The Watch List: Week 4
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Welcome to The Watch List, a resource to help RSO owners identify the storylines, players and matchups from the college game that deserve your attention. To view my weekly picks, follow me on Twitter @robertfcowper. Check back throughout the season as The Watch List will continue to update you on who is fantasy relevant and worth your draft capital next year.
Storylines to Watch
- Heisman Update: Mason Rudolph’s and Baker Mayfield’s stocks have risen while Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson remain in the middle of the pack. My favorite non-QB is still Saquon Barkley but he’ll struggle to earn anything more than third place votes if Rudolph and Mayfield keep up their pace. If I had a vote, and I don’t, my pick right now would be Rudolph. I do think that other positions should get Heisman love other than QBs but it’s impossible to ignore what Rudolph is doing right now. If you’re looking for a defensive dark horse, follow FSU S Derwin James and Texas LB Malik Jefferson closely. I expect James to expand on a solid performance against Alabama where he only had six tackles but was a constant presence on the field. Jefferson had 11 tackles in the close loss to USC and is the heart and soul of that Longhorn defense.
- Florida State Back in Action: The Seminoles’ season is off to a strange start. It feels like their loss to #1 Alabama was two months ago but it’s only been three weeks. In that span though, FSU has had a game cancelled (UL-Monroe) and another postponed (Miami). They haven’t been on the field since QB Deondre Francois went down with a season ending injury. Ultimately, Hurricane Irma could have been a blessing in disguise as it has removed the spotlight from freshman QB James Blackman and given him time with the “ones” in practice. Blackman was not a very highly touted recruit, in fact he was ranked as the 52nd quarterback by Phil Steele in his recruiting class. Blackman won the job though and will rely on fellow freshman Cam Akers. Akers only had 30 yards against Alabama but don’t let that belie his potential. If you play devy or are just a college football fan, keep an eye on him. Blackman and coach Jimbo Fisher will have to rely on Akers if FSU is to compete in the ACC this season without Francois.
- Vandy is on the Come: Vanderbilt is just on the outside of the Top 25. In the AP Poll they received 83 votes while in the Coaches Poll they received 92. One of Vandy’s three wins came against Alabama A&M, the second was against Middle Tennessee State (who beat their other Power 5 opponent, Syracuse) and the crown jewel was a close win against #18 Kansas State. The Commodores have been led by their defense which, based on yards per game, is the 1st ranked pass defense, the 32nd ranked rush defense and the 4th ranked total defense. In terms of points, Vandy is ranked 1st. The offense is not prolific but it is lead steadily by junior quarterback Kyle Shurmur (his father is Pat Shurmur, the Vikings OC). Shurmur has thrown 8 TDs and zero picks and his completion percentage is much improved thus far (71.0% vs 54.4% last year). My preseason prediction was 8 wins which is looking pretty good right now but they face a huge test this week against Alabama.
Players to Watch
- Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State: Rudolph’s production so far is off the charts. Literally. Rudolph’s completion percentage and yards per attempt would beat Baker Mayfield’s 2016 FBS-leading numbers by a significant margin. Rudolph’s completion percentage so far this season is 72.3%, compared to Mayfield’s 70.9% last year. Rudolph’s yards per attempt is 12.1, better than Mayfield by a full yard. That YPA is just crazy so let me give you context. From 2000-2015, no quarterback averaged more than 10.7 YPA (RGIII in 2011). I didn’t go back further than 2000, but I think it’s a safe bet to assume that Mayfield’s 2016 mark was a record and the fact that Rudolph is on pace to best that by a full yard means he has to get my Heisman vote. The biggest knock against Rudolph is the competition he has faced so far. I agree it’s not great but the Big 12 is not home to strong pass defenses so I have no doubt that the success will continue. Pitt’s passing defense allowed 311 yards to FCS Youngstown State but then they bottled up Penn State QB Trace McSorley to 164 yards, 3 TDs, 5.9 YPA and 53.6% on completions. Compare that to Rudolph the following week who went for 479 yards, 5 TDs, 15.5 YPA and 71%. Rudolph faces his toughest test yet this week in TCU, ranked 36th in pass defense, but the schedule softens over the four following games (against the 101st, 95th, 84th and 73rd best pass defenses). My favorite Rudolph stat so far? He has not yet thrown a pass attempt in the 4th quarter, that is how dominant he and the Cowboys have been. I can’t wait for the November 4th matchup against the Sooners.
- Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State: Like Rudolph, Barkley will be facing his strongest defensive opponent so far in the young season. Barkley will be on the road in Iowa against their 26th ranked rush defense. If you only look at the box score, last week’s game against Georgia Southern might be worrisome (just 10 attempts and 47 yards) but have no fear because Barkley contributes in the passing game too (4 receptions, 142 yards and a score). There was no reason to load Barkley up with carries in a convincing win, he’ll be back to bell-cow status this weekend. That receiving touchdown last week was great – go back and watch the highlight and just look at his acceleration thirty yards down the field, incredible. Barkley has 548 total yards and 5 TDs and is still my 1.01.
- Deontay Burnett, WR, USC: Burnett is moving his way up my WR ranks with a stellar start to 2017. Burnett went for 7-142 in the opener against Western Michigan and followed that up with 9-121-2 against Stanford. He really caught my eye against Texas (8-123-2) when he proved to be Sam Darnold’s favorite target yet again in the face of constant pressure. For those counting at home that’s a 24-386-4 line which puts him halfway to his 2016 numbers already. My only concern for Burnett is his slight frame and subsequent injury risk. At 6’0″ and 170lb, he is just too lean. Since 2010, no WRs have come into the combine at 5’11” or taller and less than 175lbs. His closest body-size comp would be the Seahawks’ Paul Richardson who has potential but has been hampered by injuries.
- Lorenzo Carter, OLB, Georgia: Carter is new name for me but grabbed my attention because he is leading a stout Bulldog defense. He has 14 tackles so far along with 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. Carter is big (6’6″) and fast (possibly in the 4.60-4.65 range if you go by his Hudl and DraftScout.com profiles) and could end up with a first round grade like former Georgia star Leonard Floyd who was taken 9th overall by the Bears in 2016.
- Anthony Winbush, DE/DT, Ball State: I don’t have any extensive research or film study of Winbush to share but I came across his name and figured I would share it with you dear reader. Winbush is leading the NCAA in sacks at 6.5 and also has 20 tackles and 3 forced fumbles. If you’re a big NFL Draft fan, file the name away and see if he keeps it up.
Games to Watch
- Temple @ #21 South Florida, Thursday 7:30pm on ESPN: The NFL’s Thursday night games are pretty bad so I will definitely find myself checking into this game. South Florida ended up winning convincingly against Illinois last Friday. Both teams are coming off short rest after playing Friday so neither team is at a disadvantage in that department. USF somehow held off San Diego State as the highest ranked Group of 5 team and another win keeps them in the driver’s seat for a New Year’s Six bowl game.
- NC State @ #12 Florida State, Saturday 12:00pm on ABC: This is the best game of a pretty blah 12:00pm slate on Saturday. I am interested in seeing how QB James Blackman assimilates so at least I won’t be tempted to flip channels too often. I had high hopes for NC State to start the season but am not encouraged by the early results; they are 2-1 with a loss to South Carolina and they gave up too many points to Tulane and Furman in their victories.
- #1 Alabama @ Vanderbilt, Saturday 3:30pm on CBS: #AnchorDown. By now you know I’m a fan of Vanderbilt but not even I am predicting the upset here. Alabama has too many horses and will overrun Vanderbilt. Between QB Jalen Hurts and RBs Bo Scarborough and Damien Harris, the Tide will amass at least 200 yards rushing. If Vanderbilt can keep it close, I think they jump into the Top 25 even with a loss.
- #16 TCU @ #6 Oklahoma State, Saturday 3:30pm on ESPN: I used a lot of superlatives to describe Mason Rudolph above so it should be no surprise that I’m taking the Cowboys. Keep an eye on WR Jalen McCleskey who had a humongous outing against Pitt (7-162-3) and thrived with focus on James Washington. Despite the added attention that he inevitably receives, Washington is averaging an insane 28.2 yards per reception. The Oklahoma State offense cannot be stopped. Take the over.
- #17 Mississippi State @ #11 Georgia, Saturday 7:00pm on ESPN: This will be some back-to-back comparison for ESPN viewers. The 3:30pm game between TCU and Oklahoma State will feature at least 70 points, meanwhile we will be lucky if either set of Bulldogs hits 7. This one will be a knock down, drag out, SEC battle and not for the squeamish. State is led by safety Mark McLaurin while Georgia is led by the aforementioned Lorenzo Carter. Take the under.
- #4 Penn State @ Iowa, Saturday 7:30pm on ABC: This is a good Saturday night to see family and friends. Barkley, et al. will be facing a tougher defense than they have seen in 2017 but it won’t matter. I don’t expect this one to be particularly close and it’s probably not worth scheduling your weekend around. Check in for the Saquon highlights on College Football Final.
- East Carolina @ UCONN, Sunday 12:00pm on ESPNU: It’s so rare to get a college game on a Sunday after Week 1 so I just had to include this on my Watch List. There’s potential for 14 hours of consecutive football on Sunday. Start with Baltimore and Jacksonville at 9:30am from London, switch over to this one at 12:00pm and then head back to the NFL for the 1:00pm kickoffs. If you’re quick you can squeeze in dinner and a shower before SNF.
Note: When watching film for a player in the offseason, I typically pick two games at random to watch. If game film is not available I will search for highlight reels, but keep in mind these are the best plays that player had all season so they really need to jump off the screen. I do not necessarily want to watch games where they did very well or very poorly as that may not be a great illustration of their true ability. If possible, when comparing players at the same position I also like to watch film against common opponents. Full disclosure, I am not watching film of every single game any player plays, instead I am looking for a representative sample. When researching college players I use a number of resources, I would recommend bookmarking the below sites…
- Stats: espn.com, sports-reference.com, cfbstats.com
- Film: draftbreakdown.com, youtube.com (but be wary of highlight only reels)
- Draft info and mocks: draftcountdown.com, nfldraftscout.com, walterfootball.com, mattwaldmanrsp.com, draftek.com
- Draft history: drafthistory.com
- Combine info: pro-football-reference.com, espn.com, nflcombineresults.com
- Season preview magazines: Phil Steele, Lindy’s, Street and Smith’s
- Podcasts: ESPN’s First Draft, Strong as Steele with Phil Steele, The Audible by Football Guys (specifically episodes w/ Matt Waldman), UTH Dynasty
Robert F. Cowper is a freelance writer who lives in New Jersey. Robert works as a recreation professional, specializing in youth sports, when he isn’t acting as commissioner for his many fantasy sports leagues.
