Welcome back to another season of Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch, where I highlight the best and brightest performances from the college football week. The SEC and ACC had downed goalposts and dashed dreams again this week with some good performances in those games.
We will introduce you to these college players earlier than many of your fantasy football league mates. We here at RotoBaller are all about giving you an advantage. If you paid attention to this column last year, you would have known about Kimani Vidal and Xavier Worthy long before their performances at the NFL Combine.
I will highlight one quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end every week of the college season who put up some huge numbers. I'll let you know what it means for your dynasty leagues. Do these guys have NFL futures? You'll find out!
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Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Quarterbacks
Quinn Ewers, Texas (19-27, 333 yards, 5 TD; 2 carries, 0 yards) vs. Florida
QB1 was dealing on Saturday
A career high 5⃣ TD passes for @QuinnEwers pic.twitter.com/H8D8kjl4g5
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) November 10, 2024
There were several similar stat lines from quarterbacks this week, so we'll give Ewers the edge against a solid Florida defense. And ... we haven't talked about Ewers in this piece yet in 2024 and he will be a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft.
Ewers is built like a quarterback at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. If you've seen his Fansville commercial with Brian Bosworth, you know that he is ready for the NFL in that respect, too. Ewers chose to return to college on a lucrative NIL deal because the 2024 draft class was loaded at quarterback.
His stats aren't as good as last season, but Ewers also missed two games and parts of a third. Nothing has changed as far as the scouts are concerned. Ewers isn't the best quarterback in this class, which has to be disappointing since many projected that he would be.
At any rate, Ewers will be starting for an NFL team by 2026. Most teams prefer to let their future quarterback sit for a season, but looking at Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, and Bo Nix this year, the trend is worth monitoring. Ewers is worth a first-round pick in your rookie draft depending on the situation he gets drafted into.
Honorable mention: Katin Houser, East Carolina; Fernando Mendoza, California; Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Running Backs
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (34 carries, 209 yards, 3 TD; 2 receptions, 12 yards) vs. Nevada
Ashton Jeanty is putting up video game numbers in real life ?
He looks to continue his historic pace this Saturday vs. San Jose State at 7PM ET on @CBSSportsNet ? pic.twitter.com/WeGZyhJcP2
— CBS Sports College Football ? (@CBSSportsCFB) November 14, 2024
There is not much more that we can say about Jeanty. Some scouts worry about the quality of competition. I don't. He put up good numbers against Oregon. Some scouts worry about overuse as Boise tries to put a Heisman Trophy in its trophy case. I can see that argument, but most backs are out of the NFL (or in a seriously reduced role) by the time they hit 30 anyway.
We're drafting Jeanty in the first round of our rookie drafts because he can be a workhorse in a league devoid of them. He does everything well. Jeanty is a tough runner and a hard worker. He may only last 6-8 years in the league, but he will be a fantasy force in most of those years.
Honorable mention: Kye Robichaux, Boston College; Makhi Hughes, Tulane; Tre Stewart, Jacksonville State
Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Wide Receivers
Jaylin Noel, Iowa State (8 receptions, 167 yards, 2 TD) vs. Kansas
Capping a 99 yard drive! Jaylin Noel is a playmaker. pic.twitter.com/WpINe0pEMa
— 0 for the Season (@0_fortheseason) November 9, 2024
Jayden Higgins has taken some of the luster off Noel this season. It's not through anything Noel has done. He just usually commands the other team to roll coverage to him. Noel showed out in his hometown in a loss to Kansas last weekend.
At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Noel is big enough to grapple with NFL corners. Teams like their receivers tall nowadays, but Noel is thick enough to handle jams from corners without getting knocked off his routes. He has good hands and has proven to be a solid blocker.
Don't worry too much about his drop in numbers. Noel is still the same player on film that he has been the last two years. He got an invite to the Senior Bowl this year. It won't hurt to get more eyes on him. Right now, Noel projects more like a WR3, but a good Senior Bowl and NFL Combine could change that.
Honorable mention: Nick Nash, San Jose State; Trey Goodman, UTEP; Justin Bowick, Ball State
Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Tight Ends
Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green (10 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TD) vs. Western Michigan
BGSU's Harold Fannin Jr. leads the nation in receiving yards (1170) & games with 100+ receiving yards (6). The next closest TE has 3 such games.
If you counted just "Power-4" opponent games, Fannin would still lead the nation's TEs with 2 (his only 2 games vs. "Power-4") pic.twitter.com/SwOS5eKLt7
— Vincent Briedis (@VincentBriedis) November 14, 2024
The above post highlights just how good Fannin has been this season. Much like Jeanty, he gets criticism from some because of the quality of opponents, but NFL scouts aren't pushed away. Fannin checks all of the boxes and could be a star at the next level. He keeps improving and could move into a Day 2 pick in the NFL Draft.
Honorable mention: Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse; Holden Willis, Middle Tennessee State; Matt Lauter, Boise State
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