It’s Week 7 in college football and this is a day that we’ve all had circled on our calendars for some time! There are so many great matchups for Saturday that it’s hard to limit this list to just three players. But let’s jump into the three players that I’ll be watching closely for Saturday.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
2025 NFL Draft Prospects Preview
Isaiah Bond (WR – Texas)
Fresh off their bye week, the Texas Longhorns travel to Oklahoma to face the Sooners in the Red River Rivalry. Most years, this game is highly competitive, but it feels a bit different this year. The Sooners have obvious issues on offense and the Longhorns do not. That could be why Vegas has Texas as 14-point favorites.
When looking at the Longhorns’ offense, they’re top-10 in the country for total yards per game (513.4) and points scored (46.0). Much of their success is led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, but for this game, I’ll be focusing on wide receiver Isaiah Bond. The junior leads the team with 20 receptions for 364 yards and three touchdowns.
Listed at 5’11” and 180 pounds, he’s not the biggest receiver on the roster, but he’s certainly one of the fastest. In high school, he was a track and field star with a 100-meter PR of 10.48 seconds. On tape, he threatens defense vertically due to his explosiveness and speed, but his fluidity also helps him create separation in the short areas of the field.
Oklahoma may have won last week against Auburn, but they needed 20 points in the second half to make that happen and they allowed 338 yards passing. With how explosive Bond is and how good Ewers has been for the Longhorns, I could see both players having a big day for the Texas offense.
Will Rogers (QB – Washington)
Don’t look now, but Will Rogers has looked pretty good for the Washington Huskies so far this season. For a team that lost so much talent on offense, they seem to have it figured out with RB Jonah Coleman and WRs Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson. Most importantly, Rogers transferred from Mississippi State and has this offense clicking.
The Huskies are averaging 462.7 yards per game (21st in NCAA) and they’ve thrown for 1,796 passing yards this season (7th in NCAA). For Rogers, he’s completing a high 73.6% percent of passes. Getting rid of the football quickly helps him get in-rhythm and it’s clear that he can operate an offense that is built around a quick passing attack.
Now, there are limitations within his game; his arm strength gets tested downfield and he’s a limited athlete. However, there’s positives with play-action, quick throws, and being able to work off his initial read. This weekend, Rogers will face one of his toughest tests on the season by traveling to Iowa. The Hawkeyes have a top-25 defense and will not make it easy on the Huskies by any means. If Rogers plays well, his name could come up more frequently when talking about day two or day three quarterbacks.
Jordan James (RB – Oregon)
Eyes will be on the quarterbacks and receivers in this game, and rightfully so, but I’ll be focusing on running back Jordan James. The junior back has 88 carries for 552 yards and five touchdowns this season. Through five games, James is already getting attention from NFL scouts, but this game will be a hard one.
The Ohio State defense is the top ranked defense in the nation, only allowing 202.4 total yards per game. They limited Iowa and Michigan State to only 14 total points and much of their success is credited to their run defense. So far this season, the Buckeyes have the 3rd ranked rush defense and they’re only allowing 72.6 rushing yards per game. It’ll be interesting to see how they stop a rushing attack that averages 164.4 rushing yards per game.
When watching the Ducks’ offense, James stands out right away with his 5’10”, 210 pound frame. He’s patient and is a downhill runner between the tackles. While he may lack the desired long-speed, his tough running style could make the difference for the Ducks to beat the Buckeyes on Saturday.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS | YouTube