Devy leagues are becoming increasingly popular and add layers of strategy to a dynasty league. If you are trying to break into the format, prepare for lots of work. With hundreds of college teams and an extraordinary amount of games every week, it is imperative to focus your attention on key matchups. Even if you are not in a devy league, learning about these players before they enter the draft process can help with your evaluations and increase your odds of finding talent with your dynasty rookie picks. These are the games and players I will be watching in Week 1 of the college season.
Georgia-North Carolina
The low-hanging fruit in this matchup is watching Nick Chubb’s first game action since the knee injury sustained in October 2015. A recent Rotoworld post suggested Chubb is expected to have a full workload for this game, but I want to see if he is the same player he was pre-surgery. Even if Chubb is a full-go, the backfield behind him is worth watching. Former five-star recruit Sony Michel broke his arm in early July and still has not been cleared for contact. This opens the door for Elijah Holyfield to see the field early in his freshman season.
Just as intriguing to me is the North Carolina backfield. I am looking forward to seeing 6’0″ 220-pound running back Elijah Hood play against an SEC defense. Hood is a back who has 2017 1st round rookie pick potential. With a solid game, Hood may no longer be under the radar for casual fans.
Wisconsin-LSU
Even a casual college football fan knows Wisconsin running backs put up numbers behind a strong offensive line and run-heavy schemes every year. Senior running back Corey Clement is back to full strength after an injury-plagued 2015 season. I want to see if Clement can return to his 2014 form against a strong LSU defense.
Part of me is hoping to see an LSU blowout because I want to see 2018 eligible running back Derrius Guice on the field. With Leonard Fournette atop the depth chart, it is likely Guice will only see significant playing time in this scenario without an injury.
Alabama vs USC
The marquee matchup of kickoff weekend is full of top devy prospects. What I will be watching is who gets carries for Alabama. 2017 eligible physical freak Bo Scarbrough is expected to beat out 2018 eligible Damien Harris for the starting role. Four-star freshman B.J. Emmons has a shot at playing time as well. Whoever starts will put up significant numbers in Alabama’s offense and will likely be selected early in the NFL and dynasty league drafts.
