There may be only three Division I-FBS Independents in college football, however, that does not mean a lack of fantasy prospects for your roster.

In fact, with the re-emergence of offense at Notre Dame…..the new coaching staff at Army installing a proven, productive, triple-option offense….and the usual “300 yards and a cloud of dust” ground game at Navy, the Division I-FBS Independents will have much more fantasy impact in 2009 than they had, collectively, in previous seasons.

ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS

A coaching change at West Point brought in Rich Ellerson, who ran a very successful Division I-FCS program at Cal-Poly….his potent triple-option attack led Cal-Poly to a playoff berth in 2008 and a win at San Diego State…with a near-upset at Wisconsin at the end of the 2008 season.

Army switched to the option in 2008, and had some success moving the ball.  QB Chip Bowden (572 rushing yards, 1 TD in 2008) (photo, right, thanks xosn.com) is the leading returning rusher for the Black Knights, and should be fine transitioning into Ellerson’s offense.  Although they lose FB Colin Mooney and his 1300+ yards from last season, Bryson Carl should take up a lot of the slack for Mooney’s loss.  The top slotbacks should be Patrick Mealy and Ian Smith…both are small, but quick.   Their fantasy value, however, will not be as good as for Bowden and Carl (who are draft-day considerations, especially in larger leagues).

Although not a passing offense, Ellerson likes to have a big WR to keep defenses honest.  At Cal-Poly he had huge WR Ramses Barden, who was drafted by the NFL in the recent 2009 draft.  Ellerson will have converted OL Ali Villanueva as his big target….at 6-10, 280 lbs….he will definitely be a big target.

Helping the Cadets this season will be a friendly schedule, with no major powers to face.  The toughest games, vs Vanderbilt and Rutgers, will be at Michie Stadium.

NAVY MIDSHIPMEN

Navy continued to drop anchor on many opponents last season under Ken Niumatalolo, now entering his second season as head coach.  The Middies won eight games in 2008, and, made their sixth consecutive bowl appearance.  Things should be the same in 2009, even though many of its 2008 stars have now been commissioned as officers.

At QB, Ricky Dobbs (photo, right, thanks Sporting News) was the third QB on the depth chart most of last season, but when he played, he shined.  Dobbs had over 200 yards rushing vs SMU, and led a vallant near-comeback vs Notre Dame.  Dobbs had nearly 500 yards rushing and 8 rushing TDs last season…and will be the main focus of the 2009 offense.  Also, Dobbs is a better passer than his predecessors….which adds to his fantasy value.  He is a QB to take on draft-day.

Filling in at FB, with Eric Kettani moving on, look for Alex Teich in that role…with Kevin Campbell challenging.  Among the backs, the Navy FB tends to be the most consistent producer, and is always a good late-roubd pick.  At slotback, Bobby Doyle and Cory Finnerty are the top prospects at that position.  Note that the slotbacks are not as consistent fantasy producers as the fullbacks.

The Navy schedule will be challenging this season, with games at Ohio State, Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame.   The Midshipmen should still win enough for a bowl appearance, and, run over a few opponents with a 13-game schedule in 2009.

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

The echoes will awake in 2009 at South Bend, as the Fighting Irish may have one their most potent offenses in school history.  The 2009 squad is now older and experienced….and a far cry from the 2007 squad that finished dead last in NCAA total offense.

Start with QB Jimmy Clausen (photo, very top, thanks About.comcollege football ), who still threw for over 3000 yards last season even with the horrid game at USC.  He has world-class WRs in Michael Floyd (7 TD catches in 2008) and Golden Tate (10 TD catches, over 1000 yards) (photo, Golden Tate #23, left, thanks fannation) to throw to….with also Duval Kamara as a third target.  At TE, Kyle Rudolph may only be a sophomore, but he will be one of the most productive in the nation at that position.  The Domers passing game is loaded, and Clausen, Floyd, Tate….and Rudolph (in TE-play leagues) are early draft-day picks.

At RB, Armando Allen led the team in rushing last season (585 yards, 3 TDs), with James Aldridge and Robert Hughes getting their share of carries.  Allen did catch 50 passes in 2008 (2 TDs), so that will help his fantasy value a little bit.   Although I think ND will run more successfully this season, probably not enough for a lot of fantasy consideration….Allen is a consideration for the larger fantasy leagues.

Head coach Charlie Weis took over the offensive coordinator role for the Hawaii Bowl, and in that game Notre Dame set school records for most yards passing in a game, and, most passing TDs in a game.  He will be the OC in 2009, and, with the pressure on him to win (and win now), Weis will do everything to  make sure this offense rolls.

Another reason this offense should just blow-up in 2009 is that the schedule is not real difficult.   Their toughest game, USC, will be in South Bend….and USC will be breaking in a number of new defensive starters for 2009.  The Fighting Irish will also play three other Pac-10 schools….Washington, Washington State, and Stanford.  Notre Dame will be playing many schools who will either be down in 2009, or, coming down from a successful 2008 season.

Related posts:

1. INDEPENDENTS 2010 PREVIEW
2. 2009 INDEPENDENT ALL-FANTASY TEAM
3. 2011 Independents Preview
4. INDEPENDENTS 2008 ALL-FANTASY TEAM
5. Independents Preview

Tags: Army, Independents, Navy, Notre Dame, Touchdown Jesus