Developing Assets: Week One

Ray Garvin

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

THURSDAY KICK OFF

Georgia Tech vs. Clemson (7:00, ACCN)

The defending national champions kick off their title defense with a home conference opener against the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. Trevor Lawrence opens the season as the unquestioned starter and Heisman hopeful in an offense that appears unstoppable on paper. Travis Etienne looks to continue his upward trajectory as one of the top running back prospects in the 2020 class coming off a season where he rushed for over 1,600 yards and scored 24 touchdowns.

Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross, both highly rated in the devy community, will look to start the season on fire with their All-American quarterback. High-ranked 2019 wideout Joe Ngata looks to make a name for himself in this Clemson offense as well.

Let’s not forget about the defensive side of the ball as the Tigers have one of the most unique and athletic defenders in the country in Isaiah Simmons. The 6’4” 230-pound linebacker/safety combo is an athletic freak and is regarded by many as a top-32 pick in next year’s NFL Draft. Make no mistake – this game is more about watching how good Clemson looks and not so much about the competitiveness of their opponent.

Other teams in action on Thursday include:

UCLA at Cincinnati (6:00, ESPN) Prospect to watch: Michael Warren II, RB

Kent State at Arizona State (9:00, PAC12) Prospect to watch: Eno Benjamin, RB

South Dakota State at Minnesota (8:00, FS1) Prospects to watch: Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman, WRs

FRIDAY MATCHUP OF THE DAY

Oklahoma State vs. Oregon State (9:30, FS1)

This game will feature two of the premier young running backs in college football. Oklahoma State’s redshirt sophomore, Chuba Hubbard and Oregon State’s sophomore Jermar Jefferson. In 2018, Jefferson ranked ninth in the nation in rushing yards. He’s a very talented runner that has his sights set on leading the Pac-12 in that department. Hubbard is a 6’1” 210-pound speedster who showed tremendous promise last season in a complementary role to now Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill. Hubbard boasts legitimate track speed and receiving ability out of the backfield.

However, the best player on the field will be Junior wide receiver, Tylan Wallace. He was a Biletnikoff finalist as the nation’s best receiver a season ago and is currently holds a place as a top-ten 2020 asset according to DLF Devy Rankings. Oklahoma State offenses have historically been high flying which will bode well for Wallace. There are questions surrounding the quarterback position, so it will be interesting to see how that impacts Wallace’s production in 2019.

Other teams in action on Friday

Wisconsin at South Florida (6:00, ESPN) Prospect to watch: Jonathan Taylor, RB

Purdue at Nevada (8:30, CBSSN) Prospect to watch: Rondale Moore, WR

Colorado State vs. Colorado (9:00, ESPN) Prospect to watch: Laviska Shenault, WR

SATURDAY MATCHUP OF THE DAY

Georgia vs. Vanderbilt (6:30, SEC-N)

This might come as a surprise, as the featured Saturday night game is Oregon vs. Auburn, but that why you’ve come here, because this is the game dynasty owners will want to watch. We get a look at DLF’s top-ranked devy running back in D’Andre Swift, and our 13th-ranked devy back Ke’Shawn Vaughn. We’ll also get our first collegiate look at Zamir White, DLF’s top-ranked 2021 running back prospect.

Jake Fromm is viewed by some in the industry as the top quarterback in the 2020 class, with a very unproven group of receivers, he will have to elevate his game to another level this fall to warrant being selected that high. Vanderbilt has two highly-regarded prospects outside of Vaughn in tight end in Jared Pinkney and wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb. These two will have a tough test against a defense that projects to be one of the best in the county, but a test that if passed will lay a great foundation for their draft stock in 2020.

QUICK HITS SUNDAY AND MONDAY

Oklahoma vs. Houston (6:30, ABC)

Incoming transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts makes his debut for the Sooners, and he’ll have one of the best receivers in the country to throw to in CeeDee Lamb. Lamb will have a chance on Sunday night to show why he deserves to be mentioned as the top WR in the 2020 class. OU has a quartet of running back to watch: Trey Sermon, Kennedy Brooks, Rhamondre Stevenson (number one rated JUCO running back), and T.J. Pledger. Pay close attention to the three true freshman wide receivers: Jadon Haselwood, Theo Wease, and Trejan Bridges – all of whom were inside the top-12 national ranks for 2019 prospects.

On the Houston side, one of the most dynamic players in college football D’Eric King should put on a show. He’s a player who many don’t feel has the skills or size to be a quarterback at the next level, but Kyler Murray has paved the way for these smaller dynamic quarterbacks. Let’s see what he can do on this stage.

Notre Dame vs. Louisville (7:00, ESPN)

Prospects to Watch: Ian Book, QB, Jafar Armstrong, RB, Chase Claypool, WR, Dez Fitzpatrick, WR

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 now regularly producing mock draft months out from the actual event. I’ll be including those in these weekly updates.

Here’s the latest projection from Jacob Infante of Draft Wire.

1.01 MIA Tua Tagovailoa, QB Alabama

1.02 CIN Justin Herbert, QB Oregon

1.07 BUF Jerry Jeudy, WR Alabama

1.13 JAC Laviska Shenault, WR Colorado

1.22 GB Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama

1.23 DAL Albert Okwuegbunam, TE Missouri

1.25 LAC Jordan Love, QB Utah State