Developing Assets: Early Week One Preview

Ryan McDowell Posted On August 29, 2013

Several years ago, I joined a league managed by our own Steve Wyremski. Though I had played in dynasty leagues before, this was my first league where the owners really took it seriously. If this was not evident in other ways, the inclusion of a feature Steve called “developmental player” sealed the deal. Each team was allotted one roster spot for a developmental, or college player. Though I enjoyed watching college football, doing the necessary scouting and doing it well, felt overwhelming.

Luckily, I landed the top overall “devy” pick and was able to select running back Adrian Peterson. That was an easy selection, but that would be the last top pick I would own in Steve’s league. Having late picks has caused me to dig deep into the world of college football. It’s fairly easy to identify the best players in the college game, but when selecting those players as future members of your dynasty team, you also must be able to project how that player will transition to the NFL.

Since that time, I have joined multiple leagues with one or more developmental spots, often just referred to as devy leagues. The popularity of these leagues is clearly growing among the hardcore dynasty players. The chance to add some of the top college players before they have even declared for the NFL, and sometime before they even step foot on campus, adds a new wrinkle that die hard dynasty players are searching for.

We at DLF recognize the growing demand for information regarding devy players. Because of that, we will be bringing you this weekly column focusing on the top players in college football that you need to be watching each week. With today’s kickoff of the college football season comes a special preview of Developing Assets. Check back on a weekly basis each Saturday morning for the devy week in review, along with a preview of the college games you should be watching.

A Look Back –

Each week in this section, we’ll focus on the past week’s college games and the outstanding performance. As always, this information will be presented from a dynasty (and now developmental) perspective.

With no real football to look back on in week one, let’s look at some of the most popular devy picks of the past couple of months. The majority of devy drafts take place in July or August, so this data is the most recent available.

I have charted ten competitive devy leagues, including seven that are led by either Wyremski or DLF’s Jarrett Behar and collected the average draft position data from these leagues. I do want to point out that this data may not be as reliable as typical ADP data due to a couple of rule variations across the leagues. First, some of the leagues feature tight end premium scoring, obviously increasing the value and draft position of the top available tight ends. Also, some of the league allows any college player to be selected while others require the drafted players to be draft eligible the following spring. This has resulted in many of the top available players already being rostered, and therefore not being listed in the ADP table below. With that said, this data will still give you a good idea of who the top dynasty players have been drafting this off-season.

*Note: I have shaded the players who were selected in less than three of the ten drafts.

When we remove the players who went mostly undrafted, we are left with this top twelve:

Marqise Lee, WR USC
Todd Gurley, RB UGA
Sammy Watkins, WR CLEM
TJ Yeldon, RB ALA
Amari Cooper, WR ALA
Lache Seastrunk, RB BAY
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE WASH
Brandon Coleman, WR RUT
Jeremy Hill, RB LSU
Ka’Deem Carey, WR ARZ
Teddy Bridgewater, QB UL
Duke Johnson, RB MIA

In case you are unfamiliar with any of the players, you will read more about each of these players throughout the season here in Developing Assets.

A Look Ahead-

This is the spot to find the top games you should be watching each college football weekend. I’ll choose the game of the week, another game worth staying up late for (or at least DVRing) and one game that the mainstream fans may not focus on, but dynasty players should. Here we go!

If You Can Only Watch One: North Carolina vs South Carolina (ESPN, 6:00 pm)

Although there are a couple of top 25 teams in action on the season’s opening night, there are no true marquee games. We’ll save those for the weekend. We will be treated to a solid rivalry game between the University of North Carolina and the University of South Carolina. We all know that our IDP readers will be honing in on the potential top overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, Gamecock defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, but there are plenty of other players to watch on the offensive side of the ball as well.

For the Tar Heels, there are two pass catchers to focus on. First, tight end Eric Ebron is being underrated, possibly due to two other top tight ends in college football, Colt Lyerla of Oregon and Washington’s Austin Seferian-Jenkins. While both of those players are obviously talented, don’t sleep on Ebron. Ebron is an excellent athlete with speed to burn. Unlike many young tight ends, he is also an above average blocker, meaning when he does hit the NFL, the most common excuse for young tight ends to remain on the bench will not apply to him. For now, Ebron should still be considered the third tight end for dynasty owners, but he has a good chance to move up the board.

The other player to watch for the baby blue is sophomore wide receiver Quinshad Davis. After a slow start to his freshman season, Davis exploded in the latter half of last season, setting freshmen school records with 61 receptions and 776 yards. Expect Davis to improve on both of those categories as he will be the top target of quarterback Bryn Renner and has added some much needed pounds to his 6’4” frame. Davis will not be draft eligible until the 2015 season, but is a player all dynasty owners should be watching.

Stay Up Late For: Southern California vs Hawaii (CBS Sports Network, 11:00 pm)

The USC Trojans are not quite the powerhouse team that we all saw a few years ago, but they do sport the popular choice for the top overall devy player in college football, wide receiver Marqise Lee. Lee enters his junior season as the top wide receiver in the nation and has a chance to be a top five overall draft pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Not much needs to be said about Lee other than make sure you take the opportunity to watch him play while you can.

Lee is not the only Trojan wide receiver of note. True sophomore Nelson Algohor will be taking over for departed wideout Robert Woods and while defenders focus on Lee, Algohor should be able to take advantage. Algohor was not a popular devy pick this off-season, but expect him to be one of the top wide receivers a year from now.

Dynasty owners should be on the look out for USC running back Silas Redd also, but he reportedly will not play in the opener due to a knee injury. In a thin running back class, Redd has a chance to establish himself as a first round dynasty rookie pick with a solid season.

Find a Way to Watch: Liberty vs Kent State (ESPN3, 6:00 pm)

Looking for the next Tavon Austin? If so, then you need to find a way to watch the small school matchup of Liberty and Kent State, with an eye on number one for the Golden Eagles, diminutive running back Dri Archer. At only 5’8” and 180 pounds, Archer is an electric playmaker and is getting a Heisman Trophy push from his school. Many expected Archer to enter last season’s NFL draft, but instead, he returned for his senior season. Watch for how Archer is used in the passing game since he will obviously not be used as an every down back once he reaches the NFL.

Devy Stock Watch-

In this section, I’ll share my weekly ranking of all college players based on their current devy/dynasty value.

Marqise Lee, WR USC
Sammy Watkins, WR CLEM
Todd Gurley, RB UGA
TJ Yeldon, RB ALA
Teddy Bridgewater, QB UL
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE UW
Amari Cooper, WR ALA
Lache Seastrunk, RB BAY
Brandon Coleman, WR RUT
Ka’Deem Carey, RB ARZ

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.