Devy Stock Market
The Devy Stock Market continues this week featuring injuries, transfers and freshmen who could all have an impact on devy fantasy football and eventually with dynasty fantasy football.
Wally Pipp’d – Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart, QB USC
Slovis was once one of the top quarterbacks in devy fantasy football as he Wally Pipp’d JT Daniels in 2019 after a Daniels injury and threw for 3,502 passing yards with a 9.4 AY/A and 30 passing touchdowns. Slovis was not as impressive in 2020 as his AY/A dropped to 7.4 and his touchdown/interception rate went down from 3.33/1 to 2.44/1.
His struggles continued in 2021 as his AY/A continued to drop with a 6.3 AY/A in the first two+ games of the season. His devy stock continues to drop. For those who still see 2019 Slovis somewhere in there, this is a great buying opportunity, but it may be tough for him to rebound his draft stock due to the play of his backup.
Last week against Washington State, Slovis went out with a neck injury and the number five quarterback of the 2021 class per Rivals, Jaxson Dart, stepped in for the Trojans. Dart was impressive in his collegiate debut, throwing for 391 yards on 8.5 yards per attempt and four touchdowns. He did have two interceptions, but mistakes are expected from a true freshman entering in relief. For leagues where Dart is rostered, it is worth checking the price to see if the manager who has him has any worries that Slovis will return to the job. At this time, I think that is unlikely, especially with the head coach change after week two.
Shough it off – Tyler Shough, QB Texas Tech
Shough was quietly one of the biggest transfers in college football in 2021. In his lone season as the starter at Oregon, he played well, completing 63% of his passes with a 9.3 AY/A. The number six quarterback in the 2018 class, Shough used the transfer portal to go to Texas Tech.
In week two, Shough had a rough game, completing only 52% of his passes and throwing two interceptions against Stephen F. Austin. However, he rebounded in a big way in week three, averaging 11.4 yards per attempt with four touchdowns against Florida International. With a 10.3 AY/A on the season, Shough is someone I am interested in, in a quarterback class where no one seems to be separating themselves from the pack.
Freshman Phenom – TreVeyon Henderson, RB Ohio State
The variance in selecting a true freshman is always extremely high – you can end up with AJ Brown or you could end up with Justin Shorter. No matter your devy skill level, there is an inherent risk in selecting a true freshman where the year-to-year floor is likely much lower than that of sophomores and juniors. So far, devy managers who selected Henderson are being rewarded handsomely.
Henderson began his collegiate career with a 70-yard receiving touchdown against Minnesota. In game two against Oregon, he rose from three touches to 13. In game three against Tulsa, he showed why he was the number four running back in the 2021 recruiting class per Rivals. Henderson got a workhorse workload with 24 carries for 277 rushing yards and three touchdowns. His big day should justify the Buckeyes using him in a similar capacity against Big 10 opponents. This is absolutely not a buying opportunity for Henderson, nor is it a selling one. But it is an acknowledgment that Henderson will likely be a top-three overall devy next off-season.
Churchill Downs – Josh Downs, WR North Carolina
Quarterback Sam Howell did not have the opening to the season that many were expecting against Virginia Tech as he threw three interceptions with 6.5 yards per attempt. However, he has rebounded in the last two weeks with 13.8 yards per attempt, eight passing touchdowns, and shown off his legs with 216 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Josh Downs has been a big part of Howell’s success in the last two weeks and even had a big performance when his QB struggled in week one.
The number nine wide receiver per Rivals in the 2020 recruiting class, Downs was limited in 2020 playing behind a pair of future NFL draft picks in Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome. However, he did make a couple of splash plays with 17 yards per catch and three touchdowns. Now the Tarheels number one wideout, Downs is showing why he should get the same love Brown got as a devy player.
In three games this season, Downs has eight catches in each and is averaging 133 receiving yards per game, including a breakout performance of 203 receiving yards and two touchdowns against Virginia. He may be a bit undersized at 5’10” 180 pounds, but I think that will only make him a better value in the 2022 off-season.
Charleston Chews up Spartans – Charleston Rambo, WR Miami
Rambo was a highly sought-after devy in 2020 after a 2019 season with 743 receiving yards, 17.3 yards per catch and five receiving touchdowns. A disappointing 2020 – where he averaged only 35 receiving yards per game with three touchdowns on the season along with an off-season transfer to Miami – dampened the devy hopes on many.
In Miami, Rambo had an unimpressive start to the season with only 85 receiving yards in the first two games, not showing the number one wide receiver ability some thought he had at Oklahoma. Last week, that WR1 came to play as he had a huge week against Michigan State with 12 catches for 156 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Rambo’s big week results in a big rebound for his devy value. I still consider his NFL prospects questionable at best, so if you can use this opportunity to sell for a different devy or future pick, that’s the kind of move I’m looking to make when I have a player coming off a disappointing season and having a big game that Rambo had.
- Dynasty Commish Calendar: August - August 5, 2023
- Dynasty Commish Calendar: June - June 9, 2023
- Dynasty Commish Calendar: May - May 3, 2023
