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In case you missed the college football action from Week 2, here is a game-by-game recap of each team in the ACC conference including Key Players, Injuries, and Players to Watch.
Appalachian State at Clemson
Game Recap: After a slow start with only 3 points in the 1st quarter, Clemson put up 4 touchdowns in the 2nd quarter on their way to a 41-10 victory over Appalachian State. Deshaun Watson led the attack with 248 passing yards and 3 touchdowns before yielding to backup Nick Scheussler in the 3rd quarter.
Key Players: Watson played much better this week in his limited time. Artavis Scott led the team in receptions with 6 on 73 yards and a touchdown, but WR2 Charone Peake led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns with 86 and 2. We thought Deon Cain would have a larger role, but he disappointed us with only 1 reception for 8 yards. Ray Ray McCloud also regressed with only 1 catch for 4 yards.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: We look for this week to be a much more competitive matchup as Clemson visits Louisville. Look for more playing time all around, so Deshaun Watson, feature running back Wayne Gallman, and WR1 Artavis Scott will all be on our radar. It is also worth noting that Appalachian State rushed for over 200 yards—a very uncharacteristic performance by the Clemson defense.
Tulane at Georgia Tech
Game Recap: Georgia Tech yet again plowed to victory in a 65-10 blowout against Tulane on 439 total rushing yards by 13 different players. This game is a prime example of why it is so tough to pick Georgia Tech players for DFS purposes, as 6 different players scored 1 touchdown with 8 players exceeding 30 rushing yards but not a single player exceeding 75 rushing yards.
Key Players: Justin Thomas put up better fantasy numbers in this contest with 71 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, and 97 passing yards for 2 passing touchdowns. Patrick Skov again led the team in carries with 11 for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: If we tried to watch players in this offense, our eyes might explode. Georgia Tech involves way too many guys for us to feel safe playing anyone from this team. Unless someone is priced way down, we are not looking to many guys from this offense outside of tournament plays.
South Florida at Florida State
Game Recap: Dalvin Cook had his way with South Florida, rushing for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns on the day. Cook started with a 74-yard run for the Seminoles’ first touchdown of the game. He then followed that with a 25-yard touchdown run to start the 3rd quarter and a 37-yard touchdown run to ice the game in the 4th quarter.
Key Players: Cook was fed a whopping 30 times in this contest, possibly in part due to the early struggles of Everett Golson who was 0-6 to start the game and finished only 14/26 for 163 yards and a touchdown. Travis Rudolph led the team with 6 receptions, but the passing game was quiet overall since it was not needed.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Dalvin Cook has now rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his last 5 games. He faces very tough competition this coming Saturday against Boston College, a team that allowed the 3rd fewest rushing yards in the FBS last season and has only allowed 14 yards total in their 2 games this year. This matchup alone, regardless of price, will relegate Cook to a GPP-only play this week. We would look for Everett Golson to have a bigger game, as he will have to get the passing game going against Boston College.
Wake Forest at Syracuse
Game Recap: Syracuse topped Wake Forest 30-17. This was a close game until halftime before the Syracuse defense locked down and shut out Wake Forest in the second half. The tide really turned with Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey’s 89-yard touchdown bomb to Brisly Estime in the 4th play from scrimmage. Wake Forest was held to only 46 total rushing yards while quarterback John Wolford actually passed a career-high 373 yards but was intercepted 3 times and sacked 4 times in the losing effort.
Key Players: John Wolford had one heck of a first half before fizzling in the second half as his rushing game could not get going to take the pressure off him. Wake Forest tight end Cam Serigne missed out on the end zone with only 3 receptions for 35 yards. Wake Forest receiver KJ Brent led the team with 7 receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown. Nobody stood out on the Syracuse offense, while neither team had much of a rushing attack in this game.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: John Wolford showed he is capable of putting up big numbers; he just needs to avoid the mistakes and get a little help on the ground to make the defenses think. While KJ Brent stood oiut with 7 receptions with 96 yards and a touchdown, Wolford still spread the ball around well giving 3 other receivers at least 5 receptions and over 47 yards each—so we will have to see pricing before bumping Bryant up much in our rankings. We are not looking forward to anyone on the Syracuse offense.
Notre Dame at Virginia
Game Recap: Virginia ran into another tough matchup last week against Notre Dame. Coming off the blowout loss to UCLA, Virginia played very well against Notre Dame, actually leading at halftime 14-12. It was tight all game, but Virginia fell from a Notre Dame touchdown pass with 12 seconds left in the game.
Key Players: Quarterback Matt Johns had a solid game, passing for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns. While Taquan Mizzell was a workhorse in this game, he was ineffective rushing 18 times for only 66 yards and no touchdowns. He did add 4 receptions, but for only 10 yards. WR1 Canaan Severin had a monster showing with 11 catches for 153 yards—that is twice as many receptions as any other wide receiver on the team.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Canaan Severin really busted out this last game. We do not expect to see Virginia on any slates this coming week, but we will definitely have out eye on Severin going into Week 4 as Virginia takes on Boise State.
Houston at Louisville
Game Recap: Louisville suffered another tough loss this past week being upset by Houston 31-34. Freshman starting quarterback Lamar Jackson struggled, completing 17 of 27 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown, but throwing 2 big interceptions. Jackson was benched in the 4th quarter, yielding to Kyle Bolin who passed for 157 yards and a touchdown in his 1 quarter of work.
Key Players: Freshman tight end Micky Crum had a big game with 6 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown, with 4 of those receptions and the touchdown all coming from Kyle Bolin. Wide receiver Ja’Quay Savage led the team with 7 receptions (on ~11 targets) for 79 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Radcliff struggled to get going against a Houston run defense that only allowed 29 rushing yards in Week 1. Radcliff finished with 43 yards on only 10 carries, likely due to Lamar Jackson trying to carry the team with his 12 carries (but for only 16 yards).
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Lamar Jackson should remain the starter, but as we saw last week, Petrino is not afraid to mix it up. Brandon Radcliff may have an opportunity to bounce back this week against a Clemson run defense that allowed Appalachian State to rush for over 200 yards. If James Quick remains out, we have to look at Ja’Quay Savage as the primary receiving option. We will be interested in Micky Crum’s price this week as well.
North Carolina Central at Duke
Game Recap: Quarterback Thomas Sirk led Duke in a 55-0 shutout of North Carolina Central. Sirk passed for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns in addition to rushing 9 times for 86 yards and another touchdown before he was pulled in the 4th quarter. The Duke offense as a whole put up a whopping 655 yards of total offense while their defense only allowed 186 yards in the shutout.
Key Players: Thomas Sirk was the gem of this game with his gaudy numbers leading the team both through the air and on the ground. Running backs Shaun Wilson and Shaquille Powell split carries 17 and 16 respectively, with Powell sporting a 4.4 yards per carries compared to Wilson’s 3.4 yards per carry. However Wilson was fortunate enough to explode on an 89 yard touchdown reception that really padded his stats on the day. Shaquille Powell also had a touchdown through the air, but only 21 yards on his 3 receptions. Wide receiver Johnell Barnes regressed this week with only 2 receptions and 56 yards (11 for 109 in week 1).
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Thomas Sirk is a true dual threat quarterback with an explosive game. Duke has a tough matchup with Northwestern this week, but Sirk still would be an excellent GPP play depending on his pricing.
Miami at Florida Atlantic
Game Recap: Running back Joseph Yearby would not be denied on Friday night, leading Miami to a 44-20 victory over Florida Atlantic. This was a tight game going into the second half, tied 20-20 midway through the third quarter before Miami pulled away with 24 unanswered points to put it away. Yearby finished the day with a monster 243 total yards and 2 touchdowns.
Key Players: Joseph Yearby was the key to victory in this game for the Hurricanes, setting the tone with a highlight reel 34-yard touchdown run for Miami’s second touchdown of the game. Yearby averaged 8.1 yards per carry on his 18 attempts, but was still spelled by Mark Walton who rushed only 14 times but for 3 touchdowns. Herb Waters led the team in receiving yards with 102 from 5 receptions. Quarterback Brad Kaaya managed the game well, but did not have an earth-shattering fantasy performance with only 287 yards and a touchdown.
Key Injuries: Slot receiver Stacy Coley missed this game and is still questionable for their next game against Nebraska. If Coley is out, Herb Waters should again see more targets.
Players to Watch: It is discouraging to see Mark Walton getting goal line work, as he actually is a smaller back than starter Joseph Yearby. Even without the extra touchdowns, Yearby showed that he can put up big numbers—he will certainly be in play this week as Miami welcomes Nebraska in what should be a very competitive game. Brad Kaaya will have to pick his game up against Nebraska this week.
North Carolina A&T at North Carolina
Game Recap: North Carolina made quick work of their A&T counterparts in a 53-14 blowout. Marquise Williams played efficiently completing 15 of 20 attempts for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns, adding 53 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Key Players: Nobody really stood out this game with a monster performance, as the ball was spread around quite a bit. Marquise Williams spread the ball around to all receivers, with Quinshad Davis pulling in a team-leading 4 receptions. Elijah Hood received 16 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Elijah Hood is your main back in this offense. Williams is a true dual threat quarterback, so we he will always be on our radar if North Carolina makes this week’s slate.
Pittsburgh at Akron
Game Recap: Pittsburgh gets the win on the road against the Akron Zips in a low scoring 24 – 7 victory. It was clear from this game and coach Pat Narduzzi’s comments that the quarterback position will be in flux all season as they expect to rotate between Chad Voytik and Nate Peterman. Tyler Boyd picked up where he left off last season hauling in 11 receptions for 95 yards.
Key Players: Qadree Ollison received the lion’s share of carries with 21 for 81 yards and a touchdown. We thought Chris James would be more involved, but he did not get a single carry on the day. Tyler Boyd was amazing, as usual.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: Tyler Boyd is back, so he instantly is on our radar as a high upside WR1. Per the updated depth chart and performance last Saturday, Qadree Ollison should be the primary back in this week’s matchup against a solid Iowa rushing defense.
Howard at Boston College
Game Recap: Boston College took no prisoners this week in their 76-0 bludgeoning against Howard. The Eagles ran, ran, and ran some more, finishing with 483 total yards, 344 of which came in the first half. It took only 13 offensive plays for Boston College to find themselves up 41-0 in the first quarter, due mostly to the atrocious offense and special teams play from Howard. Boston College’s yardage totals would surely have been much higher if they weren’t put in great field position so many times early in this game.
Key Players: Junior running back Tyler Rouse was given the first few carries in this game, amassing 3 touchdowns from 6 carries and 36 total yards. Ten players carried the ball in this game, and each of them had a rush for at least 10 yards. Starting running back Jon Hilliman only received 3 carries for 25 yards, but he did sneak into the end zone once.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: The defense held Howard to 11 total yards---yes, literally, 11 total yards. Boston College gets their first true test with Florida State coming to town this week. We will be looking to downgrade the FSU running game against this stout Boston College front line.
Eastern Kentucky at NC State
Game Recap: NC State had an easy 35-0 win over Eastern Kentucky. The Wolfpack rushed 48 times, with half of those carries belonging to starting running back Matthew Dates. Jacoby Brissett was not really needed in this game, and his stat line showed it finishing with only 216 passing yards for 1 touchdown.
Key Players: Matthew Dayes was the impact player of this game, finishing with 116 yards and 3 touchdowns on 24 carries. Dayes had a similar stat line last week as well rushing 24 times for 126 yards. As long as he is running like this, Jacoby Brissett may not be expected to do much
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: It is obvious that Matthew Dayes has been a huge part of the NC State game plan, but Shadrach Thornton’s suspension is now done—so he will be returning in Week 3 against Old Dominion. If Thornton’s price is down and we see a depth chart with him listed as RB1, he will be a very intriguing play (that is, if NC State makes the late slate on Saturday).
Furman at Virginia Tech
Game Recap: Quarterback Brenden Motley surprised in his first game replacing injured starter Michael Brewer, throwing for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing for another 38 yards and a touchdown in Virginia Tech’s 42-3 victory over Furman.
Key Players: Motley bounced back to turn in a decent performance after his abysmal effort in replacement week 1. He spread the ball around well, feeding both Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips 5 receptions each, while Ford got into the end zone twice. Tight end Bucky Hodges was actually used in this game, catching 2 balls for 48 yards. The rushing game was not fantasy relevant, as multiple guys were involved.
Key Injuries: None
Players to Watch: WR1 Isaiah Ford has seen back to back games with at least a touchdown, averaging 17.3 yards per catch thus far. He could be a cheap option this week, but is not on our radar for cash game plays. Tight end Bucky Hodges could be a relevant flyer as well since he is one of the better tight ends in the league, capable of putting up big numbers if he gets the opportunity.