CFB Grind Down - Saturday, September 5th - Page 2

by Andy Smith (a25smith) Last Updated 2015-09-04 21:12:36

Wofford Terriers at Clemson Tigers

Breakdown

You guessed it, another FCS/FBS matchup with no line. This one falls into the Ole Miss category for me as I worry it could get out of hand very quickly. Clemson is so loaded offensively and can score so quick that this thing could easily be 21-0 after one quarter, and if you get a defensive or special teams TD, you’re looking at a very short day for the starters. However, Wofford did put up a fight with Georgia Tech last year as they only lost 38-19. Wofford is a triple option team so they could frustrate Clemson on defense.

Clemson

Elite Options

NONE

Secondary Options

DeShaun Watson (DK: $10,300) – When he was on the field last season, he was spectacular and was only slowed by injuries. If he stays healthy, he can certainly make a run to New York for the Heisman. The issue here is that he could only see 2/2.5 quarters of action so it’s a steep price to pay in cash games. However, Clemson plays at such a high pace and has so many weapons that he does have the ability to put up a five TD game before hitting the bench so he’s in play for GPPs for me.

Wayne Gallman (DK; $6,600), Artavis Scott (DK: $7,800), Mike Williams (DK: $7,500) – These are the three primary Clemson skill position guys to know. Gallman is the top RB, and Scott and Williams, are Watson’s top targets. They’re guys that are going to be on the radar once the competition increases, but given the blowout factor, they’re GPP only for me. To be honest, they’re really only guys I’d look to in that big $3 GPP on DK. However, I like the idea of pairing one of the WR up with Watson and hoping that combo hits two or three long TDs in a 115,000 person tournament.

Maine Black Bears at Boston College Eagles

Breakdown

Maine went 5-5 last year and lost to the Eagles 40-10. Boston College is a very run heavy team, and lost their running QB, Tyler Murphy, to graduation. The new starters is Darius Wade, and he should have some running upside and was recruited as a dual threat QB out of highschool. He’s pretty much an unknown though, and I would stay away unless you feel like getting weird in the $3 tournament. I’d completely ignore their wide receivers as the RBs receive all the usage.

Boston College

Elite Options

None

Secondary Options

Jon Hilliman (DK: 6,900) – Hilliman is the starter for a team that is going to run a ton and could be in for a solid afternoon. Last year, he produced 98 yards and two TDs against Maine which is solid but doesn’t really pay off his price. BC is very deep at RB so I’m worried they could work in multiple RBs, which would limit Hilliman’s upside. Given his run heavy system and if Maine can keep it close, he does have some upside for GPPs.

Youngstown State Penguins at Pittsburgh Panthers

Breakdown

Another FCS/FBS matchup only available on DK and this one also doesn’t have a Vegas spread. Youngstown State played one FBS team last year and lost 28-17 to a bad Illinois team. They hired former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini this past offseason and are ranked 14th in FCS. I don’t expect them to necessarily threaten to pull of the win, but they could keep it close enough for James Conner to rack up 20 carries, especially with Tyler Boyd suspended. Pitt also is breaking in a new coach as they hired former Michigan State defensive coordinator, Pat Narduzzi. That should mean that they continue to feature a run heavy approach with Conner as the focal point.

Pittsburgh

Elite Options

James Conner (DK: $9,800) – Some may shy away from Conner, but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if he had to carry it 20 times in this one. That’s not the 30 carries that he saw last year, but it’s plenty to do damage against an FCS team. Pitt is not an explosive team and they’re down their one explosive wide receiver in Tyler Boyd so they’re not built as a team to run away and hide. That should mean solid playing time for Conner, who had a monster season last year with 1,800 yards and 26 TDs. Outside of the game against Akron, he also fared well in non-conference last year as he racked up 4 TDs against Delaware and 3 against FIU.

Secondary Options

Dontez Ford (DK: $4,500) – To be honest I know very little about this kid, and the only reason he is here is because Boyd is suspended. He’ll be the starter opposite Boyd, but will serve as the primary option in Week 1. He has solid size at 6’2, 205 and started the final three games of last year but only produced three receptions for 50 yards. With Boyd suspended, I’m expecting Bo Pelini to stuff the box and force these other Pitt WRs to beat them, which should present some big play potential for Ford. Whether he’s good enough to take advantage of those opportunities is an entirely different question though. If this game was on FD, I’d be looking at their TE, JP Holtz, but given that DK doesn’t require a TE, I’ll pass.

Chad Voytik (DK: $5,900) – He’s here for the same reason as Ford, in that I think Youngstown State is really going to stack the box without Boyd in there. It really hurts him not having Boyd, but it should create some opportunities as well as Youngstown should be more aggressive against the run. He would occasionally throw up that 25 DK point game last year, and he’s a guy who can surprise in the run game if you focus too much on Conner (108 rushes for 635 yards and 3 TDs). Overall, he’s only a guy I’d throw in the $3 GPP that has 115,000 entries.

Portland State Vikings at Washington State Cougars

Breakdown

There’s no line for this one as well and Washington State should roll, but I’m less concerned here than I am in other FCS games and looking to get exposure to the Washington State passing game. They lead the nation in passing yards every year under Mike Leach, and Leach also is not afraid to run up the score. Their defense is also typically sup-par, which should allow their offense to stick around longer. Washington State won this game 59-21 last year and Connor Halliday threw for 544 yards and 6 TDs.

Washington State

Elite Options

Luke Falk (DK: $9,600) – Falk stepped in for the injured Halliday in the final four games and attempted 49, 74, 61 and 57 passes. It doesn’t matter who the QB is, Leach is throwing it all over the field. He’s expensive, but he’s been declared the starter, and like Halliday last year, he could certainly throw for 500 yards and five TDs here.

Gabe Marks (DK: $6,200), Dom Williams (DK: $4,800) & River Cracraft (DK: $7,800) – These should be the top three wide receivers and they’re all on my radar. Marks is my guy here though as I think he’s simply too cheap and I’m going to have a ton of him. He took a red-shirt year last year as he was injured and bumped heads with Leach. However, he had 800 receiving yards and 7 TDs the year prior, and Leach has openly compared him to Vince Mayle from last year (who had 100 receptions and 1,400 yards). Don’t overlook Cracraft here either, even at his juiced tag. I wouldn’t pay it for cash games, but he can rack up receptions and was on his way to a big year before getting injured in Week 7. He’s their slot possession guy and could hit double digit receptions. Finally Dom Williams is the cheapest of the group, but he had 600 yards and 9 TDs last year. Mix and match as you will, but get some exposure to them in your lineups.

Brigham Young Cougars at Nebraska Cornhuskers – O/U 64

Breakdown

This sets up as a very intriguing game as Mike Riley will be taking over in Nebraska and we get the return of Taysom Hill from injury. Vegas has this game with a solid total of 60, and the Huskers as only 7-point favorites so it’s a solid game to dig into. There could be some opportunity here for the Nebraska passing game as they move to a more balanced system under Riley, but the worry is whether Tommy Armstrong can be accurate enough to take advantage of the new opportunities. This will also be a pace up game for Nebraska as BYU really likes to get to the line and run a lot of plays as they were top ten nationally in plays per game.

Nebraska

Elite Options

Jordan Westerkamp (FD: $5,000, DK: $3,900) – Taking price into consideration, Westerkamp is my favorite play from this game, and a value play I’ll go to often in my games. He’s priced very cheap as Nebraska was a run heavy team last year and he was the number two receiver behind Kenny Bell, who graduated. He still produced a solid 44 receptions for 747 yards and 5 TDs. With Bo Pelini fired and Mike Riley hired, Nebraska will become more balanced offensively. In fact Mike Riley said that part of the reason Terrell Newby won the starting RB job was his ability to pass protect. Nebraska’s other top returning WR, Pierson-El, is injured so Westerkamp should be see a solid amount of targets as the clear cut go to option. Tommy Armstrong isn’t the greatest passer in the world, but BYU really struggled in the secondary last year and they’re even more inexperienced this season so they’re a unit to attack.

Secondary Options

Tommy Armstrong, Jr. (FD: $8,800, DK: $7,000) – I like the potential here for Armstrong this season as he’ll get a volume boost in the passing game. He’s coming off of a year that saw him produce almost 2,700 passing yard and 22 TDs, and he was also threat on the ground as he ran for 842 yards and 6 TDs. As mentioned with Westerkamp, the BYU secondary is where I want to attack and Armstrong is said to have improved his accuracy. I’m not heading there on one QB site like FD, but he’s in play as a mid-range QB on DK.

Terrell Newby (FD: $7,400, DK: $4,400) – Newby sits at the top of the Nebraska RB depth chart heading into Game 1. There are other proven RBs in this slate that I’d much prefer and the strength of the BYU defense should be their defensive line. So on a site like FD, I’m not really interested in using one of only two very important RB slots on him, but given his cheap DK price tag and potential volume he’s in play as a potential FLEX there.

BYU

Elite Options

NONE

Secondary Options

Taysom Hill (FD: $9,900, DK: $10,100) – If he comes out and looks like his old self on Saturday, this will be the last time you see him in the secondary options. When he’s healthy, he’s among CFB’s best and is an absolute beast for fantasy purposes. He produced some monster fantasy days the past few seasons (I’m looking at you Texas! – sorry had to throw that in as an Aggie) so he brings GPP winning upside to the table. However, a lot of his production has come via his legs and given his injury history, I do have some concerns about how much BYU will try to limit his carries. It sounds like BYU is going to take to the air more this year, especially because they lost their top RB, Jamaal Williams for the season. He’s a guy I have no qualms with rolling out there in tournaments, but I think there are safer high end, as well as cheaper, QB options so I’ll pass in cash games and see how he looks in Game 1.

Mitch Matthews (FD: $7,400, DK: $6,700) – Matthews (73/922/7) was the top dog last year for the Cougars and with BYU talking about going more pass heavy he should be in for another big year. This isn’t a prime matchup as Nebraska is expected to be solid defensively. However, he’ll have a big height advantage as he’s 6’6 215 and it sounds like BYU is going to give him lots of opportunities to use that size against smaller corners. If you’re looking for a sleeper here, it could be Nick Kurtz. Coming out of junior college, Kurtz held offers from USC and Oregon as well as pass happy California and Texas Tech. He broke his foot early last season but he goes 6’5 and over 200 pounds and BYU insiders are predicting a breakout year. Matthews missed some of camp and it was reported that Kurtz really stepped up in his absence. It sounds like Matthews should see Nebraska’s top corner so Kurtz could draw the easier matchup. He’s a potential GPP dart throw in the $3 GPP.

Terenn Houk, (FD: $2,000, DK: $3,400) – He’s a FD only play, but he’s a solid punt option at TE if you need to save the cap room. He’s actually listed as the starting inside receiver and like the rest of the BYU wideouts, he brings solid size at 6’5 224. If you need to punt a position on FD it should be the TE so Houk provides that punt option in an offense that is predicted to be pass happy.

Jump to Page 1 2 3 4