Developing Assets: Championship Week
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It’s hard to believe, but the final week of college football’s regular season is upon us and that means a weekend filled with conference championship games. Maybe the only thing better than this weekend for college football fans and dynasty players will be later in the month when the bowl games begin. Not only do we get a Saturday filled with some future NFL stars, but even a huge game tonight with the potential top overall NFL Draft pick. Let’s start there…
PAC 12 Championship
Arizona vs. Oregon
Friday, 8:00 pm, Fox
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This game will be all about Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota, who should be in contention to be the first player drafted in April, depending on which lowly team lands the top pick. Mariota has had another outstanding season, leading the nation is yards per attempt and tied for second with 36 passing touchdowns, all while throwing two interceptions on the year.
The Oregon offense is not just about the passing game though as they currently feature three running backs who could eventually play on Sundays. This has been somewhat of a surprise as true freshman Royce Freeman has stepped up to claim the lead back job, rushing for over 1,100 yards heading into the conference title game tonight. While Freeman was a highly touted prospect, his carries have come at the expense of another highly ranked recruit and devy asset, sophomore Thomas Tyner. Tyner ascended to the top of devy rankings after his big freshman season a year ago, but some of the luster may have worn off with his diminished role this season. Fortunately, both of these players have more time to spend in the ever-changing Ducks’ uniforms, so we’ll have a better handle on their dynasty value over the next year. For those of you in devy leagues, Freeman is actually being undervalued thanks to the play of some of his fellow freshmen around the country, like Nick Chubb for Georgia and LSU’s Leonard Fournette. Finally, the Ducks also have junior Byron Marshall, who has become more of a receiver than a running back, thanks to the stacked backfield depth chart. Marshall has always been a good receiver out of the backfield, but now he is the team’s leading receiver.
SEC Championship
Alabama vs. Missouri
Saturday, 4:00 pm, CBS
This is another game that many expect to be one-sided and it certainly is that way when it comes to dynasty prospects for each team. As you know, the Crimson Tide are stacked with potential high picks in the coming rookie drafts. Wide receiver Amari Cooper has stolen the show this year with one of the best college season we’ve seen from a wide receiver in some time. Despite facing the competition from the best conference in the country, Cooper has been dominant on a weekly basis. For the season, Cooper is third in receptions, second in receiving yards and second in touchdowns. I expect him to be taken as high as the top five overall in the 2015 NFL Draft and he should be locked into one of the top three spots of all dynasty rookie drafts.
Alabama has a few other players you should be watching too, of course. Running back TJ Yeldon has bounced back well from a disappointing sophomore season, leading the team in rushing. He’s expected to be part of the 2015 draft class and could be a first round option in dynasty leagues. I like Yeldon, but I’m even more impressed with his teammate, sophomore Derrick Henry, though we’ll have to wait one more year for him to hit the league. He should be one of the top picks in devy drafts this off-season, if not already rostered.
ACC Championship
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech
Saturday, 8:00 pm, ABC
Another game and another superstar player to focus your attention on, and it won’t be hard to find him. Seminoles’ quarterback Jameis Winston is one of the most polarizing college players since…since…since Johnny Manziel a season ago. If the constant attention given to Manziel drove you batty, you might want to skip this contest. The pair of quarterbacks have a lot in common. Both won the Heisman Trophy in what was a storybook freshman season, only to let off-field issues derail their focus and bring negative attention to themselves. In that, both players also showed a lack of maturity that potentially hurt their NFL Draft stock. For Manziel, he still managed to be drafted in the first round and I expect the same outcome for Winston. In fact, his large frame and on-filed smarts could lead to his selection in the top five picks of the draft. Like Manziel, expect Winston to be either loved or hated by the dynasty community with little room in between.
The rest of the Seminoles’ offense is stacked with pre-NFL players of all shapes and sizes. Let’s start with the young players who could be targets in your 2015 devy drafts. Running back Dalvin Cook is just a freshman, but leads the team in rushing. If you’ve seen many Florida State games lately, Cook is hard to miss. He runs more like a Darren Sproles type, despite his 6’1”, 200 pound frame. Like Oregon’s Freeman, he’s being undervalued, but use that to your advantage. The Noles also have a pair of true freshmen receivers who have been solid role players this season, making the occasional highlight reel play. Expect both Travis Rudolph and Ermon Lane to see increased playing time in 2015.
The defending National Champions also have a trio of upperclassmen who are likely to all be a part of the upcoming NFL Draft, led by steady receiver Rashad Greene, who can do a little bit of everything. Talented running back Karlos Wiliams has disappointed this season, but should still get a shot at making an NFL roster, while big tight end Nick O’Leary should be among the first from his position to be chosen. The NFL Combine and other off-season workouts will be huge for all three of these players.
On the other side of the ball, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets may not have the stacked roster of the Seminoles, but they may have done it again when it comes to receiver. The school that gave us Calvin Johnson and Demaryius Thomas now presents DeAndre Smelter. If you’re familiar with the Georgia Tech offense, it won’t surprise you to see that Smelter has relatively few receptions and yards compared to other top wideouts in the country, though he is among the nation’s leaders in yards per catch.
Big Ten Championship
Wisconsin vs. Ohio State
Saturday, 8:17 pm, Fox
We’ve already seen some potential top overall NFL Draft picks, now it’s time for some options for those 1.01 dynasty rookie picks. With the recent injury to Georgia running back Todd Gurley, the board opens up for Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, who could’ve entered the draft a year ago, but chose to return to Madison. All Gordon did was lead the nation is rushing with over 2,200 yards and rushing touchdowns (26.) While Gordon will be a huge loss for the Badgers and a big gain for dynasty owners, Wisconsin has another running back ready to take over and devy owners should already be very familiar with Corey Clement, who has over 800 rushing yards playing behind Gordon.
The Buckeyes lost their top playmaker, quarterback and second leading rusher freshman JT Barrett, but there are still a couple of players to monitor, namely running backs Ezekiel Elliot and Dontre Wilson. Elliot has been lost in the Big Ten shuffle of running backs behind Gordon and Indiana’s Tevin Coleman, but has had a very solid year himself and could potentially make the leap to the NFL as a redshirt sophomore, though that move is not expected. Wilson has not played the role that many expected and he’s been used more as a receiver than a running back.
If these four powerhouse title games aren’t enough for you, also be sure to check out the normal slate of games in the Big 12, along with the Mountain West Championship game, featuring Boise State and future NFL running back Jay Ajayi.
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