College Fantasy Football: Week 6 viewers' guide
Week 6 of the college football season is upon us. Here’s a look at some of the things we will be watching this weekend from a fantasy perspective.
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PASS ON SEC SHOWDOWN
One of the more-intriguing matchups on the Week 6 slate is LSU at Florida, but from a fantasy perspective, it might be one to stay away from this one. Florida won a game last week, 13-6, at Mississippi State and while quarterback Feleipe Franks has put up good numbers this season, the LSU defense could be his toughest test yet.
The running back duo of Nick Brossette (481 yards, six touchdowns) and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (275 yards, five scores) has been impressive, but Florida’s defense has been tough and only allowed 202 total yards last week to a very talented Mississippi State offense.
The over/under in this game is hovering around 43.5. That means a low-scoring, grind-it-out kind of game. For fantasy owners, that’s bad news. Pick your spots wisely.
BELIEVE IN ND OFFENSE
A night game in Blacksburg is always tough. The crowd will be rocking, "Enter Sandman" will be playing and Virginia Tech will be fired up to upset Notre Dame.
But the fact is the Hokies’ defense really has faced weak competition so far this season. Florida State’s offense is a joke, William & Mary, come on, and Duke was playing a quarterback who quickly returned from a fractured clavicle last week. Oh, and Virginia Tech lost to Old Dominion by giving up 494 passing yards and four touchdowns. This Hokies’ D is allowing 303 passing yards per outing.
That has to have Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book licking his chops. After replacing Brandon Wimbush two games ago, Book has been lights out throwing the ball - he has completed more than 74 percent of his passes for 616 yards with seven TDs and no picks - and he has three rushing scores. It’s a tough place to play, but Notre Dame’s offense should score plenty.
BE CAREFUL ON ‘CUSE
Something very fishy is going on here. Syracuse is coming off a heartbreaking loss in which it could have upset host Clemson last weekend, but blew it late. Pitt has been average at best this season and the defense has been playing poorly. On paper, this looks like a game in which the Orange should go into Pittsburgh and possibly blow the Panthers out.
Quarterback Eric Dungey has been putting up big numbers, the offense has been scoring lots of points and the defense has been playing surprisingly well. But this spread opened at Syracuse minus-6 and has moved all the way down to minus-3 despite 85 percent of the bets being on the Orange. That spells bad news, and it raises a lot of red flags about what’s going on.
I’d stay away, because some sharp bettors believes Pitt is going to cover the spread or win outright. There are better spots to mess with to get your fantasy points this week.
PAC-12 SHOOTOUT COMING
Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew is one of the best fantasy scorers so far this season, as he’s thrown for 1,992 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Cougars are averaging more than 410 passing yards per game. Oregon State gave up 77 points to Ohio State and 52 to Arizona State last week.
This looks like it could be a blowout on Saturday, but also a game where both teams could score a decent amount of points, especially coach Mike Leach’s club. The Beavers are giving up 45 points per game, but they’re also scoring 30, so with Minshew, Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson (who leads all running backs nationally in fantasy points) and all the complementary pieces, this one should be good. The over/under line is 64.5, and I’m surprised it’s not higher.
WATCH OUT FOR LOW TOTALS
There could be a lot of low-scoring, defensive battles this weekend in college football, so set your fantasy lineups accordingly.
Here’s a snapshot of some low over/under lines to consider: LSU/Florida at 43.5; Utah/Stanford at 45.5; Northwestern/Michigan State at 43; Iowa/Minnesota at 42; Auburn/Mississippi State at 42.5; Florida State/Miami at 48.5; and Maryland/Michigan has dipped all the way down to 47.5.
It could be good to play some of those defenses, since not a lot of points are expected. Offensively, look elsewhere.