RADIO
Welcome back to another season of Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch, where I highlight the best and brightest performances from the college football week that was. We had some good games on the college circuit again in Week 7 with Alabama and Penn State surviving while Texas is on cruise control.
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 really big numbers. I'll let you know what it means for your dynasty leagues. Do these guys have NFL futures? You'll find out!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Quarterbacks
Spencer Petras, Utah State (41-59, 461 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT; 7 carries, 10 yards) vs. UNLV
Imagine if Spencer Petras had a good defense pic.twitter.com/8esOLCErjp
— Delusional Cyclone Fan (@Delusional_ISU) October 12, 2024
Petras left a good defense at Iowa because the Hawkeyes offense wasn't even in neutral most of the time. It was in reverse, and it was mostly because of terrible play calls. We saw a couple of receivers break out after leaving Iowa City. We shouldn't be all that surprised that a quarterback finally did.
Petras has the size (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) that NFL teams covet from a quarterback. The problem is that he's not very accurate. Petras never completed better than 57.3% of his passes at Iowa in a full season. He sits at 65.4% in his first (and last) season in Logan.
Interceptions continue to be a problem (he has thrown 25 in his career to just 33 touchdown passes), but Petras is also on pace to throw about double the passes that he did at any point with Iowa. With the Aggies trailing most of the time, expect to see Petras keep chucking it with moderate success.
Any quarterback this size will at least be given an extra look by NFL teams. Petras has improved his accuracy this season. Now he needs to show that he can make better decisions. Being at Iowa severely stunted his growth as a passer.
Honorable mention: Carson Beck, Georgia; Cam Fancher, Florida Atlantic; Jordan McCloud, Texas State
Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Running Backs
Tawee Walker, Wisconsin (24 carries, 198 yards. 3 TD; reception, 3 yards) at Rutgers
1️⃣9️⃣8️⃣ rushing yards ➕ 3️⃣ TDs
Tawee Walker had a performance to remember against Rutgers on Saturday ?#B1GFootball x @BadgerFootball pic.twitter.com/YFs3rgMUO8
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 16, 2024
I could have easily put Ashton Jeanty here again (31 carries, 217 yards vs. Hawaii), but we're familiar enough with him. Let's move on to someone else.
All that Walker wanted was to be on scholarship at Oklahoma and they let him walk. Given the state of Oklahoma's run game this year, that's one of the worst decisions by the team in recent memory. Walker headed to Wisconsin and was used alongside Chez Mellusi. When Mellusi walked away from the team two weeks ago, Walker took over.
Walker has 43 carries for 292 yards and six touchdowns in his two weeks as the unquestioned starter. Running behind that Wisconsin line doesn't hurt, but he's still shifty and hard to bring down.
Walker is short (5-foot-9) for an NFL back, but that is one position in the league at which that stature isn't prohibitive...especially when he checks in at 218 pounds. Short, muscular backs that remain shifty (as Walker does) will play at the next level. He may not be an every-down back, but Walker will be effective on Sundays.
Honorable mention: Ashton Jeanty, Boise State; DJ Giddens, Kansas State; Quinton Cooley, Liberty
Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Wide Receivers
Chrishon McCray, Kent State (8 receptions, 213 yards, 3 TD) vs. Ball State
Kent State lost to Ball State, but it was an electric day for receiver for Chrishon McCray. He had 8 catches for 213 yards and 3 TD, including this beauty pic.twitter.com/VVvAosZBEC
— 2StripesCPD (@2StripesCPD) October 14, 2024
McCray had a solid freshman season last year, but he has turned into a force this year. McCray has 13 receptions for 401 yards and five touchdowns in the last two games alone! You can see his elusiveness in the play above, but that won't fly against NFL players. How will he match up at the next level?
At just 5-foot-10 and 163 pounds, McCray will strictly be a slot receiver at the next level. He has good hands but will have to bulk up and keep his shiftiness to withstand the rigors of an NFL season. A good combine will help his cause, but he has an uphill climb in front of him.
The good news for McCray is that with the way that college free agency is, McCray can spend another year or two at a power school to get more eyes on him and show how he can go against better competition. I would expect that to happen.
Honorable mention: Jerjuan Newton, Toledo; Evan Stewart, Oregon; Jalen Royals, Utah State
Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Tight Ends
Tyler Warren, Penn State (17 receptions, 224 yards, TD; carry, 4 yards) at USC
Penn State TE Tyler Warren vs. USC
17 catches, 224 yards and a TD.
Checkout the insane play design on his TD catch. He actually started the play at center. pic.twitter.com/jU1E1hFktq
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) October 13, 2024
The case for best TE in this draft is going to be a close one. It is another strong TE draft. Tyler Warren threw his hat in the ring last weekend. His 17 receptions tied an NCAA record for tight ends and set the Penn State school record for receptions in a game.
Warren is an excellent athlete despite his 6-foot-6, 257-pound frame. He played quarterback in high school and will still throw the occasional pass for Penn State. You can see his versatility in the play above. He snapped the ball and made it all the way down the field to catch the touchdown.
Warren has great hands, but unlike some guys with receiving chops as tight ends, he can mow you down as a blocker too. He's an every-down player at the next level and his versatility will keep him in the league for a long time.
Honorable mention: Jake Briningstool, Clemson; Max Klare, Purdue; Jack Endries, California
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