Target Acquired: Week Three

Welcome to week three of the 2018 Target Acquired series. If you enjoyed the series last year, you’re in for a good time! 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 you prepare for all of your drafts, trades, and just-for-fun research in the future.

2018 football is still just getting started and I have my set of “Targets Acquired” for any and every format out there.

Quarterback

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Tyree Jackson, Buffalo

Believe it or not, there is actually at least one good quarterback who plays football for Buffalo. The bad news for Bills fans is that he’s still in college. Yes, I’m talking about Tyree Jackson for the University of Buffalo. He’s a monster of a quarterback at 6’7”, 245 pounds. And yes, defenses have a ridiculous time bringing him down.

In fact, as a redshirt freshman, Buffalo took advantage of that size in the run game quite a bit. He ran 99 times for about 400 yards and five touchdowns. However, since then, he’s grown into more of a pocket passer who can be mobile when he needs to rather than the other way around. This past weekend, Jackson tossed the rock for 325 yards and three touchdowns against a tough Eastern Michigan team that just beat Purdue the week before.

He’s off to a ridiculous start in 2018 with 12 touchdowns and only one interception. If the redshirt junior continues this pace, expect him to be a late riser in NFL Draft season next spring.

Running Back

Darius Anderson, TCU

Many college football nerds were already well aware of Darius Anderson’s freak athleticism. But it was nice to see him put it on display against one of the toughest defenses in the nation in Ohio State this past weekend. Anderson took full advantage of his sub-4.4 speed on his 93-yard touchdown. But he didn’t stop there. He added 61 more yards and another score to go with that too.

Anderson is going to continue dominating the weak defenses in the BIG 12 conference this year and possibly work into mid-round NFL Draft discussion next spring. However, he may choose to stay one more year to rack up some stats and improve his draft stock. Whenever he does leave school, we should expect him to be one of the most impressive running backs at the NFL Combine.

Larry Rountree III, Missouri

A couple of seasons ago, Damarea Crockett exploded for Missouri with 1,000 rushing yards as a true freshman and many thought he was going to be the next big star for the Tigers. However, in 2017, Larry Rountree III emerged as a much-needed playmaker for Mizzou after Crockett went down with an injury. Now it looks like Rountree is here to stay.

It’s clear when watching Mizzou that Rountree is the most explosive running back on the team. At 5’11”, 210 pounds, he’s a little lighter and faster on his feet than Crockett and it shows up in his stat lines. He scampered for 168 yards on 23 carries (7.3 yards per carry) in Saturday’s nail-biting victory over the Purdue Boilermakers. Crockett only saw six carries and didn’t do much with them at all (just 17 yards). Look for Rountree’s stock to continue rising as people realize he’s actually one of the best backs in the SEC as a true sophomore.

Wide Receiver

Hakeem Butler, Iowa State

The Iowa State Cyclones entered 2018 in desperate need of offensive playmakers through the air. They had lost 2,000 yards of receiving production for the previous year. Enter Hakeem Butler. He caught 41 balls for 697 yards and seven touchdowns in 2017, but his opportunity was clearly greater this season.

After a quiet week one, Butler answered the call against Oklahoma with five catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. He just refused to go down on his first reception throwing one defender to the ground and spinning off another on his way to the end zone. At 6’6”, Butler glides past and over helpless defensive backs thanks to his long strides, flexibility, and body control. If he isn’t an absolute disappointment athletically at the NFL Combine expect him to be a day two NFL Draft pick soon.

Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan

If you’re familiar with football recruiting you may already know that Donovan Peoples-Jones (DPJ) entered college as a near perfectly graded five-star wide receiver. Sadly, as a freshman, he was held back by an absolute dumpster fire of an offense at Michigan in 2017. 2018 looks like it’s going to be a completely different story for this budding star. DPJ is apparently touchdown scoring machine for the Wolverines now that Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson is at quarterback.

He’s already got four touchdowns in just two games this season, including three from this past Saturday’s game alone. DPJ can take the top off a defense with his speed, but then also dominate defensive backs physically in the red zone and short areas of the field. We won’t see him enter the NFL Draft until at least 2020, but this stud looks like he’ll be worth the wait.

Tight End

Josh Oliver, San Jose State

It’s not too often we get excited for offensive playmakers coming out of San Jose State (and Tyler Ervin fooled many a fantasy owner), but Josh Oliver is worth some attention. He was a late bloomer as far as production goes, but it looks like Oliver is finally learning to use his 6’5”, 250-pound frame. He only grabbed 35 receptions in 2017, but this year he’s off to a crazy start for college football tight end standards.

Oliver already has 19 receptions and a touchdown that he scored against the Oregon Ducks this past weekend. If he maintains anywhere near this pace he’ll end up with more receptions than Mark Andrews did in 2017 as the most productive tight end in Division-I football.

IDP (Individual Defensive Player)

Gary Johnson, Texas (Linebacker)

Most people aren’t too familiar with Gary Johnson just yet, but they will be. He joined the Longhorns in 2017 as one of the top junior college transfers in the country and made an instant impact. However, Malik Jefferson hogged most of the spotlight last season on the Texas defense as he built his NFL Draft stock in some big games. This season, Johnson already looks like the best defensive playmaker on the team.

At 6’0”, 230 pounds (maybe) he may seem a tad undersized for NFL success but he’s the perfect hybrid safety/linebacker type that’s become so popular. In high school, he ran a 10.59-second 100 meter dash (stupid fast for a linebacker) and he uses all of that speed on game day. Expect him to be a mid-round steal for some NFL team here real soon that you can grab late in rookie and devy drafts.

I hope you enjoyed the third Target Acquired of the 2018 season! 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. Also, since college daily fantasy is back be looking for some #TouchdownTime videos from me on that via Twitter! Best of luck to you in all of your fantasy leagues!

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