Each week we'll be providing a review of the Big 12 conference action, with an emphasis on what we can expect going forward.
KANSAS AT IOWA STATE
Game Recap: In a battle of the two worst teams in the Big 12 Conference, Iowa State rolled to an easy 38-13 victory. Kansas rotated quarterbacks throughout, while Iowa State relied heavily on the ground game, rushing for 243 yards. Kansas makes opposing teams look good on a weekly basis, but it’s possible that Iowa State is starting to find an identity. After struggling to run the ball in their first two games, only amassing 140 total rushing yards, they’ve now totaled 450 yards on the ground in their last two contests.
Key Players: Mike Warren solidified his role as Iowa State’s starting running back with a huge game, rushing for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He has a fantastic matchup against Texas Tech this week and should be considered a building block for Early Slate lineups. Sam Richardson had a solid game, throwing for 269 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for another. Allen Lazard has stepped up in his sophomore year, establishing himself as the most consistent option amongst a talented receiving group. He hauled in six balls for 75 yards and a score on Saturday, and now sits at 225 yards and two touchdowns on the year. With a 13 yard touchdown catch on Saturday, D’Vario Montgomery has now scored in back to back games. Baylor and TCU absolutely shredded the Texas Tech pass defense the last two weeks, and while Iowa State’s passing game is not nearly as potent, you’ll want to have exposure to what should be a shootout in Lubbock.
Kansas starting quarterback Montell Cozart was struggling to make anything happen offensively when he sprained his left shoulder in the second half and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Ryan Willias replaced him but wasn’t very effective either. Ke’aun Kinner had his worst game of the season, only rushing for 46 yards on 11 carries. His minimal workload was largely a product of Kansas falling behind quickly against Iowa State, and game flow likely won’t be on side once again on Saturday against Baylor.
Key Injuries: Cozart and De’ondre Ford, Kansas’s number two quarterback when everyone is healthy, are both banged up and it has been announced that Ryan Willis will start against Baylor. He’s likely to be priced very cheaply, but there’s a very strong chance that he struggles mightily against a defense that emphasizes pressuring the quarterback.
Players to Watch: Whoever plays quarterback for Kansas against Baylor will likely be throwing often in an inevitably futile attempt to keep pace with the Bears. Unfortunately, this is looking like a situation in which we’ll likely see multiple quarterbacks rotating in, either due to injury or ineffectiveness. Because of this, we’re not recommending trying to take advantage of what should be a pass heavy approach by Kansas.
TEXAS at TCU
Game Recap: This game was never closely contested, as TCU had jumped out a 30-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. TCU pulled all of their starters midway through the third quarter and otherwise the score could have been far worse than the 50-7 result.
Key Players: Trevone Boykin had a far easier time throwing the ball on Saturday than he did last year against Texas, when he only accounted for 233 yards through the air. He threw for five touchdowns on Saturday, padding his resume for a likely invite to New York for the Heisman Trophy Presentation. Aaron Green only had 70 yards rushing on 14 carries, but that was more due to TCU’s effectiveness throwing the football than anything else. He’s got a tough matchup this weekend against Kansas State and there will likely be better values at his price point. Josh Doctson had another big game, catching seven balls for 129 yards and two scores. He’s arguably the best wide receiver in the country. True freshman Ka’Vontae Turpin broke out with a huge game, catching six passes for 138 yards and four touchdowns. His emergence the last weeks coincides with Kolby Listenbee missing time due to injury, but even once Listenbees returns, Turpin will need to stay involved. He is incredibly fast, and showcased his speed on one specific play in which he took a quick slant and ran away from the Texas defense for a 50 yard score.
Jerrod Heard was unable to get in any sort of rhythm and struggled to move the ball against a previously generous TCU defense. While Tyrone Swoopes replaced him in the second half and led Texas to their only touchdown of the day, Heard should remain the starting quarterback going forward. Jonathan Gray was typically ineffective, rushing for 55 yards on 15 carries.
Key Injuries: Daje Johnson left the game during the first series with what was probably a concussion, when he got lit up after making a short catch. Texas likes to use him in a gadget role and he’s been inconsistent over the course of his career, but he is the team’s best playmaker at receiver. At this point he’s got to be considered a question mark for the game against Oklahoma.
Players to Watch: D’onta Foreman became the first Texas running back to rush for more than 100 yards since last November, tallying 112 yards on 18 carries. It will be interesting to see if he starts going forward, and could make for a solid value play at a reduced price. Texas now faces off against an Oklahoma team that has allowed 100 yard rushing games from running backs in each of its last three games.
WEST VIRGINIA at OKLAHOMA
Game Recap: Oklahoma was in control for most of the afternoon, building a 24-7 lead by halftime. The Mountaineers used two third quarter touchdowns to pull within three points, and the momentum seemed to be swinging in their favor. Oklahoma put the game out of reach when Skyler Howard had a fumble returned for a touchdown with nine minutes to play making the score 41-24. Howard would throw two more interceptions and West Virginia turned the ball over five times in total. From watching the game, it was apparent that this was largely due to the aggressive nature of Oklahoma’s defense and they should be respected as a formidable matchup going forward.
Key Players: Baker Mayfield faced what will likely go down as his toughest test on Saturday, going up against a stingy West Virginia secondary. He passed this test with flying colors, throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 completions. He now faces a Texas secondary that was just bludgeoned by Trevone Boykin. Samaje Perine once again struggled to find running room, only rushing for 65 yards on 16 carries. Until his price drops significantly, he can’t be considered a viable option for your lineups. Joe Mixon failed to catch any passes for the first time this season, but broke loose for a 35 yard touchdown run. He’s a better fit for this system than Perine, and frankly has been the better of the two running backs this season, but Mixon’s production will be difficult to rely on as long as Perine continues to serve as the starting running back. Dede Westbrook led the Oklahoma receivers with 107 yards receiving on five catches and looks to be one of the most talented players on the field every game. The equitable target distribution in Oklahoma’s offense makes it difficult to trust any of the receivers, but Westbrook has been priced fairly in recent weeks and should be on the GPP radar. Sterling Shepard only hauled in two catches for 35 yards, but did score once. Shepard has consistently been priced as a top receiver, but he’s not receiving enough passes to justify the cost. Mark Andrews only caught one pass, but it was a 17 yard touchdown. Because of his role in the offense as a primary option in the red zone, we feel Andrews is a great tournament option at tight end most weeks.
Skyler Howard turned in his worst performance to date, only throwing for 173 yards and a touchdown while also being intercepted three times. He’s going to have plenty opportunities to bounce back against soft Big 12 defenses this season, but should be considered more of a GPP play against an Oklahoma State defense that leads the nation in both sacks and tackles for loss. Wendell Smallwood and Rushel Shell saw a combined 42 carries, with Smallwood receiving 22 and running for over 100 yards for the second straight game. Shelton Gibson was held in check this week, only catching three catches for 35 yards. He’s a threat to score whenever he touches the ball, but is best used in tournaments because he doesn’t see a ton of targets.
Key Injuries: None.
Players to Watch: Jovon Durante is still splitting time with Devonte Mathis, but it’s very apparent that he’s the most talented receiver on this team. Durante made a great leaping catch on a fade route for a touchdown and then on West Virginia’s very next offensive play, he caught a long pass that would have been an easy touchdown if he had not fallen down. He can likely still be had at a depressed price this week and we recommend him as a value pick.
KANSAS STATE at OKLAHOMA STATE
Game Recap: In a game marred by quarterback injuries, bad officiating, and late game drama, Oklahoma State narrowly squeaked out a win and remained undefeated. Kansas State fought valiantly after being forced to play wide receiver Kody Cook at quarterback for the majority of the game after losing starting quarterback Joe Hubener to injury on the game’s first drive. In the end, Ben Grogan would buoy Oklahoma State to victory with a last minute field goal for the second straight week.
Key Players: Though Joe Hubener exited on Kansas State’s first drive with a head injury, he was apparently warming up on the sideline as early as the second quarter. He re-entered the game when his replacement Kody Cook injured his shoulder, and led the Wildcats on a touchdown scoring drive that briefly gave them the lead late in the fourth quarter. Hubener has been ordinary so far this year, but in this offense that features quarterback rushing plays, he’s interesting as long as he’s the starting quarterback. Bill Synder stated that Hubener “should be able to go” which better be the case considering that the team allowed him to return to last week’s game following a head injury. He’ll be tasked with facing an improving TCU defense that completely shut down Texas this past weekend. That being said, he’s been priced very affordably in recent weeks and will be asked to shoulder a large burden if Kansas State is to compete in this game. Justin Silmon largely failed to take advantage of an increased role in the Kansas State backfield, as he only rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He is likely going to see the most snaps amongst the running backs going forward, but he’s not a great option this week against TCU.
Mason Rudolph bounced back from a shaky performance against Texas with the best performance of his young career, throwing for 437 yards and three touchdowns. He now faces a tough test on the road at West Virginia in what should be one of the tougher matchups he will face this season. James Washington, Marcell Ateman, and Brandon Sheperd each had a receiving touchdown and though the Oklahoma State receivers all had big games this week, the week to week production of any individual receiver in this unit is hard to bank on.
Key Injuries: Chris Carson and Rennie Childs both missed the game against Kansas State. In their absence the running game was largely ineffective and a committee approach was utilized. Mike Gundy stated that both Carson and Childs practiced Sunday night and should be fine. It’s difficult to trust that statement though and we don’t know what the carry split will look like if both are healthy. Unless one is ruled out and the other is pegged as starter, this situation is best avoided this weekend.
Players to Watch: Kody Cook, who replaced Hubener at quarterback, was highly effective in the first half against Oklahoma State, accounting for 122 yards passing, 87 yards rushing, and three total touchdowns. His wide receiver eligibility this past week was obviously a dream scenario if you happened to play him. He injured his shoulder late in the fourth quarter and did not return. Coach Synder has not given an update on Cook to this point but if he does suit up, we should expect that he at least receives wildcat snaps at quarterback. Monitor this situation closely as we Saturday approaches, as Cook would be a great GPP option if he’s cleared to play.
TEXAS TECH vs BAYLOR
Game Recap: There were plenty of points in this game, 98 in total surpassing the over/under of 89.5, but the outcome was pretty much decided by the end of the first quarter. Baylor scored at will against a Texas Tech defense that is proving to be just as awful as the 2014 version. The 63-35 score could have been far worse but Baylor eased up in the second half, only scoring twice after the break.
Key Players: Patrick Mahomes did not look to be affected by the leg injury that had him considered questionable to play leading up to this game. He was able to throw for 415 and three touchdowns, and also ran for a score. The matchup against Iowa State this weekend is mouthwatering and he should continue to post huge numbers. DeAndre Washington struggled this week and didn’t see many carries once Texas Tech fell behind by multiple scores. He has a decent chance to bounce back this week in a game that Texas Tech should be playing with a lead throughout. Jakeem Grant only had 69 yards on six catches, marking the first game this year that he hasn’t scored. Zach Austin stepped in for injured slot receiver Ian Sadler and caught eight passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. He saw lots of short screen passes and got loose for a long touchdown early on. Fellow freshman receiver Tony Brown stepped in when Devin Lauderdale went down with injury and caught five passes for 117 yards and a score. He also had multiple drops, though his touchdown was a difficult, contested score. We’d classify Austin as more of a cash game option, while Brown’s game is better suited for tournaments.
Seth Russell was very efficient once again, throwing for 286 yards and four touchdowns on only 23 pass attempts. He additionally ran for 81 yards and two scores. We should see his running ability continue to be featured as Baylor tackles its conference schedule, though Russell shouldn’t be required to do much of anything this week against Kansas. Shock Linwood predictably took advantage of a soft matchup against Texas Tech, running for 221 yards on only 20 carries. He now faces a Kansas defense that just gave up 175 yards rushing to Iowa State running back Mike Warren. He’ll undoubtedly have success running the ball in this matchup, but, like all of Baylor’s starters, shouldn’t be expected to play more than a half. Corey Coleman continued his assault on opposing secondaries, scoring three times against Texas Tech, and is now up to 11 receiving touchdowns in only four games. KD Cannon dropped two easy touchdown passes and posted a middling line of three catches, 39 yards, and a touchdown. Jay Lee caught an 87 yard pass on which he was tracked down just prior to reaching the end zone. He finished with 120 yards on three catches.
Key Injuries: Devin Lauderdale’s injury is being classified as ‘internal brusing.’ He should be considered questionable for the game this weekend, though it’s unlikely we’ll hear anything more specific from Texas Tech coaches prior to kickoff.
Devin Chafin missed his second game in a row and even if he returns against Kansas, he shouldn’t have too large of a role. He would presumably cut into Johnny Jefferson’s already minimal playing time though.
Players to Watch: Quarterback Jarrett Stidham and running back Terance Williams should see plenty of action this weekend once Baylor inevitably gets a big lead on Kansas. It’s always risky banking on a backup’s role in a blowout, but rostering either of these guys would offer you some serious salary relief. It’s likely that both could see upwards of a full half of playing time if the Baylor starters play as expected.
