John Laub presents the Scholar’s Surreptitious Starters, a look at the top college fantasy football sleepers for Week 13 of the NCAA Football season.
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Quarterback
Kedon Slovis, USC vs. UCLA: O/U 63 & USC -13.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 33%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #123 (298.4 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 33.8 ppg.
After weeks of promoting Kedon Slovis and the Trojans’ aerial assault, it appears that CFF diehards are finally on the bandwagon. The freshman pitcher has been on fire: On the past four games, he has recorded 1,508 yards passing and exceeded the 400-yard barrier three times. Slovis has completed 68% of his passes and tossed 15 touchdowns.
USC harbors dreams of reaching the PAC-12 title game and clearly wants to smash their cross-town rivals this weekend. The Trojans employ an elite passing game in college football, and the depth of skill at the receiver position (Michael Pittman, Jr., Tyler Vaughns and Amon-Ra St. Brown) rivals any unit in the nation. On Saturday, Slovis easily surpasses 350 yards in the air and three touchdowns in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Jake Luton, Oregon State at Washington State: O/U 75 & Washington State -11.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 15%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #118 (278.9 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 29.3 ppg
There is a clear pattern among my CFF QB sleepers this week: The PAC-12 is locked and loaded for fantasy production through the air. Astute CFF owners will procure as many playmakers as possible on the West Coast.
When the matchup is favorable, the Beavers’ Jake Luton has been one of my favorite signal-callers to watch this season for fantasy production. For the season, the senior has recorded a 23:2 TD:INT ratio, passed for 2,306 yards and completed nearly 63% of his throws. As a road underdog, Oregon State will throw the football on nearly every down in the second half against Washington State. If you need a starter, Luton is still available in most leagues for a playoff matchup.
Additional QB Sleepers:
- Tyler Huntley, Utah at Arizona: O/U 58.5 & Utah -23
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 26%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #129 (315.4 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 37 ppg.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Identify the most enticing under-the-radar QB to place into starting lineups in Week 13.
- Bo Nix, Auburn vs. Samford: 14%
- Zac Wilson, BYU at UMass: 16%
- Micale Cunningham, Louisville vs. Syracuse: 18%
- Kedon Slovis, USC vs. UCLA: 52%
John’s Vote: Kedon Slovis
“Tempted to say Z. Wilson because of the obvious UMass factor, but K. Slovis has been really good of late, and his receiver corps is one of the best in the nation.” @CFBWinningEdge
“UMass is a defense that is tough to pass, but Slovis is probably the safer ‘best’ play.” @aceholesrule
“Z. Wilson vs UMass is always tempting, and you could get him in almost all leagues as he is only 14% owned. Where K. Slovis is owned in 33%, but in a savvy league, he is most likely gone.” @JustinNottingh6
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Running Back
Sione Finau, BYU at UMass: O/U 69 & BYU -40.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 11%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #130 (257.9 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 52.4 ppg.
Okay…I admit this is an easy projection for fantasy domination. The Minutemen are “dead last” against the run and bleed fantasy points against opposing running backs each outing. In the past four weeks, Evan Hull, Northwestern (220 yards & 4 TDs), Sandon McCoy, Army (52 yards & 3 TDs), Frankie Hickson, Liberty (99 yards & 3 TDs) and Kevin Mensah, UConn (164 yards & 5 TDs) have all bludgeoned the UMass run defense. The aforementioned competitors are not All-Americans running behind NFL-level offensive linemen.
Who is the next one-week wonder? Sione Finau of the Cougars is this week’s waiver wire running back to start in CFF leagues. It seems that many diehards agree with me. Finau’s ownership jumped 10% overnight on Tuesday when most waiver wire transactions occurred.
At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, the true freshman is quick through the hold and navigates traffic well to reaches the second level of the defense. Injuries have opened the door for Finau, and he has embraced the opportunity. In the last four games, the Cougars have called his number 52 times, and he responded with 332 yards and two touchdowns.
I placed a waiver wire bid for Finau on all four of my remaining playoff teams and acquired him on three. Join me this weekend in rooting for the Cougars to stomp the Minutemen as Finau scores over 20 fantasy points.
Kevin Mensah, UConn vs. ECU: O/U 66 & East Carolina -14
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 36%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #114 (237.5 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 33.1 ppg.
I cannot believe the season as come to end so rapidly. As a UConn season-ticket holder, the last home game of the 2019 campaign unfolds against East Carolina. I am so pumped to go with family and friends to tailgate and enjoy the festivities before the winter consumes the Northeast.
Coach Randy Edsall has a formula for the Huskies’ program and does not differentiate from it often. His teams run the football to control the clock and keep the defense on the sideline. RB Keven Mensah is the heart and soul of the UConn ground game and on pace to record a second 1,000-yard campaign. Over the last three games, he has garnered 69 carries and surpassed over 100 yards rushing in each contest. Mensah earns another 20 carries against the Pirates and reaches the end zone for the tenth time.
Additional RB Sleepers:
- Caleb Huntley, Ball State at Kent State: O/U 65 & Ball State -3.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 26%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #127 (206.3 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 30.9 ppg. - Tra Minter, South Alabama at Georgia State: O/U 57 & Georgia State -9.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 30%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #120 (256.8 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 38 ppg.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Identify the overlooked running back to place into starting lineups in Week 13.
- Aston Walter, Rice vs. North Texas: 4%
- Kevin Mensah, UConn vs. ECU: 20%
- Elijah Collins, Michigan State at Rutgers: 49%
- Javian Hawkins, Louisville vs. Syracuse: 27%
John’s Vote: Elijah Collins
“Expecting Michigan State to take out a lot of frustration vs. Rutgers.” @CFBWinningEdge
“I like E. Collins vs Rutgers. The Spartans need to grind it out this week and next to be bowl eligible…Keep it simple and run the ball.” @JustinNottingh6
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide Receiver
Dillon Stoner, Oklahoma State at West Virginia: O/U 59 & Oklahoma State -7.0
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 26%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #101 (253.9 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 28.5 ppg.
Since Tylan Wallace tore is ACL in practice on October 30, Dillon Stoner has become the alpha male in the Cowboys’ passing game. In two games, the junior has stepped up and latched onto eight passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns, averaging over 30 yards per reception. For the season, Stoner has 33 catches for 475 yards and four touchdowns.
The Mountaineers allow over 250 yards passing per game and have yielded 18 touchdowns in the air. Opponents are committing as many defenders as possible to stop Chuba Hubbard, the nation’s leading rusher, which leaves receivers in favorable matchups downfield. Stoner continues his recent hot streak and attacks the secondary vertically all afternoon.
Just before I submitted my article, Oklahoma State announced that QB Spencer Sanders would miss the final two games of the campaign. Dru Brown, the former Hawaii signal-caller, starts his first game for the Cowboys. Brown tossed 37 touchdowns and passed for over 5,000 in 2016 and 2017. The senior QB is more than capable of finding Stoner down the field.
Tre Nixon, UCF at Tulane: O/U 70 & Central Florida -6.0
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 32%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #40 (206.9 ppg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 25.8 ppg.
In 2017 and 2018, the Knights took a magic carpet ride to national prominence: UCF won back-to-back AAC Championships and posted a 25-1 regular-season record. Unfortunately, the Knights lost quarterback McKenzie Milton for the season and have not replicated their success in 2019.
Luckily for CFF managers, the offense still produces a plethora of fantasy points behind freshman quarterback Dillon Gabriel and a duo of terrific receivers: Gabriel Davis and Tre Nixon. While Davis governs the receiver corps, Nixon is an outstanding playmaker, who is still undervalued. In eight games, he has produced double-digit fantasy points and caught 41 passes for 705 yards and seven touchdowns. If you need a wideout or flex starter, Nixon has a nice floor with a high ceiling this week against Tulane.
Additional WR Sleepers:
- Dazz Newsome, North Carolina vs. Mercer (FCS Opponent)
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 39%
Twitterverse on Fire!
Identify the under-the-radar wide receiver to place into starting lineups in Week 13.
- Semi Fehoko, Stanford vs. California: 13%
- Keylon Stokes, Tulsa vs. Houston: 29%
- JD Spielman, Nebraska at Maryland: 36%
- Aaron Fuller, Washington at Colorado: 22%
John’s Vote: Aaron Fuller
“Anyone vs. Colorado is a good sleeper.” @aceholesrule
“I am actually high on both ECU wide receivers Snead and Johnson vs UConn this week. Both could have a nice day with Mr. November throwing to them.” @JustinNottingh6
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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