Week 3 of the college football season looked soft on paper, but it delivered with closer-than-anticipated matchups and a couple of breakout offensive performances. Let’s dive into this week’s 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.
Week 3 of the college football season looked soft on paper, but it delivered with closer-than-anticipated matchups and a couple of breakout offensive performances. Let’s dive into this week’s 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.
Devy Risers & Fallers
Risers
Entering the season, LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers was viewed as one of college football’s top wide receiver prospects. After Saturday’s performance, Nabers might have cemented himself as the current WR2 behind Marvin Harrison Jr. in the 2024 NFL Draft.
In LSU’s 41-14 victory over Mississippi State, Nabers racked up an impressive 13 receptions, 239 receiving yards, and a pair of touchdown receptions. The LSU wide receiver had 188 receiving yards and both of his touchdowns in a dominating first half.
Nabers is a smooth route runner, has excellent body control, and consistently wins against SEC competition. The battle for WR2 in this class will continue until April’s NFL Draft, but Nabers is firmly in the driver’s seat after a breakout performance in Week 3.
USC’s Caleb Williams and UNC’s Drake Maye are the consensus top-two 2024 draft-eligible quarterbacks, but the QB3 spot has several different options. I talked about Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders last week, and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. has been a difference-making quarterback since his days at Indiana.
Don’t forget about Duke’s Riley Leonard, though. A couple weeks after upsetting perennial powerhouse Clemson, Leonard was again sensational in Duke’s 38-14 victory over Northwestern. Leonard threw for 219 yards, rushed for 97 yards, and scored two rushing touchdowns.
Duke is 3-0 and travels to UCONN next week. After that, a highly anticipated matchup against Notre Dame. Dual-threat quarterbacks are cheat codes in fantasy football, and Leonard’s stock will keep rising after each big performance.
Fallers
Three weeks into the college football season, Alabama has benched starting quarterback Jalen Milroe for Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner. A lackluster showing in last weekend’s 34-24 loss to Texas was the beginning of the end for Milroe as QB1.
Despite some success on the ground, Milroe’s struggles in the passing game ultimately led to the change. Milroe completed less than 52% of his pass attempts against Texas and threw a couple of back-breaking interceptions.
Unfortunately for Alabama, the switch at quarterback didn’t exactly ignite the offense. Buchner (34 yards on 5/14 passing) struggled in his return to football, and it didn’t take long for Alabama to insert a third quarterback. Freshman Ty Simspon entered halfway through the second quarter and only managed 73 passing yards in Alabama’s ugly 17-3 victory over an average South Florida.
Even if Milroe regains the starting position, he currently lacks the passing traits necessary to be considered an NFL prospect. That could change, but I’d be selling if anyone is buying.
Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. (WR – South Carolina)
We hate downgrading players due to injuries, but it’s an unfortunate reality of this business. South Carolina wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. is the latest example of this.
Entering the season, all eyes were on “Juice” in the South Carolina wide receiver core. The South Carolina coaching staff limited his snaps this season as he worked back from an undisclosed lower-body injury. Still, Wells Jr. was expected to be unleashed sooner rather than later.
We saw glimpses of that this weekend, with Wells Jr. finding the endzone on South Carolina’s opening possession. Unfortunately, Wells Jr. reinjured that lower-body injury and was carted to the back minutes after giving the Gamecocks an early lead.
In a sideline interview during the game, South Carolina Head Coach Shane Beamer confirmed that Wells Jr. suffered a broken bone in the same foot that required off-season surgery. Beamer mentioned that Wells Jr. had a screw inserted to prevent major damage, so a return to action this season sounds possible. If true, that’s terrific news, but one must remember that foot injuries tend to linger and can significantly impact effectiveness.
