College Fantasy Football: Week 3 in Big 12 - Love 'em or Leave 'em

The first couple weeks of college football are in the books and there is a lot to consider after watching and following those matchups. Here are some players to start and to avoid in the Big 12 heading into Week 3.

CREATE A COLLEGE FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE - OR JOIN ONE

MORE WEEK 3 PREVIEWS: Big Ten | ACC | SEC | Pac-12

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals100 | Position | Team | State

Rice is going to be outmatched in every way possible this weekend against the Longhorns, who are coming off a loss to LSU and will be looking to smash anything in their way. That’s great news for Duvernay, who has quickly become quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s top target as he leads the team by far with 21 catches for 209 yards and three touchdowns. Texas is 32-point favorites this weekend and I see the Longhorns covering that easily.

Has the Oklahoma defense ever been recommended in a fantasy setting? Probably not, but this weekend sets up well. The Sooners have shown life on that side of the ball especially against a talented Houston offense. South Dakota was not going to pose any problems, but Oklahoma has allowed only two rushing TDs and four passing TDs so far this season.

You can choose the negative adjective for UCLA’s offense this season - terrible, awful, shameful, whatever you like. The Bruins have scored 14 points in each loss to Cincinnati and UCLA. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is completing 52.5 percent of his passes. UCLA is 0-2. Sooners big in the Rose Bowl this weekend.

There is so much to like about Bowman this weekend, including the fact that Arizona is giving up 43 points per game and more than 404 passing yards per outing. Plus, this Red Raiders offense has not slowed down at all with a new coaching staff as Bowman is completing more than 71 percent of his passes for 713 yards and five touchdowns. He’s just outside the top 10 in fantasy points for quarterbacks and I bet he jumps into that group after a big weekend in Tucson.

After serving a one-game suspension, I expected Williams to come out and run over and through Coastal Carolina last weekend, but it didn’t happen. Kansas lost, 12-7, and Williams carried the ball 22 times for 99 yards with no touchdowns. It’s going to get even tougher this weekend against Boston College’s defense that has not allowed a rushing touchdown in wins over Virginia Tech and Richmond. There are just much better options out there.

I like TCU and Gary Patterson does an excellent job preparing the Horned Frogs each week but from a fantasy perspective I don’t like this matchup against Purdue. First off, Boilermakers quarterback Elijah Sindelar, if he is cleared from his concussion he suffered against Vanderbilt, is second among all quarterbacks in fantasy points so far this season and trails only Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts. If Sindelar can't go, Purdue is very comfortable in backup Jack Plummer's abilities.

And then there is receiver Rondale Moore, who’s third at his position in fantasy points. The over/under is only 52.5 in this game which is low and since TCU has only played Arkansas-Pine Bluff this season, let’s give it a few weeks to see just how good this defense is before putting it in your fantasy league.

I get that Texas Tech has given up only 13 points in two games but that was against Montana State and UTEP. Arizona is a different animal because the Wildcats don’t seem to mind this season going up and down the field and trying to outscore opponents. Quarterback Khalil Tate is hard to slow down, Arizona is averaging 7.8 yards per carry and this could turn into a shootout quickly as the over/under line is around 77 points.