The Devy Stock Market

Nathan Powell

jonnu

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

Jonnu Smith, TE Florida International

It’s not often you see a tight end among the weekly leaders in college football, but Jonnu Smith had a big week against Old Dominion, catching ten passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns – this was Smith’s first time eclipsing 100 receiving yards this season, but he is no flash in the pan as he is currently ranked fourth among tight ends on the DLF Devy rankings. The combination of tight end stats being few and far between in college football, and the fact FIU isn’t exactly known for their quarterback play, Devy owners will learn a lot more about Smith on the field than on the stat sheet and I think they will like what they see.

Verdict: Buy. I think Smith has a chance to be a special talent and players from smaller schools without the huge numbers can often be overlooked.

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Matthew Dayes, RB NC State

Dayes was running for days (I’ll see myself out) against Wake Forest last week as he ran for 205 yards, averaging 12.8 yards per carry on the day. He is not currently ranked in the top 25 of running backs in the 2016 class per the DLF Devy rankings, but if he is able to build on his stellar performance, he has a chance to get in the discussion. Dayes has been a consistent runner for the Wolfpack, running for 100+ yards in 5 of 7 games and scoring a touchdown in 6 of 7 games.

Verdict: Hold/Watch. Dayes is likely unowned in most Devy leagues and in the leagues he is owned, his biggest fan already has him.

Phillip Ely, QB Toledo

Once upon a time, Ely was a top recruit at quarterback, one of the best athletes in the state of Florida, playing for the best team in Tampa and beating my high school handily. Now, four years later, after an unsuccessful stint at Alabama and tearing his ACL in his second game with Toledo, he is now getting his first opportunity as a full time starter in his senior season. Ely is also unranked by DLF Devy rankers, but he has thrown for 9 touchdowns in the last two weeks, including a career high 5 touchdowns last week against UMASS.

Verdict: Buy in superflex. Ely may be only owned in the deepest of leagues, but he is definitely a talented player and it looks like he may have hit his stride after a rocky start to his college career.

Samaje Perine, RB Oklahoma

After appearing on the stock down section of this article last week, Perine must not have been happy with my write up as he had his best game of the season last week and looked more like 2014 Perine when he was one of the best freshman in America. Perine rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns against Texas Tech, closing the door on any sort of buy low window for the sophomore running back.

Verdict: Hold. If you were able to buy low on Perine’s slow start, you are looking pretty smart right about now. I like Perine a lot, but this is likely the worst time to try to buy him.

Stock Down

Kareem Hunt, RB Toledo

Holy Toledo! Two mud hens in one Devy stock market? That’s crazy. Kareem Hunt was one of the best running backs in college football last season, averaging 8.0 yards per carry, running for 1631 yards and 16 touchdowns. This season, Hunt has faced suspension and battled injuries and is only averaging 5.1 yards per carry so far this season, only rushing for more than 100 yards once. 5.1 yards per carry isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it isn’t the production he was putting up in 2014.

Verdict: Buy. For owners frustrated that they aren’t seeing the video game-type numbers of 2014, this is a buying opportunity for a player who is playing okay, just not as well as the previous season.

Jarvion Franklin, RB Western Michigan

Jarvion Franklin is another running back who looked unstoppable in 2014, but is showing some inconsistency in 2015. Franklin ran for 1,551 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2014 and he has three games of 95+ rushing yards and a touchdown in 2015. However, in his four other games, his highest total is 68 rushing yards and no touchdowns.

Will Grier, QB Florida

Grier was one of the top recruits in the nation when he committed to Florida in 2014. After redshirting his freshman season, he was playing well in his first season as the starter with 1204 passing yards and ten touchdowns in his first six games. Grier’s season abruptly ended after he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs earlier in October. Grier was suspended for 1 year which means he won’t be able to return to the lineup until the middle of next season. Not being on the field not only hurts Grier’s development, it also means players are putting up numbers and having good tape while he is stuck on the sideline.

Verdict: Buy in Superflex. If you were a fan of Grier’s talent before the suspension, this is a bit of a frustration as you won’t be able to see him play for a year, but it does produce a buying opportunity from owners who are frustrated.

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