RB LaMichael James races to the top spot among all fantasy RBs. (Icon SMI)
Tier 1 – Above All Else
LaMichael James, Oregon – What more can be said about James? He was our #1 draft pick in the FCFI Expert League. He’s carries one of the top TEBOW ratings, regardless of your scoring system. He is in a class by himself within the Pac 12 and will put up elite numbers as your #1 pick. Read the rest of this entry →
QB Andrew Luck decided to stay in school...Pac 12 defenses beware. (Icon SMI)
The newly minted Pac 12 now brings a wider assortment of potential fantasy talent to the season. As usual, the West Coast bias is in play here, leaving this as the last of the Big 6 conferences to report. We’ll look to start first with a breakdown on the Pac 12 QBs.
First Tier – Start worthy
Andrew Luck, Stanford – Much like Matt Leinert in years past, Luck decided to stay in school versus the riches of the NFL. Hopefully the decision works out better for him, especially considering HC Harbaugh went the other direction and jumped to the pros. Despite all that, our anticipation is that Luck will pass for over 3,000 yards, hit for 30+ TDs and be the #1 scoring QB out of the Pac 12. Be confident in selecting him, he’s playing for keeps this year. Read the rest of this entry →
Before we get started with the rest of the SEC units – namely, the TE/D-ST/K conundrum of replaceability – a quick note; Knile Davis’ broken ankle knocks him out for the season. Nobody in the Arkansas backfield has shown much of anything aside from Davis, and even 2009 Jovorski Lane impersonator extraordinaire Broderick Green (443 yards, 11 TDs) is out for the season. That leaves Ronnie Wingo and Dennis Johnson as the two primary RBs there, and neither has shown much of anything so far. Wingo’s more likely to excel based on what’s happened so far in their respective college careers, but they’re both in the “avoid until they show something” category.
The only silver lining here is an entirely personal one; the timing of Davis’ injury (which, let’s be honest, sucks for Arkansas, sucks for fantasy, and sucks for fans of wildly competitive divisions and conference cannibalism) means that I don’t have to preface any of the TE, D/ST units, or K in the SEC, which are all about as interesting as lead paint. Prepare accordingly.
SEC Tight Ends (or, the other dude)
1. Brandon Barden, Vanderbilt
Yeah, that’s how quick the tight end positions thins out this year. Barden had the unfortunate distinction of being Vanderbilt’s leading receiver last year, which …well, if you could sum up a season in a sentence, that would describe the Vanderbilt 2010 campaign. 500 yards and 5 TDs seem possible, but again, it’s Vanderbilt. Read the rest of this entry →
Quickly, some updates regarding previously covered schools:
BAYLOR has suspended WR Josh Gordon indefinitely, and he will almost surely miss at least the Bears’ season opener against TCU. Gordon was the Bears’ #2 receiver in 2010 and will be missed while he is out.
TEXAS learned that speedy WR Marquise Goodwin will redshirt during the 2011 season to focus on qualifying for the Olympics in track. The receiving corps will be further hurt by the loss of Malcolm Williams, the team’s only senior receiver, as he has decided to end his football career to focus on family issues. Only more reasons to be bearish on the Longhorn offense this season.
Onto the previews…
Kansas State
The Wildcats will be losing their QB Carson Coffman and back-to-back 1000-yard rusher Daniel Thomas. Reliable WR Audrey Quarles is also gone, and the line will be breaking in three new starters, leaving the offense with holes to fill at every position. Read the rest of this entry →
The Irish have a chance to be good on both offense and defense in 2011, and if the ghost of Declan Sullivan is happy with everyone related to him having season tickets then this season might just be a special one for the Domers.
Junior QB Dayne Crist is back as the official starter after a nasty season-ending knee injury in the loss to Tulsa, but the battle doesn’t quite have the feel of being definitively over-over, and the more mobile sophomore Tommy Rhees should see time. And don’t count out hot-shot redshirt freshman and Kelly recruit Andrew Hendrix seeing more than just mop-up time. I don’t want to say this is a developing platoon situation, but it wouldn’t surprise me to have things play out in a number of different fashions. Remember a few years ago when Tony Pike was a Heisman Hopeful for Cincinnati in 2009? Chazz Anderson had filled in admirably here and there the year prior and started that season as the ‘definite #2’ to quote the coach. However, when Pike went down, it turned out to be a more mobile and then-unknown Zach Collaros who took the reigns of the offense. There was considerable doubt about Pike regaining his starting job once he was again deemed healthy for action. This ND situation isn’t exactly the same, but it sort of gives off the same vibe. Don’t get me wrong, I think Crist is the guy but there is definitely some risk with the pick. Read the rest of this entry →
