GREEN BAY - Within days, Matt LaFleur's Green Bay Packers will begin working to determine which 53 players will take the field in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.

But you needn't wait to decide which players will comprise the team with the best chance of returning to the NFL playoffs: RosterBuilder is ready for another season.

If you're a dedicated Packers fan, you know the drill: Take the 90 players who'll open training camp at St. Norbert College within the week, and whittle them down to a squad that gives the team the best chance to overcome Lions and Vikings and Bears to win the NFC North Division and return to the playoffs. But don't exceed the league's salary cap!

Read the story to learn about some of the key battles that'll play out in training camp — and how one non-sportswriter thinks they'll turn out (hint: don't get too attached to a certain small-college receiver from the Midwest). Consider subscribing to support what we're doing and then build away.

Which veteran isn’t here opening night?

Nominees: Trevor Davis/J’Mon Moore, Jimmy Graham/Marcedes Lewis, Josh Jones, DeShone Kizer, Jason Spriggs/Lane Taylor, Tramon Williams.

Graham has a $12.7M cap hit, and didn’t set the world on fire last year. But the Packers paid a $5M roster bonus to keep him. Lewis is essentially a blocking specialist.

Jones made noises about wanting out. Kizer struggled as a rookie with the Browns, then completed fewer than half of the 42 passes he threw last year as a Packer.

Spriggs frustrates fans because he hasn’t played like a second-round draft pick. Taylor is a potential odd man out because the Packers used an early pick on his potential replacement; his play took a step back last year, and his cap hit is almost $11M over the next two years.

Williams had a decent 2018 season, but is 36 — geriatric by cornerback standards.

The pick: Jones, especially if one of the young free-safety candidates establishes himself as a legit backup to free-agent signee Adrian Amos. Runner-up: Spriggs.

Graham remains the Packers' best receiving tight end; his eventual successor, rookie Jace Sternberger, will benefit from a year to develop. Lewis is steady, and relatively inexpensive at $2.1 million.

A lack of competition helps Kizer’s chances. Tim Boyle hasn’t thrown an NFL pass since being signed out of an obscure college program; he made the 2018 roster because the Packers didn’t want to another team swiping him off the practice squad — and appears likely to make it again this year. Manny Wilkins was good enough at Arizona State to sign as a rookie free agent — but not good enough to draft.

Spriggs benefits from a lack of depth at tackle: Rookie Cole Madison sat out last season, and the Packers seem to prefer Billy Turner not play tackle. Taylor, even if he doesn’t start, remains one of the six top linemen.

Williams brings essential experience to a position where most key players are in their second or third year. And lest we forget, he was the team’s top punt returner last year.

Receivers: No room for Jake Kumerow?

Packers fans who’ve loved rooting for underdog wideouts since the days of Jeff Janis will hate this, but I can’t find a spot for Cinderella story Jake Kumerow. The former undrafted free agent from UW-Whitewater turned a 12-yard out into an 82-yard TD in the preseason last year, then caught eight passes in five regular-season games after an injury.

But that was on a team that depended on Davante Adams and multiple rookie wideouts after de-facto no. 2 man Geronimo Allison suffered a season-ending injury. Adams and Allison are back, and youngsters Marques Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown will compete to be the third guy catching passes from Aaron Rodgers. Another slot likely goes to veteran Trevor Davis, or Jawill Davis or another youngster competing to return kicks.

Unless the team keeps seven wideouts, that leaves second-year man J’Mon Moore in the last spot. He was drafted earlier than MVS and ESB and struggled, but he's younger and more highly regarded than Kumerow. It's tough to envision this team giving up on a fourth-round pick after a year. Kumerow might need a terrible camp from Moore to stick.

And Kumerow's not necessarily guaranteed a practice-squad spot. He’s slightly more-experienced than other candidates, but might be a roster casualty if the Packers want to stash a big receiver like Allen Lazard, or a waterbug-type who can return kicks, like Darrius Shepherd. It’s hard to see the Packers not wanting to keep Lazard. He’d be the team's biggest WR, and was a four-year catch machine at Iowa State.

Locks: Adams, Allison, Valdes-Scantling, St. Brown.

Probable: Trevor Davis, Moore

PS candidates: At most two of Lazard, Kumerow, Shepherd, Jawill Davis

No real surprise: That leaves room for four tight ends.

Veteran Jimmy Graham is a receiving specialist not known for his blocking. Reverse those skills, and you have veteran Marcedes Lewis. Rookie third-round pick Jace Sternberger is the TE of the future, but needs time to develop. Former practice-squad player Robert Tonyan was active for 16 games as a rookie and had four catches.

There might be room on the practice squad for either Evan Baylis or Pharoah McKever.

Five edge rushers, or four inside linebackers?

Eight seems like a good number for defensive coordinator Mike Pettine's linebacking core. How we get there is the question. Last year's team went for depth on the outside, thanks to a concern about finding someone beyond Clay Matthews and Nick Perry to pressure the passer.

That's much less of an issue now. The team spent heavily to sign free agents Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith. The greatly improved Kyler Fackrell returns after a team-leading 10.5 sacks. And the team drafted Rashan Gary in the first round.

That's bad news for former free agent Reggie Gilbert, who looks like the odd man out. He or Kendall Donnerson, a raw seventh-round pick in 2018, could land on the practice squad.

That leaves room for four on the inside. The two backups to starters Blake Martinez and Oren Burks are here because of their special teams ability. James Crawford was the leading ST tackler last season after being undrafted. Ty Summers was drafted in round 7 for what he can deliver on the kickoff and punt units.

O-line: What’s the right number?

Some NFL teams only keep eight offensive linemen; previous Packers squads have kept up to 10. With free-agent signee Billy Turner, veterans Justin McCray and Lucas Patrick, and rookies Elgton Jenkins and Cole Madison each capable of playing multiple positions, nine seems ideal.

That could mean Patrick or McCray is cut, or Madison's on the practice squad.

The issues: how the members best fit, and that the most-versatile guys have the best chances of landing one of the backup spots, because an injury to a starting tackle could begin a chain reaction of position shifts. Also, the team needs a clear no. 2 center. Patrick and McCray have auditioned — whoever does better at backup center should win the final O-line spot. Jenkins played some center in college, but the Packers seem to want him focused at guard.

Taylor was strong at guard two years ago, but less so last season. If McCray, Patrick or either rookie shows he can handle the third-guard spot, some folks think Taylor's huge cap hit could make him a casualty. Same deal at tackle. If, say, Madison shows enough after a year-long layoff to convince coaches he’s the fourth-best tackle, there might not be room for Spriggs, who’s not delivered like the player the team thought it was getting when it spent a second-round pick on him.

Locks: LT David Bakhtiari, RT Bryan Bulaga, C Corey Linsley, RG Billy Turner, LG/C Elgton Jenkins. The first four start, and rookie second-rounder Jenkins isn’t getting cut.

Possibles: LG Lane Taylor, RG/C Justin McCray, G/T Cole Madison, G/C Lucas Patrick, T Jason Spriggs.

Longshots: T/G Alex Light (practice squad), G/C Adam Pankey, T Gerhard DeBeer, G Anthony Coyle

To fullback, or not to fullback?

When Mike McCarthy was the coach and John Kuhn was a fullback, this was easy — Kuhn seemingly had a lifetime pass to Lambeau Field. But neither is here anymore, and a number of NFL teams favor a tight end or extra lineman in situations that demand beef in the backfield.

Our answer stems from whether LaFleur used one when he ran Tennessee's offense (yes), and whether there’s an NFL-caliber fullback on the 90-man roster (there is; Danny Vitale).

Vitale should stick. There might be room for Malcolm Johnson on the practice squad.

How many safeties is a safe number?

The top five cornerbacks appear set: Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, Tramon Williams, Josh Jackson, Tony Brown. Not so at safety.

Things looked set after the draft. Speedy first-round pick Darnell Savage would start at free safety, backed by second-year man Raven Greene. Adrian Amos, a free agent from the Bears, would start at strong safety, with former starter Josh Jones backing him up or playing a hybrid safety-linebacker.

But Jones balked, skipped some voluntary workouts and indicated he’s like to be traded.

The group could be a strength if Jones wants to stay. But the team will need a backup plan. Former Auburn standout Tray Matthews is the other pure strong safety in camp; he signed in December but hasn't played an NFL snap. Another option: Mike Tyson, claimed off waivers after 10 games with Houston last year.

Or the Packers could turn to one of their cornerback-safety hybrids. Former Wisconsin Badger Natrell Jamerson, also claimed off waivers from the Texans, is listed as a cornerback but could play safety. Jamerson, Ryan Wood’s choice to make the 53-man roster, brings more speed than Tyson.

If the team wants flexibility, Tyson could work. If it prefers to go straight safety, Matthews could be the guy.

The prediction: Amos and Savage start. Backups are Greene and … guessing here …Tyson. Jamerson earns the 10th DB spot where he can play corner or safety.

Locks: Amos, Savage, Greene

Possibles: Tyson, Jamerson.

Practice squad: Matthews

Which rookie draft pick might get cut?

Nominees: CB Ka’dar Hollman, DL Kingsley Keke, ILB Ty Summers, OL Cole Madison

Summers is the only guy not picked in the first six rounds. Hollman is the only serious cornerback candidate who didn’t play in a major college program — and most of his competition has at least a little NFL experience. Keke’s one of the smaller guys in a group competing for one of the final defensive-line spots. Madison could be rusty; he sat out last year for personal reasons.

The pick: Hollman. He’s been disrespected at every level, so we'll join the list: No offers out of high school, so he spent a year at a central New York prep school. Had interest from one college program (Toledo), so he went there.

A year on the practice squad will help him get his game up to NFL speed.

Keke’s athletic ability earns him a roster spot, which hurts Tyler Lancaster if the team only keeps five. Summers wins the fourth inside LB spot because of what he can do on special teams. Madison’s ability to play guard or slide to tackle earns him the final offensive line spot over one of the veteran backups, either McCray or Lucas Patrick.

Which undrafted rookie lands a roster spot?

Your guess is as good as mine, though we can say something about the type of player likely to make the roster: a defender who can stand out on special teams.

Last year, it was LB James Crawford — who led the team in special-teams tackles — and safety Raven Greene. Earlier, Jayrone Elliott and Andy Mulumba arrived as longshots and left as NFL players. Frank Zombo parlayed a strong 2010 camp into nine years with the Packers and Chiefs.

That leaves several possibilities. My top two:

Curtis Bolton is a popular choice. While he sort of fits the profile, it's not clear that he has the ability to play much as a regular defender: Yes, he was a college special teams demon, and the Packers paid him a $7,000 signing bonus. But he had limited starts in college, and size that's closer to safety Mike Tyson than some LBs.

I can't see him contributing as a linebacker when the guys ahead of him — Crawford, Burks and Summers — have special-teams chops.

A better choice in my book: WR/punt-returner Darrius Shepherd, a field-stretching slot receiver and standout returner at North Dakota State. There's moderate competition at returner — Trevor Davis has struggled to stay healthy, and has caught all of eight passes in 29 career games, while the Giants didn't think Jawill Davis was worth keeping after he handled punt-return and backup kickoff return duties last year.

Shepherd's challenge: North Dakota State isn't exactly the NFL.

Who’s on the practice squad?

Disclaimer: Predicting the makeup of the PS is only slightly easier than picking winning lottery numbers. Other teams can sign players off the your squad. You can sign players cut by other teams.

There few guarantees, other than a QB, a receiver and an offensive lineman will likely occupy slots; In the past, the Packers have kept multiple receivers and multiple offensive linemen.

My approach: Keep the best young guys who didn’t make the team, and cover a range of positions. I want to make this as close to a 63-man roster as possible, while saving spots for two undrafted “lottery ticket” types.

Practice squad (offense): QB Manny Wilkins, or someone signed after being cut by an NFL team. OL Alex Light. WR Allen Lazard. TE: The winner of the Evan Baylis-Pharoah McKever camp battle.

Practice squad (defense): CB Ka'dar Hollman, DE James Looney, SS Tray Matthews, OLB Reggie Gilbert — though Gilbert could be traded, or signed by another team.

Lotto tickets: OT Yosh Nijman, WR turned CB Kabion Ento, but only if he has a decent camp.

Contact Doug Schneider at (920) 431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider