Good luck to everyone in their CFF Semifinal matchups!
Quarterbacks:
Will Howard, Kansas State – We said last week that Howard should be a speculative add in case the Kansas State staff was ready to make a switch. Now they might have to with Adrian Martinez getting injured, and Howard has proven to be the superior QB of the two. Kansas State being in the conference title picture makes this situation all the more interesting because it’s been mentioned that Howard and the staff agreed for him to redshirt this year. He’s played three games now. Will be a fascinating week to see how this is handled, but should Howard start next week, he’ll get a great matchup vs. West Virginia.
QB Bert Emmanuel, Central Michigan – Out of respect for this newfound MACtion legend, it is imperative that we included freshman quarterback Bert Emmanuel on the WW report this week after rushing for 293 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Buffalo. Would I suggest rolling him out in a semifinal matchup? Doubtful. Backup Jase Bauer, formerly in Emmanuel’s role, did not play. And I would have to believe that Western Michigan will be prepared to defend this run-based offensive attack and won’t be surprised by a guy that played all of seven snaps prior to last week.
Running Backs:
Trey Benson, Florida State – Many coaches say that you can’t lose a job from injury. And this was just Treshaun Ward’s first game back from injury so makes sense in a blowout that they’d limit his reps. But Benson is the best back on the FSU roster now averaging 7.4 yards per carry for the year and over 100 yards rushing in each of the last three games. Figure he’ll get plenty of work against next week vs. Louisiana.
Brian Battie, South Florida – Three straight 100-yard rushing performances for the 165-pound Battie who saw a season-high 26 carries vs. SMU on Saturday. I think USF might be down another starting quarterback now due to injury, but don’t think that should matter this week for Battie as he faces the 122nd ranked rush defense in Tulsa.
Kevorian Barnes, UTSA – Barnes is a name to know today and for 2023 as the likely RB1 for the Roadrunners next season. Didn’t see the volume we anticipated, but ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout of Louisiana Tech. He’s surpassed Brenden Brady on the depth chart at this point and should see his normal workload next week against the 83rd rush defense in Rice.
Frank Peasant, Middle Tennessee – Probably would’ve had better numbers if Middle Tennessee’s starting QB was available, but Peasant continued his production streak with 88 rush yards and two scores. Faces Florida Atlantic next week who is 106th in the country in rush defense.
Alabama backup RBs – Yearly cupcake Week 12 slate for the SEC teams this Saturday, and with the Jahmyr Gibbs injury, we’re likely to see a bunch of Alabama backups see the field vs. Austin Peay. This is also a play for Week 13. As of Sunday, we don’t know the extent of the Gibbs’ injury, but ask yourself this…why would he play another down in 2022? Alabama is sitting at two losses and eliminated from the SEC title game.
Jarquez Hunter, Auburn – The Tigers didn’t need to throw the ball vs. an inept Texas A&M football team (and coaching staff), but that’s been the case offensively for much of the time that Robby Ashford has been the starting QB. One would guess they look to keep the ball on the ground this week against Western Kentucky as well, meaning we’ll see Ashford, Tank Bigsby and Hunter all involved. Double-digit carries in three of the last four games for Hunter.
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa – Output wasn’t there with 57 yards and a touchdown vs. Wisconsin but none of that matters. The 22 carries is the most important statistic here. Iowa has found their RB1 of the future it appears.
Elijah Green, North Carolina – We didn’t see a single running back get a carry for UNC on Saturday outside of Green who rushed for 66 yards and a TD vs. Wake Forest. Last two weeks, the broadcast teams have made it a point to mention how the North Carolina coaching staff has gushed about Green, saying they feel he’s “far and away” their best back. The way North Carolina is putting up points these days, you want as many pieces of the puzzle on a CFF roster.
Dallan Hayden, Ohio State – Safe bet to assume that Miyan Williams is done for the season after being carted off with a leg injury against Indiana. At the very least, there is no shot he plays against Maryland next week. With TreVeyon Henderson’s status also in flux, Dallan Hayden could very well get the nod vs. the Terps as they’ll be a 40-point favorite. Hayden rushed for 102 yards and a TD on 19 carries Saturday.
Stacy Sneed, Houston – 20+ fantasy points in each of the last three games as Houston’s lead back. Ta’Zhawn Henry was back in the lineup Saturday and Sneed continues to get the bulk of the work. 2023 will be very interesting to see how this backfield is handled with Sneed, Alton McCaskill and Brandon Campbell.
Cartevious Norton, Iowa State – I’m not even sure Bijan Robinson could find running room behind this atrocious offensive line for the Cyclones. But Norton led the team with 16 carries and Jirehl Brock is done for the year due to injury. Home matchup against Texas Tech next week and a defense that was just gashed for 150+ by Devin Neal.
Cam Wiley, Akron – The former Minnesota transfer began the year with a bang in Week 1, but fell to second string midseason for reasons unbeknownst to me. Wiley stepped back into the primary role once again vs. Eastern Michigan, rushing for 144 yards and three scores on 18 carries. The Zips may need to rely on the ground game is DJ Irons is out for an extended period. Next up, a matchup with Buffalo who is allowing over five yards a carry for the season.
Austin Jones, USC – We’ll see what is said this week from the coaches and those that cover USC, but one would assume that it is Jones getting the first carry next week vs. UCLA with Travis Dye now out for the year. That said, our initial impression is that it will be more of a committee approach as we saw Friday with both Raleek Brown and Darwin Barlow getting work.
Marcus Carroll, Georgia State – Tough matchup next week against the No. 2 rush defense in the country statistically in James Madison, but it does appear Carroll has taken over the top spot on the depth chart over Tucker Gregg, garnering 27 carries for 94 yards in the win over ULM. That’s now 51 rushing attempts in the last two games.
Wide Receivers:
Tyler Hudson, Louisville – 31% target share for the Cardinals and back-to-back 20+ point fantasy performances where Hudson was targeted a combined 22 times. Doesn’t matter who is at quarterback for Louisville, Hudson continues to show out.
Alex Adams, Akron – 100+ receiving yards and one touchdown in each of the last three games for the LSU transfer. Double digit targets in all three games. His value this week will be determined by the health status of DJ Irons.
Malachi Fields, Virginia – All three Virginia starting receivers were sidelined again this week due to injury, and my guess is we may not see them the remainder of the year. Ther 6-foot-4 sophomore stepped into the starting lineup for his first action in 2022, and caught five passes for 58 yards and a score on seven targets. This is a player the previous staff was very high on, looked at the incumbent WR1 when Dontayvian Wicks graduated. That time might be now.
Samuel Brown, Houston – I know Matthew Golden is around for 2023 and would be our projected WR1, but Brown is making a case for that job with his late-season performance. Another productive day with 8-91-0 on 11 targets in the win over Temple. Averaging nine targets a game over the last five weeks.
Dynasty
Players to add for future seasons
RB Jaiden Credle, Northern Illinois – We mentioned Credle here last week, but didn’t expect him to start vs. Western Michigan in place of Antario Brown and Harrison Waylee who were surprise scratches. Averaged just 3.8 YPC, but clearly has the coach’s trust as he carried the rock 36 times in the victory. We mentioned the Antario Brown rumors last week. No idea what is up with Waylee, who has been injury prone. Credle the new RB1?
WR Ahmarian Granger, Old Dominion – With Ali Jennings now out for the season, this 6-foot-1 freshman stepped in and led the Monarchs with six targets on Saturday. I’ll be keeping tabs the rest of the way to see if this is someone that should be on our radar for 2023 now that he looks to be a starter.