Fantasy: Jones, Martin and other must-watch storylines from NFC South 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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NFC SOUTH

Which Falcons wideout offers better value?

The early word out of Falcons camp is that Julio Jones looks explosive. Very explosive.

Perhaps that shouldn't come as a surprise - Jones is a truly gifted athlete - but it's reassuring nonetheless to hear that his recovery from a season-ending foot injury is nearly complete. 

It's easy to forget that Jones was on pace to lead all wide receivers in fantasy scoring before going down with that injury in Week 5 last season. Now 25 years old and entering his prime, Jones has the potential to finish as the top-scoring wideout again this year, especially with Tony Gonzalez retiring and relinquishing his goal-line targets.

Jones is being drafted in the middle of the second round on average, and there's little doubt he makes an excellent WR1. But does he offer the best value among Falcons wideouts? A strong case can be made that Roddy White, who's going off the board in the late fourth round (behind players like Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson and Cordarrelle Patterson), will provide more bang for his owners' buck. 

White's 2013 season was also derailed by injuries, but he never made it to IR and his fantasy owners were forced to endure a seemingly endless string of will-he-or-won't-he-start questions on Sunday mornings - and disappointing numbers where he actually did start.

Those who stuck with White until the end may remember that he finished strong, scoring 14 or more fantasy points in three of his final five games. White is 32 years old now, but the Falcons showed they believe he has a lot left in the tank by giving him a lucrative long-term contract extension. 

The Falcons promise to be pass-heavy this season, and both Jones and White could post top-ten numbers. Deciding between the two comes down to whether you prefer chasing No. 1 upside or stealing value.

How will the Buccaneers divide carries between their running backs?

There's a new regime in Tampa, and it remains to be seen how it will divide carries between the team's stable of running backs.

Doug Martin was used as a three-down workhorse in his rookie campaign, and it resulted in him finishing the 2012 season as the highest-scoring running back in standard leagues not named Adrian Peterson. Martin's sophomore season was derailed after six games by a season-ending shoulder injury, but he wasn't particularly effective even when healthy, averaging just over nine fantasy points per week (down from over 16 as a rookie). 

Making the situation even more muddy is that fact that the Buccaneers spent a third-round pick on Charles Sims, and the coaching staff has indicated they want to use him as a receiving back, suggesting Martin's role will be reduced to that of a two-down banger.

Martin is coming off the board at the end of the second round in early drafts this summer, suggesting owners still have faith he's a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2. If Martin runs well in the preseason and the Buccaneers give assurances he's the goal-line back, he will be worth his ADP. Otherwise, this may be a situation to avoid. 

Who is the Saints running back to own?

Like every summer in recent memory, fantasy owners are struggling to figure out which Saints' running back is worth their time. For now, ADP says the answer is Pierre Thomas, as he's going off the board in the early seventh round in 12-team leagues. Khiry Robinson is a ninth-round pick on average, and Mark Ingram gets selected in the 13th round. 

As usual, the Saints will likely divide carries between the three, preventing any of the trio from becoming anything more than a FLEX candidate. Thomas is the safest bet for consistent production because he'll get the Saints' passing down work (especially with Darren Sproles now in Philadelphia), but his ceiling is low. Ingram and Robinson are both decent lottery tickets, but each will likely need an injury to the other to become a viable fantasy starter. 

This is a situation to monitor closely in camp and through the preseason. 

How will a lack of weapons affect Cam Newton's value?

Cam Newton has never had an elite arsenal of offensive weapons at his disposal, but he must look around now and ask "what did I do to deserve this?"

The Panthers will enter the season with rookie Kelvin Benjamin as their No. 1 receiving option and veterans Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant also in line for significant playing time. That's ugly. 

Newton is being drafted in the seventh round, after Nick Foles, Robert Griffin III, Tom Brady and Matt Ryan, and it's possible he will offer some value at that slot. 

Of all that quarterbacks in the league, Newton may be uniquely positioned to maintain (and perhaps even gain) fantasy value as the result of a dearth of weapons. Expect his rushing totals to return to the level they were at during his rookie and sophomore seasons. He could again flirt with double-digit rushing scores. 

Rather than monitoring Newton's receiving weapons in camp, savvy fantasy owners should take a look at how the Panthers' offensive line shakes out. The team is set to hold competitions for both starting tackle jobs, and Nate Chandler and Byron Bell are the early favorites to emerge on top. If the coaching staff can't stabilize the line, Newton could be in for a long and painful year of getting hit in the pocket.