Given the insane number of transfer players, fantasy owners are looking to find clarity on which players are worth drafting this year. Last season featured transfer players Will Grier and Jarrett Stidham, who made names for themselves, while other transfers like Malik Zaire and Kyle Allen fell short of their potential. This article will give you some perspective on the biggest names in the transfer market and help you determine their 2018 fantasy potential.
2018 Transfer Players
QB Dru Brown, Oklahoma State
Previous Team: Hawaii (2016-2017, 5,273 Pass Yards, 37 Pass TD, 15 Int., 62% Completion)
The Verdict: Buying
Oklahoma State has featured one of the nation’s best offenses in recent memory despite having little in-conference success. The losses of Mason Rudolph and James Washington hurt, but the surprising addition of Dru Brown should help. Brown threw for 5,273 yards and 37 touchdowns in two seasons at Hawaii and possesses all the tools to succeed in the prolific Cowboys offense. He will have to learn quickly, as he joins the team in the summer. However, given his incredible work ethic, he should have no problem taking over as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback this season.
QB Brady White, Memphis
Previous Team: Arizona State (2015-2017, 259 Pass Yards, 2 Pass TD, 1 Int., 51% Completion)
The Verdict: Selling
Many other experts are high on Brady White simply because he seems to be next in line to take over for the Memphis Tigers in the fall. Memphis lost a key player in Riley Ferguson, who holds two of the top three greatest passing seasons in Memphis football history. He also racked up the third most passing yards by a Memphis quarterback. I’m selling on White based on his poor decision making and lackluster spring game. The Tigers also lost Anthony Miller, who had 1,400+ receiving yards over the past two seasons. Even if Damonte Coxie is good, he’s not Miller.
WR Jonathan Giles, LSU
Previous Team: Texas Tech (2015-2016, 1,313 Rec. Yards, 16 Rec. TD, 15.4 YPR)
The Verdict: Buying
Any other season, I wouldn’t dare buy on an LSU receiver. 2018 is different, however, given that the Tigers may have a good quarterback for the first time since Zach Mettenburger. Joe Burrow left Ohio State, and I can’t exactly say why without speculating that Dwayne Haskins won the starting job. Burrow has incredible potential to shake up the LSU offense and give them a legitimate passing attack, and Jonathan Giles will be the focal point. Giles served as a WR1 in 2016 under the Red Raiders and shockingly left the program. As I said, I would’ve never bought into an LSU receiver before this offseason, but the Burrow transfer changes everything.
WR Seth Collins, Texas Tech
Previous Team: Oregon State (2015-2017, 548 Rec. Yards, 2 Rec. TD, 11.4 YPR)
The Verdict: Selling
Seth Collins just seems like one of those players who will never leave college football. After beginning his career as a quarterback for the Oregon State Beavers, Collins switched to receiver after getting beat out by (now Fresno State quarterback) Marcus McMaryion. Collins had the athleticism to fall in line with Markus Wheaton and Brandin Cooks as the next great Beavers receiver. However, Collins has faced multiple injuries as well as an assault charge that led to his suspension and later dismissal from Oregon State.
RB Travon McMillan, Colorado
Previous Team: Virginia Tech (2015-2017, 2,158 Rush Yards, 16 Rush TD, 4.8 YPC, 357 Rec. Yards, 7 TD, 10.2 YPR)
The Verdict: Buying
Over the past two seasons, Colorado produced a huge fantasy player in Philip Lindsay, as his ability as a rusher and a receiver made him a hot commodity. Travon McMillian decided to leave Virginia Tech after a crowded backfield led to his solid freshman campaign going unrewarded the following seasons. McMillan’s incredible one-cut-and-go skill set will work admirably for Colorado this season given that Steven Montez can do enough to open up the run game. McMillan may not put up Lindsay numbers, but don’t sleep on his potential.
WR Jalen Hurd, Baylor
Previous Team: Tennessee (2014-2016, 2,635 Rush Yards, 20 Rush TD, 4.5 YPC, 492 Rec. Yards, 6 Rec. TD, 7.3 YPR)
The Verdict: Selling
I like Jalen Hurd’s potential as a runner, but it’s unclear what position he will even play in 2018. It’s expected that he’ll become a wide receiver of a tight end, but it’s not the easiest position change for a running back. Baylor is in a weird place after the recent sexual-assault cover-up scandal, and Matt Rhule didn’t get much going with the most talented 1-11 team in the history of college football. His size – 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds — gives him a high ceiling, but is the Baylor offense going to be good enough for him to matter?
QB Gardner Minshew – Washington State
Previous Team: East Carolina (2016-2017, 3,487 Pass Yards, 24 Pass TD, 11 Int., 57.9% Completion)
The Verdict: Selling
If you’ve read my breakdown of the Top-50 quarterbacks for then 2018 season, then you already know that I’m betting on Trey Tinsley to win the starting job for the Washington State Cougars. Minshew almost made the questionable decision to go to Alabama before selecting Wazzou. Given that Tinsley is already drawing comparisons to Luke Falk, the junior quarterback is ready to stake claim to the starting job. If Minshew can learn the playbook and take over before the season starts, then he will be a fantastic fantasy player. Given what we’ve seen from Tinsley, however, I don’t see that happening.
QB Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
Previous Team: Texas A&M (2015, 8 games, 686 Pass Yards, 5 touchdowns, 7 Int., 59.5% completions, 335 Rush Yards, 1 Rush TD)
The Verdict: Buying
Kyler Murray is the transfer player I’m highest on in 2018. Murray was wasted in 2015 under Kevin Sumlin, as he was greatly underutilized as a rusher. Oklahoma is the perfect school for Murray because it’s built around his strengths. The Sooners lost an incredible offensive tackle in Orlando Brown but still have a strong o-line. Running back Rodney Anderson, who was featured highly in my Expert Preseason Rankings, accounted for 1,161 yards and 13 touchdowns while starting only the final six games last season and should help open up the passing game. Murray is currently in a battle with Austin Kendall, but given that he was trusted as Baker Mayfield’s back-up last season and has studied the playbook for two years, it’s Murray’s time to shine.
QB Joe Burrow, LSU
Previous Team: Ohio State (2016-2017, 10 games, 287 Pass Yards, 2 Pass TD, 74.4% Completion)
The Verdict: Selling
Determining the worth of Joe Burrow all comes down to how much Head Coach Ed Orgeron lets him loose. LSU is a curious team because it’s been a while since they’ve had a good quarterback. While Jonathan Giles’ stock is up, I’m selling on Burrow until I see that Orgeron isn’t going to mess things up by abandoning the pass for an undetermined running back. At worst, Burrow becomes a quarterback similar to Jarrett Stidham – a great player but not quite The Man.
QB Shea Patterson, Michigan
Previous Team: Ole Miss (2016-2018, 10 games, 3,139 Pass Yards, 23 Pass TD, 12 Int., 60.7% Completion)
The Verdict: Cautiously Buying
Shea Patterson being declared eligible for 2018 was a huge storyline for the college football season. Now that he’s eligible, Patterson will benefit from the receiving duo of Tarik Black and Donovan Peoples-Jones and a dynamic backfield of Karan Higdon and Chris Evans. The only question is how Jim Harbaugh will use him. If he allows Patterson to move around and run, then he has a high ceiling. If he tries to force Patterson to be a pocket-passer, then he will likely throw more interceptions than usual and will see limited success.
Other Buys:
KJ Carta-Samuels, Colorado State QB
Brandon Dawkins, Indiana QB
Kai Locksley, UTEP QB
Chris Robison, FAU QB
Alex Thomson, Marshall QB
Jordan Cronkrite, South Florida RB
Tre Watson, California RB
Preston Williams, Colorado State WR
Gatlin Casey, Middle Tennessee State WR
Jovon Durante, FAU WR
Other Sells:
Keller Chryst, Tennessee QB
Quinten Dormandy, Houston QB
Wilton Speight, UCLA QB
Jalan McClendon, Baylor QB
James Morgan, Florida International QB
Evan Sheriffs, Charlotte QB
Jon Hilliman, Boston College RB
Jalen Greene, Utah State WR
Tabari Hines, Oregon WR
Traveon Samuel, Troy WR
Be sure to go check out my Top 50 fantasy quarterbacks for the 2018 season and be on the lookout for the Top 50 running backs next week.
Also, tune into the CFF: OnCampus Podcast weekly for up to date College Fantasy Football Analysis from Myself, John Laub (@GridironSchol91), and Scott Bogman (@BogmanSports).