John Laub presents the Scholar’s Surreptitious Starters, a look at the top college fantasy football sleepers for Week 7 of the NCAA Football season.
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Quarterback
Justin McMillan, Tulane vs. UConn: O/U 59 & Tulane -34
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 18%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #71 (225.6 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 38.8 ppg.
For nine seasons, I have purchased season tickets to UConn with my best friends and son. It has been difficult watching the Huskies get clobbered over the past three campaigns. Nonetheless, my personal fandom does not matter when looking at matchups. I want an abundance of points from my starters, and UConn opponents have often produced prodigious statistics for CFF diehards.
Justin McMillan continues to impress me this season. He has led the Green Wave to a 4-1 mark, losing only to Auburn on the road. The Senior ranks among the Top 40 quarterbacks in college fantasy football with over 116 points, passing for 811 yards, rushing for 264 and totaling 11 touchdowns.
In the last three games, the Huskies have surrendered 685 yards passing and nine touchdowns to Patrick Ramsey (Indiana), Dillon Gabriel (UCF) and Jordan McCloud (USF)…not an illustrious collection of CFF triggermen. McMillan will assuredly have a stupendous outing versus UConn on Saturday. He is still available in over 80% of leagues: Go grab the Tulane playmaker immediately.
Jacob Eason, Washington at Arizona: O/U 58.5 & Washington -6.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 42%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #128 (336.2 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 29.4 ppg.
When the season kicked off, Jason Eason did not interest me as a CFF asset, and I ranked him lower than many Draftniks among my Devy prospects at the quarterback position. After six weeks, the Huskies’ signal-caller has not changed my opinion.
However, I am open-minded to the possibility of any quarterback providing a boost to my lineup. Eason’s season mirrors the Five Phases of a Business Cycle Curve with Peak performances and Trough outings: He has twice produced over 25 fantasy points with three games under 12 points.
Cole McDonald (378 & 4 TDs), Alan Bowman (307 & 1 TD), Grant Gunnell (352 & 1 TD) and Steve Montez (299 & 1 TD) all easily found open receivers against the Wildcats, and Coach Chris Petersen will surely scheme big plays against the Arizona secondary. There is risk inserting Eason, but I will embrace it after examining the matchup against Arizona
Additional QB Sleepers:
- Josh Love, San Jose State at Nevada: O/U 59 & Nevada -2
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 4%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #111 (275.4 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 39.2 ppg.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Who Ya Got? Identify the most enticing under-the-radar QB to place into starting lineups in Week 7.
- Mitchel Guadagni, Toledo at Bowling Green: 35%
- Ian Book, Notre Dame at USC: 16%
- Mason Fine, North Texas at S. Mississippi: 23%
- Tyler Huntley, Utah at Oregon State: 26%
John’s Vote: Mitchel Guadagni
“I’ll go Book. He has tossed five TDs twice this season, so his ceiling his high.” @aceholesrule
“You have to go with Guadagni, against that weak MAC schedule.” @JustinNottingh6
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Running Back
Deon Jackson, Duke vs. Georgia Tech: O/U 48.5 & Duke -17.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 40%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #128 (245.8 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 30.2 ppg.
All summer I implored college fantasy footballers to draft Deon Jackson, and I heavily invested in the dynamic Blue Devil. Over the first three games, he failed to fulfill my projections, and I even cut him on one of my teams due to bye-week roster constraints.
In the past two games, Jackson has been a fantasy force: He has rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries and snatched seven passes for 92 yards. Luckily, the preseason All-ACC selection remained on the waiver wire, and I seized him again this week. Jackson will become a fantasy asset after Duke lost Brittain Brown for the season and the majority of backfield touches will likely be awarded to Jackson for the remainder of the campaign.
Duke runners have assuredly looked forward to playing against the Yellow Jackets defense. Jackson easily gains over 110 yards from scrimmage and scores for the third consecutive game on Saturday.
Justin Henderson, Louisiana Tech vs. UMass: O/U 60.5 & Louisiana Tech -33
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 17%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #128 (247.3 YPG.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 46.7 ppg.
I keep featuring the Bulldogs’ ball carrier in my weekly columns on Fantrax for CFF owners. Why is he still available on so many waiver wires? There is no reasonable justification for Henderson to be so wildly available. It is an easy deduction to acquire Justin Henderson this week and place him into your lineups.
Since September 14, the redshirt junior ranks among the Top 36 ball carriers in college fantasy football. In his last two games, Henderson has produced over 50 fantasy points with 205 yards rushing, four catches for 27 yards and four touchdowns.
In the last three UMass games, opposing teams have gained 961 yards rushing on 128 carries and scored nine rushing touchdowns. Wow! By kickoff on Saturday, Henderson should be owned in nearly 40% of leagues on Fantrax and inserted into lineups. The matchup foreshadows another bludgeoning ground game against the Minutemen by the Bulldogs.
Additional RB Sleepers:
- Lucious Stanley, UAB at UTSA: O/U 45 & UAB -12.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 14%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #124 (225 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 32.4 - Jordan Cronkrite, USF vs. BYU: O/U 51 & BYU -6.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 23%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #119 (220.8 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 31.2 ppg. - Stevie Scott, Indiana vs. Rutgers: O/U 49.5 & Indiana -28
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 64%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #107 (199 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 36.2 ppg.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Who Ya Got? Identify the sleeper running back to place into starting lineups in Week 7.
- Jason Huntley, New Mexico State at Central Michigan: 13%
- Stevie Scott, Indiana vs. Rutgers: 35%
- Deon Jackson, Duke vs. Georgia Tech: 39%
- DeeJay Dallas, Miami vs. Virginia: 14%
John’s Vote: Deon Jackson
“I have picked up Deon Jackson up in several leagues this week and starting him versus the Yellow Jackets (in) good matchup.” @JustinNottingh6
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide Receiver
Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State vs. Washington State: O/U 58.8 & EVEN
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 38%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #106 (265.8 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 30.6 ppg.
I am so lucky to enjoy my career as a high school teacher after 15 years. On Wednesday, New Haven schools were closed to celebrate Yom Kippur, and I spent the afternoon with my 9-year old daughter at Barnes & Noble. While she looked for a new chapter book to read (she chose a Judy Moody title), I sat down with my coffee and researched college football wide receivers.
With a delicious matchup versus Washington State, Brandon Aiyuk jumped off my iPad screen. His 455 receiving yards are the 24th most in the country, and he averages 19 yards per catch. Among players with over 15 targets, Aiyuk ranks 39th in yards per target at 12.6. He has topped the century mark twice with 140 receiving yards against Kent and 122 versus Colorado. “Just knowing him and really just getting him the ball. He’s a special type of player so it’s just getting him the ball and let him do what he has to do,” quarterback Jayden Daniels affirmed of his beloved playmaker on Arizonasports.com by Tyler Drake.
The Senior has been underappreciated this season and the matchup with the Cougars will provide a great opportunity for Aiyuk to get open deep behind the secondary. I expect the Sun Devils’ speedster to corral at least five passes for over 110 yards and a touchdown on Saturday.
Whop Philyor, Indiana vs. Rutgers: O/U 49.5 & Indiana -28
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 29%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #74 (229.8 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 36.2 ppg.
As a high school teacher, I watch freshmen boys turn into young men over four years. When they graduate, 18-year old males often believe that they have all of the answers in life. I’m sure college coaches see the cockiness when the players first arrive on campus. For some young men, it takes a while to mature and become stars on the gridiron. It appears that Whop Philyor has finally merged talent with maturity to become a weekly CFF luminary.
“They all think they are grown men when they get here but just because you’re 18, it doesn’t make you a grown man. Just learning how to mature, what that really looks like. He’s figured that out, and he’s learned if I want this, I have to go through these steps to get it…you can tell he loves playing football. He can run, and he’s not scared. He’s smaller in frame, but he’s not scared to go against anybody,” Indiana receivers’ Coach Grant Heard stated in the goshennews.com by Kevin Brockway.
Against Michigan State two weeks ago, Philyor dominated a hard-hitting defense with 14 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Philyor leads the team in targets (44), target share (27%) and yards (371), and he has seen five red-zone targets for the Hoosiers. For the season, he has corralled 31 passes and scored three times. I love the matchup against the Scarlet Knights, but there is a risk that the game script favors the run game. I’ll roll the dice and insert the junior from Tampa, Florida in my lineups.
Additional WR Sleeper:
- Jaelon Darden, North Texas at Southern Mississippi: O/U 58.5 & S. Mississippi -3.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 13%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #108 (267 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 30.4 ppg.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Who Ya Got? Identify the sleeper wide receiver to place into starting lineups in Week 7.
- Tre Walker, San Jose State at Nevada: 18%
- Darnell Mooney, Tulane vs. UConn: 27%
- Dante Wright, Colorado St. at New Mexico: 18%
- Ja’Marr Chase, LSU vs. Florida: 37%
John’s Vote: Darnell Mooney
“Ja’Marr Chase doesn’t leave my lineup! Dante Wright is also a good choice!” @realRYNOS
Are you on board with John’s Week 7 College Fantasy Football Sleepers? Then you’ll probably appreciate his CFF Waiver Wire Recommendations.
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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