CFB FFwd/Rew Week 14

by David Kaplen (headChopper) Last Updated 2013-11-30 06:26:25

Welcome to Rewind/Fast Forward. Each week in this article I will hand pick several games and watch them through. Sometimes the box-score can lie and the only way to know the truth is by actually watching the game..or reading an article of someone who did. That is me. I will break down my observations of the previous game and what impacts it could have on the following week and even the entire year moving forward.

• Rewind The biggest thing I learned from this game is that Tyler Lockett is, hands down, the best WR in the Big 12. It was a windy day and a slow start for him and he still exploded for 278 yards receiving and 3 TD’s. I recall several weeks ago against Texas he went for 200+ yards also. This guy is no fluke. This game also put to rest all the Daniel Sams clamor. Waters played well and will be leading this team next week.
  Trevor Knight got the start for an injured Blake Bell and he looked decent, but not great. It was Brennan Clay, who filled in for a suspended Damien Williams that stole the show. He went off for 200 yards and 2 TD’s. Saunders was the leading wr but I wouldn’t touch any of these guys moving forward.

• FFwd Kansas State gets a showdown with rival Kansas next week. If there is a need to pass in this game than Lockett could very easily top another 200 yards. They have no ability to stop him on the Kansas defense. However I fear that this game won’t be competitive enough and we could see a heavy dose of John Hubert. Problem with Hubert is he is inconsistent as they come. He has only 3 different 100 yard games this year as compared to 5 games where he has been held under 50 yards. Tough call, but if you’re feeling spunky than fire up either of those 2 guys.
  For Kansas, I’m avoiding all together. James Sims is the best offensive player and he will struggle to find room seeing as how everyone knows there is no passing game for the Jayhawks.

• Rewind I sure hope this puts to rest all the ludicrous ideas that LSU defense is not good. There not AS good as they have been in the past, but their still not a defense I want to tangle with in fantasy. Manziel was shut down in this game. Big game Mike Evans was taken away from this offense and as a result the Aggies never had a chance.
  This is where things get tricky. LSU put up 34 points, but they didn’t exactly come as most people envisioned. Odell Beckham was a no show. Instead the offense only supported 1 good fantasy wr in this game and that was Landry. 4 catches for 87 yards wouldn’t have been anything great but he added 2 TD’s to that stat line to make him a worthwhile play. The big shocker came in the running game, where stud Jeremy Hill took a backseat to Terrance Magee. Heck, even Alfred Blue received 13 carries. You had 48 carries split up 4 ways in the LSU backfield. Perhaps Jeremy Hill’s off the field problems are finally leading Les Miles to faze him out of the offense a bit. I don’t know the reason, but it sure is troubling moving forward.

• FFwd Speaking of moving forward, this week sees LSU at home hosting Arkansas. Not a fantasy game I want to touch unless I’m rolling out Jarvis Landry. The LSU running game is too unpredictable right now for me and the offense might not be able to produce 2 stud WR’s in this game. If I’m choosing, I’m rolling out Landry, because he has been the better player all year in my opinion.
  For Arkansas, I’m passing on this. They are just ready to get this season over with and they have lost the edge in the running game they had to begin the year.

• Rewind I’m pretty sure no one saw a blowout like this coming, but the writing was on the wall. Oklahoma State plays a tough defense and was at home. More importantly though, I think the injuries to Baylor finally caught up. There’s a reason why Tevin Reese was the starter over Norwood…because he’s explosive and a better player. There’s also a reason why we haven’t see a ton of Shock Linwood until now…because Seastrunk is a Heisman type of talent and Glasco Martin is the Mac Truck that kills in the red zone. This is just a different offense without those guys and they could mask it vs. Texas Tech, but not on the road vs. Oklahoma State. Goodley is still the #1 WR for this team and that was never in doubt. Petty is still a stud, although he tripped at the 1 yard line on his way to an easy rushing score in the 1st Q that would have put Baylor up 7-0. Instead Linwood fumbled a play later and it was OKL State up 7-0.
  For Oklahoma State is the same as it has been for a few weeks. Roland has hit a wall and struggled for the 3rd straight week. He totaled 36 yards. Josh Stewart played and again did next to nothing with Chelf in there. It was Chelf who carried the offense again with his arm and a little running and he is a stud for the remaining games.

• FFwd Coming up for Baylor is an odd game against a good defense. Most Big 12 teams don’t have solid defense but TCU does. This all comes down to Seastrunk coming back. He is the guy I would want to play if he were healthy. Goodley is also a stud but TCU has a solid secondary. Be aware. Plus it’s another road game for Baylor. For TCU I am taking a pass on this offense as there is not much consistency in it from week to week.

• Rewind I knew Washington has a decent defense but I didn’t see this coming. They shut down a potent offense for 3 quarters until junk time allowed some garbage stats for Oregon State. No big surprise it was Bishop Sankey doing all the heavy lifting with another big game of 179 yards and 3 TD’s. It could have been bigger also but he got pulled in the blowout. Cyler Miles started for an injured Keith Price and didn’t impress me enough to warrant fantasy consideration. Mannion was shut down. He’s hit a skid right now and isn’t producing. No running game again, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Brandin Cooks had a good game by most people’s standards with 10 catches, 117 yards and a TD, but for him it was an underperforming game. He did have a tight rope 86 yard TD overturned by replay in the 1st series of the 2nd half. That would have been huge.

• FFwd Border wars coming up this week for both teams. Washington takes on Washington State. I’d be a little leery of taking Washington State players after watching Washington hold Oregon State in check. As far as pass defense rating, Washington ranks 16 in the country. Take out garbage time blowouts to Cal and Oregon State and the only other team that did anything against them in the air was Oregon.
  I think for Washington the only way to go here is Bishop Sankey. QB injury puts the passing game in doubt and it’s a passing game that has struggled most of the year anyhow.
  Oregon State takes on Oregon in a huge rivalry game. This will be good. You can throw out the blowout loss for Oregon and also the recent bad play by Oregon State and know that this game will be a battle. I think Mariota has his way with the defense and De’Anthony looks like he may be in play after a decent number of touches this past week.
  Oregon State is all out of play for me minus Brandin Cooks. He is the only stud on that offense I trust right now. I’m not even sure if Mannion hold his job after his recent run of bad games. He’s thrown 10 interceptions in the last 3 games.