Developing Assets: Week Five

Ray Garvin

Dynasty is a game of chess, not checkers. Whether you are tracking players for your devy leagues or are looking ahead to the 2020 class in a more traditional dynasty format, the goal is still the same. As an owner, you want to put your team in the best position for short and long-term success. Following the weekly world of college football can pay dividends for fantasy players who follow this advice.

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.

For the prospects to watch section I will be excluding the players who are currently ranked inside DLF’s top-ten devy positional rankings.

WAKE UP AND WATCH

Northwestern at Wisconsin (11:00 CT, FOX)

I could go into a deep long diatribe about all of the other intriguing matchups in this contest, and that’s not to say there aren’t talented players on both teams, but this game is all about Wisconsin All-American running back Jonathan Taylor. He is quickly moving his way up NFL Draft boards, as well as pushing for the first overall pick in 2020 dynasty rookie drafts. His blend of size, speed, and power are truly remarkable to watch.

Taylor has looked unstoppable this season; completely shredding the Michigan Wolverines in week four, for over 200 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. While many people tend to dismiss his production because he’s a ‘Wisconsin running back’ or attributing his success to the offensive line, that thinking is misguided. Taylor has demonstrated outstanding patience, vision and burst this season. He currently has 20 runs of eight-plus yards, picked up 20 first downs, while catching six passes and zero fumbles.

Taylor is a complete running back, and anytime you get a chance to watch him on national television, he is must-see TV. Wake up and watch this man run!

https://twitter.com/RayGQue/status/1175166185467502593?s=20

Other teams in early action include:

Texas A&M vs Arkansas (11:00 CT, ESPN) Prospect to Watch: Rakeem Boyd RB

Texas Tech at Oklahoma (11:00 CT, FOX) Prospects to Watch: Jalen Hurts, QB

Kansas at TCU (11:00 CT, FS1) Prospects to Watch: Pooka Williams, RB and Darius Anderson, RB

MIDDAY MARQUEE

USC at Washington (2:30 CT, FOX)

Wide receivers and quarterback play will be the name of this game. On the Washington side of the ball, all eyes should be on transfer quarterback Jacob Eason. He is coming off a 24-28, 290-yard, three-touchdown game, where he looked absolutely dynamite. Some in the NFL Draft community have him ranked as high as number two, with the majority having him as a late day-two pick at the latest.

On the USC side of the ball, wide receivers Amon Ra-St. Brown, Michael Pittman Jr., and Tyler Vaughns headline the Trojan’s passing attack. All three should be selected by an NFL team in their respective draft seasons, with St. Brown already established as a top-24 devy selection. Pittman Jr. is coming off of a monster performance against Utah where he had 10 catches for 232-yards and one touchdown, and his play this season has made him a fast-rising draft prospect at the receiver position.

Washington has some talented offensive players outside of Eason. Wide receiver Aaron Fuller and tight ends Hunter Bryant and Cade Otton are more than capable pass-catchers with the former having intriguing appeal due to some of the crazy catches he’s made this season. Running back Salvon Ahmed has been battling injury, and his status for this contest is still unknown.

Keep an eye on USC running back Vavae Malepeai.

Other teams in mid-day action include:

Ole Miss at Alabama (2:30 CT, CBS) Prospects to Watch: Jerrion Ealy, RB and DeVonta Smith, WR

Clemson at North Carolina (2:30CT, FS1) Prospect to Watch: Amari Rodgers, WR

Minnesota at Purdue (2:30 CT, ESPN2) Prospect to Watch: Brycen Hopkins TE

PRIMETIME PLAY

Ohio State at Nebraska (6:30 CT, ABC)

Adrian Martinez vs Justin Fields should be a treat. Both signal-callers aren’t NFL draft-eligible until 2021, but they have already made their marks in the devy community as two of the top-rated quarterbacks in that class. On the season, Fields as thrown for 880-yards and 13 touchdowns with no interceptions; adding 150-yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Martinez has 1,052 yards, seven touchdowns to only two interceptions, with 234-yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Fields is currently viewed as the second-rated quarterback in the 2021 class behind Clemson stud sophomore Trevor Lawrence.

JK Dobbins has been balling his three games, although he wasn’t needed much in the blowout win over Miami Ohio. Dobbins has 477 yards and five touchdowns on the ground and is showing why he is a top-ten ranked devy running back. Nebraska’s Maurice Washington is an explosive playmaker who’s shown flashes and will have an opportunity to make a big statement against a talented Buckeyes defense that features potential number one overall selection Chase Young.

Ohio State has yet to establish that dominant presence at the receiver position with multiple guys taking turns producing outside, but Nebraska, on the other hand, has two dynamic weapons that contribute on offense and on special teams; JD Spielman and Wan’Dale Robinson. Both are smaller explosive playmakers who will have a tough test against that Ohio State secondary. This should be a good matchup.

Other teams with evening games include:

Mississippi State at Auburn (6:00 CT, ESPN) Prospects to Watch: Kylin Hill, RB and Bo Nix, QB

Colorado State at Utah State (9:00 CT, PAC) Prospects to Watch: Jordan Love, QB and Warren Jackson, WR

Washington State at Utah (6:00 CT, ESPN) Prospects to Watch: Max Borghi RB, Aaron Gordon, QB, and Devin Brumfield, RB

2020 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 Brad Crawford of CBS Sports :