Erik Kuselias has been one of the leading Fantasy Football experts in the nation for over a decade. Most notably, while at ESPN (2003-2010) Kuselias was asked to create, host and lead ESPN’s first season long Fantasy football show “Fantasy Football Now.’ In its first season, the show was nominated and won ESPN’s First Fantasy Emmy, claiming honors for Outstanding New Show. With Kuselias, the show moved from an ESPN.com venture over to television garnering huge ratings on ESPN2, and “Fantasy Football Now” became one of the leading shows anywhere on fantasy football.

In 2011, Kuselias signed on with The Golf Channel to host “Morning Drive,” a daily talk show that covers golf as well as other sports. The show debuted on January 3, and can be seen from 7-9 AM ET.

This past year I was pleased to have Erik write my Fantasy Football Guide in this year's Pro Football Preview. Today I am going to give you Erik's Fantasy Rankings for Week 9.

Erik Kuselias' NFL Fantasy Rankings Week 11

Surprise College Fantasy Players of the Week

Two years ago I started a weekly blog that included my surprise fantasy picks for each week of the college football season. Each week I picked the players that were flying under the radar and I am pleased that I finished my first year at a very successful 83-29-7 (74%). Last year I had another successful year with a winning week every week and an overal 103-45-17 (70%) record.

This year I will again be giving you the surprise fantasy picks each and every week in my Thursday daily blog and here are my picks for Week 10. Keep in mind you will not find players like Andrew Luck, Denard Robinson, LaMichael James or Justin Blackmon in my picks. These are strictly surprise picks of players who are flying under the radar. Last week I went 9-1 which was my best performance of the season! I am currently 68-34-10 (67%) on the picks so far this season and the last 5 weeks I am 38-11-1 (78%).

QUARTERBACKS:

My QB’s of the Week: Dan Persa, Northwestern and Ryan Aplin, Arkansas St

Dan Persa, Northwestern- A healthy Persa is off of a 372 yard, 4 TD performance a week ago against Rice and is a must use this week against a poor Minnesota secondary that is ranked #116 in my pass efficiency def rankings. My computer is calling for the Wildcats to surpass the 500 yd mark this week including 300+ in the air and I fully agree.

Ryan Aplin, Arkansas St- Aplin has been a solid dual-threat QB (leads team in rushing and passing) for the Red Wolves this year as they control their own destiny atop of the Sun Belt. When diagnosing Aplin’s season I noticed that he has posted 290+ total yards in 7 consecutive games with 17 TD’s (pass/rush) in that span. ASU gets another favorable matchup this weekend against a Middle Tennessee defense allowing 477 ypg at home in 2011.

RUNNING BACKS:

My RB’s of the week are: Cameron Marshall, Arizona St, Branden Oliver, Buffalo and Brandon Pendergrass, Wake Forest

Cameron Marshall, Arizona St- After being stymied for just 37 rush yards a week ago against Washington St (lowest since opener), Marshall is due to for another breakout performance this week against Arizona. The Wildcats are allowing 180 ypg rushing on the season and we benefited from those porous stats a week ago while using Colorado RB Rodney Stewart who had 181 yards and 3 TD’s despite being limited in the first half with a knee injury. Expect Marshall to surpass the 100 yard mark for the 4th time this season here while adding on to his already league-leading 14 rushing TD’s,

Branden Oliver, Buffalo- You are probably wondering why we would use a RB from a terrible 2-8 MAC team in our fantasy lineup this week. After analyzing the type of year that Oliver has put up and his matchup in front of him, there was no question that this looks promising. Oliver broke the 1,000 yard plateau a week ago against Eastern Michigan with his sixth 100 yard game of the season while contributing 36% of the Bulls offense in 2011. Akron comes to town this week allowing 407 ypg vs conf opponents this year and with my computers estimating Buffalo with 430+ yds, Oliver should deliver.

Brandon Pendergrass, Wake Forest- What has Brandon Pendergrass put up since the injury to Josh Harris 5 games ago? How about 403 of his 551 rushing yards on the season including 134 a week ago against a Clemson squad that came into the matchup allowing just 85 rush ypg at home vs conference opponents. Pendergrass is set up for another monster game here against a Maryland defense that has surrendered 256 ypg on the ground over their last 8 games.

WIDE RECEIVERS:

My WR’s of the week are: Jeremy Ebert, Northwestern and Rishard Matthews, Nevada

Jeremy Ebert, Northwestern- When you have a healthy Dan Persa you usually have a productive Jeremy Ebert as well and if last week’s 208 yard receiving performance is a glimpse of the rest of the year to come, then we should be in good shape here. Ebert has pushed past the 100 yard mark in 4 of the last 5 games and as mentioned in Persa’s writeup, gets a favorable matchup against a poor Minnesota defense this weekend.

Rishard Matthews, Nevada- Big game for Nevada this week as they continue to march for the WAC Title. The Pack’s biggest weapon in the passing game this season is Matthews who has surpassed the 100 yard receiving mark on 5 occasions in 2011 and is just 42 yards away from the 1,000 yard mark. My computer projections have Nevada putting up 303 yds in the air against La Tech on Saturday which should feature a good dose of Mr. Matthews.

DEFENSES:

My Top Defenses of the Week: Notre Dame, Air Force and Georgia

Notre Dame vs Boston College- The Eagles come into South Bend with some major offensive questions as despite a 404 yard performance against a poor Maryland defense, BC has mustered up just 248 ypg against Clemson, Va Tech, Florida St and NC State. My computer is calling for BC to put up just 203 yds here and I fully agree with that projection.

Air Force vs UNLV- Here’s my scenario with choosing the Falcons defense here: A few weeks ago Air Force surrendered just 223 total yards in a 42-0 win over New Mexico. The Lobos then took home their first win of the season a week ago against UNLV who now heads to Colorado Springs with their tail between their legs as they average just 229 yards away from home and are now making a 2nd consecutive road trip. 

Georgia vs Kentucky- The Bulldogs have allowed 269 ypg or less in 6 of their L/8 games including just 196 against Auburn a week ago. The biggest factor in taking Georgia here is what Kentucky has done on the SEC road this year. How about mustering up just 462 yards total in 3 games this season or 154 ypg!!! Take the Dawgs here as they take a bite out of the powerless Cats.

UPSET OF THE WEEK:

Tennessee over Vanderbilt

The Vols are 12-1 vs the Commodores. LY UT dominated early jumping out to a 14-0 lead and appeared on their way to a rout but only won 24-10. LW the Vols were thrashed by Ark 49-7! It was true frosh Worley’s first career road start and he had a decent outing throwing for 208 yds (52%) but did have a costly int in the RZ just before HT and the rout was on in the 2H. The big question here will be if QB Bray (out L/5 gms w/broken thumb) will be able to go as he avg’d 316 ypg (66%) with a 14-2 ratio before the inj. Vandy continued their impressive ssn under 1st-yr HC Franklin with a dominating 38-8 (-13’) win over UK (largest margin in SEC win S/’71) as they outgained the Wildcats 410-211. QB Rodgers has been great and after completing just 40% of his passes in his 1st 2 gms w/significant action is avg 248 (60%) with a 5-1 ratio the L/3 gms. Vandy’s improved play TY and UT’s struggles will make this the first time UT will be a underdog at home and Tennessee is 19-1 the last 20 home finales. Both tms need a win if they want to go to the postssn and the series edges favor UT.

A special thanks to our friends at CollegeFootballGeek.com for providing us with their Sneaky Plays for Week 12

CollegeFootballGeek.com’s Sneaky Plays – Week 12
By Kevin Mount, CollegeFootballGeek.com

The 12th week of the college fantasy season is upon us and with it comes the second week of the playoffs in many leagues. Here is a look at some players who might fill in nicely for owners in need of a potential diamond in the rough for the second week of the fantasy playoffs.
 
 
Alex Gillett QB Eastern Michigan vs. Kent State:
Gillett had been having a disappointing fantasy season until that past two weeks, when he tallied 645 total yards and eight passing touchdowns. He seems to be turning it on at just the right time and could be a nice play this week against Kent State. Gillett does come with some risk, but the reward could be big for fantasy owners in the playoffs.
 
Tyler Tettleton QB Ohio vs. Bowling Green:
Tettleton has been a pleasant surprise to fantasy owners this season. He has accounted for 29 total scores on the season and has been consistent from week to week. This sophomore could find more success this week in a match up with Bowling Green. He seems like a decent bet to put up around 300 total yards and a couple of scores in Week 12.  
 
Blake Bortles QB Central Florida vs. East Carolina:
Bortles appears to have wrestled the starting job away from Jeff Godfrey with his recent play. He played the entire second half last week against a tough Southern Miss defense and responded with almost 250 yards passing and two scores. Assuming he is the starter this week, Bortles could put up some nice numbers against East Carolina.
 
Connor Halliday QB Washington State vs. Utah:
This freshman came on in relief duty last week against Arizona State and went absolutely ballistic. He threw for 494 yards and four touchdowns against a usually tough Sun Devils defense. Halliday looked poised beyond his years and could be the future of Washington State football. It is unsure whether he will start this week or not, but he would make a nice option against Utah if so. Monitor the situation throughout the week to see what is going on and don’t be afraid to pull the trigger if Halliday is the starting QB in Week 12.
 
Brandon Pendergrass RB Wake Forest vs. Maryland:
Pendergrass has quietly produced 280 yards and four rushing touchdowns over the past three games for Wake Forest. His match up this week against Maryland is the stuff of which legends are made. The Terrapins can’t stop a wet paper bag, allowing over 230 yards per game on the ground and ranking 114th in the country. This Demon Deacon seems likely to post over 100 yards rushing and also find the end zone on a couple of occasions this week.
 
Kendial Lawrence RB Missouri vs. Texas Tech:
Lawrence stepped in for an injured Henry Josey last week against Texas and proceeded to churn out 106 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He looks to be the lead back now and has a tasty match up this week against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are abysmal at stopping the run and give up over 240 yards per game on average. He could be a huge boom this week and could easily top the 100 yard mark and score at least once.  
 
Le’Veon Bell RB Michigan State vs. Indiana:
Bell has had a more predominate role in the offense the past two weeks and has responded with 108 yards per game and three rushing touchdowns over that span. He could be in store for a monumental performance this week against a pathetic Indiana rush defense that yields over 245 yards per game. Bell could score two or three touchdowns this week without even breaking a sweat. Ride this Spartan in Week 12.
 
Dionza Bradford RB UNLV vs. Air Force:
This freshman has taken over the UNLV backfield and has gone over 100 yards in three of the past four contests. He is getting a steady dose of carries and proving to be pretty consistent. Bradford could have a field day with an Air Force rush defense that struggles in a big way, ranking 111th in the nation. Look for Bradford to go over 100 yards once again and likely add at least one score.
 
Gerell Robinson WR Arizona State vs. Arizona:
Robinson has gone over 100 yards receiving in four of his last five games, including a 158 yard effort last week versus Washington State. He is the main target in an ever improving passing game and should finish the season strong. His match up this week is very enticing as Arizona is a sieve defensively, ranking 107th in the country against the pass. Fantasy owners could be smiling ear to ear after watching Robinson perform this week.
 
Jeremiah Ostrowski WR Hawaii vs. Fresno State:
Ostrowski has really stepped up the past two weeks with Royce Pollard being lost to injury. He has 16 receptions for 209 yards and two scores in those two games. While the loss of starting quarterback Bryant Moniz will hurt badly, Hawaii will still continue to throw the ball often; so Ostrowski can still be productive. The Fresno State pass defense has been very bad this year and will likely have a hard time stopping Ostrowski and the Hawaii pass offense.   
 
Titus Davis WR Central Michigan vs. Toledo:
Davis has been great while filling in for the injured Cody Wilson the past two weeks. He has 302 yards and four touchdowns over that span and is one of the hottest wide outs in all of college fantasy football. Davis could excel again this week facing a Toledo defense that seemingly gets gauged every week. This could be another high scoring game, with both offenses having their way with things. The chances of Davis going over 100 yards for the third week in a row seem very, very good.
 
Malcolm Mitchell WR Georgia vs. Kentucky:
This freshman leads Georgia in receiving yards and that includes missing the past three games due to injury. He returned last week against Auburn and posted 85 yards and a score. Mitchell could find more success this week against a Kentucky secondary that may not be able to handle his big play ability. Look for another impressive outing from this stud freshman this week.
 
Jack Doyle TE Western Kentucky vs. North Texas:
Doyle catches a decent numbers of passes per game for the TE position, but he has yet to find the end zone this season. That could change this week against a North Texas secondary that gives up 287 yards passing per game and 23 touchdowns on the season. He is worth a shot this week.  
 
 
Sneaky D’s:
 
Arizona State vs. Arizona
Utah State vs. Idaho
Arkansas State vs. Middle Tennessee
Wyoming vs. New Mexico
Wake Forest vs. Maryland
Florida vs. Furman
Auburn vs. Samford
Southern Miss vs. UAB
 
There you have it everyone, enjoy this week’s action and always remember to have fun playing college fantasy football. Good luck this week!


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A special thanks to our friends at CollegeFootballGeek.com for providing us with their Week 12 Player Rankings