Joe’s Week 3 Notes & Observations

Off to a late start this week, as I have been sick in bed for most of Sunday. If I have not responded to your email since Sunday morning, I will get to you ASAP on Monday. Fortunately, I watched a ton of football on Saturday. Personally, I felt that I missed a bunch this week, so lets make it up in Week 4. These last-minute scratches are killing a bunch of you. Just to let you know, I have a solution to this problem that I will explain on this week’s podcast. I have even approached Fantrax and they are not opposed to implementing the feature into their CFF platform. Stay tuned.

Here are my notes and observations from Week 3:

Power 5 Notes

Wake Forest RB Cade Carney missed another game and freshman RB Kenneth Walker looked good again. Walker carried the ball 13 times for 94 yards in a 24-18 win over UNC. Walker’s emergence isn’t good for Carney’s owners.
UNC WR Dyami Brown has now caught a TD pass in three consecutive games. A first half fumble by Javonte Williams opened the door for Michael Carter to get more carries this week, and he responded by leading the Tar Heels with 96 rushing yards and adding a TD reception. WR Dazz Newsome has caught at least 4 passes in two of three games.
Kansas had one of the surprise performances of the weekend. RBs Pooka Williams and Khalil Herbert topped the 100-yard mark and scored. WR Andrew Parchment caught 8 passes for 100 yards and 2 TDs. It was the second time this season that Parchment has caught at least 8 passes for 100 yards.
Washington State were involved in two blowout wins prior to their game against Houston, but it was clear Friday night, in a tight game against Houston, that receivers Davontavean Martin, Easop Winston, and Brandon Arconado will likely be the most targeted of their receivers.
I was down on West Virginia RB Kennedy McKoy in the Week 3 podcast. He scored 2 rushing TDs, but only had ten carries against NC State. Receiver Sam James has emerged as the best fantasy asset in the Mountaineers offense. Against WVU, he caught nine passes for 155 yards and a TD and has caught at least five passes in every game.
NC State WR Emeka Emezie has caught at least seven passes in two of the Wolfpack’s first three games. TE Cary Angeline has caught a TD pass in back-to-back games.
Georgia WR George Pickens has caught at least 4 passes for 78 yards in back-to-back non-conference games.
Mississippi State WR Osirus Mitchell has caught a TD pass in each of the Bulldogs first three games.
Virginia Tech has been unimpressive in each of their first three games and QB Ryan Willis’ fantasy value is dropping. He only accounted for 1 TD in a 24-17 win over Furman.
Indiana TE Peyton Hendershot has at least 50 receiving yards in each of the Hoosiers first three games and has caught a TD pass in consecutive weeks.
Ohio State RB JK Dobbins has run for 140-plus yards in back-to-back games and has scored in the Buckeyes’ first three games. WRs Binjimen Victor and Chris Olave have at least 60 receiving yards in all three games. QB Justin Fields has accounted for at least 4 TDs in every game this year.
Tennessee WR Jauan Jennings has caught a TD pass in each of the Volunteers’ first three games.
Mississippi State QB Tommy Stevens was benched against Kansas State. Whether his benching was injury-related remains to be seen. WR Osirus Mitchell has caught a TD pass in each of the Bulldogs’ first three games.
Kansas State WR Dalton Schoen has caught a TD pass in tow of the Wildcats’ first two games. RB James Gilbert has carried the ball at least 17 times in two of the first three games.
Penn State Noah Cain has scored a rushing TD in each of the Nittany Lions’ first three games. Journey Brown started at running back for Penn State, but here is the breakdown of touches: Brown, 11 for 125 yards; Cain, 7 for 53 yards and a TD; Slade, 6 for 46 yards.
Maryland RB Anthony McFarland has scored in each of the Terrapins’ first three games.
Georgia Tech RB Jordan Mason has rushed for at least 70 yards and a TD in each of the Yellow Jackets’ first three games, but a surprising 27-24 loss to The Citadel leaves me questioning his future fantasy value.
One of my worst calls of the week was recommending Notre Dame RB Tony Jones as a starter, as he totaled only 23 yards of offense against New Mexico.
Filling in for the injured Isaiah Bowser, Drake Anderson carried the ball 26 times for 141 yards and a TD in Northwestern’s 30-14 win over UNLV.
Oregon State RB Jermar Jefferson was a game-day scratch and missed the Beavers’ game against Cal Poly.
Oregon State WR Isaiah Hodgins has caught at least seven passes in all three of the Beavers’ games this season. He also has at least 80 yards and a TD in every game this year.
Louisville RB Javian Hawkins has opened the season with three consecutive 100-yard rushing games. Chatarius Atwell has emerged as Louisville’s top fantasy receiver.
For those of you that remained patient with Minneota WR Tyler Johnson, congrats. I just hope there are many of you out there that started him this week.
Picking the highest scoring USC receiver is going to be a challenge, but when you look at all three games, it’s still clear that Tyler Vaughns has been the most consistent. RB Valvae Malepeai has scored in all three games this season.
Oklahoma State RB Chuba Hubbard has two 200-yard, 3-TD games already.
Elijah Collins seems like he will stick as the Spartans’ No. 1 back. He carried the ball 19 times for 72 yards and a TD against Arizona State. WR Darrell Stewart has at least six receptions in every game this season.
Nick Starkel threw for 300 yards and three TDs in the Razorbacks’ 55-34 win over Colorado State, but the schedule will only get tougher from here on out. RB Rakeem Boyd has carried the ball at least 17 times in every game this season and has two 100-yard games.
Ole Miss QB Matt Corral, RB Scottie Phillips, and WR Elijah Moore have had a couple of decent fantasy performances the past two weeks, but the are about to face two good defenses, Cal and Alabama. Now would be a good time to sell your Ole Miss assets if you feel the need to make changes.
Cal RB Chris Brown left Saturday;’s game against North Texas with an injury. Hopefully, we get more details this week.
Miami RB DeeJay Dallas has rushed for at least 90 yards in each of the Hurricanes’ first three games.
Duke QB Quentin Harris has thrown four TD passes in each of Duke’s last two games.
Florida QB Feleipe Franks is likely out for the season with an ankle injury, so consider adding Kyle Trask if you play in a Power 5 or SEC league. WR Van Jefferson has topped the 90-yard mark in back-to-back weeks.
I mentioned Kentucky RB Kavosiey Smoke on the Week 3 podcast and he had more touches against Florida than AJ Rose and averaged 5.1 yards per carry.
After three games, it seems that we can lock Auburn RB JaTarvious Whitlow into a 1,000-yard rushing season.
It wasn’t a good feeling seeing Jacob Kibodi getting the start at running back for Texas A&M, but Isaiah Spiller did the business, rushing for 116 yards and 2 TDs against Lamar. I mentioned on the podcast that I felt Jhamon Austin would have a good fantasy season, and he came through for me, catching 4 passes for 109 yards and 2 TDs. He now has at least 69 receiving yards in all three games and has scored in two of three.
Florida State RB Cam Akers is off to a nice fantasy start. In three games, Akers has 387 rushing yards and has scored 5 TDs.
Clemson RB Travis Etienne failed to score Saturday at Syracuse, which marked the first time in his collegiate career that he has played in two consecutive games without scoring.
So much for having two of the top fantasy receivers on the same field. In a TCU 34-13 win at Purdue, the Horned Frogs’ Jalen Reagor totaled 40 yards of offense and the Boilermakers’ Rondale Moore totaled 25 yards.
Washington RB Salvon Ahmed only had eight carries against Hawaii, but I do believe the opponent had a lot to do with his lack of utilization. The Huskies were up 21-0 after nine minutes.
LSU QB Joe Burrow was 21-of-24 for 373 yards and accounted for three TDs. In my opinion, he’s putting himself into the Heisman conversation.
Nebraska RB Maurice Washington has scored a rushing TD and receiving TD in back-to-back games. Dedrick Mills had 116 yards and a TD, so I’m not ready to drop him just yet, even though it seems Washington will likely be the better fantasy asset.
Texas WR Collin Johnson missed Saturday’s game against Rice with a hamstring injury.
Arizona QB Khalil Tate has 238 rushing yards after three games. He had 224 rushing yards in eleven games last year.
Last year, Oregon QB Justin Herbert threw 29 TD passes in 13 games, but 12 of those were in three non-conference games. This year, he is off to a similar start, tossing 11 TD passes in the Ducks’ first three games.

Group 5 Notes

I think Rice receiver Austin Trammell could be a nice addition in deep FBS leagues. Trammell caught a TD pass in the game against Wake Forest and now has 10 receptions in two games.
I know Dana Holgorsen’s offense can produce three quality fantasy receivers any given year, but I don’t think that will happen in 2019. King’s dual-threat ability will eat up a lot of the fantasy production in that offense, but receivers Marquez Stevenson and Keith Corbin do have value.
Arkansas State WR Omar Bayless has caught at least six passes in each of the first three games of the year.
Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder had 574 rushing yards last year. He only has 31 yards rushing through three games this year.
Eastern Michigan QB Mike Glass has thrown for 300 yards in back-to-back games and has thrown at least 2 TD passes in every game this year.
Temple QB Anthony Russo has thrown 7 TD passes in two games. After two games, WR Jadan Blue has 15 catches for 149 yards and 2 TDs. WR Isaiah Wright has caught at least 5 passes and scored a TD in each of the Owls’ first two games.
Air Force RB Kadin Remsberg has scored three TDs in the Falcons’ first two games.
FAU RB Larry McCammon led the team with 25 rush attempts against Ball State. He seems worthy of a roster spot and could be useful in a Flex spot.
Ball State quarterback Drew Plitt has 11 TD passes in three games.
Coastal Carolina CJ Marable has carried the ball at least 18 times in all three games this season.
Central Michigan RB Kobe Lewis was listed among our Deep Sleepers, which was published on Friday. Against Akron, he carried the ball 26 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns. I’m not sure how much time Jonathan Ward will miss, but Lewis could be a suitable replacement in MAC play.
Akron WR Nate Stewart has at least four catches in every game this season and has caught a TD pass in back-to-back games.
UNLV RB Charles Williams has rushed for at least 140 yards in each of the Rebels’ first three games.
Welcome back, Malcolm Perry! 24-156-4 vs East Carolina
East Carolina QB Holton Ahlers has only accounted for four TDs in three games, and three of those TDs were against an FBS opponent (Gardner Webb).
Early last week we learned that Darriel Mack was available for UCF, but he did not play against Stanford. Dillon Gabriel was 22-of-30 for 347 yards and 4 TDs against Stanford, and after that performance, he may not share the job again.
There were some out there that moved off Tulsa WR Keylon Stokes for teammate Sam Crawford. Against Oklahoma State, Stokes caught seven passes for 109 yards and a TD. RB Shamari Brooks has back-to-back 100-yard rushing games and has totaled 58 carries the past two weeks.
Colorado State receiver Dante Wright has now scored in three consecutive games. RB Marvin Kinsey has totaled over 100 yards of offense in each of the Rams’ first three games of 2019 and will likely land on this week’s waiver wire.
North Texas RB Tre Siggers carried the ball 18 times for 88 yards against Cal and I’m sold on him sticking as the Mean Green’s No. 1 RB.
Wyoming RB Xazavian Valladay did not play in Saturday’s game against Idaho due to an ankle injury. Trey Smith carried the ball 17 times for 152 grads and 2 TDs in Wyoming’s 21-16 win over idaho.
South Florida WR Johnny Ford feels like one of my few hits in Week 3, totaling 137 yards of offense against South Carolina State and scoring two touchdowns. Jordan McCloud got the start at quarterback for USF and accounted for five TDs in a 55-16 win over South Carolina State. I would like to see McCloud against better opposition before recommending him on the waiver wire.
Charlotte RB Benny LeMay has rushed for 100 yards in each of the 49ers first three games, but failed to score in Saturday’s 52-17 win over UMass.
USM WR Quez Watkins caught two TD passes in the last 16 minutes of the Golden Eagles’ 47-42 win at Troy to finish with 7 receptions for 209 yards and 2 TDs. If owners dumped him after we found out he would miss the first tow games, now is the time to get him.
Marshall TE Xavier Gaines totaled 105 yards of offense and scored two TDs in Marshall’s 33-31 win over Ohio.
Ohio RB De’Montre Tuggle has scored in each of the Bobcats’ first three games.
After Nevada’s 19-13 win over Weber State, I’m concerned that we won’t see consistent fantasy production from the Wolf Pack offense in future weeks.
After Toledo’s 45-0 over Murray State, I’m not sure we know much more about their offense today that we did two weeks ago, particularly at receiver. However, TE Drew Ross caught five passes for 84 yards and a TD, so add him to your watchlist.
I included Western Michigan WR DaShon Bussell on the Week 2 Deep Sleepers piece and he caught three passes for 65 yards and a TD against Georgia State. Add him to your watchlist.
After three games, SMU has twelve rushing TDs and five passing TDs, certainly a flip from what I expected in the preseason.
Texas State WR Hutch White has caught at least six passes in each of the Bobcats’ first three games.Boise State RB Robert Mahone returned to action and carried the ball six times for 59 yards against Portland State. Freshman RB George Holani also had six rush attempts.