UNLV vs. Houston
Point-Spread: Hou -2.5
O/U Total: 54.5
Implied Score: Hou 28.5 – UNLV 26
Weather: 82 degrees / 23% rain / 10 mph winds
UNLV:
Top Play(s) – WR Ricky White ($7,200) Last year’s WR7 in college fantasy, Ricky White, returns for his senior year after flirting with the transfer portal in the offseason. His 135 targets were good for fifth in the country, and the 33.4% team target share is exactly what we want out of a fantasy receiver.
Fade – RB Michael Allen ($5,600) Is the NC State transfer injured or just not good as he’s not listed on the opening week depth chart. Easy fade at that price.
Bargain Bin – RB Greg Burrell ($3,000) UNLV had major success already last year with playing a true freshman running back, why not make it two in a row? Burrell is college-ready at 205 pounds and had offers from programs like Utah, BYU and Fresno State. Three different RBs for UNLV had more than 17% of the rushing volume so this is a staff that tends to want to spread the ball around.
Pivot Play – QB Matthew Sluka ($5,300) It was a three-way competition for the QB1 job all throughout camp, but it appears Sluka has come out victorious after closing fall ball getting reps with the 1s. The first prediction for 2024 from the Las Vegas Sun in an article published this week is that “Sluka will get the start and most playing time.” A Holy Cross transfer, Sluka is a big-time dual threat option, rushing for 1,200+ yards in each of the last two seasons.
Best of the Rest – RB Jaiden Thomas ($5,900) Two of the three primary ball-carriers from last season are no longer on the team, leaving Thomas as the lone option in the backfield after rushing for 12 touchdowns as a freshman. Not expecting 20 carries a game now, but Thomas is the lead option and the team’s beat writer projected him to rush for 16 TDs this season. WR Casey Cain ($4,500) is a Texas transfer that brings great size at 6-foot-3 and has familiarity with OC Brennan Marion as they crossed paths in Austin two years ago when Marion was the passing game coordinator for the Longhorns. WR Jacob de Jesus ($5,500) is a good player that finished second on the team in receptions and targets but averaged just over 10 yards per catch. Limited upside if he has the same role.
Injury Notes – n/a
Houston:
Top Play(s) – RB Parker Jenkins ($4,900) As evidenced in the last two seasons, Willie Frtiz’s offenses are notorious for establishing a dominant run game, and they have produced some standout fantasy performances, including Tyjae Spears in 2022 and Makhi Hughes in 2023. If the spring game was any indication, sophomore Parker Jenkins could be next in line, as he dazzled the crowd with several impressive runs, which included a 60-yard touchdown. Patchworking the offensive line may determine his relevance with four starters gone from last year’s group.
Fade – RB Stacy Sneed ($3,900) If Sneed does make an impact, it would be running routes in the slot. But he’s been passed up on the depth chart by redshirt freshman RB Re’Shaun Sanford II ($4,500) and we’re expecting a heavy workload for Jenkins.
Bargain Bin – TE Jayden York ($3,000) Mildly surprised to see on the depth chart that York beat out an experienced player in Michigan State transfer TE Maliq Car ($3,100). The tight end position has been somewhat productive under Fritz, averaging 3.6 targets per game and around 7.2 FPPG.
Pivot Play – QB Donovan Smith ($5,800) Surprised to see Smith priced down this low. While his inconsistencies can be maddening, Smith closed last season as QB27 in college fantasy with six performances of 30 fantasy points or more. He should be a good fit under new head coach Willie Fritz who will utilize his QBs in the run game too.
Best of the Rest – WR Joseph Manjack IV ($4,900) Underpriced just like his quarterback. Manjack is the only returning starter at receiver, and we’ve seen over the first two days of CFB that a returning QB / WR combination and that familiarity has been effective in the early going. WR Stephon Johnson ($4,700) is a former Oklahoma State transfer that finished fourth on the team with 37 targets a year ago. He closed 2023 on a high note with 69 yards and a TD vs. UCF in Week 13. WR Jonah Wilson ($4,600) hasn’t played much due to injury but is a listed starter as a redshirt freshman and was a major prospect coming out of high school with offers from LSU and Ohio State.
Injury Notes – n/a
Western Kentucky vs. Alabama
Point-Spread: Bama -32.5
O/U Total: 59.5
Implied Score: Bama 46 – WKU 13.5
Weather: 83 degrees / 24% rain / 3 mph winds
Alabama:
Top Play(s) – QB Jalen Milroe ($8,500) Kalen DeBoer inherited at least one building block at quarterback with junior Jalen Milroe, who finished as QB13 last season with over 3,300 combined yards and 35 total touchdowns. Reports were mostly positive during the offseason as Milroe got acclimated to the new scheme. With all the new pieces at receiver and the new system, we can see Alabama attempting to work out any kinks with the passing game this week against a G5 opponent. WKU is also a formidable enough opponent to where Milroe won’t be sitting by half time.
Fade – n/a. Everyone listed here for the Tide is an option. We would just keep tabs on Jam Miller’s status pregame to ensure he’s full go. Kobe Prentice makes the least sense as far as pricing goes, as we project him to be the WR3 or WR4.
Bargain Bin – WR Ryan Williams ($3,000) Very surprised that the 5-star freshman is min priced because he’s going to play this week, and probably play a lot. There is no solidified No. 2 option behind Germie Bernard. WR / TE hybrid Caleb Odom ($3,000) is the other freshman that has received praise during fall ball.
Pivot Play – WR Kendrick Law ($5,200) My impression is that most will go cheap with the freshman we listed above or spend up for Germie Bernard. Law garnered the most pub early on during fall camp and was listed on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List on the Athletic, with blazing speed clocked at 23.2 MPH. Assuming Law is the WR2 to start, that is a spot that has hit 100+ targets in the last two seasons under DeBoer.
Best of the Rest – WR Germie Bernard ($5,700) If there’s one position that has blossomed in CFF under DeBoer, it is his WR1s, as they have surpassed 100 targets in seven of the last eight seasons, with the exception being the COVID season of 2020, when Jalen Cropper averaged 10 targets per contest in six games. RB Justice Haynes ($7,700) and Jam Miller ($7,500) will likely share carries in 2024. Miller has been in and out of practice at times the last several weeks, though mostly precautionary. Also notable that sportsbooks list Haynes only at around 84.5 rushing yards. Will he be the preferred choice tonight? WR Kobe Prentice ($6,400) is probably the third option behind Bernard and Law but will see the lowest ownership at his pricing.
Injury Notes – n/a
Western Kentucky:
Top Play(s) – WR Easton Messer ($4,400) Messer was listed as a team captain and will start in the coveted slot position that produced three straight 100-target seasons. Granted much of that had to do with the talent of Malachi Corley, but the slot receiver for Western Kentucky has been very productive for several years now.
Fade – TJ Finley ($5,500) I’d put Finley a distant 8th or 9th as far as QB options on the slate. Matchup isn’t great, and this is yet another situation where we could potentially see two quarterbacks. Finley won the job in camp, but last year’s bowl game starter Caden Veltkamp is not far behind. It wouldn’t shock us to see both play Saturday.
Bargain Bin – WR Michael Mathison ($3,000) The former Akron transfer missed all of last season due to injury but is an experienced player that had 52 catches and 615 yards back in 2022. No official depth chart for WKU but Mathison should be the second option in the slot.
Pivot Play – WR Dalvin Smith ($5,200) I’d prefer the salary saving option of Messer this week, but Smith should be the WR1 for the Hilltoppers in 2024. Somewhat inconsistent, Smith has the upside that a Messer might not, as displayed by his three-touchdown performance in the bowl game vs. Old Dominion.
Best of the Rest – RB Elijah Young ($5,800) Too expensive given the matchup, but something to note down the road for WKU. Head coach Tyson Helton demoted Drew Hollingshead to a co-coordinator role and proceeded to hire long-time confidant Will Friend, whom Helton had worked with previously at both Tennessee and UAB. Primarily coaching the offensive line in the past, Friend does have play-calling experience dating back to 2017 at Colorado State, where the Rams’ offense ranked 11th nationally in yards per game (492.5) and 31st in points per game (33.4). More notably, those Colorado State offenses threw the ball on average 43.1 percent of the time while Friend was the OC – a stark contrast from the 62.3 percent pass rate at which Western Kentucky has thrown the ball the last three seasons. Point being – expect WKU to run more this season which boosts the value of Young in better matchups. WR Kisean Johnson ($4,800) is a North Alabama transfer that caught 62 passes and seven touchdowns a year ago.
Injury Notes – n/a
Fresno State vs. Michigan
Point-Spread: UM -21.5
O/U Total: 45.5
Implied Score: UM 33.5 – Fres 12
Weather: 78 degrees / 0% rain / 6 mph winds
Fresno State:
I promise there is no bias included we I say this – Michigan has a top three defense college football. We’ll be very interested in Fresno State down the road but not in this matchup. QB Mikey Keene ($5,200) is a non-runner facing the best cornerback in the sport in Will Johnson. RB Malik Sherrod ($5,300) is a very talented running back, but just returned to practice after missing two weeks due to injury. TBD if he gets a full workload and the staff might just save him for down the road. 159 targets and 11 receiving touchdowns from last year have been vacated due to the graduation of slot receivers Erik Brooks and Jaelen Gill, but little drop off is expected. Projected WR1 Jalen Moss ($5,300) moonlighted at times in the slot during spring ball, but he is expected to operate at his conventional outside spot. The issue there is that is where Will Johnson resides. Idaho State transfer WR Chedon James ($4,000) could be intriguing in the slot. He posted 102 receptions in 2023. WR Mac Dalena ($4,200) had a career best 44 receptions last season and will start opposite Moss on the outside. Michigan will have a new starter at CB2 this year so if rostering someone, it’d be either James or Dalena.
Michigan:
Top Play(s) – RB Donovan Edwards ($9,000) If you’re expecting Blake Corum-like numbers this season from Edwards, that’s an overly optimistic viewpoint. That said, Michigan will continue to SMASH opponents on the ground at a 65% run rate. Edwards is in peak physical form and was named a team captain – important because he dealt with mental issues a year ago which are cleared up now. Edwards also displayed improved vision in the spring which was a knock of his last season. 15 touches is a near lock for Saturday, so volume won’t be an issue.
Fade – QBs. This was NOT the intended plan before Friday, but insiders are now saying that both Davis Warren and Alex Orji will get playing time in the first half of Saturday’s contest. That’s not a major surprise. The eye-opener is that it’s now trending that it’ll be Warren under center and not Orji. We’re still interested in the passing game components on the Wolverine side, but this battle could be ongoing throughout the game.
Bargain Bin – TE Marlin Klein ($4,000) Everyone is priced up on the Michigan side. Klein is the cheapest realistic option as he solidified himself as the TE2 behind Colston Loveland in practices. The secondary tight end can hold some value as shown last year with AJ Barner accumulating 31 targets.
Pivot Play – RB Kalel Mullings ($7,800) I’m anticipating a 60-40 ish split this year between Edwards and Mullings, with the latter being utilized more as the red-zone option. I think you can stack both against an inferior opponent, but I think saving some salary and rolling Mullings over Edwards is a secondary strategy. Mullings will find the end-zone at least once vs. Fresno State.
Best of the Rest – WRs. Top three seem to be solidified between Tyler Morris ($6,700), Semaj Morgan ($6,300) and WR Fredrick Moore ($5,400). Morgan is the choice of the three with Michigan writers saying he was an absolute star during fall practices. A “star” in this Michigan offense doesn’t mean 15 targets, but he’ll be the WR1 for the Wolverines. Moore is the speedster of the bunch, being compared to Roman Wilson as a potential deep threat. TE Colston Loveland ($7,000) will be a weekly option as he’s a future first round NFL Draft pick with a high chance to lead the Wolverines in receiving in 2024.
Injury Notes – n/a
UCLA vs. Hawaii
Point-Spread: UCLA -13.5
O/U Total: 54.5
Implied Score: UCLA 34 – Haw 20.5
Weather: 80 degrees / 51% rain / 7 mph winds
UCLA:
Top Play(s) – RB TJ Harden ($7,000) Harden should have the position all to himself this year with 167 rushing attempts vacated now that Carson Steele is in the NFL. A bit of an unknown at this point what to expect from UCLA offensively with a new head coach in DeShun Foster and OC Eric Bienemy who comes over from the NFL Both are former running backs coaches so it wouldn’t surprise us at all to see them lean on that position early on with Harden.
Fade – WR Logan Loya ($5,300) You’ll notice Loya was not on the top line of the team’s depth chart when it was released. Surprising for a player that led the team in receptions a year ago, right? It was reported that Loya was limited in practice recently due to injury. While likely to play Saturday, it sounds like he could be on a pitch count. We’ll look elsewhere for UCLA receiving options.
Bargain Bin – WR Rico Flores Jr. ($4,200) The other reason as to why Loya is now on the second line of the depth chart was the performance in fall camp from Notre Dame transfer Rico Flores Jr who is listed at the “Zebra” position on the depth chart. Not sure what that exactly means – I’m pretty sure its just the slot – but Flores Jr. was an impressive freshman with the Irish last season with 27 receptions for 392 yards.
Pivot Play – WR Michael J. Sturdivant ($4,500) Sturdivant was a relative disappointment last season with just 36 receptions and a 51% catch rate, though he closed the year on a high note with 142 yards in the bowl game vs. Boise State. The expectation is that Sturdivant should have a bounce back year in the new offense that is more fruitful for outside receivers as opposed to last year’s scheme under Chip Kelly.
Best of the Rest – QB Ethan Garbers ($6,400) Junior Ethan Garbers will start at quarterback after his strong stretch of performances in the second half of last season, including the bowl game against Boise State, when he replaced an injured Collin Schlee to throw for 152 yards and two touchdowns, garnering MVP honors. In three of five starts, Garbers did score at least 22 fantasy points. The other T. Mokiao-Atimalala ($4,000) is the starting outside receiver opposite Sturdivant, but the likely third or fourth option in the passing game. Would probably stick to just one UCLA receiver in a lineup.
Injury Notes – n/a
Hawaii:
Top Play(s) – WR Pofele Ashlock ($4,700) As expected last week, Ashlock was the leading target-getter for the Warriors with 5-81-0 on eight targets and playing 79% of the offensive snaps. Nobody really impressed last week from the Hawaii receiving core outside of Ashlock, and the combined absence of Steven McBride means the sophomore slot receiver should get fed targets again. This price is too cheap for a 100-target receiver from a year ago.
Fade – RB Landon Sims ($5,300) Even with a favorable game script last week in terrible weather, Sims accumulated just 10 carries. This is a pass-first Hawaii offense no matter the opponent.
Bargain Bin – WR Dekel Crowdus ($3,400) The former Kentucky transfer caught three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown last week against Delaware State. Biggest notable on this week’s Hawaii depth chart, outside of the Steven McBride absence, is that Crowdus has now moved into the starting lineup ahead of Jonah Panoke.
Pivot Play – QB Brayden Schager ($6,300) We’ll give Schager a slight benefit of the doubt last week due to the weather, but it was an uneven performance completing just 50% of his passes against an inferior opponent. Still finished with four total touchdowns on the day. Hawaii finished last season No. 1 in the nation in pass play rate, so expect 40+ pass attempts with the potential game script.
Best of the Rest – WR Alex Perry ($3,400) Quiet day from Perry last week with just two catches on three targets, as he starts in place of McBride. That said, he was second in routes run on the team behind Ashlock. Are there two T. Mokiao-Atimalala’s ($3,000) on both UCLA and Hawaii? Well, if so, the Hawaii version was second in targets last week with a touchdown. WR Nick Cenacle ($3,000) had just four receiving yards on two targets but was third behind Ashlock and Perry in routes run.
Injury Notes – WR Steven McBride ($4,800) McBride remains off this week’s depth chart after his arrest in the offseason.
Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M
Point-Spread: A&M -3.5
O/U Total: 46.5
Implied Score: A&M 25 – ND 21.5
Weather: 85 degrees / 27% rain / 8 mph winds
Notre Dame:
Top Play(s) – WR Jaden Greathouse ($4,300) One of the few players in this game where the salary matches the projection. Notre Dame bolstered its depth at receiver this offseason with a host of transfers, but the highest upside is with the sophomore receiver who was deemed the offensive MVP in spring ball by several ND beat writers.
Fade – RBs. We’ll basically say the same thing below with A&M, but all of these options are priced to a point we can’t really consider. Notre Dame has two talented running backs in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, but this will be close to 50-50 split, at least to start the year. Not to mention A&M has a big advantage in the trenches facing a ND offensive line that is starting a pair of freshmen. We’re also throwing TE Mitchell Evans ($6,500) in this bucket. Only a Brock Bowers should be priced this highly at the tight end position. While reports suggest Evans is 100%, call us a bit skeptical that Evans will be back in full form following his ACL tear last year.
Bargain Bin – WR Jordan Faison ($4,100) Faison was surprisingly listed as a starter ahead of FIU transfer WR Kris Mitchell ($6,900) but we’re not sure how long that sticks. For a walk-on though, Faison was impressive last season with three touchdowns in each of the last three games to close the year. Mitchell, on the other hand, had several long touchdowns posted by the Notre Dame Twitter page in fall camp.
Pivot Play – QB Riley Leonard ($7,800) Leonard comes over from Duke and will be an instant upgrade for the Irish at QB. He’s healthy after his ankle injury suffered last year and should mesh well with new OC Mike Denbrock who comes over from LSU after captaining the No. 1 scoring offense in the country last season. Denbrock has produced four top 15 fantasy quarterbacks in each of the last four seasons, and Leonard fits this system perfectly as a dual threat.
Best of the Rest – WR Beaux Collins ($6,000) The Clemson transfer landed the third starting spot on the depth chart, though we’re taking a wait-and-see approach there. Collins really struggled with inconsistencies and drops towards the end of his tenure with the Tigers.
Injury Notes – n/a
Texas A&M:
Top Play(s) – WR Noah Thomas ($5,400) Many of the A&M pieces are priced like this is going to be a shootout. It won’t be. Thomas has been the best Aggie receiver this offseason, stealing the show in the spring game with a pair of touchdowns on seven receptions. Great size at 6-foot-6 and most reports indicate he’ll be the WR1.
Fade – RB Amari Daniels ($7,100) Daniels was going to be RB4 for the Aggies if Rueben Owens hadn’t been lost for the season due to injury. He might be the primary backup to Le’Veon Moss but should not be $100 cheaper and should definitely not be $7k in what could be a rock fight.
Bargain Bin – RB E.J. Smith ($3,000) Not suggesting either player will hit value, but far better off rostering the Stanford transfer in Smith with this price tag over Daniels. While Smith was a major disappointment last year with the Cardinal, we do know he’s an exceptional pass-catcher out of the backfield, finishing last year with 33 catches on 39 targets.
Pivot Play – RB Le’Veon Moss ($7,200) Moss’ value skyrocketed following the season-ending injury to Rueben Owens. New offensive coordinator Collin Klein featured his RB1 heavily at Kansas State with over 200+ rushing attempts in the last two years. On the flipside, Moss has not proven yet he can consistently handle 15+ touches per game.
Best of the Rest – QB Conner Weigman ($8,300) Weigman would be seventh among my list of QB options behind both quarterbacks in the UNLV / Houston game, Jalen Milroe, Ethan Garbers, Dillon Gabriel and Leonard. Weigman was impressive in his first three starts prior to the injury last season, completing 69% of his throws and scoring a combined 103 fantasy points in that stretch (34.4 FPPG). So, we’re expecting a good year, just not in this matchup. WRs Jahdae Walker ($5,500), Moose Muhammad III ($5,100) and Louisiana Tech transfer WR Cyrus Allen ($5,000) make up the top four at receiver, along with Noah Thomas. Collin Klein really spread out the targets back at KSU, with no wideout getting more than 20% target share. So aside from Thomas, no Aggie wideout stands out amongst this trio.
Injury Notes – n/a
Idaho vs. Oregon
Point-Spread: Oreg -44.5
O/U Total: 62.5
Implied Score: Oreg 53.5 – Idaho 9
Weather: 92 degrees / 0% rain / 6 mph winds
Idaho:
WR Jordan Dwyer ($4,300) is the only player worthy of mild consideration on the Idaho side as the most experienced returnee at the position with 20 receptions and four touchdowns on 30 targets last season. We also don’t have an Idaho depth chart which lessens our interest even further.
Oregon:
Top Play(s) – QB Dillon Gabriel ($9,200) There are some injuries to monitor in the Oregon backfield, and this game should serve as an acclimation performance for Gabriel with his new team and wide receivers. Gabriel likely won’t play in the second half of this matchup but will likely throw for 250+ and three scores at minimum before exiting.
Fade – RB Jordan James ($8,000) James has missed a portion of fall camp recently with a sleeve on his leg. While being described by coaches as “precautionary”, you must wonder how much the coaching staff will be willing to expose their top runner against inferior competition. I don’t foresee James hitting value at this price tag in a lopsided affair.
Bargain Bin – RB Jayden Limar ($3,500) Using last year as a benchmark, Oregon obliterated Portland State in Week 1 81-7. The Ducks had four running backs find the end-zone that day, including Limar who rushed for 51 yards and a score on eight carries. Assuming Saturday plays out similarly, Limar will get touches.
Pivot Play – RB Jay Harris ($5,200) The RB2 for Oregon is probably Noah Whittington, but Harris is no slouch himself. The 215-pound FCS transfer rushed for 1,433 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, and looked to translate well to this level in the spring, rushing for 52 yards on 11 carries, along with a 24-yard touchdown reception in the spring game. With James potentially limited, and Whittington returning from a season-long injury, it wouldn’t shock us to see Harris lead the team in carries Saturday night.
Best of the Rest – WRs. At least one Oregon receiver should be in every one of your lineups, regardless of if its WR Tez Johnson ($8,100) or WR Evan Stewart ($7,600). With Gary Bryant Jr. also on the mend, WR Traeshon Holden ($5,200) has a chance to see extended reps as well. If you can find a way to snag two Oregon WRs in a GPP, that could pay off. If Terrance Ferguson does not play, TE Kenyon Sadiq ($3,000) is an extreme longshot. Both OC Will Stein and Ferguson compared the sophomore tight end to Brock Bowers.
Injury Notes – Jordan James, Terrance Ferguson, Noah Whittington and Gary Bryant Jr. all had injuries at one point or another during fall camp. We’re anticipating all will play – question is how much.
Southern Miss vs. Kentucky
Point-Spread: UK -28
O/U Total: 50
Implied Score: UK 39 – SMiss 11
Weather: 79 degrees / 36% rain / 5 mph winds
Southern Miss:
Top Play(s) – WR Ti Mims ($5,000) If there is a game-breaker on the Southern Miss offense that could threaten the UK secondary, Mims is that guy. The junior led the team in receptions (39) in 2023, but the depth chart is a mystery beyond him with four of the top five target-getters no longer on the roster. Should feasibly mean a higher target share.
Fade – QBs. There were reports a few weeks ago that Florida State transfer Tate Rodemaker had won the QB1 job in fall camp, but that situation seems murky still. We might be looking at a situation similar to Michigan where Rodemaker is out there on the first drive, but expect to see Ethan Crawford, a dual threat, at some point during the game. Indications from those that cover the team seem to be that if Rodemaker struggles out of the gate, that Crawford would be subbed in at some point. Not the week to take a chance on this situation against an SEC defense.
Bargain Bin – WR Larry Simmons ($3,800) While Mims is a speedster, he’s only 5-foot-9. Simmons is an Ole Miss transfer that immediately snagged a starting job on the outside, providing a bigger bodied option at 6-foot-1. Looks like Simmons caught a 40-yard touchdown from Rodemaker in a recent practice report dated on August 21st. Take what you can get with these G5 teams, right?
Pivot Play – RB Dreke Clark ($6,000) Don’t think we can realistically trot out Clark in this matchup, and we’re not anticipating Frank Gore Jr. like numbers from him in 2024. But he’s a 200-pound bowling ball that has held the RB1 job all through the offseason. OC Chip Long’s RB1s have been productive in fantasy over the years, averaging around 15.4 FPPG.
Best of the Rest – WR Dannis Jackson ($3,000) Jackson is another former Ole Miss transfer on the roster with plenty of SEC experience playing with both the Rebels and Missouri. He’s cheap is all I can offer. TE Justyn Reid ($3,000) is another deep shot in a system that has produced big-time tight end production over the years under Long, hitting 50 targets in three of the last four years.
Injury Notes – n/a
Kentucky:
Top Play(s) – QB Brock Vandagriff ($6,500) Kentucky will be breaking in a new starting quarterback, adding Georgia transfer and former 4-star Brock Vandagriff, so there are several unknowns with this offense heading into 2024. Stylistically, we’re not sure how much changes here outside of OC Bush Hamdan mentioning the Wildcats will operate faster than the 119th ranked pace they played at a season ago. That works in his favor this week, while also throwing to one of the better trios of receivers in the SEC. While I can’t say I’ve watched Vandagriff play much, I do know he’s not a statue in the pocket, rushing for nearly 1,900 yards in his high school career.
Fade – Tight Ends Regardless of who the offensive coordinator has been under Mark Stoops, the tight end position has rarely been a factor in the passing game, averaging just two targets per game. Kentucky also really doesn’t have a defined starter with Jordan Dingle and Josh Kattus sharing the position.
Bargain Bin – RB Jason Patterson ($3,800) Not convinced that Demie Sumo will be a 20-touch per game guy in the absence of Chip Trayanum, because he’s never been that guy in his career. Patterson is a 4-star freshman that immediately snagged the RB2 job coming out of fall camp and was an early enrollee who impressed back in the spring, garnering some first-team reps. I like the pivot down to Patterson here and lessening exposure to Sumo.
Pivot Play – WRs. If you played DFS last year, you know the wide receiver situation for the Wildcats. This is a strong group that got even better over the offseason by adding Ja’Mori Maclin from North Texas via the portal. While collectively talented, it’s doubtful there is a consistent fantasy option here, as the targets have been evenly distributed the last few seasons. It will be Maclin one week, Dane Key the next, and Barion Brown the one after that. Pick your poison.
Best of the Rest – RB Demie Sumo ($5,700) While we offered an alternative cheaper option above in Patterson, the fact of the matter is that Sumo will likely get the first carry on Saturday night. Stoops went as far as to say he viewed both Trayanum and Sumo as co-starters. Coach speak or fact?
Injury Notes – RB Chip Trayanum ($6,100) Will miss at least the next two to three games.
