College Football Weekly Picks: Week 7
Six weeks into the college football season and we are really starting to see what teams are trying to do on offense, especially now that conference games are in full swing. The stud quarterbacks and running Backs are playing full games now and the value is getting harder and harder to come by at these positions. I strongly suggest to pay for the QB and RB positions and find your value at WR and TE. This week each site varies a little on where to find that value, due to some players listed at different positions on different sites. Each game slate on each site does offer a lot of value at WR, so if you are not finding it, dig a little deeper.
Here are some of the guys I will be playing this week, and I will also give you a few of those value guys I am talking about. You are going to need to do your homework and figure out which sites have these guys at what position and work them into your lineups accordingly.
Quarterback
Deshaun Watson (Clemson) E – Two games into Watson’s starting career and he is only averaging 40 fantasy points per game. Louisville will put up a better defensive performance than either of the North Carolina schools did the last two weeks, but that also means that Watson will be used the full four quarters of this game. He has managed to put up all those points in basically the first half of the first two games. He is one of the better dual threat QBs in the country and I am expecting 300+ total yards and 3+ TDs in this one. I wouldn’t be surprised if he flirts with the 40-point plateau again.
Marcus Mariota (Oregon) E – Mariota possibly had the worst game of his career last week and I think him and the whole Oregon team are going to bounce back in a big way this week. UCLA is a very good team and will probably hang with the Ducks, which means Mariota will be asked to carry this team for the whole game. Oregon is only favored by 2.5 points in this one and it has a 69 point O/U. This just looks like the perfect spot for Mariota to have one of his 300-yard passing, 100-yard rushing and 5-TD games. While I am not expecting that much, it sure wouldn’t surprise me if he did it. I think Mariota will be the highest-scoring QB this week.
Shane Carden (East Carolina) L – Carden is putting up some impressive stats this year. They are so good that we are starting to expect 400+ yards and 4 TDs. I think that 350 and 3 is his floor with the upside of 500 and 5. South Florida is a little better defense than he has been facing the last couple of weeks, but the last time people worried about the defense he was facing, all he did is have 440 yards and 4 TDs against Virginia Tech. This guy is matchup proof so feel free to insert him into your lineup, as there is plenty of value to be found in the late slate of games this Saturday.
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Other Options: Trevone Boykin (TCU), Kevin Ellison (Georgia Southern), Clint Trickett (West Virginia)
Running Back
Anthone Taylor (Buffalo) E – Taylor is not available on all the sites this week but I couldn’t help but list him in this spot. I am a huge fan of getting RBs that are workhorse backs, and Taylor is the definition of a workhorse back. He has 100 carries in the last three games while going for over 200 yards with 3 TDs in each of the last two. Eastern Michigan has played a brutal schedule so far this year, but they are giving up 235 rushing yards per game. I think Taylor should have no problem running through this defense while putting up another 150+ yard, multiple-score game.
Todd Gurley (Georgia) E –
Editor’s note: Gurley has been indefinitely suspended for a suspected violation of NCAA rules
I am not going to sugarcoat this one. I think Gurley and Gordon are so far and away the two best RBs in the country that I just play whichever one has the better salary, unless the matchup steers you one direction or the other. This week I think Gurley has the better matchup and is cheaper as well. I think Wisconsin might blowout Illinois this week and limit Gordon’s carries after working him very hard the last two weeks. Gurley and Georgia are probably going to find themselves in a close game against Mizzou, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they give him 30 touches in this one. If Gurley gets 30 touches he is just too good not to get 150+ yards and multiple scores.
Aaron Jones (UTEP) L – Jones started the year great and now has had a couple of down games in a row. Don’t let the down games scare you away. Jones has a dream matchup this week against ODU in a game that features an O/U of 69, with UTEP being a 3-point favorite. If the O/U is somewhat accurate, that means a huge game from Jones, as he is far and away the best weapon UTEP has to offer. I am expecting something similar to the first three games of the year when he was averaging 175 yards and 2 TDs a game.
Other Options: Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin), Javorius Allen (USC), Justin Jackson (Northwestern)
Wide Receiver
Mike Williams (Clemson) E – Williams didn’t start the year bad by any means, but inthe last two games Watson has been inserted at QB, the wideout’s been quite impressive. He is averaging 30 points per game in the last two, and it is clear he is Watson’s #1 option in the passing game. His salary is coming up but it is still too cheap not to strongly consider him. Clemson also hasn’t used him much in the second half of the last two games, as they had the games well in hand by halftime. I think he offers as much upside as any of the other WRs for a much cheaper salary.
Sam Craft (Memphis) L – Craft is one of the players you will find all over the board when it comes to both salary and position. I think he is a decent play on all sites, but wherever you can find him at WR he is a steal. He has been thrown into the starting RB position due to a couple of injuries, and he carried the ball 38 times last week. That kind of workload from a cheap WR is a play that you want to take advantage of, while hoping your opponents don’t dig hard enough to find this guy.
Greg Ward (Houston) L – Ward is another player where you are going to have to find the sites he is listed at WR. Ward has been named the starting QB for Houston this week. I am not sold on Ward getting the whole game at QB, as I think O’Korn might get a series or two. Even if you are not completely sold on him getting the whole game at QB and you are a multiple-lineup guy, I don’t think you can completely fade this guy.
Other Options: Mike Dudek (Illinois), Tony Lippett (Michigan St), Hunter Sharp (Utah St), De’Runnya Wilson (Mississippi St)
Tight End
Gerald Christian (Louisville) E – Christian is a boring, safe play at TE that will usually get you a couple of catches with a 50/50 chance at a TD. He is more of a cash-game play than a GPP guy, but at TE just give me a guy I can get something from and I will try to beat people with the rest of my team.
Jarred Gipson (Nevada) L – Gipson is a boom-or-bust TE, as he has over 20 fantasy points in two of his last three games. The downside he brings is in the other three games this year he has a combined three catches for 12 yards. I think this guy is the ultimate GPP play, but you don’t want to go all in on this guy in your cash games.
*Other Options: Steven Walker (Colorado St), Dan Vitale (Northwestern)