NFL Week 7 was a dream scenario for devy fantasy football scouts across the globe. With multiple top 25 matchups along with a couple of rivalry games on the schedule, it was the perfect time to scout future NFL stars.
We saw Oklahoma and LSU win massive conference matchups, while Georgia gave us our first colossal upset of the 2019-2020 college football season. The previously ranked #3 Georgia Bulldogs saw their playoff dreams almost certainly shatter with a double-overtime loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Georgia is facing an uphill battle to make it to college football’s final four with remaining conference games against Kentucky, #9 Florida, #22 Missouri, #11 Auburn, and Texas A&M. The Bulldogs will need to win out and get some help to have a chance at a National Championship this season.
With Week 7 of the college football season in the books, it’s time for our weekly stock report and a preview of the best devy fantasy football matchups in Week 8.
Stock Up
Standout players that saw their devy stock increase from the previous week include:
CeeDee Lamb – After another terrific performance in Oklahoma’s 34-27 victory over Texas, CeeDee Lamb is starting to cement himself as one of the best wide receivers in college football. He could even end up WR1 in 2020 dynasty rookie drafts, although Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy might have something to say about that.
Lamb showed his big-play ability against Texas with over 170 yards and three touchdowns on ten receptions. Although he isn’t the fastest player in the nation, Lamb has a unique ability to make defenders miss in the open field. Lamb is as quick as anyone in and out of his cuts, and he seems destined to excel in the slot in the National Football League.
Lamb’s fantasy football stock is skyrocketing as he continues to excel in Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma offense. Look for Lamb to be in play as a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. If drafted into the right situation, Lamb could see himself as a top-three pick in rookie dynasty drafts next season.
Brandon Aiyuk – Arizona State couldn’t possibly follow up N’Keal Harry’s success with another NFL wide receiver prospect just a year later, right? Let me introduce you to Sun Devils wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Quickly becoming one of my favorite sleepers of the 2020 NFL Draft, Aiyuk is on pace to out-produce any season Harry had in his great Arizona State career. Halfway through the season, Aiyuk has 651 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions.
Those numbers put the wide-receiver on pace for over 1,200 receiving yards and ten receiving touchdowns. That calculation doesn’t even include a potential Arizona State Pac-12 Championship Game bid and an almost-guaranteed bowl game. For reference, Harry’s season-high in college was 1,142 receiving yards while he never reached ten touchdowns in a single season.
Aiyuk’s fantasy football stock was non-existent at this time last season, but there’s no doubt he’s on everyone’s radar now. The senior wide receiver is excellent in the open field and has the speed to separate on the outside, unlike his former teammate Harry.
Stock Down
Disappointing players that saw their devy stock decrease in the previous week:
Jake Fromm – Anytime a quarterback has a performance so bad that it leads to a top-five team going down, you’re going to end up on the stock down list. It’s almost a guarantee at this point. Welcome to the club, Jake Fromm.
Fromm entered Saturday’s contest against Georgia completing almost 82% of his passes with a 7-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Fromm was so bad in Week 7’s loss to unranked South Carolina, his completion percentage dropped to 76.56% on the season.
South Carolina’s Israel Mukuamu intercepted the Georgia quarterback three separate times including a 53-yard touchdown return that saw South Carolina grab a 17-10 lead in the third quarter.
While Fromm is worth a fantasy football roster spot as a potential first-round pick, he needs vast improvement before he’s seen as a franchise type of quarterback in the fantasy football world. Fromm is an extremely talented passer stuck in a run-first offense, but you have to wonder how high his ceiling really is on the next level. I consider him a notch below other first-round quarterbacks available in the upcoming two drafts.
Cam Akers – Florida State running back Cam Akers has generally been able to overcome Florida State’s ineptitude so far this season. Week 7’s beatdown to ACC-rival Clemson was a different story.
Akers had a season-low 34 rushing yards on only nine carries in Florida State’s 45-14 defeat to the reigning national champions. Clemson’s defensive front dominated Florida State’s overmatched offensive line all game while they also held Akers without a reception for the first time all season.
There will undoubtedly be better fantasy football days for Akers, as Clemson was just too much of a challenge to overcome. Look for Akers to remain in that second-tier of running backs available in the 2020 NFL Draft. Akers has shown the ability to be a three-down player, but his stock will largely depend on where he ends up.
Kylin Hill – Entering the game as the SEC’s leading rusher, Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill was destined to shine against lowly Tennessee in Week 7. Instead, Hill disappointed with only 13 rushing yards on 11 attempts in the Bulldogs’ loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.
After relying on volume and big plays in the early part of the season, Hill has found neither of those in the past two games. Hill has a combined 28 carries in the last two games after averaging 25 carries per game in the two prior. Hill’s longest carry in Week 7 went for four yards, and he hasn’t scored a touchdown since scoring three against Kentucky.
While Hill might enter the 2020 NFL Draft, the junior running back might be better off staying for his senior season. The 2020 NFL Draft is stacked with top-tier running backs, while the 2021 NFL Draft doesn’t have a sure-fire RB1. Georgia running back Zamir White is the presumed top running back in 2021, but the class behind him doesn’t look elite on paper yet.
Devy Matchups to watch in Week Eight
Florida @ South Carolina
Florida: RB Lamical Perine (2020), RB Dameon Pierce (2021)
South Carolina: WR Bryan Edwards (2020), WR Shi Smith (2020), QB Ryan Hilinski (2022), RB Rico Dowdle (2020), RB Tavien Feaster (2020)
Oregon @ Washington
Oregon: QB Justin Herbert (2020), TE Jacob Breeland (2020 – injured), RB CJ Verdell (2021)
Washington: QB Jacob Eason (2020), RB Salvon Ahmed (2020), TE Hunter Bryant (2020)
Baylor @ Oklahoma State
Baylor: WR Denzel Mims (2020)
Oklahoma State: RB Chuba Hubbard (2020), WR Tylan Wallace (2020), QB Spencer Sanders (2022)
Arizona State @ Utah
Arizona State: RB Eno Benjamin (2020), QB Jayden Daniels (2022), WR Brandon Aiyuk (2020)
Utah: RB Zack Moss (2020)
Michigan @ Penn State
Michigan: WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (2020), WR Tarik Black (2020), RB Zach Charbonnet (2022)
Penn State: RB Noah Cain (2022), WR Justin Shorter (2021), RB Ricky Slade (2021)
Jordan Woodson is a writer for Pro Football Network covering Fantasy Football. You can follow him @Jordan_Woodson on Twitter.