With six matchups between ranked opponents, Week Four was billed as one of the strongest college football slates of the season. It did not disappoint.
The Saturday slate featured a narrow overtime victory for No. 4 Florida State in Clemson, a humbling defeat for Coach Prime and Colorado, and a top-10 showdown between traditional powerhouses Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Let’s dive into this week’s devy risers & fallers.
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Devy Risers & Fallers
In case you’re not familiar, devy (developmental dynasty league) is a type of fantasy football league that goes a bit deeper. In this format, you draft and stash potential NFL prospects years before they enter the league. Scott Fish, the creator of the massively popular Scott Fish Bowl tournament, is also credited with creating devy back in the 1990s, and the format has gained popularity ever since.
When we talk about risers, we refer to players whose perceived value has increased based on their on-field performance. However, when we talk about fallers, we consider several factors, such as on-field performance, injuries, playing time and even some extenuating circumstances (Free Tez Walker), which can impact a player’s value.
Risers
Xavier Legette (WR – South Carolina)
Last week, we mentioned that South Carolina wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. has been battling a foot injury all season. In his absence, Xavier Legette has stepped up and flourished as the Gamecocks’ WR1.
The fifth-year senior has quietly turned heads all season, but Legette’s performance in Week 4 has generated a ton of buzz across the devy and NFL Draft community. Legette finished with 189 receiving yards and two long touchdowns in South Carolina’s 37-30 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday night. He’s currently No. 1 in the NCAA with 556 receiving yards.
Legette is an older prospect — which can be a tough sell for many in the devy and dynasty community — but he has good ball skills and can outrun most defenders. He has the ideal size (6-foot-3, 227 pounds) for the next level, and his rare acceleration for his size was on full display during his first-quarter 76-yard touchdown against Mississippi State.
Andrel Anthony (WR – Oklahoma)
Oklahoma wide receiver Andrel Anthony has become one of the most underrated transfer portal pickups of the college football season. After struggling to gain consistent playing time at Michigan, Anthony has resurrected his career in Norman, Oklahoma.
Anthony has 371 receiving yards through four games, including consecutive 100+ yard games against Tulsa and Cincinnati. Oklahoma needed someone to step up and replace Marvin Mims‘ production from a season ago, and Anthony has been a terrific surprise in the Sooners’ wide receiver room.
Fallers
Shedeur Sanders (QB – Colorado)
Let’s make one thing clear. One bad game doesn’t define Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The good fortune built up in the first three weeks shouldn’t suddenly disappear because of a lousy performance in Week 4. However, it should start a conversation. So, let’s talk.
In Colorado’s biggest test of the season, Sanders took seven sacks and looked rattled by the rowdy road environment. Most of those sacks were due to an overwhelmed offensive line, but Sanders’ indecisiveness was certainly responsible for a couple of those. Oregon coasted to an easy 42-6 victory as they held Sanders to 56 passing yards in the first half.
As I said earlier, one game doesn’t define Sanders’ future as an NFL prospect. It doesn’t get any easier, though. Colorado will host No. 5 USC this weekend and play against UCLA, Oregon State, Washington State and Utah later this season. The battle for QB3 in the 2024 NFL Draft will continue for months.
Donovan Edwards (RB – Michigan)
Entering the season, some people viewed Michigan’s Donovan Edwards as a better NFL prospect than teammate Blake Corum. So far this season that hasn’t been the case.
Corum has 351 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns on 6.1 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Edwards has 109 yards, zero touchdowns, and is averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Edwards is still an intriguing devy prospect due to his superior hands (72 more receiving yards), but it’s difficult to get excited about his work on the ground this season.
With opposing strengths and weaknesses, Edwards and Corum work as a terrific one-two punch in college football. I just worry that both could profile as committee backs in the NFL, which would obviously limit their fantasy football upside.
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