Its odd to say, but QB Mike Hartline gets the nod this weekend (Icon SMI)
It is a weird week in fantasy college football. There are games every night during the week, many major teams have byes and star players are battling late season injuries. But for many, this is THE week. The week that determines playoff participation, seeding or the end of the season. With teams such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Notre Dame and UConn on byes this week, you would think roster lineups would be challenging. Not if you dig deeper and exploit some matchups. Take these for example:
Looking for a defense? What if I said a team that gave up 34 points last week and one that gave up 24 points last week are very solid options? Well they are, as SEC teams Georgia and Kentucky play late season cookies this week. Georgia plays host to 1-7 Idaho State while Kentucky plays host to 2-6 Charleston Southern. Considering both teams are coming off a loss, both will be motivated to put a hurt on their opponents. For that matter, Aaron Murray, Washaun Ealey, AJ Green, Chris Matthews, Mike Hartline and any other Bulldogs or Wildcats are excellent plays this week.
Another few players in the SEC can shine this week given their matchup. Considering Auburn has Chatanooga on the schedule, how much will the Tigers keep Cam Newton in the game? What that means to me is if you are in desperate need of a back, both Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb seem like solid plays. With the Tigers up big and big plays aplenty, each should approach 100 total yards with a score.
Need a QB to replace an injured Jake Locker or Dayne Crist or avoid a potential QB controversy between Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield? Look no further then San Diego State, where QB Ryan Lindley is a must start this week against the Rams of Colorado State. The Rams are 3-6 and Lindley, despite playing with a banged up ankle, threw for 365 yards and 3 scores last week in the Aztecs win at Wyoming. Lindley intends to play this week and with plenty of talent at wide receiver, is a solid option.
For those players that will surprise this week on the receiving end, check out Minnesota wideout Da’Jon McKnight. McKnight may be available this week coming off a matchup against Ohio State in which he was shut down. As evidenced by Iowa in their passing attack versus the Spartans last week, McKnight not only will see plenty of targets, if the Gophers fall behind, they will throw the ball the entire second half.
If you are looking for a deep wide receiver option for this week, travel to Athens…Ohio and grab wideout Terrence McCrae, who is in the top 10 in the nation with 7 touchdown receptions this season on only 22 receptions. This week the Bobcats are hosting Buffalo, a team that last week gave up 8 catches for 97 yards and 2 scores to Miami of Ohio’s #1 receiver. With that being said, if you need a hail mary at wideout, plug and play.
Adam Mankuta is a veteran writer for Fantasy College Blitz. Additionally, in the past he has written for Rotoworld.com and Rotowire.com. In 2008, he was the recipient of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Award for best College Sports Writer.
