliver last year." Keselowski did get some assistance in winning his title from Johnsons own misfortunes. At Phoenix, Johnson blew a tire and finished 32nd. Keselowski finished sixth and had a comfortable 20-point lead going into the finale, where Johnson had a mechanical failure. Keselowski took some of the credit for Johnsons issues, claiming he toyed with Johnson during practice at Phoenix -- a notion Johnson dismissed Friday, "I dont even remember that. What did he do?" But Keselowskis idea of toying with Johnson was never letting up, and running him hard every session. He doesnt believe combating that type of attack is Johnsons strength, and Kenseth would be wise to take that approach the next two weeks. "For (Johnson), I wouldnt want to have to race somebody that is going to race me hard because that is not their wheelhouse. That was one of our strengths last year," Keselowski said. "If I was going to give Matt a piece of advice, Id say run the hell out of him every timme you can. Paul Soliai Panthers Jersey. Run (Johnson) hard because thats his weakness." Keselowski believes it contributed to Johnsons tire problem at Phoenix that ultimately gave him the points lead. "He drove the car too hard until it blew out a tire," Keselowski said. "You could look at it and say that was a tire failure or whatever. Those in the garage, who know how the cars work, know it was reaching too hard and the failure that was caused from that. Thats that groups weakness." Thats not how Johnson recalled it when asked about Keselowskis version of events Friday. He said to go ask Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards -- the drivers Johnson has beaten for titles -- how hard he races before conceding that Keselowski was simply better than he was at Phoenix last year. "We race hard. Thats not a weakness of ours by any stretch," Johnson said. "Last year here, they were better than us, for sure. We worked real hard to play catch-up through the course of the weekend. Sure, we had a tire failure, and, yes, we overworked the tire. We created an issue ourselves. "We love to race hard. Thats what were here to do. Im not the best at putting up the fastest lap, the best at qualifying, the best at topping the speed charts in practice, but look at the fastest cars on the racetrack -- Im good at racing. Thats my sweet spot." What Keselowski has proven to be good at is rankling feathers, and even though hes not in this title race, he has remained relevant in this Chase because of a large personality and a commitment to speaking his mind. So there was no chance he was going to step aside quietly, especially not after Johnson crew chief Chad Knaus last week said that Kenseth is a "more formidable" opponent this year than Keselowski. Knaus made the remark following Johnsons win at Texas, where the crew chief said Kenseth "is a little more controlled. Hes a little more mature. Hes been in the sport for a long time. I think hes just a little more even keel, so that makes him a little more challenging to get off kilter." Keselowski didnt hear it, but learned of Knaus remark later. Hes giving Knaus the benefit of the doubt, but the remark clearly struck him. "Maybe the emphasis should be put on respecting what Matt has done and not disrespecting where Im at," Keselowski said. "Im not really sure what exactly he was trying to get at, so I guess Ill give him that benefit of the doubt. Either way, it doesnt take anything away from what we were able to accomplish last year and what I think we are able to accomplish in the future, even if we havent this year." Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '