Paul Edgington | Thu, Oct 3rd 2024, 9:22am EDT

Devy Fantasy Football Primer: Tez Johnson, Darius Taylor, Luther Burden (2024)

This week in college football brings several exciting matchups, storylines and standout performances to watch. First up is a top-25 SEC showdown as #9 Mizzou takes on #25 Texas A&M, with the Aggies favored by 1.5 despite quarterback uncertainty. We also look at Iowa’s underdog challenge against #3 Ohio State, where Kaleb Johnson will aim to power the Hawkeyes against a formidable Buckeyes defense. In our devy spotlight, Oregon’s Tez Johnson continues to shine, while Minnesota’s Darius Taylor looks to rebound against USC. Lastly, the Heisman race heats up with fresh faces like Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty climbing the odds board. There’s plenty to unpack in what promises to be a thrilling week of action!

Devy Fantasy Football Primer

Games of the Week

#9 Mizzou @ #25 Texas A&M (-2.5) | Total 48.5 | Saturday, Noon ET on ABC

We have a top-25 SEC clash where both teams narrowly escaped home losses last week. Mizzou beat Vandy in double OT and Texas A&M needed a fourth-quarter score to beat Arkansas. The top storyline to watch throughout the week will be the Texas A&M starting QB position. We saw Conner Weigman go down in week two, and he has yet to return to the field. Head coach Mike Elko has said that Weigman will be a game-time decision on Saturday. Marcel Reed has played well in Weigman’s absence. totaling eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in three starts without a loss. Reed’s legs have been an equalizer for the Aggies that Weigman simply does not provide. I expect Reed to draw the start even if Weigman is healthy. He will be facing a tough Mizzou defense that ranks top-five in passing yards allowed, top-20 in rushing yards allowed and top-11 in yards allowed per play (per Outlier.Bet).

Every college football fan knows what top 2025 NFL Draft prospect Luther Burden III brings to the Missouri offense with his explosive and dynamic playmaking ability. Mizzou has been running the ball extremely well, but their receiving corps has room for improvement. Texas A&M has a middle-of-the-road defense overall, except in getting off the field on third down and forcing turnovers – they rank top-25 in both (per Outlier.Bet). This is bound to be a battle between these two units.

While Mizzou is ranked in the top-10, they are coming into this game as the underdog and I’m siding with Vegas on this one. As long as Reed is the QB for this game, I think the Aggies’ run game and the added threat of Reed’s legs will be just enough to pull out the victory.

My Picks:

Moneyline: Texas A&M
Spread: Texas A&M -2.5
Total: Over 48.5

Iowa @ #3 Ohio State (-19.5) | Total 45.5 | Saturday, 3:30 PM ET on ABC

Of the 10 games played since 2000 in this series, the game has been decided by 10 points or less in four. The last two meetings were blowouts, one won by each team. Ohio State is the heavy favorite and playing at home, but Iowa’s defense can cause any offense to sputter on any given Saturday. Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson is a game-breaking type of player and an absolute stud. He has not had a game with fewer than 119 rushing yards and two touchdowns. There’s also the narrative of Johnson being an Ohio native but not being offered a scholarship by Ohio State and wanting to show the Buckeyes what they missed out on. If the Hawkeyes have any shot of keeping it close and a chance at pulling off the upset, Johnson has to have a monster day.

For Ohio State, their offense has been humming all season long, but now the defense has found its footing and looks like the top defense in the nation. They rank #1 in points allowed at 6.8 per game and #2 in yards allowed at 197.8 (per Team Rankings). The wide receiver corp is finding its groove led by Emeka Egbuka and freshman Jeremiah Smith. TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins form the best backfield duo in college football and are living up to that hype. Kansas State transfer Will Howard is spreading the ball out as well as anyone could ask and ranks 12th in ESPN’s total quarterback rating.

Iowa will be overmatched on both sides of the ball, but I believe this game will look similar to Ohio State’s starts vs. Marshall and Michigan State in the past two weeks. If Iowa can establish the run early and sustain a couple of drives, they could find themselves in a close game heading into the half.

My Picks:

Moneyline: Ohio State
Spread: Iowa +19.5
Total: Under 45.5

Devy Spotlight

Tez Johnson (WR – Oregon) | 2025

There was plenty of hesitation in the devy community this off-season on how Johnson should be valued. Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart coming into Oregon certainly did not help. Even with a former five-star receiver playing next to him, Johnson has commanded the lion’s share of targets, showing he can be the alpha week in and week out. Over the past two weeks, he has hit his stride with 18 receptions, 231 yards and two touchdowns. He gets the opportunity to play Michigan State on Friday night, who have allowed a wide receiver to go over 70 yards in each game. They have given up two 100-yard games and allowed Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith to combine for 179 last week. Johnson could post his third straight 100-yard game under the bright lights.

Darius Taylor (RB – Minnesota) | 2026

Taylor is coming off back-to-back subpar weeks vs. two of the best run defenses in Iowa and Michigan. Across those two games, he combined for only 70 rush yards, although he did find the end zone twice last week. Against Michigan, we did get to see more of his receiving ability with 10 receptions for 52 yards. He has seen an uptick in his usage in the receiving game each week with target totals of four, five, six and 13, while also maintaining his rushing workload of at least 10 attempts. He draws a much more favorable matchup compared to the last two weeks as USC ranks 78th in rushing yards allowed at 149 per game. I’m expecting Taylor to find the end zone and reach the 100-yard mark with rushing and receiving yards. I have him ranked as my RB1 in the 2026 class with CJ Baxter right behind him.

Heisman Trophy Race

Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the top-five Heisman favorites are:

Quite the shakeup from last week, with two newcomers in the top five in Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty, who are arguably the two most talked-about players in the nation right now. Dillon Gabriel is still holding on by a thread as he has the same odds as Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava. Jaxson Dart did not play well in Ole Miss’ loss to Kentucky, and it shows here as he drops from second at +500 down to eighth at +2000. Hunter’s QB Shedeur Sanders is creeping up on the top-10 at +4000. Last week I said my top bets were Ward, Dart and Hunter. This week Ward and Hunter remain, and they are joined by Sanders. I expect Sanders’ odds to continue to climb with upcoming matchups vs. Kansas State and Arizona.

For more content from me check out my weekly devy primer, follow me on X @GUMP7285 and catch the Gridiron Fantasy Show weekly and the Destination Devy College Football Podcast on Saturdays.

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Devy Fantasy Football Primer: Tez Johnson, Darius Taylor, Luther Burden (2024)