Developing Assets: Week Six

Ray Garvin Posted On October 5, 2019

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-five devy positional rankings.

WAKE UP AND WATCH

Utah State at LSU (11:00 CT, SEC)

This should be named the ‘Let’s see what Jordan Love can do against a top defense’ game. There are many people who have Love ranked as their number two quarterback in the 2020 class. He hasn’t exactly lit up the stat sheet so far this season with only 1,207 passing yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions; but the 6’4’ 225-pound signal-caller has all the physical tools to become an NFL starter.

On the other side of the ball, who’s hotter in college football than Joe Burrow? He has 1,520 passing yards, 17 touchdowns to only two interceptions on the season. He hasn’t thrown for less than 350-yards since the opening game of the season versus Georgia Southern. Joe cool is dealing; completing almost 81% of his passes. I wouldn’t be shocked if he worked his way into being an early day-two pick in 2020.

Ja’Marr Chase is making his case to be mentioned right at the top of the 2021 wide receiver class with guys like Rondale Moore, Justyn Ross, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Chase had a monster breakout performance in his last game vs Vanderbilt with ten receptions for 229 yards and four touchdowns. Chase is a fantastic receiver prospect at a school with a long list of talented NFL receivers. Justin Jefferson is also a name that is starting to heat up. The Junior receiver is 2020 eligible and has greatly increased his stock this season as well.

Utah State shouldn’t have a chance in this game, and Love’s stock shouldn’t be judged on winning this contest or lighting LSU up; we just want to see him compete, make some plays and look like he belongs amongst the top guns in the 2020 class.

Other teams in early action include:

Iowa at Michigan (11:00 CT, FOX) Prospect to Watch: QB, Nathan Stanley

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech (11:00 CT, FS1) Prospect to Watch: WR, Tylan Wallace

TCU at Iowa State (11:00 CT, ESPN2) Prospect to Watch: RB, Darius Anderson

MIDDAY MARQUEE

Auburn at Florida (2:30 CT, CBS)

The Auburn trio of Bo Nix, Seth Williams, and Jatarvious Whitlow – lead the undefeated Tigers into Gainesville to take on the undefeated Gators of Florida in what should be a fantastic showdown with devy talent across the board.

Bo Nix looks like a potential dynasty stud here in the next couple of years. The true freshman has settled down and has looked rock solid throwing for 980 yards and seven touchdowns with only two interceptions; and another 173 yards on the ground. Seth Williams, the talented 2021 wide receiver prospect looked like his dominant self vs. Mississippi State catching eight balls for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Whitlow, an under the radar running back prospect, has seven touchdowns on the ground while averaging five yards per carry.

On the Florida side of the ball, Kyle Trask has looked more than capable of taking over for Felipe Franks who suffered an injury that has him on the shelf for the season. Running backs Lamical Perine and Dameon Pierce will have a tough go against the stout Auburn front. One of the more intriguing devy prospects in this game will be Kyle Pitts. He’s a 6’6” 240 tight-end eligible for the 2021 NFL Draft that has flashed this season. The big playmaker has 17 receptions for 189 yards and three touchdowns and looks like a future mismatch nightmare at the next level.

Other teams in mid-day action include:

Texas at West Virginia (2:30 CT, ABC) Prospect to Watch: WR, Devin Duvernay

Virginia Tech at Miami (2:30CT, ESPN) Prospect to Watch: RB. DeeJay Dallas

Illinois at Minnesota (2:30 CT, BTN) Prospect to Watch: WR, Tyler Johnson

PRIMETIME PLAY

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

The annual battle between Michigan and Ohio State takes place a little earlier this season but as always there is no love lost between these two teams. The Buckeyes look like a top-3 team in the country right now led by transfer sensation Justin Fields. Fields has been one of the best quarterbacks in college football this season. It’s time we had the Fields over Trevor Lawrence conversation for the top quarterback prospect in 2021. Yes, I said it and I mean it. What Justin is showing is an ability to win from the pocket first. He also is dangerous when things breakdown around him or on designed run calls. Michigan State will be a formattable test for Fields but I fully expect him to keep his potential Heisman campaign going.

J.K. Dobbins has been a man on a mission this season and looks like a better more explosive version of himself this season. He is second in the country in rushing yards with 654 and has over 50 career receptions on his resume. Dobbins is moving his way up the running back rankings and looks to keep his dominate play up.

Michigan State has some legit talent on the offensive side of the ball as well. Freshman running back, Elijah Collins has 413 yards and three touchdowns on the season and looks like a future stud in the making. Senior wide receiver Darrell Steward Jr. has been outstanding with 556 receiving yards which ranks fourth in the nation. While he won’t be mistaken as elite at anything, he could find a role as a depth piece at the next level.

Other teams with evening games include:

Vanderbilt at Ole Miss (6:30 CT, SEC) Prospect to Watch: RB, Ke’Shwan Vaughn

Oregon State at UCLA (8:00 CT) Prospect to Watch: WR, Isaiah Hodgins

Washington at Stanford (9:30 CT, ESPN) Prospect to Watch: RB, Salvon Ahmed

2020 NFL MOCK DRAFT

As the NFL Draft has grown in popularity, it has become a year-round business. 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 now regularly producing mock drafts months out from the actual event. I’ll be including those in these weekly updates.

Here’s the latest projection from Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports: