Week 4 is in the books. This week we learned that Louisville really misses Bobby Petrino, Kentucky is worthy of being in the top 25, and Penn State was overrated. Here are your Fantasy Studs and Fantasy Duds for week 4.


Fantasy Studs

Matt Forte (pic left), RB, Tulsa (303 RuYd 5 RuTD)

Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech (646 PaYd 5 PaTD)

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida (261 PaYd 2 PaTD 0 PaINT 166 RuYd 2 RuTD)

Eron Riley, WR, Duke (235 ReYd 4 ReTD)

Thaddeus Lewis, QB, Duke (428 PaYd 4 PaTD 1 PaINT 1 RuTD)

Kevin O'Connell, QB, San Diego State (443 PaYd 5 PaTD 33 RuYd)

Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech (237 ReYd 3 ReTD)

Nate Davis, QB, Ball State (422 PaYd 3 PaTD 1 PaINT 57 RuYd 1 RuTD)

Brett Swain, WR, San Diego State (224 ReYd 3 ReTD)

Frank Summers, RB, UNLV (190 RuYd 2 RuTD 29 ReYd 1 ReTD)


Fantasy Duds

Matt Flynn, QB, LSU (70 PaYd 1 PaTD 1PaINT)

Anthony Morelli, QB, Penn State (169 PaYd 0 PaTD 1 Fumb)

Anthony Allen (pic left), RB, Louisville (66 RuYd 56 ReYd 1 Fumb)

Stafon Johnson, RB, USC (48 RuYd)

Dwight Tardy, RB, Washington State (27 RuYd)


Jorvorskie Lane, RB, Texas A&M (2 RuYd)

We are going to analyze the top three college programs after 3 weeks of football. Some of their games were against big-time programs (USC v. NEB), others played cupcakes (LSU v. MDTN). This is how and where the rock was distributed. Notice how the best teams in the country do not always offer the best fantasy players.

QB: John David Booty (350 PaYd 5 PaTD 1 PaINT)

RB: Stafon Johnson (208 RuYd 3 RuTD)
RB: Stanley Havili (62 RuYd 1 RuTD 44 ReYd 2 ReTD)
RB: C.J. Gable (137 RuYd 0 RuTD 1 ReTD)
RB: Chauncey Washington (43 RuYd 2 RuTD)

WR: Vidal Hazelton (46 ReYd 1 ReTD)

Fantasy College Impact:
Booty has thrown 5 PaTDs in two games this season (week 2 bye), but only 1 to his receivers, making them almost worthless at this point. USC does a good job using their stable of running backs in committee form, making each player a fantasy risk week-in and week-out. This is not a Reggie Bush one-man-show anymore. Start USC players, besides Booty, at your own risk. Always start Booty.

QB: Matt Flynn (345 PaYd 2 PaTD 54 RuYd 1 RuTD)
QB: Ryan Perrilloux (403 PaYd 6 PaTD 1 PaINT 70 RuYd 1 RuTD)

RB: Keiland Williams (174 RuYd 4 RuTD 24 ReYd)
RB: Jacob Hester (206 RuYd 1 RuTD 44 ReYd)
RB: Charles Scott (45 RuYd 44 ReYd 2 ReTD)

WR: Brandon LaFell (187 ReYd 1 ReTD 18 RuYd 1 RuTD)
WR: Early Doucet (153 ReYd 2 ReTD)
WR: Terrance Toliver (62 ReYd 2 ReTD)

Fantasy College Impact:
LSU is typical of a team that has destroyed all the schools that they have played. They bring in a backup QB for game experience and play multiple running back and wide receiver sets. This erodes the stats of any one player and lends itself to so-so numbers from a fantasy perspective. Things get even more complicated now with they injury to Doucet.


Florida Gators
QB: Tim Tebow (835 PaYd 8 PaTD 1 PaINT 192 RuYd 5 RuTD)

RB: Kestahn Moore (217 RuYd 4 RuTD 19 ReYd)

WR:Percy Harvin (215 ReYd 2 ReTD 156 RuYd 1 RuTD)
WR: Riley Cooper (152 ReYd 3 ReTD)
WR: Andre Caldwell (111 ReYd 19 RuYd 1 RuTD)
WR: Louis Murphy (158 ReYd)

Fantasy College Impact:
Urban Meyer is the type of coach fantasy owners love. Meyer runs up the score and leaves his big play guys in the game. Florida has won their first 3 games by a total of 167-54. Tim Tebow has taken the snap 93% of the time, while Kestahn Moore is even more prominant than that in the running attack.

Well, Week 3 is in the books and we learned a lot about the college landscape. USC is worthy of the #1 Ranking…..LSU could be #1 as well. Notre Dame looks like a high school team (PrepFantasyFootball anyone?); and Florida is making a case for being the USC of the East Coast - they have the quickest, fastest athletes around.

Here's a look at some of the top newsmakers from last weekend:

Fantasy Studs

Graham Harrell (pic left), QB, Texas Tech (414 PaYd 6 PaTD)

Blake Szymanski, QB, Baylor (411 PaYd 5 PaTD)

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida (299 PaYd 2 PaTD 61 RuYd 2 RuTD)

Kellen Lewis, QB, Indiana (137 PaYd 3 PaTD 199 RuYd 2 RuTD)

Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky (275 PaYd 4 PaTD)

P.J. Hill, RB, Wisconsin (168 RuYd 4 RuTD 20 ReYd 1 ReTD)

Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia (137 RuYd 3 RuTD)

Mike Hart, RB, Michigan (187 RuYd 2 RuTD 14 ReYd)

DJ Hall, WR, Alabama (172 ReYd 2 ReTD)

Rashard Mendenhall (pic left), RB, Illinois (150 RuYd 3 RuTD 20 ReYd)

Jordy Nelson, WR, Kansas State (209 ReYd 1 ReTD)

Chris Williams, WR, New Mexico State (221 ReYd 2 ReTD)






Fantasy Duds

CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson (-1 RuYd 21 ReYd)

Keiland Williams, RB LSU (30 RuYd 14 ReYd)

Jimmy Clausen (Pic Left), QB, Notre Dame (74 PaYd 0 PaTD 1 PaINT)

Brandon Cox, QB, Auburn (41 PaYd 0 PaTD 2 PaINT)

Adarius Bowman, WR, Oklahoma State (57 ReYd 0 ReTD)

Ben Olson, QB, UCLA (290 PaYd 0 PaTD 3 PaINT)

Drew Weatherford, QB, Florida State (126 PaYd 0 PaTD)

Marlon Lucky, RB, Nebraska (33 RuYd 41 ReYd)

Photo via > AthlonSports
Photo via > FansOnly.com
Photo via > BeefThoughts.com

We apologize for not highlighting Appalachian State at Michigan as one of our Games of the Week last time. We should have seen that one coming - our bad. While most top schools spent Week 1 padding their win columns (sorry Wolverine fans), Week 2 features a boatload of great games for you couch potatoes. Here's our take on the Top 5 matchups tomorrow and their fantasy impact:

Miami at Oklahoma, Noon ET

Freshman DeMarco Murray is coming off an impressive 5 RUTD college debut, but look for his numbers to drop against a much tougher defense and the return of Allen Patrick. And if you read our blog yesterday, you already know we're not high on Kirby Freeman - avoid him at all costs this week.

Top Fantasy Player: Allen Patrick, RB, OK (pic left)
Also Watch For: Malcolm Kelly, WR, OK

Top Fantasy Dud: Kirby Freeman, QB, MIA
Also Avoid: Lance Leggett, WR, MIA

Oregon at Michigan, 3:30 p.m. ET

Time to see if Michigan can rebound from one of the worst losses in BCS history. Will they start over as Lloyd Carr promised or continue the spiral down. This one is hard to predict, but we think Michigan will be motivated by the week-long embarrassment and handle the Ducks with ease. One positive for fantasy owners last week was that the upset didn't hurt Mike Hart's stats at all, but we feel sorry for those of you who were relying on Mario Manningham.

Top Fantasy Player: Mike Hart, RB, MICH
Also Watch For: Dennis Dixon, QB, ORE

Top Fantasy Dud: Garren Strong, WR, ORE
Also Avoid: Adrian Arrington, WR, MICH

Notre Dame at Penn State, 6 p.m. ET

Speaking of teams getting pounded, how'd that whole hide-the-QB thing work out for Charlie Weis last week? He's learned his lesson and almost immediately named freshman Jimmy Clausen his starter for this week. While he was the most accurate of the 3 QBs last week, don't expect him to light up Penn State. Anthony Morelli, meanwhile, looked impressive in his debut, albeit against a weak FIU team.

Top Fantasy Player: Anthony Morelli, QB, PSU
Also Watch For: Armando Allen, RB, ND

Top Fantasy Dud: Jimmy Clausen, QB, ND
Also Avoid: James Aldridge, RB, ND

TCU at Texas, 7 p.m. ET

All offseason, media pundits have been calling TCU (and Hawaii) the next Boise State. Here's their chance to prove it! TCU may be without their top RB Aaron Brown after he got hurt in the first quarter last week. The Longhorns struggled in Week 1, squeaking out an 8-point win over Arkansas State, so this should be a good matchup.

Top Fantasy Player: Jamaal Charles, RB, TEX (pic left)
Also Watch For: Limas Sweed, WR, TEX

Top Fantasy Dud: Aaron Brown, RB, TCU
Also Avoid: Andy Dalton, QB, TCU

Virginia Tech at LSU, 9:22 p.m. ET

The matchup of the day belongs to these two Top-10 teams. Matt Flynn proved (with his arms and feet) last week that he's able to start where JaMarcus Russell left off, but now he has to do it against one of the top defenses in the nation. Virginia Tech is coming off an emotional home win, but now must hit the road. Brandon Ore was surprising average and disappointing for fantasy owners. Expect him to rebound here.

Top Fantasy Player: Brandon Ore, RB, VT
Also Watch For: Early Doucet, WR, LSU

Top Fantasy Dud: Jacob Hester, RB, LSU
Also Avoid: Sean Glennon, QB, VT

Photo via View Images
Photo via American Chronicle

Unless you are living under a rock, you know the headlines from the opening weekend in college football. We will put a fantasy spin on those headlines for you with upsets, injuries, and impacts.

BIGGEST UPSET EVER

APP STATE BLOCKS MICHIGAN'S TITLE HOPES: Michigan 32 v. App State 34 (via Detriot Free Press)
News: The Michigan Wolverines embarrassed themselves in stunning fashion with a loss to Appalachian State. It has to hurt to be a UM fan this week....err, year.

Fantasy College Impact:
Surprisingly, not that much. You can't pick up any of the "studs" from App State and you will be hard pressed to find anyone at Michigan who wants to bench their Fantasy Football Trifecta of Henne (QB), Hart (RB), and Manningham (WR). It was just a bad week for Michigan football on the field -- the stats still looked good.

AVENGING LAST YEAR’S LOSS:

BEARS GET REDEMPTION OVER VOLS: California 45 v. Tennessee 31 (via ESPN)
News: The Cal Bears used big plays to beat the Tennessee Volunteers handily. After losing to the Vols last year, the Bears must be feeling good.

Fantasy College Impact:
CAL – DeSean Jackson made a great impression with 143 all-purpose yards, including a 77-yard punt return for a TD. Freshman RB Jahvid Best showed his skills. He should get more looks as the offense could move to using two RBs for a change-of-pace running game.

TENN – Eric Ainge is having problems with his broken pinky finger. It seemed as though he could not throw the deep route when needed. Keep an eye on Ainge as the team preps for Southern Mississippi. Lucas Taylor showed his speed and ability to stretch the field. When Ainge is healthy, Taylor will be his deep weapon.

GA TECH DOMINATES THE IRISH: Notre Dame 3 v. Georgia Tech 33 (via Atlanta Journal Constitution)
News: Notre Dame played opossum this past weekend as the Yellow Jackets got revenge for a loss last year. GT capitalized on three ND fumbles and rolled over the Irish.

Fantasy College Impact:
ND – Notre Dame played musical QBs as Coach Charlie Weis tried anything and everything to jumpstart a stagnate ND offense. Look for Weis to name a QB early this week and give him all the snaps in practice. With games against #17 Penn State and #5? Michigan coming up, ND needs to make some changes and stick with them. Watch for news coming out of ND, changes forthcoming.

GT – The position with the biggest question mark for Tech is QB. Taylor Bennett did not answer any of those questions throwing for only 121 PaYds. He will need to make vast improvements if Tech plans a return trip to the ACC Champ game. RB Tashard Choice (pic above left) blasted out of the gates to the tune of 218 all-purpose yards and two TDs. Needless to say, Choice was a fantasy stud on Saturday.

Now that we got those pesky Thursday games out of the way, it's time to start the season for real with a full slate of games tomorrow. Looking for a few fantasy tips heading into the weekend? Here's our take:

Games of the Week

Tennessee at California, Saturday, 8 p.m.
This is where you'll find the toughest fantasy matchups this week. Beware of Erik Ainge, who's already got a broken finger, as he tries to break in his new WRs (Austin Rogers, Lucas Taylor, and Josh Briscoe) against a tough Cal defense. You never want to sit Desean Jackson, but this probably won't be his most productive game of the season.

Florida State at Clemson, Monday, 8 p.m.
We don't have to wait long this year for the Bowden Bowl. Drew Weatherford has won the FSU QB derby, but don't expect superb stats here. Clemson's D is one of the tops in the ACC and Xavier Lee may still see some time. Antone Smith finally gets his chance to show what he can do, while James Davis and CJ Spiller start their campaign for dual 1,000-yard season.

Top 5 Start Em

1. USC players. All of them. An opening week match-up with Idaho is just what owners of John David Booty (pic left), CJ Gable, and Patrick Turner want to see.

2. Mike Hart, RB, Michigan. Hellllllooooooooooo Appalachian State!

3. Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky. Was last year a fluke? We probably won't know the answer right away, but we do know Woodson will light it up against Eastern Kentucky.

4. DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma. Don't let this freshman sit on your bench this week since Allen Patrick is hurt. Murray is going introduce himself to the nation with a huge game against North Texas.

5. Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii. If you're still jonesing for college football when Saturday ends, check out Brennan continue his assault on the record book beginning at 12:05 a.m. ET Sunday morning.

Top 5 Sit Em

1. Chauncey Washington, RB, USC. OK, don't start ALL your USC players. Washington is battling a shoulder injury and will probably sit out Week 1.

2. Notre Dame QBs. First, you don't know which one will be starting until kickoff so you don't want to guess wrong. Second, whoever gets first shot will be splitting time while facing a good Georgia Tech Defense.

3. Brad Lester (pic left), RB, Auburn. Don't be fooled by Lester's hype this year. He's already facing academic issues and may be watching from the sidelines this week.

4. Blake Mitchell, QB, South Carolina. It's always good to have Steve Spurrier's starting QB in your lineup. Normally, that's Mitchell, but he decided summer school wasn't important and was suspended for skipping classes.

5. Sam Shields, WR, Miami. If you though Shields would have a field day against Marshall, think again. The sophomore has been suspended for violating team rules.

Photo via 6MT
Photo via SEC Sports

It's officially game week and there are still a lot of players who have just claimed starting jobs for those positions battles that began in the summer. Here's a list of recent verdicts on some of these battles. See if you can snatch these guys off the waiver wire if they are available.

Kirby Freeman (pic left), QB, Miami (via Sun-Sentinel)
"The Hurricanes' long battle for starting quarterback ended Tuesday morning when coach Randy Shannon announced junior Kirby Freeman as starter, beating out senior Kyle Wright."

Todd Boeckman, QB, Ohio State (via Sports Illustrated)
"Todd Boeckman will start at quarterback when No. 11 Ohio State hosts Youngstown State on Saturday in its 118th season-opener."

Dennis Dixon, QB, Oregon (via The Register-Guard)
"Dennis Dixon was the starter going into spring, was the starter coming out of spring, was the starter going into fall camp, is the starter coming out of fall camp," UO coach Mike Bellotti said Monday."

Nick Graziano, QB, Nevada (via Sports Illustrated)
"Nick Graziano will take the lead as starting quarterback when the Nevada football team opens its season Saturday at Nebraska."

Mark Dell (pic left), WR, Michigan State (via The Detroit News)
"Two true freshmen -- receiver Mark Dell and punter Aaron Bates -- have won starting jobs for Michigan State's opener Saturday against Alabama-Birmingham."

Jake Sharp, RB, Kansas (via KUsports)
"Sophomore Jake Sharp is listed as the starting running back as expected. His backups are Brandon McAnderson (also the starting fullback) and true freshman Carmon Boyd-Anderson."

James Johnson, RB, Kansas State (via RotoWorld)
"James Johnson is listed as the first team RB at Kansas State."

Cameron Newton, QB, Florida (via Associated Press)
"Freshman Cameron Newton was named Florida’s backup quarterback Saturday, reclaiming the job he earned in the spring and putting himself in position to play this season."

Photo via USA Today
Photo via Scout

With only 1 1/2 weeks until opening kickoff, a lot of players have claimed starting jobs for those positions battles that began in the summer. Here's a list of recent verdicts on some of these battles. Keep these in mind for your upcoming fantasy draft, or see if you can snatch these guys off the waiver wire if they are available.

Todd Boeckman (pic left), QB, Ohio State (via The Plain Dealer)
"Ohio State's quarterback competition isn't quite over, but junior Todd Boeckman is already the winner."

Cody Hawkins, QB, Colorado (via MSNBC)
"Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins, son of coach Dan Hawkins, has moved to the top of the team’s depth chart."

T.J. Yates, QB, North Carolina (via Sports Illustrated)
"T.J. Yates has earned the starting quarterback job at North Carolina, coach Butch Davis said Thursday."

Tyler Lorenzen, QB, Connecticut (via Sports Illustrated)
"Junior college transfer Tyler Lorenzen won quarterback competition for Connecticut and is slated to start the opener at Duke."

Todd Reesing (pic left), QB, Kansas (via KUsports.com)
"If common sense told any of the 100 or so onlookers at Kansas University’s open football practice anything on Monday, it’s that Todd Reesing is in line to be the Jayhawks’ starting quarterback when Kansas plays Central Michigan on Sept. 1 in the season opener."

Ryan Torain, RB, Arizona State (via AZCentral.com)
"Ryan is clearly our guy," Erickson said. "Keegan looks good at times. We've got three guys (including Dimitri Nance) who have proven themselves, and we're going to try to use them in the right situations. It comes down to who understands pass protection."

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Photo via lake travis