Target Acquired: Week 11

Welcome to another edition of Target Acquired. If you’re new to the series, let me catch you up. Dynasty strategy has many layers to it, but one of the more fun aspects of it all is player research and analysis. And whether you play in devy leagues, “normal” dynasty leagues, or just love college football, it’s a blast to dig into some of the best NFL prospects in the country. This series takes a look every week at a mix of college football players who just bolstered their chances of making it to the pros with a stellar performance.

Some will be names you recognize. Others will be the deepest of sleepers that no one knew until yesterday. Regardless, the point is to tuck these names away as your prepare for all of your drafts, trades, and just-for-fun research in the future.

The draft gets closer every day, and I have my set of “Targets Acquired” for any and every format out there.

Quarterback

Riley Ferguson, Memphis

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Riley Ferguson is probably already a better quarterback than former Memphis quarterback, Paxton Lynch. No, that doesn’t mean he’ll be a first rounder. That just means Ferguson is more than a “good arm” unlike Paxton. Ferguson has pocket awareness, underrated mobility, solid decision making, and adequate pro athleticism. That shows up every week, but his monstrous 298-yard, four touchdown performance against Tulsa truly put every bit of his upside on display.

When my “Top 100 Rookies for 2018” series kicks off in a few weeks, expect to see Riley Ferguson’s name. He could likely do nothing in the NFL, but I really hope he gets a fair shot. Riley could really make some noise.

Running Back

Justice Hill, Oklahoma State

Okay, so if you watched the Oklahoma State game against Oklahoma on Saturday you would already know that there wasn’t much defense played. However, that does not mean Justice wasn’t absolutely impressive. He toted the pigskin 30 times for 228 yards and a couple scores. Too bad that somehow wasn’t enough to lock up a victory.

It’s amazing that Justice Hill ran for 1142 yards as a freshman in 2016 and no one noticed. And now that former teammate and current Seattle Seahawk Chris Carson isn’t around to vulture touchdowns Hill has been quite the scoring machine. Not only can he run inside and out, but Hill has shown some receiving skill this year too. If Hill posts another 1200-yard season next year he may just work his way into the early rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Devin Singletary, FAU

Devin Singletary is another 2019-eligible running back that might just make that year interesting. He doesn’t have the elite recruiting profile, but Singletary is going to rock all of the production metrics you could ask for when draft day comes.

Singletary was the entire offense for FAU this past weekend against Marshall. His 203 yards on the ground and 72 through the air combined for 78% of the team’s total yardage. That seems crazy and unsustainable, but Singletary’s numbers have already been off the charts. Through nine games this season Devin already has 19 touchdowns on the ground and one through the air. As he continues to pile up the numbers his draft stock continues to rise. He may be a tad undersized, but he could be a Devonta Freeman type if everything goes perfectly.

Wide Receiver

Chase Claypool, Notre Dame

It was about time the 6’4”, 225-pound WR posted a break out game. Notre Dame doesn’t throw enough for many of their wide receivers to be showcased consistently, so don’t expect this to happen every week. But Claypool did take advantage of his opportunities this week for 9 catches and 180 yards. If Chase can continue taking advantage of his limited opportunities, NFL decision-makers will be hard pressed to pass on the tantalizing upside.

Claypool can win at the point of catch, move the chains, and even extend deep on occasion. There are several good looking wide receivers eligible to enter the 2019 NFL Draft, so Claypool might do well to wait, and that’s okay. Just enjoy observing the continuing development of a player that could be a major red zone weapon in the NFL one day.

Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Oklahoma

I don’t usually get to feature two teammates at the same position in back to back weeks, but I don’t have a choice. Last week we talked about freshman Sooner, CeeDee Lamb. This week Hollywood Brown dropped 265 yards and two touchdowns against Oklahoma State. I repeat: 265 yards and two touchdowns.

Marquise may not be the biggest wide receiver, but he makes up for it with destructive quickness and burning speed to get deep. At 5’11, 162 pounds he’s really going to need to bulk up if he wants to be taken seriously in the NFL, but he already has three games with over 125 receiving yards in his first season as a Sooner. If Marquise keeps growing physically and hones his route technique just a bit expect him to be drafted as an explosive slot option.

Tight End

CJ Conrad, Kentucky

If you’ve ever dug into college tight end receiving stats you would know that solid consistent receiving production is hard to come by. Conrad is no exception, but has shown improvement every single year. Conrad led the Kentucky Wildcats in receiving for their 37-34 loss with five catches and 75 yards and a touchdown. In fact he was the only Wildcat to break three receptions in the game.

Conrad has pro-ready size and athleticism that you want to see. If he continues to grow into the focal point of the Kentucky passing game he may end up being one of the more productive eligible tight ends in the 2018 or 2019 NFL Draft class. Expect to see his name rise up draft boards as soon as he commits to the NFL.

IDP (Individual Defensive Player)

Clelin Ferrell, DE Clemson

Clelin Ferrell looks like one of the next big name defensive linemen to come out of Clemson. It was already clear last year that Ferrell was a difference maker as he dragged quarterbacks to the ground for six sacks and compiled 44 total tackles. Clelin really made a statement this past week though. The impressive redshirt sophomore tallied 12 tackles, a sack, and a whopping five tackles for loss against NC State.

Clelin’s mix of size, speed, strength, and instincts make him a lot of fun to watch and nearly impossible to stop. If he continues to grow as a pass rusher and run stopper expect Ferrell’s name to be called in the top fifty picks of the NFL Draft in 2018 or 2019.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s Target Acquired. Let me know if you have any questions on any of these guys. If you want me to watch any specific upcoming games closer than others just let me know via Twitter @FF_TravisM. Best of luck to you in all of your fantasy leagues!

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