John Laub presents the Scholar’s Surreptitious Starters, a look at the top college fantasy football sleepers for Week 8 of the NCAA Football season.
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Quarterback
Sean Chambers, Wyoming vs. New Mexico: O/U 48.5 & Wyoming -19.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 20%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #130 (391.7 ypg)
Opponent Points Allowed: 38.8 ppg.
While I know that Sean Chambers scores the majority of his fantasy points with his legs, I cannot ignore this marvelous matchup in the air versus New Mexico at home. Over the last three games, the redshirt freshman has carried the ball 36 times for 234 yards and six touchdowns, scoring 25.3, 36.4 and 32.9 fantasy points. He also leads the team in rushing with 430 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, the Cowboys’ dual-threat is one of the more physical quarterbacks in the Mountain West Conference and the nation. He frequently keeps the ball on zone reads near the goal line and has reached the finish line eight times on the ground. A punishing runner, Chambers does not shy from contact and relishes putting his shoulder into opponents. “If there’s an extra yard I need to get, then I’m going to try to get it. I just try to be smart and save my body a little bit as much as I can. If there’s not a serious amount, I’m going to step out of bounds and protect,” Chambers proclaimed on trib.com by Davis Potter.
Chambers is not an accurate passer, completing less than 40% of his throws. Nonetheless, he does produce fantasy points with his arm. He has totaled 426 passing yards and six touchdowns in the last three weeks. The Lobos’ pass defense bleeds yards and fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, and Chambers will finish the weekend among the top 12 CFF signal-callers.
Kedon Slovis, USC vs. Arizona: O/U 67 & USC -9.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 9%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #128 (320.7 ypg)
Opponent Points Allowed: 33 ppg.
It is now a weekly routine when researching for CFF sleepers: I immediately look for the team playing Arizona and analyze their roster. USC is next in line to take advantage of the Wildcats’ poor pass defense.
The Trojans’ have played musical chairs at quarterback with JT Daniels, Matt Fink and Kedon Slovis having all taken turns at the reigns of the offense. Slovis suffered a concussion against Utah and missed the next game against Washington.
Last Saturday, he returned to lead the Trojans against Notre Dame, and almost led USC to a come-from-behind victory. Trailing 20-3 early in the third quarter against the Fighting Irish, Slovis found his stride and closed the gap to three points on the road. In the second half of the storied 91-year old rivalry, he passed for 181 yards and two touchdowns in a cold and hostile environment. Slovis will start behind center for the second consecutive game against Arizona. Yum!
Despite the turmoil behind center, the Trojans’ offense continues to produce yards and points, averaging 428 yards and 29 points per game. USC relies on a terrific trio of receivers (Michael Pittman, Jr., Tyler Vaughns and Amon-Ra St. Brown) to ignite the aerial assault. Slovis’ job is to find the open man and get the ball into their hands quickly. It is an easy mission against the Arizona secondary. The freshman eclipsed 300 yards against Stanford earlier in the campaign and will once again versus the Wildcats.
Additional QB Sleepers:
- Michael Penix, Jr., Indiana at Maryland: O/U 58.5 & Indiana -5.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 18%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #113 (279.7 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 24.3 - Malik Henry, Nevada at Utah State: O/U 61.5 & Utah State -21
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 3%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #114 (218.4 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 25.6 ppg.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Who Ya Got? Identify the most enticing under-the-radar QB to place into starting lineups in Week 8.
- Dillon Gabriel, UCF vs. ECU: 34%
- Kellon Mond, Texas A&M at Mississippi: 23%
- Charlie Brewer, Baylor at Oklahoma State: 23%
- Steven Montez, Colorado at Washington State: 20%
John’s Vote: Dillon Gabriel
“I’ve got Gabriel as my starter and Mond on the bench right now…I may end up just flipping a coin.” @Ofc_Dibble
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Running Back
Christopher Brown, California vs. Oregon State: O/U 51.5 & California -11
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 38%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #110 (205.7 ypg)
Opponent Points Allowed: 34 ppg.
There are many tedious tasks in education and proctoring the PSAT is one of the worst. For four hours, I sat in a classroom with 22 scholars, read the directions and coaxed them throughout the exam. While the students worked, I pondered about the upcoming matchups in week 8 of the season.
Two factors illuminated Christopher Brown as a worthwhile starter this week: The matchup versus one of the bottom dwelling run defenses in the nation and Chase Garbers, the Golden Bears’ starting quarterback, will not suit up this week.
Brown became a hot waiver wire addition when he scored over 27 fantasy points on 197 yards rushing, two catches for 9 yards and a touchdown in week 1. Unfortunately, the Senior ball carrier has failed to outdo his opening-day performance. Nonetheless, he dominates the backfield touches with 106 carries and 14 receptions and is the fifty-first ranked runner in college fantasy football.
Last week, Brown fashioned a nice fantasy afternoon despite the matchup against the Ducks, one of the elite defenses in the nation. He manufactured over 15 points on 42 yards rushing, four catches for 29 yards and a touchdown. Against the Beavers, Brown will find the sledding much easier. Go ahead and place Brown into lineups on Saturday: I foresee a big uptick in touches and yards from scrimmage.
O’Shaan Allison, Ohio vs. Kent State: O/U 61.5 & Ohio -7.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 8%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #129 (247.8 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 29.8 ppg.
O’Shaan Allison, a redshirt freshman, leads the Bobcats’ backfield in carries (70), yards (320) and catches (7) and second in rushing touchdowns (2). Two weeks ago against Buffalo, Allison manufactured his breakout game with 96 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
The yards per carry average did not illustrate the explosiveness that Allison brings to the offense. “He’s got really good quickness and really good breakaway ability, and it wasn’t shown a lot today (Buffalo). The runs were coming a little more difficult. He was getting the three, the four, five, six-yard runs where he was pushing the pile a little bit,” Coach Frank Solich said on thepostanthens.com by Matt Parker.
Against Northern Illinois last Saturday, the first-year ball carrier gained 79 yards on only 11 carries, averaging a robust 7.2 yards. Allison suffered an upper-body injury last week, but early reports indicate that he will play against Kent State. Watch updates early on Saturday morning. If Allison is slated to start, he is a stupendous option to place into lineups.
Additional RB Sleepers:
- Kyle Porter, Houston at UConn: O/U 58 & Houston -22
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 5%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #114 (210 ypg)
Opponent Points Allowed: 40.5 ppg. - DeeJay Dallas, Miami vs. Georgia Tech: O/U 47.5 & Miami -17.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 69%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #127 (227 ypg)
Opponent Points Allowed: 32 ppg.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Who Ya Got? Identify the overlooked running back to place into starting lineups in Week 8.
- Stevie Scott, Indiana at Maryland: 45%
- Greg McRae, UFC vs. ECU: 22%
- Re’Mahn Davis, Temple at SMU: 25%
- Cade Carney, Wake Forest vs. Florida State: 8%
John’s Vote: Stevie Scott
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide Receiver
Taysir Mack, Pittsburgh at Syracuse: O/U 52 & Pittsburgh -3.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 27%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #111 (276.8 ypg)
Opponent Points Allowed: 26 ppg.
Two weeks ago in the CFF: Waiver Wire Gemstones column with Justin Heisey, I identified Taysir Mack as a viable starting option to be acquired by astute CFF fanatics like myself. It appears that not many took my advice: His ownership increased from 26% to 27% in 10 days.
Among all receivers in the nation, the Panthers’ playmaker is ninth with 61 targets and tied for sixteenth in catches with 40. His 488 receiving yards are ranked 32nd, and he has scored twice. He garners 29% of the team’s targets and has six red-zone passes. Statistics can be misleading at times, but the numbers put up by Mack indicate a rising CFF celebrity, who is being ignored in CFF circles.
Luckily, Mack is not invisible to the college football community. Last week, Pittsburgh Athletics announced that Mack was named to the prestigious Biletnikoff Award Watch List. The Biletnikoff is presented to college football’s outstanding receiver each season: Both Larry Fitzgerald (2003) and Antonio Bryant (2000) captured the award as Panthers.
Over each of the past four games, Mack has led the club in yards with 125, 87, 124 and 85 respectfully. He is also on pace to become the first Pittsburgh wideout to eclipse 1,000 yards since Tyler Boyd in 2014.
The matchup foretells another productive outing for Mack this weekend. Do not let your opponents acquire such a stupendous asset down the stretch of the regular season.
Tony Brown, Colorado at Washington State: O/U 70.5 & Washington State -12.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 57%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #116 (282 ypg)
Opponent Points Allowed: 31.8 ppg.
Without question, Laviska Shenault, Jr. has been among the more disappointing players in college fantasy football. Throughout the summer, he stood among the elite CFF receivers to draft and ranked among the top three receiver Devy prospects. Needless to say, he has taken a dramatic fall over the first seven weeks of the season.
Yet, a letdown by one player often opens the door of opportunity for another. And Tony Brown has embraced his chances to succeed. In limited targets, he has been incredibly efficient with 34 catches on only 39 targets, an 87% catch rate. The Senior has recorded 458 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 11.7 yards per catch.
With Shenault out a few games, Brown rose to the occasion against Arizona and Arizona State, producing numbers equivalent to an alpha dog with 19 catches for 291 yards and three touchdowns. Now, with Shenault back, defenses must account for the home run hitter and employ assets to slow the Buffaloes’ star, leaving Brown to defeat man coverage. “It makes a big difference (having Shenault). When you have two people on one guy, that’s going to leaves everybody else open. Somebody’s going to come wide open. That’s an advantage with everyone,” Brown proclaimed on denverpost.com by Pat Rooney.
While some CFF diehards sold Brown, I am buying in this matchup. Ignore last week’s pedestrian performance by the Colorado receiver: Oregon’s defense shut down Buffaloes’ passing game. Washington State does not employ a destructive defense like the Ducks. The aerial assault will take flight again as Brown burns the Cougars vertically on Saturday.
Additional WR Sleepers:
- Austin Watkins, UAB vs. Old Dominion: O/U 44 & -15.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 31%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #128 (208.2 ypg)
Opponent Points Allowed: 25.8 ppg. - Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC vs. Arizona: O/U 67 & USC -9.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 47%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #128 (320.7 ypg)
Opponent Points Allowed: 33 ppg.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Who Ya Got? Identify the sleeper wide receiver to place into starting lineups in Week 8.
- Taysir Mack, Pittsburgh at Syracuse: 22%
- Jalen Reagor, TCU at Kansas State: 36%
- Damon Hazelton, Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina: 12%
- Quartney Davis, Texas A&M at Mississippi: 30%
John’s Vote: Taysir Mack
“People are sleeping on Q. Davis. Call it a homer statement, but the dude is a stud and truly undervalued. In my opinion, he is doing this with poor quarterback play.” @Stoops1990
“I don’t see how it isn’t Mack or Davis. The majority of TCU’s plays will be through Anderson as Kansas State has a middling run defense and a fantastic pass defense. Hazelton, while talented, hasn’t played much until last week against an FCS Rhode Island—hard to bet on him right now.” @sportsdatastuff
“A small case for Hazelton (or anyone else playing North Carolina): The UNC secondary has been one of the country’s hardest-hit units by injury this year. Three starters and one top backup are out.” @CFBWinningEdge
Also, be sure to check out Justin Heisey, The Gridiron Scholar John Laub, and InThisLeague’s Scott Bogman’s podcast CFF: On Campus for weekly College Fantasy Football news and analysis on Apple Podcasts or Spreaker.
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