As we head toward our first full week of preseason football the nonsense doesn't come at us any slower. In fact, it may even more dangerous now because it is delivered in the seemingly reputable form of a depth chart. How important are these depth charts before the first week of the preseason?

That settles that. Not that everything you've heard this news is useless, far from it. Let's dive into some of the juiciest tidbits and see what we can parse from the "news".

"Kareem Hunt is on the path winning the No. 1 RB job in the preseason"

Hunt has been praised by coaches and reporters alike for making quick work of his initial assignments at training camp. We've seen highlight reel catches and now we see him working with the first team. It's pretty clear that Spencer Ware isn't long for the starting job.

Verdict: Don't believe it

I'm not saying Hunt won't start a game this season, but it would be a pretty terrible sign if he wasn't getting any first team reps, considering teams don't give 100 percent of the first team reps to one running back and Charcandrick West has been banged up.

People have gotten awfully excited about rookie running backs this offseason, and not just the early picks. Hunt, Samaje Perine and Jamaal Williams were all anointed as starters before camp even started by many. I get the sentiment, but I would be surprised if any of those three start Week 1, barring injuries. 

Ware and Hunt are too close in talent for the team to bench Ware before the season starts. Hunt should wrestle the No. 2 job away from West (Hunt is currently third on the depth chart) and have a role in the offense in Week 1 vs. the Patriots.

"Mike Gillislee is no longer the most likely running back to inherit the LeGarrette Blount role"

Speaking of running backs who are currently third on their team's depth chart: Mike Gillislee, everyone! Many of us decided long ago that Gillislee was the perfect replacement for Blount, so of course he's listed behind James White, Dion Lewis, Rex Burkhead and Brandon Bolden on the initial depth chart. 

This news came after glowing reports on Burkhead's work at the goal line and Bill Belichick's quotes about the need for "versatile" backs.

While this may not mean much to you at this stage, it's a good reminder that we have no idea what Belichick is going to do. Drafting any Patriots running back before Round 10 is a mistake that you'll likely regret.

Verdict: Don't believe it

Go back and read that Dirk Koetter quote again. I'll wait. 

You think Belichick is putting more effort into this than the average coach? I seriously doubt it.

I'm not trying to say I do know what Belichick is going to do; I'm saying the combination of Gillislee's talent and what the Patriots gave up to acquire him make him the most likely man for the job. 

No one should ever act (or draft) like they know exactly what the Patriots are going to do at running back but you also shouldn't get spooked by their depth chart in early August. 

"Devin Funchess is having an excellent camp and looking like a late-round sleeper"

Funchess struggled mightily in his first two years in the league, catching less than half of his targets. The only thing he's done even semi-consistently is catch touchdowns passes, but he hasn't done enough of that to remain Fantasy relevant. When the team drafted Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel, it looked like a change in philosophy and maybe the end of a short leash on Funchess, but he's responded. 

While Kelvin Benjamin has had a quiet start to camp, the Charlotte Observer reports Funchess has made several big plays in camp. Funchess has been listed as a starter for the team's first preseason game, which shouldn't be a surprise since Samuel hasn't been able to practice consistently due to a hamstring injury. Funchess is looking like an excellent third-year breakout candidate and a deep sleeper.

Verdict: Believe it

There are a couple of things at play here, but first let's start with the cost of believing it. You can get Funchess in the last round of most standard CBS drafts. He's basically free. Second, let's look at his competition. 

Kelvin Benjamin has battled injuries and conditioning issues so far in his career and isn't anyone who would stand in the way of a young receiver making a star turn. Curtis Samuel is a rookie who hasn't been able to get on the field to work with his new quarterback (who's having trouble staying on the field himself). Even with the alleged change in offensive philosophy, the Panthers don't have a receiver who can block Funchess from reaching his potential. Which brings us to the player himself.

Funchess is 6 feet 5 inches tall and just turned 23 years old this summer. He doesn't have elite athleticism but he is an enormous receiver who is still plenty young enough to see upside in. At the very least he should become more of a red zone favorite for Newton as he gains more of the quarterback's trust. He's also averaged more than 15 yards per reception in his career, which is at least part of why his catch percentage is so low. 

Funchess is available for almost nothing and has top-30 upside at receiver. You could do a lot worse with your last pick in the draft.

"Jeremy Hill is still the Bengals starting running back"

It seems like just a week ago we were talking about Joe Mixon getting 20-25 touches in Week 1. 

Oh yeah, we were. 

Now, Mixon finds himself 4th on the team's depth chart and Hill is still the starter. Sure, it's a depth chart in August. The Dirk Koetter quote still applies. But, let's not forget this team has started Hill over Giovani Bernard the past two seasons despite the fact Bernard has been the better back. The starting job is still Hill's until Marvin Lewis takes it away from him.

Verdict: Don't believe it

Not by the time it matters at least. Hill hasn't been good for two years, and Mixon is an exceptionally talented rookie pick. There's no reason for the Bengals to risk the PR hit of selecting him if they were pleased with Hill at running back. However, this isn't all unicorns and rainbows for Mixon.

This depth chart serves as a reminder that Hill and Bernard are still on the roster, and I believe the current plan is for both to have a role in the offense. Bernard excels in a pass-catching role and I wouldn't be all that surprised to see Hill get a shot at short-yardage work. It will be tough for Mixon to validate his ADP if he's a two-down back with a small cut of the red zone work.

"Austin Seferian-Jenkins could be the Jets No. 1 option"

I'm sure you've been fooled by Seferian-Jenkins before. We all have. Much like Christine Michael, his Fantasy value has always been more theoretical than anything else. But he's been doing work in Jets camp.

Seferian-Jenkins has always been long on talent, and it sounds like he's rededicated himself to to the game and got his affairs in order off the field. The Jets have lost Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker and Quincy Enunwa off last year's squad and currently have Robby Anderson atop their wide receiver depth chart. No one has more potential in this passing game than Seferian-Jenkins, and this time he's going to deliver on it.

Verdict: Don't believe it

For one thing, Seferian-Jenkins is suspended for the first two weeks of the season. You have no reason to draft him unless you're in a league with very deep rosters and/or one that does not allow waiver claims.

Maybe more importantly, the Jets just don't use their tight ends. Even last year with Decker gone and Marshall failing to deliver, all of the tight ends on their roster combined for 63 targets. Even if Seferian-Jenkins were to fulfill his potential, that's not enough targets for the best of tight ends to make a Fantasy impact.

So what you're asking is for (1) Seferian-Jenkins to have a great preseason, and (2) the team to wait two weeks for him before changing their offense to heavily target him. It seems unlikely. I don't dislike him in deep best ball leagues, and he may be a fine waiver wire streamer midseason, but that's about it.