With the regular season in its final month, conference matchups are at the forefront of our Week 12 CFB devy stock report. Week 11 featured Minnesota’s passing attack having their way with former #4 Penn State, while LSU’s Joe Burrow outdueled fellow quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the highly-anticipated SEC West showdown.
Week 12 features two Top 15 matchups, including Georgia visiting SEC-rival Auburn and Baylor hosting a massive conference showdown against Oklahoma. With College Gameday in town and all eyes on Waco, a Baylor victory would make a rather grand statement to the college football committee.
Or the Bears could ultimately falter, allowing Oklahoma to sneak their way back into consideration. That’s the beauty of the unpredictability of college football.
With Week 11 of the college football season in the books, it’s time for our weekly devy stock report. Be sure to check back later in the week for my preview of the best fantasy football matchups to watch in Week 12.
Stock Up
Standout players that saw their devy stock increase from the previous week include:
Rashod Bateman – With 2020 NFL Draft prospect Tyler Johnson and 2021 prospect Rashod Bateman lining up beside each other, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have one of the best wide receiver duos in college football. Bateman showed his tremendous ability with over 200 receiving yards and one touchdown in Minnesota’s 31-26 upset over the Penn State Nittany Lions.
While Johnson led Minnesota in every receiving statistical category in 2018, his sophomore teammate is taking a bigger slice of the pie this season. Bateman leads Minnesota with 847 receiving yards on 12 fewer receptions than Johnson.
While most devy fantasy players entered 2019 with their attention on Johnson, fellow wide receiver Bateman has continued to turn heads in Minnesota. The 2021 NFL Draft prospect has the ideal size to excel in the NFL once he becomes draft-eligible.
Jarren Williams – Since regaining his starting position, Miami quarterback Jarren Williams has led the Hurricanes to two straight conference victories over Florida State and Louisville. In Week 11, Williams threw six touchdown passes in Miami’s 52-27 win over the Louisville Cardinals.
Williams showed tremendous arm strength on inside slants against Louisville, but the quarterback’s biggest strength is the touch and accuracy he displays on deep balls. Look no further than Williams’ sixth touchdown of the game where the quarterback placed a deep ball in the perfect spot where only his receiver could catch it.
As a freshman already excelling in college football, look for Williams’ devy fantasy football stock to rise over the next few seasons. With a talented arm and the ability to add yards on the ground with his legs, the 2022 NFL Draft prospect has all the makings of a player that will make a couple of appearances on the CFB stock report in the foreseeable future.
Stock Down
Disappointing players that saw their devy stock decrease in the previous week:
Anthony McFarland Jr. – After rushing for over 1,000 yards as a freshman, Maryland running back Anthony McFarland Jr. was expected to continue that trend in 2019. So far, the sophomore running back has failed to live up to the hype.
McFarland Jr. only has one game over 100 yards this season, and that was way back in Maryland’s Week 3 victory over Temple. On the season, McFarland Jr. has 445 rushing yards in nine games played while his yards-per-carry has dropped from 7.9 to 4.6 so far this season.
McFarland Jr. is still an intriguing devy prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the running back needs to regain his 2018 form to reach his peak value. This season, McFarland has more games with less than 10 yards rushing than he does with over 100 yards.
Cole McDonald – Nothing says “stock down” quite like a mid-season benching. Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald joined that club after being replaced by backup Chevan Cordeiro in Week 11’s contest against San Jose State.
McDonald struggled in Hawaii’s 41-38 loss to Fresno State, which led to Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich making the controversial switch. The move looks good after one game as Cordeiro accounted for five total touchdowns and zero turnovers in Hawaii’s 42-40 victory.
McDonald was always thought of as a longshot to make it in the National Football League, but his chances are even slimmer after getting benched. At this point, McDonald is a full avoid that isn’t worth a devy fantasy football draft pick.
Jordan Woodson is a writer for the Pro Football Network covering Devy and Dynasty Fantasy Football. You can follow him @Jordan_Woodson on Twitter.