Fantasy Football: 6 Takeaways From Preseason Week 1
Spencer Ware Is Still the Top Dog
All summer long, we've been hearing how rookie Kareem Hunt is here to mow down all hope for a Spencer Ware rebound in 2017. That still could happen, but he's clearly not there yet.
Chiefs HB snap count with first team: Spencer Ware 18, Kareem Hunt 1. Out of 19
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) August 12, 2017
Teams are going to deploy their backs differently in the preseason when they know the second-team assets will get run later on. But this should send a clear message that Ware is still the lead back for the Kansas City Chiefs.
This usage for Ware comes after a season that was heavy in disappointment. He missed a game due to a concussion in early November, and he never topped 70 rushing yards again the rest of the year.
That concussion for Ware also coincided with the loss of guard Parker Ehinger, who tore his ACL in the same game in which Ware sustained his injury. Ware's efficiency hit the tubes with Ehinger out, and it's hard to ignore the potential relationship between the two events.
Ehinger still has not practiced in training camp, but he was working off to the side on Sunday, according to Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star. Adding Ehinger back into the fold and giving Ware the first-team duties could be huge for Ware's fantasy appeal.
You're not getting a significant discount on Ware as the 21st running back off the board, but many of the other names around him have question marks of their own. Based on Week 1 of the preseason, it would seem that Ware's stock should be trending up while Hunt -- currently an eighth-round pick -- should be sliding the opposite direction.
