Five Big 12 sleepers worth fantasy consideration
The college football season is just weeks away, so there is no better time to prepare for your college fantasy football season. Here is a look at five sleepers in the Big 12 who could be worth drafting. They might even help you win your league.
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Coach Kliff Kingsbury is gone but the Red Raiders are still going to throw the ball a lot and their top two receivers - Antoine Wesley and Ja’Deion High - are gone so Mannix has a huge opportunity to step up and catch a lot of passes this season, especially if Seth Collins misses a lot of time because of injury. Last year, Wesley and High combined for 150 catches, so a lot of those could be headed Mannix’s way ,especially with QB Alan Bowman healthy and defenses trying to negate top receiver T.J. Vasher. This isn’t about wins or losses, it’s about fantasy points, and Mannix could be in line for a surprisingly big season.
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Oklahoma has such an impressive offense that NFL teams are flocking to Norman to talk with coach Lincoln Riley about how to implement it in their organizations, and Riley remains a hot name for NFL executives looking to hire the next big thing. The Sooners shouldn’t have a major drop-off from Kyler Murray to Jalen Hurts and Morris could take advantage of an opportunity here with Marquise Brown gone. Last season, Brown had 75 catches for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those stats have to go somewhere in the passing game and Morris could see the field more after having eight touchdowns last season (two more than Grant Calcaterra) on just 21 catches.
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Nwangwu only had 39 carries and no touchdowns last season, but he’s the most likely candidate to replace David Montgomery, the workhorse back who had 257 carries a year ago and parlayed that into being a third-round NFL Draft pick. There is good continuity on the offensive line and some unproven receivers, so the Cyclones could rely more than ever on the run game. Others will push Nwangwu, but that could motivate him even more to separate himself as the main back in Iowa State’s offense.
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The surprise emergence of Jalen Hurd at receiver last season slowed down Platt and other Baylor players, but Hurd is off to the NFL and Platt has one more shot at a big season with the Bears. Quarterback Charlie Brewer is back and Platt, along with Denzel Mims, should be two of the top targets in Baylor’s offense. The schedule also shapes up really well, at least early, with Stephen F. Austin, UTSA and Rice to open the season.
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Kansas State’s offensive numbers were anemic last year as the Wildcats averaged only 22.5 points per game and Thompson threw only nine touchdowns, but there is a lot of reason to believe things will change for the better. First, a new coaching staff has taken over and more points are almost inevitable. Second, the reliance on running back Alex Barnes (who had 256 carries last season) is over. And third, Kansas State has a really good group of receivers to attack defenses. Thompson could be in for a big year and he could be a steal in fantasy leagues.