Surprise College Fantasy Players of the Week

Three 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%). In 2010 I had another successful year with a winning week every week and an overall 103-45-17 (70%) record. Last year I went 82-44-11 (65%). So far this year I am 37-20-3.

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 3. Keep in mind you will not find players like Denard Robinson, Matt Barkley or Montee Ball in my picks. These are strictly surprise picks of players who are flying under the radar.

My QB’s of the Week:
David Ash, Texas • Terrance Broadway, Louisiana
• Terrance Owens, Toledo

QB David Ash, Texas vs West Virginia – After posting 300+ passing yards in his last 2 games, David Ash has to be excited about facing a WVU secondary that allowed 582 passing yards in last week’s highly publicized shootout with Baylor. With the Mountaineers surrendering an average of 433 ypg passing against their 3 FBS foes in 2012, Ash should have no problem reaching the 300 yd plateau for a 3^rd consecutive contest.

QB Terrance Broadway, Louisiana vs Tulane – With starter Blaine Gautier out for a significant amount of time with injury, former Houston transfer Terrence Broadway gets the keys to the offense here against a very porous Tulane defense that gave up 553 total yards a week ago to ULM. Broadway has looked impressive so far in 2012 hitting on 65% of his passes while also rushing for 2 td’s a week ago against FIU. If our projections are right, Broadway will be a big addition to many fantasy teams in the next few weeks.

QB Terrance Owens, Toledo vs Central Michigan – After an early season battle for the starting role with Austin Dantin, Terrance Owens has fully taken over the duties at QB for the Rockets passing for 284 ypg and an 8-0 ratio in his last 4 games. With a matchup against a Central Michigan squad that allowed 622 total yards a week ago against Northern Illinois, Owens should continue to be a productive starter here.

My RB’s of the Week:
Storm Woods, Oregon St • Beau Blakenship, Ohio
• John Hubert, Kansas St

My WR’s of the Week:
Davante Adams, Fresno St • Marquelo Suel, Akron
• Willie Snead, Ball St

WR Davante Adams, Fresno St vs Colorado St – The Fresno State passing offense has been a thing of beauty thus far in 2012 behind the guidance of QB Derek Carr. While Isaiah Burse is the biggest name on the Bulldog receiving unit after a 1,600 yard receiving season in 2011, his double teams this year have opened the door for Davante Adams to lead the team thus far in 2012 including an 8 catch, 102 yard receiving game last week against SDSt. Colorado St allowed 429 yards passing a few weeks ago against a similar offense in San Jose St making us believe that Adams could have a big game here.

WR Marquelo Suel, Akron vs Bowling Green – The Zips offense has been fairly productive over their last 4 games and Marquelo Suel has reaped some of the rewards surpassing the 90 yard receiving mark in all 4 of those contests. Our projections call for Akron to get plenty of passes off again this week against BG which should result in Suel continuing to deliver a banner campaign.

WR Willie Snead, Ball St vs Northern Illinois – How well has Willie Snead performed in each of the past 2 weeks? How about 25 catches for 351 yards and 3 td’s! With a meeting against Northern Illinois on deck (allowed 332 pass yards to Central Michigan LW), Snead could be in the driver’s seat for another big showing.

My Defenses of the Week:
Missouri •Notre Dame •Rutgers

Missouri Defense vs Vanderbilt – After a solid defensive showing against one of our most improved teams in the country last weekend at UCF, Mizzou returns home and goes back into their SEC schedule against a Vanderbilt squad that is still searching for their offensive identity after averaging just 310 ypg against FBS opponents thus far in 2012. That search may have to wait another week as we project the Tigers defense to hold the Commodores to just 15 pts and 304 total yards.

Notre Dame Defense vs Miami, FL  – The Miami Hurricanes are notoriously a team that struggles when the temp drops below 60 degrees and with an evening game in Chicago and forecasted temps of 40 near kickoff, they may have some issues. Throw in an Irish defense that has allowed less than 300 total yards in 3 straight games and you get Notre Dame on our list of top fantasy defenses for week 6.

Rutgers Defense vs Connecticut – The Scarlet Knight defense is allowing just 310 yards per game this season while UConn’s offense totaled just 239 and 223 total yards in their contests against BCS opponents so far in 2012 (NC State and Maryland). Our projections have Rutgers potentially keeping the Huskies from reaching double digits here in an expected low scoring affair.

A special thanks to our friends at CollegeFootballGeek.com for providing us with their Sneaky Plays for Week 6

CollegeFootballGeek.com’s Sneaky Plays – Week 6
By Kevin Mount, CollegeFootballGeek.com

A very interesting Week Five is in the books and it is now time to look ahead to the Sixth week of the college football season and the “sneaky” plays it has in store for fantasy owners. Here is a look at some guys who might fill in nicely for owners in need of a potential diamond in the rough.

QUARTERBACKS

David Ash Texas QB vs. West Virginia: Ash has rejuvenated the Texas offense and has back-to-back games of over 300 yards passing. He will have to fill the stat sheet this week against West Virginia for Texas to have any chance to keep pace with the Mountaineers. Look for Ash to throw often and likely clear the 300-yard mark for a third straight game on Saturday. Ash has a high ceiling in a potential high scoring Big 12 affair.

Munchie Legaux Cincinnati QB vs. Miami Ohio: Munchie tore up Virginia Tech last week to the tune of 376 passing yards and three scores. He could find plenty of success this week against a Miami Ohio defense that is allowing 280 yards passing per contest. Legaux can also do plenty of damage with his legs and could burn the Redhawks for a score on the ground this week. Fantasy owners can expect Munchie to approach 300 total yards and add a few scores in Week Six.

Stephen Morris Miami QB vs. Notre Dame: This play is more about riding the hot hand than a particular match up. Morris is quite simply on fire! He has thrown 1002 yards and seven touchdowns in the last two games. It will not be that easy against a stout Notre Dame pass defense that is only allowing 179 yards per game, but we will ride the hot hand until it cools off. Don’t expect video game type passing numbers this week, but 300 yards and a couple of scores are definitely attainable for Morris against the Irish.

RUNNING BACKS

Jamaal Williams BYU RB vs. Utah State: This 17 year old freshman stepped in for an injured Michael Alisa last week against Hawaii and ran for 155 yards and two scores. He runs very hard and looks to have good speed. He should see plenty of carries this week versus Utah State and could really shine under the Friday night-lights. The Utah State rush defense has been good this season, but the BYU is a very physical team and should be able to find success on the ground. Look for the freshman to find the end zone again in Week Six.

Dareyon Chance Western Michigan RB vs. Massachusetts: Chance has been gone over 100 yards on the ground in two of the last three games. He will be facing an awful UMASS rush defense that is yielding 252 yards per game this season. The odds look good for Chance to eclipse the 100-yard mark and score a time or two this weekend against the Minutemen.

Trayion Durham Kent State RB vs. Eastern Michigan: This 260lb monster is averaging 101 rushing yards per game in the last two weeks and scored two rushing touchdowns last week versus Ball State. He is a load to bring down and has surprisingly good speed for such a big back. Durham could rumble all over Eastern Michigan who has the worst ranked rush defense in all of college football, allowing an average of 301 yards per game in 2012. Look for the big guy to top the 100-yard mark and score at least once this week.

Kendial Lawrence Missouri RB vs. Vanderbilt: Lawrence ran for 104 yards and a score last week against a good Central Florida defense. Things could be much easier for Lawrence this week with the 91st ranked rush defense of Vanderbilt coming to Faurot Field. This Tiger has big play ability and could bust off more than a few big runs on Saturday. Expect Lawrence to post his 2nd straight game of 100 or more rushing yards and likely find pay dirt against the Commodores.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Jaxon Shipley Texas WR vs. West Virginia: Shipley is coming off a season best three-touchdown performance against Oklahoma State in Week Five. The Texas passing game is starting to show signs of life and Shipley seems to be the favorite target of QB David Ash. The Longhorns will probably have to throw often to keep pace with the scoring machine that is West Virginia. The Mountaineers pass defense is allowing a whopping 350 yards per game, so Texas could find success through the air.

Tommy Shuler Marshall WR vs. Tulsa: Shuler is coming off a ridiculous 19 catch for 200 yards performance against Purdue. He is averaging just over ten receptions per game and 107 yards receiving. Those numbers could be easily attainable against Tulsa on Saturday. The Tulsa defense is soft like butter and will probably struggle to slow down the Marshall passing game. Fantasy owners can pencil Shuler in for at least 8 grabs and 90 yards in a potential shootout with the Golden Hurricane.

Martel Moore Northern Illinois WR vs. Ball State: The Northern Illinois offense does not throw the ball all over the field, but there is a good chance its going in the direction of Moore when they do. He has scored a touchdown in four straight games and is averaging almost 16 yards per catch. The match up with Ball State is very enticing as the Cardinals pass defense is atrocious, giving up close to 320 yards per game. Fantasy owners can expect Moore to score once again in Week Six and likely add a decent yardage total.

Brelan Chancellor North Texas WR vs. Houston: Chancellor has scored in three straight games and has topped 100 yards receiving in the last two. He could have a very productive day against a Houston pass defense that ranks 105th in the nation this season. Chancellor will have to be heavily involved in the offense for North Texas to keep up with the Houston offense. Look for this playmaker to score for the fourth straight game on Saturday.

SNEAKY DEFENSES:

Miss State vs. Kentucky
Oregon vs. Washington

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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CollegeFootballGeek.com is your home for 2012 college fantasy football content! Draft kit, injury reports, player news, player projections, player rankings, mock drafts, community forums, and much more!

A special thanks to our friends at CollegeFootballGeek.com for providing us with their Week 6 Player Rankings