Developing Assets: Week Eight
Whether you are a devy dynasty owner tracking your player or simply trying to stay ahead of your competition when prepping for 2019 rookie drafts, following the weekly world of college football can pay dividends for fantasy players.
Each week this season, I’ll focus on a trio of games throughout the day, along with some key future pros you might want to focus on as you watch.
Wake Up and Watch
Buffalo at Toledo (ESPN+, 12:00)
These two MAC schools are obviously not Power-5 teams that typically show up in this series but this game does feature a pair of potential early NFL Draft picks all dynasty players should be tracking. Buffalo has a battery of quarterback Tyree Jackson and wideout Anthony Johnson that some project to be drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft.
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Jackson, is a towering 6’7” inconsistent passer with a huge arm. For better or worse, Jackson has drawn comparisons to Bills rookie quarterback Josh Allen. His receiver Johnson has also been pegged as a potential day one pick but has been slowed by a hamstring injury recently, missing two games.
In the preseason, Pro Football Focus named Johnson as the nation’s top returning receiver. Johnson has 20 receptions for 352 yards and three scores after his 76/1356/14 breakout season in 2017.
Other teams in early action include:
Michigan at Michigan State (Fox, 12:00)
Oklahoma at TCU (ABC, 12:00)
Auburn at Mississippi (ESPN, 12:00)
Midday Marquee
North Carolina State at Clemson (ESPN, 3:30)
One player who has not been discussed in this series all season is North Carolina State wideout Kelvin Harmon. Harmon is among the many talented receivers in contention to be the first drafted in both the 2019 NFL Draft and dynasty rookie drafts. He leads the Wolfpack with 33 receptions, 534 yards and two touchdowns on the season serving as the WR1 for quarterback Ryan Finley. Both Harmon and Finley are potential first-rounders in the spring NFL Draft. Although Harmon does not have elite speed, he has become known as a receiver who can make contested catches.
Finley and Harmon will have their hands full with perennial ACC power Clemson and their bevy of NFL Draft prospects. The Tigers have been clicking after making the quarterback switch to true freshman Trevor Lawrence, who appeared to be over the injury that took him out of the Syracuse game. The Tigers sport one of the most explosive playmakers in the nation in running back Travis Etienne, who leads the ACC in rushing yards by over 100 yards. Etienne is averaging over nine yards per carry and has scored 11 rushing touchdowns. Clemson spreads the ball around through the air. Four receivers have at least 14 receptions for 220 yards, led by Tee Higgins. Freshman Justyn Ross and sophomore Amari Rodgers are the other top prospects at the receiver position.
Other teams in mid-day action include:
Alabama at Tennessee (CBS, 3:30)
Penn State at Indiana (ABC, 3:30)
Primetime Play
Oregon at Washington State (Fox, 7:30)
There seems to be a growing sentiment that Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert is the favorite to be the top signal caller draft in the upcoming with many draftniks already linking him to the New York Giants, who will clearly be looking for a change.
Facing the upstart Washington State Cougars, this game should be a high-scoring affair. Washington State leads the Pac-12 in passing yardage by over 600 yards. Cougars quarterback Gardner Martin and his top receivers, Davontavean Martin and Easop Winston should have a field day.
Other teams with evening games include:
Mississippi State at LSU (ESPN, 7:00)
Ohio State at Purdue (ABC, 7:30)
2019 NFL Mock Draft
As the NFL Draft has grown in popularity, that means it has become a year-round business and we no longer have to wait until the end of the football season to see where the top players project to land. Multiple sites and writers are nor regularly producing mock draft months out from the actual event and I’ll now be including those in these weekly updates.
Here’s the latest projection from Luke Easterling.
1.07 NYG Justin Herbert, QB Oregon
1.09 DEN Will Grier, QB West Virginia
1.22 OAK N’Keal Harry, WR Arizona State
1.25 LAC Drew Lock, QB Missouri
1.26 BAL Anthony Johnson, WR Buffalo
1.28 JAC Tyree Jackson, QB Buffalo
1.30 NE Ryan Finley, QB North Carolina State
2.35 OAK David Montgomery, RB Iowa State
2.36 BUF AJ Brown, WR Mississippi
2.40 MIA Jarrett Stidham, QB Auburn
2.41 DEN Noah Fant, TE Iowa
2.47 DAL Collin Johnson, WR Texas
2.52 PHI Bryce Love, RB Stanford
2.55 CAR Damien Harris, RB Alabama
2.56 GB Benny Snell, RB Kentucky
2.58 PHI Marquise Brown, WR Oklahoma
2.60 JAC JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR Stanford
2.62 NE Kelvin Harmon, WR North Carolina State
2019 Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft
1.01 N’Keal Harry, WR Arizona State
1.02 AJ Brown, WR Ole Miss
1.03 Bryan Edwards, WR South Carolina
1.04 Hakeem Butler, WR Iowa State
1.05 Kelvin Harmon, WR North Carolina State
1.06 Noah Fant, TE Iowa
1.07 Benny Snell, RB Kentucky
1.08 David Montgomery, RB Iowa State
1.09 Dekaylin Metcalf, WR Ole Miss
1.10 Marquise Brown, WR Oklahoma
1.11 Tyler Johnson, WR Minnesota
1.12 JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR Stanford
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