College Fantasy Football: What We Learned in Week Three

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.