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 7-3! I am currently 75-37-10 (67%) on the picks so far this season and the last 6 weeks I am 45-14-1 (76%).

QUARTERBACKS:

My QB’s of the Week: Jonathan Perry, UAB, Mike Glennon, NC State and Matt Faulkner, San Jose St

Jonathan Perry, UAB- Dual-threat QB’s have shown some success on this blog over the last couple of weeks so I am going to take another surprising stab here with a QB playing on a 3-8 team. Jonathan Perry has posted 742 total yards and 6 TD’s (no int’s) over the last 2 weeks in victories over Memphis and Southern Miss. What defense does he have on the docket this week? How about Sun Belt Conf member FAU who is 0-10 this year.

Mike Glennon, NC State- Pop quiz! What ACC defense has allowed 4 of the last 6 weekly offensive player of the week awards? The answer, Maryland. Mike Glennon gets his turn this week after putting together a 3 TD performance in an upset victory over Clemson. My computer projects another big weekend against the Terp defense which is good for a solid QB that continues to win fans over after the departure of Russell Wilson.

Matt Faulkner, San Jose St- Faulker has progressed nicely over the season including throwing just one pick over their L/3 contests. With him surpassing at least 289 yds in the air in 6 of the L/7 games, including consecutive 340 yd performances, Faulkner is a solid choice here against a Fresno secondary that has given up 300+ yds in 3 of their L/4 contests.

RUNNING BACKS:

My RB’s of the week are: John White, Utah and Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati

John White, Utah- How big of an impact has JUCO transfer John White made to the Utah offense? Well if you analyze the numbers you will come back with this conclusion: The Utes are now 7-0 when White rushes for 100+ yds and after a 4th consec 100 yd performance in the snow against Wash St, he is now on top of the leader board among P12 rushers (5th in the NCAA). Pretty impressive considering opposing defenses are keeping an extra man in the box on more occasions than not since the Utes lost their starting QB to a shoulder injury after the 4th week of the season.

Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati- With dual-threat Zach Collaros as the signal caller at Cincinnati, it’s not surprising that Isaiah Pead has been overshadowed throughout his career. With Collaros now out and a young QB taking the snaps, Pead’s name will be discussed more and more over the final 2 games. With Pead (38 yds away from 2nd straight 1,000 yd season) on the road against a Syracuse defense that has allowed 434 yds rushing over their L/2 games, expect a helpful dose from him here.

WIDE RECEIVERS:

My WR’s of the week are: Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech and Darius Johnson, SMU

Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech- With the WAC Title on the line a week ago the Bulldogs needed and received a huge game from their #1 receiving option as Quinton Patton delivered a 7 catch, 162 yd performance in their come-from-behind victory. Louisiana Tech gets a favorable matchup this week against a NMSt secondary that has seen 3 of their L/4 opponents surpass the 300 yard passing plateau.

Darius Johnson, SMU- After 4 gms of 100+ receiving over the first 9 contests, Darius Johnson has been a bit quiet over the L/2 weeks with 59 and 56 yard outings. His chance for redemption this weekend should be good against a Rice secondary that has given up 294+ yds in 4 of their L/5 contests. Johnson and the SMU offense return to expected form this week after hiccups against Navy and Houston.

DEFENSES:

My Top Defenses of the Week: Miami, Fl, NC State and Southern Miss

Miami, FL vs Boston College- 2nd straight fantasy blog that we take a shot at a defense going against the below-average Eagle offense. The Hurricanes should have some confidence at home this weekend after holding a South Florida offense to 220 yds under their yearly average (season-low 249 yds). Since allowing 470 yds to Virginia, the Hurricanes have seen their yardage allowed drop each of the L/3 weeks. While 249 is an outstanding performance, I believe that Miami has a shot to top that here.

NC State vs Maryland- The Pack defense has allowed 250 or less total yards in 3 of their L/5 games with only Florida St and Clemson surpassing that mark during that stretch. My computer rankings give the Terps just 263 total yards of offense this week and I believe that NC State has an excellent chance to keep Maryland from scoring double digits here. 

Southern Miss vs Memphis- Taking a CUSA defense can be somewhat of a risk when it comes to fantasy projections but we’ll take the Eagles here as they battle a listless Memphis offense that averages just 252 ypg against conf opponents this year. Look for a repeat performance of LY’s meeting with Memphis here when Southern Miss allowed just 269 yards in a 41-19 victory (129 yds of the Tigers’ yds came in the 4Q when the game was out of hand).

UPSET OF THE WEEK: 1-0 Last Week (Tenn)

Northwestern over Michigan St

MSU has won 3 str incl LY which was also here at NW. LY NW jumped out to a 17-0 lead but later MSU was successful on a fake P and it propelled them to the win. MSU took a 1 pt lead w/2:00 left and tacked on another TD :53 later for the misleading final. LW Legends winner Sparty booked their trip to Indianapolis with a 55-3 demolition of Indy. MSU scored on 8 of their 1st 10 poss and finished with 22-12 FD and 470-236 yd edges as 60% of the Hoosiers yds came on 3 drives with 2 after trailing 34-3 at the half. MSU QB Cousins (229, 64%, 19-5) is #3 B10 pass eff. Spartans are #5 pass eff D (156, 50%, 13-16). The Cats won their 4th straight to become bowl elig with their win 28-13 win over Minny in which they led 21-3 after their 1st 3 poss. FBS comp % leader Persa (240, 75%, 15-7) teams with jack of all trades Colter (571 rush, 410 rec, 11 TD) to form the B10’s best QB duo. After allowing 39 ppg in 1st 5 gms of B10 play, the Cats have all’d 15 ppg in L/3. This gm is meaningless for MSU with their BCS shot on deck while NW can ensure themselves a bowl invite with a 7th win (10 B10 tms could be elig for 8 spots).