FCFI Expert League Week 2 Report
September 15th, 2009 by Adam Mankuta
Another interesting week from the world of the Fantasy College Football Invitational.
Game 1 Recap: Fantasy College Blitz (2-0) def. U-Sports (0-2) 128.80 to 99.80
Best Player: Fantasy College Blitz was led by Pittsburgh back Dion Lewis (pictured left, thanks Icon SMI) who is doing his best LeSean McCoy impersonation with his 190 yard, 2 TD effort. U-Sports remained in screaming distance only because of Tim Tebow, who got back on track with a 5-TD explosion.
Disappointing Player: Against a Houston defense that usually plays much like a piece of Swiss cheese, Kendall Hunter was slowed down- more on the reason in a second. As for U-Sports, a 21 yard effort out of MiQuale Lewis is embarrassing, including the fact he fumbled as well.
Who to Watch for Week 3: It will be interesting to see how FCB replaces Hunter who is doubtful for this weekend’s game against Rice. Hunter on any Saturday can score 25 points, but if he is out of the lineup, Keith Toston is a solid waiver wire addition. As for U-Sports, it will be interesting to see how motivated Urban Meyer is to run up the score against Tennessee considering the offseason war of words with Lane Kiffin. If he decides to take it out on the Vols, Tebow may enjoy a 2nd straight 5-TD game.
Game 2 Recap: Rotowire (2-0) def. Athlon (1-1) 125.80 to 122.06
Best Player: The nail biter of the week was decided because Jahvid Best proved yet again that he is the best back in the nation. Yes it was against Eastern Washington, but Best scored twice and made it look easy. Athlon was led by Titus Young, the Boise State wideout. If not for his breakout performance, Athlon would not have kept it close.
Disappointing Player: Both Rotowire and Athlon had surprisingly poor days from constant fantasy threats Jeff Moturi (2 catches) and Garrett Graham (3 catches). Graham is the more troubling player considering Wisconsin won the game and they were in a shootout with Fresno State. If the Badgers are going to do anything to threaten the Big 10’s elite, Graham will be a key.
Who to Watch for Week 3: How will Best do in his first road of the year? Cal visits Minnesota this week and considering their first two opponents, it will be interesting to see how the All-America caliber back responds to some tough love from a tough defense. The big question for Athlon is Moturi, as he is part of a UTEP offense that has gone from a high octane grill to a George Foreman grill. If the Miners are to rebound, Moturi will need to lead them.
Game 3 Recap: Sportsoverload.com (2-0) def. Open Sports (0-2) 148.84 to 133.88
Best Player: What else can you say about Marty Gilyard? The Cincy WR dominated Saturday, scoring four times, including a punt return and two in the air. He was just as electrifying as Heisman runner up Colt McCoy, who overcame a rough first half against Wyoming, yet still led Open Sports with 33 points.
Disappointing Player: Brandon Banks seems like a trapped superstar as he continues to be the forgotten asset in the K-State offense. A 3 point performance must be making Sportsoverload think whether he should be starting anymore. Open Sports has a problem as well, as Julio Jones is no doubt a future NFL superstar, however in the Alabama system, he is just not a fantasy option. No receiver with that talent should go through a week and only score 1.40 points.
Who to Watch for Week 3: Much like Tim Tebow, Open Sports should get a huge game from Colt McCoy in a revenge game for the Longhorns last second loss in 2008 at Texas Tech. Sportsoverload should keep an eye on Gilyard, who travels with the Bearcats to take on Oregon State. The Beavers will not let him run wild, but he is a sure bet to find the end zone in their quick motion attack.
Game 4 Recap: CBS Sports (2-0) def. CFF Insider (0-2) 115.86 to 106.78
Best Player: Lyle Leong went from bench player to stud in one week for CBS Sports who caught lightning in a bottle- catching 3 of Taylor Potts 7 touchdown passes. While that was key for CBS, they had to watch CFFI’s own Taylor Potts rack up those 7 touchdowns. At least for CBS 3 of them went to their guy, cancelling our enough points that swung the decision in this contest.
Disappointing Player: It is only luck that CBS won despite the putrid performance of Iowa State QB Austen Arnaud, who threw 4 interceptions en route to a .76 point total. CFFI was let down by Jordan Shipley, who despite Texas ringing up a ton of 2nd half yardage, only finished the day with 6 points against a suspect Wyoming defense.
Who to Watch for Week 3: For CFFI this week, they will keep a close eye on how Taylor Potts reacts on the road in his first tough game of the year. This can easily be a spot to bench the explosive QB, but usually you take one bad game against a Texas type team to do that. For CBS Sports, the question entering the week is; how will they replace Arnaud? Who not only should be benched, but he should be cut. If Northern Iowa was within 2 blocked FG’s of a road win, how does he explain a 4-INT performance?
Game 5 Recap: Fanball (1-1) def. Mock Draft Central (0-2) 152.72 to 138.00
Best Player: Greg Alexander arrived on the fantasy map in 2009 with his 452 yard, 3 TD performance for Hawaii, while MDC was led by Jake Locker, who rose to the occasion with a 253 yard, 4 TD performance of his own for Washington.
Disappointing Player: In a game that they led 24-0, Georgia Tech and Jonathan Dwyer did little to establish confidence in their owners. Dwyer totaled only 66 yards and while the Jackets struggled to win, he must get constant touches to be a key. For MDC Juan Nunez was a letdown, as he only gained 38 yards through the air and fumbled.
Who to Watch for Week 3: Now that Dwyer has had a disappointing 66 yard effort against Clemson, how will he respond again in primetime when Ga Tech travels to Miami? Perhaps it will be back to back subpar weeks for the Heisman candidate. MDC, who is looking to improve on their 0-2 start, may need to find a replacement for the electric Jake Locker, as the Huskies take on USC Saturday. The Trojans have allowed 18 pts in 2 games so far in 2009, including shutting down the Buckeyes last week.
Game 6 Recap: College Football Geek (2-0) def. Football Outsiders (1-10) 123.84 to 106.20
Best Player: Jake Sharp proved that even small backs can make big plays as the Jayhawks dominated Saturday thanks to a 3-TD effort from their top playmaker. For the Outsiders, it is good to see Ben Tate running with purpose again, as he tallied 157 yards and a score in the loss.
Disappointing Player: Toby Gerhart came off a huge opener for Stanford with subpar performance against s rebuilt Wake Forest defense. Owners can expect more from Gerhart this week. The Outsiders were let down by UTEP’s other wideout Kris Adams, who only had 2 catches for 6 yards. If the UTEP offense does not wake up, Adams is a candidate to be cut by many owners.
Who to Watch for Week 3 Jake Sharp may be in line for another monster performance in week 3 as Kansas takes on Duke. No one on that defense will be able to slow him down, so expect another 100-yard 2 TD+ effort. As for the Outsiders, can Tate keep up the solid play as the Tigers look for revenge against West Virginia?
Game 7 Recap: Sporting News (1-1) def. Rotoworld (0-2) 143.04 to 111.12
Best Player: How can you pick a best player after such performances as Naaman Roosevelt’s 2 TD’s, Jacquizz Rodgers’ 166 yards and a TD and Jimmy Claussen’s display against Michigan? They were all spectacular. As for Rotoworld, they only kept it close because of Bryce Beall, who put up 25 points in the Cougars shocking upset of Okie State.
Disappointing Player: After emerging as Texas Tech’s top receiver in week one, Detron Lewis did not catch any of Taylor Potts’ 7 touchdown passes. How does that make sense? As for Rotoworld, playing USF against Western Kentucky seemed like a solid idea. Giving up 13 points to the Hilltoppers was not good.
Who to Watch for Week 3: How can the Rotoworld team replace Bryce Beall’s production when his team is on a bye? And can USF step up to the plate and have its defense dominate a lesser opponent? This week it is Charleston Southern.
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