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Eric Samulski identifies key offensive players to watch in Week 5 of the 2019 NCAA football season. These QB, RB, WR, and TE could be important prospects for dynasty and devy fantasy football owners to monitor.
With the college football season nearing its postseason, this will be the last edition of this article in its current format. Starting next week, we'll begin looking at specific positions of interest so that we can watch the games over the weekend and evaluate the players against one another at the same position.
But for this week, let's give you a guide to which potential fantasy assets to watch in the games this weekend.
This series will cover players featured in nationally televised games who could likely emerge as fantasy assets after next year’s draft.
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Week 9's Featured Players
First, let’s look at how last week's featured players performed:
Darrynton Evans, RB Appalachian State – Evans had a disappointing game in a blowout win over South Alabama, totaling only 46 yards on 19 carries in a game in which Appalachian State rushed for over 300 yards. As a late-round player, he can’t afford to have games like this, and it could knock him down to being a useful priority free agent.
James Gilbert, RB Kansas State – Gilbert was effective in the upset win over Oklahoma, rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries. Since Gilbert was previously known as a gadget player, seeing him be this productive on the ground, and also converting a red-zone carry from two yards out, is encouraging. He should be a day three pick who could produce if the opportunity presents itself.
Jalen Reagor, WR TCU – Reagor only had two catches in the win over Texas, but he made them count, totaling 55 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown came on a 44-yard pass in which Reagor just burned the corner on a go route. He’s a dynamic playmaker who is potentially moving into the back of the first round.
Tylan Wallace, WR Oklahoma State – Wallace is cementing himself as another dynamic playmaker in a deep wide receiver class. He caught eight passes for 131 yards and a viral-sensation touchdown in a big win over Iowa State. He’s one of my favorite day two wide receivers right now. (UPDATE: Tylan Wallace apparently tore his ACL in practice. If true, it would be a brutal injury, but he's put enough good film on tape that it shouldn't affect his draft stock much.)
Cam Akers, RB Florida State – Akers put on a show versus Syracuse, rushing for 144 yards and four touchdowns. I still would love to see him be more involved in the passing game, but he’s explosive and elusive as a runner and is locking himself in as a day two pick and potential starter at the next level.
Jordan Love, QB Utah State – It was another disappointing day for Love in a loss to Air Force. He threw for only 114 yards and a touchdown while completing 14 of 23 passes. He has failed to capitalize on last year’s momentum and seems likely to be a day two or early day three pick; albeit, one with upside.
DeVonta Smith, WR Alabama – Smith was off to a strong start with four catches for 67 yards in the first half before suffering an arm injury and spending the second half in a sling. He’s reportedly back at practice, which is essential for the dynamic receiver to keep rising up draft boards. He seems like a day two lock right now, but his big-play ability could move him up if he comes back healthy.
C.J. O’Grady, TE Arkansas – O’Grady did catch a touchdown against Alabama but only totaled 13 yards on four catches. He has yet to make a name for himself as a consistent receiving threat and might be limited to a day three pick with potentially unrealized upside.
Week 10 Matchup to Watch - Early Games
Boston College - Syracuse 12:00 PM ET
A.J. Dillon, RB Boston College – Dillon is another aggressive, hard-nosed runner in a deep class but not top-heavy. He may not be the fastest back coming out, but he has good vision and hits the holes hard when he gets to the line of scrimmage. Most importantly, Dillon is showing that he has some receiving chops, already catching seven passes for 138 yards after catching eight for 48 all of last season. Dillon isn’t the elite athlete who jumps off the tape, so he’ll likely fall late in day two or into day three. But like similar backs, James Conner and Jordan Howard, he could emerge as an effective fantasy back if he’s given the chance.
North Carolina State - Wake Forest 12:o0 PM ET
Jared Pinkney, TE Wake Forest – Pickney has struggled through injuries and poor quarterback play this year. When healthy, he has enough athleticism to beat linebackers in coverage and has shown strong hands to make catches in traffic. He does show some inconsistent technique, and he isn’t going to make many people miss after the catch; however, he has good promise as a blocker which will help keep him on the field and make him a potential starting tight end option in fantasy due to his receiving chops.
Week 10 Matchup to Watch: Afternoon Games
Virginia Tech - Notre Dame 2:30 PM ET
Cole Kmet, TE Notre Dame – Kmet is an inexperienced tight end in his first year as a starter. He’s also an athletic tight end that has shown the ability to make plays over the middle of the field. His catching and blocking technique is inconsistent, which has led to some struggles, but he has clear upside as a receiver which could make him an intriguing pick on day three considering the dearth of quality fantasy tight ends in the NFL.
Utah - Washington 4:00 PM ET
Hunter Bryant, TE Washington – I guess it’s just a big tight end day on Saturday. Bryant might be my favorite option on the day from a fantasy perspective. He’s the smallest of the group (6’2”) and has dealt with a few injuries during his college career, but he could carve out a role for himself as an interesting TE/WR hybrid at the next level. He likely needs to bulk up to block more effectively, but he has great speed for the position and solid athleticism to go up and make tough catches. His size will cause him to drop in drafts, but if he gets into the right offensive situation, he could be an interesting fantasy option.
Week 10 Matchups to Watch: Night Games
Ole Miss - Auburn 7:o0 PM ET
Scottie Phillips, RB Ole Miss – I’ll be honest, Phillips is likely a day three pick who won’t immediately challenge for major fantasy value, but it’s a bit of a down week in college football. The senior is solidly built at 5’8” 210 pounds, but he likely lacks the size to be a feature back in the NFL. However, Phillips has been a workhorse on a below-average team in his two years since coming from JUCO. He’s shown solid ability as a receiver and is a good enough run blocker to remain on the field. In short, he’s likely a back-up running back at the next level who could produce startable fantasy numbers if he was thrust into a role - think Mark Walton type of production.
SMU- Memphis 7:30 PM ET
Xavier Jones, RB SMU – Now, Jones is somebody I’m far more excited about. After only carrying the ball 69 times in 10 games last year, Jones wasn’t on many people’s radars, but the senior has exploded this year for 884 rushing yards and sixteen total touchdowns on a vastly improved SMU offense. He needs to show more consistent ability in the passing game to convince NFL scouts that he has the ability of a feature back, but he’s proving to be a dynamic enough runner, with good long speed, and a potential value day three pick.
More NCAA Football Analysis
