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This article takes a look at the most fantasy relevant teams from the smaller schools. Schools outside of the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC. We have broken this article into two different articles, as there is a separate article covering the Mountain West Conference teams.
Western Kentucky
Quarterback
Returning starter Brandon Doughty was extremely productive in 2014 and we expect more of the same this season. We have the senior ranked as our #11 quarterback for 2015. Doughty completed 67.9% of his passes for 4,830 yards, 49 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He threw for multiple touchdowns in every game but one last season and makes for an outstanding DFS target.
Running Back
We are also big fans of returning senior Leon Allen and have him ranked as our #9 running back. Allen ran for 1,542 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding on 51 catches for 476 yards and another 3 touchdowns. Allen is another outstanding target for DFS, barring facing off against a strong rushing defense. When facing the weaker defenses, buckle up for a potentially huge performance – see: 182 yards and 2 touchdowns vs. ODU, 345 yards and 3 touchdowns vs. Army and 237 yards and 1 touchdown vs. Marshall. Junior Anthony Wales should serve as the primary backup.
Wide Receiver
The Hilltoppers have plenty of talent at wide receiver as well, led by returning senior Jared Dangerfield. We have him ranked as our #30 wide receiver. Dangerfield caught 69 balls for 825 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2014. Junior Taywan Taylor should be the WR2, and we have him ranked at #82. Taylor had 45 receptions for 767 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. Other names to keep in mind include Antwane Grant and Nicholas Norris, but Dangerfield is the safest bet for DFS and makes for a great stack with Doughty.
Tight End
Spend your money on the other Hilltoppers, but senior tight end Taylor Higbee did score 4 touchdowns last season. Keep him in mind for small slates on sites that require a tight end.
Defense
Western Kentucky scores a lot of points and can give up a lot as well. Employ opponents at will.
East Carolina
Quarterback
The quarterback position for the Pirates is in a state of flux as the recently named starter, sophomore Kurt Benkert, will be out for the year with a knee injury. Two juniors, Blake Kemp and Cody Keith, will compete for the job. Shane Carden, the departing senior, started last season and posted fantastic numbers. He threw for 4,736 yards and 30 touchdowns while tacking on another 6 touchdowns on the ground. Those numbers will be out of reach, but the Pirates figure to have a high-powered offense again. Don’t hesitate to play the quarterback against weaker opponents for DFS, but perhaps see how they do against stiffer competition before rolling them out weekly.
Running Back
Senior Chris Hairston will man lead back duties for East Carolina. The returning senior ran for 528 yards and 2 touchdowns as the backup to Breon Allen last season. Allen produced 1,189 combined yards and 9 total touchdowns in 2014. Hairston is our #73 running back and should be on the radar for DFS. Behind Hairston, sophomores Marquez Grayson and Anthony Scott should see the most time.
Wide Receiver
Returning junior Isaiah Jones leads a talented group of wide receivers. Jones had 81 receptions for 830 yards and 5 touchdowns as the WR2 in 2014. He will step into the role of WR1 and should see a nice bump in production. Jones is ranked as our #23 receiver for 2015. Sophomore Trevon Brown also checks in on our rankings at #72. He caught 14 balls for 264 yards and 4 touchdowns in a limited role last season. Brown should also see a solid increase in opportunities. There is a deep group behind these two. Jones will be the biggest factor for DFS and makes for a great target in the right matchup.
Tight End
Bryce Williams is our #20 tight end for 2014. The senior had 18 receptions for 237 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. Keep him on your radar for DFS.
Defense
East Carolina was involved in several shootouts last year and can be targeted for DFS.
Brigham Young University (BYU)
Quarterback
Taysom Hill is a fantasy dream at the quarterback position. He can do it all for the Cougars with his passing down the field and his added bonus of almost being a running back while still playing quarterback. He is one of the most unique players in all of college football as he has potential to run the ball just as much as any starting running back on any other team. Hill's season came to an abrupt end last year in game 5 against the Utah State Aggies where he had a severe knee injury that had every major ligament shredded. His mobility will be the biggest concern starting the season since that is what sets him apart from other quarterbacks in the country. In 4.5 games last season he rushed 87 times for 460 yards and 8 touchdowns while adding 975 passing yards and another 7 touchdowns through the air. BYU will likely limit Hill's runs to open up the season, and they bring in a reliable replacement for down the road in Tanner Magnum who also could see some playing time depending on the early season health of Hill. However despite any limitation, we still love Hill’s DFS upside as he is our #1 ranked fantasy quarterback.
Running Back
It looked like Jamaal Williams was going to be the lead back for the Cougars in 2015, but that is not the case as he has elected to sit out the season. That leaves Algernon Brown, Adam Hine, and Nate Carter to battle it out for carries in 2015. Picking one of the three running backs to break out seems like a tough task and one that you likely want to avoid with Taysom Hill projected to carry the ball very often to begin with. All reports out of BYU have Algernon Brown as the top running back on the depth chart, so he would be the one guy to monitor early in the season to see how he performs with the added role and carries.
Wide Receiver
Mitch Mathews returns as the big dog in the Cougars wide receiving core, coming off a 2014 season where he went for 73 receptions for 922 yards and 9 touchdowns. Ranking as our #53 wide receiver, Mathews is a big target for Hill down the field as he is a 6'6" 215 lbs and never afraid to make a play on a ball in the air. Mathews showed good chemistry with Hill before Hill's injury, and that will be something to look for out of the gate if the two can reconnect where they left off early last season. BYU also has some additional names at wide receiver to keep an eye on with Mitchell Juergens, Devon Blackmon and Terenn Houk, all of which could be value plays on a week to week basis. Juergen is the one guy that has already proved his worth on the field putting up a 28/424/4 stateline and having a 100-yard receiving game against Cal last season. Devon Blackmon might have the most talent, but he still has yet to show it on the field.
Tight End
BYU has been known for its production at the tight end position over the years, but after losing Devin Mahina this season, the depth chart is very thin. There are no names worth rostering in DFS even as punt plays.
Defense
BYU’s weakness will be their pass defense—feel free to target opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers. Temper your expectations for opposing running backs, as BYU only allowed six 20+ yard rushes in 2014 and returns most of its defensive line.
Western Michigan
Quarterback
Western Michigan is a small fantasy gold mine for college DFS. They may not have a ton of NFL talent, but they had some significant contributors last season with the majority of their offense left intact in 2015. The thing to keep in mind when using any Western Michigan player is that they run a very balanced offense--so it is unlikely that any one guy will be absolutely fed. This screams cash game play for us.
Zach Terrell is their starting quarterback, and he had impressive numbers in 2014, passing rather accurately at a 67.9% rate for 3443 yards and 26 touchdowns. He will not get you many rushing yards, but he is reliable for at least a few touchdowns and 250 yards per game. With all of his weapons and most of his line returning, we expect a slight improvement and a decent value cash game play in Terrell.
Running Back
Jarvion Franklin returns at starting running back. He was an absolute workhorse last season, carrying the ball 306 times for 1551 yards and 24 touchdowns. That level of carries is right there with any elite back in the league, and as you would expect, Franklin’s yardage totals backed it up. In his first 9 contests, Franklin broke 100 yards 7 times. He also had 3 touchdowns in 6 of those 9 games. This is exactly what you want in a fantasy running back--a monster workload in an offense not afraid to use him around the goal line. We do have some slight reservations, as it was obvious that Franklin was being overused due to his absolute cliff dive in the last 4 games of the season (231 yards and only 2 touchdowns). We expect a couple other guys to cut slightly into his carries; however he should still be expected to roll at least through the first half of the season. Ranked #14 overall on our list, Franklin is an elite option for DFS.
Wide Receiver
The Broncos return a couple of talented wide receivers in Corey Davis and Daniel Braverman. Each had over 100 targets last year, with Braverman leading the team at 86 receptions. However, Corey Davis was the clear go-to guy when it counted, putting up a monstrous 15 touchdowns with over 1400 yards (Braverman with 6 TD’s on 997 yards). We think Davis will remain a touchdown monger while the yardage totals normalize around the 1000-yard mark. Davis ranks #19, while Braverman is not far behind at #26. Each represents excellent options and interesting stacks with Zach Terrell. Pick between them based on price, but we think Davis represents the most upside.
Tight End
Western Michigan primarily uses their tight ends for blocking, as most targets go to their two stud wide receivers. Eric Boyden is the starter, and he only had 10 catches last season. Avoid this position.
Defense
This is not a stand-out defense. Opposing offenses should be good to go.
Bowling Green
Quarterback
Matt Johnson will be the starter after missing all but the first game of 2014 with a hip injury. The senior was the starter back in 2013. Using those numbers as a baseline – 3,467 yards and 25 touchdowns through the air with another 5 touchdowns on the ground – Johnson will be a nice source of fantasy points. We have the senior ranked as our #22 quarterback. James Knapke will be the backup. The junior was the starter after Johnson went down to injury and performed very well, throwing for 3,173 yards and 15 touchdowns with another 2 touchdowns on the ground.
Running Back
Travis Greene will handle lead back duties for the Falcons. The senior ran for 949 yards and 12 touchdowns last season and tacked on 27 catches for 175 yards and another touchdown despite missing two games to injury. Greene is a great DFS target in the right matchup, especially in conference play. Junior Fred Coppet should be the primary backup. He ran for 764 yards and 6 touchdowns last season.
Wide Receiver
The Falcons have a solid collection of wide receivers to spread the ball around to. Sophomore Roger Lewis is the WR1 and makes for a great pair with Johnson for DFS. Lewis caught 73 passes for 1,093 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. We like the upside for Lewis this season and have him ranked as our #10 wide receiver. While Lewis is the top option, the Falcons have great depth at the position and other valid plays could emerge as the season moves along. Names to keep in mind include Robbie Rhodes, Ryan Burbink, Ronnie Moore and Gehrig Dieter. If a clear WR2 emerges, feel free to pair up with Johnson for projected MAC conference shootouts.
Tight End
The tight end position is not an area of focus for the Bowling Green offense. Avoid this position for DFS.
Defense
Bowling Green tends to be involved in a lot of high-scoring affairs. Feel free to employ opposing offensive players for DFS.
Toledo
Quarterback
There is currently a three-way battle underway for the starting quarterback job between senior Phillip Ely, junior Logan Woodside and sophomore Michael Julian. Woodside and Ely both saw time last year, combining for 2,813 yards and 9 touchdowns. We’ll see how the battle shakes out. The winner could be in play against weaker opponents on sites that require two quarterbacks.
Running Back
Junior Kareem Hunt had a phenomenal 2014 and we expect more of the same this year. Hunt averaged an impressive 8.0 yards per carry while compiling 1,631 yards and 16 touchdowns – despite missing three games. We expect more of the same this year and have him ranked as the #10 running back. Hunt is an incredibly strong play for DFS and we would only consider sitting him against an elite rushing defense.
Wide Receiver
Junior Corey Jones and senior Alonzo Russell return as the Top 2 wide receivers for the Rockets. Jones is our #41 receiver and caught 69 passes for 851 yards and 5 touchdowns last season. Russell checks in at #69 after recording 51 receptions for 771 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2014. Both players are good targets for DFS, with a slight nod to Jones when looking for a receiver to pair with the Rockets quarterback.
Tight End
Senior Alex Zmolik is our #56 ranked tight end. Zmolik caught 16 passes for 206 yards in 2015. Keep him in mind for smaller slates on sites that require a tight end.
Defense
You can safely play opposing offensive players against Toledo’s defense.
Notre Dame
Quarterback
Sophomore Malik Zaire takes over at quarterback this year. We have not seen much of Zaire since he took over very late in the 2014 season, but we know enough to say he is definitely a big play threat. With his first college rush accounting for 56 yards, he definitely has the speed to make plays with his legs. Zaire’s arm is certainly a question mark however, so we will need to see how efficient he can be in the passing game. Luckily for Zaire, Notre Dame has an extremely talented core of wide receivers, so we think that combined with his rushing ability sets him up to be an excellent option this season as our #18 ranked quarterback.
Running Back
Tarean Folston will get the nod at running back. Folston comes in as our #41 ranked running back. Averaging 5.1 yards per carry last season for 889 yards and 6 touchdowns, we see Folston as a serviceable option if priced down. He may not have the tournament-winning upside, but with as good as we expect Notre Dame to be, we believe they will be leading (and therefore rushing) in quite a few games. CJ Prosise should serve as the backup. The converted slot receiver will not get a ton of carries, but he should be very commonly used in passing situations out of the backfield. He has showed explosiveness and could put up a big game while sporting very low ownership. Ranked as our #80 back, we wouldn’t expect to see him every week---but a tournament play here or there is not out of the question.
Wide Receiver
Notre Dame is stocked with wide receiver talent. They have one of the best WR1’s in the country in Will Fuller. In 2014, Fuller amassed 76 receptions for nearly 1100 yards and a program-record 15 touchdowns. We have him with similar numbers this year, projected to lead all FBS wide receivers in touchdowns. Fuller is our #9 ranked wide receiver and should be a top option if you can afford him. As a secondary option, Corey Robinson has some touchdown upside based purely on his size. Coming in at 6’6, Robinson should be a great jump ball candidate for some big plays in the end zone.
Tight End
This position is tough to predict--we have Durham Smythe as the leading candidate for passes at tight end, however expect a shared load between some other talented players. Smythe is not a standout tight end for us.
Defense
The Notre Dame defense was not what it once was last season, finishing ranked middle of the pack. They return almost all starters this year, and we expect significant improvement. They are not a defense to avoid, but not one to target either.
Houston
Quarterback
Greg Ward Jr. comes in as our #20 ranked quarterback to start the season. What is really most intriguing about Ward may actually be his new coach Tom Herman. We all saw what Herman did with his quarterback situation last season as the Ohio State offensive coordinator, so we are definitely excited to see what he can produce at Houston with the dual threat quarterback in Greg Ward Jr. After starting the 2014 season as a wide receiver, Ward took over at quarterback in their 5th game and produced an impressive 67.3% completion rate, averaging 220 passing yards per game. Ward also showed us he is not at all afraid to make plays with his legs, averaging around 12 carries for 60 yards per game. We fully expect him to continue making big plays this season as the Houston offense should improve.
Running Back
Senior running back Kenneth Farrow will get the majority of carries this season. Farrow eclipsed 1000 yards last season, amassing 14 touchdowns while averaging a very respectable 5.6 yards per carry. With the Herman regime now in place, we expect Farrow’s workload to actually increase. Running Backs under Herman at Ohio State averaged 28 carries per game over the last two seasons, so this is very encouraging for the Houston run game. Farrow ranks #33 for us, so keep an eye on him for both cash and tournament lineups.
Wide Receiver
With the departure of star wide receiver Deontay Greenberry, options are limited at wide receiver. Demarcus Ayers is first on the depth chart, but he doesn’t even break our top-120 rankings. Unless someone shines brightly within the first few weeks, ignore the Houston wide receiver position.
Tight End
Houston has historically not used a tight end, however this year they plan to employ Tyler McCloskey in a limited role. We would not recommend him for DFS purposes, but keep the Houston tight end in the back of your mind.
Defense
Houston had a strong defense last season, only allowing 335 yards and less than 20 points per game. However, they lost pretty much their entire defensive line, so we expect some regression. Target strong rushing attacks against what we think will be a weaker run defense this year.
Arkansas State
Quarterback
Dual-threat senior Fredi Knighten returns and the needle is pointing up for 2015. Knighten is our #8 quarterback and brings some exciting DFS possibilities to the table. Through the air, he threw for 3,277 yards and 24 touchdowns. On the ground, Knighten ran for 779 yards and 11 touchdowns. Knighten will produce and should be under consideration for your roster on a weekly basis.
Running Back
Michael Gordon handles the lead back duties for the Red Wolves. The senior ran for 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns while chipping in 25 receptions for 191 yards with another touchdown. Gordon was added to the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which is awarded to the nation’s top running back. We have Gordon as our #29 running back and he makes a strong target for DFS.
Wide Receiver
Knighten has several solid targets to choose from, but we like senior J.D. McKissic to be the WR1 and have him ranked as our #53 wide receiver. McKissic caught 52 passes for 629 yards last year despite missing 3 games. He tacked on 115 rushing yards and 1 touchdown. Senior Tres Houston and sophomore Dijon Paschal will also receive their share of targets. The duo combined for 1,327 yards and 8 touchdowns last season.
Tight End
Senior Darion Griswald is our #35 tight end for 2015. The 6’5”, 264 lb. Griswald snagged 18 balls for 221 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. Keep him on your radar as a potential low-cost option to pair up with Knighten.
Defense
Arkansas State surrendered 27.8 points per game in 2014 and can be targeted against for DFS.
Louisiana Tech
Quarterback
Louisana Tech brings in another 5th year senior transfer at quarterback this year. Jeff Driskel (from University of Florida) will take over with a much easier schedule to try and prove his worth against. Driskel really is being set up to succeed here, as the Bulldogs have a veteran offensive line with an absolute stud running back to alleviate the pressure on him. He was bad in his last season at Florida, sporting a 54% completion rate with more interceptions than touchdowns--but let’s face it, he is now facing CUSA defenses as opposed to SEC. We expect him to be a serviceable starter, but this offense runs through their running back, so expect Driskel’s upside to be limited as a DFS quarterback option.
Running Back
The primary position to target on this team is their star running back Kenneth Dixon. After amassing nearly 1700 total yards and 28 touchdowns last season, we see no reason why he will not have a similar year in 2015. Most of his offensive line returns, and a new quarterback will be taking over the reigns learning the Bulldogs offensive system. Not only does Dixon receive a consistent workload (18 carries per game), but he has shown some impressive big-game upside by breaking the 100-yard mark 6 times last season, including 1 game with a 99-yard TD run. Dixon is our #8 overall ranked running back and an excellent option to pay up for in both cash and tournament styles.
Wide Receiver
We expect Trent Taylor to again be a favorite target in the Bulldog offense this year. Notes from camp and local interviews indicate that Driskel is very excited to throw to Taylor, so we definitely expect some chemistry between the two. Taylor ranks #37 on our board, and I’d suspect you could get a decent price on him--so keep him in mind when time to build your DFS lineup. The other wide receiver options here include Carlos Henderson and Paul Turner. Henderson has the talent to be an all-or-nothing cheap tournament play, as he broke some huge plays last season--however we would not normally advise playing him for cash games. Turner saw some consistent targets, but his touchdown upside is fairly limited.
Tight End
Tight End is not a heavily used position by Louisiana Tech--avoid this one.
Defense
Louisiana Tech allowed only 356 yards per game last season, good for 32nd in FBS. They had a very aggressive secondary, tied for 1st in FBS with 26 interceptions. Their core secondary returns this season, but they lose a lot in the trenches and at linebacker. You may want to shy away from quarterbacks and receivers against the Bulldogs, but running backs should be fair game since we think their 16th ranked run defense should regress.
Georgia Southern
Quarterback
Georgia Southern is a rushing powerhouse with their triple option offense. They led all of FBS last season in rushing yards per game (381 yards) and touchdowns (55). Had they been bowl eligible, they likely would have led the FBS in rushing yards as well (2nd with 4573). Needless to say, you should not expect much through the air as starting QB Kevin Ellison barely surpassed 1000 passing yards on only 128 attempts. Ellison rushed for over 1000 yards however, amassing 12 touchdowns in the process. Ellison is suspended for the first 2 games of the year, so he will be bumped down in our projections. Keep an eye on him for his return in week 3. Ellison’s backup Favian Upshaw could present a very interesting punt opportunity at quarterback if priced down weeks 1 & 2, as he showed that he can also run effectively averaging 9.6 yards per carry on his 40 attempts last season.
Running Back
The Bulldogs’ primary ball carrier will be junior Matt Brieda, with Alfred Ramsby serving as the second running back option. Brieda was explosive last year, averaging 8.7 yards per carry with 17 touchdowns on the year. Brieda surpassed 100 yards in 7 games last season. He actually exceeded 200 yards in 2 of those games, one of which (@ Georgia State) he exploded for 4 touchdowns. Brieda can make big plays happen, shown by his season-long 88 yard TD-run along with a 50+ yard run in 7 of his 12 games last season. Brieda is definitely a top option, especially in weeks 1 and 2 since Ellison is suspended. Alfred Ramsby is also in the mix, but he has not shown a ton of explosiveness averaging only 4.7 yards per carry last season. He did have 12 touchdowns, so look to Ramsby as that cheaper, low owned tournament play only.
Wide Receiver
Seeing that Georgia Southern runs the triple option, we would not recommend any of their wide receivers.
Tight End
The Bulldog tight ends are too busy blocking to catch passes--avoid this position.
Defense
The Georgia Southern defense is not much to write home about, so we would normally say offenses are good to go against them. However, it is important to note that the Georgia Southern offense is next to last in our Tempo Rankings, meaning they really play some slow football with all those rushes. Since the Bulldog offense eats up the clock, opposing offenses may not get as many opportunities as normal.