Snatch ‘Em Up Now
If they weren’t already drafted in your league, these guys will be hot commodities on the wire this week.
Quarterbacks:
Kaidon Salter, Liberty – Tell us where the roadblocks are on Salter’s schedule, who had a four-touchdown performance against New Mexico State on Saturday. Won’t be Buffalo, who just gave up 40 points to Fordham. Florida International is terrible. Those are the next two opponents. Maybe Sam Houston State, who stifled the Air Force offense this past week. But there isn’t a single P5 opponent remaining on the schedule for the dual-threat quarterback.
Tyler Van Dyke, Miami – Seems as though the transition to Shannon Dawson’s offensive scheme is going well, as TVD tossed five touchdowns with 374 yards passing in the win. Bethune-Cookman this week before heading into ACC play. I’ll be curious to see the projection, though, because TVD only scored 14 fantasy points in a blowout win in Week 1. Will Miami lean on the run game against an FCS opponent this week? Still, the outlook is promising for later in the year.
Running Backs:
Corey Kiner, Cincinnati – Some bias here as we were on Kiner last year, hoping that he’d become the bell-cow in the Bearcats backfield. Looks like that projection was just a year too early, as the former LSU transfer has now hit 100-yards in consecutive games. We know the track record of RB1s under Scott Satterfield with six 1,000-yard rushers in the last nine years. Favorable matchup again for Kiner this week with Miami (Ohio) before Big 12 play begins.
Emani Bailey, TCU – Doesn’t appear that Trey Sanders was injured at all against Nicholls, so I’m observing the 20-5 rushing attempt disparity between he and Emani Bailey as notable. Bailey would have been one of the top fantasy producers in Week 1 had the coaching staff not given all of the red-zone work to Sanders against Colorado. Fairly evident that, at least between the 20s right now, that Bailey is the preferred option.
Wide Receivers:
Gage Larvadain, Miami (Ohio) Jack Sorenson, Mac Hippenhammer…Gage Larvadain. We’re seeing a lineage developing of WR1s at Miami (Ohio) and Lavadain is next in line, now with eight receptions on 12 targets in EACH of the last two games. 265 yards and three scores against UMass, which is essentially a MAC level defense. Just one more P5 opponent next week in Cincinnati before its smooth sailing the rest of the way.
Colbie Young, Miami – Initially wasn’t even going to look up Young on Fantrax as I thought there was no way he would be under the 30% ownership threshold. 70+ receiving yards and a touchdown in each of the first two games as Miami’s established WR1. And we know the history of WR1s under Shannon Dawson during his days at Houston.
Kobe Paysour, North Carolina – The unfortunate news came down this week that the NCAA denied Tez Walker’s appeal which makes him ineligible for the 2023 season. That situation aside, it does boost the stock of Kobe Paysour who has been targeted nine times in each of the first two games. Most valuable in full-point PPR formats only with a YPC average under 10.
Jared Brown, Coastal Carolina – Working in favor of Brown and the rest of the Coastal receivers is that the Chants haven’t gotten anything done on the ground through two games, averaging just 2.37 yards per attempt. Brown has 17 targets and 13 receptions through two weeks.
Sam Brown, Houston – Matthew Golden did find the end-zone twice on 14 targets, but it’s very evident that Sam Brown is either the WR1, or at very least WR1B. 100+ receiving yards each of the first two games on 17 targets.
Lincoln Victor, Washington State – Not a flash in the pan performance last week as Victor saw double-digit targets again vs. Wisconsin, while also finding the end-zone. We were concerned that perhaps DT Sheffield would factor into the game plan more as the season progresses, but he was on the field just 38% of the time on Saturday, even less than last week.
Tight Ends:
Harold Fannin, Bowling Green – We already know Fannin has talent. It’s a matter of if his quarterback can be competent or not, which is rarely the case with Connor Bazelak. For at least a week, Bazelak was on target with his passes and Fannin was the main beneficiary with seven receptions on eight targets. We also know this staff will hand Fannin the football in the red-zone at times with four rushing touchdowns in 2022.
Worth A Look
If you have the roster room, these prospects are worth a look.
Quarterbacks:
Chandler Rogers, North Texas – Looks like Chandler Rogers is back under center after taking over for an ineffective Stone Earle. The former Louisiana-Monroe transfer was proficient, completing 68% of his throws with three touchdowns. Would assume Rogers is getting the start next week against Louisiana Tech, and hopefully after that too vs. Abilene Christian.
Running Backs:
Dominic Richardson, Baylor – Looks like we’ll be seeing a 60-40 split in the Baylor backfield this season, but RB1 is not the man we thought it would be. Oklahoma State transfer Dom Richardson has received the majority of the carries through two weeks. And to my surprise, he’s looked good, particularly yesterday against one of the best defensive fronts in the country. It’s evident Richardson is the preferred choice over Richard Reese right now.
Darius Taylor, Minnesota – The 4-star recruit ran for 193 yards and a touchdown vs. Eastern Michigan, as he saw extended playing time after Sean Tyler fumbled twice on the opening drive, and then again in the fourth quarter. 193 yards is great, don’t get me wrong. But the 33 carries is the eye-popping stat for me from the true freshman. Also of note, Zach Evans was dressed yet didn’t record a carry. I think we’ve potentially seen a massive shakeup on the Minnesota RB depth chart.
Gabe Ervin, Nebraska – The only bright spot with the Nebraska offense on Saturday was Ervin who churned out 77 yards on 16 carries vs. Colorado. There was a split with backup Rahmir Johnson, but it wasn’t until the game was out of hand that Johnson saw extended run. Anthony Grant was a non-factor after his fumble against Minnesota two weeks ago. NIU and Louisiana Tech in the next two weeks for the Cornhuskers.
Makhi Hughes, Tulane – Looks like Tulane has handed over the keys to the backfield to a 205-pound true freshman in Makhi Hughes after rushing for 87 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts vs. Ole Miss. Southern Miss and Nichols State upcoming for the Green Wave who could be leaning on the ground game more if Michael Pratt is to miss more games.
Jaylen Wright, Tennessee – This will be a split backfield as long as Jabari Small is around, but it’s evident to most that Wright is the better runner of the two. And has looked the part with back-to-back 100-yard performances. We’ll have a better sense this week how sustainable this Tennessee running game is when they take on Florida.
Omarion Hampton, North Carolina – We’ll place Hampton here for now as his 234-yard outburst probably doesn’t happen if British Brooks was available on Saturday. Tried searching for an update on Brooks on Sunday morning with no luck. We’ll monitor this week, and Hampton soars up the list if Brooks is out long-term.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, New Mexico – Four rushing touchdowns through two games for the Alabama State transfer. Normally New Mexico running backs wouldn’t be of interest, but the coaching changes made in the offseason are working so far with the hiring of Bryant Vincent who spent the last five seasons as the OC with UAB. Not exactly a juggernaut offensively, but Vincent has produced a few CFF relevant players in the past, most notably at the running back position with Spencer Brown and DeWayne McBride. That’s expected for an offensive system that ran the ball 62.7% of the time since 2018.
Elijah Gilliam, Fresno State – Must be noted that Malik Sherrod was not available Saturday, but it was another 20 carries for Gilliam, rushing for 86 yards and two scores vs. Eastern Washington. Coaches mentioned they expected a RBBC this season, but it has been anything but that the first two weeks.
Wide Receivers:
Jha’Quan Jackson, Tulane – Jackson had another stellar performance even without his starting quarterback, with 4-83-1 on nine targets. As we’ve noted in our DFS writeups, Tulane isn’t rotating their receivers as they have in the past with Jackson, Lawrence Keys and Chris Brazzell getting the majority of playing time at the position.
Ja’Mori Maclin, North Texas – The concern for me right now is week-to-week efficiency for Maclin who is only converting on 50% of his targets. Reason being is his 17.0 yard aDOT. Further down the field means less consistency, but also more big plays. Maclin is averaging 26 YPC with three touchdowns in the first two weeks.
Caullin Lacy, South Alabama – South Alabama has been a tough team to gauge through two games. Carter Bradley underwhelming. La’Damien Webb not starting against Southeastern Louisiana. And Caullin Lacy looking like the WR1 with 15 receptions on 18 targets in two weeks. Feels similar to last year where we’re going to see three receivers dominate the target share with Lacy, Devin Voisin and Jamaal Pritchett, but Lacy has emerged so far.
Kris Mitchell, Florida International – The FIU passing game has looked better since benching Grayson James. As a result, Mitchell’s production has skyrocketed with over 300 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the last two games. Now averaging over 17 yards per catch.
Xavier Legette, South Carolina – Even after 300 receiving yards in two games, I’m still somewhat skeptical Legette can continue this pace through the rigorous SEC schedule. Not to mention once Antwane Wells is 100 percent healthy, how does the dynamic change? But you cannot deny the results thus far for the 5th-year senior.
Tight Ends:
Holden Staes, Notre Dame – Was only half-watching this ND/NC State game but saw some dude absolutely torching the NC State secondary in the second half, thinking it was Jayden Thomas or Jaden Greathouse. Nope, it was Holden Staes. Who? 4-115-2 on five targets while only playing just 50% of the offensive snaps. Another great Notre Dame tight end? Staes looked like it for a week, at least.
Austin Hence, Western Michigan – I would say just watch list Hence for now, but he caught a touchdown in Week 1 and was targeted 10 times vs. Syracuse this past Saturday.
Longshots
Need to see more from these guys before pulling the trigger unless you are in the deepest of leagues.
Quarterbacks:
Luke Altmyer, Illinois – Two things working for Altmyer right now from a fantasy standpoint. The Illini might have some trouble running the football this year – Reggie Love and Josh McCray are not Chase Brown. Secondly, Altmyer might be the teams best runner, with 139 yards in two games. Probably not starting him against Penn State this week, but nobody threatens you defensively in the four weeks after that.
Jordan McCloud, James Madison – The USF and Arizona transfer got the starting nod over Alonza Barnett and threw for 224 yards and a touchdown at Virginia. No more P5 teams on the remaining schedule for McCloud as the Dukes hit the heart of the Sun Belt slate now.
Haynes King, Georgia Tech – Have to list a guy that has scored 35+ fantasy points in each of the first two games. That also came against Louisville and South Carolina State. Want to see what King does against Ole Miss before moving him up the priority list. But so far so good for King under offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.
Grant Wilson, Old Dominion – Five touchdowns in a narrow loss to Louisiana, and Wilson is doing all of this without his best receiver in Javon Harvey. We’ll sit Wilson this week against Wake Forest, but the schedule opens up after that with Texas A&M-Commerce and then Sun Belt play.
Justin Lamson, Stanford – QB1 Ashton Daniels suffered an injury vs. USC on Saturday and was seen on the sidelines in the second half in street clothes. Not usually a good sign for his prognosis moving forward. Lamson came on in relief, throwing for 121 yards while also rushing for 37 yards on 12 attempts. Should Lamson get the nod next week, he could be a longshot streaming option against Sacramento State.
Running Backs:
Jaylin Lucas, Indiana – If you need a sub at running back for a 2-3 game stretch, Lucas might be an option with Louisville, Akron and Maryland in the coming weeks. The most versatile playmaker on offense for the Hoosiers, Lucas had a breakout game with 86 yards and two scores on the ground while adding four receptions on four targets. It’s a three-way split in the Indiana backfield, so this is truly a desperation move if in need of a roster filler.
Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest – Beat writers didn’t outright say it, but you read tea leaves that some believed Claiborne is a better runner than Justice Ellison. With Ellison out due to injury, Claiborne thrived against an SEC defense with 164 yards on 26 carries. How that dynamic shakes out when Ellison is back in the lineup, I’m not sure, but tough to envision the WF staff putting Claiborne on the bench after that performance. Old Dominion and Georgia Tech in the next two weeks for WF.
Amari Daniels, Texas A&M – Under bettors on Amari Daniels’ prop bets won by a nose hair, but it was a solid day all around for the junior running back with 62 yards and a touchdown, along with four receptions. Le’Veon Moss didn’t play so we must factor that in, but Daniels was the preferred option over 5-star Reuben Owens.
Gavin Garcia, Kent State – Kent State running backs have carried the ball 52 times through two games. 70% of those have gone to Garcia. Kent State faces Central Connecticut State this week.
Tawee Walker, Oklahoma – I’ll dig further this week to see if we can uncover what this RB room might look like a month from now, but as of this moment, we can’t deny the results. 117 yards on 21 carries in a relatively competitive game for Walker. And that was with Marcus Major, Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barnes all available.
Wide Receivers:
Malachi Fields, Virginia – If in need of a receiver that will get you 10-12 fantasy points per game and be satisfied with that production, Fields is your guy. 12 receptions in the first two games with eight targets in both contests. Clear WR1 on a bad team that will be trailing almost every week.
Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech – Similar to King, we want to see what Haynes does against more stiff competition on the schedule – which we will this week against Ole Miss. But Haynes has dual position eligibility and is producing as both a runner and receiver through two games.
Jacob De Jesus, UNLV – Not a lot to take away from the 28-point loss to Michigan, really on either team, but watching the game it was noticeable how Doug Brumfield would look towards De Jesus on 3rd down. Minimal production through two games, targeted just 10 times total, but I think De Jesus is a stash for later down the road. He’s the WR1 here.
Jacolby George, Miami – I do think George is a distant third among Miami receivers as far as pecking order but was targeted at least six times in the first two games, including three touchdowns against A&M – despite one of the touchdowns being clear OPI. So far so good for the Miami passing game. Similar to Tulane as we mentioned above, George, Xavier Restrepo and Colbie Young really aren’t coming off the field. Almost no rotation at the position, which we like.
Jamaal Bell, Nevada – Yikes. 33-6 blowout loss to Idaho. Not great, Ken Wilson. What has been great is Bell’s production through two games with 17 receptions on 19 targets. Game scripts will at least heavily favor Bell as Nevada will be trailing in most/all games this season.
Dynasty
Players to add for future seasons
Keith Willis Jr., RB-Louisiana Tech – Does Marquis Crosby get his job back once he returns from injury? Very likely yes, but a great performance from the freshman running back against Northwestern State with 188 yards and two scores on just 13 attempts.
