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 Seven of the college football season saw five more ranked opponents take an “L”. I think we can definitively say that SEC defense is a thing of the past now after watching all of these high scoring affairs. The BIG10 conference will finally be joining the season looking ahead in Week Eight, but for now, we will examine this past weekend’s player performances and draft stocks.
TRENDING UP
Najee Harris – RB – Alabama
After being slowed by the only stout defense he faced two weeks ago in Texas A&M, Najee Harris has run rampant through the last two SEC foes he has faced, including Georgia’s number one nationally ranked defense. Harris churned out 152 rushing yards and a TD on 31 carries and added a reception for ten yards in his team’s statement win over Georgia this Saturday. Harris has now run for 358 yards and six TDs on 54 carries the last two games, having trounced Ole Miss the week prior. Harris has also shown improvement as a receiver this season.
Harris has asserted himself as the without-a-doubt number two running back in this draft, behind Travis Etienne. Expect to see him drafted early in day two of the 2021 NFL Draft and as an early first-round pick in fantasy rookie drafts.
Javonte Williams – RB – UNC
In a losing effort, North Carolina’s Javonte Williams had a solid afternoon against a still legitimate Florida State defense. Williams rushed for 119 yards and one TD on 18 carries and added three receptions for 67 yards and a TD through the air. After a stellar sophomore season, in which he ran for nearly 1000 yards on a 5.6 yards-per-carry average, Williams has shown improvement in his second season as a starter. He displays the ability to be a dual-threat running back looking competent as a receiver and looking stronger running inside.
Williams is a junior and could elect to enter this coming NFL Draft but will most likely stay in school to avoid a loaded 2021 RB draft class. If he continues to build on the improvements he has shown, he could become a day two pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and land as a top-five RB for that draft class. Williams is a guy who is still undervalued and can be acquired for relatively cheap in devy leagues. When he declares in 2022, he will most likely be a second-round rookie pick in dynasty drafts.
Carlos Basham – DE – Wake Forest
Carlos “Boogie” Basham led his team to a statement win over Virginia in a must-win game for the Demon Deacons. He tallied six total tackles, four solos, one sack, and one TFL. Basham extended his consecutive games with a TFL to 22 straight games, and he continues to show why he is a first-round talent.
A player who could have easily opted-out from this season, Basham’s competitiveness, genuine love for the game, and his teammates led him to play out his senior season. It looks to have paid off tremendously, as he has continued to play his way up the draft board. Basham looks to be a lock as a top-15 draft pick provided he can stay healthy. He should be a second-round pick in IDP rookie drafts in 2021.
TRENDING DOWN
Bo Nix – QB – Auburn
Auburn signal-caller Bo Nix started the season with a strong performance in a dominant win against Kentucky a month ago but has since regressed. He looked the part of an accomplished passer that opening game, going through multiple reads several times and taking what the defense gave him. In his most recent three games played, Nix has thrown just two TDs and four INTs, highlighted by this weekend’s three-INT performance in a disappointing loss to South Carolina.
Nix is just a sophomore and, with his rushing acumen, offers exciting potential for an NFL franchise. However, Nix is nowhere near a finished product and needs a large amount of development in awareness and reading defenses. There is still plenty of time, and for these reasons, he should stay in school as long as he can.
Ian Book – QB – Notre Dame
There is no denying that Ian Book will go down as a winner in many scouts’ lists of attributes. The problem is that he will also be categorized as that defining phrase no QB ever wants tagged to their name: “game-manager”. Book led the Irish to another win over Louisville this past weekend. Against a very exploitable defense, he mustered just 106 passing yards on 11-of-19 passing. He did, however, rush for a TD. Notre Dame leaned on their trenches, as usual, powering their run game to 232 rushing yards and holding an exciting Louisville offense to under 100 rushing yards.
Book is a great steward of the football, but he really has never flashed as a passer. While he has leadership skills that are desired, he simply doesn’t do enough to win games at the next level. I feel he has career-back-up written all over him.
Richard LeCounte – S – Georgia
As I mentioned earlier, Georgia rolled into the weekend sporting the best defense in the nation and was primed for a stand-off against perennial powerhouse rival Alabama. This was a tremendous opportunity for Richard LeCounte to stand out and establish himself as a late day one or early day two NFL draft pick. Instead, Alabama’s offense did as they pleased, lead by the aforementioned performance of Najee Harris on the ground and QB Mac Jones’ 417 passing yards and 4 TDs.
LeCounte did record five tackles, with one TFL, but he did not make many plays on the ball. As a player known as a ball-hawk and a penchant for headhunting receivers, this game went down as a missed opportunity for LeCounte. He will still be one of the first three safeties off the board in the 2021 draft, but he may have to wait until the middle of the second round to hear his name called.
SMALL SCHOOL PLAYER TO WATCH
No new small school players stood out this weekend. However, every previous player I have listed as a “small school player to watch” that played this weekend posted a great performance. I will recount each of their performances briefly here:
Jaelon Darden – WR – North Texas – 10 receptions, 204 yards, 1 TD
Sincere McCormick – RB – UTSA – 18 carries, 133 yards
Austin Watkins – WR – UAB – 7 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD
Grayson McCall – QB – Coastal Carolina – 202 yards, 2 TD, 11 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD
Jonathan Adams Jr. – WR – Arkansas State – 15 receptions, 177 yards, 2 TDs
PREVIOUS WEEKS’ DRAFT STOCK WATCH
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