Daily Blog - September 24th
Welcome to my Thursday blog. Last year on CBS College Sports I did a weekly segment every Thursday in which I picked a surprise QB, RB, WR and Defense of the Week plus gave them my Upset Pick of the Week. I will do the same thing this year for everyone here on PhilSteele.com every Thursday! Here are my picks for top QB (with reasoning), RB, WR and Defenses of the Week plus an Upset Special. I also give you reasoning on 3 or 4 Others to Watch. Keep in mind these are NOT the obvious picks. I do not take the nation’s leading passer facing a weak secondary and pick him as my QB of the Week. These are mostly SURPRISE projections and I tell you why.
PhilSteele.com is teaming up with CFFinsider.com & CollegeFootballGeek.com to bring you college fantasy football information every week this year. Our friends at CFFinsider.com are giving us their top fantasy starters at each position for week 4 which are listed below my picks for this week. Also THIS WEEK -- Waiver Wire Report and Sneaky Plays for Week 4 provided to you from CollegeFootballGeek.com
First a recap of last week’s selections and I grade them win/loss or push.
QB - Todd Reesing, Kansas – Reesing threw for 338 yds (68%) with a 3-0 ratio, a 161.69 QBR and also had 51 yds rush (6.4) in a 44-16 win over Duke. WIN
Top Honorable Mentions from last week:
Landry Jones, Oklahoma – Jones threw for 336 yds (68%) with a 6-2 ratio (186.55 QBR) in a 45-0 thrashing of Tulsa. I called for Jones to top Tulsa’s QB in production even though Kinne was among the leaders in the NCAA and Jones was much maligned. This was a huge win for Jones as Kinne had just 106 pass yds (46%) with an 0-2 ratio vs Oklahoma.
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas – Mallett threw for 408 yds (54%) with a 5-0 ratio (184.03 QBR) in a 52-41 loss to Georgia.
Chris Todd, Auburn - Todd is finally healthy after playing last year with a bum shoulder. Prior to the WV game he was averaging 221 pass ypg (55%) with a 2-0 ratio in OC Malzahn’s run-first offense. He threw for 284 (52%) with a 4-1 ratio (164.70 QBR) in the 41-30 win over the Mountaineers.
Tim Hiller, Western Michigan – Hiller threw for 185 yds (59%) with a 4-0 ratio (157.72 QBR) LW in a 48-26 win over Miami, OH . 4 TD’s is a good game.
RB - Patrick Mealy, Army – Mealy only contributed 28 yds rush on 7 attempts (4.0) in a 24-17 win over Ball St. Army was hoping to establish the FB in that game and FB Ehle had 15 carries for 67 yds. They also had trouble with the QB pitch with 6 fumbles (2 on pitches to Mealey) on the day (only 1 lost). LOSS
Top Honorable Mentions From The Week:
Darius Marshall, Marshall – Marshall ran for 186 yards (8.9) with 1 TD in the Herd’s 17-10 win over Bowling Green. I was going to use Marshall as my RB of the week but I already had Marshall as my upset of the week so I backed off.
Toby Gerhart, Stanford – Gerhart ran for 113 yds (4.7) with 2 TD’s in Stanford’s 42-17 win over San Jose St.
WR - Vincent Brown, San Diego St – Brown pulled in 13 rec’s for 143 yards (11.0) with 1 TD in last week’s 14 point loss to Idaho. WIN
Top Honorable Mentions from the week:
Dez Bryant - Oklahoma St – Bryant grabbed 9 rec’s for 161 yds (17.9) with 2 TD’s in last week’s 45 point win.
Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas – Briscoe only pulled in 6 rec’s but for 117 yds (19.5!!) with 1 TD in last week’s 44-16 demolishing of Duke.
DEFENSE - MY PICK: Baylor – Baylor allowed 382 total yards including 235 yds rush (7.8) in their 8 point loss to Connecticut. LOSS
Top Honorable Mentions from the week:
Clemson – The Tigers held Boston College to just 54 total yards in their 25-7 win. The total could have been less as BC had just TWO total yards before the lightning delay (2 lightning/rain delays that totaled almost 3 hours).
Penn St – Penn St held Temple to just 251 total yards including 46 yds rush (1.6). Penn St has yet to allow a team more than 100 yds rushing on the season. CLICK HERE FOR PENN STATE’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS.
Florida - The Gators held Tennessee to just 210 total yards. In the last 2 weeks Florida has allowed just 159 yards passing (44%).
Oklahoma – The Sooners held Tulsa to just 269 total yards in their 45 point win. Tulsa came in averaging 451 ypg!!!
UPSET OF THE WEEK
MY PICK: Marshall over Bowling Green – Marshall pulled the 17-10 win and they had a 246-10 rushing yard edge for the game in their home upset. WIN
3-2 for the week and most of the selections I make are long shots. You will not see a top 5 player in passing matched up against an FCS team. Anyone can figure out those.
Here are this week’s selections.
QB
MY PICK: Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan - LeFevour comes in only averaging 176 ypg (69%) with a 3-2 ratio but has faced 2 BCS foes (Arizona & Michigan St) and then was pulled early last week in their 48-0 romp over Alcorn State. Here I am calling for a QB with very average stats at 176 pass ypg and ONE TD per game to top 300 yards passing and at least match his season total of 3 TD’s for the year!
Ricky Dobbs, Navy - Dobbs was held to just 21 yds rushing and 89 yds passing last week by an experienced Pitt defense that was facing Navy’s triple option for the 3rd year in a row. This week Navy faces a rebuilding Western Kentucky team (just 3 starters back on defense in ‘09) that has never faced the triple option. The Hilltoppers are allowing 275 rush ypg (7.1) going into this game and it won’t be pretty for WKU. Look for Dobbs to have a career day both running and passing!
Omar Clayton, UNLV - Clayton is averaging 241 pass ypg (69%) with a 5-3 ratio and faces Wyoming this week. The Cowboys have allowed 283 ypg passing (#110 in the NCAA). This is a key conference game that the Rebels need to win if they want to end their 8 year bowl drought.
Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M - Johnson is averaging 336 pass ypg (63%) with a 6-0 ratio vs the weak defenses of New Mexico and Utah St. This week isn’t much tougher as they face UAB and my computer predicts he will throw for 373 yds! UAB is #118 in the NCAA in pass defense allowing 333.7 ypg.
Max Hall, BYU – BYU is off a loss and ready to dominate the rest of the year. Check out this stat line from Max Hall vs the Colorado State secondary last year: 389 yards passing, FIVE TD’s, 80% completions and 11.11 yards per attempt and that was on the road!
Taylor Potts, Texas Tech, - Houston comes in ranked and allows just 173 ypg passing. Potts gets better every week and could top 400 yards here.
RB
MY PICK: Carlos Brown/Brandon Minor, Michigan-The Wolves rushed for a Rich Rodriguez era record 380 yds last week including Brown’s career high 187 and now take on a defense which is ranked ahead of the Wolves in just about every Big Ten category. The Hoosiers are #2 in the league in rush defense allowing just 76 ypg rushing thanks to taking on FCS E Kentucky, Western Michigan (passing team) and an Akron QB who threw 4 int in his first start after the Zips suspended its 3 year starting QB the day prior to the game. UM QB Forcier struggled last week and Rod will continue to lean on the ground game with the rival Spartans looming. Indy has allowed 228 yards rushing on the SEASON (3 games) but my computer says Michigan could top that number here in one game.
Honorable Mentions:
Ryan Matthews, Fresno St – Matthews was running downhill last week with 234 yards and 12.3 ypc vs a tough Boise St defense and was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week. Cincy has a very young defense with just one starter back and while they held Oregon St’s Quizz to just 73 yards and 3.7 ypc last week they were untested in their first two games. Cincy has yielded just 208 yards rushing on the YEAR (69 ypg) but my computer shows Fresno with about that number here so I look for a very productive day out of Matthews.
Montario Hardesty, Tennessee - This guy is making his senior year count! I predicted he would lose the starting job to PS#1 true freshman Bryce Brown, but Hardesty has managed to stay healthy and has been super productive with 345 rush yds (5.4) on the year and even had 96 yds rush (4.8) vs Florida’s tough D last week. This week UT faces Ohio is allowing 204 rush ypg (4.3) and the Vols will have to take care of business in all of their winnable games this year with the rest of their tough SEC schedule looming.
Mark Ingram, Alabama - While Arkansas spent the entire offseason and the first few weeks of the year preparing for Georgia, only to lose that game, Alabama as usual under Saban has taken one game at a time and simply dominates week to week. Even last week vs North Texas Saban said he thought there was no let up. The Tide will be super focused to face West rival Arkansas and their ground game leads the way. Ingram is the top guy in their stable of backs and is averaging 99 rush ypg (6.8). Arkansas allowed UGA to rush for 155 yds (4.3) last week on top of the 375 pass yds they allowed.
Nick Grigsby, Arizona - Here’s one of the NCAA’s top rushers (#5) that isn’t getting much publicity. Grigsby has rushed for 400 yds with an amazing 8.2 ypc and 3 TDs this year. He was held to 75 yds rushing by Iowa’s tough defense last week, but the Cats face Oregon St (only 3 defensive starters back from last year) this week. Oregon St hasn’t faced a strong ground game like this yet this year.
WR
My Pick: Julio Jones, Alabama - Jones is one of the top WRs in the SEC but has just 5 receptions for 55 yards this year after missing most of the last 2 games with a bruised knee. He is expected to be ready to go vs Arkansas this week. Jones is 6’4” and Arkansas’ starting CBs are 5’9” and 6’0”. I watched Georgia’s WRs running free in the secondary last week and Jones should light them up. While Jones is a big name, here I am taking a guy that could at least DOUBLE his SEASON TOTAL in yards in one game!
Honorable Mentions:
Eric Decker, Minnesota-Decker enters the Big Ten opener #3 NCAA in receiving yards per game with his 415 yards comprising 59% of UM’s pass offense. Last year in the Metrodome Decker came in as the conference’s leading receiver but injured his ankle and a deflection off of his hands turned into the game winning 48 yd interception return for a TD for the Cats with :12 left. He will want to atone for one of the few balls he failed to corral last year and he may get the opportunity vs a Cats secondary which played without 2 of its top 3 CB’s last week vs Syracuse. In that game the Orange’s top WR Mike Williams responded with a career day (11 rec for 209 yd & 2 TD) vs NU’s beaten up secondary.
James Johnson, Washington - Johnson is a true freshman receiver (PS#58) who leads the Huskies with 16 rec for 183 yds (11.4). Though it will be tough to come off their high after beating USC last week, UW faces Stanford which is allowing 219 ypg passing (64%) which is #84 in my pass defense rankings which takes into account the strength of opponents faced.
Damian Williams, USC - Williams is USC’s top receiver but only has 11 receptions for 158 yds (14.4) so far this year. USC ready to smoosh someone after losing to Washington and they take a big step down in competition level this week facing Washington State at home. Last year after their loss to Oregon St, USC outscored the next 3 opponents 141-10. USC Pete Carroll said he hopes QB Barkley will return for this game.
McKay Jacobson, BYU – Jacobson was a MWC Frosh of the year in 2006 and sat out the last two years on a mission. He has a grand total of NINE receptions on the year which is just 12% of BYU’s total receptions. That means he catches about 1 out of every 8 passes that Hall completes. The numbers are amazing as he has 259 yards on those 9 catches for 28.8 ypc and 3 TD’s. Check out the QB’s and see what I wrote about Hall and if he gets the ball in McKay’s hands a little more often, Hall could have a huge game.
DEFENSE
My Pick: Georgia– I know you are saying, “Phil have you watched the Georgia defense the last 2 weeks?” Georgia has given up 78 points and 912 yards (456 ypg) in those two outings vs South Carolina and Arkansas and now face an Arizona St team that has put up 50 and 38 points in their first two outings. Based strictly on the averages of each teams last two games, Arizona St should put up 41.5 points and 415 yards. Georgia has a couple of things in their favor here. Last year they held Ariz St to 212 TOTAL yards offense and that was in the desert vs a pumped up Sun Devil crowd. This year the game is down South and Georgia fans have to be getting excited after surviving a rough opening 3 games. Arizona St has struggled at QB this spring and August and has only faced Idaho St and UL Monroe both at home and now make their first road trip. DC Willie Martinez has a solid corps of players to work with and they have pride and after two embarrassing games they will want to get that swagger back. This same D took on the explosive Oklahoma St team on the road in the opener and held them to 307 TOTAL yards! My computer is calling for ASU to have 220 total yards in this and that is about half of what most expect!
Honorable Mentions:
Miami (FL) - The Canes have vaulted into the Top 10 from the unranked masses in just 2 weeks thanks to 2 nationally televised wins over Florida St and Georgia Tech. After being torched for 472 yds rushing vs the Jackets last year, the Canes held GT to just 95 this year in 33-17 victory which wasn’t as close as the final score indicates. UM now take on a Hokie offense that is avg 11 FD, 75 rush ypg (2.2) and 217 total ypg vs the 2 BCS opponents they’ve faced this year. In a Thursday night game last year the Canes sacked VT QB’s 6 times en route to a 16-14 win and Miami’s defense is now a year older and wiser.
Clemson - Clemson held Boston College to just 54 total yards in last week’s 25-7 win despite lengthy rain and lightning delays. This week they take on another defensive-minded team in TCU and my computer predicts the Horned Frogs will have just 250 total yards. This is another game where we have an unranked team that I feel is stronger than the ranked team and Clemson is at home for this!
BYU - BYU is off their largest home loss since ‘04 and will be out for blood. My computer predicts that they will hold Colorado St to just 235 total yds.
USC – The Trojans are off a loss and should be angry. Wash St lost another RB this week and I now have SIX skill players circled (out for year) from their opening three deep. Last year Wash St never got past their own 45 vs USC and had 116 total yards. The Cougars just put 30 points up last week but my computer shows them with 120 yards and 2 points but I think a 2nd straight shutout is a distinct possibility in the series.
UPSET OF THE WEEK
MARSHALL OVER MEMPHIS – I will come right back with the Thundering Herd to bag a second straight upset this week. Keep in mind in my Top 25 forecasts I have picked FOUR UNRANKED TEAMS to best RANKED teams this week. This one is under the radar. Darius Marshall is one of the best RB’s that you have never heard of and Marshall has a very underrated defensive front 7. I will call for the Herd to continue to gain confidence and move to 3-1 this week.
Here is the complete list from CFFinsider.com of their top fantasy starters at each position for week 4.
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Top 25 RBs: |
Top 25 WRs: |
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Top 15 TEs: |
Top 15 Ks: |
Top 15 Defenses: |
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A very special thanks to our friends at CollegeFootballGeek.com for providing us with the Waiver Wire Report for Week 4:
Need to bolster your roster? Here is a look at the top college fantasy football prospects who may be available on the waiver wire.
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 signal caller is available in most leagues after a shaky start to his season. He ripped UAB for over 400 passing yards last week, 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 last week, shredding Texas A&M for close to 40 fantasy points. The trick is knowing when to start him - Week 4 vs. Southern Utah seems like a good bet.
Dwight Dasher (Middle Tennessee State)
Despite our pleads for you to grab this talented Blue Raider, Dasher is still showing over 60% availability in fantasy leagues. He posted his second straight 30+ 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, then a date with Miami. And, of course, you’ll have to monitor the status of Sam Bradford. There is a chance you might only get one more start 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.
B.J. Daniels (South Florida)
With Matt Grothe out for the season, Daniels has been thrust into action. He looked fantastic against Charleston Southern last week – but it WAS Charleston Southern. Daniels is certainly one to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
Other BCS-Only League Possibilities:
Mike Kafka (Northwestern), Jameele Sewell (Virginia), Joey Elliot (Purdue)
Running Backs
PICK ‘EM UP
Jeremy Avery (Boise State)
Avery was drafted in most All-120 leagues, but became waiver wire fodder in many formats after it was apparent D.J. Harper was sharing the workload. Well, Harper blew out his knee in last week’s game and his done for the year, making 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 statline on Saturday. But Dixon posted 31-149-3. Dixon appears worthy of a pickup in BCS-only leagues - even if he shares the load with Todman from here on out.
Toben Opurum (Kansas)
Opurum burst onto the scene from relative obscurity, posting similar numbers to Jake Sharp through three weeks. With Sharp nursing an injury last week, Opurum took over the reigns with 20 touches, 120 yards and 2 TDs. He is certainly worth picking up as Sharp insurance, and is looking like a great play this week with Sharp’s status up in the air.
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 over 50% of fantasy leagues. He isn’t likely someone worth starting on a weekly basis (yet), but he’d certainly help bolster your RB depth. He has a juicy matchup this week against Southern Utah.
Meco Brown & 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 7 touchdowns in the first three games. The remaining schedule is favorable, making both of these guys roster-worthy.
LaMichael James (Oregon)
James had his breakout game on Saturday against Utah, posting a 27-152-1 statline. The fact that the coaching staff trusted him with the rock that many times in a key game is a very good sign. However, Jeremiah Masoli figures to continue to steal rushing touchdowns in the redzone.
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 benefited from awful competition (Murray State & Gardner-Webb) and injuries to his RB competition to 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. Only consider Brown in BCS-only leagues.
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 statline. But Brandon Wegher rushed the ball 17 times, and Jeff Brinson is still hoping to return from injury. We’d hold off on Robinson for now.
ONE TO WATCH
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 7 times.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Johnathan Franklin (UCLA)
Delone Carter (Syracuse)
James Wright (New Mexico)
Wide Receivers
PICK ‘EM UP
Mike Williams (Syracuse)
11 catches, 202 yards and 1 score this weekend against Northwestern. Add him now.
Jarred Perry (Missouri)
Has scored at least one touchdown in each game this season. Posted 7-161-2 on Saturday against Furman. Figures to be a central cog in the Mizzou passing attack.
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 and scored 4 touchdowns - on 4 touches! While this ratio is sure to decline, Nwachukwu is certainly worth the risk if you have the roster room.
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 in larger formats.
ONE TO WATCH
Brandon Wimberly (Nevada)
The Nevada offense has struggled out of the gate, but Wimberly was a bright spot on Saturday against CSU catching 7 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)
Tight Ends
PICK ‘EM UP
Kyle Rudolph (Notre Dame)
Rudolph is off to a solid start, and with Michael Floyd gone for the season, he should get more looks.
Jeffrey Anderson (UAB)
Anderson is a favorite target of Joe Webb. With tight end help hard to find, Anderson is certainly a worthy of a pick up.
WORTH A ROLL OF THE DICE
With Tight End help hard to find, here are three guys worth taking a chance on. All had good outings last week:
George Bryan (NC State)
Jesse Rack (Buffalo)
Drake Dunsmore (Northwestern)
Here are the Sneaky Plays for Week 3, provided by CollegeFootballGeek.com
Do you need roster help this weekend, but missed out on the hot waiver wire pick ups? Here are some sneaky, under-the-radar players who have favorable matchups this week.
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.
Greg Paulus (QB, Syracuse) vs. Maine:
The former Duke point guard looked like a bona-fide college QB last week as he led 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.
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.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
Ricky Dobbs (Navy) vs. Western Kentucky
Diondre Borel (Utah State) vs. Southern Utah
Dwight Dasher (MTSU) vs. North Texas
Mike Kafka (Northwestern) vs. Minnesota
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.
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. Don’t be afraid to roll with this kid in Week 4.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
Alexander Robinson (Iowa State) vs. Army
Alfred Morris (FAU) vs. UL-Monroe
Toben Opurum (Kansas) vs. Southern Miss
Ben Tate & Onterion McCalebb (Auburn) vs. Ball State
Chad Spann & Meco Brown (NIU) vs. Idaho
Wide Receivers
Ryan Tannehill (WR, Texas A&M) vs. UAB:
With the injury to stud Jeff Fuller, Tannehill should see more time at wide out and should perform very nicely in the high-powered Aggie offense. The pathetic UAB defense should be no match.
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 could be the top receiving option for MSU as the season goes forward and this should equate to consistent fantasy performances.
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 4.
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. Don’t shy away from this Terp.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
Robert Arnheim (Western Michigan) vs. Hofstra
Phillip Payne (UNLV) vs. Wyoming
Tight Ends
Jesse Rack (Buffalo) vs. Temple
Drake Dunsmore (Northwestern) vs. Minnesota
Defenses
Connecticut vs. Rhode Island
Auburn vs. Ball State
Kansas State vs. Tennesee Tech
Baylor vs. Northwestern State
Duke vs. North Carolina Central
Syracuse vs. Maine
Western Michigan vs. Hofstra
Tulsa vs. Sam Houston State
Navy vs. Western Kentucky
For more college fantasy football information, visit CollegeFootballGeek.com:
- Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
- Injury Reports
- Player Stock Reports
- Player Rankings
- Top Fantasy Games of the Week
- Sneaky Plays of the Week
- Waiver Wire Report