Chris Harris' Fantasy Football Mailbag Week 1

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Opening week is upon us. Here is the Week 1 mailbag:

JD3: I know we should ignore preseason, but how quickly should we react to what we see in real games?‬

It's a good question, JD, and I don't know if I have a one-size-fits-all answer. A lot of times it comes down to: how much back history do we have with the player in question? If we're talking Demaryius Thomas, and he goes four catches for 48 yards on Thursday night, y'know, I'm not losing my mind because I've seen him be a really good player. (More on Denver's passing game in a moment.) If it's Devontae Booker and he fumbles his first NFL snap, oy. C.J. Anderson is a case where I'm reacting a little quicker than I might otherwise, because of how he produced his big numbers. Many of us watched that game and were impressed by the Broncos offensive line: it was a thoroughly changed unit from last year's mediocre bunch. And that's not to take anything away from Anderson, because the dude was the best guy in the field! But the answer is: for unproven players, I'm pretty willing to make a snap judgment. For players with a track record, give me a few weeks.

Ian Dobbins: Was Siemian's pocket presence as impressive to you as it was to me? Time to reevaluate DEN offensive potential?‬

Harris: I thought his pocket presence was pretty good, Ian. I'm thinking of that throw near the beginning of the game, a screen where the defender was in his face and he threw it sidearm to get the ball there. That's good stuff. I wouldn't say the first interception was really his fault…balls get deflected. The second pick, though, and taking that sack on third down to give the Panthers their final drive? Those weren't good. And for me that's what a so-so QB does: of course he can be good for a while, of course he can throw the short stuff and make you think, "Hm, not bad!" But the so-so QB will pick an inopportune moment to make an error, and really, Denver's coaches will be all over him for that second interception, because the rush was right in his face, and his man was essentially double-covered…it wouldn't have been impossible for him to complete it, but it was a low-percentage throw with rushers about to get him. Bad job. Could've been a killer. The bottom line is: different observers have come out of Thursday night's game with different impressions of Denver's passing game. I saw just as many tweets with folks panicking over Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, concerned that the Broncos now have a ball-control, conservative approach. Like most things, the truth is probably in the middle. I think Siemian can throw the post route extremely well, and has good feel for screens. I didn't see much else Thursday.

Matt Conway: Breaking news! Some beat reporter in K.C. is saying Charcandrick West is the guy this week, not Spencer Ware! As a Jamaal Charles owner who drafted West, not Ware (as you said in preseason, more the Charles analog) I'm kind of happy to hear this. But what is your take on this whole situation?

Harris: Matt, my take is that if I never hear the names "Spencer Ware" or "Charcandrick West" ever again, I'll be a happy dude. The echo chamber about the Chiefs backfield has been ceaseless, and now we seem to have two beat reporters who've either observed different things in practice or have been leaked opposing stories by Chiefs insiders. What's the truth? How can we know? The reason I have Ware ranked ahead of West in my current RB list is maybe the dumbest of all: the Ware leak happened first? If someone wanted to argue that West should be ranked ahead, I couldn't argue. I just don't know what the playing time will be. Maybe the best policy is stay away entirely in Week 1, despite a potentially tasty matchup against the Chargers? Maybe ride Ware, because he's the bigger body and at least might bang in a short touchdown? Matt is correct, I do think the Charknado is a better overall football player: quicker, better acceleration, better hands. But Ware is a bull, and could be a big asset this weekend, too. Argh.

Troy Hallam: Drop Funchess back to waivers?‬

Harris: This goes to JD's question at the top of this column: where does Devin Funchess fall on the spectrum of players you trust to put it together? Troy, for me the answer is: not very high. If you're in a 10-team league, and you see a player you like better on the waiver wire? Bye-bye, Honey Bunches of Funchess. If you're in a 12-teamer? I might give Funchess one more week, because this probably wasn't a fair test for the Carolina passing game, especially in the second half Thursday night. Cam Newton had been hit in the head a couple times, Von Miller got his groove back, and there was little work there for any of the outside receivers. But Funchess didn't cover himself in glory: four official targets (only two catchable by my eyes), one grab, and one ball that was thrown hard but literally zipped right between his hands. I'm not giving up that he was decent late-round value, but he'd better make some noise next week against the 49ers.

Ryan Rand: Thoughts on Sproles taking that Danny Woodhead role in offense. Raise his value at all?‬

Harris: I didn't raise him, Ryan. I'd really like to see Darren Sproles prove he has double-digit-offensive-touch potential before plugging him into a lineup. I fully agree that Sproles should be owned in 100% of point-per-reception leagues, because if he's transported back to 2011 and becomes a candidate to catch 86 passes, well, clearly he'd be a serious fantasy factor. But he's 33 now, we don't really know what the Eagles offense is under Carson Wentz, and they've got a good pass catcher in Ryan Mathews and a player in Kenjon Barner who might be deemed a poor man's Sproles. I'm not ruling out value for Sproles, but I'm not starting him this week if I can avoid it.

Ryan Meese: Are we picking up Lynch? What do you think of this coming out of retirement narrative?‬

Harris: Oh, goodness. Marshawn Lynch. This report that perhaps Lynch is thinking of playing again doesn't come from Lynch himself, but rather one of those super-insider reporters who is essentially a sock puppet for agents. To me, this means that Lynch's agent is floating a trial balloon. Does it mean it could really happen? Sure, it does. But has Lynch been training at all? And does he realize that age 30, coming off a season destroyed by injury, it would take serious dedication to get back to an elite level in the NFL? I think this is a story that goes away pretty quickly. The Seahawks wouldn't be able to handle his $9 million cap hit if Lynch un-retires, so they'd either have to trade or cut him, but for me this is a sideshow and not one I'm likely to chase in fantasy. Even if you told me that Marshawn Lynch was definitely coming back in Week 4, I'd be skeptical. I just question whether he's been working hard enough to be good again.

(Note: For fantasy football advice based on film review every single weekday from now until 2017, listen to the Harris Football Podcast at www.HarrisFootball.com)