COLUMBUS, Ohio - As we get ready to head into the slate of games this week we decided that it is time to roll out a new feature that we are sure many of our fans will enjoy.
College fantasy football is becoming a bigger deal among more and more fans and while we already have a couple of site leagues through Yahoo, we wanted to expand the reach a little bit and play a game in front of our membership.
Instead of going with full rosters and having to manage all of that, we are simplifying the game. Each of our three pickers will have to pick a quarterback, running back and receiver/tight end each week. Once a person selects a player, they cannot pick them again for the rest of the season.
To add to things, we are limiting this only to Power Five teams and for an added wrinkle, each picker has to pick one player from Ohio State, one player from the Big Ten and one player from outside the Big Ten. The same player cannot be selected by two pickers in the same week.
Each week we will check out the scoring (provided by the Yahoo scoring formula) and keep track of weekly and season winners. We will also explain why we picked the way we did.
Without further delay, on to our picks here for week three of the season.
Kevin Noon - Publisher
QB: Joe Burrow (LSU) - RB: JK Dobbins (OSU), WR/TE: Rashad Bateman (MINN)
Rationale: I took the third pick and with several major teams either off this weekend or playing completely overmatched opponents, I had to make the decision if I was going to shoot for the moon and hope for some good first halves or try and find a more competitive game and hope for four quarters out of my guys.
Joe Burrow had a great game against Texas last week and he is going to be riding high. I don't expect him to play the whole game for the Tigers but playing against D1-FCS Northwestern State should allow him to put up big numbers in two-plus quarters. I can only hope for the 471 yards and four touchdowns that he threw last week but the yardage will likely come up short this week but I think that four touchdowns is not out of the realm of possibility.
When it came to making my Ohio State pick, I knew that I needed to go after Dobbins early because there are going to be limited numbers of Ohio State players to pick in each week and there will be a week where we are all scrambling for the 3rd string tight end of that week and just hoping he sees some action, one of the challenges that we put into this game by making an OSU pick mandatory for each week. We all know that Dobbins had a great debut against Indiana in 2017 and while 26 carries for 82 yards was not all that great in 2018 with just one touchdown, the feeling is that Ohio State is going to really try and feed Dobbins and get that running game going and because of that, I think that it is worth the risk to take him now, rather than waiting for Miami (Ohio) or Rutgers when my competitors will likely take him.
Lastly I was forced with taking a QB and a RB and having my Big Ten pick still left to take a wide receiver. There were not a lot of matchups that excited me but I did find Rashod Bateman at Minnesota who has had more than 100 yards in each of his games and while he has only found the end zone twice, that game against a bad Georgia Southern (not to be confused with Georgia State) should give Bateman ample chance to put up some real numbers.
Keaton Maisano - Staff Writer
QB: Josh Jackson (MD) - RB: Travis Etienne (CLEM), WR/TE: K.J. Hill (OSU)
Rationale: Josh Jackson has led an explosive Maryland offense to 142 points in the first two games of the season. Jackson has thrown for 541 yards and seven passing touchdowns this year, while only turning the ball over once. He is an appealing pick, because his offensive line has only allowed him to be sacked only one time, and he has a multitude of weapons that should have no problem carving up a Temple defense that surrendered 56 points to Duke.
For my pick outside the Big Ten, I decided to go with Clemson running back Travis Etienne. He has shown the ability to hit the big play, breaking a 90 yard rushing touchdown against Georgia Tech, and I particularly like the matchup against Syracuse. Etienne has rushed for 258 yards and three touchdowns this year, and I would expect an increased reliance on the run game on the road. Syracuse struggled to stop Maryland's rushing attack, surrendering 354 yards on the ground, and I believe Clemson will have similar success.
K.J. Hill was my Ohio State selection, and out of all the Ohio State receivers to choose from, I believe he offers the most consistency in that you can rely on him to make a decent amount of receptions each game. Fields and Hill found a connection against Cincinnati, and Hill would finish the game with 8 catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. I am expecting a similar performance against Indiana.
Braden Moles - Staff Writer
QB: Kedon Slovis (USC) - RB: Elijah Collins (MSU), WR/TE: Binjimen Victor (OSU)
Rationale: Kedon Slovis had an explosive first start for USC, completing 28 of his 33 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns. Slovis was thrust into the starting role when J.T. Daniels tore his ACL in week one, so Slovis will remain the guy for USC this season. While it's possible he could regress this week, with how efficient he was I doubt he'll take a step back, so he feels like a good starter heading into this week.
For my Big Ten pick, Michigan State running back Elijah Collins put up impressive numbers against Western Michigan, rushing for 192 yards on 17 carries, over 11 yards per carry. This week, Collins and the Spartans will be going up against Arizona State, who recently were locked in a close battle with FCS opponent Sacramento State. Needing a 10-point fourth quarter to put away the Hornets, I have serious doubts that Arizona State will be able to stop Collins from doing whatever he wants this week.
As we only have a limited amount of effective Ohio State players to choose from, I'm hedging my bets early and saving the heavy hitters in Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins for weeks when I know I'll need help. As for the Victor pick, he's looked good through the first couple of games for Ohio State, racking up seven receptions for 134 yards. He's already well above pace to best his careers highs in receptions and yards, so he seems like an easy pick here.