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This is the second in a series of college fantasy football conference previews. You can see the complete list here.
As the start of the season approaches, I’m here to help you all get ready for your college fantasy football leagues. I already wrote a draft guide, in which I tried to lay out some general guidelines for you to follow for your own league. College fantasy football has so many different ways to play, that I tried to make some key points you could use when thinking about your individual league rules. In the interest of helping as many people as I can, I will provide a breakdown of each of the BCS leagues (and the independents), and if your league takes some random combination of those (my league with the Solid Verbal podcast uses Big Ten, Pac-10, and independents only), you can look at my analysis of these leagues to prepare for your draft. Then, throughout the season, I’ll keep you updated on which players are underperforming, and which players are emerging as fantasy options.
Without any further ado, here is my preview on the Big Ten:
As a reminder, I will assume CBS league default scoring rules and roster limits when discussing these leagues, as those will be the most commonly used rules. One major, major thing to watch for when using Big Ten players in fantasy is the schedule. Big Ten teams will not play past fantasy week 13. That may mean you need someone else if and when you make the playoffs. I would say worry about that a couple months from now, but it is something to be cognizant of, if you are in the hunt late in October and can swap for someone that would actually be able to take you to fantasy glory. But coming out of the draft, you're just trying to put your team in the best position to be in the position to worry about playoff bye weeks. Here is one fantasy sleeper per team; some of these will make a large enough splash in the largest of player pools, while others are only worth consideration in Big Ten only leagues: | Illinois | Jarred Fayson (WR) | | Indiana | Ben Chappell (QB) | | Iowa | Ricky Stanzi (QB) | | Michigan | Tate Forcier (QB) | | Michigan State | Charlie Gantt (TE) | | Minnesota | DeLeon Eskridge (RB) | | Penn State | Mickey Shuler (TE) | | Purdue | Kyle Adams (TE) | | Northwestern | Mike Kafka (QB) | | Ohio State | Brandon Saine (RB) | | Wisconsin | David Gilreath (WR) | Quarterbacks Quarterback is a much deeper position in the Big Ten than I realized. I like Juice Williams as probably the top option, but CBS has him projected far and above the competition. I would say Daryll Clark, and possibly Terrelle Pryor, are also elite options in this league. The depth comes from how many QB situations seem to be relatively stable (‘position battle’ and ‘college football’ go hand in hand much more than other sports). Sure, the Big Ten has a reputation for run-first offenses, but there is something to be said for having those sure-fire starters on your side over having a lot of guys in revolving door situations. Adam Weber may be a relative unknown, but the guy puts up numbers. Which is all that matters in fantasy. I like him more than Mike Kafka (unsure how “for real” Northwestern is), but Kafka is another solid option, with at least a hold on the job. For leagues with a small enough player universe, Ricky Stanzi, Joey Elliot and Ben Chappell are must-drafts. That trio consists of good sleeper picks and matchup plays for larger player universes. Tate Forcier is somewhat of a risk, as he is a true freshman. Granted, he is the true freshman Rich Rodriguez wants to run that system, so go get him. See, I just went through nine QB options, in an (unfortunately named) 11-team conference. Position battles at Michigan State and Wisconsin are also worth monitoring. The nature of those offenses probably means neither will result in great fantasy options, but depending on your league they could be some decent matchup plays. Running Backs There are some great options at RB in the Big Ten, which surprises exactly 1 person. And that’s my wife, who thinks the Big Ten sucks at everything. She may not be far off when considering real sports, but we’re talking about fantasy sports here, and especially about leagues where you may be forced to draft from the Big Ten. John Clay and Evan Royster are elite options, and proven commodities. Less proven, but as close to a lock as it gets, is Iowa’s RB. Iowa is no stranger to RBs with great numbers, and Shonn Greene certainly put those up a year ago. The entire line is back, so Jewel Hampton should be one of the top RBs off the board in your league. Watch his injury situation closely, and Jeff Brinson could be a necessary handcuff. Brandon Minor is a senior at Michigan, and probably the next best option. I like Daniel Herron all right, and really like the idea of getting an OSU RB, but look out for Brandon Saine (or even Jamaal Berry). I named Saine one of my sleepers, and Berry did Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany proud by getting his charges dropped. Because they can’t tolerate those thugs like the SEC does. Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster loves to run the ball. The Minnesota backs were nothing to get that excited about last year, but DeLeon Eskridge got the ball more than anyone else. That was his freshman campaign, so I gave him the nod as a sleeper for this season- if he learned from getting the action last year, and gets the bulk of the opportunities again, he could be a revelation. Especially when defenses are going to key on the dynamic duo of Weber to Decker. Wide Receivers I’ve compared fantasy WRs to pitchers in fantasy baseball, where if you’re outside the top, stud guys, you’re better off waiting on drafting them until later and playing for sleepers and matchups. The catch is in CBS leagues you will need to draft 4 of them in your 14 picks, and start 3 of them. But WR production varies wildly from week to week. Arrelious Benn is the top option in the Big Ten, according to CBS projections. And while I love his talent, Eric Decker will also put high-end production, and to get him, you won’t have to pay for the name (many more people will value Benn, who will get much more publicity). Other than those guys, the options at WR are unsettling. CBS rates Purdue’s Keith Smith highly, as someone has to catch the passes in that offense. Similarly for DeVier Posey, who attempts to fill the WR void at Ohio State. There are some guys I’ll watch for matchup plays, and to see how they start out, but they are by no-means must-draft guys in all leagues. Guys like Greg Mathews, Terrance Turner, and Mark Dell are worth a look. The two guys who really intrigue me are David Gilreath at Wisconsin, and Jarred Fayon at Illinois. Gilreath gets carries on end-arounds, and rushed for 168 yards against Indiana. Fayson took some direct snaps at Florida before transferring to the Illini, and was a HS QB. That’s enough to make me think Zook might want to use him in creative ways. Because everyone does that now, and it’s called the “Wildcat”. Before it had a name, it was just a direct snap. Tight Ends There are no elite TE options in the Big Ten. If I were you, I’d use my old tried and true philosophy. Grab a TE only after you’ve filled out your roster (and your backups) at QB, RB, and WR. Remember that CBS rules include a roster maximum, where you can draft no more than 3 QBs, 3 RBs, and 4 WRs. You can play matchups and there are enough sleeper candidates that you can get enough production out of the position to stay competitive, especially given that with this strategy you should be getting better production that all of your opponents at the other offensive positions. Consider the top 10 options at TE for the Big Ten average 45 points. Over 12 games, that’s less than 4 per week. Just play TE roulette and lock down more difference-making options with those mid-round picks. So who are some Big Ten TEs that are worth paying attention to for matchup plays? Graham Garrett of Wisconsin is projected to score the most fantasy points (per CBS) of Big Ten TEs, but he’s a mediocre option in most leagues. You may have to burn an actual pick of value to get him, and I’m not sure he’s worth it. But if he’s available in the walk-on pool, and you don’t want to play your other guy against a stout defense, and Wisconsin is playing Northern Illinois or Hawaii… you see where I’m going. And that’s why they call it a ‘matchup play’. I actually think there are some options you may want to grab before others in the Big Ten, in case they exceed expectations. These are Charlie Gantt (Michigan State), Kyle Adams (Purdue), and Mickey Shuler (Penn State). You won’t be able to start whoever is catching balls against Hawaii every week, so these are guys to think about grabbing, and holding onto- at least until their bye week or until there is some better walk-on option. Kickers Don’t draft one till the end. Don’t carry a backup. It’s a waste of time to try to rate one versus another for fantasy purposes. Just play the matchups. Defense / Special Teams Ohio State is rated quite highly by the CBS folks. And they are probably the best option. However, they are not worth the pick in the draft you’d have to waste to get them. Just play the matchups, and don’t carry a backup. Just because a team like Ohio State is projected to get 172 points, don’t draft them ahead of Regus Benn. If you learn nothing else from this article, learn that. And take a kicker last. |
