In devy leagues, we are all looking for not only the generational talents at the collegiate level that will be NFL stars when they go pro, but we are also looking for the hidden gems that go under the radar but will be league winners someday. While generational talents like D.J. Uiagalelei, Bijan Robinson, and Kayshon Boutte are all well known in the fantasy community this article will try to determine breakout players based on their on-field play and analytical profiles.
When looking at this data for small sample sizes, most teams have only played one game thus far, we have to take this data with a grain of salt. It is very difficult to recognize exactly if a player who ran for over 200 yards and three TDs was able to do so by winning their matchups, or if their team simply outmatched their opponent at every position.
With this in mind, we will be shifting this article from “Devy Breakouts of the Week” to “Devy Breakouts of the Month”. This will likely limit the number of pseudo breakouts that we see. It is also important to remember that in-season you cannot acquire devy players that are not rostered. Therefore, this series will have a strong emphasis on the trade value of assumed rostered devy players.
DEVY BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE MONTH – AUGUST
We expected this player to breakout and even beat out a first-round caliber quarterback as a true freshman. Nick Saban admitted that Bryce Young was a more talented quarterback than Mac Jones this offseason, but the decision to start Mac Jones came down to his control of the locker room. We cannot argue with Saban’s reasoning as he is coming off yet another National Championship. Alabama played against the 14th ranked Miami team so cannot chalk this up to a lack of talent on the other side of the ball. Bryce Young led Alabama to a dominant week one victory.
Young completed 27 of his 38 passes in his first career start, good for an average of 71.1% completion percentage. He turned those 38 attempts into 344 yards and four TDs. Those are good for an average of 9.1 yards per attempt and a touchdown ratio over 10.5%. These statistics equate to a 94.2 QBR (quarterback rating) and a 181-college quarterback rating. This was the best first start for an Alabama quarterback in program history.
These numbers are not better than Tua Tagovailoa’s 2018 season or Mac Jones 2020 seasons, what made Young stick out is the four first-round wide receivers that were on those respective teams that were not at Young’s disposal. Also, seeing how Young was accumulating these statistics was the most impressive part. He moved in the pocket magically, combining his natural speed with strong decision-making and choosing not to scramble when there were bigger plays to be made through the air as shown in this clip on a pass to John Metchie.
Young’s mobility in the pocket and his decision-making were electric in his first start. However, we did see the red flag in his size, standing at a reported 6’0 and 194 lbs. this equates to a BMI of just 26.3. Young certainly has time to add to his frame, but he may not be able to bulk up given his smaller stature. This played out in the game where a Miami defender sacked Young and forced a fumble. Even with that blemish on his resume, Young’s start has him as the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman in 2021. I advised readers to buy-low in Young in an article released in March of 2020 and it is likely too late to gain value in acquiring Young, who you could argue as the devy QB1 due to his combination of passing acumen and mobility.
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