Fantasy: Gronkowski, Watkins and other must-watch storylines from AFC East training camps

With NFL training camps underway, theScore's Justin Boone and David P. Woods take a look at the biggest fantasy questions facing each team over the next six weeks. 

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AFC EAST

Can Sammy Watkins be a fantasy star with E.J. Manuel as his quarterback? 

Buffalo Bills fans are starved for a winning team and the club felt they were close enough to the playoffs, that they made a big splash in the draft, moving up to select the top receiver Sammy Watkins. 

Now the team is loaded with potential at every offensive skill position outside of tight end. Unfortunately, potential doesn't automatically bring an end to the league's longest playoff drought, which for Buffalo is at 14 seasons and counting. 

The Bills' hope on offense rests with quarterback EJ Manuel. In his first season in Doug Marrone's system Manuel was showing signs of being a NFL-caliber quarterback, but an early October knee injury derailed his season. When Manuel returned down the stretch, he wasn't the same player and he ended the year having appeared in just 10 games. 

To help Manuel's development, the team hired a quarterbacks coach, something they were lacking a year ago. Manuel also spent time working with Colin Kaepernick in the offseason, which obviously can't hurt. However, early reports out of training camp are not all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows for Manuel. 

Meanwhile, Watkins has impressed at every opportunity, including this ridiculous one-handed catch after falling in the end zone.  Watkins is a fantasy player with a relatively high floor and an extremely high ceiling. The rookie receiver is being drafted as a WR3 in fantasy mocks, which is a safe bet for him this season.  

If Manuel can deliver consistent quarterback play in the Bills' up-tempo offense, Watkins could produce WR2 numbers and teammates Robert Woods and Mike Williams could even become fantasy relevant. 

What will the Dolphins' offense look like under new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor? 

Lazor joins a Dolphins' offense that has nowhere to go but up. Former coordinator Mike Sherman became very predictable by season's end, which showed, as the team scored only seven points over their final two games, causing them to miss out on the playoffs. 

Miami reacted by signing Lazor, who served as the quarterbacks coach for Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles last season. It's unclear how much of Nick Foles' breakout can be attributed to Lazor, but he will try to work whatever magic he has on Ryan Tannehill. 

Lazor and Tannehill will have weapons to work with, including receiver Mike Wallace, emerging tight end Charles Clay, and running backs Lamar Miller and Knowshon Moreno. 

Miller was expected to be the starting tailback last season, but he failed to put his stamp on the job. In the name of competition the team brought in Moreno, who showed up out of shape and is now dealing with a knee injury. Miller is the favourite to start, and has an outside chance of breaking out in the new system. 

The team also brought in left tackle Branden Albert and drafted right tackle Ja'Wuan James. The new additions to the line may be offset by the loss of centre Mike Pouncey for the first eight weeks of the season with a torn labrum. After the mess the Dolphins dealt with on their offensive line last year, the blocking should be more reliable, even with Pouncey sidelined.

Like everything in the preseason, the players reviews of Lazor's system have been overly positive. While Tannehill may still be a season away from a breakout campaign, Miller, Clay and to a lesser extent Wallace would be value picks at their current ADPs. 

Can Rob Gronkowski stay healthy? 

When Rob Gronkowski is at full power, he can challenge Jimmy Graham for the title of the NFL's best tight end. We just haven't seen Gronkowski play a complete season since 2011. 

If you will recall, that 2011 season was absolutely out of this world for Gronk's fantasy owners, as he posted 90 catches for 1,327 yards and an outrageous 17 touchdowns. That works out to 5.6 receptions, 82.9 yards and over a touchdown per game. 

Since then, he has played in 18 games over two years, and despite dealing with injuries his per-game averages have remained elite (5.2 receptions, 76.8 yards, .83 touchdowns). 

Gronkowski's value this season comes down to whether fantasy owners believe he can play at a high level after having surgery for a torn ACL in January. The timetable for ACL injuries has been skewed a bit by the likes of Adrian Peterson and Robert Griffin, but there are no guarantees Gronk can match their accelerated recoveries. 

Expect the Patriots to keep updates on Gronkowski's status to a minimum, because Bill Belichick doesn't care about your fantasy drafts. For the second straight year, owners will have to decide if they want to take the risk on an ultra talented tight end, who may not be at full speed until later in the season and may not be able to stay on the field even once he returns. 

Does Chris Johnson have anything left in the tank? 

Everyone wants to talk about Geno Smith and Michael Vick and who will be under centre when the Jets start their season. From a fantasy perspective, the Jets' starting quarterback is only of interest in two-QB leagues, so most owners don't need to worry about it all that much. 

What is important is finding fantasy value in an offense that has several new parts. 

Eric Decker was signed to give the team a true number one receiver and will instantly enhance their options outside the numbers. Decker hasn't served as a top target in an offense, so he will need to prove that he can get open when teams aren't sliding their coverage to account for Demaryius Thomas. It seems like fantasy owners have little faith in Decker or the Jets' passing game as a whole, as Decker is going off the board in the eighth round. 

There isn't much respect being given to Chris Johnson either, and for good reason. Johnson's play has dropped off the last few years and now he is trying to get back to form in New York. 

This is Johnson's first training camp with a team other than the Titans, and it will be interesting to see if he has a chip on his shoulder. The Jets coaching staff already seems to be playing to his strengths, talking about having his share carries with Chris Ivory and moving him out wide as a receiver. 

Johnson hasn't come close to repeating his early career success as a 2,000-yard rusher and he can be downright frustrating to watch most weeks, but his combined yards each season have remained respectable. 

In addition to the yards, the veteran back quietly had 10 touchdowns last season (six rushing, four receiving).

Johnson is being taken outside of the top 20 in fantasy drafts and he may begin running into fantasy irrelevance in New York. However, he is still someone worth monitoring as the season nears.