Developing Assets: Week Eight

Ray Garvin Posted On October 19, 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 – FLORIDA vs SOUTH CAROLINA (11:00 CT, ESPN)

Here are the prospects from this game that you need to be paying close attention to for devy and 2020 dynasty rookie drafts.

Ryan Hilinski, QB South Carolina

He won’t be eligible until 2022, however, the true freshman already looks like he’ll be one of the most talented throwers in that early group of Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels and Sam Howell.

Bryan Edwards, WR South Carolina

The senior wideout seems to be one of the forgotten men amongst this loaded 2020 wide receiver class. At 6’3” and 215 pounds, he looks the part of a starting NFL receiver and has the fluidity and speed to make an impact at the next level.

Kyle Pitts, TE Florida

Pitts is a monster at 6’6” and 240 lbs, but plays and moves like a receiver. He isn’t eligible until 2021, but has risen above Brevin Jordan as my number one devy tight end in that class. He currently leads the team in receptions, receiving yards and is tied for first in touchdowns. He’s a matchup nightmare and looks like a future first-round pick at the position.

Nick Muse, TE South Carolina

While Muse doesn’t have anywhere close to the production stats of Pitts, he is a pretty good athlete in his own right. Last season he had 29 receptions for 441 yards (which is legit for a college tight end) and this year only 11 for 99 yards, but when he gets the ball in his hands, he’s explosive. Muse is a name we all need to keep our eyes on if he declares, and especially if he returns for his senior season.

Other teams in early action include:

Clemson at Louisville (11:00 CT, ABC) Prospect to Watch: RB, Javian Hawkins

West Virginia at Oklahoma (11:00 CT, FOX) Prospect to Watch: QB, Jalen Hurts

Purdue at Iowa (11:00 CT, ESPN2) Prospect to Watch: TE, Brycen Hopkins

MIDDAY MARQUEE – OREGON at WASHINGTON (2:30 CT, ABC)

Here are the prospects from this game that you need to be paying close attention to for devy and 2020 dynasty rookie drafts.

Justin Herbert, QB Oregon

The 6’6”, 235 lbs senior has had a very good yet quiet season. He’s thrown for 1,602 yards 17 touchdowns to only one interception. He also has the highest completion percentage of his career at almost 70%. Right now, his draft stock is all over the board. Some analysts have him as the number one rated signal-caller, while I’ve seen others have him as low has seventh. This will be a big game for Herbert and his dynasty draft stock.

Jacob Eason, QB Washington

Eason has been up and down this season. He may have one of the strongest arms in the 2020 class, but there are times where he just hasn’t shown up. He should still be drafted relatively high, but this weekend’s performance will be very telling for his stock.

CJ Verdell, RB Oregon

He is a smaller yet powerful runner who has shown an ability to excel in the receiving game.

Salvon Ahmed, RB Washington

Explosive playmaker out of the backfield. He’s sub-200 lbs, but is on pace for his best statistical season for the Huskies. He profiles as a change of pace back at the next level.

Aaron Fuller, WR Washington

Playmaker and a very good athlete. He has to improve his hands; he’s been wildly inconsistent securing the ball.

Hunter Bryant, TE Washington

Bryant is having the best season of his Huskies career. 27 receptions 387 yards and one touchdown. He’s not a traditional big-bodied in-line player. He is more in the Evan Engram mold which is just fine for fantasy purposes. He has a nice ceiling and will be well worth a rookie draft pick if he declares in 2020.

Other teams in mid-day action include:

LSU at Mississippi State (2:30 CT, CBS) Prospect to Watch: RB, Kylin Hill

Baylor at Oklahoma State (3:00 CT FOX) Prospect to Watch: WR, Denzel Mims

Arizona State at Utah (5:00 CT) Prospect to Watch: WR, Brandon Aiyuk

PRIMETIME PLAY – MICHIGAN at PENN STATE (6:30 CT, ABC)

Here are the prospects from this game that you need to be paying close attention to for devy and 2020 dynasty rookie drafts.

Sean Clifford, QB Penn State

Clifford has been better than expected this season. He has shown that he can deliver big-time throws as well as make plays with his legs. It remains to be seen if he’s a legit NFL talent at the position, but he’s playing lights out football right now.

Noah Cain, RB Penn State

Many thought this backfield would be Ricky Slade’s to begin the season, but he’s buried and is currently sixth on the team in rushing yards. Cain is averaging 5.4 yard per carry and looks like he has future NFL potential.

Journey Brown, RB Penn State

He is explosive and his averaging almost seven yards per carry. Two devy running back prospects on the same team? I think so.

Zach Charbonnet, RB Michigan

The true freshman looks like a future first-round dynasty lock. He’s big, athletic and powerful. While you’d like to see his yards per carry increase from 4.8, Charbonnet is the real deal and you need to be drafting him early in devy start-ups next season.

KJ Hamler, WR Penn State

He will not be mistaken for an alpha at 5’9”, 175 lbs, but he’s dynamic in open space, devastating off the line, and explosive.

Michigan Wide Receivers

Ronnie Bell, Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Tarik Black are all NFL caliber receivers. Peoples-Jones may have the highest ceiling of the quartet but all of these guys will be rostered in dynasty when they are selected by an NFL team.

Other teams with evening games include:

Colorado at Washington State (6:00 CT, ESPNU) Prospect to Watch: RB, Max Borghi

Tennessee at Alabama (8:00 CT ESPN) Prospect to Watch: RB, Brian Robinson

Arizona at USC (8:30 CT, PAC12) Prospect to Watch: RB, Stephen Carr

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 regularly producing mock drafts months out from the actual event.

Here’s the latest projection from Michael Renner of PFF.com: