Devy Analysis
The Memphis Tigers have produced some very dynamic players over the last three years. Darrell Henderson, Tony Pollard, and Antonio Gibson are in the NFL with the potential to be home-run threats for their teams at the running back position. The most potential impactful player at the next level from Memphis is eligible for the NFL Draft after the 2021 season. His name is Kenneth Gainwell. Gainwell is 5’11” 191 and a former three-star recruit. Gainwell was a wildcat quarterback in high school and rushed for 4,730 yards on 501 attempts. He was recruited by Arkansas State, Idaho, Ole Miss, and Tulane. Ultimately, Gainwell decided to play for the Memphis Tigers. He started his career at Memphis with a few carries but was ultimately red-shirted as a freshman.
One receiver that is not always mentioned but has the potential to be a first-round talent when he declares is Jaylen Waddle. Below will show why he should be highly valued in devy drafts and why he can be a valued asset when he makes it to the NFL. A four-star recruit from Episcopal in Bellaire, Texas. Waddle stands at 5’10 183 pounds. Waddle has two years of production going into his Junior year. He has appeared in 28 games, racking up 78 receptions for 1408 yards and 13 touchdowns.
In the next few years, some very talented running backs will be declaring for the NFL Draft. When they declare, it is anyone’s guess with everything up in the air during the worldwide pandemic. While players like Chubba Hubbard, Travis Etienne, and others get the spotlight because of their talents, other talented running backs remain under the radar. This ACC Devy Spotlight will turn the focus on Louisville running back Javian Hawkins.
Pooka’s ability to create yards after the catch will be why he continues to rise up the rankings. Don’t sleep on this kid to be an early to mid-round pick in the NFL Draft when he decides to declare. Williams could prove to be worth rostering in devy and dynasty leagues because of the electric plays he can create. With a loaded 2021 running back class, Williams should be considered a sleeper if he declares. If he chooses to stay one more year, Pooka Williams could have a bigger spotlight in the 2022 NFL Draft and is someone to keep an eye on as his career continues.
The 2020 College football season could not happen. It’s the harsh reality we live in with a worldwide pandemic. With that said, this is the perfect time to get ahead of your league mates and understand the great prospects eligible in 2022. Now, not all of these players will declare. It is not known what to expect with eligibility if no fall sports occur. However, these potential impact players at the wide receiver position are the future regardless of the year they declare. This Devy WR Outlook only includes players who will become eligible in 2022.
Devy rankings by nature are volatile, the most volatile of any rankings within fantasy football. Which games in this upcoming season will players gain the most value and where will some players lose the most value? In this article, we will look at the pivotal games for these players draft stock, as well as give devy owners a road map of which games to circle on their calendar in order to keep a pulse of the devy scene.
Every year top college players graduate, move to the NFL, and transfer. In their wake, they leave a spot behind on their former team for new players to step in and shine. So, here are some players to watch for the (potential at this point) 2020 college football season. The four guys mentioned below have a gift-wrapped opportunity to increase their draft stock and devy prospects.
D’Eriq King accounted for a combined 50 TDs in 2018. In his last full season in Houston, he also threw only six INTs: only 1.7% of his total attempts. King shut his season down after Houston started 1-3 which made him eligible immediately in the 2020 transfer portal. Standing at 5’11” and 195 lbs. King has a build that will make NFL teams hesitant to draft him as a franchise quarterback. However, a strong season in Miami could sway his value significantly at the next level. King also has the athleticism to play in an offensive threat position this year at Miami and progress as a slot receiver or running back at the NFL level like Randall Cobb or Antwaan Randle El.
In the first part of this first look at the 2023 running backs, I briefly broke down my top five running backs in the incoming freshman class. Depending on the number of devy prospects owned in your league, there’s a great chance that all five of those backs will be selected in your drafts. This next group of five will likely only be taken in deeper leagues, if at all.
With devy drafts coming up, we are going to explore the players with the highest ceilings, floors, and some dark horses who could make a difference on dynasty fantasy teams in the upcoming years. Whether you are in rebuild mode or a strong contender, if you plan on using your devy draft picks then your strategy is relatively the same. Always take the best player available, always take a sure thing over a wildcard, and always stay up to date with the DFF Devy Team.
Drafting a freshman running back is a mixed bag, but when they hit, it can position a team very nicely for the future (see 2017 recruiting class). The incoming freshman class has a few guys who I’m willing to take a chance on.
“Son, you gotta get bigger, you gotta get stronger, and you gotta get faster!” Every football player at every level has heard these words countless times.
Each year, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic procures a list of the freak athletes in college football. This list has proven to be incredibly useful for fantasy football, an actionable piece of information.
#1 JR, LB, Micah Parsons, Penn State
Parsons led the team in tackles as a true freshman (82) and wasn’t a full-time starter. A year later he was that starter and led the team again (109) while becoming a complete impact linebacker. Along with his 109 tackles, he added 14 tackles for a loss, five sacks, four forced fumbles, and five pass breakups.
The science of drafting QBs by NFL teams is suspect at best, thus identifying successful QB prospects has even more difficulties. Even the art of selecting and developing quarterback prospects are questionable to the naked eye. Here we will try to identify quarterback prospects who have gigantic potential returns that are still readily available, across devy fantasy leagues.
There are a lot of great wide receivers in college football right now, despite losing what has been said as the deepest wide receiver class in recent history this year. Ja’Marr Chase had the best statistical season in 2019, and I don’t think it would be wise to argue that. However, there is someone else who can be a generational talent both in college football and the NFL.
The Oregon Ducks have one of the best up and coming defenses in college football. Even losing such a high caliber player such as senior linebacker Troy Dye to the NFL Draft, the cupboard is far from bare in Eugene. The Ducks have some super talented young pieces that they will build around and keep them in the hunt, for not only a PAC-12 Championship each year but a BCS Playoff spot as well. Let’s take a look at the stars that will carry this team over the next two to three years.
Every year, recruits enter the college game and our devy radar. While it is risky to select a player before seeing them on a college field, it’s super satisfying owning someone as a freshman, then watching that player score points for you on Sundays. Other positions are different, but when I see “it” in a high school quarterback, I don’t hesitate to select said player in my devy drafts. Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, two of the highest-rated recruits in 24/7 history, still fell in devy drafts due to their age despite showing “it”.
One of the biggest surprises of this past January in the devy community was Travis Etienne’s decision to return to school. It is obviously a shock to many that a running back as accomplished as Etienne would make the announcement that he was returning to Clemson for his senior year. With this decision, however, Travis Etienne re-enters the devy pool and is definitely someone we should all be intimately familiar with by the time the 2021 NFL Draft rolls around next April.
In high school, wide receiver prospects can jump off the page when they go up and win a jump ball over a DB, burn coverage down the field with speed, show elusiveness in the open field, or run over a would-be tackler. Very rarely, however, does one player possess a skill set that enables them to consistently do all of the above. Let me introduce you to a prospect who does, Julian Fleming. Fleming is a 6’2”, 200 lbs. WR from Catawissa, PA, and is committed to playing at Ohio State, starting next year.
The Georgia Bulldogs ended National Signing day with the #1 ranked overall class and the #1 SEC class, according to 247 Sports Composite. The Bulldogs were able to hold off the serious challenges by Alabama and Clemson. While there are still a few prospects to sign, it looks as if Georgia wan the 2020 race! Let’s take a closer look at the defensive prospects that have committed to them in this class.
This is the final round of a three-round mock draft highlighting the top talent of the 2021 and 2022 classes for superflex dynasty leagues.
One of the hottest names in college football recruiting at the moment is Zachary Evans, an RB from North Shore, Texas. Evans is ranked as the #2 running back and #16 overall player in the country according to 247Sports. He had recently committed to the University of Georgia but has since decommitted and opened up his recruitment again. His commitment is one of the hottest topics in CFB recruiting at the moment, and everyone is interested to see where such a talented player will end up.
If you missed round one of my Superflex Devy mock, it can be found here. Round one was loaded with talent, and round two isn’t much different. This is the second round of a three-round mock draft highlighting the top talent of the 2021 and 2022 classes.
With the declaration deadline officially passing, now seems more than fitting for a Superflex Devy mock draft. The next two classes have an abundance of talent. This is just the first round of a three-round mock draft highlighting the top talent of the 2021 and 2022 classes.
For the 2020 class to live up to the hefty expectations placed upon them by devy communities, it requires the necessary guys to declare. Fortunately for the owners who mortgaged their future for this class, those pieces are falling into place. This class contains a few running back prospects who have the potential to be RB1s and league winners for multiple years. One of these running backs is Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor. Taylor enters the pre-draft process as a tier-one RB and my RB2.