When NFL training camps begin there are always battles being waged for playing time. 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. Giovani dos Santos Jersey . No, the San Antonio star didnt announce retirement plans during an off day at the NBA Finals on Wednesday. Raul Jimenez Jersey . - Alex Dostie scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the Gatineau Olympiques to a 5-3 victory over the Drummondville Voltigeurs in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action on Sunday. http://www.soccermexicojerseysteamstore....-mexico-jersey/. The D-Backs came into being in 1998 and appear destined to finish second in the AL West after the Tsunami that is the Los Angeles Dodgers swept over them. I thought it might be interesting to see what the D-backs have done over their 16 years compared to what the Blue Jays have done over their past 16 campaigns. Jose de Jesus Corona Jersey . -- Phil Mickelson came to the St. Jonathan dos Santos Jersey . The Tiger-Cats announced on Friday the linebacker has signed a new contract with the team through the 2016 season.TORONTO – His teammates have said all the right things. Theyve defended him, branded the furious finger-pointing as unfair and claimed that they, not he alone, were responsible for the anxious beginnings of a slide that nearly and may still sweep them out of the playoff picture in the East. With Jonathan Bernier sidelined for the remainder of the regular season – he has an MCL strain in his left knee and will be out three weeks – the Maple Leafs will turn once more to the beleaguered, doubted and frequently dissected James Reimer in what may be his final days as a Leaf. But their goal of reviving playoff hopes that simmer tepidly with four games left dont rest solely on his 26-year-old shoulders. "Now its about time we have his back and step up to the plate," said Nazem Kadri defiantly after a much-needed overtime win against Boston on Thursday night. That wasnt the case the first time around. Reimer, who hasnt won a start in more than two and a half months, may have struggled badly in his first rescue attempt for Bernier last month – he posted an .871 save percentage in five starts (all losses) – but he was deserted on an island through much of the wreckage. Of the 18 goals he allowed in relief of his younger counterpart, four came via breakaway, two via odd-man rush and two more from the back-door with little to no opportunity for a save. "At that point when we were losing the team in front of him just couldnt bring it together and figure things out and obviously the goalies left out there to dry by himself," Kadri said. "We didnt play too good as a team," Carl Gunnarsson concurred. "We didnt help him out." That will have to change, starting Saturday when the Leafs host the Jets in the final regular season game at the ACC this spring. Trailing Detroit and Columbus for the final two wild card positions in the East, their hopes cannot rest on Reimer alone – especially at a point when his confidence has sunk to its lowest at the NHL level. Improvement isnt likely to magically appear in the teams defensive play – a struggle from start to finish – but the glut of glaring and often fatal mistakes needs to be kept to a minimum. Errors like two-time Rocket Richard winner Steven Stamkos being left alone to score three goals or Gustav Nyquist burning away for a pair of breakaway markers on the same night. Until recently, Bernier proved an acrobat at masking such deficiencies, piliing up eight wins when he faced more than 40 shots in a game this season.dddddddddddd Those theatrics, however, have evolved into expectation in Toronto, an unfair burden that became Reimers to shoulder when Bernier went down with a groin injury last month. The situation may have bubbled over in Detroit on Mar. 18. It was after that game against the Red Wings – a 3-2 loss for the Leafs – that head coach Randy Carlyle described his struggling goaltenders performance as "okay, just okay", comments that ignited a firestorm back home. While he later downplayed the remarks – addressing them with Reimer personally a day later – Carlyles blunt post-game observation seemed to ignore the manner in which Reimer was beat that night – two of the three goals came via the Nyquist breakaway, the third circa the odd-man rush – and thereby singled out the goaltender on a night when he was left alone on far too many occasions. It was the culmination of doubt which has surrounded Reimer upon his landing in Toronto for good in January 2011. "Its a non-issue as far as were concerned," Carlyle said Friday of the since quieted controversy. Reimer hasnt won a start since Jan. 21. Like his teammates, his level will need to rise substantially from where its been for the Leafs to have any hope of spicing up a late season race. For all the follies of those around him during the spiral last month, he could not deliver the one or two timely, game-changing saves needed most nights for success. That will have to change in the days ahead. A restricted free agent and almost certainly playing elsewhere next season, Reimer wondered before Thursdays surprise relief appearance if he had seen his last game as a Leaf. Now comes one final (in all likelihood) opportunity to exit on a positive and perhaps even uplifting note – if he and the Leafs can somehow defy the odds and get into the playoffs. "Honestly right now theres lots of thoughts swirling in your head about a lot of things," he said ahead of a clash with the Jets, "but now its just time to stop the puck. It doesnt really matter what transpires after the season or all that white noise per se. All Im trying to do is just play my best, get those two points (Saturday), and then go on to Florida. Try not to think about other stuff." "Ive had a lot of success in the past and had to carry the load in different scenarios and Ive been successful in that. I feel confident." ' ' '