Devy Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers: Jayden Daniels, Ladd McConkey, Jonathon Brooks, Tyler Van Dyke

Week 11 of the college football season featured an SEC top-ten beatdown in Athens, a statement win for No. 3 Michigan in Happy Valley, and a massive home victory for quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and the undefeated Washington Huskies. Let’s dive into the devy fallout.

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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

Jayden Daniels (QB – LSU)

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels has been a popular name in devy circles for years. As a true freshman at Arizona State, Daniels found instant success thanks to his connection with current 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Once Aiyuk left for the NFL, Daniels struggled to regain that freshman form and eventually entered the transfer portal to escape Herm Edwards.

Since transferring to LSU, Daniels has looked like the true freshman we fell in love with. Daniels has a 47-7 TD-INT ratio in his two seasons as LSU’s starting quarterback, and he’s even more electric with his legs. After racking up 885 yards and 11 TDs on the ground in 2022, Daniels has 918 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns this season. In Week 11, Daniels became the first player in FBS history with 350 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in a single game.

As an older prospect, it’s too early to know how Daniels will be viewed by NFL personnel when lined up against the likes of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy, among others. However, if given the opportunity, Daniels has the skillset and dual-threat ability that fantasy managers can only dream of.

Ladd McConkey (WR – Georgia)

Since returning from injury, Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey has been lighting up the boxscore. Over the last three weeks, McConkey has 6-135, 7-95, and 4-81 and a touchdown in Georgia’s 52-17 beatdown of No. 9 Ole Miss.

When he enters the NFL, McConkey will be an interesting case study on how we stereotype and typecast prospects based on how we expect them to play. McConkey is a small, white wide receiver, so the natural indication is to compare him to guys like Hunter Renfrow, Wes Welker, etc.

While McConkey is a terrific route-runner like those players, he brings a different dynamic to the table. McConkey is more athletic than those players on tape, and he has legitimate juice. McConkey’s speed causes problems for opposing defenses, and he has terrific ball skills when given opportunities.

Fallers

Jonathon Brooks (RB – Texas)

Texas running back Jonathon Brooks has seen his sensational breakout season end in a sad conclusion. Brooks suffered a torn ACL in the Longhorns’ narrow 29-26 victory over TCU, and the running back will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

It’s an unfortunate injury for one of the best running backs in college football. Before his injury, Brooks had rushed for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns. He currently ranks sixth in the FBS in rushing yards and seventh in rushing yards per game (113.9 YPG).

Brooks is eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft, but now you have to wonder if the third-year sophomore will instead choose to rehab and return to school for another season. In Brooks’ absence, expect true freshman running back C.J. Baxter to handle the majority of the rushing work this season.

Tyler Van Dyke (QB – Miami)

After a strong start to his junior campaign, the wheels have fallen off the Tyler Van Dyke hype train. In the first four weeks of the season, Van Dyke had an 11-1 TD-INT ratio and had the Hurricanes sitting at 4-0 on the season.

Since then, Van Dyke has a 5-11 TD-INT ratio and eventually lost his starting position to freshman quarterback Emory Williams. Unfortunately, Emory suffered a season-ending arm injury in Miami’s 27-20 loss to Florida State, putting Van Dyke back in the starting role. Despite regaining his starting position, it’s hard to envision Van Dyke improving his devy stock this season. We know who he is at this point.