Daily Blog • September 23, 2010 |
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Last year 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 continued my weekly surprise fantasy picks last week with an exceptional 7-5-3 record. Overall on the season I am 25-8-6 (70%). To check out last week's picks click here. Here are my picks for this week.
QUARTERBACKS:
My QB’s of the week are: Ryan Mallett, Arkansas, Terrance Broadway, Houston and Ben Chappell, Indiana
Ryan Mallett, Alabama-While Mallett would normally not be listed here as he is not a surprise by any stretch, this week he is going against my #2 defense and last year completed just 12 of 35 passes (34%) for 161 yds in the 35-7 loss to the Crimson Tide. This year he has already thrown for 1,081 yds (70%) and has my #1 set of WR’s to throw to. Last year Alabama had 7 of the top 8 back in the secondary but this year only SS Barron had any significant starting experience. I expect Mallett and the Razorbacks to have a much better performance this year and possibly get the upset.
Terrance Broadway, Houston-Last week the Cougars not only loss their star for the season in Case Keenum (ACL) but then lost backup QB Cotton Turner (clavicle) as well in the loss to UCLA. 3rd string QB Terrance Broadway (PS#30) is just a true frosh but is very talented and the Cougars most highly touted recruit in several years. Last week in a bad situation he performed admirably with a TD pass. This week he faces an overmatched Tulane defense and will put up big numbers in his first career start.
Ben Chappell, Indiana-Chappell is one of the most underrated QB’s in the country as he is avg 274 ypg (73.8%) with a 5-0 ratio and is off a big game last week vs WKU in which the threw for 366 yds. This week he is facing an Akron defense that is allowing 455 ypg and 38 ppg. Chappell should have a career day if he plays into the 4Q.
RUNNING BACKS:
My RB’s of the week are: Ronnie Hillman, San Diego St, Ty Jones Florida St and LaMichael James, Oregon
Ronnie Hillman, San Diego St-Hillman has been one of the breakout players in the entire country with 443 yds (7.4) and 7 TD’s already. Keep in mind this is a San Diego St team that rushed for just 940 yds (78 ypg) last year as an entire team and is known more for their passing game with QB Lindley and WR’s Sampson and Brown! This week they take on a Utah St defense that allowed 230 rush yds (5.2) last week to Fresno. I expect Hillman to have another big outing and the Aztecs have an outside shot of passing last season’s entire rushing total (need 228 yds).
Ty Jones, Florida St-Jones leads the Seminoles with 220 yds (7.9) and 2 TD’s including 95 yds (6.3) last week in the win over BYU. This week Jones goes up against a Wake Forest rush D that gave up 303 yds (8.0) last week to Stanford. Jones and the Seminole offense should have an outstanding day and my computer agrees with 242 proj rush yds.
LaMichael James, Oregon-James has 360 rush yds (12.0) and 3 TD’s in just two games (susp opener) this year and will be going up against an ASU defense that looked stout in the first two games vs FCS teams but last week gave up 440 yds including 203 rush yds (4.7) in the loss to Wisconsin. James will break the 100-yd mark again and the Ducks should win comfortably.
No Brainer:
Le’Veon Bell and Edwin Baker, Michigan St-Bell and Baker have each rushed for more than 300 yds already this season and the Spartan offense will be in conservative mode without HC Dantonio and will run right at an overmatched Northern Colorado team. There is a great chance that both Bell and Baker will each top 100 yds in this one.
WIDE RECEIVERS:
My WR’s of the week are: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma and Ronald Johnson, USC
Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma-Broyles may be the best WR in the country right now with Georgia WR Green suspended. He has 31 rec (12.3) and 3 TD’s and will be going up against a Cincinnati defense that is allowing 247 pass ypg and a 65.7% comp %. I expect Broyles and the Sooner offense to have a huge day.
Ronald Johnson, USC-Johnson has been Barkley’s main target this season with 15 rec (11.8) and 4 TD’s and this week will be facing a Washington St pass def that ranks #100 in my PDR and has given up 9 TD’s already this year. Johnson should pass the 100-yd mark and add a TD or two in this one.
DEFENSES:
My Top Defenses of the Week: Texas, Boise St and Connecticut
Texas vs UCLA-The Texas defense is allowing just 218 ypg (incl just 56 rush ypg) and last week held high-powered Texas Tech to just 176 total yds. This week they play a UCLA team that has struggled offensively but is avg 203 rush ypg (5.0). My computer projects just 8 pts and 168 total yds for the Bruins as the Longhorns will win comfortably and get ready for the Red River Rivalry next week.
Boise St vs Oregon St-Everyone always talks about the Boise St offense year in and year out and while they have great players like QB Moore, WR’s Pettis and Young and RB Martin, the Broncos defense has equally been impressive this season. Last week they held Wyoming to just -22 rush yds and this week they go up against the Rodgers brothers and Oregon St. My computer projects just 67 rush yds for the Beavers and if that happens, the Boise defense will clearly be one of the defenses of the week.
Connecticut vs Buffalo-The Husky defense has been average so far this season but this week face a Buffalo offense that is avg just 8 ppg in their two games against FBS teams as the Bulls are moving from a run dominant offense LY under former HC Gill to a spread offense under new HC Quinn. My computer projects just 258 yds and 11 pts for the Bulls as the Huskies get back to their winning ways this week after the loss to Temple last week.
Upset of the Week: (2-1 TY with near winner last week w/Notre Dame):
Notre Dame over #16 Stanford
Even though last week the Irish came up just short as my upset of the week, this week I am going right back with them. Last year Notre Dame blew a 8 pt 4Q lead that snapped a 8-game winning streak vs the Cardinal. Last week was no different as the Irish again blew a 4Q lead and lost a heartbreaker to MSU on a fake FG in OT to fall to 1-2. The Cardinal have been impressive on both sides of the ball this year as a week after shutting out UCLA 35-0, the offense put 68 pts on Wake Forest last week. QB Luck led them on 8 scoring drives in his 8 possessions including a 56 yd TD run. The Cardinal have outscored their first 3 opp's by a 52-14 margin but have lost 7 str in South Bend (L/win in '92) and the Irish sooner or later will learn to how to win the close games (0-6 in their L/6 decided by a TD or less). This week they get over the hump.
A special thanks to our friends at CollegeFantasyFootballInsider.com for providing us with their Week 4 Rankings
Week 4 Player Rankings
Week Four in college football is upon us. The last week where we'll see a large number of non-conference games. Most teams, namely from the Big Ten, have elected to schedule a tune-up game before conference play begins. Leaving plenty of opportunity for fantasy owners to take advantage of matchups, at least for one more week.
Visit CollegeFantasyFootballInsider.com for more player rankings and projections.
A special thanks to our friends at CollegeFootballGeek.com for providing us with their Sneaky Plays for Week 4
Sneaky Plays - Week 4
By Kevin Mount, CollegeFootballGeek.com
The fourth week of the college football season is here and there may be some owners looking for some under the radar fantasy options. Check out who we think could fill in nicely for fantasy teams in Week 4.
Quarterbacks
Ben Chappell QB Indiana vs. Akron:
Chappell is coming off a huge performance last week where he threw for 366 yards and 3 scores against Western Kentucky. He has a friendly match up this week as the Zips of Akron come to town. He has 2 talented wide outs at his disposal and should have no problem lighting up a Zips secondary which ranks 95th in the country against the pass. Expect another 300 yard effort with 3 scores likely.
Sean Renfree QB Duke vs. Army:
This Dukie is coming off a bad day against Alabama, but who doesn’t have a bad day against Bama. He posted over 350 yards passing in each of his other two games this season and could do so again this week against the Cadets. We expect the Duke passing game to get back on track this week and Renfree could make a nice fill in QB in many leagues.
Christian Ponder QB Florida State vs. Wake Forest:
Ponder has been a fantasy disappointment thus far in 2010, but the Deacons might be just the right cure for him to snap out of that funk. Wake Forest just got lit up by Andrew Luck and Stanford and ranks an abysmal 111th against the pass and gives up just shy of 300 yards per game. Ponder and the Noles should look much better passing the ball this week.
Kolton Browning QB Louisiana Monroe vs. Southeastern Louisiana:
This youngster may have had a coming out party last week when he accounted for 350 total yards and 2 scores in a loss to Arkansas State. He has good rushing ability as shown by his 83 yards on the ground and should find it smooth sailing against SE Louisiana in Week 4.
Running Backs
Adam Robinson RB Iowa vs. Ball State:
With the injury to Jewel Hampton last week, the door is open for Robinson to be a workhorse this week against Ball State. The Hawkeyes will probably look to take out some frustration on the Cardinals and that should include a heavy dose of Mr. Robinson. Fantasy owners could easily see 120 yards and 2 scores this week.
Le’Veon Bell RB Michigan State vs. Northern Colorado:
This freshman has been extremely impressive so far in 2010, and should continue that trend this week against Northern Colorado. While he is not starting, he is still seeing an adequate numbers of carries and has chalked up two 100-yard efforts in the first 3 weeks of this season. Another 100-yard day and a score seem to be on the horizon for this talented youngster.
David Wilson RB Virginia Tech vs. Boston College:
It looks like this is the time for this highly touted kid to show his wares as he is expected to see a bunch of carries in relief of the injured starter, Ryan Williams. The reports have been glowing about Wilson and now he will get to be a big part of the Hokies offense as they face BC. He will presumably share carries with Darren Evans this week, but the potential is there for a big game from Wilson.
Doug Martin RB Boise State vs. Oregon State:
Martin seems to have separated himself from the other Broncos backs and could be in line for a nice night against Oregon State. The Beavers have been bad versus the run this year, as their 110th ranking would suggest. It could get ugly on the blue turf on Saturday night and Martin could find some nice lanes to run through all night long.
Wide Receivers
Jeremy Kerley WR TCU vs. SMU:
Kerley is coming off his best game of the year in which he caught two touchdown passes and added 49 yards on the ground. This week he faces an SMU pass defense that ranks 100th in the nation and has been shaky so far this season. He could easily find the end zone again this week and maybe multiple times to boot.
Cortez Smith WR Purdue vs. Toledo:
With star wide out Keith Smith out for the season, the Boilers are looking for someone to step up; and Smith just might be that guy. He recorded 117 yards receiving and 2 scores last week in a win versus Ball State. He should feast on a Toledo secondary that has been pathetic this season giving up 317 yards per game through the air.
Mike Davis WR Texas vs. UCLA:
This true freshman has quickly become a top target for the Long Horns when they put the ball in the air. He is averaging 6.5 receptions over the past two weeks and is getting more involved in the offense each week. The Bruins defense has been solid so far, but Davis could still have a productive day in Austin.
DJ Woods WR Cincinnati vs. Oklahoma:
Most fantasy owners expected Armon Binns to be the main pass catching threat for the Bearcats in 2010, but Woods has emerged as the go to guy in Cincy. He is coming off a monster game of 146 yards and 2 scores in a loss to NC State. He is averaging almost 6 receptions per game in 2010 and could get a ton of targets while Cincinnati plays from behind this week against the Sooners.
Jake Stoneburner TE Ohio State vs. Eastern Michigan:
Stoneburner is coming off a 5 catch and 1 score performance against Ohio. He has the speed to get downfield and seems to be a favorite target of Terrelle Pryor. With the thin TE options this year, this kid could really pay big dividends.
Sneaky Play Defenses
Michigan State vs. Northern Colorado
Wisconsin vs. Austin Peay
Virginia vs. VMI
USC vs. Washington State
Syracuse vs. Colgate
Tulsa vs. Central Arkansas
South Florida vs. Western Kentucky
Good luck to everyone in Week 4 and always remember to enjoy the games and have fun!
More…
For more college fantasy football information, visit CollegeFootballGeek.com:
- Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
- Injury Reports
- Player Stock Reports
- Player Rankings
- Sneaky Plays of the Week
- Waiver Wire Reports
CollegeFootballGeek.com is your home for 2010 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 4 Player Rankings
CollegeFootballGeek.com's 2010 College Fantasy Football Player Rankings - Week 4
QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | ||||||
Rank | Name | School | Rank | Name | School | Rank | Name | School |
1 | Denard Robinson | MICH | 1 | Daniel Thomas | KANST | 1 | Ryan Broyles | OKLA |
2 | Colin Kaepernick | NEV | 2 | Lance Dunbar | NTEX | 2 | Austin Pettis | BOISE |
3 | Taylor Martinez | NEB | 3 | Jordan Todman | CONN | 3 | Ronald Johnson | USC |
4 | Kellen Moore | BOISE | 4 | DeMarco Murray | OKLA | 4 | Chris Owusu | STAN |
5 | Terrelle Pryor | OHST | 5 | Vai Taua | NEV | 5 | Damaris Johnson | TULSA |
6 | Robert Griffin | BAY | 6 | John Clay | WISC | 6 | Greg Salas | HAW |
7 | Andrew Luck | STAN | 7 | LaMichael James | OREG | 7 | Titus Young | BOISE |
8 | Bryant Moniz | HAW | 8 | Adam Robinson | IOWA | 8 | Jereme Brooks | UTAH |
9 | GJ Kinne | TULSA | 9 | Ronnie Hillman | SDST | 9 | TJ Moe | MIZZU |
10 | Landry Jones | OKLA | 10 | Mark Ingram | ALAB | 10 | Lester Jean | FAU |
11 | Blaine Gabbert | MIZZU | 11 | Bobby Rainey | WKEN | 11 | Jerrel Jernigan | TROY |
12 | Dan Persa | NW | 12 | Shane Vereen | CAL | 12 | Kealoha Pilares | HAW |
13 | Diondre Borel | UTST | 13 | Alfred Morris | FAU | 13 | D. Frampton | ARKST |
14 | Andy Dalton | TCU | 14 | Tauren Poole | TENN | 14 | Damarlo Belcher | IND |
15 | BJ Daniels | USF | 15 | Donald Buckram | UTEP | 15 | Kamar Jorden | BGREEN |
16 | Matt Barkley | USC | 16 | JJ DiLuigi | BYU | 16 | Michael Floyd | ND |
17 | Ben Chappell | IND | 17 | Ed Wesley | TCU | 17 | Vincent Brown | SDST |
18 | Christian Ponder | FSU | 18 | Noel Devine | WVU | 18 | Mohamed Sanu | RUT |
19 | Ryan Aplin | ARKST | 19 | Marcus Lattimore | SCAR | 19 | Conner Vernon | DUKE |
20 | Russell Wilson | NCST | 20 | Bryce Beall | HOU | 20 | DJ Woods | CINCY |
21 | Kolton Browning | ULM | 21 | Alex. Robinson | IWST | 21 | Kris Adams | UTEP |
22 | Sean Renfree | DUKE | 22 | Darius Willis | IND | 22 | DeVier Posey | OSU |
23 | Josh Nesbitt | GTECH | 23 | Doug Martin | BOISE | 23 | Jeremy Ebert | NW |
24 | Corey Robinson | TROY | 24 | Keith Payne | ILLI | 24 | Armand Robinson | MIA-OH |
25 | Dayne Crist | ND | 25 | Jacquizz Rodgers | OREST | 25 | Leo. Hankerson | MIAMI |
26 | Darron Thomas | OREG | 26 | Delone Carter | SYRC | 26 | Randall Cobb | KENT |
27 | Austin Davis | SMISS | 27 | Edwin Baker | MCHST | 27 | Luthur Ambrose | LA-MON |
28 | Ryan Lindley | SDSU | 28 | Trent Richardson | ALAB | 28 | Tandon Doss | IND |
29 | Kirk Cousins | MICHST | 29 | Montel Harris | BC | 29 | Jeremy Kerley | TCU |
30 | Cam Newton | AUB | 30 | Dion Lewis | PITT | 30 | Van Chew | SYRA |
31 | Jeff Van Camp | FAU | 31 | Leveon Bell | MICHST | 31 | Cody Wilson | CMU |
32 | Trevor Vittatoe | UTEP | 32 | David Wilson | VTECH | 32 | Alshon Jeffery | SCAR |
33 | Jacory Harris | MIAMI | 33 | Brandon Saine | OHST | 33 | James Cleveland | HOU |
34 | Zach Collaros | CIN | 34 | Allen Bradford | USC | 34 | Cortez Smith | PURD |
35 | Ryan Nassib | SYRA | 35 | Gregory Ray | MEM | 35 | Rodney Bradley | HAW |
36 | Ryan Mallett | ARK | 36 | Princeton McCarty | IDAHO | 36 | James Rodgers | ORG ST |
37 | Nathan Enderle | IDAHO | 37 | James Sims | KAN | 37 | Darvin Adams | AUB |
38 | Nick Foles | ARIZ | 38 | DuJuan Harris | TROY | 38 | Kris Burd | UVA |
39 | T. Broadway | HOU | 39 | Princeton McCarty | IDAHO | 39 | DeAndre Brown | SMISS |
40 | Kevin Riley | CAL | 40 | Roy Helu | NEB | 40 | Marvin Jones | CAL |
41 | Tim Jefferson | AFA | 41 | Anthony Allen | GTECH | 41 | Eric Page | TOL |
42 | Jeremiah Masoli | MISS | 42 | Willie Geter | BG | 42 | Phillip Payne | IND |
43 | Scott Tolzien | WISC | 43 | Michael Shaw | MICH | 43 | Torrey Smith | MARY |
44 | Jordan Webb | KAN | 44 | Paris Cotton | CMICH | 44 | De. Christopher | UTAH |
45 | John Brantley | FLOR | 45 | Bernard Pierce | TEMP | 45 | Russell Shepard | LSU |
46 | Robert Marve | PURD | 46 | Derrick Locke | KENT | 46 | Dem. Sampson | SDST |
47 | Jake Heaps | BYU | 47 | Jeff Demps | FLA | 47 | Armon Binns | CINCY |
48 | Garrett Gilbert | TEXAS | 48 | Phillip Tanner | MTEN | 48 | Jonathan Baldwin | PITT |
49 | Geno Smith | WVU | 49 | Michael Hayes | HOU | 49 | Joe Adams | ARK |
50 | Zac Dysert | MIA-OH | 50 | Monte Ball | WISC | 50 | Keshawn Martin | MICHST |
TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS | DEFENSES | ||||||
Rank | Name | School | Rank | Name | School | Rank | Name | |
1 | Michael Egnew | MIZZU | 1 | Grant Ressel | MIZZU | 1 | Nebraska | |
2 | Kyle Rudolph | ND | 2 | Devin Barclay | OHIO ST | 2 | Ohio State | |
3 | Ladarius Green | ULL | 3 | Alex Henery | NEB | 3 | Iowa | |
4 | Drake Dunsmore | NW | 4 | Philip Welch | WISC | 4 | Utah | |
5 | Lance Kendricks | WISC | 5 | Blair Walsh | UGA | 5 | Wisconsin | |
6 | Daniel Hardy | IDAHO | 6 | Nate Whitaker | STAN | 6 | Texas | |
7 | Virgil Green | NEVADA | 7 | Kyle Brotzman | BOISE | 7 | Tennessee | |
8 | George Bryan | NCST | 8 | Joe Phillips | UTAH | 8 | Virginia | |
9 | Zack Pianalto | UNC | 9 | Stefan Demos | NW | 9 | Syracuse | |
10 | Collin Franklin | IW ST | 10 | Ross Evans | TCU | 10 | USC | |
11 | Ted Bolser | IND | 11 | Kevin Fitzpatrick | TULSA | 11 | Michigan State | |
12 | DJ Williams | ARK | 12 | Will Snyderwine | DUKE | 12 | TCU | |
13 | Luke Stocker | TENN | 13 | T. Mossbrucker | IOWA | 13 | South Florida | |
14 | Joe Torchia | UVA | 14 | Dan Conroy | MICH ST | 14 | Connecticut | |
15 | Rhett Ellison | USC | 15 | Erik Soderberg | AFA | 15 | Miami (FL) | |
16 | Joe Halahuni | ORG ST | 16 | Michael Taylor | TROY | 16 | Missouri | |
17 | Jordan Reed | FLOR | 17 | Rob Beard | OREG | 17 | Oregon | |
18 | Allen Reisner | IOWA | 18 | Matt Hogan | HOU | 18 | Air Force | |
19 | Luke Wilson | RICE | 19 | Justin Tucker | TEXAS | 19 | Tulsa | |
20 | Charlie Gantt | MICHST | 20 | Patrick O'Hara | OKLA | 20 | Penn State | |
21 | Coby Fleener | STAN | 21 | Alan Gendreau | MTSU | 21 | Idaho | |
22 | Jake Stoneburner | OH ST | 22 | Josh Jasper | LSU | 22 | Boise State | |
23 | Preston Dial | ALAB | 23 | Caleb Sturgis | FLOR | 23 | Oklahoma | |
24 | Chris Pantale | BC | 24 | Trey Farquhar | IDAHO | 24 | Maryland | |
25 | Nick Provo | SYRA | 25 | Colin Wagner | PSU | 25 | Michigan | |
For complete college fantasy football player rankings and statistical projections, visit the CFG Big Board. | ||||||||
Scoring System Used for CFG Rankings: | ||||||||
4 points per passing touchdown | ||||||||
6 points per rushing/receiving touchdown | ||||||||
25 passing yards = 1 point | ||||||||
10 rushing/receiving yards = 1 point | ||||||||
1 interception = -2 point | ||||||||
1 reception = 0.5 points |