College football provides so many interesting narratives over the course of a season. After five weeks of the 2022 campaign, the Jayhawks are undefeated, Kansas welcomes ESPN’s GameDay on campus and UConn is a 4-point favorite on the road. Chase Brown, Illinois, and Khalan Laborn, Marshall, are the leading rushers in the nation.
While examining the college fantasy football landscape and the premier CFF point producers this fall, I think that I’m living in the “upside down” in Stranger Things. Many Saturday stars are underperforming and surprise players adorn the leaderboards. It is great for the CFF game, makes the hobby more challenging and keeps the waiver wire abundant with players to acquire.
I have identified nine players, who are possibly available in your season-long CFF leagues. Matt Hicks and I break down the upcoming College Fantasy Football slate on the CFF Week 6 show presented by the Rookie Big Board, and CFF fanatics in the Twitterverse provide insight and analysis for potential starters.
Enjoy my fellow CFF diehards!
Scholar’s CFF Serendipitous Starters: Week 6
QB Riley Leonard, Duke at Georgia Tech
O/U 54, Duke -3.0
Opponent Defense: 411.8 total defense and 29.6 ppg.
@Fantrax Ownership: 10%
Numbers and statistics do not always paint a true picture of a player’s value. Nevertheless in fantasy, CFF diehards only care about production in the boxscore. Riley Leonard deserves to be rostered in more than 10% of leagues based on early season numbers.
Riley is the No. 27 ranked quarterback with 121.1 fantasy points, scoring over 24 points in 4-of-5 games. A dual-threat signal caller, he has scrambled for 260 yards and four scores on the ground, setting a nice floor each week. The Blue Devils are a slight favorite on the road and are projected to score nearly four touchdowns. Insert the Duke quarterback with confidence this week against the Yellow Jackets.
QB Donovan Smith, Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
O/U 68.5, Texas Tech +9.5
Opponent Defense: 285.3 passing yards and 8 P-TDs
@Fantrax Ownership: 39%
The O/U on this game has risen from the opening number. Las Vegas now forecasts a total of nine touchdowns with the Red Raiders scoring over 30 points. Donovan Smith has completed 11 aerial strikes and scored four rushing touchdowns. For the season, he ranks among the Top 30 CFF signal callers. The Texas Tech quarterback remains available on over 60% of waiver wires and can be inserted into starting lineups on Saturday.
QB D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson at Boston College
O/U 48.5, Clemson -20.5
Opponent Defense: 218.8 passing yards and 5 P-TDs
@Fantrax Ownership: 45%
On paper, the matchup does not scream a must-start for D.J. Uiagalelei; however, the second-year starter has played very well this year. CFF managers must be aware of the improvements he has made in 2022. It is time to rewrite the narrative on the Clemson signal caller.
Among all quarterbacks according to PFF, he has earned the sixth-best passing grade (88.6) and is fourth in Big Time Throws (15) through five games. He also has an impressive aDoT of 10.5. In fantasy, Uiagalelei is the sixteenth-ranked quarterback, and in the last two games, has logged 50.1 and 33.6 points. If he is available on the waiver wire, it is a good week to grab Uiagalelei and insert him into lineups.
RB Casey Filkins, Stanford at Oregon State
O/U 57, Stanford +7.0
Opponent Defense: 153.0 rushing yards and 10 R-TDs
@Fantrax Ownership: 11%
I am always seeking players in proven offensive schemes, and the Stanford running game is one of the better in the nation. Over the summer, I featured E.J. Smith in my CFF sleepers column and drafted him in five leagues: It looked like a great decision the first two weeks of the season. Unfortunately, Smith was injured and is out for the year.
Casey Filkins, 5’11” and 198-pounds, stepped into the starting lineup and performed well above my expectations. In high school, the junior was the No. 1 recruit in Oregon and a consensus Top 15 All-Purpose/Athlete by the major scouting organizations.
In three starts since Smith went down for the Cardinal, Filkins has scored 19.5, 14.9 and 22.9 fantasy points on 257 rushing yards, eight receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns. I expect continued usage in both the running and passing games, and he’ll register over 20 fantasy points for the second consecutive week.
RB Jordan Byrd, San Diego State vs. Hawaii
O/U 48, UTSA -621
Opponent Defense: 260.8 rushing yards and 18 R-TDs
@Fantrax Ownership: 3%
While Colorado is dead last against the run, Hawaii is the second-worst defense versus opponents on the ground. Look at those defensive numbers above…purely atrocious. Jordan Byrd has not been a viable CFF ball carrier in most games this season. He did score a season-best 23.5 points two weeks ago against Toledo with 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns. It would be coaching malfeasance not to crank up the ground game against the Rainbows and give the 5’9” speedster at least 18 carries.
RB Deion Hankins, UTEP at Louisiana Tech
O/U 52.5, UTEP +3
Opponent Defense: 230.5 rushing yards and 10 R-TDs
@Fantrax Ownership: 7%
Matchup, matchup, and matchup: When seeking runners, often targeting a bottom-five run defense provides fantasy points. Last week, Michael Wiley scored 28.1 fantasy points against the porous Colorado defense. Who has a tasty matchup in week 6? UTEP travels to Louisiana Tech, and Deion Hankins is in a smash spot for CFF diehards.
In the past two games, Hankins has rushed for 198 yards on 41 carries and scored once and last week, the Miners scampered for 252 rushing yards against Charlotte. In three games versus FBS schools, Louisiana Tech has surrendered 778 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Hankins easily eclipses the century mark for the second consecutive game against the Bulldogs.
WR Troy Franklin, Oregon at Arizona
O/U 70.5 Oregon -13
Opponent Defense: 187.4 passing yards and 10 P-TDs
@Fantrax Ownership: 31%
Quarterback Bo Nix has lifted the Ducks’ aerial assault to heights not seen since Marcus Mariotta in 2014. The new coaching staff has unlocked Troy Franklin, 6’3” and 178-pounds, with Nix throwing the pigskin deep.
Last year, Franklin played in every Oregon game as a true freshman and caught 18 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. In two of the last four games this season, the speedster has eclipsed the 20-point fantasy threshold, and he will surpass 20 points again in a shootout with Arizona this week.
WR Dorian Singer, Arizona vs. Oregon
O/U 70.5, Arizona +13
Opponent Defense: 282.2 passing yards and 12 P-TDs
@Fantrax Ownership: 8%
Looking at the Arizona-Oregon matchup, I could not ignore the production of the Wildcats’ passing game. Jacob Cowing is the alpha in the receiver corps at Arizona but Dorian Singer, 6’1” and 185-pounds, also presents a major challenge for opposing secondaries.
In the last three games, Singer has exploded for 23 receptions for 354 yards and a touchdown. Arizona is a big underdog in this matchup, and should be playing catch up in the second half, which foreshadows another outing of nearly 50 pass attempts by QB Jayden da Laura. Singer is a fantastic Flex option this week for CFF players.
TE Tanner Koziol, Ball State at Central Michigan
O/U 64.5, Ball State +8.5
Opponent Defense: 263.8 passing yards and 12 P-TDs
@Fantrax Ownership: 37%
It is rare that I feature a tight end among my weekly sleepers. In spite of that, there are always exceptions to norms, and I could not pass up identifying Tanner Koziol. At 6’7” and 230-pounds, the freshman is simply on fire this year. He is the fifth most productive CFF performer at the position with 72.5 fantasy points.
Against Northern Illinois last week, he set personal bests with seven receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns. He has scored double-digit fantasy points four times this season and has a nice matchup versus Central Michigan. Look for Koziol to surpass the 15-point fantasy mark for the third time in 2022.
CFF Positional Battles for Week 6 Matchups
Twitterverse on Fire: Weekly Position Battles!
Who Ya Got at Quarterback?
- D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson: 38%
- Matt McDonald, Bowling Green: 17%
- Riley Leonard, Duke: 22%
- Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose: 23%
“I’ll go Matt McDonald. He has 13 touchdowns with one interception, which he just threw last week. McDonald won’t wow you, but he does have a nose for the endzone. Expect another 250 yards passing and three touchdowns from McDonald vs. Buffalo in some MACtion football Saturday.” @NinoBrown_T2T
“DJU is back, baby!” @CFBWinningEdge
“Chevan for me. I continue to answer ‘Chevan for me.’ In three of four games, he has scored multiple touchdowns and had nearly 300 yards or better.” @aceholesrule
Who Ya Got at Running Back?
- Devontae Houston, UConn: 19%
- Casey Filkins, Stanford: 37%
- Henry Parrish, Jr., Miami: 21%
- Mar’Keise Irving, Oregon: 23%
“Mar’Keise Irving please!! Three games straight with just under the century mark in yards. Averaging 7 5 yards per carry. ‘Bucky’ is a shifty RB who has a knack for finding the lane. Give me Irving against the Wildcats.” @NinoBrown_T2T
“A little worried about Henry Parrish’s health, so I will go with Devontae Houston after last week’s great game. Nice matchup vs. FIU and that UConn RB group is super thin.” @CFBWinningEdge
“Casey Filkins for me. The Cardinal love to lean on one back and that back is Filkins. Former high school Gatorade Player of the Year. Kid has talent and an opportunity.” @aceholesrule
Who Ya Got at Wide Receiver?
- Dorian Singer, Arizona: 26%
- C.J. Johnson, East Carolina: 37%
- Tanner Knue, Eastern Michigan: 8%
- Caleb Ducking, Mississippi State: 29%
“I’ll go Caleb Ducking! At 6’5”, he is a big target for Will Rogers. Averaging 11.3 YPC. I could see another touchdown game from Ducking and probably 60-plus yards vs. Arkansas.” @NinoBrown_T2T
“Keeping C.J. Johnson stashed in a deep dynasty for two years is finally paying off. Holton Ahlers is playing well, ECU’s top RBs are hurt (hopefully Mitchell returns soon, though), and the WR position isn’t quite as deep as it was a year ago… all good signs for Johnson’s potential production.” @CFBWinningEdge
“Dorian Singer for me. Arizona has been everything and a bit more than I thought they would be. Back-to-back 100-yard games make me lean Singer.” @aceholesrule
“Dorian Singer vs. a very bad Oregon pass defense looks solid for week 6.” @CFFonIG
Rookie Big Board presents College Fantasy Football
- Marvelous Matchups
- Fantastic 4: CFF Sleepers
- CFB DFS Fantastic 4
- CFB Prize Picks by Matt and John
- All-American RBB Best Bets