College Football News and Notes: Week 2
Player News
QB’s
Player: Brandon Mitchell/Pete Thomas, QB, NC State
- News: Mitchell broke his foot early in the NC State opener and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Transfer Pete Thomas will be the starter in his place.
- Impact: While Thomas struggled and did not find the end zone in the season opener, he should have a much easier task ahead of him against Richmond this week. If you are desperate for a BCS QB play, you could do a lot worse then Thomas.
Player: Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska
- News: Martinez hurt his shoulder during the teams opener against Wyoming, but has deemed himself good to go for this weeks game against Southern Miss.
- Impact: Martinez is a top 10 option this week as Southern Miss is one of the worst teams in the country. Expect 100 rushing yards and four total scores from T-Magic in Week Two.
Player: J.W. Walsh, QB, Oklahoma State
- News: Walsh has been named the full-time starter for the Cowboys and senior Clint Chelf will not rotate into games moving forward.
- Impact: Walsh outplayed Chelf in the opener against Mississippi State and deserves the nod. He should put up solid stats this weekend against UTSA, but let him prove himself against larger competition before selecting him to play against a major program.
Player: Tyler Russell, QB, Mississippi State
News: Russell will miss this weeks game against XXXX with a likely concusssion
Impact:
Player: Cody Kessler, QB, USC
- News: Kessler has been named the starter for the Trojans home opener against Washington State this weekend.
- Impact: Stay away. Kessler could not handle the Hawaii defense in the opener and does not warrant serious fantasy consideration while he continues to struggle. The USC QB situation, one of fantastic value the last number of years, is a mess right now.
Player: Kain Colter, QB, Northwestern
- News: Colter has said that he plans to play this week despite suffering from concussion symptoms. He has been not yet cleared to play however.
- Impact: Because of the way teams handle concussions, it is best to avoid Colter this week. One large hit and he will be pulled from the game and cripple your fantasy team. Avoid him this week.
RB’s
Player: Ka’Deem Carey, RB, Arizona
- News: Daniel Jenkins, not Carey, will get the start for the Wildcats this weekend as they take on UNLV.
- Impact: While this may be nothing more then Carey being benched for the first series, the fact is you never know. The coaching staff has said he will play, but not how much. Considering the plethora of other, safer options, you could play it safe and find another back to use.
Player: Venric Mark, RB, Northwestern
- News: Mark is battling an undisclosed injury according to the Northwestern coaching staff, leaving his status for this weeks game against Syracuse in doubt.
- Impact: Mark dominated the Orange in his last meeting with them. What makes the situation more tenuous is that his replacement Treyvon Green ran for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns against Cal last week. If Mar is ruled out, Green would be a solid back to play. But with his status up in the air, neither back should be considered a sure thing.
Player: Matt Jones, RB, Florida
- News: It is looking likely that talented running back Matt Jones will return to the Gators lineup in Week Two.
- Impact: Despite the talent Jones possesses there are two reasons we are not excited to use him from a fantasy standpoint. The first is he has a tough matchup against Miami (Fl.) this week. The second is that Mack Brown played well against Toledo averaging 4.5 yards per carry. It is likely they will ease Jones into their gameplan, so this may not be the best week to use him.
Player: Brandan Bigelow, RB, California
- News: Bigelow is questionable to play for Cal in their second game of the year against Portland State with a concussion.
- Impact: Just like the NFL is doing, colleges are cracking down on playing injured or concussed players. Consider him doubtful to play. There is no clear choice to succeed Bigelow, but Daniel Lasco did get 9 carries against Northwestern. He is not a fantasy option.
Player: Donnell Kirkwood, RB, Minnesota
- News: Kirkwood is doubtful to suit up for the Gophers this weekend with an ankle injury.
- Impact: This is quite disappointing cause Kirkwood has a plum matchup against New Mexico State this weekend. David Cobb and Rodrick Williams will pick up th slack in his absence, but with neither a clear-cut choice to take over, neither can be a recommended option in Week Two.
Player: Tony Creecy, RB, North Carolina State
- News: Despite being outplayed by Matt Dayes in the Wolfpack opener, Creecy is still listed as the team’s starter for their matchup against Richmond.
- Impact: Whoever ends up with the most playing time will surely be a sweet play against Richmond. Then again, much like last week, both may have solid success. Creecy ran for 58 yards and a touchdown while the freshman Dayes rushed for 84 yards and 3 scores. Dayes may be the sexy pick for your squad, but we can see each getting playing time and finding the end zone in this one.
Player: J.C. Coleman, RB, Virginia Tech
- News: Coleman is still banged up and the Hokies coaching staff is still noncommittal about his playing status for this weeks game against Western Carolina, leaving his fantasy status in doubt.
- Impact: He did some nice things in practice according to the coaching staff, but for those in leagues that are not just ACC-only, there are surely more running backs available that are not battling injuries and playing status before this weeks game. If Coleman is deemed healthy and is named the starter prior to kickoff, he is a solid play in all formats.
Player: Silas Redd, RB, USC
- News: Redd did get some practice in this week leading up to the Trojans game against Washington State, but he did leave the field early with other injured players during Wednesday’s practice
- Impact: He also had a procedure done by Dr. James Andrews last week, so with all things considered, I would not recommend using the talented back this week. The USC rushing attack is a mess, so look elsewhere for your fill at the position.
WR’s
Player: Malcolm Mitchell, WR, Georgia
- News: While celebrating teammate Todd Gurley’s touchdown, Mitchell tore his ACL and is out for the season.
- Impact: This is terrible fantasy news for Georgia’s top wide receiver and also for their quarterback Aaron Murray, as he loses his top weapon. Justin Scott-Wesley will replace Mitchell in the lineup, but he is not a fantasy consideration at this time.
Player: Michael Campanaro, WR, Wake Forest
- News: Despite battling a hamstring injury, Campanaro will play for the Demon Deacons in their game against Boston College.
- Impact: Despite the positive news, owners may be leary of playing him with the injury a recent memory. It may be best to give him a week to regain your trust before deploying him for your team.
Player: Kenny Bell, WR, Alabama
- News: Bell announced on Twitter this week that he is retiring from football and leaving the Alabama program.
- Impact: Although he did not make an impact against Virginia Tech, this provides more of a reliance on Amari Cooper moving forward in the Bama passing game.
TE’s
Player: Matt Lehman/Kyle Carter, TE, Penn State
- News: It has been announced that Lehman is out for the year with a left knee injury while Carter is day-to-day after leaving the opening week win against Syracuse with an arm injury.
- Impact: With Lehman out, Carter would make for a sleeper tight end play against Eastern Michigan, so keep checking for updates if he is good to go.