(Editor's reminder: There is a 25 percent penalty of earned Fantasy points for FBS teams that play FCS schools.)
ACC
Notes: Clemson running back C.J. Spiller is nursing a foot injury after leaving Saturday's game
against Boston College. Clemson is holding out hope for Week 4 against
TCU, but he is listed as questionable ... Georgia Tech could also be
without their star running back, Jonathan Dwyer,
Saturday against North Carolina. Dwyer suffered a shoulder injury in
Week 3 and is listed as questionable. If he can't play, Anthony Allen will likely fill the B-back slot ... Miami (Fla.) wide
receiver Aldarius Johnson (groin)
remains questionable for Saturday against Virginia Tech after sitting
out last week ... With Vic Hall
sidelined by multiple injuries, Jameel Sewell
has taken charge of the Virginia quarterback situation. He had his
finest game of the year on Saturday against Southern Miss. He had 312
passing yards and four touchdowns (two rushing) ... Florida State
quarterback Christian Ponder ranks 15th
in the country in total offense (308.3 ypg) ... Boston College and
Clemson have really put on a strong defensive showing in 2009. The
Eagles rank fourth in total (187.6 ypg) and 10th in scoring defense
(10.7 ppg), while Clemson is 19th in total (257.0 ypg) and 31st in
scoring defense (17.0 ppg).
Byes: Virginia
Teams playing
FCS schools: Duke (vs. North Carolina Central)
Favorable
matchup: Maryland vs. Rutgers. Maryland's troubles in 2009 haven't
been moving the football but rather stopping the opposition. Rutgers has
looked better as of late, but is still ranked 68th in scoring (23.0 ppg)
and 76th in total defense (362.7 ypg).
Unfavorable matchup:
Wake Forest at Boston College, Clemson vs. TCU and Georgia Tech vs.
North Carolina. Take your pick. The Demon Deacons, Tigers and Yellow
Jackets all face defenses ranked in the top 10 in the country.
Big East
Notes: In one of the biggest injury notes from
Week 3, South Florida lost star quarterback Matt Grothe for the rest of the season because of a torn ACL.
Redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels now
becomes the Bulls' starter ... Cincinnati running back John Goebel is still out indefinitely with a hamstring injury. He
has yet to play this season ... Rutgers true freshman quarterback Tom Savage was knocked out of Saturday's game against FIU with a
head injury. His status for Week 4 against Maryland remains
questionable, meaning former starter Domenic Natale could be back under center ... It was better news for
West Virginia quarterback Jarrett Brown,
who suffered a minor shoulder injury Saturday against Auburn. However,
it is not expected to sideline him ... While all eyes are on wide
receiver Mardy Gilyard at Cincinnati,
the Bearcats have a few other receiving options emerging in D.J. Woods (208 yards) and Armon Binns
(179) ... Syracuse wide receiver Mike Williams
is back to his playmaking ways after sitting out last season due to
academic concerns. Williams has 23 catches for 357 yards and three
touchdowns. It's time to pick up Williams in all formats again.
Byes:
West Virginia
Teams playing FCS schools: Connecticut (vs.
Rhode Island); Syracuse (vs. Maine)
Favorable matchup:
Cincinnati (vs. Fresno State). After shutting out UC Davis in the
opener, Fresno State has allowed 85 points in their last two games. The
Bearcats have the nation's fourth best scoring offense (48.3 ppg) and
sixth total offense (516.7 ypg). They should be able to air it out
against Fresno State.
Unfavorable matchup: Pittsburgh at North
Carolina State. The Panthers are riding high this season and with good
reason at 3-0. However, they could have some issues with N.C. State. The
Wolfpack are second in total defense (168.3 ypg) and seventh in scoring
defense (9.3 ppg). They have allowed just four touchdowns in three games.
Big 12
Notes: Baylor running back Jay Finley tweaked his ankle during Saturday's loss against
Connecticut and is questionable for Week 4. He could miss some time,
therefore, Terrance Ganaway will
probably start in his place ... Kansas running back Jake Sharp was limited by a calf injury during a Week 3 win against
Duke. Sharp is probable for Week 4 against Southern Miss, however, we
should still see true freshman Toben Opurum
in the run game after he rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns last
week ... There is nothing new yet on Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter, who missed last week with a leg injury. Rumors had him
out for at least two weeks, so he probably isn't a safe play ... With
both Vondrell McGee (ankle) and Foswhitt Whittaker (knee) battling injuries, Texas true freshman running
back Tre' Newton might be the featured
back Saturday against UTEP ... Texas A&M is reeling from two injuries.
The most serious is to star receiver Jeff Fuller,
who is out 4-6 weeks with a broken leg. True freshman running back Christine Michael is also questionable for Week 4 with a calf injury ...
Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones set a
school record with six touchdown passes in a 45-0 rout of Tulsa on
Saturday. Jones continues to start in the absence of Sam Bradford (shoulder) ... Missouri sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert has eight passing touchdowns to no interceptions ...
Nebraska running back Roy Helu is
seventh in the nation in rushing (127.0 ypg) ... Texas Tech wide
receiver Lyle Leong has five touchdowns
in his last two games ... Iowa State running back Alexander Robinson has managed two straight 100-yard games and has 326
yards on the season.
Byes: Colorado, Oklahoma
Teams
playing FCS schools: Kansas State (vs. Tennessee Tech); Baylor (vs.
Northwestern State); Oklahoma State (vs. Grambling)
Favorable
matchup: Texas Tech at Houston. You have two of the most prolific
offenses in the NCAA going up against each other. There are going to be
a lot of yards and a lot of points.
Unfavorable matchup: Iowa
State vs. Army. It seems like Iowa State should steamroll the Black
Knights, but Army (2-1) has looked good thus far under first-year coach
Rich Ellerson. They rank 25th in total defense (278.0 ypg) and 57th in
scoring defense (22.0 ypg). Army could also keep the ball out of Iowa
State's hands with ball control thanks to the triple-option attack.
|
|
||
| Player | % Change | |
| 1. | Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh | 22 |
| 2. | Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse | 17 |
| 3. | Richard Jackson, K, Clemson | 17 |
| 4. | Armando Allen, RB, Notre Dame | 12 |
| 5. | Jacory Harris, QB, Miami, Fla. | 12 |
| 6. | Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech | 10 |
| 7. | Darvin Adams, WR, Auburn | 10 |
| 8. | Caz Piurowski, TE, Florida State | 10 |
| 9. | Hunter Lawrence, K, Texas | 7 |
| 10. | Tramain Swindall, WR, Texas Tech | 7 |
Big Ten
Notes: Illinois quarterback Juice Williams had the bye in Week 3 to rest his ailing quad and is
expected to be under center in Week 4 against Ohio State ... Iowa has a
pair of key players hurting. Wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (hamstring) and tight end Tony Moeaki (ankle) both missed Week 3 against Arizona and are
questionable for Week 4 against Penn State ... Michigan State wide
receiver Mark Dell (shoulder) made his
season debut against Notre Dame on Saturday and totaled six catches for
121 yards ... Michigan running back Brandon Minor
continues to battle a lingering ankle injury and is not a recommended
start Week 4 ... Minnesota has some positive news on wide receiver Eric Decker, who sprained his ankle Saturday against Cal. Decker is
expected to practice this week and play against Northwestern barring any
setbacks ... Northwestern running back Stephen Simmons (leg) remains questionable after missing Week 3 against
Syracuse ... Penn State wide receiver Graham Zug
sustained a head injury Saturday against Temple and remains questionable
for Week 4 against Iowa. Curtis Drake
filled in for Zug last week ... Ohio State wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher leads the Buckeyes with 241 yards and three
touchdowns on just nine catches ... After totaling no touchdowns in his
first two games, Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka broke out with four (three passing) on Saturday against
Syracuse.
Byes: None
Teams playing FCS schools: None
Favorable
matchup: Purdue vs. Notre Dame. The Irish have allowed 68 points in
the last two weeks after shutting out Nevada in the opener. Purdue
racked up 463 yards against the Irish last season, so they know how to
move the ball on Notre Dame.
Unfavorable matchup: Iowa at Penn
State. We are not sure how much offense we are going to see in this game
Saturday. Iowa has not allowed an opponent to score more than 17 points
in three games, and Penn State ranks in the top 10 for both scoring (6.7
ppg) and total defense (212.3 ypg). Last year the final was 24-21 in
favor of Iowa, however, neither team broke 200 yards passing or rushing.
Conference USA
Notes: East Carolina running back Dominique Lindsay missed Saturday's game against North Carolina with a
shoulder injury and remains questionable for Week 4. Brandon Jackson will likely see most of the carries in his absence ...
Memphis running back Curtis Steele is
not ready to return from a sprained knee. He could miss up to two more
weeks ... Rice quarterback Nick Fanuzzi
is questionable for Week 4 against Vanderbilt after suffering a shoulder
injury in Week 3. If he can't start, John Thomas Shepherd will take his place. Starting running back Tyler Smith is also battling a toe injury and is questionable for
Week 4 ... SMU has four receivers with at least 10 catches -- Emmanuel Sanders (35), Terrance Wilkerson
(13), Cole Beasley (13) and Aldrick Robinson (12) ... Marshall running back Darius Marshall is in top form after missing the opener because of a
team-imposed suspension. Marshall has rushed for 100 yards in
consecutive games and has 38 carries for 295 yards and two touchdowns
... Brett Hodges has taken over for Rob Calabrese as UCF's starting quarterback... Speaking of
quarterback changes, Memphis made one as wellm dropping Arkelon Hall down the depth chart and promoting Tyler Bass. The sophomore made his first start Saturday against
Tennessee-Martin and passed for 293 yards and four touchdowns. He also
rushed for 80 yards and another score.
Byes: SMU
Teams
playing FCS schools: Tulane (vs. McNeese State); Tulsa (vs. Sam
Houston State)
Favorable matchup: UAB at Texas A&M. We already
shared our thoughts on the Houston/Texas Tech game, so we will throw you
another bone with UAB/Texas A&M. The Aggies allowed Utah State to score
30 points on their home turf last week. Utah State passed for 334 yards
and rushed for 187. UAB dual-threat quarterback Joe Webb should be able to move the Blazers offense in Week 4.
Unfavorable
matchup: East Carolina vs. UCF. The Pirates needed overtime last
season to sneak past UCF. Still, they managed just 13 points and 283
yards. UCF has played pretty decent defense through three weeks, ranking
48th in total (324.7 ypg) and 59th in scoring defense (22.3 ppg).
Independents
Notes: The Notre Dame offense sustained a
huge blow in Week 3 as star receiver Michael Floyd suffered a broken collarbone against Michigan State. The
Irish are holding out hope Floyd will be available for a bowl game, but
for Fantasy purposes his season is over ... Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen is nursing a minor toe injury but is not expected to
miss Saturday's game against Purdue ... Army fullback CeDarius Williams missed Week 3 with an ankle injury and is doubtful for
Week 4 against Iowa State ... Army wide receiver Ali Villanueva has a touchdown in two straight games ... Navy
fullback Alexander Teich leads the
Midshipmen with 173 rushing yards.
Byes: None
Teams
playing FCS schools: None
Favorable matchup: Navy vs.
Western Kentucky. The Middies might be facing the worst team in FBS
football this weekend. Western Kentucky dropped to 0-3 after a loss to
Central Arkansas, a FCS school, on Saturday. The Hilltoppers are 119th
against the run (275.3 ypg) and all Navy does is run the football down
the opposition's throats.
Unfavorable matchup: None. Both
Notre Dame and Army also play teams with questionable defenses.
MAC
Notes: Akron quarterback Chris Jacquemain remains suspended indefinitely for a violation of
team rules. The Zips appear ready to move forward with Matt Rodgers at quarterback ... Kent State quarterback Giorgio Morgan (ankle) remains questionable for Week 4 vs. Miami
(Ohio). Spencer Keith started in his
place Saturday against Iowa State and will likely be under center again
if Morgan isn't ready ... If Ohio quarterback Boo Jackson can't bounce back from a shoulder injury, he might take
a medical redshirt. Theo Scott
continues to start in his absence ... With Eugene Jarvis (kidney) sidelined the rest of the season, Kent State
running back Andre Flowers received the
most carries on Saturday against Iowa State ... Northern Illinois
running back Me'co Brown has broken 100
yards in two straight games and is 14th in the nation in rushing (110.3
ypg) ... Western Michigan quarterback Tim Hiller
broke out of his slump with four touchdown passes Saturday against Miami
(Ohio). He had just two through two games ... Redhawks receiver Eugene Harris had a breakout game against the Broncos with six catches
for 134 yards and two touchdowns ... Bowling Green wide receiver Freddie Barnes leads the nation with 14 catches per game ... Buffalo
wide receiver Jesse Rack is tied for
the team lead in receiving touchdowns (three) with Naaman Roosevelt. Brett Hamlin is
tied with Roosevelt with most catches (20).
Byes: None
Teams
playing FCS schools: Western Michigan (vs. Hofstra)
Favorable
matchup: Toledo at Florida International. We can't wait to see
Toledo's spread offense head down to South Florida to face the Panthers.
Florida International has lost its first two games and defense has been
an issue. They rank in the bottom 20 for both scoring (31.5 ppg) and
total defense (455.0 ypg).
Unfavorable matchup: Ohio at
Tennessee. First-year Tennessee defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has
had little trouble installing his patented Cover-2 defense. The Vols
rank fifth in total (197.3 ypg) and 28th in scoring defense (16.3 ppg).
They even held Heisman candidate Tim Tebow
to just 191 total yards and one touchdown last week.
Mountain West
Notes: Air Force starting quarterback Tim Jefferson rolled his right ankle during a Week 3 win against
New Mexico and had to leave the game. His status for Week 4 against San
Diego State is questionable. Connor Dietz
will start in Jefferson's place if he can't go ... San Diego State
leading rusher Brandon Sullivan left
Saturday's game against Idaho with a knee injury. Already down Atiyyah Henderson (back), the Aztecs await Sullivan's MRI. If he can't
go Saturday against Air Force, Davon Brown
and Walter Kazee will pick up the slack
... UNLV wide receiver Rodelin Anthony
suffered a head injury in Week 3 against Stanford and is doubtful for
Week 4 at Wyoming ... While BYU was getting stomped by Florida State on
Saturday, the only bit of good news was that starting running back Harvey Unga appeared past his hamstring issues. He rushed for 97 yards
and one score on 10 carries ... Utah starting running back Matt Asiata was able to play in Week 3 at Oregon despite a shoulder
injury, but he looked sluggish. He managed just 54 yards on 15 carries
and didn't score.
Byes: None
Teams playing FCS schools:
None
Favorable matchup: UNLV at Wyoming. UNLV has shown they
can move the ball with the 42nd scoring offense (31.0 ppg), and Wyoming
has displayed they have trouble stopping the opposition by allowing 29
points per game (93rd).
Unfavorable matchup: TCU at Clemson.
The Horned Frogs have moved the ball with ease against Virginia and
Texas State, but now they get some real competition in Clemson. The
Tigers are 19th in total (257.0 ypg) and 31st in scoring defense (17.0
ppg).
Pac-10
Notes: Arizona announced over the weekend that
All-American tight end Rob Gronkowski
will not play this season due to a lingering back injury. Fantasy owners
just lost an elite player at a thin position. A.J. Simmons will continue to start in his absence ... Cal wide
receiver Nyan Boateng will miss 4-6
weeks after fracturing his foot at Minnesota on Saturday. His absence
creates more opportunities for Jeremy Ross
... Oregon State quarterback Lyle Moevao
is making nice progress from offseason shoulder surgery, but Sean Canfield is still expected to start Week 4 against Arizona ...
Southern Cal quarterback Matt Barkley
(shoulder), who did not play during Saturday's stunning loss to
Washington, remains questionable for Week 4. If he is not ready to play
against Washington State, Aaron Corp is
expected to start again ... Highly-touted UCLA freshmen Randall Caroll and Morrell Presley
both sat out Saturday against Kansas State due to a team-imposed
suspension. However, both players are expected back when UCLA returns to
action in Week 5 after a bye ... Washington State wide receiver Jeshua Anderson has left the football team to focus on track ...
Oregon running back LaMichael James led
the rushing attack during a Week 3 upset of Utah. He had 152 yards and
one touchdown ... Ryan Whalen and Chris Owusu are leading Stanford in receiving. Whalen has a team-high
16 catches for 260 yards and two touchdowns, while Owusu has 12 catches
for 197 yards and two scores ... Arizona State has the nation's top
ranked defense (149.5 ypg).
Byes: UCLA
Teams playing FCS
schools: None
Favorable matchup: Southern Cal vs.
Washington State. The Cougars probably wish they didn't have to face an
angry USC team coming off a huge loss to Washington. But it's not like
that was going to make a huge difference since Wazzu is second to last
in total defense (537.0 ypg) and are allowing 34.6 points per game
(109th).
Unfavorable matchup: Oregon vs. Cal. Amid the muck in
2008, the Ducks managed just 16 points and 290 yards of offense in a
loss to Cal. The Golden Bears have looked pretty strong on defense to
open the year. No one has scored more than 21 points in three games and
Cal is allowing just 63.3 rushing yards per game (10th).
SEC
Notes: Alabama is expecting wide receiver Julio Jones in the lineup Saturday against Arkansas after he missed
Week 3 with a knee injury ... Auburn wide receiver Montez Billings has left the team to pursue other opportunities. He
was already suspended due to academic reasons ... Florida wide receiver Deonte Thompson might miss his second straight game in Week 4 with a
hamstring injury ... Vanderbilt running back Jared Hawkins has returned to practice after missing the first two
games of the season with a foot injury and is expected to see his first
action Saturday against Rice. The freshmen duo of Zac Stacy and Warren Norman has
performed well in Hawkins' place ... Terrance Toliver and Brandon LaFell have
combined for five of the six receiving touchdowns LSU has produced this
season. They also have 335 of the 486 receiving yards ... South Carolina
receiver Tori Gurley is a name to keep
on the Fantasy radar. He has been one of quarterback Stephen Garcia's favorite targets and leads the team with 180 receiving
yards. He would have had better numbers but has been the unfortunate
recipient of a few plays called back due to penalties ... Georgia
quarterback Joe Cox tied a single-game
school record with five touchdown passes Saturday against Arkansas.
Razorbacks quarterback Ryan Mallett set
school records with 408 yards and five touchdowns ... Darvin Adams has become Auburn's go-to-receiver. He leads the team
with 15 catches for 261 yards and four touchdowns after his
three-touchdown outing on Saturday against West Virginia.
Byes:
None
Teams playing FCS schools: None
Favorable matchup:
Vanderbilt at Rice. We aren't going to get many chances to highlight
Vandy, so we will take our chance when we get it. Rice has allowed 40 or
more points to every opponent they have faced this season and rank dead
last in scoring defense (46.7 ppg). Unless you are in a SEC format, you
probably don't have a lot of Vandy players. But if you do, consider
starting them in Week 4.
Unfavorable matchup: Kentucky vs.
Florida. The Gators did a good job crushing the Wildcats in 2008, 63-5.
Kentucky has looked better on offense in the early part of 2009, but
Florida has allowed just one offensive touchdown and rank fourth in
scoring defense (7.3 ppg).
Sun Belt
Notes: Florida Atlantic wide receiver Cortez Gent remains suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to
the team ... La.-Lafayette wide receiver Richie Falgout has already missed two games with an ankle injury and
remains questionable for Saturday against Nebraska ... North Texas
quarterback Riley Dodge is optimistic
he will be able to play Saturday against Middle Tennessee State after
missing last week with a shoulder injury. But he remains day to day. Nathan Tune will start again if necessary ... FIU wide receiver T.Y. Hilton got on track in Week 3 against Rutgers with nine catches
for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
Byes: None
Teams
playing FCS schools: None
Favorable matchup: Middle
Tennessee at North Texas. For a week, the Mean Green looked as though
they improved on defense after beating Ball State, 20-10, in the opener.
The last two weeks they have been exposed. North Texas has allowed 84
points in two straight losses. Middle Tennessee has been improving
offensively after losing its opener to Clemson, and we might finally see
Tony Franklin's spread offense unleashed in Week 4.
Unfavorable
matchup: La.-Lafayette at Nebraska. The Blackshirts are back thanks
to the tutelage of Bo Pelini. Nebraska has the nation's seventh best
scoring defense (9.3 ppg) and are allowing just 306.7 yards per game
(38th). You also have to imagine Pelini will have the boys pumped up
after a devastating last-minute loss to Virginia Tech last weekend.
WAC
Notes: Boise State running back D.J. Harper is expected to miss the rest of the season after tearing
his ACL against Fresno State. Jeremy Avery
will likely see the bulk of carries the rest of the season with Doug Martin backing him up ... Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews had quite a day in Week 3 against Boise State. He
rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. All three of
his touchdown runs went for 60-plus yards and he averaged 12.3 yards per
carry ... Utah State running back Robert Turbin
has looked awfully good in two games against Utah and Texas A&M. He has
managed 100 yards in each contest and has 269 yards and two touchdowns
on 26 carries ... Hawaii had three players break 100 yards receiving
during a loss to UNLV on Saturday. They were Kealoha Pilares (146), Rodney Bradley
(189) and Greg Salas (104).
Byes:
Hawaii, Louisiana Tech
Teams playing FCS schools: San Jose
State (vs. Cal Poly); Utah State (vs. Southern Utah)
Favorable
matchup: New Mexico State at New Mexico. We know the Aggies have
looked pretty pathetic moving the football in 2009, but if they can't
move it against the Lobos, then they have some serious issues. New
Mexico is 113th in scoring defense (40.7 ppg) and 114th in total defense
(488.7 ypg).
Unfavorable matchup: Idaho at Northern Illinois.
On top of having to travel to Illinois, Idaho gets to face a team that
hasn't allowed more than 28 points in a game. Northern Illinois ranks
38th in scoring defense (18.7 ppg).
