College Football Weekly Picks: Week 15
This is the last article of the college football regular season and I want to thank RotoGrinders for letting me share my thoughts with all of the readers and also the biggest thanks to the readers of this article. I also would like to thank all the other writers on this site, I play every fantasy sport out there other than soccer so I read most articles on here and after writing for college football I truly have a new respect for all the writers. For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of writing I will let you know it is not nearly as easy as many would think. I can sit and talk about sports for hours on end and but trying to put your words in writing is not nearly as easy as people think it is. I hope I have the pleasure of writing more articles for you in the future after the bowl season is over.
This week is a smaller game set as it is basically championship week and many of the teams regular seasons are over. With that the value is harder to come by so determining a strategy is a little tougher than most weeks. I strongly recommend spending on QB this week as there isn’t much value there. The running back spot has some value due to injuries and there is always value at WR if you dig hard enough.
Here are some of the main guys I will be targeting this week. The list this week pretty much covers everybody I am even considering with the small amount of games to choose from.
Quarterback
Trevone Boykin (TCU) Boykin is #1 on my board by a long shot this week. I feel he is the safest option out there for your cash games and also brings the most upside with his dual threat ability. This also is one of the biggest games in school history as TCU should receive a playoff spot with a victory. With that much riding in this game I think they will rely heavily on there best player which is Boykin. I expect him to go over 30 points in this one and I don’t worry about them pulling him from the game even if it becomes a blowout because they want the style points with the voters.
Jake Waters (Kansas St) Waters is second on my list this week but his lack of running lately has him down the board from Boykin a ways. He has a great sets of receivers to get the ball to so his passing numbers should be solid. He still has plenty of talent to help out in the running game but a minor injury has derailed that a little the last month or so. I expect him to get at least 300 yards and three scores through the air it just remains to be seen if he will get you those extra ten points or so on the ground. This game should have plenty of points scored in it with an O/U around 70, so you want some part of this game. I think Waters fits in nicely both for pricing and upside.
Rakeem Cato (Marshall) I hope I am not a week to late to recommend Cato as last week he had a game like many of us thought he would have on a regular basis this year. Cato might be relied on a little more than usual this week if starting RB Devon Johnson is forced to miss this game with an injury. Cato has a floor around 300 yards and three TDs this week and he usually adds about 3-5 points in the running game as well. His ceiling is 500+ yards and 5+ TDs so there is definitely good reason to have some exposure to Cato this week with many of the top notch QBs not in the player pool this week.
Other Options: Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma St), Greg Ward Jr (Houston), Blake Sims (Alabama)
Running Back
Samaje Perine (Oklahoma) Perine is only coming off the best game in college history for a RB so no one is going to question his upside. I really like the fact that Oklahoma is still dealing with concerns at the QB position so they will pound the ball on the ground again this week. If Oklahoma St can keep this game close I see Perine having a monster game but even if it is a blowout I think Perine will be the main reason why. I feel the floor this week is 150 yards and multiple scores with the upside around the 40 point mark. If you are a multiple lineup guy, you need exposure to this guy and if you are a one lineup guy, I can’t see paying the extra salary to take Gordon over him this week.
Steward Butler (Marshall) This play is one you will need to do your homework on before kickoff. Devon Johnson is still questionable to play for Marshall and Butler is waiting in the wings and ready to put up another great performance if given the chance. This is one of the few times in the college game where someone emerges as close to a must play with the variety of options on most weeks. This week that changes with the smaller game set and how cheap this guy is for the numbers he should produce. Plain and simple get him in your lineups if he starts or look elsewhere is Johnson suits up.
Dalvin Cook (Florida St) Cook is another guy that is benefiting from an injury. The main difference is that Cook was becoming the main option for Florida St even before Karlos Williams got hurt. The injury just solidifies another 5-10 touches this week which should result in another half dozen or so points. I really like the price tag on Cook this week and if Butler isn’t getting the start, I will be running out quite a few lineups with Cook in them. I am expecting a game similar to last week where he had 170 total yards and possibly a touchdown as well.
Other Options: Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin), Zach Laskey (Georgia Tech), Ron Johnson (Uconn)
Wide Receiver
Trent Taylor (Louisiana Tech) Taylor is the exact type of WR I love to target for both cash and tournament lineups. He has lots of things going for him this week. His salary is cheap. He has scored in four straight games. He plays for a small school. He is playing in a high O/U game. His team should be trailing and passing a lot. Lsat, he is the clear #1 receiver for his team. All those reasons along with a low ownership % make him my top target at WR this week on Fanduel and a strong option on Draftkings as well.
Tommy Shuler (Marshall) Shuler is finally putting up the numbers we were expecting from him all year long. The good thing about him having a down year is many people had given up on him this year and the few patient owners were finally rewarded these past two weeks and at a very discounted price. The price has came back up some but he still easily fits into a lineup without having to juggle to many other spots around. In one of the crazier statistics lately is he has exactly the same game log the last two weeks (10 catches, 132 yards, and one TD). I think we all would be happy if he has a third game in a row with similar stats.
Bud Sasser (Missouri) Sasser is the Rodney Dangerfield of DFS. Sasser has basically had two bad games all year and ten good games yet his salary is always low and so is his ownership. This week he faces a good Alabama defense but it is only good not great. I still like him to have a decent game and in tournaments he will have a low ownership again because of the opponent. I consider him a much better tournament play than cash game play this week but he will find his way into some my rosters for sure.
Other Options: Rashad Greene (Florida St), Josh Harper (Fresno St), Thomas Sperbeck (Boise St)
Tight End
Jake Roh (Boise St) I want to make one thing clear this week, the tight end position is a black hole. I only like Roh this week because he is facing a really poor pass defense in Fresno St and is coming off one of his better games of the year. He also gets at least a few points every week and that might be good enough this week.
E.J. Bibbs (Iowa St) Bibbs is questionable to play this week and while I don’t normally write up players with injury concerns I have to this week. If I hear Bibbs is playing he will be in every one of my lineups this week. His salary has came down and only because of injury and not his play. His floor and ceiling are so much higher than anyone else at the position this week he is close to a must play in my mind.
Other Options: Eric Frohnapfel (Marshall), Nick O’Leary (Florida St)