On paper, Week 9 of the college football season set up as one of the weakest slates of the season. While that mostly held true, the week wasn’t completely drama-free. The only two matchups between ranked opponents were massive letdowns — #8 Oregon and #18 Louisville defeated #13 Utah and #20 Duke by a combined score of 58-6 — but there was one playoff-altering upset.
#6 Oklahoma suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 38-33 to a feisty Kansas team led by backup quarterback Jason Bean and star running back Devin Neal. Oklahoma’s loss puts the Big 12 in the outside looking in of the current College Football Playoff. Other Top 25 upsets: Arizona over #11 Oregon State and Georgia Tech over #17 North Carolina.
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Devy Risers & Fallers
If you’re unfamiliar with the format, devy (developmental dynasty league) is a type of fantasy football league that goes deeper. In these leagues, 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.
Regarding 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, which can impact a player’s value.
Risers
TreVeyon Henderson (RB – Ohio State)
After missing over a month of action, Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson returned for the Buckeyes matchup with Big Ten rival Wisconsin. And what a return it was.
In his first action since September 23rd, Henderson had 162 rushing yards and one touchdown in Ohio State’s 24-10 victory. Henderson was given a bell-cow share (24 carries) of the rushing work and he also added 4-45 in the receiving game.
The 2024 running back class has mostly disappointed this season. With no one really breaking out and separating during Henderson’s absence, the Ohio State running back hopes to boost his NFL Draft stock over the next month. Henderson’s NFL stock might depend on his improvements as a pass protector, but you can’t deny his fantasy football upside.
Eugene Wilson III (WR – Florida)
There are a ton of terrific true freshmen showing out across college football, but Florida wide receiver Eugene Wilson III might be one of the most underrated. In Florida’s 43-20 loss to #1 Georgia, Wilson III had a team-high 11 receptions, 75 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Wilson III isn’t putting up ground-breaking statistics this season and he’s still behind Ricky Pearsall in the wide receiver pecking order, but he looks explosive when given his opportunities. Wilson III has 6+ receptions in four consecutive contests and his volume seems to grow each week. Buy him if you can.
Fallers
Quinn Ewers (QB – Texas)
Another year, another Quinn Ewers injury. Unfortunately, that’s been a familiar theme with the Texas quarterback. This time, it’s a sprained AC joint keeping Ewers off the field.
While that injury isn’t likely to sideline Ewers for very long, any injury is a missed opportunity for the quarterback wanting to improve his 2024 NFL Draft stock. Ewers has seemingly fallen behind Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy in the 2024 QB class and an extended absence could drop him even further.
Cade Klubnik (QB – Clemson)
Expectations were sky-high for Clemson’s Cade Klubnik entering this season, but it just hasn’t worked out for the sophomore signal-caller. There have been a few good moments, but the negative plays far outweigh the positive ones at this point.
Klubnik is getting constant pressure thanks to a soft offensive line and isn’t getting much help from his skill-position players, but he also hasn’t been a very good quarterback this season. He’s turning the ball over at a record pace and he’s starting to get happy feet and bail on the rare occasions that Clemson’s OL does hold up.
Klubnik has a solid-looking 13-5 TD-INT ratio on the season, but he’s fumbled eight separate times this season. He only lost four of those, but Klubnik and his running backs have been on the wrong page with read-options all season. Clemson is 4-4 on the season and needs two wins against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and South Carolina to become bowl-eligible.
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