Each week I will bring you the latest updates and NFL buzz surrounding college players that should prove to be integral to future fantasy success. I will utilize recent statistics, performance and film, and general “front office whispers” to compile the intel I share with you. My hope is to provide you with a leg up on your opponents. You will know which devy players to target in trades and/or in what range of draft picks (both NFL and fantasy drafts) you can expect these players to be selected. If you want to read last week’s article, click here.
Week 13 of the college football season is now in the books and with the first week of College Football Playoff rankings, each of the consensus top four escaped the week unscathed. Sarah Fuller became the first woman in history to play in a Power Five football game, as she kicked off for Vanderbilt. We also saw the record for TDs in a game get matched and nearly broken. Let’s unpack this exciting Week 13 slate of games and check the stocks of some of our favorite college players!
TRENDING UP
Jermar Jefferson – RB – Oregon State
A player who nearly made this feature article for me last week, Jermar Jefferson put up another big performance that I certainly could not ignore this week. Jefferson ran for 226 yards and two rushing TDs against rival #15 Oregon and added two receptions for nine yards in Oregon State’s upset win. Jefferson essentially put the Beavers on his back en route to running over what many believed was the best defense in the Pac-12.
Jefferson displays vision, acceleration, balance, and a willingness to finish runs. He has shown to be a capable receiver and is the biggest threat the Beavers have, that every team aims to shut down each game. In just four games this season, he has amassed 675 rushing yards on 91 carries for a 7.8 yards-per-carry average with seven rushing TDs. Jefferson looks the part of a feature back at the next level and has proven he can dominate some of the highest levels of college competition. If the junior chooses to declare this season, he should be a day two pick in April and a mid-late first-round pick based on landing spot in dynasty rookie drafts.
Isaiah Spiller – RB – Texas A&M
Another runner that carried his team on his back this weekend was Isaiah Spiller. After a brief rough stretch, Spiller has been picking up steam the past few games. While Kellon Mond proved inept on Saturday, Spiller toted the rock 27 times for 141 yards and a rushing TD, nearly single-handedly defeating LSU. He showed off the hands a little bit as well, adding two receptions for an additional 17 yards.
Spiller has outstanding size at 6’1” and 220 lbs and has the speed to break away from defenders. Through seven games this season, he has run for 784 yards and a 6.0 yards-per-carry average with six touchdowns, all against a formidable SEC schedule. Spiller has been playing his way up the ranks over the last five games, as I had hoped he would do after a disappointing showing against Alabama. He should be considered one of the top three RBs in the 2022 draft class.
DeMarvin Leal – DT/DE – Texas A&M
Former five-star recruit DeMarvin Leal demolished LSU on Saturday, leading the Aggies in an impressive defensive performance. Leal recorded seven tackles, with five solos and two TFLs. Leal essentially shut down LSU’s running game, which finished as a team with 36 rushing yards on 25 total attempts. On the year, Leal has produced 22 tackles with 11 solos, 1.5 sacks, five TFLs, three passes deflected, one fumble recovery, and an interception with a 43-yard return.
Leal is a player that has incredible size and versatility and projects to be a 3-4 defensive end or a 4-3 under defensive tackle at the next level. At 6’4” and 290 lbs, it is incredible the amount of range and athleticism he possesses. He gives great effort on every play and is playing his way into early-round draft pick consideration when he becomes eligible in 2022.
TRENDING DOWN
CJ Verdell – RB – Oregon
Oregon junior RB CJ Verdell has continually seen his touches reduced each game this season in favor of backfield-mate Travis Dye. This past Friday, Verdell had just ten touches in the upset loss to Oregon State, finishing with nine carries for 36 yards and adding one reception for 14 yards. For those of us hoping to see the “next step” taken by Verdell in what we assumed was his final college season, we have been enduring disappointment.
Travis Dye has not only taken a large chunk of Verdell’s touches, but he has also looked like the more explosive runner through four games this year. Verdell’s hopes of stacking a third 1000 yard season in a row and carrying that momentum into the NFL Draft this April is now out of the question. He has just 277 yards on a career-low 4.0 yards-per-carry average, with just a few games left to play. Once viewed as a third or fourth-round pick in the offseason, Verdell seems to have fallen to a mid-to-late day three draft pick.
Bo Nix – QB – Auburn
Any hopes that anyone had for Bo Nix to develop into a competent passer at the next level have probably come and gone after Auburn’s most recent loss in the Iron Bowl. Nix finished the loss to Alabama with 227 passing yards and two INTs on 23-of-38 passing. Known primarily for his rushing acumen in his dual-threat approach, Nix rushed nine times for a net loss of one yard.
Through almost two full seasons now, Nix looks like a signal-caller that struggles to get through progressions and make the accurate throws necessary to succeed in the NFL. This was a player I had high hopes for during the beginning of his freshman season, but now I do not feel like he is worth owning in devy leagues or worth drafting in fantasy leagues in the future, regardless of whether or not he hears his name called in the 2022 or 2023 NFL Draft.
Hamilcar Rashed Jr. – LB – Oregon State
After posting a dominating junior season, in which he nearly led the nation in TFLs, Hamilcar Rashed Jr. has been a huge disappointment thus far in his senior campaign. The big plays we grew accustomed to seeing last season appear to be a thing of that past. Rashed Jr. posted just five tackles with four solos in the win against #15 Oregon on Friday. This was a tremendous opportunity for him on a national stage to make some splash plays and stand out, but unfortunately, he did not.
Through four games this season, Rashed Jr. has just 14 tackles, 12 solos, with one TFL. That is all. While he is certainly receiving more attention from offensive blocking schemes, Rashed Jr. will need to step up his game immensely and start producing the big plays we saw during his sophomore and junior seasons if he hopes to reclaim his draft stock. I could see him falling to the late fourth, fifth round, or later in the NFL Draft this April if he does not create any impact plays or turnovers over these last few games.
SMALL SCHOOL PLAYER TO WATCH
Jaret Patterson – RB – Buffalo
While he has already been featured twice in the last three weeks in this portion of my article, I would be remiss not to mention him after his eight, yes, EIGHT rushing TD performance this weekend. Patterson pulverized the Kent State Golden Flashes for 409 rushing yards with those eight TDs on 36 carries. He would have scored nine or ten TDs had his coach allowed him to and certainly would have also set the single-game rushing record.
Patterson does not possess next-level speed, so he will not go any earlier than the fourth round of the NFL Draft, but performances like these, blended with his persistent dominance since he arrived at Buffalo, should lend him an opportunity to earn an early-down role for an NFL team.
Since I feel like I cheated featuring Jaret Patterson again this week, let’s review our previous small school players that have been featured earlier this season and see how they performed this week:
Malik Willis – QB – Liberty: 16-of-24 passing for 223 yards, three TDs; seven rushes for 63 yards and a rushing TD vs UMass.
Spencer Brown – RB – UAB: Game Cancelled; 156 carries for 740 yards and ten TDs with five receptions for 35 yards on the season through seven games.
Jonathan Adams Jr. – WR – Arkansas State: nine receptions for 138 yards and two TDs vs South Alabama.
Jaelon Darden – WR – North Texas: Eight receptions for 143 yards and one TD vs Texas-San Antonio.
Sincere McCormick – RB – UTSA: 23 carries for 251 yards and two TDs with one reception for three yards vs. North Texas.
Austin Watkins – WR – UAB: Game Cancelled: 34 receptions for 468 yards and three TDs on the season through seven games.
Grayson McCall – QB – Coastal Carolina: 11-of-18 passing for 154 yards, two TDs; four rushes for 25 yards vs. Texas State.
PREVIOUS WEEKS’ DRAFT STOCK WATCH
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