The Devy Stock Market
The fantasy football stock market is constantly fluctuating and it is always important for us to know which players have a price that has become exploitable whether it be to buy or sell. Pieces like this one have been fairly commonplace in the industry for a while in both redraft and dynasty, but I will be focusing on college players for devy dynasty leagues and how their week-to-week performances are affecting their price in those leagues.
Stock Up
Josh Rosen, QB UCLA
Rosen was one of the most highly touted freshman in the nation this offseason, arriving as an early enrollee at UCLA in January. Rosen has done nothing but impress the UCLA staff since getting on campus. He beat out a few solid candidates for the starting quarterback job and he has been excellent in two games, completing 64.9% of his passes with a 7.46 yards per attempt. It is early in the college career for Rosen, and devy players won’t be able to put him in their lineup until 2018, but it appears this guy could be worth the wait, especially in superflex/2 QB leagues.
Verdict: Buy. Is his price more expensive than it was two weeks ago? Sure, but you are still going to have the time discount, with some owners being impatient and looking to cash in the freshman for a player who will hit the NFL sooner.
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Dalvin Cook, RB Florida State
After a tumultuous offseason where Dalvin Cook found himself suspended after being arrested for misdemeanor battery, and then reinstated after he was found not guilty in the courts, Cook ran his way into the FSU record books on Saturday with 266 rushing yards and three touchdowns against the USF Bulls. Some may pass this off as a dominant performance against a bad defense, but USF actually had a really solid game defending every FSU player outside of Cook.
Verdict: Buy/Hold. This one could go either way. The off the field stuff had me fading him during the offseason, but he was found not guilty and his play on the field has been stellar, looking like the best player on the field in each of FSU’s first two games.
Ohio State Quarterbacks
Junior Cardale Jones and Sophomore J.T. Barrett spent the summer competing for the Ohio State starting quarterback position. When Cardale Jones emerged victorious and started week 1 against Virginia, many thought that would mean stock down for Barrett. After two games, I don’t think that is the case. I think both quarterbacks have played really well, even if it isn’t the most difficult competition in the world in Virginia Tech and Hawaii. The split time will dampen both quarterbacks stat sheet, but I think both have starting quarterback potential at the next level.
Verdict: I’m buying both in 2 QB/Superflex, but probably not worth the investment in one QB leagues.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR USC
Smith-Schuster has started his sophomore season very strong with 14 catches for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Smith is averaging 20.1 yards per catch thus far this season and looks like he is clearly one of the top receivers in college football for those who needed to see more after his freshman year. Smith-Schuster is heading toward being the #1 devy asset this offseason and the #1 pick in devy leagues that require draft eligibility.
Verdict: Buy. He’s expensive, but I think he is only going to get more expensive as the season goes on.
Stock Down
Christian Hackenberg, QB Penn State
Hackenberg is one of the most disputed players in college football today. After an amazing freshman season at Penn State where he completed a 58.9% of his passes with 20 touchdowns and only ten interceptions, many expected Hackenberg to develop his game even more to become one of the best quarterbacks in college football. However, the departure of Head Coach Bill O’Brien and wide receiver Allen Robinson definitely hurt Hackenberg and he struggled during his sophomore campaign as his completion percentage went down to 55.8%, touchdowns went down to 12 and interceptions increased to 15. So the debate this offseason became, which Hackenberg would we see in 2015? After two games, it looks like it will be a repeat of 2014, if not worse as Hackenberg is only averaging 4.44 yards per attempt and has complete only 48.1% of his passes.
Verdict: Hold. His stock has plummeted so much, you most likely won’t be able to get anything worthwhile, so holding is likely the best option here.
Leonte Carroo, WR Rutgers (suspended)
Coming into the season, Carroo was one of the top senior wide receivers in the nation. Carroo showed why on the field with big plays in each game, catching seven passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns in only six quarters because he was suspended for the first half of the first. Unfortunately, Carroo has gotten himself in trouble with the program once again and he is now suspended indefinitely due to an incident following the team’s game on Saturday.
Verdict: Sell. It is becoming more and more apparent that these players with off the field problems are more trouble than they are worth. If I could get a slightly lesser talent without the baggage, I’d be selling Carroo as soon as possible.
James Conner, RB Pittsburgh
Injuries are a frustrating part of the game of fantasy football, no matter the format. While devy players aren’t losing any points in their lineup with James Conner going down with the season ending knee injury, it does put a damper on his NFL prospects. According to CBS Sports’ Dane Brugler (via Rotoworld) Conner’s knee injury “puts his NFL future in limbo as he’ll need to decide whether to return to Pitt in 2016 or make the jump to the next level despite missing the season with an injury.” If Conner comes out this year, he likely will not be a high draft selection, which is obviously one of the things devy owners are hoping for from their devy players. If Conner stays in school to prove he can come back to full strength from the injury, that’s another year you have to keep him on your roster/taxi squad without any promises of him coming back to full strength.
Verdict: Sell. With reports of his NFL future in jeopardy, I’ll let someone else take on that risk.
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