Top College Prospects - Dynasty League Scouting (Week 11 Edition)

November 9, 2018

Matt Wispe looks at the top fantasy devy prospects for Week 11 of the college football season. Monitor these NCAA players for dynasty fantasy football leagues.

Week 10 was arguably the most anticipated set of games of the year. And while they did have a meaningful impact on the college football playoff rankings, they fell short of the classic games you've come to expect from top ten matchups.

Week 11 isn't exactly a top slate of games, but sometimes those are the weeks when chaos can occur. If you're looking for a potential chaos spot, Clemson traveling to Boston College could be a trip-up spot and Ohio State heading to Michigan State could be a difficult game.

Today we're going to do a little mix and match with the prospects. First, we'll take a look at two of the likely top QB prospects in next year's draft and then we'll look at some WRs.

Scouting The Quarterbacks

Dwayne Haskins, QB Ohio State

Week 11 - at Michigan State (11/10)

Disgruntled fans (and even potential recruits) were clamoring for Dwayne Haskins during the 2017 season amidst J.T. Barrett's struggles. And when he was given a significant opportunity in the regular season finale against Michigan, he rose to the occasion and helped orchestrate a comeback. Now, as the starter, he's become the center of the offense and has helped hide some deficiencies on the offense.

The standout statistic for Haskins is his accuracy. His 2018 season and career completion percentage near 70 percent is among the best in college football. He ranks seventh is completion percentage for the season. And from an efficiency perspective, his adjusted yards per attempt also ranks seventh in the country.

And from a raw production perspective, Haskins is already one of the most prolific passers in school history. He set records for single-game attempts and passing yards.  While the team appears to be overly reliant upon Haskins' arm due to his lack of mobility, they remain ranked in the top ten and Haskins is turning into one of the top QB prospects.

Haskins is only a redshirt sophomore and there's a case to be made that the team's struggles and Haskins' struggles under pressure have played him into another season into Columbus and that very well might be true. But, as it currently stands, Haskins is considered to be one of the top three prospects in the 2019 class which isn't quite as loaded as the 2018 class. And, with that being the case, there's a strong chance that Haskins strikes when the iron is hot.  In a superflex league, Haskins looks like a mid-first round pick, assuming a decent landing spot with a QB opening.

Daniel Jones, QB Duke

Week 11 -  vs North Carolina (11/10)

Before I jump into this preview, I'll clarify that I don't consider Jones to be one of the top prospects in the class, but a recent CBS Mock draft listed Jones not only as the top QB selected, but as a top ten overall pick. And with a major media outlet giving such high praise, he has to be considered.

Based on his career numbers, there's real concern about Jones' accuracy and efficiency. His career completion percentage is barely above 60 percent and his touchdown to interception ratio is well below two-to-one.

But he's doing a decent amount to remove doubt about his abilities. For the first time in his college career, Jones has eclipsed 7.0 adjusted yards per attempt and he has a 2.6-to-one touchdown to interception ratio.  His 61.9 percent completion percentage isn't elite, but it's a big step up from 57 percent from 2017. And there's some reason to believe he's not playing at 100 percent this year after he suffered a collarbone injury against Northwestern.

It's clear that Jones has taken a step forward during his 2018 campaign, but whether that translates into a first-round draft pick is a different question. His career numbers aren't anything to get excited for and he hasn't proven to be enough of an accurate passer to alleviate concerns about his efficiency. But all of that goes out the window, for fantasy, if he's drafted early. I wasn't a fan of Josh Allen, last season, but his draft capital made him roster-worthy. If Jones is a top ten pick, he's worth a late-round flier in non-superflex leagues and likely a second-round pick in superflex leagues.

Scouting The Wide Receivers

A.J. Brown, WR Mississippi

Week 11 -  at Texas A&M (11/10)

On a team that featured three wide receivers with real pro potential, it could be argued that A.J. Brown is the standout. The former four-star prospect has emerged as a likely top two-day selection in the NFL draft.

The downside to playing along with two other NFL caliber WRs is that it becomes more difficult to dominate at an elite level. But with a 0.36 dominator rating, he broke out during his age 20 season. Per Bill Connelly's college statistical profile, Brown has been targeted 88 times and has converted 75 percent into catches. At his current pace, Brown is likely going to fall short of his 2017 yardage and touchdown totals, but there's a reasonable expectation that he could grab a bigger share of the yardage without D.K. Metcalf in the lineup.

Brown is most likely going to fall short of the ideal 29 percent career market share of yards, but his draft capital will be a big indicator of his fantasy potential. If he goes in the top two rounds of the NFL draft, as he's been projected, Brown should be a top 8 pick in most rookie drafts. And while there are some concerns about a middle of the road yards per reception and sub-optimal career market share, the draft capital and pedigree should keep owners interested. We're only a few years removed from missing out on Michael Thomas because of his smaller share, Brown could be the chance to make up for it.

Tyre Brady, WR Marshall

Week 11 -  vs Charlotte (11/10)

The former Miami WR prospect found a home at Marshall and has turned himself into a very productive receiver. And standing at six-foot-three, there will be some intrigued about Brady at the back end of the NFL draft.

Brady was a three-star prospect out of the state of Florida and, naturally, that kept him in-state with the Miami Hurricanes as part of their 2014 recruiting class. And he didn't see the field until his sophomore season and that was limited to less than one catch per game and less than five percent of the team's receiving yardage. His transfer from the program following 2015 appears to be the best decision because his numbers have exploded since his arrival. His 942 yards were only good for 40th in the country, but with over 30 percent of yards and touchdowns, he broke out, albeit at age 22. His breakout age will appear advanced when compared to top WRs, but with consecutive 0.30 dominator seasons, Brady has proven himself to be reliable.

The biggest criticism of Brady is likely his success only coming against lower competition and his advanced age. Both of which are legitimate concerns, but he's not going to be an expensive asset to acquire in drafts. Brady being selected before day three of the draft would be a moderate surprise, but that just makes him a cheap flier in rookie drafts. If you have a bench or taxi squad space to use on a high upside player, give Brady a look in the final round.

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