As we get deeper into the season, you will notice that there will not be notes on every team. Some schools have played several games already and the standout fantasy players have become obvious. Even though this does not get published until Monday, keep in mind that I put this together Sunday night, so most injury updates haven’t been reported.
G5 Notes
- Arkansas State: WR Jonathan Adams has caught at least 6 passes in every game this season and has gone over the 100-yard mark in each of the last three games.
- Appalachian State: RB Marcus Williams retuned to action, but after he lost a fumble following his 53-yard run, he did not see another carry. Daetrich Harrington seems perched atop the RB depth chart. Against Arkansas State, he carried the ball 18 times for 137 yards and a TD.
- Florida International: On the podcast, I suggested staying away from the FIU passing game. After Friday’s loss to Jacksonville State, the entire offense might be a ‘stay away’ for me. I would probably hold RB D’Vonte Price, though, because it seems teammate Shaun Peterson might have suffered a season-ending injury. No official word, though.
- Tulsa: RB TK Wilkerson was announced ‘out’ around the time of kickoff against South Florida, so many of his fantasy owners were in the dark until it was reported by the broadcasters.
- Coastal Carolina: QB Grayson McCall missed Saturday’s game against Georgia Southern with an upper-body injury. There has been no indication that the injury is long-term and hopefully he will return for next weekend’s game at Georgia State.
- Temple: WR Branden Mack has caught a TD pass in each of the Owls first three games, while WR Jadan Mack has caught 5 TD passes in the last two games. RB Re’Mahn Davis had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season on Saturday and has at least 20 rushing attempts in all three games. QB Anthony Russo has thrown 4 TD passes in back-to-back games.
- Memphis: RB Rodrigues Clark has at least 20 carries and 100 rushing yards in three of four games this season, but he has not scored a TD since the season opener on September 5. WR Calvin Austin has caught a TD pass in all four games this season and has gone over the 150-yard receiving mark in each of the last two games. QB Brady White has thrown at least 4 TD passes in three of four games this season.
- Coastal Carolina: RB Aaron McAllister scored 2 TDs in the 49ers’ 38-28 win over UTEP and has now scored 2 TDs in back-to-back games. Teammate Tre Harbison only had 5 carries for 13 yards on Saturday.
- Liberty: QB Malik Willis totaled 7 TDs (6 pass, rush) in Saturday’s 56-35 win over Southern Miss. It was the first time Willis has totaled more than 2 TDs in a game since the season opener against Western Kentucky on September 19.
- Southern Miss: Tate Whatley got the start at quarterback for an injured Jack Abraham and totaled 5 TDs (pass, 4 rush) in the 56-35 loss.
- Central Florida: WR Marlon Williams has caught at least nine passes in all five games this season. He has topped the 98-yard mark in every game and has topped the 130-yard mark four times. WR Jaylon Robinson failed to top the 100-yard receiving mark for the first time this season in Saturday’s win over Tulane.
- Rice: A solid start to the season for WR Austin Trammell, who caught 3 passes for 76 yards and 2 TDs in Saturday’s 40-34 2OT loss to Middle Tennessee. As expected sophomore RB Juma Otoviano led the Owls in rushing with 84 yards on 20 carries. I am not putting a lot of stock into QB Mike Collins right now, even though he threw 4 TD passes against Middle Tennessee. He only completed 18-of-35 passes against a weak MTSU defense.
- Middle Tennessee: WR CJ Windham has caught a TD pass in three of the Blue Raiders last four games.
- Houston: One week after I complained about WR Marquez Stevenson not getting enough looks in the passing game, he catches 9 passes for 129 yards against Navy.
- Troy: Starting QB Gunnar Watson left the game against Georgia State with an injury and was replaced by junior Jacob Free, who completed 24-of-38 passes for 329 yards and 2 TDs.
- Georgia State: QB Cornelious Brown has accounted for 3 TDs in each of the Panthers’ last three games.
- South Alabama: The Jaguars only completed 11 passes in their 38-14 win over UL Monroe. WR Kawaan Baker caught 6 passes for 154 yards and 3 TDs. RB Carlos Davis’ 17-58-0 stat line disappointed many fantasy owners. He had at least 82 rushing yards in each of South Alabama’s first four games.
- Utah State: Based on the season-opener at Boise State, it does not seem as if there will be a RBBC approach at Utah State. Senior Jaylen Warren carried the ball 23 times for 89 yards and 2 TDs in the Aggies’ 42-13 loss.
- Boise State: RB George Holani (14-100-1 rushing; 3-33-1 receiving) and WR Khalil Shakir (7-123-2 receiving; 3-34 rushing) ) projected as the Broncos’ two best fantasy assets going into 2020, so it was nice to see both of them get off to a good start.
- Wyoming: QB Sean Chambers suffered a broken leg and is likely out for the season. I would assume that Chambers’ absence could enhance RB Xazavian Valladay’s scoring chances, but QB Levi Williams scored 2 rushing TDs in the Cowboys 37-34 defeat at Nevada. Scoring was an issue for Valladay last year, as he totaled 1,476 yards (1,265 rush, 211 rec.) of offense and only scored 8 TDs (6 rush, 2 rec.)
- Nevada: WR Elijah Cooks was suspended for the first half against Wyoming and then left the game with an injury in the second half. I am not sure of the severity. Also, RB Toa Taua did not play Saturday night and I have not learned of the reason.
- Hawaii: I figured QB Chevan Cordeiro’s dual-threat ability would be maximized in the new offense and he led all rushers with 116 yards and 2 TDs in Hawaii’s 24-19 win at Fresno State. RB Miles Reed carried the ball 21 times for 109 yards, but he did not score. Senior RB Calvin Turner carried the ball 8 times for 60 yards and scored 2 rushing TDs.
- UTSA: RB Sincere McCormick (37-165-3) topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the fourth time this season in Saturday’s 27-26 win over Louisiana Tech. It was the third time in seven games that McCormick had at least 150 rushing yards.
- Louisiana Tech: Win some, lose some. I completely whiffed on RB Justin Henderson this year. Israel Tucker got the start at against UTSA and Henderson only carried the ball 3 times for 13 yards. It also did not help that he fumbled his first touch off the game after a 4-yard catch out of the backfield.
- SMU: Cincinnati completely shut down the Mustangs’ offense. Fortunately, SMU doesn’t play another defense that good this season.
- Cincinnati: Gerrid Doaks has carried the ball at least 20 times for 100 yards in each of the last two games, and has now scored in all four games this season.
- San Diego State: RB Greg Bell carried the ball 19 times for 111 yards and a TD in the Aztecs 34-6 win over UNLV. The Aztecs have depth at running back, but after one game, it seems as if Bell is getting the first crack to be the feature back. Sophomore QB Carson Baker only completed 12-of-25 passes, which isn’t good if you have SDSU receivers or TE Daniel Bellinger on your roster. I am high on Bellinger this season, but this wasn’t a good start.
P5 Notes
- Wisconsin: As expected, Garrett Groshek (13-70) and Nakia Watson (19-62) received the most carries against Illinois, but surprisingly, neither scored a rushing TD. QB Graham Mertz’s 5 TD passes may be a preview of what to expect from the Badgers offense this year.
- Ohio State: Trey Sermon (11-48) and Master Teague (12-41) split 23 carries, but the difference between the two…2 rushing TDs for Teague.
- Syracuse: RB Sean Tucker did get banged up at the end of the game, so monitor his status this week.
- Clemson: I received several emails this past week from owners who were contemplating benching RB Travis Etienne, thinking he would only get a handful of touches against Syracuse. You just cannot sit that guy, no matter what. For the first time this season, QB Trevor Lawrence failed to total 3 TDs in a game.
- Auburn: RB Tank Bigsby has rushed for 100 yards in three straight games, and next week faces an LSU defense that gave up 126 yards and 2 TDs to South Carolina’s Kevin Harris.
- Ole Miss: For the first time this season, WR Elijah Moore did not catch at least 10 passes in a game. Moore caught 5 passes for 16 yards and a TD in Saturday’s 35-28 loss to Auburn. TE Kenny Yeboah caught 4 passes for 83 yards against Auburn, which means he has topped the 80-yard mark in four of five games this year.
- North Carolina: In Saturday’s 48-21 win over NC State, RB Javonte Williams carried the ball 19 times for 160 yards and 3 TDs. It was Williams’ third straight 100-yard rushing game and he has scored at least 2 TDs in all five games this season.
- Oklahoma: After back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, TJ Pledger has the look of the Sooners’ No.1 back. There is a chance that RB Rhamondre Stevenson returns next week. During the offseason, it was reported that his suspension was going to be 4-5 games.
- Louisville: RB Javian Hawkins has rushed for at least 150 yards in three of five games this season.
- Michigan State: Playing in his first game since transferring from Western Michigan, WR Jayden Reed caught 11 passes for 128 yards and 2 TDs against Rutgers. Reed and teammate Jalen Nailor were each targeted 12 times by QB Rocky Lombardi.
- Rutgers: RB Isaih Pacheco carried the ball 19 times for 61 yards and 2 TDs in Saturday’s 38-27 win at Michigan State. He will likely be the team’s best fantasy asset this year.
- Alabama: With Jaylen Waddle lost for the season, I would expect John Metchie to be the hottest waiver name this week if he is not already on a roster in your league. Against Tennessee, Metchie caught 7 passes for 151 yards.
- Iowa State: RB Breece Hall has rushed for at least 100 yards and scored at least one TD in all five games this season. He has rushed for at least 135 yards in each of the last four games.
- Oklahoma State: RB Chuba Hubbard has carried the ball at least 20 times in every game this season. He has gone over the 100-yard rushing mark in each of the last three games and has scored in all four games.
- Penn State: Sophomore RB Devyn Ford led the Nittany Lions in rushing against Indiana, carrying the ball 20 times for 69 yards and a TD. His TD was uncontested, and if you have not seen how the PSU-IND game ended, you should watch the highlights. Noah Cain left the game with an injury after 3 carries for 13 yards in the first quarter. QB Sean Clifford accounted for four (3 pass, rush) of the team’s five touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 119 yards.
- Indiana: RB Stevie Scott carried the ball 20 times for 57 yards and 2 TDs in Saturday’s 36-35 OT win over Penn State. The Hoosiers only had 211 yards of offense. 98 of their 211 yards were gained in the last 2 minutes of regulation and overtime.
- Virginia Tech: In the Hokies’ 23-16 loss at Wake Forest, RB Khalil Herbert failed to reach the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time this season. He also did not score a TD for the first time this year.
- Texas: Nine different players caught a pass in the Longhorns’ 27-16 win over Baylor, but WR Brennan Eagles was the only player to catch more than two passes. QB sam Ehlinger has rushed for five touchdowns in the last two games.
- Iowa: In Saturday’s 24-20 loss at Purdue RB Tyler Goodson led the team with 77 rushing yards and also caught 5 passes for 59 yards.
- Purdue: Aidan O’Connell opened as the Boilermakers’ starting quarterback against Iowa and we did not see Jack Plummer or Austin Burton. For as bad as the Purdue running game was last year, I was very surprised to see RB Zander Horvath finish the game with 129 rushing yards. WR David Bell caught 13 passes for 121 yards and 3 TDs. Reportedly, Rondale Moore will return next week, but in my opinion, Bell is a better receiver. Moore is more versatile, so it will be interesting to see both of them on the field at the same time.
- Notre Dame: Ian Book had his first 300-yard passing game of the season in Saturday’s 45-3 win at Pitt. I was expecting more from RB Kyren Williams, who only totaled 75 yards of offense and scored a rushing TD. WR Kevin Austin will miss the remainder of the 2020 season after re-injuring his foot.
- Northwestern: It seems as if RB Isaiah Bowser is healthy again, as he carried the ball 23 times for 70 yards and a TD. However, I was not impressed by his 3.0 yards-per-carry average. Teammate Drake Hall had 103 yards and a TD on 10 carries.
- Missouri: The Tigers dominated Kentucky in their 20-10 win on Saturday. Missouri racked up over 400 yards of offense, led by RB Larry Rountree, who carried the ball 37 times for 126 yards and 2 TDs.
- West Virginia: After his 2-TD game at Texas Tech, RB Leddie Brown has now scored 2 TDs in four of five games this season.
- South Carolina: RB Kevin Harris posted his third 100-yard rushing game of the season Saturday night at LSU. The sophomore back has now scored at least 2 TDs in four consecutive games. WR Shi Smith had at least 85 receiving yards in each off the first two games of the year, but has not topped the 80-yard mark in the last three games.
- LSU: Playing without QB Myles Brennan, the Tigers leaned heavily on their run game, as running backs Tyrion Davis-Price (22-135-1) and John Emery (18-88-1) combined for 40 carries, 223 rushing yards, and 2 TDs. What is still to be determined is whether or not that will continue when Brennan returns.
- BYU: QB Zach Wilson threw 4 TD passes in the Cougars’ 52-14 win over Texas State. He has totaled at least 3 TDs in every game this season and has totaled 4 TDs in four of the last five games. RB Tyler Allgeier has scored a rushing TD in five of six games this year.
- Michigan: After one game, it seems as if we will get another RBBC system in Ann Arbor. RBs Hassan Haskins (6-82-2), Zach Charbonnet (4-70-1), Blake Corum (5-21-0), and Chris Evans (5-19-1) pretty evenly split 20 carries.
- Minnesota: As expected, RB Mohamed Ibrahim (26-140-2) received most of the carries in the backfield and WR Rashod Bateman (9-101-0) was targeted on 11 of 31 pass attempts. I was a bit surprised that Chris Autman-Bell was only targeted twice in the passing game, while Ibrahim was targeted 5 times out of the backfield.
- Miami: RB Cam’Ron Harris only has 35 rushing yards in the last three games combined and I cannot see how anyone can start him in two weeks at NC State. Jaylan Knighton and Harris both lined up in the backfield to start the game against Virginia and it was Knighton who led all running backs with 14 carries. Fellow freshman Don Cheney had 12 carries for a team-high 43 yards, while Harris carried the ball 8 times for 8 yards. WR Mike Harley caught 10 passes for 170 yards and a TD in the 19-14 win over Virginia. Going into the game, Harley’s single-game high this season was 53 yards.