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

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.