Unlock More Content Like This With A
Footballguys Premium Subscription
"Footballguys is the best premium
fantasy football only site on the planet."
Matthew Berry, NBC Sports EDGE
Each week we'll be providing a review of the Big 12 conference action, with an emphasis on what we can expect going forward.
Oklahoma State at Central Michigan
Game Recap: The Cowboys started their season opener with an ultra-conservative game plan, mainly consisting of short passes as a means of getting their true sophomore quarterback comfortable. This strategy allowed Central Michigan to hang around, and even take the lead 13-10 early in the third quarter. That’s when the clamps came off and Mason Rudolph started attacking down the field. Oklahoma State controlled most of the second half and ended up winning 24-13.
Key Players: We billed Mason Rudolph as an ideal cash game target last Thursday and he didn’t disappoint, throwing for 266 yards and a touchdown. What we didn’t anticipate was Rudolph rushing for another 20 yards and an additional score. It’s best to consider the rushing yards a fluke as Rudolph had previously rushed for negative yardage in each of his previous three starts. Not surprisingly, Rudolph’s back-up, J.W. Walsh, saw time in a red zone package and vultured a score. This will likely be a common occurrence throughout the year. Bottom line: expect Rudolph’s passing stats to be better than his week one output going forward, but any rushing contribution should be viewed as an unlikely bonus. Starting running back Chris Carson out-touched backup Rennie Childs 23:5 in the season opener, after Coach Mike Gundy stated he had been hoping that each running back would see 15 carries. While Carson wasn’t overly productive, amassing 112 total yards, his role seems secure and he should be playable going forward in the right matchup. The Oklahoma State receiving corps was a revolving door on opening night, with 11 players each catching at last one pass. James Washington, who many were touting for a breakout season, only caught two passes, while Brandon Sheperd, Rudolph’s favorite target last season, only caught one ball. This situation is probably best labelled as hands off for now.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Brandon Sheperd saw limited in-game reps this week due to the dislocated finger he suffered in practice. When he’s fully healthy he can be an impact player in this offense, so his role next week is definitely worth watching.
TCU at Minnesota
Game Recap: While the score may not say it, the outcome of this game was never in serious doubt. Though TCU did not exactly bludgeon the Gophers, they did what was necessary to win in a hostile environment, on the road against a solid Power Five opponent. A 23-17 score is nothing to be disappointed with.
Key Players: Trevone Boykin performed in line with our expectation on Thursday, throwing for 246 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 92 yards and another score. Much like last season, Boykin did not have a ton of success throwing the ball against a solid pass defense, but was able to salvage his fantasy value with his legs. This is what makes him not only of the top fantasy quarterbacks in the country, but one with one of the highest floors as well. It was very encouraging to see Aaron Green receive 19 carries, while all other running backs combined to see seven carries, as there was a lot of talk of a committee this offseason. While some weeks Green will undoubtedly see closer to 15 touches, he should be able to improve greatly on his 4.6 yards per carry average from week one, in what was one of the tougher matchups he’ll see this season. Consider this 88 yard performance a positive for his outlook going forward. Josh Doctson was his usual productive self, catching eight passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. He’ll have much bigger games this season and he looked fully recovered from his offseason injuries which included a broken wrist. Even without Deante Gray in the lineup due to injury, no other TCU receiver could step up with a useful line. Kolby Listenbee was thought to be a breakout candidate but only had one catch in the opener. This further emphasizes that no receiver outside of Doctson can be trusted on a weekly basis.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: We’ll be looking to see if any receiver can step up and be a true number two option for Boykin. The most likely answer is ‘no’ and that it will be a committee approach at receiver, with Doctson being the exception, but this offense is so high-powered that the situation is worth watching, regardless.
Baylor at SMU
Game Recap: This game initially was looking like it was going to turn into a real Big 12 shootout, with Baylor leading 28-21 at the half. SMU just looked out of gas though in the second half, particularly on defense as Baylor receivers repeatedly took short throws and turn them into big plays. The final score was 56-21, but could have been worse had Baylor not taken its foot off the gas in the fourth quarter.
Key Players: Seth Russell only completed 50 percent of his passes in his debut as the Baylor starting quarterback, but the 15 passes that were caught went for five touchdowns and 376 yards. He also showed his game breaking running ability, taking a fourth quarter designed run for 65 yards for a touchdown, only to have reduced to a 38 yard scamper due to a holding call. While Russell was inconsistent, we shouldn’t have to worry about that having any effect on his overall numbers for at least a couple of weeks, as Baylor has a soft schedule for the beginning of the season. KD Cannon and Corey Coleman each had over 100 yards and a touchdown, while Jay Lee hauled in three passes, each going for a touchdown. These three receivers all have the ability to go for 1,000 yard seasons and will likely trade off big games throughout the year. The running back situation looked very muddied on Friday, with starter Shock Linwoord getting eight carries and Devin Chafin picking up 12. For now Linwood will likely priced far too expensive to play in DFS, but if Chafin remains a cheaper option, he will be an intriguing lower tier running back option.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Super recruit Jarrett Stidham saw his first action late in the fourth quarter against SMU, promptly throwing a 47 yard touchdown on his first pass attempt. If Seth Russell were to go down, Stidham would immediately become a viable option in DFS.
South Dakota State at Kansas
Game Recap: Kansas quickly fell behind FCS opponent South Dakota State, trailing 31-7 at one point. While Kansas battled back and had a chance to win it late in the fourth quarter, they ultimately fell short, losing 41-38.
Key Players: Montell Cozart had a statistically impactful day, throwing for 291 yards and a touchdown while running for another 91 yards. The rush yards are not surprising, as Cozart has displayed his athletic ability in the past. Completing 66 percent of his passes though represents a substantial upgrade over his 46 percent career rate. Undoubtedly Kansas worked to get him quick, short passes and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to sustain these gains as the school faces steeper competition. Running back Ke’aun Kinner had a sparkling debut for the Jayhawks, rushing for 157 yards and two scores. Kinner came to Lawrence with a ton of hype following a fantastic 2014 at the JUCO level and expectation should be that the Kansas backfield is his going forward. Caveats apply to Kinner concerning facing steeper competition going forward, but if Cozart shows that he can at least somewhat competently run the Air-Raid offense, Kinner should have holes to run through. We do not consider Kinner a fluke, but considering that Kansas will likely be playing from way behind many weeks, he will likely prove to be a matchup play more than someone that can be considered on a weekly basis.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Tre’ Parmalee totaled over 100 yards, 19 on the ground and 82 through the air, and could become Kansas’s top receiver. He only had four touches though, but warrants monitoring going forward.
Sam Houston State at Texas Tech
Game Recap: While Texas Tech’s defense did force four turnovers, they still gave up 45 points to an FCS opponent. Fortunately the Red Raiders put up 59 points of their own, and were up 59-31 in the third quarter. While execution wasn’t perfect, there were too many ‘three and outs’ and dropped passes according to Coach Kinsgbury, this high scoring affair offered a preview of what we should expect this year from Texas Tech.
Key Players: Not surprisingly, Patrick Mahomes was named starting quarterback shortly before kickoff. Mahomes threw for 425 yards and four touchdowns, all while sitting on the bench the team’s final two drives. While he did throw an interception, Mahomes has shown an ability to take care of the football so far in his career, throwing 20 touchdowns and only five interceptions – something that his back-up Davis Webb has struggled mightily with in close games. Even though this was billed as a quarterback battle all summer, Mahomes’ ability to take care of the football – he has an 18:3 touchdown to interception ratio in starts – should ensure that his claim on the starting job stays firm throughout 2015. Devin Lauderdale was the team’s leading receiver this weekend, amassing eight catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. This was a great sign from Lauderdale who closed strong down the stretch in 2014. He was already an established deep threat coming into the year, and the number of targets he received against SHSU was particularly encouraging. He has the ability and opportunity to be a top receiver in the country in this offense and it will be interesting to see his price point for this upcoming week. Jakeem Grant did not disappoint, catching six passes for 71 yards, while also running in a touchdown from three yards out. Expect Grant’s role in this offense to be very stable throughout the season, though he doesn’t have the upside of other highly priced receivers due to his role as a true possession receiver.
Key Injuries: Dylan Cantrell was held out of this game due to back spasms and no announcement was made until a report was leaked after the game had started. Expectation is that he’ll be fine going forward, and while he may have to hold off Reginald Davis for a starting spot throughout the season, there was tons of buzz about his improvement throughout the offseason and he remains someone to watch.
Players to Watch: Ian Sadler is certainly a receiver to watch in this offense having gone for five catches, 73 yards and two touchdowns this week. Sadler is likely at least third in line for targets behind Grant and Lauderdale, but it’s also important to note that Cantrell did not play in week one and Reginald Davis was suspended for the first half. All of Sadler’s catches came in the first half of the game and it will be interesting to see how he performs next week with the Red Raiders receiving corps at full strength.
Akron at Oklahoma
Game Recap: Even though Oklahoma rolled to a 41-3 victory, it wasn’t all smooth sailing in Norman on Saturday. The Sooners only scored three points in the first quarter, as Baker Mayfield and the offense struggled to find a groove. By halftime however, the game was essentially decided and the newly implemented Air-Raid offense was flying high.
Key Players: Samaje Perine struggled to get going throughout the game, only amassing 33 yards on the ground. Oklahoma is starting a true freshman, a redshirt freshman, and a sophomore along its offensive line, so this inexperience, in conjunction with the shift in offensive focus to a more pass-heavy approach largely explain Perine’s lack of production. While he should be expected to be far more effective going forward, he may struggle to justify his DFS price tag. Baker Mayfield, making his first collegiate appearance since 2013, looked lost initially, but was lethally running the Air-Raid from the second quarter onward. The ending output was Mayfield breaking Sam Bradford’s single game passing record at Oklahoma, with 388 yards and three scores. Mayfield largely spread the ball around with no receiver catching more than five passes. While Sterling Shepard and Dede Westbrook are the most talented receivers on the team, the distribution of targets was not encouraging and each only had three catches.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Joe Mixon delivered a gem of a debut for Oklahoma this week, going for 115 yards and a touchdown on three catches, while also rushing for 27 yards on six carries. Though he’s clearly behind Perine for carries, Oklahoma will use two back sets often as a way to get both players on the field and, as evidenced by his output against Akron, Mixon is clearly a big time threat as a receiver. It will be interesting to see how he’s priced this week against Tennessee.
South Dakota at Kansas State
Game Recap: Facing one of the worst teams in the FCS, the outcome of this game was never in question for Kansas State. The Wildcats ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown and gradually added to their lead from there, finishing with a 34-0 victory.
Key Players: The running back situation looks to be a true time share with both Charles Jones, Winston Dimel, and Justin Silmon all receiving carries while the outcome was still in question. Quarterback Joe Hubener offered nothing exciting in terms of skill set or statistical output against the weakest team Kansas State will face all season.
Key Injuries: Jesse Ertz, the school’s starting quarterback was potentially lost for the season with a knee injury on the second play of the season and Coach Bill Snyder confirmed that Ertz will be out for “quite some time.” It’s disappointing because there was a ton of buzz surrounding Ertz as someone who could be a weapon as both a runner and passer. No official update has been released but we don’t expect to see Ertz on the field any time soon.
Players to Watch: Perhaps Joe Hubener will look more impressive after practicing with the starters this week. Quarterbacks in this offense have historically had fantasy relevance so it’ll be a situation worth watching going forward, but for now the whole team is off limits. Local beat writers thought that Justin Silmon was the most impressive of the running backs, but it’s unclear if he’ll usurp veteran Charles Jones for the starting spot, while Dimel looks locked in as the red zone back.
Texas at Notre Dame
Game Recap: Things could not have gone much worse for Texas as they struggled to move the ball with any sort of regularity while Notre Dame had little trouble scoring in a 38-3 blowout.
Key Players: Tyrone Swoopes was as advertised, failing to lead the offense effectively and only totaling seven completions for 93 yards while rushing for 17 yards. Swoopes will be unplayable whenever Texas faces a decent defense, and he likely won’t have the starting job for much longer. While Jerrod Heard’s passing skillset is certainly underdeveloped, his game breaking running ability will offer intrigue once Coach Strong eventually names him starter. Jonathan Grey only rushed for 40 yards and is going to struggle to be productive as long as the team is unable to establish any semblance of a passing game, but his status as starting running back isn’t in question. This week’s matchup against Rice should be one of Texas’s few chances to really establish the running game this season, as this game should remain close in score deep into the second half.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Heard’s role will be something to watch this week against Rice. If Swoopes falls down against this lower level opponent, does Strong make an in game change? Daje Johnson saw eight touches in week one including six catches. He’s by far the team’s most explosive option, but his role is difficult to pin point, making him nothing more than a GPP play most weeks.
Georgia Southern at West Virginia
Game Recap: The fate of this game was largely sealed when Georgia Southern suspended their highly effective quarterback, Kevin Ellison for the first two games of the season. Without Ellison, the Eagles were unable to move the ball effectively. While West Virginia only led 16-0 at halftime, the Mountaineers moved the ball at will after the break in route to four second half touchdowns.
Key Players: The running back situation played out largely how we anticipated, with Rushel Shell receiving most of the early down carries while the game was still close. Wendell Smallwood played a role in both the running and passing game, with most of his running game production coming after the game was effectively over. Both backs should be heavily involved in game plans on a weekly basis. Skylar Howard was inconsistent in the first half, but, largely relying on the deep ball, threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns in a little over three quarters of action. Jovon Durante, a true freshman starting at wide receiver, turned three catches in 121 yards and a touchdown. He was a very highly touted recruit, had a great camp and has a real chance to establish himself as the team’s number one receiver. Shelton Gibson turned his three catches into 130 yards and a touchdown. Gibson may struggle with week to week consistency, as he projects largely as a deep threat, but it was encouraging to see this week one performance after so much hype this offseason.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Daikiel Shorts was seen as the receiver with the easiest path to playing time this season due to his ability to play both inside and outside receiver, and while his statistical output this week of three catches and 55 yards was underwhelming, he’s a player to monitor going forward.
Northern Iowa at Iowa State
Game Recap: The first thirty minutes were a struggle for Iowa State, as the Cyclones only lead 10-7 at halftime against their FCS opponent. Buoyed by two touchdown passes by Sam Richardson and a punt return touchdown, Iowa State ran away with the game in the second half.
Key Players: Sam Richardson’s statistics were not gaudy, but this was largely due to Iowa State only running 61 plays this week, far less than the 76 per game they averaged less season. Expect that to change when the school faces more challenging Big 12 opponents. Richardon’s line of 233 yards on 21-29 passing and two touchdowns was efficient and should serve as a good building block going forward. He spread the ball around with projected number one receiver Allen Lazard catching four balls for 43 yards and a score, and no receiver hauling in more than five passes. Quenton Bundrage made a somewhat successful return from a torn ACL catching five passes for 53 yards, but also lost two fumbles.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Previously unknown Dondre Dailey led the team with 70 yards receiving, scoring a touchdown as well, and should only add more uncertainty to what is a crowded receiving corps. Though Tyler Brown started at running back, and had fifty yards rushing on the team’s first drive, this situation remains largely a committee and will be a stay-away until one player emerges.