QB Josh Nesbitt (thanks Icon SMI)

What an Up and Down season already for the ACC. This past weekend brought some serious surprises; some good, some bad. I don’t think anyone would have imagined FSU and Miami playing the way they did considering the momentum that each team had heading into the weekend. I don’t think anyone imagined Russell Wilson still finding a way to put up 4 TDs on Pittsburgh, who has one of the best defenses in the nation thus far this season. Either way, let’s get to slapping on some helmet stickers for those that decided to show up and play true football this past Saturday.

Quarterback

 As I already mentioned, NC States Russell Wilson has been by far the most consistent and truly noteworthy quarterback in the ACC this season. Going into Saturday, he had back-to-back 4 TD performances and no one would have thought he could have continued the trend, especially against Pittsburgh. Well he found a way as he went 21 for 35 for 322 yards, 4 TDs and also ran for 91 yards on 10 carries. That places him in the top 5 in the nation in terms of fantasy QBs, let alone the ACC. Wake Forrest continues to see more production out of Riley Skinner as he threw 25 balls for 354 yards and 2 TDs. We also have a couple newcomers to the fantasy football world. Georgia Tech’s Josh Nesbitt didn’t throw for a whole lot (7 for 89 yards) but he got his legs moving as he ran for 97 yards and found the end zone twice. Boston College’s resident grandfather, Dave Shinskie, also had a breakout performance as well as he went 18 for 29 for 228 yards and 3 TDs against only 1 interception.

Running back

 The running backs in the ACC continue to put up elite numbers, as expected. Clemson’s CJ Spiller makes another appearance on my list for his 112 yards and TD on 26 carries, as well as his 79 yards receiving on only 3 receptions. Georgia Tech finally got Jonathon Dwyer’s tires going as he carried the ball 19 times for 158 yards. He still has only 1 TD on the season which is a bit concerning, but it is still a little early in the season yet. NC State’s Tony Baker continues to impress as he rushed for 81 yards and a score on 18 carries and he also caught 3 balls for 71 yards and a score as well. Virginia Tech continues to see massive output from their redshirt freshman, Ryan Williams, as he rushed for 150 yards and 2 TDs on 34 carries and caught 2 passes for 40 yards on Miami’s defense, which is the same defense that held FSU and GT to under 100 yards rushing each. Duke has found a couple of guys that could really get their ground game going. Desmond Scott rushed for 100 yards and a score on 16 carries and Patrick Kurunwune racked up 93 yards and a score on 14 carries. Watch these guys in the next couple weeks as they could be some diamonds in the rough!

Wide Receiver

 With all of the passing yards and TDs this past weekend, you would expect some gaudy numbers for the receivers as well. Trouble is that most of the yardage and scores were really well distributed around each team, so there weren’t too many guys with great games; just a lot of guys with good games. However, I did manage to find a few and I suggest grabbing these guys if you haven’t already as they are going to only get better as the season continues. I mentioned UNC receiver Erik Highsmith last week. Well he is on the list again this week as he caught 6 passes for 107 yards and a TD. Wake Forrest may have finally found their replacement for DJ Boldin in Marshall Williams as he caught 12 passes for 180 yards and a TD. Lastly, Duke Receiver Donavon Varner had a breakout performance as he hauled in 6 catches for 76 yards and 2 TDs. 

 Now we really get to see things heat up in the ACC as almost all teams will be facing conference opponents this weekend. This is where boys become men, where pups become hounds, and where the ladies take their clothes off!? Nix that last one. Let’s take a peak at the league action and figure out where your best bets are.

Most Fantasy Impact in a negative way:

Virginia Tech at Duke – Coming off of their huge division win last week over the Hurricanes, Tech is going to look to establish an early lead in this one and hope they can ride the cruise control. I expect Ryan Williams to run all over Duke in this one in a game that will be won by 21. Stay away from any Duke player this week.

Oklahoma at Miami – The Canes are still licking their wounds from their beat down in Blacksburg. They will look to rebound against a top 5 rated team. The only issue is that Oklahoma is playing solid ball, especially on defense right now, and it looks like Sam Bradford could get some playing time this weekend. Expect this one to be a defensive slugfest that will be a low scoring game settled by 7 points or less.

Virginia at UNC – The Tar Heels are none too happy that they let last years score get flipped on them this year against Georgia Tech. They only allowed 7 points against GT last year and unfortunately that was all they scored against them this year. Look for the defense to pick it up this weekend and really put it to a struggling Virginia team that is still trying to find their identity.

Most Fantasy Impact in a positive way:

Clemson at Maryland – This is the week that you Clemson player owners have been waiting for. Clemson travels to Maryland to play a Terrapins team that can’t seem to do anything right. The offensive line has more issues than Tim Conway, their running game has no wheels to run on, and their defense has more holes than a pair of fishnet stockings…you like that last one don’t you? I expect Clemson to win this game by at least 28 points.

NC State at Wake Forrest – I do not doubt either team’s defense here. I just think that the offenses are going to be too good for either defense to really stop.  Russell Wilson has managed back to back to back 4 TD games and I expect for him to throw a couple in this one as well. Riley Skinner has shown up and is leading like you would expect from a senior. I think this game is closer than most people think and higher scoring than most expect. My guess is something like 38-35.

Related posts:

1. ACC Bookends
2. ACC Bookends Week 2: The Duke Spirit
3. ACC Bookends: Week 3
4. ACC Bookends
5. ACC Bookends for Week 1

Tags: ACC