G5 Notes
- Akron: RB Teon Dollard carried the ball 22 times for 165 yards in the Zips’ 24-10 loss at Ohio. Dollard and WR Nate Stewart are probably the two best fantasy options on the Akron roster right now.
- Buffalo: WR Antonio Nunn has caught at least 5 passes for 100 yards and a TD in each of the Bull’s first two games.
- Ball State: After two games, RB Caleb Huntley has carried the ball 55 times for 334 yards and 5 TDs. WR Justin Hall has totaled over 120 yards from scrimmage in each of the Cardinal’s first two games.
- Western Michigan: When RB La’Darius Jefferson was granted his waiver, which made him immediately eligible in 2020, I knew that would hurt the fantasy stock of RB Sean Tyler. After two games, Tyler’s numbers suggest he should probably get more touches than Jefferson. WR D’Wayne Eskridge has caught 3 TD passes in the Broncos’ first two games.
- Central Michigan: Making a move for freshman RB Lew Nichols would be wise if you play in a keeper league. The Chippewas’ system can support two fantasy RBs, and if Kobe Lewis goes down, Nichols will likely take over as the starter.
- Cincinnati: One week after rushing for a season-high 184 yards and a TD, RB Gerrid Doaks had his worst statistical game of the season in Saturday’s 55-17 win over East Carolina (13-52-0).
- SMU: After scoring 6 TDs in the first five games of the year, WR Danny Gray has not scored in three consecutive games and has only totaled 117 yards in those three games.
- Tulsa: RB TK Wilkerson has carried the ball at least 18 times and scored a TD in three straight games. WR Keylon Stokes has topped the 90-yard mark in three of the last four games.
- Temple: Based on reports earlier in the week, it seemed as if QB Anthony Russo was going to play against UCF, but he did not travel due to Covid-related issues. The Owls’ quarterbacks only completed 10-of-25 passes on Saturday. I would not have ranked WRs Jadan Blue and Branden Mack as high as I did in the rankings had I known Russo was not going to play. That has been a problem this year with trying to get rankings out on Wednesdays. We are not getting any Covid-related news until the morning of the games.
- Florida Atlantic: The Owls offense may have found the right quarterback to jumpstart the offense with freshman Javion Posey. In Saturday’s 38-19 win over FIU, Posey threw for 80 yards and 2 TDs and ran for 182 yards and a score.
- Marshall: Well, my prediction of RB Brenden Knox rushing for 100 and a TD in every game this season fell flat. QB Grant Wells had a career game, throwing for 336 yards and 5 TDs in Marshall’s 42-14 win over MTSU.
- Liberty: QB Malik Willis has totaled 4 or more TDs in three straight games.
- Colorado State: WR A’Jon Vivens has emerged as the Rams’ No. 1 RB option. In Thursday night’s road loss to Boise State, Vivens carried the ball 12 times for 76 yards and a TD. TE Trey McBride has caught a TD pass in three straight games.
- Fresno State: RB Ronnie Rivers has scored in each of the Bulldogs’ first four games and has totaled over 150 yards from scrimmage in each of the last three games.
- San Diego State: RB Greg Bell has rushed for at least 100 yards and a TD in each of the Aztecs’ first four games. He has carried the ball at least 19 times in every game, too.
- Nevada: WR Romeo Doubs (20.8 avg.) is one of three receivers in the country that have at least 30 receptions and is averaging 20.0 yards per catch (Gunner Romney, BYU-20.3, Jaylon Robinson, UCF-20.0). QB Carson Strong has thrown at least 3 TD passes in three of Nevada’s first four games.
- San Jose State: QB Nick Starkel left last week’s game against San Diego State with an injury, but returned for Saturday’s matchup against UNLV. The Spartans utilized both Starkel and Nick Nash against UNLV. Starkel finished 17-of-28 for 274 yards and 2 TDs, while Nash led the team in rushing with 94 yards on 8 carries.
- Texas State: WR Marcel Barbee has now caught a TD pass in four consecutive games and has scored in six of nine games this year.
- Georgia Southern: Logan Wright had 14 carries for 103 yards against Texas State, and with JD King out with an injury, Wright seems to be the next best option in the backfield behind Wesley Kennedy III.
P5 Notes
- Miami: The perception seems to be that QB D’Eriq King has been a really good fantasy player this year, but he has totaled 2 or fewer TDs in 5 of 8 games. In Saturday’s 25-24 win over Virginia Tech, RB Cam’Ron Harris scored his first rushing TD since Sept. 26.
- Virginia Tech: RB Khalil Herbert played against Miami and had 8 carries for 49 yards. He left the Hokies’ previous game with a hamstring injury, so that gives him 8 carries in the last two games. Now we’re left wondering how many carries Herbert will get next week against Pitt.
- Wake Forest: RB Kenneth Walker III has scored a TD in six straight games and has four multiple-TD games during that stretch. Christian Beal-Smith (336) has more rushing yards than Walker over the last three games (196), but he has not scored a TD in four straight games. WR Jaquarri Roberson has topped the 120-yard receiving mark in three of the last four games.
- North Carolina: WR Dyami Brown only caught 2 passes for 25 yards against Duke last week, which was his lowest output since his freshman season. In Saturday’s 59-53 win over Wake Forest, Brown had the second-best statistical game in his collegiate career, hauling in 8 passes for 163 yards and 2 TDs.
- Notre Dame: QB Ian Book totaled 4 TDs in Saturday’s win over Boston College, but he only totaled 1 TD in three of the previous four games.
- Boston College: WR Zay Flowers has scored a TD in three straight games, but he is only averaging 44.0 receiving yards per game over the last 5 weeks. He has only topped the 65-yard mark two times this season. TE Hunter Long caught at least 6 passes in each of the first four games of the season, but has not caught more than 4 passes in any of the team’s last five games.
- Louisville: It was announced before kickoff that the Cardinals would be without RB Javian Hawkins and WR Tutu Atwell. Monday morning, we learned that Hawkins has opted out the remainder of the season.
- Virginia: Freshman WR Lavel Davis made his return against Louisville and caught 4 passes for 74 yards and a TD. He has caught a TD pass in 3 of 4 games this year.
- Florida State: Freshman QB Chubba Purdy made his first collegiate start on Saturday and completed 15-of-23 passes for 181 yards and 2 TDs in the Seminoles’ 38-22 loss at NC State. Ontaria Wilson caught 7 passes for 117 yards and a TD, and the junior receiver has now scored in two of the last three games.
- West Virginia: RB Leddie Brown posted his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season on Saturday, but failed to score a TD for only the second time this season. He did leave the game with an injury, but hopefully he will return after the Mountaineers’ bye week.
- Minnesota: I was never a fan of QB Tanner Morgan. I really think he was a one-year wonder in 2019. For as bad as Morgan looks, the defense looks worse.
- Iowa: In Friday’s win at Minnesota, RB Tyler Goodson had his best game as a collegiate player, carrying the ball 20 times for 142 yards and 2 TDs.
- Indiana: RB Stevie Scott III has carried the ball at least 20 times in each of the Hoosiers’ first four games, but has yet to have a 100-yard rushing game. WR Ty Fryfogle has caught a TD pass in three consecutive games.
- Penn State: The Nittany Lions made a change at quarterback against Nebraska and I am going to assume Will Levis gets the start this week against Iowa.
- Illinois: Last year, WR Josh Imatorbhebhe caught 33 passes and scored 9 TDs. This year, he has 11 receptions and 1 TD. It’s not too early to assume he will not come close to last year’s scoring numbers. Imatorbhebhe’s ability to consistently catch TD passes last year is what made him an attractive fantasy option.
- Purdue: RB Zander Horvath has three consecutive 100-yard games. He rushed for 100-plus yards in the first two games and had 100 receiving yards in Saturday’s loss to Northwestern.
- Wisconsin: In Saturday’s 49-11 win at Michigan, we got our first look at freshman RB Jalen Berger, who carried the ball 15 times for 87 yards and a TD.
- Washington State: There hasn’t been a definitive update on RB Max Borghi, but the Cougars’ running game has been fine with Deon McIntosh, who has rushed for at least 90 yards and a TD in each of Wazzu’s first two games. WRs Reynard Bell and Travell Harris have each caught 16 passes in two games. Jamire Calvin has 6 receptions as the team’s third leading receiver.
- Oregon State: RB Jermar Jefferson ran for 133 yards and a TD in Saturday night’s loss at Washington. Expect the Beavers’ offense to lean heavily on Jefferson this year.
- Kentucky: The Wildcats started the season with a 3-man rotation at running back, but in each of the team’s last two games, sophomore Chris Rodriguez has topped the 100-yard rushing mark and has separated himself from the group,
- Vanderbilt: RB Keyon Henry-Brooks has 20 or more rushing attempts in three consecutive games, has topped the 100-yard mark in two of the last three games, and has scored a TD in two of the last three games.
- Florida: It’s unfortunate we will not get to see QB Kyle Trask play a full 12-game schedule. His numbers through six games remind me a lot of Joe Burrow’s numbers last year. He has thrown at least 4 TD passes in every game this season and has totaled 29 TD passes through six games.
- Ole Miss: In Saturday’s 59-42 win over South Carolina WR Elijah Moore topped the 200-yard receiving mark for the third time this season. He has topped the 100-yard mark in five of seven games and has caught a TD pass in six of seven games.