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Dynasty Watch: Week 1 Prospect Review

Anthony Richardson

Anthony Richardson

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

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My proverbial foot in the door with Rotoworld came last season when I was hired as a freelancer for the college football team. I’ve been fortunate enough to expand into NFL/fantasy content over the last few months, but the CFB content will be flowing heavily for me this season.

As a result of this, I’ve been tasked with looking after the ever-growing dynasty crowd.

Throughout this season I will be writing up a weekly review for you, the dynasty league guru, whose exposure to these future stars may not come until the end of the NFL season.

With so many players to dive into between now and the next draft season, we’ll look to touch on as many players as we can throughout the season.

This first week feels a bit goofy given the FBS vs. FCS matchups we saw this week -- or weird out-of-conference games. I could tell you how 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young lit up Utah State for 195 yards and five touchdowns (while also rushing for 100 yards and another score), but we’d expect to read about that 110% of the time.

However, we did have a chance to witness some great games this weekend that featured loads of future NFL talent. Let’s take a look at how some of these players performed in their first action of the season.

Note: All stats and information courtesy of PFF.com, CollegeFootballData.com and Sports-Reference.com.

Anthony Richardson, QB (Florida)

Passing: 17-for-24, 168 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs
Rushing: 11 carries, 106 yards, 3 TDs

A dark horse for the 2022 Heisman Trophy, Anthony Richardson and the Gators faced a tough Week 1 challenge against No. 5 ranked Utah.

Richardson and quarterback Emory Jones (now with Arizona State) received split opportunities under former head coach Dan Mullen, but 2022 is Richardson’s for the taking.

Physically speaking, Richardson has all of the tools. At 6-foot-4, 238-pounds, Richardson has reportedly run a 4.4 40-yard dash and has a rocket for an arm. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman listed him as the 50th “freakiest” player in his 2022 College Football Freaks List earlier this offseason.

Richardson didn’t light up the scoreboard in this one, but did lead the Gators in rushing. His 45-yard touchdown run was the highlight of his three scores, but perhaps his most exciting play came on a two-point conversion.

If Richardson continues to ascend the ranks, you’ll see this one replayed, again and again, this season.

With two defenders in his face, Richardson pulled off a pump fake for the ages, scrambled to his right, and found a wide open Ja’Quavion Fraziars in the end zone to give the Gators a 22-19 lead.

Richardson still has a lot to show scouts in what may be his first and only season as a full-time starter, but last Saturday’s game against Utah was everything we hoped to see out of the gate.

K.J. Jefferson, QB (Arkansas)

Passing: 18-for-26, 223 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
Rushing: 18 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD

Per Pro Football Focus, K.J. Jefferson was one of the best rushing quarterbacks in the nation last season. He totaled 99 carries for 803 yards and six touchdowns -- earning a PFF rushing grade of 87.0. With a thickly built frame and good athleticism, Jefferson led all quarterbacks in yards after contact per attempt in 2021 (5.30) and was seventh in missed tackles forced (35).

Jefferson put his rushing on display in a 31-24 win against Cincinnati all day but was somewhat limited through the air despite a three-touchdown day.

To his credit, Jefferson had a solid day against a stout Cincinnati defense.

He attempted just two deep passes (20+ air yards), completing one for a 22-yard gain, while his longest completion came on a 32-yard score from wide receiver Trey Knox. Knox caught a pass that traveled three yards and did the rest of the work after the catch, outrunning Cincinnati’s defense to the end zone.

His 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jadon Haselwood between tight coverage was also an impressive throw met with an equally impressive catch.

Jefferson was solid throughout this one, playing his first game without 2022 NFL first-rounder Treylon Burks. His versatility and rushing upside will make him a coveted player in fantasy drafts if he goes early in next year’s NFL draft.

Spencer Rattler, QB (South Carolina)

Passing: 23-for-37, 227 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: 4 carries, -12 yards, 0 TDs

Spencer Rattler needed a change of scenery after last year’s fallout at Oklahoma. This time last year, Rattler was being talked up as the potential No. 1 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Now, Rattler is hoping to hear his name called in the first round next year.

Unfortunately, Saturday’s 35-14 win over Georgia State won’t do much to help his stock -- despite the 21-point win.

In his defense, Rattler was under pressure for much of the day. Georgia State forced 14 pressures on the former Sooner and managed three sacks on the afternoon. As a team, South Carolina managed just 79 rushing yards, marking an overall bad day for the Gamecocks in what should have been an easy win.

If Saturday’s game is any indicator, then Rattler and company could be in for a tough Week 2 matchup at Arkansas. Their Week 3 game against Georgia is a whole other story.

Sean Tucker, RB (Syracuse)

Rushing: 21 carries, 100 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: 6 receptions, 84 yards, 1 TD

Several top running backs enjoyed cupcake matchups in Week 1. A quick recap:

One running back who kicked off the season against a conference opponent was Sean Tucker.

Tucker and the Orange played host to Louisville and put on a dominant display from start to finish. Last season, Tucker turned in one of the best seasons of any running back in the nation, totaling 246-1496-12 on the ground while adding another 20-255-2 through the air.

In a potentially crowded 2023 draft class, Tucker displayed a little bit of everything that could make him one of the more coveted backs in next year’s draft.

While his longest rush of the day came on a 12-yard gain, Tucker turned on the jets for an impressive 55-yard receiving touchdown in the first quarter in which he forced two missed tackles on his way to the end zone.

Tucker forced just six missed tackles on the day but was 10th in the nation in forced missed tackles last season (66) while ranking 24th in YCO/ATT (4.11).

With so much running back talent set to come out of the SEC, don’t forget about Tucker over in the ACC.

Mohamed Ibrahim, RB (MIN)

Rushing: 21 carries, 131 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving: 1 reception, 8 yards, 0 TDs

Minnesota took on New Mexico State this weekend and won 38-0. It’s basically like whooping up on an FCS team, but Mohamed Ibrahim gets a nod here after missing almost all of the 2021 season.

Last season, Ibrahim suffered a torn Achilles in the third quarter of Minnesota’s season opener against Ohio State. Minnesota lost that game 45-31, but Ibrahim’s performance was a dominant one. He rushed 30 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns and likely would’ve eclipsed 200 yards on the day if not for the injury.

A healthy 2022 could spell big things for Ibrahim heading into next year’s draft -- which is almost certain to enter.

Already boasting an impressive college resumé, Ibrahim rushed for 1,160 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2018 and rushed for 201-1076-15 in just seven games in 2020. His healthy return against New Mexico State was an encouraging first step in his return from a devastating injury. Minnesota gets another generous matchup against Western Illinois in Week 2 before welcoming Colorado in Week 3.

Jordan Addison, WR (USC)

Receiving: 5 receptions, 54 yards, 2 TDs

Jordan Addison made the late-spring leap to USC after breaking out with Pittsburgh (100-1593-17).

Addison and USC unsurprisingly defeated Rice 66-14 on Saturday in a game where Addison twice found the end zone. Of the top projected receivers in the 2023 class, Addison had one of the better days. LSU’s Kayshon Boutte struggled to the tune of 2-20-0 vs. Florida State, while Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught two passes for three yards before exiting Saturday’s game vs. Notre Dame with an undisclosed injury -- which is not expected to be long-term.

In regards to Addison, the Trojan wide receiver didn’t stuff the box score in a blowout win but did make a nice 22-yard play on one of his receptions.

Addison will undoubtedly show out against tougher competition throughout the season, which could start as early as this weekend against Stanford.

Jacob Cowing, WR (ARI)

Receiving: 8 receptions, 152 yards, 3 TDs

Arizona landed transfer wide receiver Jacob Cowing from UTEP his offseason, and things have gone beautifully through one week.

Cowing and the Wildcats knocked off a solid San Diego State defense on the road by a score of 38-20, with Cowing leading all receivers in the contest.

A legitimate playmaker in every sense of the term, Cowing has averaged 18.4 YPR for his career along with 3.15 YPRR and 6.0 YAC/REC. In layman’s terms, Cowing is #GoodAtFootball. His 2021 numbers back up this claim.

Jacob Cowing 2021 Stats

Jacob Cowing 2021 Stats

Last week, Cowing scored from four, 17 and 25 yards out, simply beating opposing defensive backs on the way to the end zone.

Cowing will have another chance to show out against tough competition when he and the Wildcats welcome Mississippi State to town for a Saturday night tilt in the desert.

Michael Mayer, TE (ND)

Receiving: 5 receptions, 32 yards, 0 TDs

There’s a good chance Mayer is already locked into the TE1 of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The junior tight end entered 2022 with a career receiving line of 113-1290-9 and broke out for 840 yards and seven scores last season while averaging 11.8 YPR.

In a tough road loss against Ohio State last weekend, Mayer’s box score was rather underwhelming. Mayer saw more than half of his yards come on a 17-yard reception but was otherwise limited to four receptions for 15 yards.

He and Notre Dame could face an early challenge with quarterback Tyler Buchner under center but should see a bounce-back performance against Marshall this weekend in South Bend.