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All season long, I’ll be updating you on who is hot and who is not in college fantasy football. If you have a bye week, an injury, or a tough matchup and need a fill-in, I’ll give you some ideas of who is a good add. Some of these will be for almost any league, and some will be restricted to those with much smaller player pools. I don’t know your exact situation, but I can point out some good plays each week.
I’m going to try to stick to guys in BCS conferences, as your league more likely contains those conferences in some combination. I’m also going to try stay away from telling you it’s a good matchup to play guys against FCS teams. Use your own judgment for those plays, as some players will definitely put up stats, but will be subject to a 25% penalty. And sometimes the backups will get a lot of time.
Quarterbacks
First off, I think the entire Zac Robinson situation was a complete farce. But if you are looking for a QB for some other reason, I am here to help. I’m going to try to steer away from obvious guys, like Matt Barkley, who I’m sure is stashed away on someone’s bench in your league. Anyway, here are some great matchups:
Andrew Luck, Stanford (@ Washington St) – Sure, it’s a conference game on the road for a first-time starter. But this kid has talent, and it’s WASHINGTON STATE. He’s only owned in 2% of CBS leagues, which means there are a lot of people slow to get the hype this kid has gotten. If you are in a league where you don’t have an awesome option, you need to go get him. He’ll be valuable a couple more weeks this season.
Kevin Prince, UCLA (San Diego State) – I’m not sure, at this time, if the wildfires will cause this game to be moved. But if it’s not, Prince is only owned in 1% of leagues. And you’re plugging in a Norm Chow quarterback.
If you’re hardcore: Chris Todd, Auburn (Louisiana Tech) – Gus Malzhan is taking his spread to Auburn. Auburn had trouble with the Tony Franklin spread last year, but Malzhan has a little more cred, and besides, you’re being hardcore. I like Todd as someone to watch this season, and if you’re in a league where you’re desperate, this move could pay off big time.
Running backs
Josh Adams, Wake Forest (Baylor) – Yes, after the last two recommendations were guys playing a Sun Belt team and a lower-tier MWC team, I am bringing up someone playing a Big XII team. Adams is only owned in 3 percent of CBS leagues, and Wake Forest returns the most starts on its offensive line of any BCS team. Did I mention a Big XII defense is involved?
Duane Bennett, Minnesota (@ Syracuse) – Despite the numbers from a year ago, Head Coach Tim Brewster loves a strong running attack. Syracuse elected newcomer (and ex-Duke point guard) Greg Paulus as a captain, so their defense obviously loves the art of the flop. Bennett should have a better year than you’d expect, and this is one of the game to take advantage of that fact.
LaMichael James, Oregon (Boise State) – This isn’t the best matchup, but James is a huge unknown nationally. He won’t be after the prime-time game Thursday night. Making me feel a little better about the matchup is that Boise State has lost a starting DT for this game due to suspension. Oregon has always had enough production to support two RBs, and James just might show himself to be that guy.
If you’re hardcore: David Oku, Tennessee (Western Kentucky) – It’s hard to argue with the matchup, as the Hilltoppers are the new kids to FBS and are widely considered the worst team you don’t take a penalty for. Bryce Brown got all the hype, but both will get carries, and Oku didn’t miss time with eligibility issues.
Wide Receivers
Kashif Moore, UConn (@ Ohio) – Moore is a sophomore who’s received plenty of praise from Head Coach Randy Edsall.
Shay Hodge, Ole Miss (@ Memphis) – Ole Miss’s second receiver is only owned in 58% of leagues. This number will be much higher in a few weeks, get in while you can, for what should be a good game.
Graham Zug, Penn State (Akron) - I think Penn State ends up as a very good offensive team, but as of right now they are flying under the radar a little bit.
If you’re hardcore: Chad Bumphis, Mississippi State (Jacksonville State) – I am aware of the 25% penalty, but I really think Bumphis will be a huge part of Dan Mullen’s offense, and worth the play.
Tight Ends
In general, you should be playing a lot of matchups with TEs. Most of them do not score many points over the season, and if you can play guys in great matchups, you could come out ahead of your league mates who wasted a pick on a TE in an earlier round.
I own Rob Gronkowski in two leagues. If you’re like me, you probably don’t want to risk starting him, as he’s questionable, and may not even own a backup. Don’t fear, there are lots of good sleepers out there. Here are two:
Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame (Nevada) – Jimmy Clausen is good at throwing against WAC teams. Nevada plays in the WAC. This should be a high scoring game, so Rudolph is a great add, one I made in my BCS-only league. He is owned in 23% of leagues, so you may need to look elsewhere.
If you’re hardcore: Kyle Adams, Purdue (Toledo) – Purdue has always thrown the ball a lot. Adams is athletic and has the requisite pass catching skills. It’s a good matchup, and one I’m going with in a Big Ten/Pac 10 league with few other options.
Defense / Special Teams
You should be playing D/ST as matchups basically the entire year, unless someone like USC, UF, or Alabama dropped to you (then again, Alabama is the worst matchup of those three, but they are still an above-average option).
Nebraska (Florida Atlantic) – Howard Schnellenberger faces an old nemesis, and Bo Pelini’s defense should be improved. Nebraksa is only owned in 7% of leagues.
Wisconsin (Northern Illinois) – This is a good matchup, as Garrett Wolfe is not walking through that door. Wisconsin is owned in 2% of leagues.
If you’re hardcore: Minnesota (@Syracuse) – The Greg Paulus experiment starts off against a unit that was able to generate some turnovers a year ago. Minnesota is only owned in 3% of leagues.
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