Week 9 is upon us as we continue to stroll through the 2012 college football season.
It’s unfortunate that it does have to end at some point, and we have just a few weeks left to make big money courtesy of Daily Joust’s many contests.
Let’s give you a sneak peek at some of Week 9′s best value plays in college fantasy football.
Quarterback
Jordan Rodgers, Vanderbilt (187k)
What’s not to love about a match-up against UMass? UMass is making their debut into the FBS world, and they get to face one of the lower end SEC teams.
That doesn’t mean that Vandy can’t score, and they will score plenty this week. Rodgers can run a bit, and he has a top notch receiver in Jordan Matthews to get the ball to as well.
187k is a solid bargain for a quarterback that should have no problem getting around 25 points this week.
Matt Barkley, USC (184k)
Matt Barkley is hot right now, and the Trojans are fired up after being a bit disappointing this season.
Still, Barkley and USC need to finish strong, especially in Pac-12 play, and a big win against an Arizona defense would be a great way to keep it going.
Barkley doesn’t have the benefit of mobility, but throwing four or five touchdowns and 300 yards against a pitiful Arizona secondary is not out of the question.
Blake Bortles, UCF (175k)
Central Florida is playing good football lately, scoring at least 35 points in their last three match-ups.
Even better this week, they get to face a Marshall defense that’s giving up over 41 points per game, and can’t stop the run or pass.
Bortles can make plays with his feet in goal line situations, and should have a nice game against a defense that’s given up 17 passing touchdowns on the season.
Running Backs
Beau Blankenship, Ohio (207k)
Blankenship is one of the NCAA leaders in overall rushing, and while 207k isn’t a huge value, it’s still cheap considering he gets to run the ball against a defense that is giving up 243 rushing yards/game.
Not only are they giving up 243 rush yards/game, but they are giving up three rushing touchdowns/game as well, making Blankenship a no-brainer this week.
Zach Line, SMU (187k)
Line had a big 2011, and I was hoping he’d be in for big things this year.
He’s still running well, and is a force in goal line and short yardage situations, and is the go-to guy inside the 10.
SMU should have no problem moving the ball down the field consistently against a very weak Memphis defense, and Line should have 20+ points here.
Darrin Reaves, UAB (140k)
My only issue with Reaves in most weeks is that he just does not get enough touches. He’s getting around 15 rushes per game, and only around 60 yards, but he has scored six touchdowns in his last four games.
Tulane’s rush defense is one of the worst in the NCAA, giving up around 245 rush yards per game, and around two rushing touchdowns as well.
For 140k, Reaves should be a steal that will get you around 20 points and let you invest more cap into another position.
Wide Receivers
Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas (125k)
Hamilton is easily the go-to guy in Arkansas, and he can flat out make plays when given opportunities.
He has 46 catches on the year, with no other Razorback receiver having more than 19.
Ole Miss has played better defensively in 2012, but they still have a lot of work, and I see Arkansas having a solid day offensively with Hamilton being a big part of it.
Ryan Swope, Texas A&M (107k)
Swope has struggled to make big plays and has battled concussion like symptoms. But he is ready to go against one of the worst defense in the FBS facing the Auburn Tigers.
I fully expect Johnny Manziel to be throwing and rushing all over the Tigers, and finding Swope for a touchdown or two is realistic this week.
Nick Harwell, Miami (OH) (90k)
Harwell’s injuries set him back for a few weeks, but he is back and ready to go.
Miami (OH) will likely be playing from behind for much of the game, forcing them to throw (not that they don’t do that enough already), and the Ohio Bobcat secondary is notorious for giving up big plays against the pass.
I think Harwell could have double digit receptions in this one and put up a nice game.
Kofi Hughes, Indiana (76k)
Indiana has lost their last two games by a combined three points, but it is encouraging that they keep putting up big points.
In a high passing offense, Hughes is bound to have a solid performance against an Illinois defense that is giving up 30+ points per game, and were just shut out by Michigan two weeks ago on the road.
Tight Ends
Kyler Reed, Nebraska (40k)
Nebraska and Michigan are likely to get into a solid offensive battle this week having two speedy quarterbacks that can make plays.
Reed and Ben Cotton are the leading tight ends for the Cornhuskers, but I like Reed’s athleticism against a mediocre tackling defense in the open field.
40k is nothing to spend on a tight end, and Reed could come out with a sneaky red zone touchdown or two.
Travis Tannahill, Kansas State (39k)
Texas Tech will get into a battle with Kansas State as they try to upset Collin Klein this weekend.
However, the battle will be purely offensive on both sides of the ball, which increases Tannahill’s value against a defense that’s quite inconsistent.
In recent week’s Klein has showed more ability to throw the ball, making me more comfortable putting Tannahill in my lineup for 39k.
Luke Willson, Rice (35k)
Rice gets to face a lowly Southern Miss defense that sometimes doesn’t seem to exist.
As disappointing as Willson has been this season, it’s hard for me not to gamble with him for 35k.
It only takes a couple catches for at tight end to produce reasonable numbers, and Willson could surprise and have a nice performance.
Defenses
Wisconsin (76k)
Wisconsin goes up against Michigan State this week, but has home field advantage against an offense that relies on just one player: Le’Veon Bell.
You can bet that the Badgers will be focused on shutting down the rushing attack of Michigan State, while having no problems forcing a couple turnovers off of Andrew Maxwell, who has had his fair share of struggles in 2012.
BYU (65k)
The Cougars get the pleasure of going into Atlanta to face off against a triple option Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets team that will run, run, and run.
Luckily for BYU, their strength defensively is against the run, although shutting down the triple option is never an easy task.
For 65k, I think they could be worth the risk, especially if they can force Tevin Washington to throw the ball at all.
Utah (51k)
Utah’s defense really has done nothing this year to show that they can shut many teams down, however, they are doing a nice job of forcing turnovers and winning in time of possession battles.
There’s really nothing that special about Cal offensively, as Zach Maynard is just inconsistent, and the toughest part of them to stop is the three headed monster they have at running back.
Utah’s pass defense could be mildly exposed this weekend, but I think they force a couple turnovers and hold Cal under 20 points.
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