Bleacher Report - Articles by Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com

College Fantasy Football: Week 4 Fantasy Buffet

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:57:06 -0400

CFG contributor Marcus Martin takes a look at the Week Four games that have college fantasy football implications.

Missouri @ Nevada, Friday, 9:00 PM EST

Missouri: Blaine Gabbert, Danario Alexander and Jared Perry.
Watch for…O-Line play. If Gabbert gets time his stat line will look very similar to Mr. Clausen week 1 plus add AT LEAST 50 yards rushing.

Nevada: Colin Kaepernick, Vai Taua, Brandon Wimberly and Chris Wellington.
Watch for…WR Brandon Wimberly. It looks as though this is CK’s deep threat. Wimberly had 7 catches for 140 yds and a score last week

Bottom Line: Gabbert vs. Kaepernick. Arguably the two best dual threat QBs in America. Expect plenty of O and big plays in this one. A Friday night fantasy feast. Sit back and enjoy the pre-Saturday fireworks.

Southern Miss @ Kansas, Saturday, 12:00 PM EST

Southern Miss: Austin Davis, Damion Fletcher and DeAndre Brown.
Watch for…WR DeAndre Brown. I am personally getting ready to file a missing persons report on Mr. Brown. Is he healthy? If this game is going to turn into a firefight DeAndre MUST show up.

Kansas: Todd Reesing, Toben Opurum, Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier.
Watch for…RB Toben Opurum. I highlighted Toben early this season as a vulture. Now Sharp is hurt and Toben will be carrying the mail in a full time capacity. His coming out party will be Saturday.

Bottom Line: Southern Miss has the players to make this a fun shootout. Mr. Reesing will be his steady 300 yd 3-4 TD self. If you haven’t seen the Southern Miss offense, tune into this one.

Boise State @ Bowling Green, Saturday, 7:00 PM EST

Boise State: Kellen Moore, Jeremy Avery, Austin Pettis and Titus Young.
Watch for…RB Jeremy Avery. D.J. Harper is out for the year. Avery becomes the lead Bronco in the backfield. Last week he rushed for over 180 yards. If he is still a free agent in your league go get him NOW!! All signs are pointing to a huge day on Saturday.

Bowling Green: Tyler Sheehan and Freddie Barnes.
Watch for…QB Tyler Sheehan. 44, 46, 62. Those numbers represent Sheehan’s pass attempts in the first three games of this young season. Expect for him to be around 50 att this week, which should translate into 250 yards and 2-3 TDs.

Bottom Line: Boise State takes the show on the road where BGSU will be ready and waiting. All fantasy players should have very nice days. The Kyle Wilson vs. Freddie Barnes match-up should be a fun one to watch all day long.

Toledo @ Florida International, Saturday, 7:00 PM EST

Toledo: Aaron Opelt, Dajuane Collins, Stephen Williams and Eric Page.
Watch for…QB Aaron Opelt. Solid run game, two studs at WR, and great O-line play add up to Aaron having a huge day in Miami.

Florida International: Paul McCall and T.Y Hilton.
Watch for…WR T.Y. Hilton. Excitement wrapped in a 5’10’’ frame. He will be on full display Saturday night. He is an electric kick returner. If he gets enough touches he is going to have a monster night.

Bottom Line: Here is my weekly under-the-radar special. Aaron and The Fun Bunch vs. McCall and the Miracles. Their will be plenty of O in this one. FIU will surprise with its ability to keep up with Toledo in this shootout.

Texas Tech @ Houston, Saturday, 9:15 PM EST

Texas Tech: Taylor Potts, Edward Britton, Tramain Swindall, Lyle Leong and Detron Lewis.
Watch for…QB Taylor Potts. Still no running game to speak of so Taylor Potts will be chucking it all night long. 400 yards and 4 TDs is a reasonable expectation.

Houston: Case Keenum, Bryce Beall, Tyron Carrier and Patrick Edwards.
Watch for…RB Bryce Beall. We all know about Keenum and what he can do throwing it. However, Beall is a perfect compliment to Keenum and is going to have a big night.

Bottom Line: Sometimes in fantasy football match-ups like this come along that just makes you wish Saturday would get here that much faster. How can this game possibly disappoint?

College Fantasy Football: Week Four Sneaky Plays

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:55:28 -0400

CFG Contributor Kevin Mount takes a sneak (pardon the pun) peek at some under-the-radar college fantasy football players to consider this week.

The fourth week of college football is just around the corner and it is that time again to look for some under the radar players who will make a fantasy impact this week. Check out who we think will help your fantasy team this coming weekend.

Quarterbacks

Tyler Bass QB Memphis vs. Marshall: He took over the starting job last week against Tennessee Martin and exploded onto the fantasy scene with 380 total yards and 5 touchdowns. This guy showed he could tuck it and run as well as throw the football all over the field. With the shaky defense of Marshall coming to town, there should be plenty of chances for Bass to show his wares.

Corey Leonard QB Arkansas State vs. Troy: This senior signal caller should have a big day as he faces a Troy defense which ranks 107th in the country in pass defense. This is a huge game for the Red Wolves and they are at home so a nice effort from Leonard should be expected. He should finish with around 300 total yards and 3-4 touchdowns.

Greg Paulus QB Syracuse vs. Maine: The former Duke point guard looked like a bona-fide college QB last week as he lead the Cuse to a shoot-out win over Northwestern. He has a quality wide out in Mike Williams to throw to and a cupcake game versus Maine this week. Prediction…pain for Maine and lots of stats.

B.J. Daniels QB South Florida vs. Florida State: The Matt Grothe era is officially over for the Bulls as he tore his ACL last week against Charleston Southern. The new guy in town looks to be B.J. Daniels, who showed tremendous athletic ability after taking over for Grothe.

This week he faces a Seminoles defense that has shown it is vulnerable in the passing game as they give up over 320 yards per game. This is a tough team to make your first start against, but I think Daniels will be up to the challenge.

Running Backs

Monterio Hardesty RB Tennessee vs. Ohio: Through three weeks of the season one thing is apparent, the Vols cannot pass the ball but they sure can run it. This hard running senior gets plenty of carries and produces good numbers on a weekly basis. He should have a very nice day against an over matched Bobcat defense in Knoxville this week. I look for a monster game out of Monterio on Saturday.

Tre Newton RB Texas vs. UTEP: This youngster looks to be the main man in the Long Horn backfield as evidenced by his 20-carry performance against Texas Tech last week. He should have a great game against the 106th ranked run defense of UTEP. I’m envisioning around 100 yards and 2 TD’s. Don’t be afraid to roll with this kid in Week Four.

Wide Receiver

Ryan Tannehill WR Texas A&M vs. UAB: I think the QB experiment is over for Tannehill with the injury to the Aggies’ best WR, Jeff Fuller. This talented athlete should see plenty of time at wide out and should perform very nicely in the high-powered Aggie offense. It looks like Tannehill will have a huge game with the pathetic UAB defense coming to College Station.

Mark Dell WR Michigan State vs. Wisconsin: Playing in his first game last week against Notre Dame, this talented Spartan showed he has not missed a step with 120 receiving yards. He should be the top receiving option for MSU as the season goes forward and this should equate to consistent fantasy performances. Look for at least 75 yards and a TD this week against the Badgers.

Dan Buckner WR Texas vs. UTEP: This kid has made the most of his opportunity and has become a favorite target of Colt McCoy, which is a very good thing from a fantasy perspective. He had 6 catches for 75 yards and a TD last week versus Texas Tech and should continue to excel with a bad UTEP defense in front of him. This Long Horn makes a nice starting option in Week Four.

Torrey Smith WR Maryland vs. Rutgers: This talented sophomore has been very good the past two weeks and is deserving of some fantasy love. He faces a Rutgers defense that is very susceptible to the pass, so expect another week of solid fantasy production. I would be surprised if he doesn’t have 100 total yards and a score this week. Don’t shy away from this Terp.

Defenses:

Connecticut vs. Rhode Island
Kansas State vs. Tennesee Tech
Baylor vs. Northwestern State
Duke vs. North Carolina Central
Syracuse vs. Maine
Western Michigan vs. Hofstra

Take a shot with some of these guys and you might be pleasantly surprised. Good luck and remember to always have fun!

College Fantasy Football: Week Three Studs and Duds

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:53:09 -0400

Week Three is in the books. Here is a look at some of the top college fantasy football performers, and biggest disappointments, from the weekend.

Studs

Quarterbacks

Jerrod Johnson—Texas A&M vs. Utah State
Although we all expected Johnson to be pretty good, none of us expected him to be a top five quarterback.

Johnson was lights-out against Utah State throwing for 322 yards with four touchdowns, while adding 78 yards on the ground. I suggest finding a quarterback that will be good during weeks 11 and 13 since Johnson will be facing Oklahoma and Texas during the fantasy playoffs. Secure a good spot start player now for your playoff run since Johnson can’t be expected to keep up this pace in those two weeks.

Ryan Mallett—Arkansas vs. Georgia
In a game where Arkansas could display their offensive prowess on national TV, Mallett didn’t disappoint. Mallett had 408 yards and a career high five touchdowns in the air. Mallett’s ability to spread the ball around makes him very hard to defend. Week Four will see a dip in production as he faces Alabama, but Week Five will be a huge week as Arkansas will find themselves in another shootout against Texas A&M.

Greg Alexander—Hawaii at UNLV
Normally Hawaii struggles when they play on the mainland, but Alexander answered the bell in the heartbreaking loss. Alexander threw for 477 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

The biggest problem with Alexander is that he puts up huge numbers in the first half, then fades out in the second half. Alexander has thrown for over 300 yards by halftime in the last two weeks. If he can avoid the second half slumps, he might be the best fantasy quarterback in the country!

Running Backs

Jahvid Best—California at Minnesota
Best showed why he is one of the top Heisman candidates. Best exploded all over the Gophers’ defense by rushing for 131 yards and five touchdowns. The only bad thing you could say about Best is that he only average five yards per carry as compared to the 10.4 yards per carry that he carried into the game. Pac-10 defensive coordinators beware when you travel to Cal.

Ryan Mathews—Fresno State vs. Boise State
Will the real Ryan Mathews please stand up? Thank you. Mathews was on fire against a stout Boise defense under the Friday Night Lights. Mathews had 234 yards rushing with three touchdowns. All three touchdowns were runs of 60 yards or more.

The problem for fantasy owners is that Mathews was on the bench for most teams this week. Fresno State has been known to work a RBBC situation, but the hopes are that they will begin to feature Mathews more. But you may not be able to figure that out until Week Six when Fresno plays at Hawaii since they play at Cincinnati in Week Four, and have a bye in Week Five.

Jeremy Avery—Boise State at Fresno State
Avery matched the big play ability of Ryan Mathews in the Friday night shootout. Avery was playing second fiddle until DJ Harper went down with what I could see as a knee injury. Once Harper went down, Avery stepped up.

Avery had 186 rushing yards to go with 83 receiving yards and one touchdown. We won’t have more info on Harper’s knee injury until the middle of the week, but if he is out for the Week Five game against Cal-Davis then Avery’s value will shoot through the roof.

Wide Receivers

Mike Williams—Syracuse vs. Northwestern
It appears things are changing at Syracuse. New attitude, new quarterback, the start of a new age for Orange football. Williams is the main man in the Syracuse passing attack.

Williams hauled in 209 yards and two touchdowns. Williams is proving to be a solid fantasy star. How much owners can leave him in the starting lineup is still unsure. How well he plays in Week Five against South Florida and Week Six against West Virginia will tell a lot.

Ryan Broyles—Oklahoma vs. Tulsa
Sam Bradford who? The Sooner passing game was clicking on all cylinders Saturday. Broyles was the main target of quarterback Landry Jones by pulling in 11 balls for 128 yards and three touchdowns. This is the second straight three touchdown performance in a row for Broyles, who is living up to the preseason expectations of being a top flight fantasy wide receiver. He will have a big test after his Week Four bye when the Sooners travel to play the Hurricanes in Week Five.

Eric Decker—Minnesota vs. California
The preseason buzz about the new Minnesota offense hasn’t lived up to the hype. The ground game has not materialized and the Gophers have been stuck playing catch-up in most of it’s games.

This has been good for Eric Decker who could have been lost in the shuffle if the running game was clicking. Decker had 199 yards receiving with two touchdowns, and he also threw a seven-yard touchdown pass. Decker should be a great play over the next three weeks as he faces Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Purdue.

Tight Ends

Kyle Rudolph—Notre Dame vs. Michigan State
In a season where there is no elite level talent at tight end, fantasy owners must look for tight ends that consistently produce points.

Rudolph has proven to be a solid fantasy option, and with the injury to wide receiver Michael Floyd; Rudolph’s stock appears to be rising. Rudolph had six receptions for 95 yards against the Spartans. The next two weeks will be good games for the Irish as they play at Purdue in Week Four and host Washington in Week Five.

Jeffery Anderson—UAB at Troy
In the attempt of fantasy owners to find a “Steady-Eddie” at tight end, Anderson has been a pleasant surprise for those owners that bought in early.

In a game where the UAB offensive struggled, Anderson pulled in the only receiving touchdown on the day to go with two receptions for 29 yards. Anderson doesn’t blow you away in the stat column, but over the season he has averaged 45.3 yards and 0.7 touchdowns per game. If he is still available in your league it would be smart to pick him up.

Duds

Quarterbacks

Joe Webb—UAB at Troy
Webb saw a slump in a game that could have been a classic shootout with the emergence of the Troy passing game. The UAB offense was plagued by mistakes, dropped balls, and red zone touchdown opportunities that turned into field goals.

Webb only had 190 total yards with one touchdown and one interception. The next three weeks will be important to Webb owners.

Week Four they play at Texas A&M, who doesn’t have the best defense and an offense that will allow Webb to sling the ball late in the game. Week Five has Southern Mississippi at home who could also generate another shootout opportunity for Webb. Week Six is Webb’s bye week.

Tim Tebow—Florida vs. Tennessee
All the fantasy experts saw Tebow exploding on the Vols in the Swamp. That didn’t happen. Tennessee had a great gameplan to pressure Tebow and force him to throw the ball on the run. This resulted in Tebow accounting for 191 total yards with one rushing touchdown and one interception.

This game might be the low point of the season for Tebow since we see his dip in production based more on Tennessee’s defensive coaching staff than Tebow’s ability on the field.

Colt McCoy—Texas vs. Texas Tech
The expected offensive fireworks for this game didn’t materialize until the second half. Colt was slow to start, but came through when his team needed him. McCoy only had five yards on the ground, to go along with 205 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

This is the second straight week that the Texas offense has had a slow start. But this has to do with the fact the coaches are still searching for the identity of this year’s offense and who the main playmakers will be.

Running Backs

MiQuale Lewis—Ball State at Army
Talk about going from the “penthouse to the outhouse!” Lewis was an elite running back in 2008. Oh how things have changed in 2009.

Gone is quarterback Nate Davis. Gone are four starters from the offensive line. Lewis has been awful in 2009, averaging 58 yards and 0.3 touchdowns per game. We don’t know if he is hurt or not, but the best bet to his poor performance is based on the play of arguably the worst O-line in the country.

With less than five fantasy points scored against defensive powerhouses New Hampshire and Army, the signs don’t look like he will bounce back to form for the Week Five and Six games against Toledo at home and at Temple. The smart play is to just cut your losses now, dump him, and move on.

John Clay—Wisconsin vs. Wofford
We expected to see Clay as a top 10 running back for Week Three. That didn’t happen!

Clay had 12 carries for 70 yards and was kept from reaching the end zone by the mighty Wofford Terrier defense. If Clay can’t be counted on against a cupcake opponent, then when can you count on him? Just remember this in the weeks to come as you contemplate starting Clay.

Nic Grigsby—Arizona at Iowa
After busting loose in Week Two, Grigsby was brought back down to Earth in Week Three. Grigsby had 89 total yards on 14 touches and was held out of the end zone.

I mentioned last week that the time was right to trade away Grigsby when his stock was at its highest. Now the inevitable dip in production has hit. With Gronk most likely out for the season, and no other help around him on the offense, its safe to say that Pac-10 defensive coordinators will load up to stop Grigsby and make quarterback Matt Scott beat them in the air.

Wide Receivers

Dexter McCluster—Mississippi vs. SE Louisiana
What more could McCluster owners ask for? A high-powered offense fresh off a bye week and playing against a cupcake. But McCluster let his fantasy owners down as he only accounted for 48 yards on three receptions. He did not even have one rushing attempt in the game.

It is unclear if McCluster might be hurt, or if Coach Houston Nutt was keeping things “close to the vest” before facing SEC foe South Carolina in Week Four. Odds are that McCluster will be right back into the thick of the offense for the Gamecocks.

Detron Lewis—Texas Tech at Texas
After making a 146 yard and one touchdown debut to the 2009 season, Lewis has been left in the shuffle of wide receivers.

Week Two had Lewis accounting for 23 yards on three receptions and Week Three proved to be more of the same as Lewis hauled in 22 yards on four receptions. It is time to start worrying if you’re a Lewis owner, but not time to panic.

The biggest problem facing you is this: if you keep him on your bench hoping for a spot start down the line, how reliable will he be in the good matchups? You should have a clear idea of what Lewis will bring to the table during Weeks Six-Eight when the Red Raiders face Kansas State, Nebraska, and Texas A&M. Use the Kansas State game as a gauge for his reliability for the next two games.

Aldrick Robinson—SMU at Washington State
In 2008, Robinson was the main target for Bo Levi Mitchell in the passing attack. In 2009, Robinson seems to be lost in the crowd. In one of the best matchups of the season for SMU, Robinson only had two receptions for 30 yards.

He has been dealing with an ankle injury, which might be contributing greatly to his lack of production. So far on the season he has only reached the end zone once.

Robinson owners need to remain patient with him. The next four weeks will not help. SMU has a bye in Week Four, then they face two stiff defenses by traveling to TCU in Week Five and hosting East Carolina in Week Six. Then in Week Seven they host a pesky Navy defense that gave them problems last year.

Hang in there because the schedule gets a whole lot better after this four week rough patch.

Tight Ends

Dorin Dickerson—Pittsburgh vs. Navy
Just when you thought you snagged a steal at tight end in last week’s waiver wire, you wound up being let down with his first start in your fantasy lineup. This is the problem this year with tight ends. A guy will blow up one week, then bust the next.

Dickerson only had one reception for six yards against the Middies. There are few consistent weekly producers at tight end this year, which makes it hard not to pass on guys that blow up each week.

Cody Slate—Marshall vs. Bowling Green
Slate was on fire as the season started with 114 yards and two touchdowns in the opener with Southern Illinois. Now its gone downhill since. Week Two's poor performance could be chalked up to playing at Virginia Tech, but the Week Three game of Bowling Green at home should have been his rebound game.

Slate only touched the ball three times. He had one rush for zero yards, and caught two balls for 24 yards. Fantasy owners are hoping for big things from Slate for the Week Four game at Memphis.

College Fantasy Football: What We Learned in Week Three

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:51:06 -0400

We posted our “Under The Microscope” article last week to give our readers a guide of things to watch for over the weekend. Now that Week Three is complete, let’s revisit those topics to see what we learned.

The Nevada Offense vs. Colorado State

Kaep and company produced a stinker in South Bend a few weeks ago. They’ve had a bye week to stew things over. Will they come out sluggish or with their hair on fire?

What We Learned: The Nevada offense has been a major disappointment thus far, ranking 71st in total offense. Vai Taua has performed admirably, but Colin Kaepernick and the rest of the offense has been plagued by turnovers, ill-timed penalties and just general boneheaded play.

The Troy Offense vs. UAB

DuJuan Harris, Jerrel Jernigan and Levi Brown came out firing in the first half of their opener. Then things fell apart the rest of the way against Bowling Green. After getting pummeled by Florida last week, it will be interesting to see if they can get things on track against a bad UAB defense.

What We Learned: Troy found their passing game in week three, with Levi Brown throwing for over 400 yards. However, DuJuan Harris left the game with an undisclosed injury, and Jerrel Jernigan seemed to be lost in the shuffle a bit. The jury is still out on those two, but Levi looks like a solid option in Sun Belt play.

The UTEP Offense vs. New Mexico State

What is going on down in El Paso? Only one TD pass in two games? It’s only a matter of time before the Miners passing game gets rolling. Right?

What We Learned: Wrong! Vitt threw for a paltry 182 yards and ZERO touchdowns on Saturday. Jeff Moturi only caught 4 balls for 54 yards, which seemed like a goldmine compared to Kris Adams who hauled in 2 passes for 13 yards. We are bamboozled here, folks. Steer clear of the Miners until they prove they have turned this around.

The Arkansas Offense vs. Georgia

Arkansas is another team that played in week one, then had a bye. We still aren’t sure who the playmakers will be for the Hogs. This game should be pretty telling.

What We Learned: The guy to own here is obviously Ryan Mallet. The triggerman lit up Georgia for 408 yards and 5 TDs. Mallett spreads it around to Jarius Wright, Joe Adams and Greg Childs. Nobody seems to be a go-to yet. TE D.J. Williams woke up a bit on Saturday, posting a 4-58-1 statline. Michael Smith appears to be a bust thus far as the Hogs are using a major RBBC approach.

The Auburn Offense vs. West Virginia

Gus Malzahn’s new offense will be on display tonight in what could be a wild one. How will Kodi Burns be utilized? Will Tate and McCalebb continue to share carries?
What We Learned: I was impressed with the Auburn offense on Saturday night. Lots of weapons. They spread it around a lot—keeping the defense guessing. Unfortunately, I have a feeling they will also keep fantasy owners guessing each week.

Other that QB Chris Todd, I would advise avoiding the other Auburn skill position players as I just get the feeling it will be somebody different each week. If you’re in a BCS-only or SEC-heavy league, I suppose Ben Tate and Darvin Adams are worth a look.

Austen Arnaud and Jerome Tiller (Iowa State) vs. Kent State

Arnaud is coming off an awful outing against in-state rival Iowa. Now the coaching staff is said to be giving the promising youngster Tiller a series or two early in this week’s game. Uh-oh.

What We Learned: Arnaud had a nice outing on Saturday, posting 9-42-2 on the ground and 144-1-0 through the air. Tiller did play a few series, but was unimpressive. Keep an eye on this situation as the season wears on, but for now Arnaud appears to be a good play once he starts facing those suspect Big12 defenses.

Ralph Bolden (Purdue) vs. Northern Illinois

Are you a Bolden believer? This will be another week for the Boiler RB to silence the skeptics.

What We Learned: Bolden had an off-game on Saturday, leaving skeptics (like myself) wondering if he is going to burn out before reaching the heart of the Big Ten schedule.

Jake Sharp and Torem Opurum (Kansas) vs. Duke

In case you haven’t been paying attention, there is a serious 1-2 RB punch developing in Lawrence. Opurum, a 235-pound freshman, has matched Sharp on the running game stat sheet thus far. Will this trend continue?

What We Learned: With Sharp nursing an apparent calf injury, Opurum shouldered the load on Saturday and was impressive. Look for him to have another strong outing in Week Four against Southern Miss as Sharp could be limited once again. The real question is what will happen once the conference slate begins. Will Opurum continue to get valuable carries, or will Sharp be the workhorse?

Ryan Williams and David Wilson (Virginia Tech) vs. Nebraska

We all know what Williams did his first two outings. But Wilson got some carries last week against Marshall and looked great. How will the workload be divided in this big game?

What We Learned: After watching Saturday’s game against Nebraska, it’s apparent that this is Ryan Williams job. He posted a 21-107-1 statline, while Wilson only toted the rock three times for -4 yards.

Charles Scott (LSU) vs. UL-Lafayette

Scott has fallen off the fantasy radar with two clunkers in a row. Is he really becoming the No. 2 RB to Keiland Williams? We’ll be watching.

What We Learned: After posting an uninspiring 12-62-0 statline, Charles Scott remains a mystery. For years, LSU had been a fantasy wasteland for RBs—until 2008 when Scott burst onto the scene with a dominant season. Then, just when we jumped aboard the bandwagon, we appear to be back to “wasteland” status once again.

Baron Batch (Texas Tech) vs. Texas

This will be the first chance for most owners to watch the Red Raiders on TV this year. The matchup is bad for Batch, but we’ll be looking to see if he truly looks 100 percent. And if he appears to be an integral part of the Tech offense.

What We Learned: Sure, the competition was stiff, but Batch looked pretty bad on Saturday night. Only a few touches, and he had a couple fumbles. Not a good sign.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD TIGHT ENDS GONE?

With Gronk and Gresh out, we’re looking for a few tight ends to step it up this week. D.J. Williams (Arkansas), Jason Harmon (FAU), and Andrew Jones (Missouri)—this means you.

What We Learned: D.J. Williams woke up a bit, as referenced above. Harmon posted 4-57-0 against a tough South Carolina defense. Andrew Jones remains a fantasy flop. The tight end position is going to be a tough one to read for the next few weeks.

College Fantasy Football: Week Four Waiver Wire Report

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:49:36 -0400

Here is our first look at the Week Four college fantasy football waiver wire report.

QUARTERBACKS

PICK ‘EM UP

Jacory Harris (Miami)

Harris has elevated himself into the Heisman race with two scintillating performances. He is a must-have in BCS-only fantasy leagues and also holds value in All-120 formats.

Levi Brown (Troy)

This Troy signal caller is available in most leagues (83 percent availability in U-Sports) after a shaky start to his season. He ripped UAB for over 400 passing yards, which is a good sign of things to come once Sun Belt play commences.

Diondre Borel (Utah State)

We’ve been on the Borel train as a sleeper since the spring. He did not disappoint this week, shredding Texas A&M for close to 40 fantasy points. The trick is knowing when to start him—Week Four vs. Southern Utah seems like a good bet.

Dwight Dasher (Middle Tennessee State)

Despite our pleas for you to grab this talented Blue Raider, Dasher is still showing over 60 percent availability in U-Sports leagues. He posted his second straight 30-plus-fantasy point week, this time in a win over Maryland. Grab him now, thank us later!

NOT A SURE BET

Landry Jones (Oklahoma)

Jones has been on fire in his first two weeks on the job (granted, it’s been against Idaho State and Tulsa). Before jumping all over Landry, just remember that he has a bye week coming up and then a date with Miami.

Of course, you’ll also have to monitor the status of Sam Bradford. There is a chance you might only get one or two more starts from Jones before Bradford is ready to play.

WATCH LIST

Tyler Bass (Memphis)

Replacing an ineffective Arkelon Hall this week, Bass injected some much-needed life into the Memphis offense and racked up 44 fantasy points. However, it was against Tennessee-Martin. Keep a close eye on Bass against Marshall this week. If he continues to impress, he’ll be worth scooping up.

Chris Todd (Auburn)

The benefactor of Gus Malzahn’s wizardry, Todd looked very solid against West Virginia on Saturday night. He’s a good play this week against Ball State, but his long-term success may be hard to predict once the brutal SEC slate is in full swing.

Other BCS-Only League Possibilities

Mike Kafka (Northwestern), Jameel Sewell (Virginia), Joey Elliot (Purdue)

RUNNING BACKS

PICK ‘EM UP

Jeremy Avery (Boise State)

Avery was drafted in most All-120 leagues but became available once it was apparent D.J. Harper was sharing the workload. Harper suffered an undisclosed leg injury in Friday night’s game. If he is out for an extended period of time, Avery becomes a very attractive option once again.

Andre Dixon (Connecticut)

What are we supposed to make of the UConn running game? Jordan Todman looked like The Man through two games and even posted a 22-103-0 stat line on Saturday. But Dixon posted 31-149-3. Dixon appears worthy of a pickup even if he shares the load with Todman.

Toben Opurum (Kansas)

Opurum burst onto the scene from relative obscurity, posting similar numbers to Jake Sharp through three weeks. Sharp was nursing an undisclosed injury this week (thought to be minor), and Opurum took over the reins with 20 touches, 120 yards, and two TDs.

He is certainly worth picking up as Sharp insurance and might even be worth his own starting merit in deeper leagues (a la Cal’s Shane Vereen).

Robert Turbin (Utah State)

Turbin is off to a nice start to the season. Against Texas A&M on Saturday, he had 18 touches for 182 yards and a score. Turbin is available in 55 percent of U-Sports leagues. He isn’t likely someone worth starting on a weekly basis (yet), but he’d certainly help bolster your RB depth.

Meco Brown and Chad Spann (Northern Illinois)

Brown has ripped off 14-117-1 and 26-150-1 performances over the last two weeks. In TD-heavy leagues, Spann is certainly worth consideration. He’s scored seven touchdowns in the first three games. There is no opposing defense left on the NIU schedule who scares you.

LaMichael James (Oregon)

James had his breakout game on Saturday against Utah, posting a 27-152-1 stat line. The fact that the coaching staff trusted him with the rock that many times in a key game is a good sign. However, Jeremiah Masoli figures to continue to steal rushing touchdowns in the red zone.

Montario Hardesty (Tennessee)

Hardesty has quietly offered nice fantasy production thus far: 18-160-1, 26-89-1, and 20-96-1. He’s beyond solid in BCS-only leagues.

NOT A SURE BET

Toney Baker (NC State)

Baker has benefited from awful competition (Murray State and Gardner-Webb) and injuries to his RB competition and has posted two nice weeks of fantasy production. Don’t expect this to continue on a weekly basis as the schedule gets much tougher.

Carlos Brown (Michigan)

Brown went wild against Eastern Michigan on Saturday, racking up 183 yards on just 13 carries. However, Brandon Minor figures to play a prominent role in the running game moving forward.

Adam Robinson (Iowa)

We’re still not sure what to make of the Hawkeye running game in the long term. Robinson looked good on Saturday, posting a 18-101-2 stat line. But Brandon Wegher rushed the ball 17 times, and Jeff Brinson is still recovering from injury. We’d hold off on Robinson for now.

WATCH LIST

John Mosure (Colorado State)

After missing a week due to a concussion, Mosure posted a solid 18-99-1 against Nevada on Saturday. Leonard Mason, his competition for carries, only lugged the ball seven times.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Johnathan Franklin (UCLA)
Delone Carter (Syracuse)
James Wright (New Mexico)

WIDE RECEIVERS

PICK ‘EM UP

Mike Williams (Syracuse)

Eleven catches, 202 yards, and one score this weekend against Northwestern. Add him now.

Jared Perry (Missouri)

Has scored at least one touchdown in each game this season. Posted 7-161-2 on Saturday against Furman.

Uzoma Nwachukwu (Texas A&M)

With stud Jeff Fuller going down with what looks like a long-term injury (cracked fibula), this freshman made the most of his opportunity to shine, scoring four touchdowns.

NOT A SURE BET

Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech)

Tremendous talent. Wrong team. Thomas is a good pickup in BCS-only leagues, but the Yellow Jackets just don’t throw it enough to make him a consistent fantasy option.

WATCH LIST

Brandon Wimberly (Nevada)

The Nevada offense has struggled out of the gate, but Wimberly was a bright spot on Saturday against CSU, catching seven balls for 104 yards and a TD.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Dan Buckner (Texas)
James Johnson (Washington)
Andrew Brewer (Northwestern)
Brandon Caleb (Oklahoma)
Greg Childs (Arkansas)
Darvin Adams (Auburn)
Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M)
Torrey Smith (Maryland)

College Fantasy Football: What Did We Learn From Week 1?

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:24:44 -0400

Todd DeVries from CollegeFootballGeek.com takes a look at what we learned this past weekend, from a college fantasy football perspective. The first comments were posted prior to the weekend in our “Under The Microscope” article. The bolded comments are our post-weekend thoughts.

Thursday Night

Oregon Offensive Line

We heard the horror stories this spring about the sieve-like line. The locals said “don’t believe what you read, they’ll be fine”. The game on the Blue Turf will prove to be interesting.
The Result: Well, they were not “fine” last night against Boise State. They were awful.

Boise State Running Backs

Will Jeremy Avery and D.J. Harper be a 1-2 punch or will one guy emerge as the feature back?
The Result: Looks like a 1-2 punch. Avery had 27 carries, Harper 19. However, both were productive. Continue to keep an eye on who gets the goal line carries. Harper scored from short range last night.

Friday Night

Andre Anderson vs. Tulsa

Is Andre2000 recovered from the flu-like symptoms that caused him to miss time last week? The news regarding Tulane’s star RB has been mysteriously hard to find. Will he explode? Will he look sluggish? Will he even SUIT UP? We certainly hope so. It’s been reported this August, both by coaches and the players themselves, that Anderson is at full health. We will be watching.
The Result: Andre started and played the whole game, but he did not look sharp mainly due to a porous offensive line. This is a concern.

Tulsa Offense vs. Tulane

There’s a lot to watch on Friday night. How will G.J. Kinne perform? Will Jacob Bower see time at tight end, per the rumors? Will Shavodrick Beaver play any role in the offense? How about the T.U. running game - will Charles Clay live up to the hype or will Jamad Williams steal a bunch of carries?
The Result: Kinne looked really promising in his debut. He showed good pocket presence and the abilty to rush for big chunks of yards. In the passing game, he looked relatively accurate. Kinne looks to be a good one.

Hawaii Offense vs. Central Arkansas

There are many questions surrounding the Hawaii receivers. Who will emerge from Greg Salas, Javonte Taylor, Kealoha Pilares, and Rodney Bradley?
The Result: Greg Salas was The Man in week one, catching 7 passes for 180 yards and a score. Taylor was a bust registering 1-7-0. Pilares 6-42-1 and Bradley 3-43-1 fared a bit better.

Saturday

Duane Bennett vs. Syracuse

Is the promising Minnesota RB truly back in top form after blowing out his knee in 2008? We’ll get a glipse of how far along his recovery has come when he faces a weak Syracuse defense.
The Result: Bennett toted the rock 16 times for 78 yards and a score. He appears to be the clear number one guy for the Gophers. DeLeon Eskridge had half as many carries (8-29-0).

The Michigan State Freshmen RBs vs. Montana State

True freshmen Edwin Baker and Larry Caper both arrived on campus this summer with much fanfare as they look to replace Javon Ringer. We get our first chance to see them against Montana State.
The Result: Blah. Caulton Ray wound up leading the team in rushing against Montana State (12-71-0). Caper (7-34-0) and Baker (8-27-0) were relatively unimpressive in this one.

Blaine Gabbert vs. Illinois

The new Mizzou QB has some big shoes to fill with Chase Daniel graduating. His first game should be a true test as the Illini are loaded on offense and figure to put up some points. Can Gabbert & company keep up?
The Result: JACKPOT. Gabbert was outstanding on Saturday, completing 25-33 for 319 yards and 3 TDs. He also rushed for 39 yards and a score.

Virginia Tech RBs vs. Alabama

With Darren Evans on the shelf, we want to see how the carries shake out between “starter” Ryan Williams, David Wilson, and Josh Oglesby. Will anyone shine against a stout Alabama defense?
The Result: Williams ran with passion against Bama, totalling 113 total rush/receiving yards and 2 scores. Oglesby played a little bit logging 6 carries. Wilson barely saw any snaps leading us to believe he is not 100%. This race is far from over, but right now Williams appears to be the man.

Buffalo RB Brandon Thermilus vs. UTEP

When star James Starks went down with a shoulder injury, backup Thermilus became the first hot waiver wire name of the young 2009 season. Against a bad UTEP defense, we want to see if this guy can produce on a Starks-like level or if he just looks like a regular backup RB.
The Result: Thermilus carried the ball 25 times (for only 75 yards) and a score. The touches were encouraging, but the production left much to be desired.

Jake Locker vs. LSU

Yeah, LSU is a bad matchup for Montlake Jake, but we’re intrigued. If he can hold his own against a stout LSU defense, it could bode well for the rest of the year against lesser opponents.
The Result: Owners of Locker have to be happy with what they saw on Saturday night. Locker passed for 321 yards and two scores, and tacked on another 51 rushing.

Wisconsin RBs vs. Northern Illinois

Has Zach Brown really won the starting job over John Clay? Will he get “starter” carries or will it be more of a 1-2 punch.
The Result: This is a mess for a number of reasons. First, the Badgers had trouble running the ball against NIU. Second, Brown and Clay split carries down the middle. Clay did score two short TDs while Brown was shut out of the endzone.

Texas A&M RBs vs. New Mexico

We have a good feeling about freshman phenom Christine Michael. Watch him closely against New Mexico as there is the potential for an explosion.
The Result: Michael did not disappoint, rushing for 93 yards and a score on just 11 carries. He outplayed Cyrus Gray, who totaled 53 yards and a score on 13 carries.

Kansas State RBs vs. UMass

Is Daniel Thomas worthy of his preseason buzz? The guy certainly passes the eyeball test, and he was named the starter over Keithen Valentine. Bill Snyder was known for orchestrating great running games back in his Hey Day. If he can rekindle this magic, Thomas could become a hot name in fantasy circles
The Result: Thomas rushed the ball 23 times for 104 yards while Valentine racked up 89 yards on 11 carries. Keep in mind, though, that the opponent was UMass.

MTSU Offense vs. Clemson

We don’t expect much success against a tough Clemson team, but we’re curious to see what formations they use. Do Dwight Dasher and Phillip Tanner look like players? Might be hard to tell in this one, but we’ll be watching.
The Result: The offense leaned heavily threw Dasher, who threw 42 passes and rushed it 19 more times. He totaled 270 yards of offense and one TD. That’s a whole lot of touches, and a very good sign of things to come. Tanner appeared to be the clear No. 1 RB, but he only totaled 11 touches on the day.

Pittsburgh RBs vs. Youngstown State

Freshman Dion Lewis and Ray Graham fight for carries in a mismatch against Youngstown State. Early enrolled Lewis was the star of spring, but Graham has turned heads ever since arriving on campus this summer.
The Result: Lewis was the clear guy in the Pitt backfield, rushing for 20-129-2 and adding in a TD catch. Graham played second fiddle, rushing 6 times for only 22 yards.

UConn RBs vs. Ohio

Is Jordan Todman a solid No. 1? Or will he split too many carries with Andre Dixon?
The Result: Both Todman (25-157-1) and Dixon (19-100-0) played well on Saturday. We’d like to see a greater percentage of carries go to one or the other, but the good news is that the Huskies appear to be looking to run the ball a lot again this year.

Michigan QBs vs. Western Michigan

Tate Forcier gets the start, and we’re looking forward to watching him run RichRod’s offense. But Denard Robinson is the guy getting the buzz. Consider this to be early fantasy scouting for 2010.
The Result: Both players looked sharp on Saturday, and Forcier was named the starter for the Notre Dame game.

Texas Tech WRs vs. North Dakota

Because we’re always watching this unit, no matter the year. Will the from-out-of-nowhere Alexander Torres excel in Crabtree’s old position?
The Result: Detron Lewis was the star of the group, catching 8 balls for 146 yards and 1 TD. The rest of the corps shared catches and none were a fantasy factor. Torres only caught four balls for 55 yards.

Baron Batch vs. North Dakota

We’re hearing he’ll get some snaps on Saturday. We want to see if he looks to be close to 100% after sustaining an elbow injury in practice a few weeks ago.
The Result: Batch rushed the ball 9 times for 30 yards and a score. Considering that the next highest number of carries from a Tech RB was only 2, this is good news. However, his production was not impressive. Also a concern is the fact that he only caught one ball. We need to see more out of Batch before plugging him into a fantasy lineup.

Rice at UAB

We want to watch Joe Webb operate. We want to see who Rice leans on as they look to replace stars Chase Clement, James Casey and Jarret Dillard.
The Result: Webb lived up to our hype and put up monster stats. We weren’t the least bit surprised. On the Rice side of the ledger, both John Thomas Shepherd and Nick Fanuzzi shared snaps at QB, and the results were mixed. Fanuzzi was the more accurate and productive passer, but Shepherd was more dangerous on the ground. Stay tuned.

Bo Levi Mitchell vs. Stephen F. Austin

Can he make the step up in Year Two? Or will he continue to be inconsistent with his decision-making?
The Result: BLM was inconsistent once again, going 23/42 for only only 202 yards. He threw more INTs (2) than TDs (1). And SMU leaned on the running game - THE RUNNING GAME? - to ensure they got the win over SFA. This was a very sketchy performance from all of the SMU fantasy stars.

Undrea Sails vs. Southern

Sails has a great match up here against Southern. Does he look like a capable replacement to Tyrell Fenroy? If so, he’s worth stashing away on your roster. If not, it might be cut-and-run time because he faces Kansas State, LSU, Nebraska and a bye week over the next four weeks.
The Result: Sails looked great in this one, rushing for 119 yards and a score, and taking a 56 yard pass to the house. He figures to be a valuable fantasy player especially when conference play begins.

Sunday

Colorado State RBs vs. Colorado

Is John Mosure The Man or are we looking at RBBC?
The Result: We’re probably looking at RBBC. Things started great for Mosure as he scored 2 TDs in the first quarter, but at the end of the day he totaled only 14 touches (11 rushes for 44 yards). Leonard Mason out-rushed him, toting the ball 23 times for 104 yards.

Monday

Rutgers RB Joe Martinek

Does “Jersey Joe” have enough game to take over as the Rutgers feature back? Or will it be RBBC once again with Kordell Young and Jourdan Brooks.
The Result: Martinek was clearly the number one RB option in this one as the Scarlet Knights ran the ball early in this one. However, things got out of hand and Rutgers had to abandon the run in about the second quarter. Martinek rushed it 15 times for 54 yards and a score, and added in 3 receptions for 33 yards. He could be a nice option over the next three weeks as Rutgers faces three lousy opponents.

College Fantasy Football: Week 2 Waiver Wire Report

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:16:27 -0400

As we pour over the box scores and highlight clips from the games this weekend, many of us will take a good hard look at our carefully drafted rosters and try to figure out how they can be improved.

Finding a few players to bolster your roster isn’t as easy as it seems. With Week One comes a fair share of “Fool’s Gold” - marginal players who take advantage of a Division II opponents for big stats. Some of these players will wind up being fantasy factors all season long, while others will completely fall off the map.

The key is to be able to weed out these players, and focus on players that can help you when the rugged conference schedules begin in a few weeks.

With that in mind, we give you our Week One Waiver Wire Report.

PICK ‘EM UP

Quarterbacks

Blaine Gabbert (Missouri)
Exploded in his first start against solid competition. This bodes very well

Jerrod Johnson (Texas A&M)
Threw early and often. Didn’t split any snaps with Tannehill, who played some receiver.

Austen Arnaud (Iowa State)
Lived up to our preseason ranking with a nice blend of passing and running stats.

Zac Lee (Nebraska)
Looked pretty good and should thrive in the defense-challenged Big 12.

Ricky Dobbs (Navy)
Really impressive against a top notch defense. We figured he’d put together some nice rushing stats, but passing for 156? Wow.

Running Backs

Dion Lewis (Pittsburgh)
Looked really good, just beware the competition and keep an eye on Ray Graham.

Undrea Sails (UL-Lafayette)
Great game against a bad team. Has a few tough matchups, plus a bye week, on the horizon. But should be solid once Sun Belt play begins in a month.

Robert Turbin (Utah State)
Numbers were inflated by a 98-yard TD run. But they all count, right?

Shane Vereen (Cal)
If something were to happen to Jahvid Best, Vereen would become an instant star.

Mo Plancher (South Florida)
We told you Mo would be a good play in the first few games.

Alexander Robinson (Iowa State)
Solid outing against bad competition. We like A-Rob, but think his ceiling is low.

LaMichael James (Oregon)
Should step into the starting role with Blount gone. Beware the Ducks woeful o-line, though.

Brynn Harvey (UCF)
The focal point of the offense. Could thrive against C-USA defenses this year.

Daniel Thomas (Kansas State)
23 carries for 104 yards, even against UMass, is a nice start.

Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech)
Ran with passion against a great Tide defense. David Wilson had zero touches - by design or due to injury?

Christine Michael (Texas A&M)
11 rushes, 93 yards and a score. Outplayed Cyrus Gray, which could lead to bigger workload soon.

Chris Polk (Washington)
Really impressed against a top SEC defense. Bodes well for U-Dub fans.

Joe Martinek (Rutgers)
If you didn’t see the game and just looked at the box score, you might be surprised by our recommendation here. Those who watched the game saw Rutgers trying to rush the ball early and often (before things got out of hand). Martinek rushed the ball 15 times for 54 yards and a score before Rutgers abandoned the run. Next up for Martinek are three outstanding matchups in Howard, FIU, and Texas Southern.

Wide Receivers

Greg Salas (Hawaii)
Salas was Greg Alexander’s top target in the opener.

David Reed (Utah)
Exploded in Week One for 10-172-1.

Vincent Brown (San Diego State)
Made a few big plays against UCLA.

Danario Alexander (Missouri)
Caught 10 passes in the opener against Illinois.

Mike Williams (Syracuse)
Caught a TD in his 10th straight game.

Michael Outlaw (North Texas)
The top UNT receiver against Ball State.

Tight Ends

Tony Moeaki (Iowa)
Huge game for the oft-injured Hawkeye. Can he stay healthy?

K. Middleton (Washington)
Looked very sharp against LSU’s stout defense.

WAIT AND SEE

Quarterbacks

Sam Bradford (Oklahoma)
If you’re roster is deep, we recommend you hang on to the OU signal caller for now. The latest word is that Bradford will be out 2-4 weeks.

Chris Masson (UL-Lafayette)
Had his way against Southern. Could be an interesting guy to follow once Sun Belt play begins.

Kevin Riley (Cal)
Cal’s QBs have driven fantasy owners crazy over the years. Wait and see if Riley can string together a couple strong performances before picking him up in All-120 leagues.

Jordan Jefferson (LSU)
JJ could make a nice backup QB in BCS-only formats.

Kelly Page (Ball State)
The Ball State offense was a giant disappointment against lowly North Texas. If they struggle again in their next game, we’re going to be very concerned.

Russell Wilson (NC State)
Just an awful game by the Wolfpack. Wilson better get things turned around soon or else Mike Glennon could see more time.

Jacory Harris (Miami)
Harris was on fire on Monday night, passing for 386 yards. Don’t expect this every week, but Harris is certainly someone to consider if you need QB help. In BCS-only leagues, he is someone to add right now. In All-120, you might want to remember about his tough upcoming SOS and wait a bit.

Christian Ponder (Florida State)
Ponder had a strong outing against Miami, adding in a nice chunk of rushing yardage to go along with 294 passing yards.

Running Backs

Ralph Bolden (Purdue)
Fool’s Gold Alert. Don’t get suckered into thinking Bolden is the next Adrian Peterson. Purdue still stinks. And Jaycen Taylor is still in the mix. Set your expectations accordingly.

Delone Carter (Syracuse)
Carter and the Cuse offense looked alright in the opener. Keep an eye on him.

Stephen Simmons (Northwestern)
18-77-0 against Towson? Not impressed. But he didn’t have a No. 2 RB threaten him in workload, so he’s someone to watch.

Richard Samuel (Georgia)
Solid but unspectacular performance against Oklahoma State. He carried the load, rushing 20 times (next most on team was 3).

Shawnbrey McNeal (SMU)
19-158-1 is a great statline. And a shocking one coming from the pass happy Mustangs. We doubt this is going to be a regular occurrence.

D. Lindsay (East Carolina)
15-105-1 against App State is solid. Lindsay could be someone to consider as a spot starter when the matchup is right.

D. Priest (E. Michigan)
The lone bright spot in EMU’s loss to Army was Priest who carried the ball 19 times for 83 yards and a score.

Channing Trotter (UNLV)
Fool’s Gold alert No. 2? Trotter came out of nowhere to post a 16-106-3 statline. He scored on 3 one yard plunges. We expect UNLV to pass more in future games, but Trotter now has his name on the fantasy radar.

Charles Sims (Houston)
Alright, folks. We’ve been warning you about this hotshot freshman and how he could be a fantasy factor down the line. Bryce Beall owners need to hope that Sims’ impressive debut (6-128-1 receiving, 3-2-1 rushing) doesn’t warrant more immediate P.T.

Darius Terry (Wyoming)
Posted 23-99-2 against Weber State. Not bad.

Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown (Tennessee)
Both looked good against WKU. What will they do in the rugged SEC?

DJ Harper (Boise State)
Harper seemed to be part of the Broncos’ 1-2 punch with Jeremy Avery. He got more goal line carries than Avery, and might make a decent spot starter.

Warren Norman & Zac Stacy (Vanderbilt)
Thie duo combined for 248 rushing yards and 3 TDs against Western Carolina.

Cody Johnson (Texas)
The dude doesn’t get too many carries, but he is a touchdown machine. If your scoring system is TD-heavy, pick him up now.

Alfred Morris (Florida Atlantic)
We heard very good things about Morris this spring and he did not disappoint on Saturday against a tough Huskers defense, posting 18-85-0.

Jamad Williams (Tulsa)
12-34-0 against Tulane? Yikes.

Edwin Baker, Caulton Ray & Larry Caper (Michigan State)
This situation is a mess right now, but someone will emerge here in the next month.

David Wilson (Virginia Tech)
Wilson didn’t do anything in the game against Alabama. Was he banged up as per reports? Or did Ryan Williams and Josh Oglesby earn the workload?

Wide Receivers

Andrew Brewer (Northwestern)
We’re skeptical of Big Ten receivers being long term solutions.

Blair White (Michigan State)
We’ve been burned by quick-starting MSU receivers in the past. We’d like to see more from Sparty before we jump on White’s bandwagon.

Derek Moye (Penn State)
The lanky sophomore had a breakout game against Akron, including 140+ yards in the first half.

Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M)
Tannehill was back at WR for the Aggies, registering 3 catches for 40 yards.

Keith Smith (Purdue)
We’re just not buying what the Boilers are selling. Not yet. But this was certainly a promising start for Mr. Smith.

Jacory Stone (E. Michigan)
His 12 catch, 128 yard performance caught our eye - even though Toledo was playing catch up most of the game.

Briggs Orsbon (Ball State)
Orsbon and company were awful against UNT. We’ll give him another chance.

Others:
J. Williams (Duke)
O’Neil Chambers (BYU)
Chuck Walker (Marshall)
M. Hamilton (Iowa State)
Tebiarus Gill (Troy)

Tight Ends

Luke Aubrey (UL-Lafayette)

CUT ‘EM LOOSE

Note: we like to wait and see more than we like to completely severe ties after watching only 60 minutes of action. Therefore, this section is going to look a bit skimpy this week.

Quarterbacks

Stephen Garcia (South Carolina)
What was he doing on your roster in the first place?

Running Backs

LeGarrette Blount (Oregon)
Done for the year.

Jewel Hampton (Iowa)
Done for the year.

Paki O’Meara (Iowa)
Iowa was a mess on Saturday. O’Meara was supposed to be the spot starter, but only mustered up 16 rushing yards.

Harrison Jeffers (Texas Tech)
Baron Batch played enough to show that his injury isn’t too serious. Jeffers has no value unless Batch isn’t playing.

Mikell Simpson (Virginia)
11 touches for 60 yards against William & Mary? No thanks.

Wide Receivers

Josh Jarboe (Troy)
This has nothing to do with Jarboe’s talent. It has everything to do with patience. And right now, with the emergence of WR Tebarius Gill (and Jerrel Jernigan), Jarboe is a 3rd WR option at best. Cut him now, pick up a producer, and keep your eye on Jarboe later down the line.

Tight Ends

Nobody just yet.

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier resource for college fantasy football.

College Fantasy Football Studs and Duds: Week One

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:06:27 -0400

Here’s the latest installment of the CollegeFootballGeek.com Studs and Duds report. Week One is in the books. Here is a look at some of the top college fantasy football performers, and biggest disappointments, from the weekend.

Studs:

Quarterbacks

Joe Webb – UAB vs. Rice
Webb was the biggest Stud of the week. Webb was 12-21, 221 yards, and 2 TDs in the air while adding 194 yards on 20 carries and 2 TDs on the ground. Webb should be on fire for the next two weeks as he travels to SMU and plays Troy at home.

Case Keenum – Houston vs. Northwestern State
Keenum picked up in 2009 where he left off in 2008, completing 23 of 30 passes for 359 yards, four TDs in the air, and one TD on the ground. Over the next three weeks Houston plays two Big XII teams and has a bye week. Don’t be afraid to keep Keenum in your line-up, but realize that he might have a hard time matching these numbers in those matchups.

Jerrod Johnson – Texas A&M vs. New Mexico
Even though Texas A&M rolled to an easy win, the coaches allowed Johnson to throw the ball 41 times! This is good news for conference play. Johnson went 31-41 for 349 yards and two TDs. He also added 57 yards on the ground and one TD. Johnson had just one less carry than the team’s leading rusher. After a week two bye, Johnson should be golden until he faces Texas in week 13.

Running Backs

Reggie Arnold – Arkansas State vs. Miss. Valley State
Arnold was a scoring machine on a night when the carries were spread out between backs. Arnold had 12 rushes for 126 yards and a whopping four TDs. Missouri Valley State didn’t put up much of a fight, allowing Arnold to average 10.5 yards/carry. Don’t get too excited, though, Arnold owners. Arkansas State has a very inexperienced o-line and we suspect a drop in production once Arnold faces stiffer competition.

Roy Helu – Nebraska vs. Florida Atlantic
Helu took advantage of the suspension of fellow RB Castile to rush for 152 yards on 16 carries and three TDs. You can expect games with more carries as the season goes on, making his value continue to be high. Week two should be another huge week for Helu, and if he continues to put up good numbers against Virginia Tech in Week 3 – he just might be one of the most valuable RBs this year.

Jacquizz Rodgers – Oregon State vs. Portland State
“The Quizz” fired out of the gate rushing for 103 yards on 16 carries with three TDs. It appears the shoulder that Quizz injured at the end of the 2008 season is fully healed and should no longer be a worry for fantasy owners.

Receivers

Michael Floyd – Notre Dame vs. Nevada
Everybody got to see why Nevada had one of the worst pass defenses in 2008. While the receptions where distributed evenly between Notre Dame receivers, it was Floyd that proved to be the big strike target by pulling in four receptions for 189 yards and three TDs. Floyd will continue to be the best fantasy WR for the Irish, but don’t expect him to keep scoring these outrageous fantasy point totals.

Stephen Williams – Toledo at Purdue
This MAC vs. Big Ten match-up proved to be a shootout as Toledo passed for 425 yards against the Boilermakers. Williams hauled in 15 receptions for 185 yards and two TDs. Purdue isn’t the strongest defensive team, but Williams’ performance shows that he will be a terror for MAC defensive coordinators.

Freddie Barnes – Bowling Green vs. Troy
Bowling Green exploded in the second half and Barnes was a big part of it. Barnes had 157 yards on 15 receptions and scored two TDs. No other Bowling Green WR came close in receptions showing that Barnes will be the main target all season long. Weeks two and four should be down weeks as BG faces Missouri and Boise State, but expect Barnes to be back to business after those difficult match-ups are out of the way.

Tight Ends

Cody Slate – Marshall vs. Southern Illinois
With all the questions revolving around the poor QB play in the spring, Marshall came out firing in their season opener. Slate compiled 114 yards on nine receptions with two TDs. It will be interesting to see if Marshall can keep this offensive firepower going once the reach stiffer competition. Slate will still be a good fantasy play, just don’t expect numbers like this from week-to-week.

Tony Moeaki – Iowa vs. Northern Iowa
The Iowa offense struggled to be productive in their season opener. The result was the the Hawkeyes having to go to the air. Moeaki was the leading receiver with 10 catches for 83 yards and one TD. Buyer beware with Moeaki, since his health has been shaky in the past. If you are going to pick him up, be sure to have another guy on your roster just in case.

Aaron Hernandez – Florida vs. Charleston Southern
Hernandez was one of the top pass targets for the Gators in the season opener. Hernandez had only four receptions but managed to gain 79 yards and one TD. Hernandez will be a regular redzone target for Tebow as the season plays out.

Duds:

Quarterback

Colin Kaepernick – Nevada at Notre Dame
The Nevada offense struggled all afternoon as they traveled to the historic Notre Dame Stadium. Kaepernick was expected to put up big fantasy points as he worked to keep up in what was expected to be a shootout. Instead, Kaep was 12-23 for 149 yards, 0 TDs and two interceptions in the air while adding 39 yards on he ground. Look for Kaepernick to rebound after his week two bye.

Juice Williams – Illinois vs. Missouri
Juice failed to provide the fireworks that many fantasy owners expected from the Illinois offense in their opener. WR Benn was lost during the game, but Illinois couldn’t execute consistently enough to gain any decent rhythm. Juice threw for 179 yards on 18 completions with no TDs and one interception. Juice wasn’t able to do much better on the ground gaining 27 yards on 14 carries. If you own Juice, you better be ready for the inconsistency baggage that comes with him.

Jeremiah Masoli – Oregon at Boise State
Oregon descended on the Smurf Turf to avenge their loss from 2008, but high hopes were dashed early. The Oregon offense was left in Eugene as Masoli only accounted for 135 total yards, one rushing TD and one interception. With the suspension of RB Blount, Masoli could become a more centralized figure in the offense, but the poor play of the offensive line has us concerned. Hold Masoli on your bench to see how he does. If he still isn’t producing by the end of week three, it might be time to re-evaluate his fantasy future.

Running backs

LeGarette Blount – Oregon at Boise State
Blount came into the Boise State game making a statement that Oregon was going to deliver a beat down on Boise. I think Blount got that part backwards during the game. Blount rushed for -5 yards on eight carries. But he was able to live up to his quote after the game as he sucker punched a Boise State player during the post game handshake. Blount went on to charge after fans in the stands and had to be forced into the locker room by multiple security guards. Blount’s actions have resulted in a season long suspension. If you have him, he is obviously a waste of roster space.

Charles Scott – LSU at Washington
Scott had fantasy owners salivating as they set their starting line-ups, only to leave them foaming at the mouth by Saturday night’s end. Call it a lack of work ethic, great defensive play, or a hybrid of the two. Clay only mustered 52 yards on 12 carries against a Husky rush defense that has been one of the worst in the BCS over the last several years.

DeMarco Murray / Chris Brown – Oklahoma vs. BYU
Both Murray and Brown struggled in carrying the offense after QB Bradford’s injury. Murray gained 58 yards on 10 carries, while Brown gained 59 yards on 14 carries. Neither RB reached the endzone Saturday night. It's apparent that the young o-line is not as polished as everyone in Norman had been reporting. You might want to tread lightly with these two for the next coming weeks, but don’t quit on them. The stock of both these backs will be highest in the second half of the season.

Wide receivers

Dezmon Briscoe – Kansas vs. Northern Colorado
Briscoe was suspended for the game for violating unspecified team rules. It is unknown if this is a carry over of his spring rules violation or if it is a more recent issue. This should raise concern for Briscoe owners as the season goes on.

Arrelious Benn – Illinois vs. Missouri
Benn was able to only catch one pass for nine yards before injuring his ankle. Even if he stayed in the game, the Illinois offense looked horrid in the loss to Missouri. Benn should be back in the line-up for next week’s game, but this fantasy Dud performance only adds to his resume of inconsistency.

Tyron Carrier – Houston vs. Northwestern State
Carrier did not live up to fantasy expectations, but it had more to do with Carrier’s opponent than it was by Carrier’s performance. Houston only threw the ball 30 times while the starters were in, and the ball was evenly distributed amongst Keenum’s targets. This “spreading of the wealth” resulted in Carrier having 3 receptions for 24 yards.

Tight ends

Jason Harmon – Florida Atlantic at Nebraska
Harmon was the leading man at TE during the spring and throughout fall camp. But when the Owls traveled to Nebraska something went awry. Harmon only had one reception for eight yards, while back-up TE Grant had 5 receptions for 43 yards. There has been no word so far that Harmon was injured, so the lack of production is currently a mystery. Stay tuned as we will monitor this one closely.

D.J. Williams – Arkansas vs. Missouri State
QB Mallett spread the ball around to multiple receivers in their pummeling of Missouri State. Williams only hauled in two receptions for 20 yards. This could be a factor of Mallett “spreading the wealth,” or it could be a philosophical change in the Razorback offense. While Williams was the main target in 2008, the WR talent is much better in 2009 and the offense might be opening up because of it. Weeks three and four will provide a good read on what Williams’ future will be for 2009 when Arkansas faces Georgia and Alabama. If Mallett won’t lean on Williams in the big game, then he may only be a compliment target.

Ed Dickson – Oregon at Boise State
The Ducks’ offensive woes were far reaching in the fantasy world. As the passing game struggled, so did the production of the men working to catch the ball. Dickson only managed two receptions for 19 yards. Until the o-line can start to protect the passer, Dickson’s production will remain in the gutter.

College Fantasy Football WR Rankings: Week One

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:30:08 -0400

Below are the CollegeFootballGeek.com Week One college fantasy football wide receiver rankings. Stay tuned on Friday for more rankings analysis with our Start/Sit segment.

QB Rankings - Week 1
RB Rankings - Week 1
WR Rankings - Week 1
TE Rankings - Week 1
PK & DEF Rankings - Week 1

Rank	Tier	Player	School	Opponent	Opp. SOS	Injury
1	Elite	Dezmon Briscoe	Kansas	vs. N. Colorado	120
2	Elite	Aldrick Robinson	SMU	vs. SF Austin	120
3	Elite	Michael Floyd	Notre Dame	vs. Nevada	120
4	Elite	Tyron Carrier	Houston	vs. NW State	120
5	Elite	Emmanual Sanders	SMU	vs. SF Austin	120
6	Elite	Jordan Shipley	Texas	vs. La-Monroe	76
7	Elite	Kris Adams	UTEP	vs. Buffalo	78
8	Elite	Ryan Wolfe	UNLV	vs. Sac. State	120
9	Elite	Arrelious Benn	Illinois	(N) Missouri	117
10	Elite	Jerrel Jernigan	Troy	at Bowling Green	68
11	WR1	Golden Tate	Notre Dame	vs. Nevada	120
12	WR1	Jeff Moturi	UTEP	vs. Buffalo	78
13	WR1	Damarius Johnson	Tulsa	at Tulane	57
14	WR1	Jeff Fuller	Texas A&M	vs. New Mexico	88
15	WR1	Dez Bryant	Oklahoma State	vs. Georgia	40
16	WR1	Ryan Broyles	Oklahoma	(N) BYU	56
17	WR1	Naaman Roosevelt	Buffalo	at UTEP	113
18	WR1	Jeremy Williams	Tulane	vs. Tulsa	92
19	WR1	James Rodgers	Oregon State	vs. Portland St.	120
20	WR1	Dexter McCluster	Mississippi	at Memphis	70
21	WR1	Kerry Meier	Kansas	vs. N. Colorado	120
22	WR1	Marty Gilyard	Cincinnati	at Rutgers	24
23	WR1	Detron Lewis	Texas Tech	vs. Dakota	120
24	WR1	Austin Pettis	Boise State	vs. Oregon	106
25	WR 2	Toren Dixon	Rice	at UAB	107	hamstring
26	WR 2	Frantrell Forrest	UAB	vs. Rice	102
27	WR 2	AJ Green	Georgia	at Oklahoma State	100
28	WR 2	Damian Williams	USC	vs. San Jose St.	36
29	WR 2	Alex Torres	Texas Tech	vs. Dakota	120
30	WR 2	Briggs Orsbon	Ball State	North Texas	118
31	WR 2	Patrick Edwards	Houston	vs. NW State	120
32	WR 2	Brandon Banks	Kansas State	vs. Umass	120
33	WR 2	Greg Salas	Hawaii	vs. C. Arkansas	120
34	WR 2	Eric Decker	Minnesota	at Syracuse	87
35	WR 2	Brandon LaFell	LSU	at Washington	53
36	WR 2	Cortez Gent	Florida Atlantic	at Nebraska	98
37	WR 2	Jock Sanders	West Virginia	vs. Liberty	120
38	WR 2	Antonio Brown	Central Michigan	at Arizona	23
39	WR 3	Titus Young	Boise State	vs. Oregon	106
40	WR 3	Jonathan Baldwin	Pittsburgh	vs. Youngstown St.	120
41	WR 3	Deonte Thompson	Florida	vs. Charleston So.	120
42	WR 3	Juan Nunez	Western Michigan	at Michigan	89
43	WR 3	Danario Alexander	Missouri	(N) Illinois	48
44	WR 3	Randall Cobb	Kentucky	(N) Miami, OH	75	back
45	WR 3	Slick Shelley	Tulsa	at Tulane	57
46	WR 3	Phillip Payne	UNLV	vs. Sac. State	120
47	WR 3	Joe Adams	Arkansas	vs. Missouri State	120
48	WR 3	Malcolm Williams	Texas	vs. La-Monroe	76
49	WR 3	Doug Beaumont	Louisville	Indiana State	120
50	WR 3	DeVries Posey	Ohio State	vs. Navy	31
51	WR 3	Stephen Williams	Toledo	at Purdue	17
52	WR 3	Julio Jones	Alabama	(N) Virginia Tech	5
53	WR 3	Tim Brown	Rutgers	vs. Cincinnati	80
54	WR 3	Freddie Barnes	Bowling Green	vs. Troy	65
55	WR 3	Jacory Stone	Eastern Michigan	vs. Army	44
56	WR 3	Greg Little	North Carolina	vs. The Citadel	120
57	WR 3	Shay Hodge	Mississippi	at Memphis	70
63	WR 3	McKay Jacobson	BYU	(N) Oklahoma	54	concuss.
58	WR 3	D’Andre Goodwin	Washington	vs. LSU	71
59	WR 3	Rodney Bradley	Hawaii	vs. C. Arkansas	120
60	WR 3	Seyi Ajirotutu	Fresno State	vs. UC Davis	120
61	WR 3	Dion Morton	Colorado State	at Colorado	86
62	WR 3	David Reed	Utah	vs. Utah State	105
63	WR 3	Marcus Anderson	New Mexico State	vs. Idaho	116
64	WR 3	Mario Fannin	Auburn	vs. Louisiana Tech	110
65	WR 4	Darius Reynolds	Nevada	vs. ND State	120
66	WR 3	Demaryius Thomas	Gerogia Tech	vs. Jacksonville St.	120
67	WR 3	Kendall Wright	Baylor	at Wake Forest	25
68	WR 3	Jacoby Ford	Clemson	vs. Middle Tenn	77
69	WR 3	Carlos Singleton	Memphis	vs. Mississippi	33
70	WR 3	Dwight Jones	North Carolina	vs. The Citadel	120
71	WR 3	Jamere Holland	Oregon	at Boise State	35
72	WR 3	Jamar Howard	Cincinnati	at Rutgers	24
73	WR 4	Phillip Livas	Louisiana Tech	at Auburn	11
74	WR 4	Keahola Pilares	Hawaii	vs. C. Arkansas	120
75	WR 4	Delashaun Dean	Arizona	vs. C. Michigan	101
76	WR 4	Aiona Key	Utah	vs. Utah State	105
77	WR 4	Bryan Anderson	Central Michigan	at Arizona	23
78	WR 4	Jamar Bryant	East Carolina	vs. Appalachian S.	120
79	WR 4	Kevin Jurovich	San Jose State	at USC	2
80	WR 4	James Cleveland	Houston	vs. NW State	120
81	WR 4	Rashaun Greer	Colorado State	at Colorado	86
82	WR 4	Jared Perry	Missouri	(N) Illinois	48
83	WR 4	Marvin Jones	California	vs. Maryland	79
84	WR 4	Brandon Collins	Texas	vs. La-Monroe	76
84	WR 4	David Gilreath	Wisconsin	vs. Northern Illinois	32
84	WR 4	Trae Johnson	Tulsa	at Tulane	57
84	WR 4	Andre Jones	Akron	at Penn State	26
84	WR 4	Vincent Brown	San Diego State	at UCLA	30

The Unranked

UNR	Elite	DeAndre Brown	Southern Miss	vs. Alcorn State	120	Knee
UNR	WR 3	Brandon Wimberly	Nevada	at Notre Dame	39	und. inj.
UNR	WR 2	Chris Wellington	Nevada	at Notre Dame	39	und. inj.
UNR	WR 2	Darius Darks	Iowa State	vs. ND State	120	Hamstring

Scoring system used for rankings:
4 pts per TD pass
6 pts per TD rush/rec
1 pt per 25 yards passing
1 pt per 10 yards rush/rec
0.5 PPR

College Fantasy Football RB Rankings: Week One

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:28:34 -0400

Below are the CollegeFootballGeek.com Week One college fantasy football running back rankings. Stay tuned on Friday for more rankings analysis with our Start/Sit segment.

QB Rankings - Week 1
RB Rankings - Week 1
WR Rankings - Week 1
TE Rankings - Week 1
PK & DEF Rankings - Week 1

Rank	Tier	Player	School	Opponent	Opp. SOS	Injury
1	Elite	MiQuale Lewis	Ball State	vs. North Texas	113
2	Elite	Toby Gerhart	Stanford	at Washington St.	120
3	Elite	Eugene Jarvis	Kent State	vs. Coastal Carolina	120
4	Elite	Jahvid Best	California	vs. Maryland	75	Toe
5	Elite	Charles Clay	Tulsa	at Tulane	114
6	Elite	Matt Asiata	Utah	vs. Utah State	88
7	Elite	Roy Helu	Nebraska	vs. Florida Atlantic	109
8	Elite	Andre Anderson	Tulane	vs Tulsa	52	Flu?
9	Elite	Bryce Beall	Houston	vs. NW St.	120
10	RB1	DuJuan Harris	Troy	at Bowling Green	95
11	RB1	Evan Royster	Penn State	vs. Akron	106
12	RB1	Charles Scott	LSU	at Washington	104
13	RB1	Jacquizz Rodgers	Oregon State	vs. Portland State	120
14	RB1	LeGarrette Blount	Oregon	at Boise State	22
15	RB1	Chris Brown	Oklahoma	(N) BYU	45
16	RB1	Jonathan Dwyer	Georgia Tech	vs. Jacksonville St.	120
17	RB1	C.J. Spiller	Clemson	vs. Middle Tenn.	82
18	RB1	Ryan Mathews	Fresno State	vs. UC Davis	120
19	RB1	Michael Smith	Arkansas	vs, Missouri State	120
20	RB1	Noel Devine	West Virginia	vs. Liberty	120
21	RB1	Undrea Sails	La-Lafayette	vs. Southern	120
22	RB1	DeMarco Murray	Oklahoma	(N) BYU	45	Hamstring
23	RB2	Brandon Thermilus	Buffalo	at UTEP	105
24	RB2	Jake Sharp	Kansas	vs. No. Colorado	120
25	RB2	Kendall Hunter	Oklahoma State	vs. Georgia	36
26	RB2	Zach Brown	Wisconsin	vs. Northern Illinois	70
27	RB2	Jordan Todman	Connecticut	at Ohio	83
28	RB2	Moise Plancher	South Florida	vs. Wofford	120
29	RB2	Duane Bennett	Minnesota	at Syracuse	100
30	RB2	Montel Harris	Boston College	vs. Northeastern	120
31	RB2	Shaun Draughn	North Carolina	vs. The Citadel	120
32	RB2	Richard Samuel	Georgia	VS. Oklahoma State	64
33	RB2	Cam Montgomery	North Texas	at Ball State	80
34	RB2	Derrick Washington	Missouri	(N) Illinois	74
35	RB2	Vai Taua	Nevada	at Notre Dame	42
36	RB2	Harrison Jeffers	Texas Tech	vs. North Dakota	120
37	RB2	Reggie Arnold	Arkansas State	vs. Miss. Valley St	120
38	RB2	Daniel Thomas	Kansas State	vs. Umass	120
39	RB2	Victor Anderson	Louisville	vs. Indiana State	120
40	RB2	Mark Ingram	Alabama	(N) Virginia Tech	9
41	RB2	Jamad Williams	Tulsa	at Tulane	114
42	RB3	Christine Michael	Texas A&M	vs. New Mexico	63
43	RB2	Boom Herron	Ohio State	vs. Navy	27
44	RB3	Brynn Harvey	Central Florida	vs. Samford	120
45	RB3	Dion Lewis	Pittsburgh	vs. Youngstown St.	120
46	RB3	Harvey Unga	BYU	(N) Oklahoma	15	Hamstring
47	RB3	Damion Fletcher	Southern Miss	vs. Alcorn State	120	Hamstring
48	RB3	Jeremy Avery	Boise State	vs. Oregon	43
49	RB3	Nic Grigsby	Arizona	vs. C. Michigan	51
50	RB3	Carlos Brown	Michigan	vs. W. Michigan	92
51	RB3	Alexander Robinson	Iowa State	vs. North Dakota	120
52	RB3	Joe Martinek	Rutgers	vs. Cincinnati	49
53	RB3	Daniel Porter	Louisiana Tech	at Auburn	29
54	RB3	Joe McKnight	USC	vs. San Jose State	69
55	RB3	Larry Caper	Michigan State	vs. Montana State	120
56	RB3	Brandon West	Western Michigan	at Michigan	73
57	RB3	Paki O’Meara	Iowa	vs. Northern Iowa	120
58	RB3	Armando Allen	Notre Dame	vs. Nevada	31
59	RB3	Bryce Brown	Tennessee	vs. W. Kentucky	93
60	RB3	Ray Graham	Pittsburgh	vs. Youngstown St.	120
61	RB3	John Clay	Wisconsin	vs. Northern Illinois	70
62	RB4	Rashaud Slaughter	UAB	vs. Rice	90
63	RB4	DaJuane Collins	Toledo	at Purdue	72
64	RB4	Cody Johnson	Texas	vs. La-Monroe	102
65	RB4	Josh Mosure	Colorado State	at Colorado	91
66	RB4	Phillip Tanner	Middle Tenn	at Clemson	14
67	RB5	Baron Batch	Texas Tech	vs. North Dakota	120
68	RB4	Stafon Johnson	USC	vs. San Jose State	69
69	RB4	Darrell Scott	Colorado	vs. Colorado State	101
70	RB4	Stephfon Green	Penn State	vs. Akron	106
71	RB4	Jermaine Thomas	Florida State	vs. Miami, FL	57
72	RB4	Shane Vereen	California	vs. Maryland	78
73	RB4	Josh Adams	Wake Forest	vs. Baylor	44
74	RB4	Stephen Simmons	Northwestern	vs. Townson	120
75	RB4	Montario Hardesty	Tennessee	vs. W. Kentucky	93
76	RB4	Luke Lippincott	Nevada	at Notre Dame	42
77	RB4	Jaycen Taylor	Purdue	vs. Toledo	89
78	RB4	James Wright	New Mexico	at Texas A&M	112
79	RB4	Jason Ford	Illinois	(N) Missouri	65
80	RB4	Derrick Locke	Kentucky	vs. Miami, OH	115
81	RB4	Deonte Jackson	Idaho	New Mexico State	118
82	RB4	Jay Finley	Baylor	at Wake Forest	39
83	RB4	Graig Cooper	Miami, FL	at Florida State	40
84	RB4	Jarvis Giles	South Carolina	at NC State	47
85	RB4	Toney Baker	NC State	vs. South Carolina	38
86	RB4	Dwayne Priest	Eastern Michigan	vs. Army	60

The Unranked

Rank	Tier	Player	School	Opponent	Opp. SOS	Injury
UNR	RB4	Brandon Minor	Michigan	vs. W. Michigan	92	Ankle
UNR	RB4	Mikell Simpson	Virginia	vs. William and Mary	120	Foot
UNR	RB4	Jeff Brinson	Iowa	vs. Northern Iowa	120	Ankle

Scoring system used for rankings:
4 pts per TD pass
6 pts per TD rush/rec
1 pt per 25 yards passing
1 pt per 10 yards rush/rec
0.5 PPR

College Fantasy Football QB Rankings: Week One

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:25:45 -0400

Below are the CollegeFootballGeek.com Week One college fantasy football quarterback rankings. Stay tuned on Friday for more rankings analysis with our Start/Sit segment.

QB Rankings: Week One
RB Rankings: Week One
WR Rankings: Week One
TE Rankings: Week One
PK & DEF Rankings: Week One

Rank	Tier	Player	School	Opponent	Opp. SOS	Injury
1	Elite	Taylor Potts	Texas Tech	vs. North Dakota	120
2	Elite	Joe Webb	UAB	vs. Rice	102
3	Elite	Case Keenum	Houston	vs. Northwestern St.	120
4	Elite	Sam Bradford	Oklahoma	(N) BYU	56
5	Elite	Juice Williams	Illinois	(N) Missouri	117
6	Elite	Todd Reesing	Kansas	vs. Northern Colorado	120
7	Elite	Colin Kaepernick	Nevada	at Notre Dame	39
8	QB 1	Jimmy Clausen	Notre Dame	vs. Nevada	120
9	QB 1	Trevor Vittatoe	UTEP	vs. Buffalo	78
10	QB 1	Kellen Moore	Boise State	vs. Oregon	106
11	QB 1	Greg Alexander	Hawaii	vs. Central Arkansas	120
12	QB 1	Terrelle Pryor	Ohio State	vs. Navy	31
13	QB 1	Colt McCoy	Texas	vs. La-Monroe	76
14	QB 1	Bo Levi Mitchell	SMU	vs. Stephen F. Austin	120
15	QB 1	Tim Tebow	Florida	vs. Charleston So.	120
16	QB 1	Robert Griffin	Baylor	at Wake Forest	25
17	QB 1	Omar Clayton	UNLV	vs. Sacramento State	120
18	QB 1	Ryan Mallett	Arkansas	vs. Missouri State	120
19	QB 1	Jevan Snead	Mississippi	at Memphis	70
20	QB 1	Jeremiah Masoli	Oregon	at Boise State	35
21	QB 1	G.J. Kinne	Tulsa	at Tulane	57
22	QB 1	Matt Grothe	South Florida	vs. Wofford	120
23	QB 1	Zac Robinson	Oklahoma State	vs. Georgia	40
24	QB 1	Austin Davis	Southern Miss	vs. Alcorn State	120
25	QB 2	Jarrett Brown	West Virginia	vs. Liberty	120
26	QB 2	Daryll Clark	Penn State	vs. Akron	93
27	QB 2	Austen Arnaud	Iowa State	vs. N. Dakota St.	120
28	QB 2	Jerrod Johnson	Texas A&M	vs. New Mexico	88
29	QB 2	Levi Brown	Troy	at Bowling Green	68
30	QB 2	Dan LeFevour	Central Michigan	at Arizona	23
31	QB 2	Tyler Sheehan	Bowling Green	vs. Troy	65
32	QB 2	Blaine Gabbert	Missouri	(N) Illinois	48
33	QB 2	Kelly Page	Ball State	vs. North Texas	118
34	QB 2	Cory Leonard	Arkansas State	vs. Miss. Valley St	120
35	QB 2	Tony Pike	Cincinnati	at Rutgers	24
36	QB 2	Zac Lee	Nebraska	vs. Florida Atlantic	109
37	QB 2	Jake Locker	Washington	vs. LSU	71
38	QB 2	Max Hall	BYU	(N) Oklahoma	54
39	QB 2	Rusty Smith	Florida Atlantic	at Nebraska	98
40	QB 2	Tim Hiller	Western Michigan	at Michigan	89
41	QB 2	Carson Coffman	Kansas State	vs. UMass	120
42	QB 2	Mike Kafka	Northwestern	vs. Towson	120
43	QB 2	Andy Schmidt	Eastern Michigan	vs. Army	44
44	QB 3	Riley Dodge	North Texas	at Ball State	60
45	QB 3	T.J. Yates	North Carolina	vs. The Citadel	120
46	QB 3	Ben Chappell	Indiana	vs. Eastern Kentucky	120
47	QB 3	Thaddeus Lewis	Duke	vs. Richmond	120
48	QB 3	Bill Stull	Pittsburgh	vs. Youngstown State	120
49	QB 3	Sean Canfield	Oregon State	vs. Portland State	120
50	QB 3	Jordan Wynn	Utah	vs. Utah State	105
51	QB 3	Danny Sullivan	Arizona State	vs. Idaho State	120
52	QB 3	Jonathan Crompton	Tennessee	vs. Western Kentucky	120
53	QB 3	Joe Cox	Georgia	at Oklahoma State	100
54	QB 3	Patrick Pinkney	East Carolina	vs. Appalachian State	120
55	QB 3	Kevin Riley	California	vs. Maryland	79
56	QB 3	Riley Skinner	Wake Forrest	vs. Baylor	73
57	QB 3	Adam Weber	Minnesota	at Syracuse	87
58	QB 3	Russell Wilson	NC State	vs. South Carolina	10
59	QB 4	Nick Fanuzzi	Rice	at UAB	107
60	QB 4	Chandler Harnish	Northern Illinois	at Wisconsin	66
61	QB 4	Chris Todd	Auburn	vs. Louisiana Tech	110
62	QB 4	Trey Revell	La-Monroe	at Texas	74
63	QB 4	Matt Barkley	USC	vs. San Jose State	36
64	QB 4	Vaughn Charlton	Temple	vs. Villanova	120
65	QB 4	Arkelon Hall	Memphis	vs. Mississippi	33
66	QB 4	Tim Jefferson	Air Force	vs. Nicholls State	120
67	QB 4	Tyson Lee	Mississippi State	vs. Jackson State	120
68	QB 4	Diondre Borel	Utah State	at Utah	29
69	QB 4	Dwight Dasher	Middle Tenn	at Clemson	3
70	QB 4	Ryan Lindley	San Diego State	at UCLA	20
71	QB 4	Chris Jacquemain	Akron	at Penn State	26
72	QB 4	Christian Ponder	Florida State	vs. Miami-FL	16
73	QB 4	Jacory Harris	Miami	at Florida State	12
74	QB 4	Boo Jackson	Ohio	vs. Connecticut	13
75	QB 4	Tyrod Taylor	Virginia Tech	(N) Alabama	6
76	QB 4	Ricky Dobbs	Navy	at Ohio State	10

Scoring system used for rankings

Four pts per TD pass
Six pts per TD rush/rec
One pt per 25 yards passing
One pt per 10 yards rush/rec
0.5 PPR

College Fantasy Football: Stock Report

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:03:21 -0400

Here’s the latest installment of the CollegeFootballGeek.com Stock Report—a roundup of college fantasy football players who are rising and falling on our Big Board.

Quarterbacks

G.J. Kinne (Tulsa)

What’s the scoop? It’s been pure speculation at this point, but the buzz this week has been that Kinne is the strong leader in the race for the Tulsa QB job.
Fantasy impact: HIGH

Jerrod Johnson (Texas A&M)

What’s the scoop? Johnson was named the starting QB for the Aggies after fending off converted-WR Ryan Tannehill. However, the fact that the coaching staff is leaving Tannehill at QB makes us wonder if there is more than meets the eye here. Stay tuned.
Fantasy impact: HIGH

Matt Barkley (USC)

What’s the scoop? Barkley was named the starting QB for the Trojans. Don’t expect all-world numbers from the true freshman in 2009. But in 2010 and beyond, look out!
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Chris Todd (Auburn)

What’s the scoop? Todd won the starting job over Kodi Burns and Neil Caudle. Only consider Todd in SEC-heavy formats on draft day.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Kyle Parker (Clemson)

What’s the scoop? Not surprisingly, Parker beat out Willy Corn for the starting job. He has looked sharp in practice and should become a fantasy option in ACC-heavy leagues.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Jordan Wynn (Utah)

What’s the scoop? In a surprising development, Wynn beat out Corbin Louks and Terrance Cain for the starting job. Louks decided to transfer to Nevada in the wake of his demotion.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Kevin Riley (Cal)

What’s the scoop? Riley was named the starting QB for Cal this week.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Tate Forcier

What’s the scoop? Word from Ann Arbor is that RichRod is going to play three QBs on opening day: Nick Sheridan, Tate Forcier, and Denard Robinson. It appears that Forcier might not be the golden boy he was made out to be, as all the buzz this August has been surrounding Robinson.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Nick Fanuzzi

What’s the scoop? We had hoped Fanuzzi would lock this job down in camp, but it appears the competition will go into the season. It has been announced that Fanuzzi will split snaps in the opener with John Thomas Shepard.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Running Backs

Roy Helu (RB, Nebraska)

What’s the scoop? Quentin Castille left the Cornhuskers’ program, leaving the running game in the capable hands of Helu.
Fantasy impact: HIGH

Brandon Thermilus (Buffalo)

What’s the scoop? Star RB James Starks is out for the year with a shoulder injury, leaving the door open for Thermilus to be the go-to back. He might get some competition from Mario Henry, however.
Fantasy impact: HIGH

Zach Brown (Wisconsin)

What’s the scoop? Zach Brown tore it up this August and has earned major playing time this fall. It remains to be seen if he is a feature back, or a co-starter with John Clay.
Fantasy impact: HIGH

Vai Taua (Nevada)

What’s the scoop? We’ve been hearing that Luke Lippincott won’t be as much of a threat to Taua’s workload as once anticipated. Lippincott is going to play more of a hybrid role in the offense, while the conventional running plays will go mostly to Taua and backup Michael Ball.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Duane Bennett (Minnesota)

What’s the scoop? Bennett looks fully recovered from his 2008 knee injury and has been receiving most of the first team reps in camp.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Paki O’Meara (Iowa)

What’s the scoop? Jewel Hampton’s on-again, off-again injury issues have left the starting RB job up for grabs this fall. We thought Jeff Brinson was the lead dog, but Paki O’Meara was named the week one starter, with Adam Robinson in the 2-hole.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Undrea Sails (UL-Lafayette)

What’s the scoop? Sails has looked strong in camp thus far and appears to be ready for his role as a feature back in 2009.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Christine Michael (Texas A&M)

What’s the scoop? The true freshman is as advertised—a stud. He is in the mix for the starting RB job with Cyrus Gray.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Ray Graham (Pittsburgh)

What’s the scoop? Graham is a true freshman who has been dynamite this August. He will give fellow freshman Dion Lewis a run for this money as the season goes on. Keep an eye on Graham this fall.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Edwin Baker and Larry Caper (Michigan State)

What’s the scoop? This freshman duo has lived up to the hype thus far in East Lansing. Will one emerge as “The Man” or are we looking at a 1-2 punch? Right now, Caper seems to have the edge.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Daniel Thomas (Kansas State)

What’s the scoop? The buzz in Manhattan is high on Thomas, a versatile athlete who could win the starting RB job.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Joe Martinek (Rutgers)

What’s the scoop? With Kordell Young sitting out with an injury, Martinek has been seeing more reps with the first team and has impressed.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Mo Plancher (South Florida)

What’s the scoop? With Jamar Taylor out six to eight weeks due to injury, and Mike Ford suspended for two games, Plancher will be the Bulls’ starting RB by default.
Fantasy impact: LOW

LaMichael James (Oregon)

What’s the scoop? James has looked fantastic in camp thus far, and has all but locked up the No. 2 RB job in Eugene, backing up LaGarrette Blount. He’s one Blount injury away from becoming a fantasy force.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Vondrell McGee (Texas)

What’s the scoop?McGee was named starting RB for Texas this week. However, with Fozzy Whitaker in the mix and Cody Johnson vulturing TDs, we recommend taking a wait-and-see approach with Vondrell.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Richard Samuel (Georgia)

What’s the scoop? With Caleb King nursing a hamstring injury, Samuel has impressed in practice and has been named the starting RB on opening day.
Fantasy impact: LOW

James Stark (Buffalo)

What’s the scoop? Starks is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
Fantasy impact: HIGH

Baron Batch (Texas Tech)

What’s the scoop? Good news on the Batch front, as his injury doesn’t appear to be as serious as first reported. However, he remains on our stock down list as we’re getting the feeling Batch might miss the opener for precautionary reasons. Stay tuned.
Fantasy impact: HIGH

Jewel Hampton (Iowa)

What’s the scoop? Hampton has no time table for his return after reaggrevating his knee injury earlier this month. Steer clear of Hampton this year.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Alex Allen (Akron)

What’s the scoop? Allen has been bothered by an injured hip, the same hip that caused him to miss most of the 2008 season. This has us concerned.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

John Clay (Wisconsin)

What’s the scoop? Zach Brown appears to have, at the very least, put himself on equal footing with John Clay on the depth chart.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Jeremy Avery (Boise State)

What’s the scoop? It’s looking more and more like D.J. Harper is going to share carries with Avery this fall.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Harvey Unga (BYU)

What’s the scoop? Unga has been hampered by hamstring injury this camp. Reason No. 58 to be concerned about Unga this year.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Cody Johnson (Texas)

What’s the scoop? Johnson appears to be running with the second and third string in camp. He will still likely be a force around the goal line.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Anthony Dixon (Mississippi State)

What’s the scoop? Dixon will be suspended for at least the opener against Jackson State as punishment for a DUI over the summer.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Quentin Castille (Nebraska)

What’s the scoop? Castille left the Nebraska football program and will transfer to Northwestern State.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Darius Marshall (Marshall)

What’s the scoop? Marshall will miss at least the opening game due to off-the-field transgressions.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Caleb King (Georgia)

What’s the scoop? King has missed time while nursing his hamstring injury, and Richard Samuel has taken advantage of the opportunity.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Wide Receivers

Alex Torres (WR, Texas Tech)

What’s the scoop? Torres continues to look like the starter in Michael Crabtree’s old ‘Z’ position.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Jock Sanders (WR, West Virginia)

What’s the scoop? Since being reinstated with the team, Sanders has looked good in camp and should be a big part of the Mountaineers’ passing game.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Greg Little (WR, UNC)

What’s the scoop? Little has looked good thus far in camp as the Tar Heels try to replace Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate.
Fantasy impact: LOW

James Cleveland (WR, Houston)

What’s the scoop? Cleveland has looked good in camp and has a great chance to win the No. 3 WR job in Houston.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Pat Patterson (Ole Miss)

What’s the scoop? The true freshman has broken loose for a few deep touchdowns in scrimmage situations. Look for him to make an impact this fall against some of the cupcakes on the schedule.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Josh Jarboe (Troy)

What’s the scoop? Jarboe has lived up to his lofty expectations thus far in camp and figures to be a big factor in the passing game this fall.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Darius Darks (Iowa State)

What’s the scoop? Darks has been out with a hamstring injury for most of camp and has been ruled out for the opener. It sound like he could be out for longer.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M)

What’s the scoop? Tannehill lost the QB job to Jerrod Johnson (for the time being, anyway) but is remaining as the backup signal caller. This obviously hurts his chances of contributing at the WR position.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Lyle Leong (Texas Tech)

What’s the scoop? In studying the Texas Tech wide receiver reports, it just seems as though Leong is getting lost in the shuffle. He currently is running with the third string. This is surprising, as we thought he was ready for a breakout season.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Tight Ends

Rob Gronkowski (Arizona)

What’s the scoop? It appears that Gronk could be back to practice soon and might play in the opener, but we’re still skeptical of anyone who has “back issues”.
Fantasy impact: HIGH

Ladarius Green (UL-Lafayette)

What’s the scoop? Green has been unimpressive in camp and is in danger of losing reps to Luke Aubrey.
Fantasy impact: MEDIUM

Kyle Rudolph (Notre Dame)

What’s the scoop? Rudolph continues to be sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Fantasy impact: LOW

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

College Fantasy Football: Injury Report

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:57:44 -0400

Get caught up on all of the key college fantasy football injury information with our latest report, courtesy of CollegeFootballGeek.com.

Quarterbacks

Lyle Moevao (QB, Oregon State)

What’s the scoop? Moevao’s on the road to recovery from a shoulder injury and could be back in the QB mix at some point in September.

Max Hall (QB, BYU)

What’s the scoop? Hall dislocated a finger on his throwing hand but didn’t miss any practice time.

Jaybo Shaw (QB, Georgia Tech)

What’s the scoop? Shaw broke his collarbone and is out 6-8 weeks. He might take a redshirt. He figured to be Josh Nesbitt’s backup this fall.

Running Backs

James Starks (RB, Buffalo)

What’s the scoop? Starks is out for the year after opting for season-ending shoulder surgery.

Andre Anderson (RB, Tulane)

What’s the scoop? Anderson missed some time last week, along with more than 20 other teammates, with flu-like symptoms. It was reported that most of the players with flu symptoms returned to the practice field in the past few days, but there has been no confirmation if Andre was among those players.

Jahvid Best (RB, Cal)

What’s the scoop? Best sat out most of camp with a sore toe. Looks like this was a precautionary measure as Best was back at practice this week.

Harvey Unga (RB, BYU)

What’s the scoop? Unga has been dealing with hamstring issues. He has been held out of most contact drills in camp. He is not expected to miss the opening game.

Damion Fletcher (RB, Southern Miss)

What’s the scoop? Fletcher has been hampered by a sore hamstring but was back at practice this week and got some reps. His status for the opener is uncertain at this time.

Baron Batch (RB, Texas Tech)

What’s the scoop? Batch’s elbow injury wasn’t as serious as initially thought. The question is whether the coaching staff will get him the typical number of touches in the opener, limit him, or decide to sit him altogether.

Conventional wisdom says that Batch will surely be ready to roll by week three against Texas. The North Dakota and Rice games in weeks one and two remain a mystery.

Atiyyah Henderson (RB, San Diego State)

What’s the scoop? Henderson broke a bone in his back, and the timetable for his return to the practice field is unknown. Brandon Sullivan moves into the No. 1 RB role.

Caleb King (RB, Georgia)

What’s the scoop? Caleb King sustained a hamstring injury during a scrimmage that has sidelined him for part of camp. Richard Samuel took advantage of the opportunity and has been named the number one starter.

DeMarco Murray (RB, Oklahoma)

What’s the scoop? Murray has been hampered by a bum hamstring but says he is 100 percent and will be ready for the opener.

Alex Allen (RB, Akron)

What’s the scoop? Allen is still bothered by a hip injury that caused him to miss most of the 2008 season. Details are sketchy, but it’s safe to say that thoughts of Allen being a workhorse back have been tempered, especially with Ohio State DeVoe Torrence looking sharp in camp.

Jewel Hampton (RB, Iowa)

What’s the scoop? Hampton reaggravated a knee injury earlier this month and has missed most of camp. As we’ve said for a couple months now, stay away from Hampton this fall.

Kordell Young (RB, Rutgers)

What’s the scoop? Young continues to have issues with his surgically repaired knee and has been limited in camp. He hopes to be ready for the season opener, but one has to wonder if he will be in “football shape” by game one. Joe Martinek has looked good in camp in Young’s absence.

Wide Receivers

DeAndre Brown (WR, Southern Miss)

What’s the scoop? Brown is looking more and more like his normal self with each passing day. He has been running routes at full speed, but has yet to participate in a large amount of full-contact drills. His status for the opener is a question mark, moreso because of the level of competition—USM is playing Alcorn State.

McKay Jacobson (WR, BYU)

What’s the scoop? Jacobson has been dealing with concussion-like symptoms after sustaining a hit in practice earlier this week.

James Rodgers (WR, Oregon State)

What’s the scoop? Wide receiver James Rodgers has been dinged up a few times this camp. There is no one injury that causes concern, but his long term durability is still a little bit of a question.

Randall Cobb (Kentucky)

What’s the scoop? Cobb was sidelined for a while with a lingering back issue. He went to a back specialist for some treatment. Cobb returned to practice this week as is expected to play.

Scott Long (WR, Louisville)

What’s the scoop? Long is still on the mend from a knee injury. He is not participating in contact drills but hope to be ready to go for the opener.

Aldrick Robinson (WR, SMU)

What’s the scoop? Robinson missed some practice time with a sore hamstring injury. He was back at practice later this week.

Darrell Catchings (WR, Oregon State)

What’s the scoop? Catchings hurt his hand (conflicting reports on the exact injury) and will be out until probaby mid-September.

Chad Bumphis (WR, Mississippi State)

What’s the scoop? Bumphis has a foot injury that could keep him out of action for the opener.

Darius Darks (WR, Iowa State)

What’s the scoop? Darks has been hampered by a lingering hamstring injury. He has been declared “out” for the opener, and has fallen on the depth chart.

Andre Debose (WR, Florida)

What’s the scoop? The incoming freshman has been limited in summer workouts with a bad hammy. He is behind the learning curve and might not make the impact in the early going that was expected by many.

Toren Dixon (WR, Rice)

What’s the scoop? Dixon has been nursing a hamstring injury and has missed some practice time.

Tight Ends

Rob Gronkowski (TE, Arizona)

What’s the scoop? Gronk has beeen dealing with back issues this August. He was expected to participate in practice late this week and hopes to play in the opener. Stay tuned.

Wes Scourten (TE, Houston)

What’s the scoop? Scourten has a foot injury that’s kept him out of action for most of August camp.

Kyle Rudolph (TE, Notre Dame)

What’s the scoop? Rudolph has missed time with a hamstring injury. Long-term status is unknown.

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

College Fantasy Football: Quick Hitters from Around the Nation

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:45:30 -0400

Out of the loop? Trying to play catch up on all the latest college fantasy football news? Here is a rundown of the happenings at fall camp from around the country, courtesy of CollegeFootballGeek.com.

AIR FORCE

News: Sophomore Tim Jefferson took almost all of the first-team snaps at quarterback during the Falcons’ practice on Saturday while his competitor, Asher Clark, spent much of his time in the backfield.
CFG Analysis: Jefferson is someone to watch on the waiver wire this fall. The AFA QB position can rack up the rushing stats.

ARIZONA

News: Coach Mike Stoops hopes to have a resolution to his QB battle by the end of the week. Nick Foles and Matt Scott are battling it out.
CFG Analysis: The Arizona QB position is only relevant in Pac-10 heavy leagues.

BUFFALO

News: Star RB James Starks is out for the season with a torn labrum.
CFG Analysis: This is crushing news to many fantasy owners. Our advice is to soften the blow by grabbing Brandon Thermilus, who now becomes the likely number one guy for the Bulls.

BYU

News: Receiver McKay Jacobson was held out of the scrimmage due to concussion-like symptoms. Trainers originally determined Jacobson was just ill on Tuesday, but he developed more symptoms and now coaches believe he suffered a “bell-ringer” hit during a kickoff drill Monday.
CFG Analysis: The news flowing out of BYU camp has been nothing but negative. Keep an eye on this one. You can bet the Oklahoma safeties will know about his condition and try to ring his bell in the opener.

FLORIDA

News: Wide receiver Deonte Thompson has established himself as the #1 WR target for the Gators.
CFG Analysis: Its good to know how Tebow’s top target will be. But with so much talent to spread the ball to, don’t expect to see Percy Harvin type numbers.

IOWA

News: Paki O’Meara leads the Iowa depth chart at RB. Adam Robinson is listed as the No. 2 man right now.
CFG Analysis: We are surprised that Jeff Brinson isn’t listed on the two-deep. With Jewel Hampton still sitting out with his bum knee, the Iowa RB situation might be a work in progress for the early part of the season.

IOWA STATE

News: There’s a Darius shuffle on Iowa State’s football depth chart released Thursday. Darius Reynolds is in. Darius Darks is out—at least as a starter for next Thursday’s 7 p.m. season-opening football game against North Dakota State at Jack Trice Stadium. Darks, Iowa State’s top returning receiver, has been slowed with a hamstring injury.
CFG Analysis: Those who drafted Darks are probably going to have to wait a few weeks to see if he can recover from this injury.

MICHIGAN

News: Head coach Rich Rodriguez made comments at Big Ten media day that all three of this QBs (Tate Forcier, Denard Robinson, and Nick Sheridan) will be used in the season opener against Western Michigan.
CFG Analysis: The fact that the “speed-challenged” Sheridan is still in the mix shows that both Forcier and Robinson are not completing passes as much as Rodriguez would like. This smells like a bad situation for fantasy owners in the early going of 2009. However, keep a close eye on Denard Robinson towards the latter half of the season. We’re hearing he is looking like a real threat to eventually win the starting job.

RICE

News: Rice wide receiver Toren Dixon is nursing a hamstring injury.
CFG Analysis: Lots of hamstring injuries across the country. Let’s hope Dixon is back before the opener where his Owls face UAB’s terrible defense.

SAN DIEGO STATE

News: Senior running back Atiyyah Henderson has an arm in a sling to protect a broken bone in his upper back. Coach Brady Hoke isn’t sure when Henderson will be ready to play.
CFG Analysis: Henderson was a nice sleeper option in PPR leagues. Not anymore. Brandon Sulivan moves into the starting RB role.

SMU

News: SMU WR Aldrick Robinson missed some practice time with a hamstring injury, but he returned to the field this week and appears to be fine.
CFG Analysis: This doesn’t sound like anything to be worried about. Unless he has a setback, he should be ready for the opener.

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

News: HattiesburgAmerican.com’s Patrick McGee reports that DeAndre Brown is looking like his old self, but there are still doubts on whether or not he will play in the opener. “My concern at this point is obviously his cardio and conditioning,” said Darrell Wyatt, USM’s offensive coordinator and associate head coach.

“He had 32 snaps in the scrimmage Saturday so he’s come along well. He’s not at the point he can play 40 or 50 snaps like we’re accustomed to. But we’re really pleased with his progress.”
CFG Analysis: Good news for those who rolled the dice on DeAndre on draft day. However, we’d like to hear more before recommending putting him in your starting lineups week one.

News: Damion Fletcher had missed practice time with a hamstring injury. He was back at practice taking reps, and looking better.
CFG Analysis: We’re a bit concerned about Fletcher in Week One considering Southern Miss’ opponent is Alcorn State. The coaching staff could keep out their stars in this one. Stay tuned.

TENNESSEE

News: Tennessee freshman tailback Bryce Brown will not be punished as the result of an NCAA investigation into his eligibility, coach Lane Kiffin said Wednesday.
CFG Analysis: Good news for Vols fans. We’re still very skeptical of his fantasy options in 2009.

TEXAS

News: Texas coach Mack Brown handed the top running back spot to Vondrell McGee on Thursday. “If Vondrell is making yards, he’ll get a bunch. If not, we’ll get someone else in there,” Brown said. “Fozzy had an outstanding summer. He will play if he’s healthy.” Cody Johnson is being listed as third string.
CFG Analysis: He might have been named as the starting back, but we are skeptical if McGee will truly be used as a feature back. Cody Johnson was the front-runner for the job this spring, but he missed time with hamstring injuries which gave Whittaker and McGee an opportunity. We’ll have to see how things shake out in the first couple weeks.

TULANE

News: More than two dozen Tulane football players are back at practice after coming down with mild flu-like symptoms last week.
CFG Analysis: There was no mention of Andre Anderson in this story, leading us to believe he has been cleared to practice. That is our hope, anyway.

USC

News: Freshman Matt Barkley has been named No. 4 Southern California’s starting quarterback. Coach Pete Carroll unexpectedly announced his decision Thursday, several hours before practice and two days before USC’s mock game.
CFG Analysis: Barkley is going to be a very good fantasy quarterback down the line. However, don’t expect fireworks right out of the chute.

WISCONSIN

News: As promised, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema released his Week 1 depth chart Thursday, but he didn’t name definitive starters at either quarterback or running back. Junior Scott Tolzien and redshirt freshman Curt Phillips are listed as co-starters at quarterback ahead of senior Dustin Sherer, who started the final seven games last fall.

Junior Zach Brown and sophomore John Clay are listed as co-starters at running back, even though running backs coach John Settle said after Saturday’s scrimmage that Brown had moved into the top spot.
CFG Analysis: We’re going to just have to wait and see who gets the bulk of the work in Week One, Brown or Clay. Our fear is that this battle could last well into the season. Co-backs are not what fantasy players want to hear.

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

College Fantasy Football: Wide Receiver and Tight End Position Battles

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:42:25 -0400

A look at some key college fantasy football WR and TE battles ongoing at camps across the country, courtesy of CollegeFootballGeek.com..

Wide Receivers

Iowa State
The Participants: Darius Darks, Marquis Hamilton, Sedrick Johnson, Darius Reynolds

The Skinny: Darius Darks has injured his hamstring and the word is that he will miss at least the first two games of the season. The coaches are hoping he can knock off enough rust to be ready to play full time in Week Five’s game against Kansas State.

This leaves a large door open for a new projected leading WR. Hamilton and Johnson were listed as starters at the other two WR positions, and Darius Reynolds was Darks’ back-up. We just won’t know how the ball will get spread around until the season starts.

The Leader: Marquis Hamilton/Sedrick Johnson/Darius Reynolds

North Carolina

The Participants: Dwight Jones, Greg Little, Jheranie Boyd, Joshua Adams

The Skinny: Who will be the top WRs for the Tarheals this year? Good question! As of now the only player that has emerged as a starter is Greg Little. The other WRs are still in a pack that doesn’t have any distinctive leaders. Its safe to say that you should lower your expectations for North Carolina WRs this year.

The Leader: Greg Little

Texas Tech

X WR (Outside WR)

The Participants: Edward Britton, Eric Ward, Rashad Hawk

The Skinny: Edward Britton has locked down this position. His speed will be used to stretch the defense and give Taylor Potts the opportunity to show off his big arm.

The Leader: Edward Britton

H WR (Inside WR)

The Participants: Tramain Swindall, Adam James, Cornelius Douglas

The Skinny: Swindall is the best player of this group. The coaches have been upset with his lack of hard work and they have promoted Jones to No. 1a and Douglas to No. 1b. This is mainly a motivational tool but if Swindall can’t find a way to mentally handle the demotion, he may remained buried on the depth chart.

The Leader: Adam James/Cornelius Douglas

Y WR (Inside WR)

The Participants: Detron Lewis, Austin Zouzalik

The Skinny: Detron Lewis will be one of the main targets for 2009. But Austin Zouzalik has been on a tear since fall camp opened.

He could steal snaps from Lewis, or if Swindall’s problems continue to persist the coaches might move Zouzalik to the H WR position. If Zouzalik does get on the field at the other insider WR spot, don’t expect him to give it up.

The Leader: Detron Lewis

Z WR (Outside WR)

The Participants: Lyle Leong, Alex Torres, Jacoby Franks

The Skinny: Torres has begun to pull away in this fiercely competed battle by catching everything thrown his way. As of now Franks has a slight lead over Leong, but we like Leong’s play making ability to help him rise to the No. 2 position. As long as Torres continues his level of play, expect to see him lining up in Crabtree’s old position come game one.

The Leader: Alex Torres

Tight Ends

Iowa State

The Participants: Collin Franklin, Derrick Catlett

The Skinny: As of right now Franklin is being listed as the starter for week 1.

The Leader: Collin Franklin

Louisiana Lafayette

The Participants: Ladarius Green, Luke Aubrey

The Skinny: There isn’t a lot of news coming out of Cajun Camp, but the unofficial scrimmage stats don’t lie. After two scrimmages Green has yet to make a single reception while Aubrey has pulled in 5 receptions for 61 yards.

The Leader: Surprisingly, Luke Aubrey appears to have the edge. Stay tuned.

Oklahoma State

The Participants: Jamal Mosley, Wilson Youman, Tracy Moore

The Skinny: The coaches are beginning to see many similarities between last year’s starting TE Brandon Pettigrew and sophomore Jamal Mosley. It is looking more like Mosley will be the man, but don’t be surprised is WR/TE hybrid Tracy Moore works his way into specific passing packages.

The Leader: Jamal Mosley

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

College Fantasy Football: Running Back Position Battles

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:38:19 -0400

A look at some key college fantasy football RB battles ongoing at camps across the country, courtesy of CollegeFootballGeek.com.

Akron

The Participants: Alex Allen, DeVoe Torrence, Norman Shuford

The Skinny: Alex Allen has returned from a hip injury, but the waters still look muddy in figuring out how the running game will shake out. In the most recent scrimmage Torrence had the best stats with 32 yards on 9 carries and a TD, followed by Shuford with 10 carries for 24 yards, and Allen with 5 carries for 12 yards and a TD.

Without a dominant runner this year, expect to see the Zips offense to rely on the arm of Chris Jacquemain and a RBBC situation should emerge behind him.

The Leader: DeVoe Torrence / Norman Shuford / Alex Allen

Buffalo

The Participants: Brandon Thermilus, Mario Henry

The Skinny: Stud James Starks is out for the year with a shoulder injury. Brandon Thermilus, the son of former NFL player Alonzo highsmith, will assume the No. 1 role.

The Leader: Brandon Thermilus

Boise State

The Participants: Jeremy Avery, D.J. Harper, Doug Martin

The Skinny: Jeremy Avery and D.J. Harper went into fall camp being viewed as equal, and nothing has changed since then. The coaches are calling them co-starters and they should share an equal load of the carries.

Harper may have an advantage though. He has a bigger frame and a hard running style. Exactly what coaches look for in a short yardage/goal line back. Martin is planned on only stepping in if an injury occurs to one of the co-starters.

The Leader: Jeremy Avery/D.J. Harper

Colorado State

The Participants: Josh Mosure, Leonard Mason, Chris Nwoke, Lou Greenwood

The Skinny: Head coach Steve Fairchild stated that Mason and Mosure will split reps for the season opener. Freshmen Nwoke and Greenwood could see time as well, and the coaching staff wants to determine how much time they could see so they can decide who to redshirt and who to play.

“More often, it will be by committee,” Fairchild said. “How much each guy has will be determined as we go through the season.”

The Leader: Josh Mosure/Leonard Mason

Iowa

The Participants: Jewel Hampton, Jeff Brinson, Paki O’Meara, Brandon Wegher

The Skinny: Jewel Hampton remains sidelined with a chronic knee injury that just won’t get healthy. The more time he misses, the longer his return becomes as he must work to get back into football shape.

There is little word coming out of Hawkeye camp on how the other RBs stack up, but we are still standing behind Jeff Brinson being the starting RB for the season opener.

The Leader: Jeff Brinson

Michigan State

The Participants: Larry Caper, Edwin Baker

The Skinny: As expected, both freshmen Caper and Baker have looked good in camp. The question is whether there will be a clear No. 1 and 2, or whether they will be more of a 1A and 1B. For the moment, Caper appears to have the slight edge here.

The Leader: Larry Caper

Mississippi

The Participants: Brandon Bolden, Cordera Eason, Enrique Davis, Devon Thomas

The Skinny: The coaches haven’t officially listed the RB depth chart but recent comments by head Coach Houston Nut imply that Brandon Bolden will be the No. 1 RB. Expect Cordera Eason and WR Dexter McCluster to get the bulk of the other carries.

The Leader: Brandon Bolden

Minnesota

The Participants: Duane Bennett, DeLeon Eskridge, Kevin Whaley

The Skinny: Bennett appears to be fully recovered from his 2008 knee injury and has been taking most of the first team reps in practice.

The Leader: Duane Bennett

Nevada

The Participants: Vai Taua, Michael Ball, Luke Lippincott

The Skinny: Vai Taua is looking more like the clear No. 1 RB here. Lippincott is reportedly going to be a “jack of all trades,” playing a little H-back, lining up in the backfield and in the slot.

The coaching staff will make sure he gets plenty of touches, but they will mostly not be in a conventional RB-type mode. The guy who will spell Taua at RB is freshman Michael Ball, who has turned heads since arriving on campus.

The Leader: Vai Taua

New Mexico

The Participants: James Wright, Demond Dennis, A.J. Butler

The Skinny: Wright was the early leader for the starting job, but it’s been Dennis that has turned heads this camp. Don’t be surprised if this is RBBC with Wright being the goal line back.

The Leader: James Wright, Demond Dennis, A.J. Butler

Northern Illinois

The Participants: Me’co Brown, Chad Spann, Justin Anderson

The Skinny: Me’co Brown has emerged as the starter through his strong fall camp performance. He will not be a workhorse back though. Justin Anderson and Chad Spann will see carries and eat into Brown’s stats. The odds are that this will stay RBBC throughout the entire season.

The Leader: Me’co Brown

Pittsburgh

The Participants: Dion Lewis, Shariff Harris, Ray Graham

The Skinny: Freshman early enrollee Lewis was the spring star. Another freshman, Ray Graham, arrived on campus this summer and has been all the rage. Harris was suspended from the team for a few weeks.

The Leader: Dion Lewis is still the No. 1, but watch out for Graham

Rutgers

The Participants: Joe Martinek, Jourdan Brooks, Kordell Young

The Skinny: Young has been out with an injury, allowing Martinek to get most of the first team reps this August. “Jersey” Joe is a fan favorite, but can he assume the role of feature back once everyone else is healthy?

The Leader: Joe Martinek

San Diego State

The Participants: Atiyyah Henderson, Brandon Sullivan, Davon Brown

The Skinny: Henderson appeared to be leading this group, but he has an undisclosed arm injury that could keep him out of action for an extended period of time.

The coaches like all three freshman RBs, but many of these young backs are dinged up. Lack of durability and plenty of talented options makes us believe this will stay a RBBC situation unless one of these guys catches on fire in game action.

The Leader: Brandon Sullivan

South Florida

The Participants: Mike Ford, Jamar Taylor, Mo Plancher

The Skinny: Taylor is out six to eight weeks with an injury, Ford has been suspended for the first two games, leaving the starting gig for Plancher. He is an early season consideration based upon USF’s weak schedule.

The Leader: Mo Plancher

Texas

The Participants: Vondrell McGee, Cody Johnson, Fozzy Whitaker

The Skinny: Cody Johnson started off the spring as the top RB, but Vondrell McGee and Fozzy Whitaker overtook him when he went down with a hamstring injury. McGee was recently names the starter for the opening game.

The Leader: Vondrell McGee

Texas A&M

The Participants: Christine Michael, Cyrus Gray

The Skinny: Christine Michael has been the star of August camp. He is the future. But can he supplant Gray as the top dog in early 2009?

The Leader: Christine Michael, Cyrus Gray

Tulsa

The Participants: Charles Clay, Jamad Williams, Alex Singleton

The Skinny: The coaching staff has been touting Clay all off-season, and he should be the top dog. However, if the staff decides to get cute with Clay, lining him up all over the place, it could open the door for Williams to put up some nice stats himself. Singleton is a talented freshman who turned down a schollie from LSU to attend Tulsa.

The Leader: Charles Clay

Wisconsin

The Participants: John Clay, Zach Brown

The Skinny: Zach Brown has all but been named the starter for the opening game. Clay has even been quoted as saying he has no problem being the backup. Very weird stuff going on in Madison. The bottom line is that Brown outplayed Clay in August camp. Clay has always battled weight issues and

The Leader: Zach Brown

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

College Fantasy Football: Quarterback Position Battles

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:34:22 -0400

A look at some key college fantasy football QB battles ongoing at camps across the country, courtesy of CollegeFootballGeek.com.

Cal

The Participants: Kevin Riley, Brock Mansion

The Skinny: In a move that surprised nobody, Riley was named the starter for the opener.

The Leader: Kevin Riley

Louisiana Lafayette

The Participants: Brad McGuire, Chris Masson

The Skinny: Things remain close with the team’s final scrimmage taking place Thursday afternoon. The last scrimmage has given McGuire a slight lead in the race.

Both QBs threw the ball equal times, but McGuire had 3 TDs and 1 INT while Masson had no TDs and 3 INTs. The defense has made things difficult for the offense in scrimmages, so if McGuire can have another solid outing on Thursday he would be able to lock up the #1 spot.

The Leader: Brad McGuire

Michigan State

The Participants: Keith Nichol, Kirk Cousins

The Skinny: The coaches have decided to utilize a two-QB system for this season. Both players will be used, but what we will not know until the season begins to play out is if each QB will have a specific package tailored to their skills. Unless you are in a Big Ten only league, we suggest avoiding Nichol and Cousins.

The Leader: Keith Nichol/Kirk Cousins

Rice

The Participants: Nick Fanuzzi, John Thomas Sheppard, Ryan Lewis

The Skinny: Head coach David Bailiff has narrowed down the QB race to two: Fanuzzi and Sheppard. So far both QBs have been statistically similar, prompting the coaching staff to be willing to play both QBs in the season opener. If one of them can pull away statistically, then you can expect to hear a clear-cut starter named.

The Leader: Nick Fanuzzi/John Thomas Sheppard
*UPDATE: It was announced that both Fanuzzi and Sheppard will share snaps in the opening game.

Texas A&M

The Participants: Jerrod Johnson, Ryan Tannehill

The Skinny: Jerrod Johnson was named the starter in the opener, but Tannehill will remain the backup QB instead of moving back to WR. This is a puzzling move, as you’d expect the Aggies to want to get their best players on the field. There must be more to this story. Keep your eye on this one as the season progresses.

The Leader: Jerrod Johnson

Tulsa

The Participants: G.J. Kinne, Jacob Bower, Shavodrick Beaver

The Skinny: It’s purely speculation at this point, but the buzz is certainly on G.J. Kinne’s side at this point. Beaver seems to be on the outside looking in, but he will get his turn down the line.

The Leader: G.J. Kinne

USC

The Participants: Aaron Corp, Matt Barkley

The Skinny: Freshman Matt Barkley has been named No. 4 Southern California’s starting quarterback. Coach Pete Carroll unexpectedly announced his decision Thursday, several hours before practice and two days before USC’s mock game.

The Leader: Matt Barkley

Wyoming

The Participants: Karsten Sween, Robert Benjamin, Austyn Carta-Samuels

The Skinny: The QBs struggled in the third scrimmage of the fall, but it had more to do with the WRs dropping 12 passes. Benjamin ran with the first team offense for the second straight scrimmage.

It appears Karsten Sween continues to lose ground as Carta-Samuels lead the No. 2 offense. No official starter has been named but its looking like Benjamin is the best bet to start in the season opener.

The Leader: Robert Benjamin

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

College Football Fall Camp Quick Hitters: August 10th

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:14:45 -0400

EAST CAROLINA

News: The East Carolina sports information department reported that running backs Jonathan Williams and Norman Whitley have been reinstated to the team.

CFG Analysis: This is good news for Skip Holtz and company. Let’s hope they stay out of trouble.

FLORIDA

News: The Miami Herald reports that cornerback Joe Haden is in the running for leading the Wildcat offensive package for the Gators.

CFG Analysis: Haden will have no fantasy impact, but he might keep offensive players from being more productive. We will continue to see how this shakes out.

GEORGIA

News: Over the weekend, Georgia head coach Mark Richt spoke about the RB situation, “We are going to find out who is the best (running) back, if there is such a thing. We might have a situation where two or three are the best backs. I doubt one man will get every carry. More than likely it will be by committee.”

CFG Analysis: No surprise here. If you want to roll the dice on a Dawg back, go with Caleb King in the late rounds.

HAWAII

News: The Honolulu Adviser reports that University of Hawai’i wideout Malcolm Lane will redshirt this season to focus on academics.

CFG Analysis: This is a surprising move being that Lane has been in the program for three years. Greg Salas and the other UH wide receivers become more valuable in his absence.

News: With the absence of wide receiver Malcolm Lane from the Hawaii starting line-up, all eyes will be on who emerges in his place. According to multiple media sources the front runners after the first week of practice are Jovante Taylor and Royce Pollard.

CFG Analysis: We will monitor this situation closely. Taylor is the early leader. He split reps with Lane during the spring on the first team. Pollard is beginning to impress this fall and could be sleeper to win this job

MINNESOTA

News: The Star Tribune reports that Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster is leaving the running back competition open between Duane Bennett, DeLion Eskridge, and true freshman Kevin Whaley.

CFG Analysis: We see Bennett and Eskridge being a strong 1-2 punch for the Gophers.

MISSOURI

News: The St. Louis Dispatch reports that Missouri tight end Andrew Jones has trimmed his body down to 240 pounds in an effort to become more of an every-down player in 2009. Last fall, he would be pulled in long yardage situations as he had trouble getting down field.

CFG Analysis: Jones has plenty of upside. We have him pegged as a Top 10 fantasy tight end. Let’s hope he can remain in shape.

TEXAS

News: ESPN.com’s Tim Griffin reports that Colt McCoy is ready to assume the role of Texas’ leading ball-carrier—again. The lack of a dominant running threat will likely mean that the Longhorns rely on a backfield-by-committee rotation.

CFG Analysis: We’ll keep watching this situation as we don’t believe the situation is quite the open-and-shut case that Griffin seems to think. We find it strange that Texas would make this sort of decision just as camp begins without taking a hard look again at their stable of running backs. To be continued…

USC

News: USC Head Coach Pete Carroll stated that “Barkley is a whole big leap ahead of where he was, and that’s what we need to see,” Carroll said. “You guys will keep asking me, and I’ll keep saying the same thing. Right now, Aaron is in the lead position….”

CFG Analysis: Draft Aaron Corp with caution as it’s only a matter of time before Barkley is the man. The question is whether it will happen this season, or in 2010.

News: Michael Lev of Orange County Register stated that running back Joe McKnight was lights out as camp opened. He sprung several long TD runs that involved multiple cutbacks.

CFG Analysis: This should settle the injury concerns about McKnight’s dislocated toes. He was able to change directions easily and had great speed and burst to break away.

WEST VIRGINIA

News: West Virginia has reinstated leading receiver Jock Sanders six months after a drunken-driving arrest in Morgantown. Sanders, who practiced with the team Saturday, led the Mountaineers last season with 53 catches for 462 yards and seven touchdowns.

CFG Analysis: You might be able to get Sanders on the cheap in the late rounds of your draft.

College Fantasy Football: Who Will Be the 2009 Freshman Phenoms?

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:10:03 -0400

A look at some incoming freshman who are on the college fantasy football radar in 2009.

Part One of our story proves that you should temper your emotions when it comes to freshman—from a fantasy standpoint. Try not to get too caught up in the hype that a hotshot recruit brings to campus before he has even played a down. Some big name players dive right in and contribute (Alabama WR Julio Jones) while others disappoint in their rookie campaign (Colorado RB Darrell Scott).

By our count, sixteen freshman made a significant fantasy impact in 2008. Half of those players were big-name recruits, while the others where not on the preseason fantasy radar. Figuring out who will make that splash in year one isn’t easy, but we’ll take a stab at it.

Quarterbacks

QB Summary: As we discussed in Part One, there were only three true freshman QBs who made a fantasy impact in 2008. And of those three, only one was an every-week starter in most leagues (Robert Griffin). It could be debated that the other two, Bo Levi Mitchell and Terrelle Pryor, were mostly situational starters. Are there a couple QBs who could make a fantasy impact this fall? The prospects don’t look very promising at the moment.

Best Chance to Make 2009 Fantasy Impact

Tate Forcier (Michigan)
Rivals rank: No. 5 Dual-threat QB
Also had offers from: Florida, Penn State, Oregon
Why he’s on the radar: When RichRod ditched Morgantown for Ann Arbor, he put all of his QB recruiting eggs in one basket. The basket of Terrelle Pryor. When Pryor ended up at arch-rival Ohio State, RichRod was left trying to fit square pegs into a round hole. The result was a disastrous season where nobody proved to be the long-term solution at the QB position. Rodriguez hit the recruiting trail hard to remedy the situation. He had decommits from Kevin Newsome (Penn State) and Shavodrick Beaver (Tulsa), but landed Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson. Forcier is an early enrollee, has a family QB pedigree, and is expected to be the front-runner to win the starting job. If he wins the job, he will have an opportunity to put up nice stats on the ground and through the air.
What to be concerned about: Yeah, Forcier is a trendy pick here. ESPN, Rivals, and the BigTen Network are all on board the Forcier Express. With all the hub-bub about Forcier being a “perfect fit” for this offense, wouldn’t it be a kick in the pants if Denard Robinson eventually won the job?

QB Watchlist

Terrance Cain (Utah)
Matt Barkley (USC)
Russell Shepard (LSU)
Tom Savage (Rutgers)
Aaron Murray (UGA)
Denard Robinson (Michigan)
Shavodrick Beaver (Tulsa)
Tyler Russell (Mississippi State)
Austyn Carta-Samuels (Wyoming)
A.J. Graham (Marshall)

Running Backs

RB Summary: Darrell Scott, De’Anthony Curtis, Chris Polk, and Josh Haden were four highly regarded freshman in 2008 who had an excellent chance to play early. None of them made much of an impact. There were five freshman RBs that made an impact, but only Jacquizz Rodgers and Bryce Beall hit the 1,000 yard, 10 TD plateau. This year’s crop appears to be deeper and there is certainly early playing time opportunity for some of the big names. We expect a bigger fantasy contribution from this year’s class.

Best Chance to Make 2009 Fantasy Impact

Edwin Baker (Michigan State)
Rivals rank: No. 6 RB
Also had offers from: Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Texas
Why he’s on the radar: Someone will need to replace all of those Javon Ringer carries.
What to be concerned about: Larry Caper is another highly touted RB in his recruiting class.

Jarvis Giles (South Carolina)
Rivals rank: No. 3 RB
Also had offers from: Georgia, Clemson, Tennessee
Why he’s on the radar: People forget that Spurrier’s best Florida teams RUSHED the ball really well. Giles is a big-time recruit for The Visor. With Mike Davis off to graduation, Giles will step in and contribute from day one. He enrolled early and looked good in the spring.
What to be concerned about: Other than the tough SEC defenses, the only concern is fellow 4-star newcomer Ben Axon stealing touches.

Trent Richardson (Alabama)
Rivals rank: No. 2 RB
Also had offers from: Florida, LSU, Florida State
Why he’s on the radar: One of the crown jewels of Saban’s latest recruiting haul. Glen Coffee is off to the NFL and TR will have a shot to be a part of a one-two punch with Marc Ingram.
What to be concerned about: Richardson won’t be a feature back as long as Ingram is healthy. But Coffee and Ingram were able to co-exist, and there is hope that Ingram and Richardson will be the Tide’s next dynamic backfield duo.

Keep an Eye on These Guys in August

Desmond Scott (Duke)
Rivals rank: No. 5 All-purpose back
Also had offers from: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn
Why he’s on the radar: Four-star skill position players don’t often land in Durham, but that’s exactly what happened here. Desmond Scott is a hometown kid who should get every chance to play early and often.
What to be concerned about: Duke hasn’t had an RB crack the 500 rushing yard barrier in the past five seasons.

Christine Michael (Texas A&M)
Rivals rank: No. 3 RB
Also had offers from: Florida, LSU, Oklahoma
Why he’s on the radar: Loads of talent. A home-run threat with a blend of speed and strength.
What to be concerned about: Cyrus Gray stands in his way. Also, it’s still difficult to try and get a sense for what kind of offense A&M is going to run this fall. Will they be enticed to follow the pass-happy trend in the Big 12 and ride the arm of Jerrod Johnson? Or will Coach Sherman decide to shift gears and give the running game a chance?

Bryce Brown (Tennessee)
Rivals rank: No. 1 RB
Also had offers from: Miami, Kansas State, Oregon, LSU, USC
Why he’s on the radar: Rivals’ top ranked player in the country. Verbally committed to Miami, but did not sign on LOI Day. Eventually landed with the Vols.
What to be concerned about: Is he a headcase? Brown’s recruitment took some strange twists and turns. He considered playing in the CFL. He has a “handler” guiding his every move.

Chris Whaley (Texas)
Rivals rank: No. 8 Athlete
Also had offers from: Florida State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame
Why he’s on the radar: Mack Brown has churned out several fantasy feature backs in the past. Nobody currently on the roster has taken the bull by the (long)horns and emerged as a go-to guy in the running game. Can Whaley fill that role?
What to be concerned about: Fozzy Whitaker and Vondrell McGee are back. Colt McCoy and his pass-happy offense could limit the number of carries even if Whaley becomes The Man. And don’t forget about Cody Johnson. The 255-pounder could continue to vulture goalline TDs—he had 12 last year.

Larry Caper (Michigan State)
Rivals rank: No. 28 RB
Also had offers from: Michigan, Purdue, Stanford, Iowa
Why he’s on the radar: Javon Ringer and his incredible 390 carries are off to the NFL. Caper is going to have a chance to fill the void. If he could get even half of those carries, you are looking at a 1,000 yard RB.
What to be concerned about: Caper will be competing for carries with another highly touted freshman, No. 6 ranked RB Edwin Baker.

Lamon Muldrow (San Jose State)
Rivals rank: N/A, 4-star RB (JUCO)
Also had offers from: Arizona, Colorado State
Why he’s on the radar: Muldrow is the No. 13 rated JUCO player in the country. This is a prized recruit for San Jose State. For that reason alone, one would think Muldrow has a great chance to see early playing time for the Spartans. More good news—their 2008 leading rusher graduated. Muldrow is the definition of a sleeper candidate.
What to be concerned about: San Jose State averaged 2.7 yards per carry as a team. They will need to improve on the O-line to open up holes for Muldrow and company.

RB Watchlist

Rivals Rank - Player - School

No. 8 RB—Cierre Wood (Notre Dame)
No. 8 All-purpose back—Fitzgerald Toussaint (Michigan)
No. 13 All-purpose back—Tavon Austin (West Virginia)
No. 1 All-purpose back—David Oku (Tennessee)
No. 37 RB—Teric Jones (Michigan)
No. 74 RB—Charles Sims - Houston
No. 10 RB—Waymon James (TCU)
No. 39 RB—Arthur Burns (Washington State)
No. 12 RB—Rodney Scott (Ole Miss)
No. 5 RB—Jaamal Berry (Ohio State)
No. 14 RB—Brandon Wegher (Iowa)
No. 4 RB—David Wilson (Virginia Tech)
No. 16 All-purpose back—Kendial Lawrence (Missouri)
No. 7 RB—Michael Ford (LSU)
No. 32 RB—Kevin Whaley (Minnesota)

Wide Receivers

WR Summary: This class isn’t considered to be as strong as the 2008 version, which boasted eight impact fantasy players. Also, the early playing opportunities for the 2009 top dogs don’t seem to be slam-dunks like they were for DeAndre Brown, A.J. Green and Julio Jones.

Best Chance to Make 2009 Fantasy Impact

Andre Debose (Florida)
Rivals rank: No. 2 WR
Also had offers from: Florida State, USC, Georgia, LSU
Why he’s on the radar: Percy Harvin is NFL-bound. Debose has a similar skill set and could see action right away. Defenses will once again have to key on Timmy Tebow, leaving ample opportunity for the other Gator weapons to get the ball in space. And “space” is where Debose is dangerous.
What to be concerned about: Even the great Harvin was an average fantasy WR in his first year (855 total yards, 5 TDs).

Rueben Randle (LSU)
Rivals rank: No. 1 WR
Also had offers from: Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama
Why he’s on the radar: Because he’s the top-ranked WR in the country.
What to be concerned about: LSU might lean more on the running game as they are likely to be breaking in a new QB next fall. Top receiver Brandon LaFell removed his name from the NFL draft and will return for another year. Does LaFell’s presence help or hurt Randle from a fantasy standpoint? It’s debatable.

Patrick Patterson (Ole Miss)
Rivals rank: No. 4 WR
Also had offers from: Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn
Why he’s on the radar: Another weapon at Jevan Snead’s disposal. Leading receiving yardage gainer (Mike Wallace) is gone. Snead threw for 26 TDs last year and he’s only going to be better in '09.
What to be concerned about: Shay Hodge and Dexter McCluster are proven commodities and are slated to be the top two receivers in this offense. Patterson will have to become a solid No. 3 option to make a fantasy impact in '09.

Jheranie Boyd and Joshua Adams (UNC)
Rivals rank: No. 3 WR, No. 35 WR
Why they’re on the radar: Hakeem Nick and Brandon Tate are off to the NFL, leaving plenty of opportunity in their wake.
What to be concerned about: Dwight Jones appears to have the inside track for the number one WR job. Can Boyd or Adams crack the starting lineup opposite Jones?

WR Watchlist

Rivals Rank - Player - School
No. 5 WR—Marlon Brown (Georgia)
No. 68 WR—Darius Johnson (SMU)
No. 73 WR—Anthony Foster (Tulsa)
No. 69 WR—A.J. Dugat (Houston)
No. 41 WR—Eric Ward (Texas Tech)
No. 4 ATH—Randall Carroll (UCLA)
N/R WR—Ansel Ponder (Western Michigan)
No. 10 WR—Bryce McNeal (Clemson)
No. 4 ATH—Randall Carroll (UCLA)
No. 47 WR—Diante Jackson (Oregon)
No. 9 WR—Nu’Keese Richardson (Tennessee)
No. 16 WR—Chad Bumpis (Mississippi State)
No. 48 ATH—Ronnie Kennedy (Central Michigan)
No. 11 WR—Duron Carter (Ohio State)
No. 24 WR—Shaquelle Evans (Notre Dame)
JUCO—Cameron Kenney (Oklahoma)
JUCO—Tyrece Gaines (Oregon)
JUCO—Hayo Carpenter (Minnesota)
JUCO—Jamar Howard (Cincinnati)
JUCO—Chelb Ravenell (Western Michigan)
JUCO—Edgard Theliar (FIU)

Tight Ends

TE Summary: No freshman tight ends made a significant fantasy impact in 2008. That is pretty amazing considering it doesn’t take too much to make a statistical impact at this position. 400 yards and 5 TDs will rank you as a Top 20 fantasy tight end.

Best Chance to Make 2009 Fantasy Impact

Morrell Presley (UCLA)
Rivals rank: No. 12 WR
Also had offers from: USC
Why he’s on the radar: When a WR plays the TE position, it can equate to fantasy success. Presley is rated as the No. 12 WR in the land, but will probably sneak onto fantasy rosters as a TE. The Bruins need playmakers on offense, and Presley should see action early.
What to be concerned about: Granted, UCLA dealt with a rash of QB injuries, but the Bruins passing game was brutal in Neusheisel’s first year as head coach. As a team, they only threw nine touchdown passes on the season.

Ra’shede Hageman (Minnesota)
Rivals rank: No. 6 TE
Also had offers from: Ohio State, Florida, Oklahoma
Why he’s on the radar: QB Adam Weber and WR Eric Decker both return to bolster the Gopher passing game. With starting TE Jack Simmons graduating, defenses will be keying on Decker which could open up opportunities for Hageman to contribute right away.
What to be concerned about: The departing Simmons grabbed 36 balls for 331 yards and 2 TDs in 2008. Not exactly fantasy gold.

Tracy Moore (Oklahoma State)
Rivals rank: No. 17 TE
Also had offers from: Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State
Why he’s on the radar: Brandon Pettigrew graduates. If Moore can get on the field, he will see plenty of passes in the Pokes’ high-powered offense.
What to be concerned about: Moore will battle Jamal Mosley and others for the starting job.

Dion Sims (Michigan State)
Rivals rank: No. 5 TE
Also had offers from: Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee
Why he’s on the radar: Tremendous athlete who should see the field early. MSU will be breaking in a new QB in '09 and tight ends have been known to serve as safety valves for young signal-callers.
What to be concerned about: Will the MSU offense utilize Sims’ considerable talents? Starting TE Charlie Gantt returns and his fantasy numbers were very average last season (19-302-4).

TE Watchlist
Rivals Rank - Player - School
UNR ATH - Tyler Chambers (Houston)
No. 7 TE - Barrett Matthews (Texas)
No. 1 TE - Logan Thomas (Virginia Tech)
No. 32 TE - Jacoby Bell (Southern Miss)
No. 3 TE - Philip Lutzenkirchen (Auburn)
No. 13 TE - Richard Wilson (BYU)
No. 2 TE - Arthur Lynch (Georgia)
No. 4 TE - Levine Toilolo (Stanford)
No. 24 TE - Tyler Eifert (Notre Dame)

Kickers

Kicker Summary: This year’s top two kicker prospects both go to programs where they have an opportunity to play from the get-go.

Dustin Hopkins (Florida State)
Rivals rank: No. 1 Kicker
Also had offers from: Notre Dame, Missouri, Kansas State
Graham Gano graduates and Hopkins could step right in and start from day one.

College Fantasy Football: A Look Back At the 2008 Freshman Phenoms

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:07:26 -0400

We all want to be the guy who hits the jackpot on a late round freshman flier. But how many fliers can you take on draft day?

We take a look back at the freshman who made a fantasy impact in 2008 to help us gauge the chances of finding the next “big thing” in 2009.

Below are the freshman who had good rookie campaigns in 2008.

Note: These are players who signed in February of 2008 (not redshirt freshman or JUCO transfers).

Quarterbacks (3)

Robert Griffin (Baylor)—Four-star recruit who surprised many by selecting Baylor over the likes of Tennesse, Nebraska and Kansas. He had a fantastic freshman year passing for 2,091 yards, rushing for another 843, and compiling a total of 28 touchdowns. He is a superior talent who carried the Baylor offense on his shoulders. Not easy to do as a freshman. Griffin was a must-start in most fantasy formats.

Bo Levi Mitchell (SMU)—BLM wasn’t as highly recruited as Griffin, but he wound up in the right system to produce fantasy stats. The two-star product from Katy, TX had interest from Boise State, Hawaii, and Houston (all fantasy juggernaut offenses).

He wasn’t expected to do much his freshman year. But Justin Willis didn’t get the starting nod from new coach June Jones as many expected, and Mitchell took over the reigns. He was an inconsistent fantasy player, but did have a hand full of big games. Stats: 2,865 passing yards, 28 total TDs, 23 INTs.

Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State)—When the most heralded recruit in the land signed on to become a Buckeye, most thought he would serve as backup to incumbent starter Todd Boeckman. At best, maybe he’d get a few snaps each game in a special package designed to suit his unique abilities. But when Boeckman struggled early, Coach Tress turned to Pryor and stuck with him for the remainder of the season. He was a decent spot fantasy starter. Stats: 1,311 passing yards, 631 rushing, 19 total TDs.

Redshirt freshman—Austin Davis (Southern Miss), Kellen Moore (Boise State), Russell Wilson (NC State)

Running Backs (5)

Jacquizz Rogers (Oregon State)—Three-star prospect from Texas who spurned offers from Arizona and Illinois to sign on with the Beavers. Nobody expected him to have the instant impact he had in his first season. Most figured Ryan McCants would be top the depth chart and thus, Quizz went undrafted in all but the deepest fantasy leagues.

After impressive outings early in the year, Quizz was an waiver wire grab for owners in every league. Stats: 1,253 rushing, 247 receiving, 12 TDs.

Mark Ingram (Alabama)—The athlete from Flint, Michigan was one of over twenty four- or five-star prospects to commit to Nick Saban in 2008. With such an influx of talent in this class, plus having Glen Coffee and Terry Grant already on the RB depth chart, it was difficult to gauge what kind of impact, if any, Ingram would make.

But he quickly became part of a dangerous one-two punch with Coffee. Stats: 728 rushing, 54 receiving, 12 TDs.

Bryce Beall (Houston)—The two-star DB from Tatum, TX had offers from Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State. Upon his arrival at Houston, he wasn’t on the fantasy map. In his first three games, he had a few touches here and there.

But a month into the season, Beall became the “Brian Westbrook” of the Cougar’s offense—a factor in the running and passing game. He took the fantasy world by storm accounting for nearly 1,750 total yards from scrimmage and 17 TDs.

Keola Antolin (Arizona)—Three-star all-purpose back who had also offers from Iowa and Oregon State. It might be a stretch including Antolin on this list as he only racked up 525 rushing yards, but there is no question he made an impact on most fantasy leagues.

With Grigsby’s fumbling issues and questions surrounding whether he was in Coach Stoops’ doghouse, Antolin was a hot waiver wire pickup in the hopes that he might win eventually the starting job. He had a couple monster games, but Grigsby held onto the job at the end of the year. Still, Antolin produced nicely with 525 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.

Montel Harris (Boston College)—A two-star RB from Jacksonville who surprised most by signing with BC over Duke. Going into the season, the freshman most expected to make a splash at RB was four-star Josh Haden.

However, Harris outplayed Haden during the year, racking up 1,060 total yards from scrimmage and 6 touchdowns.

Redshirt freshman—John Clay (Wisconsin), Darren Evans (Virginia Tech), Robert Turbin (Utah State)

Wide Receivers (8)

DeAndre Brown (Southern Miss)—Here is a guy who lived up to the preaseason hype. He was on everyone’s fantasy watch list and he delivered. The five-star talent spurned offers from the SEC giants and chose to attend Southern Miss. He quickly became a fantasy must-start and had a great season before breaking his leg in the bowl game. Stats: 67 catches, 1,117 yards, 12 TDs.

Damaris Johnson (Tulsa)—Four-star talent who chose Tulsa over Minnesota, TCU and Memphis. Since he was a top talent going to a lower-level school, he was someone to earmark heading into the preseason.

However, there were so many receiving options at Tulsa that he wasn’t drafted in most leagues. Finished the year with 1,070 total yards from scrimmage and 12 TDs.

T.Y. Hilton (Florida Int’l)—Two-star WR also had an offer from Ole Miss. He came alive in October and stayed hot through November. T.Y. was a hot waiver wire pick up in the second half of the fantasy season.

Stats: 41 catches, 1,013 receiving yards (a whopping 25 yards per catch!) and 12 TDs on the year.

Michael Floyd (Notre Dame)—Five-star talent from Minnesota with offers from big boys such as Ohio State, Florida, and Michigan. He was someone who you figured would have a chance to contribute right away given the lack of playmakers on the Irish depth chart, and the pass-first mentality of Chuck Weis.

However, optimism was tempered a bit since the Irish offense was so woeful in 2007. Floyd wound up having a nice year before battling injuries down the stretch. Stats: 48 catches, 719 yards and 7 TDs.

A.J. Green (Georgia)—Five-star stud who committed to UGA a year and a half prior to LOI day! He was someone bound for early playing time. The question was whether he would see enough passes in the Bulldogs run-first offense.

The good news was he had star QB Matthew Stafford tossing the rock. Green was drafted in most leagues in the late rounds. Those owners were rewarded with a nice rookie season from the South Carolina phenom. Stats: 56 catches, 963 yards, 8 TDs.

Julio Jones (Alabama)—Another five-star recruit where the big fantasy question was how he would be implemented into a run-first attack. Like A.J. Green, Jones was drafted in most leagues in the late rounds, and he posted similar numbers.

Stats: 58 catches, 924 yards, 4 TDs.

Briggs Orsbon (Ball State)—Three-star player with offers from most of the MAC schools. Was thrust into duty when Dante Love went down with a serious neck injury. Orsbon didn’t hit the fantasy radar until the Love injury. Became one of Nate Davis’s favorite targets and was a waiver wire pickup in many leagues.

Stats: 68 catches, 813 yards, 6 TD’s.

Jeff Fuller (Texas A&M)—Four-star stud with an impressive list of suitors, including Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan and Ohio State. While Fuller was very talented, he was not drafted in most leagues due to the uncertainty of the A&M passing game with a new coaching staff.

As it turns out, Jerrod Johnson took the reigns at QB and lead a pass-heavy attack, and Fuller thrived. Stats: 50 catches, 630 receiving yards, 9 TDs.

Tight Ends (0)

There were no true freshman that made a fantasy impact in 2008.

Kickers (3)

Ross Evans (TCU)
Field goals: 16/20, PAT: 49/55

Kevin Gessling (Fresno State)
Field goals: 15/22, PAT: 46/47

Blair Walsh (Georgia)
Field goals: 15/23, PAT: 50/50

A Look Inside the Numbers:

Approximately 1,000 offensive skill position players signed on 2008’s National Signing Day. By our estimation, 16 of them (non-kickers) made a significant fantasy impact last fall. The “star” breakdown of the 16 players above:

* Number of five-stars: 5

* Number of four-stars: 4

* Number of three-stars: 3

* Number of two-stars: 4

There were 108 four or five-star players at the offensive skill positions in 2008. Only nine of them made a fantasy impact.

All “star” rankings per Rivals.com.

So what does this all mean?

Well, it further confirms the notion that taking a freshman on draft day is a very risky proposition. Only a small percentage will wind up on the fantasy map. The key is to find situations where ability meets opportunity (system or playing time). This is the best formula to finding a youngster who could make a fantasy splash.

Who will the 16 impact freshman in 2009? We’ll explore this question idea in Part 2 of Freshman Phenoms.

College Football Camp Quick Hitters: Aug. 8

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 02:28:01 -0400

Alabama

News: Wide receiver Julio Jones played the X position during the 2008 season. This is the easiest position to learn, but it is also the easiest to double cover. Alabama plans to move Jones around in multiple wide receiver positions for 2009 in order to keep defenses from keying double coverage on their star wide receiver.

CFG Analysis: This is good news for Jones owners. However, we’re still concerned about the new quarterback under center, and the rebuilt offensive line. These factors will make Jones’ price on draft day too high for us to recommend drafting him.

Arizona

News: Arizona running back Nic Grigsby left practice Friday on crutches after spraining his ankle, according to Ryan Finley of the Arizona Daily Star. It’s unclear how severe the sprain is.

CFG Analysis: Keola Antolin waits in the wings in the event that this injury is serious.

Colorado

News: Running back Darrell Scott has put on 10 pounds of muscle over the course of the summer. He enters fall camp “…miles ahead of where he was last year,” according to Head Coach Dan Hawkins.

CFG Analysis: There’s going to be a battle for carries in the Buffs’ backfield. Scott coming into camp bigger-stronger-faster will definitely help his chances. This is a position battle we will monitor.

Hawaii

News: The Honolulu Advertiser reports that wide receiver Malcolm Lane has missed the first two days of camp due to undisclosed “personal” issues.

CFG Analysis: This is not good for Lane. There are a bunch of wide receivers that are battling for playing time this year. We have Lane as the fourth starting wide receiver. It would be best to look for a different wide receiver come draft day.

Iowa

News: ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenburg states that Hawkeyes sophomore running back Jewel Hampton is recovering well from a knee injury he sustained in summer workouts.

Hampton lists himself at 90-95 percent and participated in Iowa’s first preseason practice Friday morning. He also mentioned that Coach Ferentz has hinted that the Hawkeyes likely will use a rotation at running back.

CFG Analysis: We fully expect Jeff Brinson to be in the mix here with Hampton.

Kansas

News: From ESPN.com’ s Joe Schad…Kansas Jayhawks receiver Dezmon Briscoe was academically eligible to participate Friday when the team opened practice. Jayhawks coach Mark Mangino said his star needed to complete some summer classwork to be eligible for the fall.

CFG Analysis: Good news here. Let’s hope Briscoe can keep his head on straight. If he can, he’s worth a very high draft pick.

Kansas State

News: Coach Bill Snyder calls Daniel Thomas a running back. Thomas, 6'2" and 227 pounds, played quarterback at Northwest Mississippi Community College. He can run and throw well enough to present a threat for the Wildcats as a surprise weapon.

“I’m a running back, but I can play receiver or quarterback,” Thomas said. “They can line me up anywhere and I can be successful.”

CFG Analysis: Daniel Thomas is someone to keep an eye on as he could wind up beating out Keithen Valentine for the starting running back job. And if you remember back in Coach Snyder’s hey-day, the KSU running back has the potential to rack up lots of stats.

Louisville

News: C.J. Brown of the Courier-Journal reports that 5’9” 183-pound wide receiver Doug Beaumont is beginning to emerge as the main receiving target of the Cardinal pass attack.

CFG Analysis: Beaumont should only be considered in deep leagues as a sleeper pick. The problem is that the Louisville coaches don’t know who’s going to throw him the ball.

Minnesota

News: Coach Tim Brewster reiterated that although prized recruit MarQueis Gray has joined the team, Adam Weber’s job is safe while the Gophers find other ways to incorporate Gray’s athleticism into the offense.

CFG Analysis: The Gophers are blessed to have to solid quarterback options. We really think Gray is going to take the Big Ten by storm when it’s his turn under center.

North Texas

News: The Dallas Morning News reports that UNT appears likely to lean heavily on running back Cam Montgomery early in the season while its wide receivers settle in.

CFG Analysis: Montgomery is a nice option in the later rounds of an All-120 format.

News: The Dallas Morning News reports that North Texas is not ready to give up on its pursuit of including wide receiver Tyler Stradford in its lineup this season.

NCAA rules dictate that Stradford will have to sit out the upcoming season as a transfer (from Oklahoma), but UNT filed a request for a waiver of the transfer rule based on the New Orleans native’s family circumstances that dictated that he move closer to relatives in the Dallas area. That waiver request was denied.

UNT’s next option is to appeal the NCAA’s decision on the waiver. “We have not given up on Tyler playing this season,” UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said. “We will appeal the NCAA’s decision.”

CFG Analysis: Stradford has been selected in the late rounds of early drafts. This is a story worth monitoring.

Oklahoma

News: Oklahoma tailback DeMarco Murray will miss some drills during the next several days as he recovers from another hamstring injury.

CFG Analysis: This guy just can’t stay healthy. Look for him to slide down our player rankings a bit.

News: OU’s running back depth is such a luxury that Mossis Madu is expected to work solely as a slot receiver during training camp.

CFG Analysis: The Sooners coaching staff really likes what they have seen from freshman Jermie Calhoun, which allows them the flexibility to get Madu onto the field more in the slot. With Murray’s injuries always a concern, the No. 3 running back on the OU depth chart is always someone to keep an eye on.

Oklahoma State

News: Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World reports that All-American junior Dez Bryant appears to be unaffected by his Holiday Bowl knee injury. Also, redshirt freshman Justin Blackmon seems capable of becoming Zac Robinson’s No. 2 passing-game target.

CFG Analysis: This is what we expected to hear regarding Bryant. His surgery was relatively minor in nature (for a knee injury) and he should be ready to dominate this fall.

Oregon

News: The Oregonian reports that running back LeGarrette Blount looked considerably slimmer than the 260 pounds with which he rumbled through the spring. Blount, who said he’s at 240, left the practice field early but did not appear injured.

CFG Analysis: This is good news for Blount owners. Gotta love the Blount Weight Watch.

News: Rob Moseley reports that wide receivers Jamere Holland, Jeff Maehl and D.J. Davis are the starters heading into camp. Andre Crenshaw is listed at the No. 2 running back.

CFG Analysis: It’s obviously still very early in the game, but this is interesting nonetheless.

News: Rob Moseley reports that running back LaMichael James and wide receiver Diante Jackson both had some impressive moments at practice on Friday.

CFG Analysis: We expect the speedy James to see the field this year and make an instant impact.

News: Oregon Ducks beat writer Rob Moseley (The Register-Guard) believes the offensive line is the primary question mark heading into fall camp.

CFG Analysis: The offensive line needs to gel if Blount is going to live up to his lofty expectations.

San Diego State

News: According to the official San Diego State team site, coach Brady Hoke spoke up regarding their running back situation, stating, “Ideally, you’d always like to have a lead back….at the end of the day we would like to have a guy who is going to carry it 20-25 times a game and a few others who can provide a different skill set to rest the other guy a bit.”

Offensive coordinator Al Borges chimed in, “We’re going to try to feed the ball to guys like Brandon Sullivan, Atiyyah (Henderson) and those guys to see what they can do...we have to find a guy who is going to be our feature back and just play off of him.”

CFG Analysis: We like the idea that Hoke prefers a feature back approach. It’ll be interesting to see whether Sullivan or Henderson emerges to become that go-to guy.

Southern Mississippi

News: ESPN’s Graham Watson reports that wide receiver DeAndre Brown has been participating in light receiver drills, but will be held out of one-on-ones, seven-on-sevens and full-squad scrimmages for the start of fall camp.

Brown also will continue to wear a protective boot when he is not on the practice field.

“If I could have him back on the field today, I would,” head coach Larry Fedora said.

“And he’s upset because he wants to be out there participating. I still think he’s on track to be ready for the start of the season from everything I’ve been told.”

CFG Analysis: We will be keeping a very close eye on things. It's good to hear Brown is doing light drill work, but it is still difficult to see if he will be ready for the season opener against Alcorn State.

Tulsa

News: The Tulsa World reports that Jamad Williams and Charles Clay will get the first crack at the starting running back spot. Coaches want to get Clay more involved in carrying the ball.

CFG Analysis: Williams has been flying under the radar a bit this offseason. He has been the second leading rusher for TU the past two years and will certainly play a big role in the offense. In fact, he could be the one that prohibits Clay from elite running back status.

News: The three players who received the most interviews on media day were the three quarterbacks vying for the starting job—Jacob Bower, G.J. Kinne and Shavodrick Beaver.

“I’m just going to do the best I can and leave it up to the coaches, leave it up to God and try not to lose any sleep over it,” said Bower, who backed up David Johnson last year.

CFG Analysis: Smart move by Coach Graham to give the media access to all three quarterbacks. Keeps the mystery building. We likely won’t know the winner of this quarterback derby until late in August, if not later.

UTEP

News: Offensive line coach Bob Connelly stated that this might be the deepest, most experienced group he’s seen at UTEP in the last five years.

CFG Analysis: This is very good news for Vittatoe fantasy owners as it will give Connelly more time to pick apart defenses.

News: Coach Mike Price commented on how strong kicker Logan Barrett has looked thus far in practice.

CFG Analysis: If you’re in a deep league and need another kicker, Barrett could be a nice final draft pick. UTEP figures to be scoring lots of points this fall.

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier resource for college fantasy football information.

College Fantasy Football: Playing Devil's Advocate With The Top RB's

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 02:23:32 -0400

Most of the college fantasy football preseason is spent praising players. In this article, we’re turning the tables.

We play a little Devil’s Advocate, giving you a few reasons to worry about the top running backs on our Big Board.

This article isn’t meant to scare the bejeezus out of you, throw your hands up in the air and wonder if there are ANY running backs worth taking in the first round.

No, the intent of this article is simply to highlight the fact that there are many flaws at the top of the running back pecking order this year. There is no one running back that stands head and shoulders above the rest. It’s more of a pack of eight or nine guys, all of which have the ability to be the No. 1 fantasy in the land by season’s end.

Running Backs

1. Andre Anderson, Tulane

Reason for concern: He’s coming off a serious shoulder injury. His quarterback leaves much to be desired. The Green Wave went 2-10 last year. How many rushes can Andre get when his team is playing from behind in most games?

Level of concern: Medium

2. Bryce Beall, Houston

Reason for concern: Are you a believer in the sophomore slump? There are whispers that incoming freshman Charles Sims could steal some of Beall’s thunder if he’s as good as advertised. Sims has the breakaway speed that Beall lacks.

Level of concern: Low

3. James Starks, Buffalo

Reason for concern: Veteran quarterback Drew Willy graduated. Only five offensive starters return. Buffalo isn’t going to sneak up on anybody this year after winning the MAC East in a miraculous season.

Level of concern: Low

4. Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State

Reason for concern: Injuries. Can he handle the workload without breaking down? He wasn’t able to finish the season last year.

Level of concern: Medium

5. Jahvid Best, Cal

Reason for concern: Inconsistency. Best will follow up a 235-yard gem with a 67-yard clunker. Also, Shane Vereen will spell Best just enough to drive owners crazy.

Level of concern: Low

6. Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State

Reason for concern: Hunter might be the player on this list with the cleanest situation. Maybe Keith Tolston steals some carries at the goal line, but that’s nitpicking.

Level of concern: Low

7. LeGarrette Blount, Oregon

Reason for concern: You always worry about his weight and conditioning. Can he lay off the hamburgers this fall? His offensive line was a sieve in the spring. His SOS is 23.

Level of concern: High

8. MiQuale Lewis, Ball State

Reason for concern: Head coach Brady Hoke is gone. Star quarterback Nate Davis is gone. The entire offensive line is gone. Lots of question marks surround him.

Level of concern: High

9. DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma

Reason for concern: Injuries are always a concern as Murray has a hard time staying healthy. And as we all know, Murray doesn’t get Adrian Peterson carries. He share the load with Chris Brown and also Mossis Madu.

Level of concern: Medium-well

10. Toby Gerhart, Stanford

Reason for concern: Stanford isn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut. Gerhart is the one guy that defenses will game plan against. The Cardinal will be breaking in a new quarterback and are looking for other skill position players to step up and take the pressure off Toby. Stanford also has a pretty tough SOS of 30.

Level of concern: Medium-rare

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier resource for all things college fantasy football.

College Fantasy Football: Wide Receiver Sleepers

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:46:06 -0400

We conclude our sleeper series with breakdown of wide receivers and tight ends.

The definition of a sleeper varies depending on who you talk to. In our view, sleepers are defined as players who are projected to make contributions to their teams, but could far exceed expectations. The caveat - there are unanswered questions surrounding each of these players.

Here are 20 WR’s and 6 TE’s who could be worth consideration on draft day.

Wide Receivers

1. Toren Dixon, Rice

Pros: Dixon is the lone holdover from last year’s offensive juggernaut and figures to be the top target in the Owls’ passing game.

Cons: Who’s going to throw him the rock? Rice will be breaking in a new QB, plus a new offensive coordinator this fall. Can Dixon get open when defenses don’t have to worry about Jarett Dillard or James Casey?

2. McKay Jacobson, BYU

Pros: Austin Collie and his record-setting stats are now in the NFL. Somebody needs to fill the role of No. 1 receiver in the BYU passing game! Jacobson had a nice freshman campaign before going on a two year mission.

Cons: He hasn’t played in an actual game in a while. Can he pick up where he left off? There have been rumblings that Max Hall might spread the ball around more this year. This could torment fantasy owners looking for the “next Austin Collie”.

3. Malcolm Williams, Texas

Pros: The dude is a physical specimen who could be a first round NFL draft pick. Colt McCoy is going to spray the ball all over the field once again, and with Quan Cosby graduating, Williams should be the No. 2 receiving option (to Jordan Shipley).

Cons: Some think Brandon Collins will become the No. 2 receiving threat in this offense.

4. Darius Darks, Iowa State

Pros: Upside! The Iowa State offense is getting a face-lift with the arrival of former Rice OC Tom Herman. Will he become the Jarett Dillard of this offense? Highly doubtful. But he did catch 49 balls as a freshman - as a complimentary WR to top target R.J. Sumrall. Sumrall is gone, and Darks figures to be the go-to guy.

Cons: With a new system comes some growing pains. How long will it take ISU to gel?

5. Tim Brown, Rutgers

Pros: Tiquan Underwood and Kenny Britt leave a gaping hole at receiver. All indications are that the Scarlet Knights will lean on the veteran Brown this season. Great speed.

Cons: Veteran QB Mike Teel also graduated. Can Dom Natale get the job done at QB or will Tom Savage be thrown into the fire? Can Brown translate his game from being the deep threat guy to becoming more of a go-to man?

6. Dwight Jones, North Carolina

Pros: Like Rutgers above, UNC loses its top two receiving threats in Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate. Jones has a chance to be a major target for returning QB T.J. Yates. The sophomore is a big physical receiver who was a top recruit a year ago.

Cons: Incoming 4-star freshmen Jheranie Boyd and Joshua Adams could step right in and try to steal the spotlight.

7. Phillip Payne, UNLV

Pros: Last year as a freshman, Payne caught 7 TD’s only 29 catches. The 6’3 target packed on some muscle this offseason, and figures to be a much bigger part of the offense this fall. It also helps that star QB Omar Clayton is back from injury and should be primed for a big year.

Cons: Ryan Wolfe is the top dog in the receiving game. Are there enough balls to go around to make Payne a viable fantasy option?

8. Jamere Holland, Oregon

Pros: Nobody has claimed the role of Jeremiah Masoli’s top receiver yet. Holland had a good spring and could be that guy. He’s a USC transfer who will be a major threat on the outside

Cons: Oregon’s bread and butter is with the running game. Will they throw the rock enough to warrant adding Holland to your roster either on draft day or as a free agent?

9. Danario Alexander, Missouri

Pros: With Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman off to play on Sundays, the offense needs a playmaker in the passing game. Alexander has the raw tools to be a star.

Cons: can Alexander stay healthy for a season? He’s been bit by the injury bug more often than not. We’ve been waiting for his breakout for a few years now.

10. Jamar Howard, Cincinnati

Pros: Howard was a JUCO star who should fit right into Brian Kelly’s offense. With Dominick Goodman graduating and Marcus Barnett being moved over to defense, the way is paved for Howard to make an instant impact.

Cons: Mardy Gilyard is the clear No. 1 receiver in this offense. Can Howard catch enough balls to warrant serious fantasy consideration?

11. Vincent Brown, San Diego State

Pros: Brown was QB Ryan Lindley’s favorite target a year ago (64-631-5). The Aztecs figure to be playing from behind quite a bit in 2009, and should be throwing the ball a lot. Good news for Brown.

Cons: Demarco Sampson and Roberto Wallace both looked good this spring and, with a new coaching staff, could threaten Brown on the stat department.

12. Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh

Pros: At 6’5 and 220 pounds, Baldwin is a physical freak. He averaged a whopping 22.4 yards per reception in 2008, but…

Cons: ...he only caught 18 balls on the season. The Pitt passing game is as stale is it gets. Can Bill Stull cobble together a decent season get Baldwin up to the 50 catch area? Also, Baldwin had some off the field issues and his status is still a bit unclear.

13. Darrell Catchings, Oregon State

Pros: Sammie Stroughter and Shane Morales have moved on, leaving behind their combined 124 catches, 1783 yards and 15 touchdowns. Catchings will be playing Stroughter’s split end position, had a great spring, and is expected to be a homerun threat.

Cons: There will be a fight for touches in this offense as the Rodgers Bros. figure to be the stars of the show.

14. Owen Spencer, NC State

Pros: In 2008, Spencer led the team in receptions (31), yards (691) and touchdowns (5). As the Wolfpack’s passing game continues to evolve behind Russell Wilson and Mike Glennon, you’d think that Spencer’s numbers will improve as well.

Cons: Spencer also led the team in dropped passes. He’ll have to improve in this area or he could lose the trust of his QB.

15. Joe Adams, Arkansas

Pros: In its second season under Bobby Petrino, and with the addition of QB Ryan Mallett, many think the Razorbacks’ offense is ready to explode this fall. If they do, Joe Adams could be a breakout player. He had a great spring and should build off his productive freshman campaign.

Cons: He’s only 5’7, so he does have some limitations in the red zone.

16. Desmond Gee, Middle Tennessee

Pros: He’s one of those multi-purpose guys who can hurt you in many ways. Very quick. He’ll line up in the backfield or out wide at receiver. He also returns punts and kickoffs.Think Derrick Williams Lite.

Cons: He’s does many things well, but doesn’t really excel at anything. Weighs in at only 158 pounds.

17. Aldarius Johnson, Miami(FL)

Pros: Aldarius is a big physical receiver much like some of his predecessors at ‘The U’. One of the more gifted players on the team, and he happens to be best friends and roommates with their up-and-coming QB star, Jacory Harris.

Cons: Miami hasn’t produced a true fantasy threat at the WR position in quite some time. Most of the Miami guys blossom (statistically) once they are in The League.

18. Johnathan Wilson, Kansas

Pros: Kansas is going to chuck the ball all over the place. Dezmon Briscoe is one misstep away from being booted from the team. If that happens, Wilson becomes an instant fantasy factor. He’s also be a great insurance policy for Briscoe owners.

Cons: If Briscoe stays on the straight and narrow, Wilson doesn’t hold much value.

19. Andre Debose, Florida

Pros: Highly touted incoming freshman who supposedly has a similar skill set to Percy Harvin.

Cons: He’s only a freshman. Florida spreads the ball around quite a bit. You have to be TRULY special to get the ball as often as Harvin did in years past. Is Debose TRULY special? We don’t know yet. Also, he’s been dealing with bum hamstring this summer which could stunt his development this August. Stay tuned.

20. Josh Jarboe, Troy

Pros: It’s not often that a true 4-star recruit finds his way onto a Sun Belt roster, but that’s what happened here. Jarboe committed to Oklahoma but was sent home before his career even started after some tomfoolery. Jarboe is a very talented player who should be a matchup problem for every defense in the conference. And the Troy offense is loaded to begin with.

Cons: Can this guy keep his head on straight? And if he does… are there enough balls to go around in the vaunted Troy offense? Jerrel Jernigan and DuJuan Harris will see plenty of touches. Will there be enough scraps for Jarboe to piece together a decent fantasy statline?

Tight Ends

1. Ladarius Green, ULL

Pros: The dude caught 5 TD’s last year in a complimentary role. With most of the stars on offense moving on, Green should see more balls thrown his way in 2009.

Cons: But those balls will be thrown by an unproven QB as last year’s star, Michael Desormeaux, graduated.

2. Madaris Grant, Ball State

Pros: The Ball State attack has featured the tight end position in the past. Darius Hill had a great career in Muncie. Grant caught 26 balls in a backup role and should expand on those numbers greatly this fall.

Cons: Like Green above, there is a new signal-caller at the helm in Kelly Page.

3. Taylor Wardlow, Rice (***might be listed as a WR in your league)

Pros: James Casey, likely the greatest tight end in the modern college fantasy football era, graduates. Wardlow doesn’t appear to have near the talent as Casey, but even if he can produce one-third of the stats, he’s a good tight end to have on your roster.

Cons: Is Wardlow classified as a TE or WR? This is a big question. You better check with your commissioner before considering Wardlow in your draft.

4. Jimmy Scheidler, Bowling Green

Pros: The Falcons look for Scheidler in the redzone, as evidenced by his 7 TD’s a year ago.

Cons: However, he only caught 17 balls on the season. Therefore, he’s not nearly as valuable in PPR and/or yardage leagues.

5. Collin Franklin, Iowa State

Pros: The same Rice OC who turned James Casey into a star will now be calling the shots at ISU. Can he utilize Franklin, who—like Casey—is essentially a big wide receiver playing the tight end position? The potential is there for good things to happen.

Cons: Derrick Catlett could spoil the party. Some believe he will be the starting TE in Ames, while others think Catlett will line up more as a fullback. We’ll be watching this one as camp starts in August.

6. Jesson Salyards, Wyoming

Pros: Like Franklin above, Salyards could be the beneficiary of a new coach as Mizzou’s former OC, Dave Christensen, is now the head man at Wyoming. Christensen made excellent use of the tight end position at Mizzou.

Cons: Wyoming doesn’t have the pieces in place for a quick offensive turnaround. This one might take a year or two to get the right players into the system.

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

College Fantasy Football: Quarterback Sleepers

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:17:58 -0400

The college fantasy football draft season is upon us. Time to find those hidden gems late in your draft. In this article, we will examine the top quarterback sleepers.

The definition of a sleeper varies depending on who you talk to. In our view, sleepers are defined as players who are projected to make contributions to their teams, but could far exceed expectations. The caveat—there are unanswered questions surrounding each of these players.

Quarterbacks

1. Dwight Dasher, Middle Tennessee State

Pros: Dasher has the potential to be a star in new OC Tony Franklin's spread attack, which should be the perfect match to fit his abilities. He has plenty of talent surrounding him in Phillip Tanner, Desmond Gee, and a bevy of experienced receivers.

Cons: Consistency. Dasher will need to work on his accuracy in the passing game. He could be a bit of a work in progress, getting better as the season goes along.

2. Diondre Borel, Utah State

Pros: Borel is your classic dual threat. He shined this spring in the Aggies' new spread offense. Borel will have a veteran O-line in front of him this fall, and a stable of good running backs to keep defenses honest.

Cons: Borel needs to become a more efficient passer if he wants to become a reliable fantasy option this fall. He showed signs of improvement this spring. Can he carry over his momentum into the regular season?

3. Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois

Pros: In limited action last fall, Harnish proved to be a dangerous running threat. He finished the year with 539 rushing yards and four TDs. And he was only a freshman. He should continue to improve this year with a veteran offensive line returning, and a favorable schedule.

Cons: The Huskies aren't going to wow you through the air, so Harnish's fantasy ability will rely mostly on his rushing stats. There are whispers that the coaching staff might try to reign him in a bit to keep him healthy throughout the season. We'll see about that.

4. Blaine Gabbert, Missouri

Pros: With Chase Daniel graduating, Gabbert takes over the potent Mizzou offense. The system figures to be successful in the B12 no matter who is running it. And at 6'5" and 235 lbs., Gabbert certainly has the physical ability to be very productive.

Cons: He won't have Jeremy Maclin or Chase Coffman to throw to, and OC Dave Christensen has moved on to head up Wyoming.

5. Andy Schmitt, Eastern Michigan

Pros: Schmitt is an experienced leader on an veteran-laden squad. The EMU QB went nuts does the stretch compiling the following stats in his final two games: 50-76 for 484 yards and five total TDs, 58-80 for 518 yards and six total TDs. While those games were likely an aberration, they cannot be ignored.

Cons: EMU hired a new coaching staff this year. Ken Karcher is the new offensive coordinator (formerly the QB coach at Toledo). It remains to be seen what kind of offense the Eagles will employ in 2009, and how Schmitt will be utilized.

6. Riley Dodge, North Texas

Pros: Giovanni Vizza transferred to Texas A&M, so the job is all Riley's. Dodge has run this offense dating back to his high school days. He was the most highly touted recruit to ever sign with UNT, and it’s time for to start living up to the hype and becoming a Sun Belt star.

Cons: He's not the biggest guy at only 182 lbs. If he relies on the run too much, it could take its toll on his body. Dodge was inconsistent this spring, and will be looking for a new No. 1 WR now that superstar WR Casey Fitzgerald departs.

7. Mike Kafka, Northwestern

Pros: His wheels. Kafka knows what to do when a play breaks down—tuck it and run! He's best known for his 217 yard rushing performance against Minnesota last year. It's his show this year and he should have a few big games.

Cons: There's not much experienced surrounding talent to lean on as Tyrell Sutton and the top three receiving threats are gone.

8. Jordan Jefferson, LSU

Pros: Jefferson was thrown into the fire last fall as a freshman and performed admirably. With an entire off-season as the No. 1 guy, he should be much improved in 2009. He has a great WR option in Brandon LaFell, and the running game should be outstanding lead by Charles Scott.

Cons: The SEC isn't an easy place to put up great fantasy QB stats (Tim Tebow excluded). And LSU hasn't been a fantasy QB factory of late. Also, if LSU hits a rough stretch in the road, the media could begin clamoring for stud recruit Russell Shepard to get some snaps.

9. Kelly Page, Ball State

Pros: By Ball State standards, Page was a coveted recruit coming out of Mesquite, Texas (offers from Oregon and Tulsa). The coaching staff was impressed with the youngster last fall and during bowl preparations. He has a nice arm and is said to have more running ability than Nate Davis had.

Cons: Experience. With all of his potential, until Page gets out there on the field and produces he is an unknown commodity. He'll be working behind one of the most inexperienced O-lines in the nation. While the philosophy is likely going to be the same with in-house hire Stan Parrish, he did lose head coach Brady Hoke.

10. Tate Forcier, Michigan

Pros: RichRod’s offense fits Forcier's talents to a T. The San Diego native is said to be a deadly accurate passer, and he'll have the opportunity to rack up plenty of rushing yards.

Cons: Michigan stunk last year. Forcier isn't the biggest dude (listed at 187 lbs.) and he might not be able to take the pounding. And if Michigan gets off to a bad start, will RichRod have the patience to stick with Forcier, or will he give Denard Robinson (another highly touted recruit) a shot?

11. Nick Fanuzzi, Rice

Pros: The Rice offense was tops in college fantasy football in 2008. The system is set up for QB success. Fanuzzi is an Alabama transfer who should have the ability to step in and do good things. The schedule is favorable and the Owls will likely be involved in many C-USA shootouts.

Cons: The Rice OC, Tom Herman, left for Iowa State. Superstars James Casey and Jarett Dillard are now playing on Sundays. And Fanuzzi hasn't been named the starter just yet. He'll battle John Thomas Shephard for the job this August.

12. Ryan Lindley, San Diego State

Pros: The potential is there for a breakout season. Lindley had three 300-yard games and one 400-yard performance. He has a good stable of receivers to throw to, and new coach Brady Hoke should be an upgrade over the past coaching regime. SD State figures to be playing from behind often, and should be bombing away.

Cons: The San Diego State O-line stinks, so Lindley will be on the run often. Speaking of running, the Aztecs have very little running game to take the pressure off the passing game.

13. Trey Revell, UL-Monroe

Pros: Kinsmon Lancaster proved there is hope for fantasy production out of the ULM QB position. Revell possesses a similar skill set as Lancaster and should be able to put together some nice games in the Sun Belt. His No. 1 WR Darrell McNeal had off the field issues but should be cleared to play this fall.

Cons: He still has to fend off SMU transfer Zach Rhodes for the job.

14. Ricky Dobbs, Navy

Pros: Dobbs has proven he can light up the scoreboard, as evidenced by his 42 rush, 224 yard, four touchdown performance against SMU. Kaipo-Noa and Jarod Bryant both graduated, and the job is all his. He should put up dazzling rushing stats.

Cons: He better put up those dazzling rushing yards, because the Midshipmen only throw the ball about seven times per game. There has been talk that Navy will throw the ball more in 2009, but we’ll believe that when we see it.

15. Zach Maynard, Buffalo

Pros: Maynard is a QB who can run. The Bulls will likely utilize his legs and give the offense a different look than the Drew Willy version. He is surrounded by talent at the skill positions with both James Starks and Naaman Roosevelt returning.

Cons: Maynard got in eight games last fall, but only threw three passes (he did rush for 56 yards). He'll be working behind a young o-line that loses three starters.

***Shavodrick Beaver, Tulsa

Pros: The Tulsa QB is typically a fantasy superstar. Paul Smith and David Johnson thrived the past few years. This year, lots of weapons return. Beaver, a former Michigan verbal, might have more physical tools than either of his predecessors. He enrolled early this spring and looked very good. If he wins the QB job, he becomes a viable Top 20 fantasy QB and jumps up to No. 1 on this sleeper list.

Cons: Despite the glowing reports we hear about this young man, we have to remember he's only a freshman. Beaver is in a three-man battle for the starting job with Jacob Bower and G.J. Kinne. If he wins the job, look out. However, he might have to wait until 2010 to show his stuff. One other note: offensive guru Gus Malzahn left for Auburn. How much will this affect the Golden Hurricane offense?

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

College Fantasy Football: Who's The No. 1 Draft Pick?

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:11:35 -0400

Here is an in-depth look at who you should consider in the top spot of your All-FBS (120 school) college fantasy football league drafts.

Assumptions

10 team league
Head-to-Head league (not total points)
Starters: 1-QB, 2-RB, 3-WR (TE, PK and DE are not relevant to this discussion).
Scoring: 1pt per 25 passing yds, 1pt per 10 rush/rec yards, 4 pts per passing TD, 6 pts per rush/rec TD.

Cast of Characters:

Case Keenum (QB Houston)
Tim Tebow (QB Florida)
Colin Kaepernick (QB Nevada)
Andre Anderson (RB Tulane)
Dez Bryant (WR Oklahoma State)

2008 Fantasy Points

QB Case Keenum—Houston: 506
QB Colin Kaepernick—Nevada: 446
QB Tim Tebow—Florida: 420
WR Dez Bryant—Oklahoma State: 262
RB Andre Anderson—Tulane: 154

What’s the scoop?

All three QB’s have many of the tools they used in 2008 returning to aid their 2009 campaigns. Case Keenum has the most weapons returning, as well as the best SOS rating.

Colin Kaepernick lost his top two receiving targets, but he returns two stud RB’s and the most experienced o-line of the trio. Tim Tebow is, well…Tim Tebow. The talented Percy Harvin has been lost to the NFL, but there is more than enough talent to surround Super Man in 2009.

Dez Bryant injured his knee in the Holiday Bowl, but his surgery went well and he is expected to be back at 100 percent come fall camp. Bryant is the hands down best WR in this year’s draft.

Andre Anderson injured his knee in the week nine matchup with Rice. He will be healthy come fall, has a good OL in front of him, and will be the centerpiece of the Tulane offense this fall. The Conference USA also provides a favorable SOS for Anderson to bash his way through defenses.

POS	NAME	SCHOOL	PPG	VALUE	O-LINE	SOS
QB	Case Keenum	Houston	33.60	145.1	9.4	105
WR	Dez Bryant	Okla. St.	24.87	118.8	17.2	114
RB	Andre Anderson	Tulane	24.73	91.8	11.8	88
QB	Colin Kaepernick	Nevada	28.44	83.2	12.4	90
QB	Tim Tebow	Florida	27.05	66.5	10.2	22

If your fantasy draft was today (07/29/09)...

As you view the projection chart based on draft value rating, you see that QB’s Tebow and Kaepernick are at the bottom of the list. Both of these players should be top 5-8 picks, but when drafting in the No. 1 spot you have to get the most value for your selection. So it’s a no-brainer to eliminate these two.

The next question revolves around WR Bryant and RB Anderson. Both players offer high value, but Bryant clearly has the edge. There is a much larger gap between him and the rest of the WRs than you see with Anderson and the rest of the RBs. Anderson will be a great pick in the back half of the first round. We recommend holding off on Anderson because of the close grouping of RB talent in this year’s draft.

Bryant will be a great pick, but it’s too hard to pass on a player like Keenum that will only out-produce his 2008 numbers. Keenum is the hands down favorite here, and there should be no discussion otherwise. Just draft him and enjoy the Playstation-like numbers!

After drafting Keenum in the No. 1 spot, you now much watch who’s left on the board for your second and third round picks.

A running back is a must, and you will be forced to take whoever is left on the board. The problem becomes what to do with the third round pick. Since the run on top tier RBs has likely already taken place, it might be a good idea to draft two RBs in this position. The problem is that you will have to skip on a top flight WR, and settle for a lower first tier WR in the fourth round. Now you will have settled for two second tier RBs and (eventually) a lower first tier WR.

Therefore, we recommend you draft an elite caliber WR with your third round pick. The value for these players is too high to pass on. There’s such a drop off in the stability of WRs when it comes to fantasy production. It's better to get yourself a stud WR, then wait a while before drafting another. This will allow you to reload your RBs somewhere in the fourth and fifth rounds.

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

College Fantasy Football ADP Report: Top 100

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:58:01 -0400

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

Hot off the press! The first college fantasy football ADP (Average Draft Position) report of 2009 is here.

This article ranks the Top 100 overall players.

This data is based on the multiple mock drafts and league drafts that the CollegeFootballGeek.com crack staff has been apart of through the end of July. Our Summer ADP report has been formatted for college fantasy football leagues that have early drafts. We will be updating ADP reports as we receive more information throughout the month of August.

ADP ratings can be found on our Big Board, statistically sorted by overall selections.

Trend Analysis:
- Quarterbacks go fast in the first round, but quality starters slip down through the fifth round.
- The late first round and the second round is the time to grab a first tier running back.
- The early third round is when the run on top notch wide receivers begins.
- The time to grab one of the top three tight ends is the third and fourth rounds.
- If you wait to get a tight end after the run on the top three has taken place, the fifth round is the time to grab a tight end
- The fifth and sixth rounds are when the remainder first tier wide receivers are selected.
- The run on second-string quarterbacks takes place in the eighth round.

Report Parameters:
Player Pool: All of Division 1A
Average Amount of Teams: 12
Average Amount of Rounds: 14.5

All ADP ratings are based by "round–selection" (ex - 1.01) in a 12 team, 16 round draft.

ROUND 1

RANK	POS	PLAYER	SCHOOL	ADP
1	QB	Case Keenum	HOU	1.01
2	QB	Tim Tebow	FLOR	1.02
3	QB	Colt McCoy	TEXAS	1.04
4	QB	Colin Kaepernick	NEV	1.05
5	QB	Dan LeFevour	CMICH	1.06
6	WR	Dez Bryant	OKST	1.07
7	QB	Sam Bradford	OKLA	1.08
8	QB	Taylor Potts	TTECH	1.10
9	RB	Jacquizz Rodgers	OREST	1.11
10	RB	LeGarrette Blount	ORE	1.11
11	RB	Andre Anderson	TULNE	1.12

ROUND 2

RANK	POS	PLAYER	SCHOOL	ADP
12	RB	James Starks	BUFF	2.02
13	WR	Dezmon Briscoe	KAS	2.03
14	RB	Jahvid Best	CAL	2.03
15	RB	Kendall Hunter	OKST	2.06
16	QB	Todd Reesing	KAN	2.06
17	RB	DeMarco Murray	OKLA	2.07
18	RB	Eugene Jarvis	KENST	2.07
19	RB	Bryce Beall	HOU	2.07
20	WR	Jordan Shipley	TEXAS	2.09
21	RB	MiQuale Lewis	BALL	2.09
22	RB	Charles Scott	LSU	2.11

ROUND 3

RANK	POS	PLAYER	SCHOOL	ADP
23	WR	DeAndre Brown	SMISS	3.01
24	WR	Mardy Gilyard	CIN	3.01
25	WR	Aldrick Robinson	SMU	3.01
26	RB	John Clay	WISC	3.01
27	RB	Jonathan Dwyer	GTECH	3.06
28	WR	Damarius Johnson	TULSA	3.08
29	RB	Evan Royster	PSU	3.09
30	TE	Jermaine Gresham	OKLA	3.09
31	TE	Rob Gronkowski	ARIZ	3.10
32	QB	Robert Griffin	BAY	3.11
33	RB	Michael Smith	ARK	3.12
34	WR	Tyron Carrier	HOU	3.12

ROUND 4

RANK	POS	PLAYER	SCHOOL	ADP
35	WR	Ryan Broyles	OKLA	4.01
36	RB	Damion Fletcher	SMISS	4.07
37	TE	Dennis Pitta	BYU	4.09
38	WR	TY Hilton	FIU	4.09
39	QB	Zac Robinson	OKST	4.09
40	WR	Antonio Brown	CMICH	4.10
41	RB	Matt Asiata	UTAH	4.10
42	QB	Trevor Vittatoe	UTEP	4.11
43	WR	Detron Lewis	TTECH	4.12

ROUND 5

RANK	POS	PLAYER	SCHOOL	ADP
44	RB	Harvey Unga	BYU	5.01
45	RB	Chris Brown	OKLA	5.01
46	WR	Emmanual Sanders	SMU	5.01
47	WR	Golden Tate	ND	5.01
48	WR	James Rodgers	ORST	5.02
49	WR	Dexter McCluster	MISS	5.03
50	TE	Cody Slate	MARSH	5.04
51	QB	Austin Davis	SMISS	5.04
52	WR	Arrelious Benn	ILLIN	5.05
53	RB	Charles Clay	TULSA	5.05
54	RB	Daniel Porter	LTECH	5.05
55	RB	Derrick Washington	MIZZU	5.06
56	TE	Jason Harmon	FAU	5.06
57	RB	Toby Gerhart	STAN	5.06
58	WR	Michael Floyd	ND	5.08
59	RB	CJ Spiller	CLEM	5.09
60	TE	DJ Williams	ARK	5.12
61	TE	Aaron Hernandez	FLOR	5.12

ROUND 6

RANK	POS	PLAYER	SCHOOL	ADP
62	RB	Baron Batch	TTECH	6.02
63	RB	Mark Ingram	ALAB	6.02
64	WR	Jerrel Jernigan	TROY	6.03
65	WR	Jeff Fuller	TXA&M	6.03
66	QB	Terrelle Pryor	OHST	6.03
67	WR	Jeff Moturi	UTEP	6.04
68	WR	Stephen Williams	TOLED	6.04
69	WR	Kris Adams	UTEP	6.05
70	RB	Jewel Hampton	IOWA	6.06
71	RB	Jake Sharp	KAN	6.06
72	WR	Julio Jones	ALAB	6.09
73	WR	Kendall Wright	BAY	6.10
74	WR	Ryan Wolfe	UNLV	6.11
75	RB	Vai Taua	NEV	6.11
76	RB	Brandon Minor	MICH	6.11
77	QB	Joe Webb	UAB	6.12

ROUND 7

RANK	POS	PLAYER	SCHOOL	ADP
78	RB	Noel Devine	WVU	7.02
79	WR	Kerry Meier	KAN	7.03
80	WR	Eric Decker	MINN	7.04
81	RB	Roy Helu, Jr	NEB	7.05
82	WR	Lyle Leong	TTECH	7.05
83	WR	Naaman Roosevelt	BUFF	7.06
84	WR	Kevin Jurovich	SJOSE	7.07
85	QB	Max Hall	BYU	7.08
86	RB	Ryan Mathews	FRESN	7.09
87	QB	Jeremiah Masoli	ORE	7.11
88	RB	Duane Bennett	MINN	7.12

ROUND 8

RANK	POS	PLAYER	SCHOOL	ADP
89	QB	Jacob Bowser	TULSA	8.01
90	WR	Damian Williams	USC	8.04
91	WR	Juan Nunez	WMICH	8.05
92	RB	Darren Evans	VTECH	8.05
93	QB	Juice Williams	ILLIN	8.05
94	QB	Tim Hiller	WMICH	8.07
95	WR	Patrick Edwards	HOU	8.07
96	WR	AJ Green	GEORG	8.07
97	QB	Kellen Moore	BOISE	8.08
98	WR	Freddie Barnes	BG	8.09
99	RB	Brandon West	WMICH	8.10
100	TE	Garrett Graham	WISC	8.10

Top 10 Reasons Why College Fantasy Football Trumps the Pro Game

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:32:34 -0400

College fantasy football is growing at a rapid pace. The Supreme Court opened the door for media giants to use college player names in fantasy, and the cross-over from the pro game has begun.

Here are 10 reasons why college fantasy trumps the pro game.

10. Fresh faces. Brett Favre has been on the fantasy radar for 17 years. Seventeen years! New blood means new story-lines, new potential, and new debate. Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart’s bravado graduate and Tim Tebow’s sanctimoniousness enters.

9. Overtime Madness. Thanks to the wacky OT rules in the college game, your QB can turn a pedestrian 250 yard, 2 TD performance into a 325 yard, 5 TD jackpot in the matter of about 20 minutes!

8. Scouting. Get a head start on your NFL fantasy leagues by watching more college ball. Guys like Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Forte and Greg Jennings were household names in college fantasy way before they popped up on the NFL radar. Discover tomorrow’s NFL stars, today!

7. Variety of offense. Let’s face it, the NFL is a snooze-fest. You have the West Coast offense, that shotgun thing Tom Brady runs, and that’s about it. College offers the triple option, spread option, Pistol, Cock n’ Fire, five-wide, and that ‘Basketball on Turf’ the Red Raiders run. Watching college fantasy players perform beats the hell out of Jamal Lewis’ 3.1 ypc.

6. Much deeper talent pool. You have 120 teams to choose from! The NFL has 32 teams, with a handful of pass-happy teams, and a whole lot of offensive mediocrity. In college the options are plentiful from the gunning of Texas Tech, to Connecticut’s smash mouth style, to Georgia Tech’s option offense.

5. No league is the same. In college fantasy, you have All-FBS leagues, BCS-only leagues, conference only leagues, Top 20 leagues, or custom variations. Playing in multiple leagues actually makes sense!

4. Rediscover how much fun a fantasy football draft can be. In NFL fantasy, you can predict the Top 30 players off the board, almost to a T. In college fantasy, draft boards will vary greatly from player to player—and site to site. College fantasy football drafts are wildly unpredictable, which makes your preparation much more interesting.

3. More scoring = more entertaining. Last year, 36 college teams averaged 30+ PPG. In fact, 10 college teams averaged more than 40 PPG (Oklahoma’s PPG was 51.1)! Care to guess how many NFL teams averaged 30 PPG last year? ZERO.

And that 2007 Patriots “best NFL offense ever” squad averaged a measly 36.8. A dozen college teams top that PPG each year.

2. Games every night of the week! Thanks to the four-letter network and a bunch of lower-tier conferences looking for exposure, you’ll find games on the tube Wednesday through Saturday. All season long. Suddenly, that Miami(OH)-Bowling Green matchup on ESPN8 becomes very appealing!

1. Running it up / Style Points. There’s no better feeling than watching your star running back bowl over South Carolina State A&M at Kingsford defenders in the fourth quarter. In the pros, a win is a win, but there are style points to consider in the college world. Urban Meyer and Mike Stoops will do just about anything to impress the pollsters.

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

College Fantasy Football: A Beginner's Guide

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:22:59 -0400

New to college Fantasy Football? Here’s a beginner’s guide to get you revved up.

The Evolution of College Fantasy Football

Pro Fantasy Football really started to hit it big in the late 90s with the explosion of the Internet and has become exponentially popular ever since. It was just a matter of time before its popularity bled over into the college game.

Since no online college Fantasy Football league management product existed, the game was limited to hardcore geeks such as your truly. Leagues were managed manually for many years until U-Sports came to market. U-Sports offered the first quality online league management product using actual player names instead of keywords like Texas Tech, QB, No. 15.

In 2008, fantasy juggernaut CBSSportsline took the plunge using player names. This is significant because of their large audience. College Fantasy Football is on the verge of growing by leaps and bounds.

Differences Between College and Pro Fantasy Football

You’re familiar with the pro game and wondering how it relates to college Fantasy Football? The differences are many. In a nutshell:

Number of teams. NFL 32. NCAA 120 in Division 1-A, aka Football Bowl Subdivision.
Injury reports. The NFL requires them. The NCAA does not, and the information can be difficult to obtain.
Player turn-over. A star in the NFL can have a 10-year career. Stars in college play a year or two and move on to the pros. Players come and go much quicker in the college game.
Gamedays. Everyone is familiar with the NFL’s schedule. College games, however, are now played nearly every night of the week. You better keep on your toes in order to set your line-ups before that Tuesday night MAC kick-off!
Bye weeks. In the college game, bye weeks are scattered all over the calendar.
Mismatches. The NFL prides itself on parity. A college powerhouse can hang 70 on a lowly non-conference opponent. This can bring about some interesting fantasy questions: Do I start Tim Tebow against The Citadel? After all, he might only play a quarter and one-half.

Don’t let these factors intimidate you! We’ve got you covered. It’s not overwhelming - just a different challenge than the NFL game. Play one season of college Fantasy Football and you’ll become addicted.

Types of Leagues

Head-to-Head Formats: Probably the most popular format. The only tricky thing is how to handle the playoffs, since some college teams end their season earlier than others.
Total Points Formats: Draft a team. Either submit a line-up each week, or just a “season” line-up. Track each team’s total points for the whole season.
Keeper Leagues: You can use either format above. Keeper leagues allow you to keep players on your roster for more than one season. It certainly makes those impact freshmen some very valuable commodities and adds a whole new element to your drafting strategy. Your league commissioner determines the number of keepable players, and the duration you can keep them.

League Player Pool Decisions

There are 120 schools in Division 1-A. This sounds overwhelming, doesn’t it? It doesn’t have to be. League management sites allow you to pick and choose which conferences and-or schools are included in your player pool. Here are the four basic models along with the percentage of leagues that fall under each category:

35 percent—All-FBS/120 School Leagues
25 percent—BCS-Only Leagues
5 percent—One-Conference Leagues i.e. SEC Only, Big 10 Only, etc.
35 percent—Customized variation i.e. BCS-Only plus the MAC conference

How Many Team Owners Should My League Have?

Of course, it’s entirely up to you and how stacked or watered down you want your teams to be. As a general rule of thumb, here are some recommendations:

All-FBS League: 10-12
BCS-Only League: 8-10
Conference-Only League: 6

In Head-to-Head Formats, when should we hold our playoffs?

The college football schedule is not a nice and neat package like the NFL. Schools conclude their regular seasons beginning in Week 12. Some teams play through Week 14. The Army-Navy game is in Week 15! You need to take all of this into consideration.

After playing this game for 10 years, and trying out many formats, we recommend you hold your season’s championship game the week before the conference title games. In some years, depending on how the calendar breaks, it’s Week 13, like in 2009. In some years, it has Week 14. It’s something to keep an eye on as you set up your league prior to the season. The good league management sites provide you with flexibility here.

Depending on how many teams make your playoffs, we recommend you start them in Week 11 or 12, and finish in Week 13.

Where Should I Host My League?

You have a few options:

U-Sports: These guys have been around a long time.
CBS Sports: This media giant jumped into the college Fantasy Football fray in 2008.
Fantrax: A new player in the space.

What about the Bowl Season?

The majority of college Fantasy Football leagues end during the regular season. Those that just can’t get enough will take it upon themselves to start an off-line Bowl League. Hold a quick draft and track the stats yourselves. In the near future, don’t be surprised if one of the league management providers offers this product.

Scoring Variations

Your scoring options are the same as in NFL fantasy leagues. Some leagues are performance-based: yardage-heavy, touchdown-heavy, etc. Some incorporate negative points. Some don’t. Whatever scoring system your league uses will directly affect your draft strategy. Be sure you understand all of the details thoroughly.

Looking for a standard scoring system? Here’s a recommendation:

Skill Players

.04 pts per Passing Yard
.10 pts per Rushing or Receiving Yard
4.0 pts per Passing Touchdown
6.0 pts per Rushing or Receiving Touchdown
-2.0 pts per interception
.50 pts per Reception if you’re a fan of PPR

Kickers

1 pt per Punt Attempt
3 pts per Field Goal

Defenses

1 pt per Sack
2 pts per Interception
2 pts per Fumble Recovery
6 pts per Defensive or Special Teams Touchdown
2 pts per Safety
10 pts per Shut-out
7 pts for 2-9 Points Against
4 pts for 10-19 Points Against
1 pt for 20+ Points Against

Starting Line-up Requirements

You will find that college Fantasy Football leagues will start more players than the normal NFL league. The reason? You have a larger talent pool to choose from. The NFL has 32 teams. All-FBS leagues have 120. Big difference. Don’t let the larger line-ups scare you off. It may add a few extra rounds to your draft in August, but during the season it’s really no extra work.

Starting line-ups come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some standard formats to work from:

All-FBS

Quarterback: 2
Running Back: 3
Wide Receiver: 3
Tight End: 1
Flex: 1
Place Kicker: 1
Defense: 1

BCS-Only

Quarterback: 1
Running Back: 2
Wide Receiver: 2
Tight End: 1
Flex: 1
Place Kicker: 1
Defense: 1

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier destination for all things college fantasy football.

Spring Q&A: Catching Up with Nevada Quarterback Colin Kaepernick

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:48:55 -0400

In the summer of 2005, Colin Kaepernick was just a tall, skinny kid from Turlock, California looking to earn an FBS (then Div. 1-A) scholarship.

After hitting the local camp circuit to see how he stacked up against the competition, he decided it was time to shoot big.

Kaepernick set his sights on the Las Vegas Elite 11 quarterback camp.

It was there,he was told,that the best signal callers in the country would congregate to compete. The roll call was impressive: Matthew Stafford, Josh Freeman, Jake Locker, and Jevan Snead, just to name a few.

All of the camp attendees had double-digit scholarship offers. Kaepernick had none. Stafford tipped the scales at 210 pounds. Kaepernick weighed 175 soaking wet.

Undeterred, the kid from Turlock went out and showed his stuff. The result? Perhaps Greg Biggins (ESPN West Coast Recruiting) summed it up best:

“He attended the final Elite 11 tryout in Las Vegas, a camp that was loaded with Div. 1 prospects and was as impressive as anyone in attendance not named Matthew Stafford. Kaepernick has the strongest arm in the West region, has good mobility and a quick release. He was a player we felt should have been recruited by schools all over the Western region."

Surprisingly, only one offer came in: The University of Nevada gave him an opportunity.

Fast forward to 2008.

In his sophomore year for the Wolf Pack, that skinny kid from Turlock was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Year. The last sophomore to accomplish that feat was a guy named Marshall Faulk.

If you’re looking for an underdog story to root for this fall, Colin Kaepernick is your man.

As you’ll see from our interview, the more you get to know this promising young student-athlete, the more there is to like.

Todd DeVries (CollegeFootballGeek.com): Colin, did you have a childhood football hero? Do you model your game after anyone in particular?

Colin Kaepernick: My childhood hero would have to be Brett Favre. I love the way he plays the game. I try to model my game after Vince Young, but at the same time I take bits and pieces from every quarterback I see play to try to be the best at every aspect of the position.

TD: You were an excellent baseball prospect in high school. Which schools offered you a baseball scholarship? Why did you opt for football over baseball?

CK: Fresno, BYU, and UC-Davis offered me scholarships. I had a lot of schools calling the house. Some pretty big names like Duke, Tennessee, Michigan, etc. would call on a regular basis. Notre Dame at one point had set up a visit for me, but that didn’t work out at the last minute.

I just really love football and always have. It’s so competitive and physical. A lot of people thought I was making a big mistake choosing football, but I had the support of my family, and I believed in myself and my abilities. My quarterbacks tutor, Roger Theder, coached at Cal and in the NFL, and would tell me I should quit baseball and focus on football. Why wouldn’t I believe someone with those credentials?

TD: Is it true that you could throw a 94 mph fastball?

CK: Yes.

TD: Why do you think you only had one Division-1 football scholarship offer? Did it have anything to do with you being a “late bloomer?" Or perhaps the run-heavy, Wing-T offense your high school ran wasn’t conducive to showcasing your talents?

CK: Haha. I know the “string bean” comparison well. I was 6-4, 175 at the Nike camp before my senior season. I guess for me, I think that baseball had to have played into it. I had some really good camps before my junior and senior years. A lot of coaches would talk to me in one-on-one settings and tell me they really liked me and thought I could make an impact in their program.

But then it seemed like they just wouldn’t make me an offer. It was definitely a frustrating experience at the time. Maybe they were just worried that after they offered me [a scholarship] I would enter the MLB draft. I told everyone that I wouldn’t do that. Coach Ault and Coach Sacks, who was my recruiter, took my word for it.

TD: It’s been reported that one of the schools you were hoping to get a football scholarship offer from was Oregon State. Is this accurate? Did you have any other favorites? There have to be some coaches out there who are wishing they gave you a closer look.

CK: Well, honestly, at that time I was really just hoping that anyone would give me a shot. But I would say that Oregon State was pretty high up on my list at that time. Coach Riley came to one of my high school games. Nevada was actually always right at the top in regards to my favorites. I was interested in Stanford since I had a good junior camp there, and it was close to home, and the academics and all. I had a lot of contact with Coach Hawkins at Boise and Coach Tomey at San Jose as well.

I’m just so blessed that things worked out with Nevada the way they did though. The Wolf Pack fans have been great to me. It’s just been a perfect fit and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

TD: Who did you compete against in the Elite 11 camp you attended?

CK: I went to two Elite 11 camps—one at Cal and one in Las Vegas. I had a really good camp at Cal and decided to give Las Vegas a try because I wanted to throw against the best, and I was told they would all be there. It’s a pretty amazing list now that I think about it. The Cal camp had Cody Hawkins, Mike Coughlin, Danny Sullivan, Nathan Costa, and others.

Then at Las Vegas there were a lot of real big names and I remember the group I was throwing in had Matt Stafford and Josh Freeman in it. Also some big name college guys like Jake Locker, Jevan Snead, and Kevin Riley. I think I was like the only guy in the group who didn’t have 10 offers. I didn’t even have one offer!

TD: How tall are you now? What do you foresee your ideal playing weight to be in 2009?

CK: (I'm) 6-6, and in 2009 I think ideally I will weigh 225. It’s realistic, but if I’m 220, that’s fine. I’m just focused on getting stronger and faster.

TD: How’s the ankle?

CK: 100 percent.

TD: How did the other QBs look this spring? Was a No. 2 established?

CK: They looked really good. They both ran the offense well in spring camp, and I learned a lot by getting a chance to step back and watch those guys. I think we all benefited from it actually.

TD: Should we expect another 1,000 yard rushing season from you in 2009? Or do you expect to stay in the pocket more?

CK: I just want to go out there and do my best. I think Coach Ault and Coach Klenakis have some really good new stuff going into the playbook this off season. I’m really excited to run it in the fall. I’m comfortable with staying in the pocket. I never ran the ball very much in high school. My job is to move the football and get first downs and touchdowns. If it’s rushing or passing, I’m comfortable with both—whatever it takes to win football games.

TD: Who, along with Chris Wellington, do you expect to step up in the absence of WRs Marko Mitchell and Mike McCoy?

CK: We have a whole bunch of guys who I expect to step up. I’m real excited about this group. Marko and Mike had done it for awhile and I’ll miss those guys. But at the same time I think we’ve got some new guys who are ready to show what they’ve got.

I think our tight end, Virgil Green, will have a big year. Brandon Wimberly had a very good spring. He’s pretty big and physical. He’s always talking trash and begging for the ball. I like that. Veterans like Art King and Dwayne Sanders figure to step up. Some of the new guys and younger guys looked real good in camp, too. You just never know who is going to step up and stand out on Saturdays.

TD: With Luke Lippincott getting a sixth year of eligibility, you appear to be loaded at the running back position. How do you see the carries shaking out between Vai Taua, Brandon Fragger and Luke Lippincott?

CK: It’s a great problem to have. Running back is a tough position, and it’s great that we have the kind of depth we do. I’m not really sure how the carries will go. They are all the kind of guys who could start for just about anyone in the country. And we’ve got some good young guys, too.

TD: Do you have aspirations to play in the NFL? If so, what areas do you feel you need to improve to compete at that elite level?

CK: Absolutely I would love to get drafted and play in the NFL. It’s always been a dream of mine. I know that I have to work hard at all aspects of my game, all of the time, to prepare for the NFL. The minute you stop working hard, someone else who is working hard is catching or passing you. I think if I had to pick one specific thing to improve on this year it would be my accuracy.

TD: Who’s the best player you’ve ever faced (offense or defense)?

CK: Best players I’ve played against...on offense it would be Jeremy Maclin. We had no answer for him and his speed. He’s a big play waiting to happen. On defense it would have to be (Sean) Weatherspoon, the linebacker from Missouri. He was an animal on the field and I think the only person to put me on a hit highlight reel. It was the season wrap-up highlight by ESPN, I think. I thought he broke my jaw on that play.

TD: I understand you’re a pretty good student. Are you still majoring in business?

CK: Yes, I am still in business and actually don’t have that far to go towards my degree. Academics have always been important. I think a lot of people lose sight of the fact that we are student-athletes. The student part comes first, and the athlete part come second.

TD: What music would we find on your iPod?

CK: Mainly rap music, but I do listen to pretty much any style or anyone if I like their songs. Of course Kanye West and Lil Wayne have been the best by far recently.

TD: With your propensity to rack up big statistics, you’ve become a bit of a cult hero in college fantasy football circles. Do you play any fantasy games?

CK: Wow. A cult hero? I guess I didn’t realize that many people were watching what I do each week. I’ll try real hard not to let them down this season. It takes a lot of time to do fantasy leagues properly, so I don’t do that right now. My family follows it closely though and I hear from time to time about it.

TD: You open the season in South Bend against the Fighting Irish. Tell us what a win over Notre Dame would mean to the Nevada football program.

CK: I think it would really mean a lot. We are trying to have a big season and get a WAC championship and play in a big bowl game. So we need to take care of business every weekend. One game at a time. And Notre Dame is game number one. So it’s huge. It would really set us on the right path to win that first game. Also, we don’t get to play on NBC on Saturday afternoon too often.

Notre Dame has so much history and tradition and there will be so many people watching the game. I think it’s really important to our team to play a great game, get the W, and make the city of Reno proud to support us, and proud that we represent them and the state of Nevada.

TD: Thanks for your time, Colin. We wish you all the best in 2009.

CK: Thank you and good luck to you and all your readers in fantasy football this year.

Todd DeVries is founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your resource for all things college fantasy football.

A Look At College Football Spring Game Attendances

Todd at CollegeFootballGeek.com — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:50:38 -0400

Spring games are becoming more popular each and every year.

It’s a chance for fans to get their football fix in the middle of the long offseason. It’s also an excuse for alumni to make the trek back to their old stomping grounds and maybe stop in their favorite watering hole for a cold one.

Up in State College, Penn. the Blue-White game has turned into a weekend-long event that includes a full carnival in the parking lot outside of Beaver Stadium.

So, while more than 76,000 people actually set foot inside the stadium, thousands of others opted for a ride on the Ferris Wheel or spin around the Himalaya, while gobbling down a few Sno-Cones and funnel cakes.

It’s a pretty amazing spectacle considering the "game" itself is nothing more than a glorified practice session.

So, who had the biggest turnout for this year’s spring games?

BIG TEN

Ohio State—95,722

Penn State—76,500

Michigan—50,000

Michigan State—26,000

Wisconsin—23,500

Illinois—10,000

Minnesota—7,700

Purdue—5,000

Indiana—3,500

Northwestern—3,250

Iowa—N/A (Kinnick Stadium is under renovation)

BIG 12

Nebraska—77,670

Texas—44,000

Oklahoma—28,592

Kansas—17,000

Missouri—13,122

Texas Tech—12,500

Oklahoma State—12,000

Colorado—11,700

Texas A&M—8,000

Iowa State—7,000

SEC

Alabama—84,050

Florida—65,000

Tennessee—51,488

Auburn—45,381

Georgia—42,458

Mississippi State—31,606

Arkansas—30,000

LSU—30,000

Mississippi—28,357

South Carolina—25,157

Kentucky—20,200

Vanderbilt—1,000

OTHER NOTABLES

Virginia Tech—41,000

Florida State—36,000

Notre Dame—31,104

Clemson—24,000

USC—22,565

Rutgers—15,899

UCLA—12,000

Washington—10,000

Georgia Tech—8,500

Syracuse—5,184

South Florida—5,000

Hawaii—3,726

North Carolina—2,000

Boston College—2,000

Delaware—2,000

Northern Iowa—2,000

Chattanooga—1,187

Washington State—400

Todd DeVries is the editor of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premiere resource for college fantasy football. Special thanks to Mike Hlas of the Cedar Rapids Gazette. See his blog here.