Developing Assets: Week 11

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, the 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-5 devy positional rankings.

WAKE UP AND WATCH – PENN STATE at MINNESOTA (11:00 ct, ABC)

Penn State is led by sophomore quarterback Sean Clifford. He has been quite the surprise this year for a very explosive offense. Coming into the season, many thought the quarterback would be Penn State’s biggest weakness, however, he has played very well and been extremely efficient through the air and productive on the ground. This should be a good matchup with dominant wide receivers on both sides of the ball. KJ Hamler is one of the most dynamic and explosive receivers in the nation despite his smaller frame. Penn State has also received a much-needed boost on the ground with running back Noah Cain coming into form the latter half of the season.

On the Minnesota side of the ball, the gophers are led by wide receivers Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman. Johnson isn’t having the season that many expected coming into the year, however he still leads the team in receptions with 43 and seven touchdowns. Bateman has 31 receptions for 644 yards and six touchdowns on the year. He looks the part of one of the top 2021 NFL draft eligible wide receivers in dynasty.

Rashod Bateman

Rashod Bateman is a bonafide STUD! In my T3 of Devy WRs for now – will definitely be moving up. 28% Dominator Rating 18.9 BOA

Rising True Sophomore 6’2” 200 | 704 yards and 6 TDs in 2018. Outstading catch radius | Speed | YAC – better acquire him now before it’s too late. #devy pic.twitter.com/3FtOpefOYR

— Ray G (@RayGQue) July 17, 2019

Other teams in early action include:

Ohio State at Maryland (11:00 CT, FOX) Prospect to Watch: RB, Anthony McFarland

Vanderbilt at Florida (11:00 CT, ESPN) Prospect to Watch: RB, Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Baylor at TCU (11:00 CT FSI) Prospect to Watch: WR, Denzel Mims

MIDDAY MARQUEE – LSU vs ALABAMA (2:30 CT, CBS)

This should be the college football game of the year. I repeat: this should be the college football game of the year. This is the game we’ve wanted to see all year long. There are so many devy prospects to talk about on both sides of the ball who will eventually have an impact in the NFL. We could dedicate an entire developing asset series to this game and this game alone, but I’ll hit on the top prospects from both teams on whom to focus, as well as the games inside the game that will be most intriguing to watch.

The health of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is going to be a storyline to watch leading up to kick-off. At the time of this article it is not known if Tua is going to play or not but if he does play, he will certainly be less than 100% coming off a high ankle sprain three weeks ago. LSU is led by quarterback Joe Burrow who has seen his draft stock skyrocket this college football season. He is one of the nation’s leaders in passing yards, completion percentage, and touchdowns. There are many in the draft community who have him as their number one rated quarterback in the 2020 class.

Alabama is led by wide receivers Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. The LSU Tigers have a trio of fantastic wide receivers as well in Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson in Terrace Marshall. Watch for running backs Clyde Edwards-Helaire from the LSU side and Najee Harris from Alabama to make impacts in this game as well.

Henry Ruggs

Henry Ruggs III (reported 4.25 40) is as explosive as they come🧨 On this play which was called back he was clocked at 23.27MPH – BLAZING SPEED

Tyreek Hill has the fastest in-game speed over the last 3 seasons – 23.24MPH – the play was called back as well.

Both plays ⬇️ #devy pic.twitter.com/OecxWRSTgH

— Ray G (@RayGQue) June 12, 2019

Some of the game-inside-the-games that will be important to watch for are the LSU’s defensive backs versus the Alabama wide receivers. Grant Delpit and Kristian Fulton are future high NFL draft picks, but Derek Stingley Jr. is one of the top defenders in the country and he’s only a true freshman. He’s going to face his toughest task versus this group of excellent pass catchers. LSU’s defensive front is led by K’Lavon Chaisson who looks to get pressure on whatever Alabama quarterback is under center.

It’s unfortunate that we won’t get to see Tua at his best but I do believe there’s a possibility for these two teams to meet up again in the college football playoffs and if that happens will all will receive an extra treat this holiday season.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire

I really thought John Emery Jr. would be the lead back in the LSU backfield by the mid-way point in the season but Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been balling this season and doing stuff like this.

Value pick in 2020 #Devy pic.twitter.com/78lQfE41Fy

— Ray G (@RayGQue) November 2, 2019

Other teams in mid-day action include:

Stanford at Colorado (2:00 CT, PAC12) Prospect to Watch: WR, Laviska Shenault Jr.

USC at Arizona State (2:30 CT, ABC) Prospect to Watch: WR, Brandon Aiyuk

Iowa at Wisconsin (3:00 CT, FOX) Prospect to Watch: RB, Jonathan Taylor

PRIMETIME PLAY – IOWA STATE AT OKLAHOMA (6:30 CT, ABC)

It’s hard to follow up LSU and Alabama but the Sooners and Cyclones will give it their best shot. Coming off a late loss at Kansas State, Oklahoma looks to rebound in this contest, led by Heisman contender quarterback Jalen Hurts. One of the best things going for Hurts and his draft stock right now is the production and play making ability of running quarterbacks in the NFL today. Hurts has played lights out this season and elevated his draft stock more than almost anyone in this 2020 class. He could continue to see his stock rise with solid play for the rest of the season and his maturation through the pre-draft process. CeeDee Lamb looks to add to his already impressive resume showing why he should be in consideration for the number one wide receiver slot in the 2020 class.

Iowa State’s quarterback Brock Purdy had a rough outing his last contest vs. Oklahoma State, tossing three interceptions in that one, but he looks to rebound against a very beatable Oklahoma defense. He’ll have freshman stud running back Breece Hall in the backfield to help him do it. Hall has been outstanding this season rushing for 475 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 120 yard through the air. He’s a future devy star in the making.

This should be a fun, high-scoring matchup to finish off an outstanding Saturday of college football.

Other teams with evening games include:

Washington State at California (6:00 CT, PAC12) Prospect to Watch: RB, Max Borghi

Liberty at BYU (6:30 CT, ESPNU) Prospect to Watch: WR, Antonio Gandy-Golden

Missouri at Georgia (6:30 CT, ESPN) Prospect to Watch: WR, Georgia Pickens

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 Josh Edwards cbssports.com:

Pick #1 CIN Joe Burrow QB, LSU

Pick #6 NYG Jerry Jeudy, WR Alabama

Pick #8 TB Tua Tagoviloa QB, Alabama

Pick #9 DEN Henry Ruggs III WR, Alabama

Pick #10 LAS CeeDee Lamb WR, Oklahoma

Pick #15 JAX Tee Higgins WR, Clemson

Pick #17 MIA D’Andre Swift RB, Georgia

Pick #20 CAR Jared Pinkey TE, Vanderbilt

Pick #30 NO Laviska Shenault Jr. WR, Colorado