John Laub presents the Scholar’s Surreptitious Starters, a look at the top college fantasy football sleepers for Week 3 of the NCAA Football season.
College Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 3
Quarterback
Tyrrell Pigrome, Western Kentucky at Liberty: O/U 52.5 & WKU -14.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 14%
Against a powerful Louisville team on the road last week, Tyrrell Pigrome made his Western Kentucky debut. The Hilltoppers could not match Louisville’s offensive proficiency and fell 35-21. The former Terrapin carried 17 times, gaining 68 yards, and passed for 129 yards, including a touchdown.
While not a memorable performance, Pigrome flashed fantasy upside as a dual-threat signal caller. Saturday’s matchup against Liberty will be smooth sailing for the Hilltoppers’ offense, and Pigrome easily scores over 20 fantasy points with his arms and legs.
Grant Wells, Marshall vs. Appalachian State: O/U 59 & Marshall +4.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 38%
Two weeks ago, Marshall trounced FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky 59-0. Normally, I would not have sought noteworthy intelligence from such a lopsided game. Nevertheless, QB Grant Wells started his first game as the leader of the Thundering Herd, illustrating a strong arm and future fantasy goodness. At 6’2” and 210-pounds, the redshirt freshman resolutely stood in the pocket and completed 16 of 23 passes for 307 yards and four aerial strikes.
Clearly, Appalachian State provides a more difficult challenge for the first-year pitcher and the Marshall passing game on Saturday. Vegas calculates nearly four touchdowns for the Thundering Herd, and game script states that Wells will be throwing often in the second half, which foretells another productive afternoon. Start the ascending Marshall luminary with confidence this weekend.
Twitter on Fire!
Who are you most interested in starting in lineups as a quarterback sleeper?
- Asher O’Hara, MTSU vs. Troy: 28%
- Tyrrell Pigrome, WKU vs. Liberty: 36%
- Gunnar Watson, Troy at MTSU: 25%
- Other, please post below: 11%
“Week 1 was a disaster, but we still project Asher O’Hara as a top-five QB on a weekly basis.” @CFFWinningEdge
Running Back
Tyjae Spears, Tulane at Navy: O/U 49 & Tulane -7.0
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 12%
When college football fans last saw Navy, the Midshipmen were bludgeoned by BYU 55-0 at home. It still sends shudders down my spine when thinking that Navy surrendered 301 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground…OMG!
Last Saturday, Tulane trailed South Alabama 24-6 in the third quarter before scoring three unanswered touchdowns, netting the victory. For the first time, redshirt freshman Tyjae Spears started in the backfield and earned the most carries (11) while surpassing the 100-yard barrier. He also snatched two passes for 30 yards. A three-down back, Spears excels in many roles. “Spears is a tough, hard-nosed competitor. He is as good a blocker as we’ve got. I love everything about him, and he’s only going to get better,” coach Willie Fritz said (nola.com).
Navy has turned the page after the clubbing and implemented full-contact practices following non-hitting drills before the BYU contest. Despite the changes, the matchup screams Tulane dominance in the ground game, and Spears should find holes in the defense, fabricating fantasy points for shrewd CFF coaches.
Brock Sturges and Calvin Hill, Texas State vs. UL-Monroe: O/U 62 & Texas State -5.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 44% and 15%
After two games, the Bobcats are a perplexing team, losing both contests but scoring an abundance of points. Despite often playing from behind, the ground game has been productive as coach Jake Spavital has remained committed to it.
The backfield duo of Brock Sturges and Calvin Hill have combined for 322 yards rushing, six catches for 89 yards and four touchdowns. On Saturday, Texas State travels to UL-Monroe and face a front seven that surrendered 436 rushing yards and five touchdowns to Army last week.
A sophomore, Sturges signed originally with Arizona State before redshirting in 2018. At Butler Community College last year, he rushed for over 1,000 yards, scored nine touchdowns, and ranked among the Top Four JUCO runners by ESPN.
While Sturges carries Thor’s hammer into combat, Hill slices through opponents using the speed force. At 5’7” and 168-pounds, the redshirt freshman averages 6.9 ypc. on 23 attempts for 158 yards. Both Bobcats runners can provide backfield depth for CFF owners in 2020 and are nice emergency starters this weekend.
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CFF Diehards are already scrambling for backfield assistance: Who are you starting at running back this weekend?
- Jamale Carothers, Navy at Tulane: 7%
- Gerrid Doaks, Cincinnati vs. Austin Peay: 47%
- Trey Ragas, Louisiana at Georgia State: 30%
- Other, please post below: 16%
Wide Receivers
Danny Gray, SMU at North Texas: O/U 69 & SMU -14
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 19%
The Mustangs are loaded at wide receiver with Reggie Roberson, Jr., Rashee Rice and Danny Gray. Among the trio, Gray is still widely available in CFF leagues.
At Blinn College last year, Gray paced the team in receptions with 54 for 877 yards and eight touchdowns. He earned First Team honors Southwest Junior College Football Conference and ranked as the No. 2 JUCO wideout by 247Sports.com. He chose SMU over Baylor, TCU, Auburn and other top programs.
In his first game as a member of the Mustangs, the 6’1” and 180-pounder made an immediate impact, catching four passes for 72 yards. “Gray has been the most solid player maybe this entire fall camp…He’s going to have a great year. Danny’s just a really uniquely talented football player, works incredibly hard, has a great attitude every day and loves playing football, and is probably the fastest college football player I’ve ever seen…He’s going to be an exciting player for us,” coach Sonny Dykes stated (247Sports.com).
Run to the waiver wire and acquire the former JUCO star immediately.
Tyquan Thornton, Baylor vs. Houston: O/U 62.5 & Baylor -4.0
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 69%
The Houston-Baylor contest did not get scheduled until last week and CFF fanatics, like myself, are thrilled. After one of the best seasons in team history last year, there are many changes in the football offices and on the field. Former coach Matt Rhule moved to Carolina to manage the Panthers, and WR Denzel Mims is now employed by the Jets.
Baylor looked to the National Champion LSU staff and tapped defense coordinator Dave Aranda to take over the team. Afterward, Aranda hired Larry Fedora as offensive coordinator, who orchestrated explosive offenses at Southern Mississippi and North Carolina. “I’m excited about coach Fedora joining our staff as offensive coordinator. Larry has a track record of explosive, prolific offenses. He will do a great job of spreading the ball around and making the defense have to defend every blade of grass,” Aranda said (baylorbears.com).
With senior QB Charlie Brewer and four starters along the offensive line returning, Fedora’s passing game will take flight against the Cougars. Tyquan Thornton steps into the alpha-dog role at Baylor. At 6’3” and 180 pounds, the Miami native is fleet-footed and easily soars past Houston defenders for over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Twitter on Fire!
Need help at finding a WR sleeper: Who are CFF owners placing in their lineups?
- Tim Jones, Southern Mississippi vs. Louisiana Tech: 22%
- Tyquan Thornton, Baylor vs. Houston: 39%
- Thomas Hennigan, Appalachian State at Marshall: 35%
- Other, please post below: 4%
I love to play CFB Cash Games on DraftKings and will provide a Fantastic Four of options to anchor your roster construction each week on the Saturday main slate. Enjoy the games the weekend!
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