With a new CBA in place and free agency opening Wednesday, the action has been fast and furious with teams trying to improve their franchises. With an increased cap number, teams can now actually act, instead of guessing or pretending. What a crazy first three days it’s been, as teams are leaving no stone unturned and no player not discussed among the team’s front office and coaches. Teams have been shelling out money hand over fist and the players are the benefactors. So let’s jump right into the beginning off the offseason frenzy!
One team that addressed a need was the Los Angeles Chargers, who looked to upgrade and improve their cornerback group, signing Chris Harris Jr. They have veteran Casey Hayward on one side and super talented Swiss army knife, Desmond King covering the slot, but they need to improve their third corner of the group. They went with Michael Davis last season, who did okay, he didn’t give them what they needed or expected at that spot. As we all know too well, you can’t have enough defensive backs in today’s pass-happy league.
What the Los Angeles Chargers are getting is another veteran cornerback that has plenty of experience and can cover just about anyone. The Chargers signed Harris to a two year, $20 million deal that will take him through the 2021 season.
Even at age thirty, he is still one of the league’s best corners, both inside and guarding the perimeters, with the aforementioned King manning the slot position, Harris will be asked to play outside as the bookend to Hayward. A four-time Pro-Bowler, and one-time All-Pro, will bring the Chargers championship experience and leadership to their locker room and team.Â
Heading into his tenth year in the league, Harris has been durable and productive. He has only missed five games total during his career, with seven seasons of not missing a game. As for the production, he has that too, as he has seven seasons with 50+ tackles, to go along with 20 career interceptions and 86 pass breakups, with two touchdowns. His tackling was on point last season, as he cut his missed tackle rate to 3.4% last season, which was way down from the 10.9% the year before. It’s little improvements like this, that I look for in aging veterans.
While Harris didn’t quite get the payday he’s been seeking the past couple of years, I think the deal with the Chargers is very close to his worth. Despite that, he will get a chance to play for a younger and more complete team defensively. The Chargers have some question marks offensively, so the defense will be counted on to help keep this team in games. Harris, Hayward, and King will give the Chargers one of the best cornerback groups in the league, especially with superstar safety Derwin James behind them. Harris has recorded 518 tackles, 443 solos, 20 interceptions, 86 pass breakups, six forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries over his career to date. I expect him to rebound nicely number wise with this supporting cast around him.
For fantasy owners, I would expect just what you have been getting from Harris. He’s been a low-end CB1 and that’s where I would value him now. It’s hard to trade cornerbacks in fantasy football, but not impossible. What you need to do is get creative just like NFL teams do. This is your last chance to sell and get something of value for him. Remember it’s better to get out early than to wait too long. His best value comes in position-specific leagues where owners are required to start cornerbacks. Look over your league mates’ rosters and see who could use a quality corner and send them a package offer, with Harris included. I find it much easier to get value for players in package trades, rather than trying to trade them straight up.
Thanks for reading my article and if you enjoyed it, you can read more of my articles here. You can also follow me on social media, on Twitter at Hollywood@DFF_DWin, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub I’m user KingTitan1 and you can tune in each week and listen to the podcasts, IDP Nation that I co-host, on a number of different platforms. Feel free to hit me up with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy
