Notre Dame vs. NC State
Point-Spread: ND -8
O/U Total: 50.5
Implied Score: ND 29 – NC St 21
Weather: 81 degrees / 41% rain / 5 mph winds
Notre Dame:
Top Play(s) – RB Audric Estime ($7,500) We’ve seen Notre Dame spread the wealth a bit among the running backs in the first two weeks with Estime, Gi’Bran Payne, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price all getting involved. Still, when looking at the overall numbers, Estime dominates the backfield market share at 47%. That share will grow in a more competitive matchup with the Wolfpack.
Fade – WR Tobias Merriweather ($4,900) I think we’ll be seeing a change in the starting lineup here sooner or later. Merriweather is tied for the team lead in routes run for the Irish, but minimal production with that time spent on the field. Just two receptions on five targets. Pure speculation, but we’re getting to the point in the year where the Irish staff will give those opportunities to someone else.
Bargain Bin – TE Mitchell Evans ($4,100) No, Evans is not Michael Mayer, but he’s tied for the team lead in routes run this season and has converted on four of his five targets.
Pivot Play – WR Jayden Thomas ($6,400) Incredible efficiency from Thomas through two games as the Notre Dame WR1, converting on all eight of his targets on the year with a touchdown. Now that the cupcakes are out of the way on the ND schedule, we’ll see Thomas playing the entirety of the contest as Sam Hartman’s most trusted receiving option in the passing game. I would say Thomas is the only ND pass catcher I’ll roster in my DFS lineups.
Best of the Rest – QB Sam Hartman ($8,600) HC Dave Doeren and the defensive scheme have given Hartman fits over the years at Wake Forest. A 1-2 record, completing just 55% of his passes with six interceptions. Was that a Hartman issue or just NC State having a defensive schematic advantage over the Slow-mesh RPO system of Wake Forest? NC State’s secondary is one of the better groups in the ACC.
Injury Notes – RB Devyn Ford ($3,100) Ford has already been ruled out this week.
NC State:
Top Play(s) – QB Brennan Armstrong ($9,200) I’ll preface by saying I believe our projection is a tad on the high side after watching last week’s game against UConn. It is very evident that Armstrong and his receivers need more reps together as the group seemed out of sync. The wideouts also combined for four drops, three of which were very catchable, so there is room for significant improvement. But who else are you going to in this scenario for a team that cannot run the football (outside of Armstrong) and no proven playmaker at receiver?
Fade – RB Jordan Houston ($6,400) Easiest single fade you’ll see on this slate. Houston did dominate the touch share in the NC State backfield against UConn but wasn’t overly impressive with his opportunities. Houston also gave way to both Armstrong and backup Delbert Mimms once the Wolfpack reached the red zone.
Bargain Bin – WR Bradley Rozner ($3,500) Not a totally unexpected result from Rozner despite our CFF rankings having the Rice transfer inside out Top 50. Remember that Rozner just arrived on campus back in the summer and will need some time to acclimate. Rozner was just sixth among NC State receivers in routes run last week and did have an ugly drop. We’re anticipating his reps increasing steadily as the weeks go along and he comprehends the scheme.
Pivot Play – WR KC Concepcion ($4,900) The true freshman didn’t come through as a min-priced play last week, recording just four receptions on five targets for minimal yardage. In the game preview, the NC State beat writer inquired again with his sources about which wide receiver will this passing game can rely on this week and moving forward. The answer continues to be Concepcion.
Best of the Rest – WR Keyon Lesane ($4,600) We saw a ton of rotation with the NC State receivers last week, with the coaching staff trying desperately to uncover who will be an actual difference maker among the group. Lesane played 66% of the snaps last week – the most of any NC State receiver. Our preference among NC State wideouts for this matchup against ND is the following: (1) None (2) Concepcion (3) Rozner (4) Lesane.
Injury Notes – n/a
James Madison vs. Virginia
Point-Spread: JMU -6.5
O/U Total: 40.5
Implied Score: JMU 23.5 – UVA 17
Weather: 79 degrees / 59% rain / 3 mph winds
James Madison:
Top Play(s) – QB Jordan McCloud ($5,000) McCloud came on in relief of an ineffective Alonza Barnett and looked exponentially better with 144 yards and two touchdowns. A 23-point projection at $5k feels like an insta-start and I will certainly sprinkle McCloud in some GPP lineups. This is a veteran QB with P5 experience that can run with over 400 rushing yards in his college career. Would caution that this is not the same JMU team as last year with Todd Centeio. Just 45% of James Madison’s offensive production from a year ago is back. Wouldn’t go overboard here.
Fade – RB Latrele Palmer ($4,000) James Madison is priced down to a point that everyone it’s tough to suggest fading anyone here. Would lean Palmer if forced to choose as he’s the clear RB2 behind Kaelon Black.
Bargain Bin – WR Pheonix Sproles ($4,100) We do have some cheaper JMU receivers at higher projections, but Sproles was on the field more than any of them last week, running the second most routes behind Reggie Brown. Not advising anyone outside of Brown until we get a firm grasp of the target distribution, but Sproles would be my bet to assume the WR2 for now.
Pivot Play – WR Reggie Brown ($4,500) Brown was a top 50 fantasy receiver for us coming into the season and early returns indicate he’s likely the WR1 here with 77 yards and a score on five targets. JMU is developing a reputation for wide receiver production with three 1,000-yard seasons from the WR1 in the last four years.
Best of the Rest – RB Kaelon Black ($4,200) Explosive start for JMU’s new RB1, averaging over 10 yards per carry in the win over Bucknell. Too early to tell for me any advantages between the JMU offensive line and Virginia defensive front, but we do know UVA was absolutely gashed last week by the Tennessee run game for nearly 300 yards and five rushing scores.
Injury Notes – n/a
Virginia:
Top Play(s) – WR Malachi Fields ($4,700) It’s really a bummer that Fields isn’t on a better team, because the 6-foot-4 junior is an incredibly talented player that really played well against Tennessee’s secondary last week. Now Fields will be playing with a backup QB but is still worth considering at this minimal price. 36% of Virginia’s target share last week was directed at Fields.
Fade – RBs Virginia will trot four of them out there weekly, and probably will look similar to the box score against Tennessee every single time. James Madison was a top 5 rush defense a year ago, and the Dukes are off to a good start again in 2023, ranking 8th in rush success rate through one week.
Bargain Bin – RB Kobe Pace ($3,100) With that said above, the former Clemson transfer looked good in the second half of last week’s blowout, finishing with 39 yards on seven attempts (5.6 YPC). Cheap enough for a lineup filler if you’re desperate.
Pivot Play – WR Malik Washington ($4,300) Usage is good, but minimal production last week from the Northwestern transfer. Between Washington and Fields, the WR duo combined for 69% of the target share. That’s the good news. Bad news is Washington’s four receptions went nowhere. 7.3 YPC and an aDOT of just 2.3 yards. If you’re playing a UVA receiver in a lineup, just choose one please.
Best of the Rest – n/a. Would not consider anyone on the UVA side that we didn’t mention here.
Injury Notes – QB Tony Muskett ($5,200) Muskett was hit by a Tennessee defender and landed on the ground awkwardly with what is being described as a shoulder injury. Status is being deemed as ‘uncertain’ but we’re assuming he will not play Saturday. QB Anthony Colandrea ($4,700) will likely start in his place, and this was a legitimate quarterback competition according to the beat writers. Based on his high school stat sheet, it does appear he has some mobility, rushing for over 1,000 rushing yards his last two seasons as a starter.
Purdue vs. Virginia Tech
Point-Spread: VT -2.5
O/U Total: 48
Implied Score: VT 25.5 – Purd 23
Weather: 72 degrees / 39% rain / 6 mph winds
Purdue:
Top Play(s) – WR Deion Burks ($4,800) Averaging 38 yards per catch is not sustainable, but Burks is the fastest player on the team and there is a lot to like when you dive into the Purdue receiving numbers. Highest aDOT, BY FAR, at 16.7 among receivers. Team-high nine targets (35%). We’ve also stated that the outside receivers have typically been the WR1 in OC Graham Harrell’s offensive scheme. Burks played 92% of his snaps out wide. With how Purdue’s defense fared in Week 1, we’re expecting the Boilermakers will need the passing game in potential shootouts. Plus, this is just too low at $4.8k.
Fade – RB Tyrone Tracy ($4,900) Devin Mockobee dominated the backfield volume share and Tracy was not utilized much as a receiver coming out of the backfield with just one target. Not often do we say this, but Tracy was more productive in the Iowa offense.
Bargain Bin – WR Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen ($3,900) Marginal output from Yaseen with four receptions on five targets, but his time spent on the field is most intriguing 60 of 64 offensive snaps played. In fact, the outside receivers didn’t rotate with the backups at all. Fantasy production isn’t guaranteed but better chance to score when you’re on the field – stating the obvious I know.
Pivot Play – RB Devin Mockobee ($6,300) I preface by saying that it is still too early to take some of the advanced stats into account. But after one week against a matchup with Old Dominion, the Virginia Tech front seven ranks 120th in success rate against the run. Top five old dominion rushers all averaged over four yards a carry. Yikes. Mockobee was in the doghouse for a brief period last weekend after fumbling issues, but still dominated the backfield market share as alluded above.
Best of the Rest – QB Hudson Card ($6,300) We’re not jamming Card in our lineups, but pricing and 20-point projection in an offense that throws the ball around 57% of the time on average is intriguing. Seems like Purdue will be in some shootouts if Week 1 was any indication. Projection doesn’t dictate considering WR TJ Sheffield ($5,800) but was on the field 3/4s of game. Slot receivers in this system have averaged around 6.1 targets per game over the last six years.
Injury Notes – TE Garrett Miller ($3,000) The TE1 missed last weekend due to injury, though haven’t seen an update as of this week. Miller is on the Senior Bowl Watch List for his position, but TE’s also aren’t utilized much in the scheme.
Virginia Tech:
Top Play(s) – QB Grant Wells ($7,400) After a slow first half, Wells put together a strong final 24 minutes, throwing for three scores in the win over Old Dominion. Get a bit anxious in DFS relying on a quarterback early in the year that was in a competition during fall camp, but we all saw what Mikey Keene did to this Purdue secondary last Saturday. A 63.4 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus for the Boilermakers was 10th worst among P5 teams in Week 1. Also like that Wells is usually in the positive when running the football.
Fade – RB Malachi Thomas ($5,100) Nobody ran the ball effectively for the Hokies in Week 1, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry as a team. But in the second half, it was obvious which ball-carrier was the preferred option of the two between Thomas and starter Bhayshul Tuten ($5,600). Our guess is that this gap widens as the season goes along and Tuten becomes the clear-cut RB1. Would not strongly prioritize either player, to be honest, given the struggles in Week 1 and that Purdue’s strength defensively is their front seven.
Bargain Bin – See below in the Injury Notes.
Pivot Play – WR Jaylin Lane ($5,200) Strong start for the Middle Tennessee transfer with 69 yards on six targets with a touchdown. Through one week, the Purdue secondary has given up the fifth most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers among FBS teams. Spells good news for both Lane and fellow starter WR Ali Jennings ($6,700) who combined for 13 of the 30 targets vs. Old Dominion
Best of the Rest – WR Da’Quan Felton ($4,300) Stat-line wasn’t impressive for the 6-foot-5 Norfolk State transfer with just one reception on four targets. But Felton was tied for the team lead in routes run against Old Dominion, so we know he’ll be on the field. I know Fresno State cooked this Purdue secondary last week, but would probably still limit myself to just one Virginia Tech receiver in my lineups.
Injury Notes – TE Nick Gallo ($3,300) Gallo is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery. 6-foot-5 Benji Gosnell ($3,700) played 59 of 74 snaps last week but accumulated just one target in the process. If you’re interested in a Virginia Tech tight end, it would be sophomore Dae’Quan Wright ($3,200) who is the athletic pass-receiving option of the group. Was targeted on 20% of his snaps in Week 1.
Troy vs. Kansas State
Point-Spread: K-St -17
O/U Total: 51
Implied Score: K-St 35 – Troy 17
Weather: 78 degrees / 0% rain / 6 mph winds
Troy:
Top Play(s) – WR Kimani Vidal ($5,900) Can Troy run on Kansas State? The Trojans only bring back two starters along the offensive line from a year ago, while the Wildcats limited SE Missouri to just six yards rushing on 24 carries. Volume share in the Troy backfield, though, is what makes Vidal intriguing, garnering 60% of the carries that went to RBs in what was a relatively competitive matchup with SF Austin.
Fade – QB Gunnar Watson ($5,700) Non-running quarterback that surpassed 20 fantasy points all of two games last season. One was against an FCS opponent. The second was against a Coastal Carolina defense that absolutely mailed it in towards the end of 2022. We just need Watson to be ‘ok’ because there are some pieces in the passing game.
Bargain Bin – TE Ethan Conner ($3,000) Breakout performance last week with 51 yards and two scores on four targets. Conner is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound former quarterback turned wide receiver, and now turned tight end, who caught 16 passes and a touchdown, while also rushing for six touchdowns as a wildcat QB. That alone is intriguing, plus we’ve seen heavy tight end usage in the past under Craddock with the likes of Cheyene O’Grady (Arkansas) and Gerrit Prince (UAB). Conner caught a TD pass in Troy’s spring game.
Pivot Play – WR Jabre Barber ($4,200) Remember former Troy receiver Tez Johnson, now at Oregon? Jabre Barber had more receptions through six games last season than Johnson. Quiet Week 1 showing, but Barber played the most snaps of any Troy receiver. He’s their WR1.
Best of the Rest – WR Deshon Stoudemire ($4,500) Strange that DK lists Stoudemire as questionable, but even stranger is the description saying that he did not appear in the contest against SF Austin. If PFF and general box scores are to be believed, then Stoudemire definitely did. Five receivers played between 45-55% of the offensive snaps last week, so depth chart probably still being sorted out, but Stoudemire is the only returning starter.
Injury Notes – n/a
Kansas State:
Top Play(s) – RB DJ Giddens ($5,800) The sophomore running back hasn’t exactly locked up the RB1 role just yet for Kansas State, but last Saturday was a promising debut. Giddens gets the starting nod, a 15-11 rushing attempt advantage and a 36-28 advantage on snap counts. Can be deceiving in a blowout situation such as last week, but Giddens will again be the first back on the field Saturday from all pregame reports. Still too cheap at $5.8k, even in a split.
Fade – n/a. All the listed starters for Kansas State are still very reasonably priced.
Bargain Bin – TE Ben Sinnott ($4,500) That’s now six touchdowns in the last six games for Sinnott – all of which Will Howard has started. A clear connection between the starting quarterback and tight end and would argue Sinnott is the team’s best pass-catcher.
Pivot Play – RB Treshaun Ward ($6,200) I feel like DK is just baiting you with the DJ Giddens salary despite everything we mentioned above on this split. As a result, we do know that Ward will likely see lesser ownership, and make no mistake, this is still a competition as to who the starter should be for the season. Maybe the designation “starter” doesn’t matter in this situation also, and we’ll see a split between Ward/Giddens. We do know this – Kansas State’s running game was dominant in Week 1 behind one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country.
Best of the Rest – RJ Garcia ($5,800) The unknown part of the Kansas State receiving corps coming into Saturday, Garcia was the standout of the game arguably with 111 receiving yards on seven targets. Love the usage in comparing Garcia with fellow starter Phillip Brooks ($6,300). Same number of targets, yet Garcia’s 16.3 aDOT led to the yardage explosion, vs. just a 4.7 aDOT for Brooks. QB Will Howard ($8,900) has an extremely high floor in this matchup projected at 24 fantasy points with an attainable salary. We barely saw Howard utilize his legs at all last week either, rushing the ball just twice while finding the end-zone.
Injury Notes – WR Keagan Johnson ($5,100) After missing last Saturday’s game, Johnson will do “limited work” this week in practice per head coach Chris Klieman. That to me signals he’s likely out. WR Jadon Jackson ($4,600) would start in Johnson’s place.
Utah vs. Baylor
Point-Spread: Utah -7.5
O/U Total: 47
Implied Score: Utah 27 – Bayl 20
Weather: 90 degrees / 32% rain / 9 mph winds
Utah:
Top Play(s) – RB Micah Bernard ($6,100) I would say we’re staying away from all Utah players in this matchup when looking at our CFFSite projections, unless given the go ahead that JaQuinden Jackson is 100% healthy (we won’t get that news). Should Jackson sit, Bernard enters the fray as the RB1, though we’d see plenty of Jaylon Glover ($4,200) also with the former not being your conventional 15-20 touch running back. Outside of one explosive play, the Baylor rush defense was fine against Texas State, allowing just 2.8 YPC to starter Calvin Hill.
Fade – QB Bryson Barnes ($8,700) Pretty easy fade here. $8.7k is a salary you give Cam Rising if he’s fully healthy. Not the backup, who now we know will give way to third-stringer Nate Johnson in wildcat packages. Remove Barnes from the available player pool. I also want to include a second player here that deserves zero consideration in WR Mycah Pittman ($4,900). Played just 10 offensive snaps, targeted three times for minimal yardage and a brutal drop. At this point in his college career, he is what he is.
Bargain Bin – TE Thomas Yassmin ($3,600) Was a very quiet day for Utah tight end standards. With Kuithe out, I thought Yassmin might eat against Florida, even with a backup quarterback. The senior tight end recorded just 15 receiving yards but was tied for the team-high in targets (4).
Pivot Play – QB Nate Johnson ($5,000) Tough to find someone not already listed from Utah to put here. Not advocating playing Johnson here as the backup to Bryson Barnes, but Johnson displayed his electric speed with 52 yards on four attempts, including a 27-yard touchdown. His usage as a runner will continue with Rising out, which excludes Barnes as a potential option, as well as potentially the running backs too if Johnson gets red-zone looks.
Best of the Rest – WR Devaughn Vele ($6,800) This was the concern for Vele entering the season for CFF/DFS purposes. The senior receiver did play over 80% of the offensive snaps, but it definitely appears that Utah will be spreading the ball around more in 2023 with a surplus of options at the position – Mikey Matthews, Money Parks, Emery Simmons and Mycah Pittman. Vele’s pricing should be the $4-5k range.
Injury Notes – RB Ja’Quinden Jackson ($6,200) Long-term we still like Jackson’s outlook at Utah’s running game typically progresses as the season goes along and defenses wear down. HC Kyle Whittingham said that Jackson was ‘nicked up’ in the Florida matchup with an injury that sounds like was re-aggravated from something he was dealing with in fall camp. Sounds like Jackson will play right now, but how healthy? As of Thursday writing this, doesn’t sound like Cam Rising ($9,900) or TE Brant Kuithe ($3,700) will play.
Baylor:
Top Play(s) – RB Dominic Richardson ($4,300) In my opinion, Dave Aranda should be fired for incompetence for how the Baylor RB pecking order appears to be after Week 1. The only rational opinion I can see for playing Richardson more than Richard Reese ($4,700) is that OC Jeff Grimes has generally preferred a bigger back to carry the workload, dating back to his days at LSU and BYU. Richardson is 200+ while Reese is still around that 175-pound range. We’re not overly enthusiastic for either player in this matchup with Utah after watching that defense fly around and shut down the Florida run game. Top 5 rush defense statistically after one week.
Fade – QB Sawyer Robertson ($6,600) The former Mississippi State transfer and 4-star recruit might actually end up being an upgrade over Shapen, but this is still a “backup” quarterback facing a Top 10 defense. Graham Mertz and the Florida passing game were able to make some plays last week and think the game script will force the Bears to throw a bit more than they’d normally like. We’ll play some of their receivers in that case, not Robertson.
Bargain Bin – TE Drake Dabney ($4,000) TE1’s under Jeff Grimes have averaged just 3.5 targets per game the last six seasons, so this was a tough evaluation for Dabney after his breakout performance in Week 1 with 101 yards and two scores on a team-high nine targets. The hesitation for me coming into the year was Baylor having three potential starting options at tight end. The other two – Kelsey Johnson and Jake Roberts – combined for one catch on two targets. Dabney is the guy.
Pivot Play – WR Monaray Baldwin ($4,500) Usage was interesting for Baldwin as he played just 38% of the offensive snaps with only four targets for who most perceived as Baylor’s WR1 entering the season. Does that continue? We’re unsure of that after just one game, but Baldwin will likely see very little ownership. Reminder, Baldwin recorded the fastest time of any player in college football last year at 22.1 MPH. He’s a gamebreaker with the ball in his hands.
Best of the Rest – WR Ketron Jackson ($5,000) Through one week, it does appear that the Arkansas transfer is the team’s top playmaker at receiver, playing 71 of 81 snaps and tied for the team lead with nine targets. I’m unfamiliar with who Jonah Burton ($3,500) is to be honest with readers, but it appears he split time with Baldwin in the slot last week, and outperformed him by a wide margin with 5-88-0 on six targets. WR Hal Presley ($4,200) was also productive with 4-83-0 on six targets. This game script clearly got away from Baylor in attempts of making a comeback vs. Texas State. I don’t think we see similar numbers this week, even as an underdog. I would say one Baylor WR maximum in your lineups.
Injury Notes – QB Blake Shapen ($6,700) Shapen will miss at least the next three weeks. Good news for those (me) who bet his season-long under props.
Nebraska vs. Colorado
Point-Spread: Col -3
O/U Total: 59
Implied Score: Col 31 – Neb 28
Weather: 75 degrees / 4% rain / 5 mph winds
Nebraska:
Top Play(s) – QB Jeff Sims ($7,200) Sims will be the overshadowed quarterback in this matchup, but arguably the better play. Not the better player when compared to Shedeur Sanders, but we have cheaper pricing and higher projection. The coaching staff said this offseason that the QB run game would absolutely be part of the game plan, and Sims displayed that last week with 117 yards on 14 attempts.
Fade – RB Anthony Grant ($4,400) I wouldn’t be surprised if Grant fell to fourth on the depth chart after the costly fumble that essentially gave Minnesota the game last week. Though part of that blame deservedly should go to the coaching staff for even having Grant in that position as fumbles were a problem all offseason for Grant.
Bargain Bin – WR Marcus Washington ($4,500) With Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda now out for the season, Washington steps into a permanent starting role on the outside. IGC actually led Nebraska in targets last week. Nebraska didn’t rotate WRs much at all beyond the top four, and now you’re down a player in that rotation.
Pivot Play – RB Gabe Ervin ($5,400) Quiet day for Ervin last week with 55 yards on just seven carries, though we see that increasing considerably for two reasons. (1) Anthony Grant doghouse, and (2) Nebraska slowing the pace the way TCU did not last week. I tend to think our projection is a bit high, but 93 yards and a touchdown at $5.4k is definitely worth consideration for someone likely to have very low ownership.
Best of the Rest – WR Alex Bullock ($4,900) Granted, it was one of the easier TD receptions Bullock will have in his career, but we also saw the reasons as to why Nebraska made sure to put him on scholarship this offseason. Virginia transfer Billy Kemp IV ($5,000) didn’t record a catch last week on two targets, but the coaching staff is sounding like they want to make it a priority to get Kemp more involved.
Injury Notes – n/a
Colorado:
Top Play(s) – WR Travis Hunter ($7,000) We won’t regurgitate what’s already been written at every news outlet this week about Hunter and the incredible debut he had in Week 1. Team-high 11 receptions on 14 targets. Hypothetically, I do wonder, how sustainable it is for Hunter to play that number of snaps on both sides of the ball each week. Is there a chance his offensive workload decreases as the season goes along, or vice versa? For now, we’ll bet on the 5-star (or should we call him a 10-star) recruit.
Fade – RB Dylan Edwards ($6,500) Probably the first time ever I’ve said fade a player that scored four touchdowns the previous week. And similar to what we’ve done previously, we probably shouldn’t designate this as an all-out fade, but moreso being underweight on the 4-star freshman running back. On the ground, Colorado really wasn’t overly effective against TCU, ranking 101st in rush success rate through one week, with Edwards getting just six attempts. With Alton McCaskill potentially coming back, could we see a lesser role for Edwards on Saturday? Nebraska will also now have plenty of game film on the dynamic freshman and how Colorado utilizes him.
Bargain Bin – WR Tar’Vish Dawson ($3,000) Tough to find someone to list here as ALL of the Colorado players are priced up. The former Auburn transfer played just 10 offensive snaps, but was targeted three times and converted into receptions on all three.
Pivot Play – QB Shedeur Sanders ($9,400) Surprised to see Sanders listed here? Me too, of sorts, but his pricing skyrocketed this week. Projections here at the CFFSite and some I’ve seen elsewhere also don’t have him ranked that highly this week because he’s a non-runner. Not that we need him to throw for 500 and four touchdowns to reach value, but 300 and three is. Nebraska will slow this game down, and they were adequate defending the pass last week against Minnesota.
Best of the Rest – WR Xavier Weaver ($7,200) Was third on the team in targets (8) but plenty productive, going over 100 yards receiving. The big-play ability of the USF transfer was on full display, averaging 19.7 YPC and the highest aDOT (18.3) on the team through one week. There was very little rotation at the wide receiver position, so while the targets may be spread out among the top 3, nobody else will be involved. One of the consistent themes of the Sean Lewis offense is that RBs (aside from Dylan Edwards) and TE’s are not involved much in the passing scheme.
Injury Notes – RB Alton McCaskill ($4,800) Sounds like if it were up to McCaskill, he’d have been on the field last week against TCU. But the staff is playing it very safe with the sophomore running back coming off an ACL tear. True game-time decision.
Eastern Kentucky vs. Kentucky
Point-Spread: n/a
O/U Total: n/a
Implied Score: n/a
Weather: 76 degrees / 6% rain / 9 mph winds
Eastern Kentucky:
Interesting fact about Eastern Kentucky University – They are the only school in the state to offer a four-year aviation program in which students can become pilots with Professional Flight concentration to pursue private, instrumental, commercial or flight instructor certifications.
Kentucky:
Top Play(s) – QB Devin Leary ($8,300) Solid but unspectacular outing from Leary in his debut, throwing for 231 yards and a touchdown against Ball State. That unexceptional outing from the passing game lends me to believe UK will get continued reps for Leary and the starting WRs in preparation for bigger matchups on the horizon. Of all the teams on the Week 2 schedule, EKU gave up the most fantasy points of any defense last Saturday, allowing seven touchdowns to Emory Jones.
Fade – RB Re’Mahn Davis ($7,700) Double-digit fantasy points is a guarantee this week from Davis facing a defense that allowed 66 points to Cincinnati last Saturday. But you need 20 points minimum at his pricing, and Kentucky needs to develop some depth behind Davis. Sounds like Ramon Jefferson ($4,100), after not playing last week, will get some reps, along with the other backs in what is likely a blowout situation.
Bargain Bin – WR Dane Key ($4,700) Surprising to see a WR who almost hit 100 yards and found the end-zone last week being listed so low here. That’s not to say that Key is a clear WR1 by any stretch but should absolutely be closer to where his counterpart Barion Brown ($5,600) is at. Not enough data yet to suggest who is the alpha in the Kentucky WR room, if there even is one. I think you sprinkle in one or the other in your lineups this weekend, considering they did combine for over 50% of UK’s target share in Week 1.
Pivot Play – WR Tayvion Robinson ($4,800) Certain that most lineups people play this week will have one of Key or Brown included. Robinson didn’t do much against Ball State, with three catches on four targets, but was on the field over 50% of the time – not far off from Key/Brown. Don’t think it’s a massive leverage play considering Leary will spread the ball around, but Robinson likely sees >5% ownership.
Best of the Rest – n/a. Wouldn’t consider rostering anyone else not listed above.
Injury Notes – n/a
Texas A&M vs. Miami
Point-Spread: A&M -3.5
O/U Total: 51
Implied Score: A&M 27 – Mia 24
Weather: 88 degrees / 41% rain / 9 mph winds
Texas A&M:
Top Play(s) – WR Evan Stewart ($7,100) Stewart is the clear alpha of the room and his production has carried over from his freshman season. Team-high eight receptions on 10 targets as he dominated New Mexico from the jump. Never a bad thing to invest in 5-star talent, regardless of price, which $7.1k won’t cripple the rest of your lineup.
Fade – RBs. Three-way split will likely mean we steer clear from the A&M backfield. RB Amari Daniels ($5,800) was by far the most effective of the bunch, and Miami does have an undersized front with the top defensive tackle at 280 pounds. So if you wanted to roster anyone, it would be Daniels of the group. But you’ll undoubtedly see Le’Veon Moss and Reuben Owens as the staff sorts out a pecking order for SEC play.
Bargain Bin – WR Moose Muhammad III ($4,200) While the RB pecking order is still being established, wide receiver seems to have a clear-cut top two with Stewart and Thomas. Muhammad was on the field plenty – 61% of snaps – and did find the end-zone but was targeted just three times.
Pivot Play – WR Noah Thomas ($6,100) I wish I had more conviction last week to play Thomas but was scared off by the depth A&M has at receiver. The 6-foot-6 sophomore had a breakout day with three touchdowns on just six targets, as the staff moved him all over on the outside and as a big-slot receiving option. Miami’s nickel corner are also very suspect, so would imagine the Aggies will do much of the same with Thomas again this week. His name popped in preseason reports over and over.
Best of the Rest – QB Conner Weigman ($9,000) We really like Weigman overs on passing yards in this matchup, the concern is his pricing and offensive line play for A&M. Weigman was pressured on 43% of his drop backs last week, resulting in him being sacked twice. Not a huge number, but Miami blitzed 54% of the time a week ago, forcing the TE’s and RBs to stay back in block. Good news for the receivers if that is the case this week if Weigman isn’t passing to the other skill positions but need him to stay upright against this front.
Injury Notes – WR De’Corian Clark ($5,200)
Miami:
Top Play(s) – WR Colbie Young ($5,900) We spoke last week about Shannon Dawson’s history with top-flight fantasy receivers, producing six 1,000-yard wideouts in the last nine years. Young is off to a good start in trying to become the seventh after catching four passes for 79 yards and a score last week. I’m not all that interested in any stacking scenarios here because Miami can get enough done on the ground to keep things balanced, but the receivers (Young specifically) intrigue me.
Fade – RB Henry Parrish ($7,200) Just too expensive here for a player that we believe will eventually give way to more talented options behind him in the backfield. The senior back averaged 10 yards per carry vs. Miami (Ohio) last Friday, but he did exactly that against inferior competition a year ago. After Week 2, Parrish averaged just 4.3 yards per carry and didn’t record a rushing TD the remainder of the year. For now, this will be a committee with Ajay Allen ($3,400) and Mark Fletcher Jr. ($4,900) both involved.
Bargain Bin – WR Xavier Restrepo ($4,100) The veteran slot-man played the most snaps last week of any skill position player for the Hurricanes, catching five passes on six targets. It was a very centralized target share between Restrepo, Young and WR3 Jacolby George ($4,400), combining for 17 of the 25 targets. Prices for both are very reasonable as well to where we might mix in all three in a variety of lineups. As of now, we have all three Miami receivers projected for double-digit fantasy points.
Pivot Play – QB Tyler Van Dyke ($7,900) TVD should have a solid game here with a favorable game script as a near touchdown underdog, but he’s a complete zero as a runner. So we need at least three touchdowns and 200 yards passing to hit value. Our projection of just 18.6 points doesn’t increase our interest any.
Best of the Rest – TE Elijah Arroyo ($3,000) The Canes’ TE1 seems to be progressing with Mario Cristobal saying there’s a shot Arroyo is back this week.
Injury Notes – n/a
Iowa vs. Iowa State
Point-Spread: Iowa -4
O/U Total: 36.5
Implied Score: Iowa 20 – ISU 16
Weather: 79 degrees / 3% rain / 7 mph winds
Iowa:
Top Play(s) – TE Luke Lachey ($4,000) I thought this top spot would go to a different player but the Iowa run game stats were a bit troubling to open the year. Lachey, meanwhile, looks to be next in the long line of great Iowa tight ends with 7-73-0 on a team-high nine targets in Week 1. $4k is too cheap.
Fade – QB Cade McNamara ($6,400) The Michigan transfer was fine last week with 191 yards and two scores, but far more difficult matchup this week. 15 points feels like a ceiling here against an Iowa State defense that was lights out last Saturday. Not to mentioned Kirk Ferentz stated that McNamara is still not 100% after suffering an injury during fall ball and will be something the team has to manage for a few weeks.
Bargain Bin – TE Erick All ($3,800) Connection was strong out of the gate between the two former Michigan transfers and roommates with All catching three passes and a touchdown on four targets. Just one game of evidence but the two tight ends appear to be the most trusted pass-catchers, by far, for McNamara to throw to.
Pivot Play – RB Kaleb Johnson ($5,800) Underwhelming performance in Week 1 for Johnson, averaging just 3.3 YPC on 19 attempts with a touchdown. The offensive line continues to be a issue for the Hawkeyes with a 34.4% success rate when running the football against a Mountain West defense. Ferentz mentioned they’re still rotating linemen in and out of the lineup trying to find the best combination. On the other hand, Johnson dominated the touches in the backfield with 63% volume share among the RBs.
Best of the Rest – WR Nico Ragaini ($4,300) Will see very little ownership, but Ragaini was second with six targets last week. No other wide receiver had more than two targets.
Injury Notes – n/a
Iowa State:
Top Play(s) – WR Jaylin Noel ($4,400) We’re advocating a guy that had just six yards receiving against Northern Iowa? Yes and no. The QB room is a disaster, but Noel was targeted six times to get those six yards, double of any other pass-catcher on the roster. The junior slot-man looks to be the one constant in the passing game right now. Remember, another slot receiver absolutely cooked the Iowa secondary last week in Utah State’s Terrell Vaughn.
Fade – QBs. Self-explanatory when looking at the box score against Northern Iowa. Just 116 yards passing against an inferior opponent, facing a Top 5 preseason defense. And the staff has said they might play both Rocco Becht and JJ Kohl.
Bargain Bin – WR Jayden Higgins ($3,700) The Cyclones ran a ton of two-tight end sets against UNI, and there was very little rotation among the receivers. Noel and FCS transfer Jayden Higgins ran almost exclusively with the 1s last Saturday. Minimal output but Higgins did garner a lot of buzz during the offseason and has plenty of experience, catching 10 touchdown passes last year at Eastern Kentucky.
Pivot Play – RB Cartevious Norton ($4,600) So there was good and bad in Week 1 from Norton. On the plus side, the Iowa State offensive line looked improved for a week, ranking 78th in success rate when running the football. Not a great ranking, but better than Iowa State has been in recent years. Secondly, Norton’s 3.79 yards after contact per attempt is near the top of the Big 12. Now for the bad news. Prized freshman Abu Sama ($3,300) looked very good in limited opportunities, averaging nearly seven yards a carry. Won’t be starting either player against Iowa, but we’ll get some more evidence Saturday of what we might be able to expect down the road.
Best of the Rest – Would not consider anyone not mentioned above on the Iowa State side.
Injury Notes – n/a
Ole Miss vs. Tulane
Point-Spread: Miss -7
O/U Total: 66.5
Implied Score: Miss 36 – Tul 30
Weather: 88 degrees / 19% rain / 9 mph winds
Ole Miss:
Top Play(s) – RB Quinshon Judkins ($8,100) Against Top 25 competition, we get back to the true identity of the Ole Miss offense – running their horse 20+ times. Unlike last year, there really isn’t any true competition for carries alongside Judkins this year. Ulysses Bentley won’t challenge for 10+ attempts at the SEC level and Oregon State transfer Jamious Griffin is still getting up to speed with his new team.
Fade – RB Ulysses Bentley ($5,000) See above. This isn’t Zach Evans’ situation comparable to last year where we see a 2-1 split with Quinshon Judkins. Bentley might offer some increased value in the passing game as he worked out at slot receiver in fall camp but spending $5.0k is a tough pill to swallow.
Bargain Bin – WR Dayton Wade ($3,500) Pricing makes Wade considerable here, as well as given the fact that he played 45 of the 50 snaps against Mercer. But is that amount a good thing when up by 50 points? The other reason for hesitancy is the emergence of 4-star freshman Ayden Williams who played a chunk of the second half last week and was targeted six times. Williams ($4,100) replaced Tre Harris in the lineup, not Wade, but I’m very curious to see if the coaching staff wants to try out the freshman opposite Harris instead.
Pivot Play – WR Tre Harris x2 ($7,800) Usually can’t glean much from a 70-point blowout but have to be enthusiastic about the rapport shown between Jaxson Dart and the Louisiana Tech transfer. And we’ll see the same situation again Saturday with Zakhari Franklin continuing to be on the shelf. I like the potential here for Harris again given the relatively tight spread and high game total. Ole Miss likely can’t rely solely on Judkins to defeat Tulane.
Best of the Rest – WR Jordan Watkins ($6,200) This is probably too steep a price for me to pay for Watkins, but the former Louisville transfer had an overshadowed performance with 111 yards on six targets. Harris is the undoubted WR1, but this staff/scheme has produced 1,000-yard receivers from the slot in recent years. Like Harris, good to see the rapport with Dart connecting early. As for QB Jaxson Dart ($9,700), this is a steep price to pay, but he was near perfect in his debut this season with 334 yards and four scores. I would want to pair him with an Ole Miss wideout if starting him in your lineups.
Injury Notes – WR Zakhari Franklin ($8,000) Franklin is beginning to ramp up reps in practice but will not play vs. Tulane. Neither Caden Prieskorn ($3,800) nor Hudson Wolfe ($3,100) will play this week either.
Tulane:
Top Play(s) – QB Michael Pratt ($8,800) Very impressed with Tulane coming out of the gates and dominating the most experienced team from the Sun Belt in South Alabama. Despite a relatively new WR corps, Pratt was precise with his passing, completing 14-of-15 passes for 293 yards and four scores, while also adding another 42 on the ground. ***NOTE – Vegas line has grown from 6 to 7.5 over the course of the week. Why? Checking the Tulane message boards, there is a long thread about Pratt potentially not playing this week due to a lower-body injury. Doesn’t mean that’ll happen, but we need to pay attention pregame.
Fade – RBs. Because Tulane very clearly does not have a Tyjae Spears in 2023. Leading rusher against South Alabama was a true freshman with just six attempts. Not unusual though for a Willie Fritz offense. Spears’ 40% volume share was the highest ever for a Fritz RB1 in the last nine years. Typically, you’re looking at just 26% which equates to around 140 carries for a season. We’re going to let this situation sort out a bit before investing in it on a DFS slate.
Bargain Bin – WR Chris Brazzell ($4,100) We admitted last week that we didn’t know anything about the 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman aside from the fact that he was a listed starter on the depth chart and was 6-foot-5. Turns out we should’ve done a bit more research because Brazzell showed out in his first start with 53 yards and a touchdown on four targets.
Pivot Play – WR Jha’Quan Jackson ($6,300) Our analysis was short-sighted last week on the Tulane receivers, and I’ll take blame for that. In 2022, the Green Wave had five different players with at least 10% of the target share. Well, that doesn’t always translate from year to year. Promising looking at the game logs for Tulane in that the three starting receivers played at least 57% of the offensive snaps with very little rotation with the backups. Have to think that’ll remain the same in another competitive matchup vs. an SEC opponent. Jackson caught two touchdown passes vs. South Alabama with a 35.3 YPC average and aDOT of 26.3.
Best of the Rest – WR Lawrence Keys ($6,000) Same argument for the Notre Dame transfer as above for Jackson and Brazzell. Minimal rotation among the Tulane receivers will be a huge benefit for their production in 2023. TE Alex Bauman ($3,400) played 87% of snaps vs. South Alabama, targeted just twice. TE1s under Fritz averaged 2.3 targets per game over the last decade.
Injury Notes – n/a
UTEP vs. Northwestern
Point-Spread: UTEP -2
O/U Total: 40
Implied Score: UTEP 21 – NW 19
Weather: 70 degrees / 1% rain / 11 mph winds
UTEP:
Top Play(s) – WR Tyrin Smith ($7,600) Slow start to the season for Smith for his standards with just nine catches on 12 targets through two games. Smith had more yardage and targets in Week 1 of last year. Double-digit targets for the UTEP WR1 is our prediction for this week after seeing the Northwestern defense allow Rutgers QB Gavin Wimsatt to dink and dunk his way down the field last weekend. The biggest problem is pricing where I don’t see a path for Smith to reach value at $7.6k unless he gets 15 targets.
Fade – WR Kelly Akharaiyi ($6,800) Game total is 37.5 points. There is no reason you’re spending $6.8k on a WR2 on UTEP in this low-scoring environment. Passing game wasn’t needed as much vs. Incarnate Word last week, but Akharaiyi was targeted just twice despite playing 71 of 75 offensive snaps.
Bargain Bin – TE Zach Fryar ($3,000) Min priced and has played 90% of UTEP’s offensive snaps in 2023. About all I got here. Was targeted four times in the Week 0 opener.
Pivot Play – RB Deion Hankins ($6,000) After looking like a full-blown committee following Week 0, Hankins reassumed his RB1 stature, rushing for 174 yards on 24 carries. UTEP has a veteran offensive line to match up with a B1G defense, and the Wildcats’ defense didn’t grade out well after Week 1 despite allowing just 2.9 YPA, ranking 102nd in rush success rate defensively.
Best of the Rest – QB Gavin Hardison ($6,800) Non-running quarterback with an implied team total of 17. Haven’t seen the Hardison projection as of writing this, but there isn’t a single justified reason he deserves consideration on this main slate.
Injury Notes – n/a
Northwestern:
Top Play(s) – WR Cam Johnson ($4,300) The former Vanderbilt and Arizona State transfer caught just three passes for minimal yardage but was also targeted 10 times with a 14.0 aDOT. Assuming Northwestern struggles again to run the football – what reason did they give us in Week 1 to think the Wildcats will be able to run on anyone in 2023 – Johnson should see another healthy dosage of targets.
Fade – RB Cam Porter ($4,900) Northwestern struggled run blocking in 2022 with a first-round draft pick at left tackle. They’re not off to a great start in 2023, averaging just 3.8 YPC against Rutgers with RB1 Cam Porter gaining just eight yards on six attempts. Best part about Porter’s performance was his four receptions on five targets. Until we see otherwise, the Wildcats will likely struggle to run the football against every opponent on the schedule.
Bargain Bin – WR A.J. Henning ($4,000) The former Michigan transfer is electric with the football, finishing second on the team with four receptions on seven targets. As shown against Rutgers, and a time or two during his career with the Wolverines, they’ll utilize Henning’s running abilities on jet sweeps or motioning into the backfield as well.
Pivot Play – QB Ben Bryant ($5,100) Cheap enough to consider? Ugly debut for the former Cincy transfer with just 169 yards passing and two interceptions. Good news (not for NW fans) is that the coaching staff came out after the game and announced this is still Bryant’s job and they would not be alternating drives with backup Brendan Sullivan. Can Bryant give us 200 yards and two scores against UTEP? That’s probably all he needs to reach value, while also being his ceiling outcome.
Best of the Rest – n/a We’ve already written more words than this game deserves.
Injury Notes – WR Bryce Kirtz ($4,000) Kirtz missed the Rutgers matchup with an undisclosed injury, which according to an ESPN writer, is “not expected to sideline him long.”
UNLV vs. Michigan
Point-Spread: Mich -37
O/U Total: 57
Implied Score: Mich 47 – UNLV 10
Weather: 70 degrees / 0% rain / 8 mph winds
UNLV:
Rough debut of the “Go-Go offense” under new OC Brennan Marion in Week 1, mustering just 126 passing yards in a 44-14 win over Bryant. While this offense generally runs the football around 62% of the time, we’re not considering any of the RBs in the Rebel backfield vs. the Michigan front seven. QB Doug Brumfield ($5,300) is cheap, and this system is known for running its quarterbacks – 14 rush attempts per game over the last three seasons – but throwing for 88 yards against Bryant doesn’t provide much confidence even at that price. Explosives are the theme with this Go-Go system and the passing game, where Marion’s WR1 at Howard averaged over 27 YPC at Howard University. Michigan killer, Ricky White ($4,700) is the team’s top wideout, and did dominate the Wolverines once when back at Michigan State with 196 yards and a touchdown. Guaranteed this staff remembers that performance. Slot-man WR Jacob De Jesus ($4,000) was a constant performer for the Rebels in the offseason and led the team with 4-50-0 on four targets.
Michigan:
Top Play(s) – QB JJ McCarthy ($9,100) Perhaps my Michigan goggles are influencing my selections here on top plays. McCarthy was surgical against East Carolina, completing 87% of his passes for 280 yards and three scores. That only resulted in 23 fantasy points, though. I won’t pretend to know what the gameplan is facing an inferior opponent for the second straight game, but I think we have three things working in favor of McCarthy here. Floor is one of the highest on the slate, facing a UNLV defense that allowed over 230 yards through the air and 400 overall to Bryant. (2) McCarthy will have his full compliment of weapons at wide receiver which he didn’t have against ECU. (3) I don’t think Michigan wants to run Blake Corum much more than they did last week. That said, the Wolverines didn’t perform well along the OL as a run blocking unit, so correcting those errors could also be in the cards on Saturday. Tough choice.
Fade – RB Blake Corum ($8,400) We stated all offseason that Blake Corum would be ready to roll Week 1 and he proved just that with 73 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. According to Reel Analytics, Corum accelerated to 21.1 mph in only four seconds on his long TD run vs. East Carolina. Similar to our argument for fading Ray Davis above, price vs. payoff probably isn’t worth it again this Saturday in another impending blowout situation.
Bargain Bin – TE Colston Loveland ($4,000) Would venture to guess that the talented sophomore finds the end-zone on Saturday, as he finished with 4-57-0, converting on all four of his targets. Insane efficiency for a player that was on the field less than 50% of the time. Loveland was the second-highest graded player on the Michigan offense behind McCarthy and Wilson.
Pivot Play – WR Cornelius Johnson ($5,700) The headlines belonged to Roman Wilson ($5,400) on Saturday with 78 yards and three touchdowns. This is a 1a-1b situation with Johnson, though, who posted 5-71-0 on six targets despite being mentioned as ‘questionable’ pregame with an injury. Michigan is getting healthier at receiver, but the depth behind Wilson/Johnson is very inexperienced, so expect McCarthy to lean on his top two wideouts.
Best of the Rest – RB Donovan Edwards ($6,800) Tough to fathom paying up for Edwards here given his struggled to find open creases against ECU, finishing with just 37 yards on 12 carries, getting more reps/snaps than Corum. To be fair to Edwards, the Michigan offensive line didn’t perform up to standard incorporating three new starters.
Injury Notes – WR Tyler Morris ($3,100) Projected starting receiver Tyler Morris played just 11 snaps vs. East Carolina as he was limited due to injury. Sounds as though he’ll be more up to speed health-wise on Saturday.
Marshall vs. East Carolina
Point-Spread: Marsh -3
O/U Total: 43.5
Implied Score: Marsh 23 – ECU 20
Weather: 82 degrees / 58% rain / 8 mph winds
Marshall:
Top Play(s) – RB Rasheen Ali ($4,800) From the selection of games to the pricing, DK clearly put zero effort into compiling this Week 2 slate. $4.8k for the nation’s leader in rushing touchdowns just two years ago. Make it make sense. If making any sort of argument against Ali, aside from 90% ownership in GPPs, it would be this. After just one week, the Marshall offense ranks 66th in success rate running the football. These sorts of stats aren’t overly notable through just one game, but that one game was against Albany.
Fade – Backup RBs Ali had 18 of the 20 rushing attempts that went to Marshall running backs last week. The RB1 for Marshall has hit 50% volume share each of the last two years.
Bargain Bin – TE Cade Conley ($3,600) We’ll talk about the wide receivers in a second, but impressed with the box score of Conley, a former Central Michigan transfer, with a team-high seven receptions on seven targets. We’ve seen multiple tight ends have productive seasons now under OC Clint Trickett – Xavier Gaines, Harrison Bryant – so it wouldn’t surprise us to see this production continue through the 2023 season. Most importantly, Conley played 60 of 61 offensive snaps vs. Albany.
Pivot Play – QB Cam Fancher ($6,300) Nobody will make a detailed argument in favor of playing Cam Fancher as a legitimate option with a game total of just 46 points. He’s mildly cheap and hit double-digit rushing attempts in five of the last six games to close 2022. That’s all anyone can offer as a somewhat legitimate attempt at opining for Fancher on a main slate.
Best of the Rest – WRs Marshall played 61 offensive snaps against Albany last Saturday. Seven different receivers saw anywhere between 21-57% of those snaps with six wideouts catching at least one pass. Messy. The two options we’d prefer out of the bunch are sophomore slot receiver Charles Montgomery ($4,100) who was tied for the team high in targets (7) or Kentucky transfer DeMarcus Harris ($4,200) who caught five passes including a touchdown. We projected Harris in the Corey Gammage role as the WR1 in the preseason.
Injury Notes – n/a
East Carolina:
Top Play(s) – WR Jaylen Johnson ($4,600) Was disappointed to see that Johnson played just 50% of the snaps, because he made the most of his time on the field with a team-high five receptions on nine targets. Slot receiver has finished as the WR1 in three of the last four years for ECU. Interesting that Johnson split time there against Michigan with Jhari Patterson. Would have been able to better analyze the situation if that matchup wasn’t a money grab and being shown on Peacock TV.
Fade – RBs. There is no Keaton Mitchell this season for ECU. Rahjai Harris got the starting nod but was ineffective just as he’s been in the run game for much of his college career (harsh?). The Pirates then proceeded to rotate in Marlon Gunn, Javious Bond, and Georgia Southern transfer Gerald Green – Green finally came in very late in the Michigan game. In these situations, I wouldn’t be surprised if a player like Bond, a 3-star freshman, sees increased reps as the season goes along if none of the veterans take hold of the starting job. Bond is cheap at $3.1k and did convert on all three of his targets in the passing game.
Bargain Bin – RB Javious Bond ($3,100) In these situations, I wouldn’t be surprised if a player like Bond, a 3-star freshman, sees increased reps as the season goes along if none of the veterans take hold of the starting job. Bond is cheap at $3.1k and did convert on all three of his targets in the passing game. Too early to judge a defense entirely, but Marshall allowed just 2.9 YPC in the opener.
Pivot Play – WR Jsi Hatfield ($4,300) Aside from the offensive linemen, Hatfield played the most offensive snaps of any player on that side of the ball against Michigan last Saturday. But hardly any production came with despite being on the field so much, targeted just three times. Hatfield has been an explosive player, averaging over 15 YPC for his career, but has never developed into a primary target for ECU quarterbacks in five years now.
Best of the Rest – QBs I think the ECU fanbase is over Mason Garcia at this point. A 3-star prospect with tremendous physical attributes but has never been able to put that together into becoming a consistent quarterback. Garcia got the first three series vs. Michigan and then gave way to backup Alex Flinn for a portion of the contest. That signals this battle is far from unsettled in the coach’s eyes. Would probably avoid this situation.
Injury Notes – WR Kerry King ($3,000) King was expected to be part of the WR rotation but was announced OFY with an injury.
