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Week 3 Notes & Observations

 

 

This past week was light on Power 5 matchups, but that all changes this week with the Big 12 and SEC in action.

 

 

G5 Notes

  • Cincinnati:  Starting RB Gerrid Doaks didn’t rack up many yards on the ground against Austin Peay, but he scored three rushing touchdowns and added four receptions for 64 yards and a score in the passing game.  Other than Doaks, TEs Josh Whyle (3-61-1) and Bruno Labelle (3-36) were the only two players to catch at least three passes.  QB Demond Ridder threw 2 TD passes and led the team with 57 yards on the ground.
  • Tulsa:  Freshman RB Deneric Prince led the Golden Hurricane in rushing against Oklahoma State, carrying the ball 13 times for 82 yards.  It was reported shortly before kickoff that striating running back Shamari Brooks had suffered an ACL injury and is likely done for the year. 
  • Louisiana:  After getting dinged up in last week’s win at Iowa State, RB Elijah Mitchell had a bounce-back performance against Georgia State (16-164-2) and scored on a 12-yard run in overtime to win the game.
  • Georgia State: I had high expectations for RB Destin Coates in 2020 and he did not disappoint in the Panthers’ opener.  Coates carried the ball 34 times for 150 yards and a TD, and added four receptions for 21 yards in the passing game.  My concern for the Georgia State offense going into the season was at quarterback, but Cornelious Brown IV looked good at times, and I was extremely encouraged about his rushing potential, as he carried the ball 15 times for 64 yards and a TD. 
  • Navy: Freshman Xavier Arline got the start at quarterback, but it was Dalen Morris who led the Midshipmen back from a 24-0 deficit to win at Tulane 27-24.  I expect Morris to be the starter moving forward.   
  • Tulane:  RB Tyjae Spears has rushed for 100 yards in each of the Green Wave’s first two games and RB Cameron Carroll has scored 2 TDs in back-to-back games.  QB Keon Howard is only completing 43.6% of his passes.
  • Liberty:  QB Malik Willis only threw for 133 yards in the Flames 30-24 win at Western Kentucky, but he carried the ball 21 times for 168 yards and 3 TDs.  RB Joshua Mack added 100 yards on the ground and CJ Yarbrough led the team with 53 receiving yards.
  • Western Kentucky:  After two games, I am concerned about RB Gaej Walker’s fantasy potential.  Against Louisville and Liberty, he only totaled 53 yards on 20 carries.  WR Mitchell Tinsley has caught a TD pass in both of the Hilltoppers’ first two games.  Jahcour Pearson was targeted six times in the game against Liberty and finished with 4 receptions for 29 yards. 
  • Central Florida:  It was nice to see every UCF player in the Week 3 rankings score at lest one TD.  However, The Knights did get a little banged up, particularly, WR Tre Nixon and RB Greg McCrae.  Otis Anderson finished as the team’s leading rusher (18-88-1) and Marlon Williams led the team in receiving (10-154-2).  If Nixon is out, consider sophomore receiver Jaylon Robinson, who was targeted nine times and caught 6 passes for 105 yards.
  • Appalachian State: RB Marcus Williams Jr. left last week’s game against Charlotte with a hamstring issue, which is why he was not included in my Week 3 rankings.  After being held out at Marshall, we probably need to assume he will miss the upcoming Campbell game, unless we get confirmation that he will play.  The Mountaineers did not have much success on the ground at Marshall, which led to WR Thomas Hennigan getting targeted ten times and catching five passes for 88 yards. 
  • Marshall:  QB Grant Wells was noticeably different against stiffer competition, completing only 11-of-25 passes against Appalachian State, but was able to produce 43 yards and a touchdown on the ground.  Appalachian State is one of the better defenses Marshall will play against this year, so it was encouraging to see Brenden Knox’s 28-138-1 have a lot of success on the ground.  WR Broc Thompson once gain led the team in targets with seven.
  • UTSA: QB Frank Harris has now scored 5 rushing TDs in two games and WR Joshua Cephus has caught at least 6 passes and a TD in each of the Roadrunners’ first two games. 
  • Troy: The Trojans dominated their matchup at Middle Tennessee and it seemed like they could score anytime they wanted.  B.J. Smith looked back to 100%, carrying the ball 10 times for 81 yards, but the offense rotated backs with frequency, as five players had at least five rushing attempts.  Khalil McClain was QB Gunnar Watson’s favorite target (9 times), as the senior receiver caught 6 passes for 75 yards and 2 TDs.
  • Middle Tennessee: I think consistency is going to be an issue for the Blue Raiders offense, particularly QB Asher O’Hara.  His stat line wasn’t bad (16/23, 109 yds; 14-45-1), but the offense lacks physicality and has been manhandled by Army and Troy in consecutive games.  Jarrin Pierce is clearly the team’s top receiving threat, as he was targeted 15 times and caught 11 passes for 81 yards. 
  • SMU:  The Mustangs’ offense is suited for two backs, but after Ulysses Bentley’s performance (19-227-3) against North Texas, I think we may end up seeing him in the lead role.  Three of the team’s top four receivers caught a TD pass against North Texas (Roberson-2, Granson, & Gray), and the other, Rashee Rice, has gone over the 100-yard mark in both games this season. 
  • North Texas:  Two weeks after looking like the Mean Green’s QB1, Jason Bean was replaced by Austin Aune against SMU.  Aune finished 13-of-25 for 276 yards and 2 TDs, and added 22 yards and a score on the ground.  Considering SMU was a step up from last week’s opponent, Houston Baptist, Aune likely earned the start next week against Houston.  Freshman RB Oscar Adaway led the team in rushing with 104 yards on 20 carries.  Not sure why RB Tre Siggers did not play, but I know that he wasn’t 100% when the year started, so he could be dealing with a lingering issue. 
  • Louisiana Tech:  Luke Anthony threw 3 TD passes in the Bulldogs’ 31-30 win at Southern Miss, and I would think he’ll get the start in the next game against Houston Baptist.  Adrian Hardy led all receivers with eight targets and finished with 5 catches for 79 yards and a TD.  RB Justin Henderson couldn’t get going, only totaling 77 yards of offense on 22 touches (18 rush att., 4 rec.).
  • Southern Miss:  Another big game for WR Tim Jones, who went over the 130-yard mark for the second time this season.  Jason Browlee has caught at least 5 passes in each of USM’s first two games, but he is only averaging 8.1 yards per reception.
  • Texas State:  After watching both Brady McBride and Tyler Vitt at quarterback, it seems to me that Vitt is less error prone, so it will be interesting to see if McBride regains the starting role once he is fully cleared.  RB Brock Sturges had a quiet game after rushing for at least 60 yards and a TD in the Bobcats’ first two games of the year. 
  • LA Monroe:  QB Colby Suits completed 35-of-53 passes for 377 yards and 2 TDs against Texas State.  The Warhawks will be playing from behind often this year, so expect some decent fantasy weeks in the future.  An inexperienced offensive line seems to be an issue early on, which is not good for RB Josh Johnson.  WR Perry Carter was targeted 10 times and finished with 8 catches for 98 yards. 
  • UTEP:  RB Deion Hankins went through pregame warmups, but did not play in the Miners’ matchup against Abilene Christian.  Joshua Fields led the rushing attack with 75 yards and a TD on 17 carries, while Jacob Cowing led the team in receiving (8-110) once again.
  • Coastal Carolina:  QB Grayson McCall is off to a nice start, totaling 7 TDs through the first two games.  Against Campbell, he only ran the ball three times, but he threw for 273 yards and 2 TDs.  RB CJ Marable carried the ball 11 times for 52 yards and 2 TDs, but Shermari Jones (8-45-1) and Reese White (7-43-1) are eating into his production.

 

 

P5 Notes

  • Notre Dame: It would have been nice to see less rotation in the Irish backfield against South Florida, but that’s an all-too familiar occurrence in blowout wins.  Five players had at least four rushing attempts and Kyren Williams was the only one of the five that did not score a touchdown.  The offense continues to rely on the running game with injury issues at receiver.  Quarterback Ian Book has only thrown one TD pass in two games.    
  • Duke:  TE Noah Gray has caught at least five passes for 60 yards in each of the Blue Devils first two games, and RB Deon Jackson has carried the ball at least 15 times in both games.
  • Boston College: QB Phil Jurkovec completed 17-of-23 passes for 300 yards in his BC debut and Zay Flowers impressed at receiver, catching five passes for 162 yards and a TD.  Flowers and TE Hunter Long (7-93-1) were the only two players to get targeted more than once.  WR Kobay White did not play and could be for a while, which makes Flowers an attractive waiver addition this week.
  • Oklahoma State:  The biggest news in Stillwater going into Week 4 will be the status of QB Spencer Sanders.  Sanders left the game in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return.  If Sanders is to miss any time, I think we would see the freshman Shane Illingworth.  Seems like RB Chuba Hubbard is going to get another heavy workload this year after carrying the ball 27 times for 93 yards and a TD against Tulsa.
  • Syracuse:  My opinion about the Syracuse offense has not changed in one week.  WR Taj Harris has the most fantasy potential, but quarterback play has been bad, and until there is improvement from either Tommy DeVito or Rex Culpepper, the offense will continue to struggle.
  • Pitt: Freshman WR Jordan Addison was targeted another nine times this week and caught 7 passes for 57 yards and a TD.  WR Taysir Mack remains out, and if we do not get confirmation that he’ll play in the next game, it would be wise to move off of him.  After heavy rotation at RB last week, the Panthers seem set to use Vincent Davis (18-53) and AJ Davis (11-37) as their top two backs. 
  • Georgia Tech:  Freshman QB Jeff Sims impressed again, throwing for 244 yards and a TD, and rushed for 82 yards and a TD, in a 49-21 loss to UCF.  The next step in his maturation process is cutting down on turnovers, as he finished with 2 INTs and a lost fumble.  In the absence of RB Jordan Mason, freshman Jahmyr Gibbs carried the ball 15 times for 66 yards and a TD.  It will be interesting to see how Mason and Gibbs are used when both are healthy. 
  • Clemson:  WR Joseph Ngata left the game after tweaking a muscle in the abdominal area and did not return.  Even though he only had one catch for 44 yards and a TD, I’m a big fan of Amari Rodgers this year.
  • Miami:  RB Cam’Ron Harris only had nine rushing attempts against Louisville, but he topped the 130-yard mark for the second consecutive game.  WR Mark Pope (10 targets, 4-64) and TE Brevin Jordan (8 targets, 7-120-1) were QB D’Eriq King’s top targets against the Cardinals.    
  • Louisville:  Doesn’t look as if the Cardinals’ defense will be much improved this year, which is good news if you have any of their top offensive players on your roster.  QB Micale Cunningham, RB Javian Hawkins, and WR Tutu Atwell all performed as expected against Miami.  .
  • Wake  Forest:  It seemed as if Christian Beal-Smith had nailed down the RB1 spot, but Kenneth Walker III exploded for 131 yards and 3 TDs against NC State, and looked like the player we projected in the spring.  WR Donavon Greene only caught one pass for nine yards Saturday night, but left the game early with an injury and did not return. 
  • NC State:  The start of this season looks very similar to last year, as the Wolfpack went with a committee approach at RB against Wake Forest.  Three players carried the ball at least 11 times in the 45-42 win (Person 14-99-2, Knight 11-97-1, Houston 12-54).