Skip to main content

Devy Fantasy Football Rankings & Analysis: Week 1 (2018 Fantasy Football)

Devy Fantasy Football Rankings & Analysis: Week 1 (2018 Fantasy Football)

Travis May discusses devy fantasy football leagues in his weekly Devy Weekly series for FantasyPros.

This piece is part of our article program that features quality content from experts exclusively at FantasyPros. For more insight from Travis head to Dynasty League Football.

Welcome back to Devy Weekly!

If you missed the first installment check it out HERE so you can get up to speed! Essentially, I’ll be taking a close look at the top (future NFL) playmakers in college football every week to help you stay one step ahead of your league mates. Whether you play in “devy” dynasty leagues or you love to learn about the next generation of NFL studs, this article series is for you! So without further ado, let’s dive into my updated positional rankings as we head into week two of the college football season!

Find and analyze trades for your team with My Playbook partner-arrow

Quarterback

  1. Justin Herbert, Oregon
  2. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
  3. Will Grier, West Virginia
  4. Drew Lock, Missouri
  5. Jarrett Stidham, Auburn

Running Backs

  1. D’Andre Swift, Georgia
  2. Cam Akers, Florida State
  3. David Montgomery, Iowa State
  4. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
  5. Stephen Carr, USC
  6. Rodney Anderson, Oklahoma
  7. J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
  8. Damien Harris, Alabama
  9. Bryce Love, Stanford
  10. Justice Hill, Oklahoma State

Wide Receivers

  1. A.J. Brown, Ole Miss
  2. Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
  3. Kelvin Harmon, North Carolina State
  4. N’Keal Harry, Arizona State
  5. Dekaylin Metcalf, Ole Miss
  6. Jhamon Ausbon, Texas A&M
  7. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
  8. Ahmmon Richards, Miami
  9. Jalen Reagor, TCU
  10. Collin Johnson, Texas

Tight Ends

  1. Noah Fant, Iowa
  2. Caleb Wilson, UCLA
  3. Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri
  4. Kaden Smith, Stanford
  5. Hunter Bryant, Washington

What Changed?

You may notice this list is a little different than last week with a couple of new names. Justice Hill and Jalen Reagor moved up into the top 10 at their position. Najee Harris (RB – Alabama) and Tyler Vaughns (WR – USC) dropped out of the top 10. Let’s talk about each of those four players this week and what to watch for moving forward.

Justice Hill has put together an incredible career for Oklahoma State. As a freshman, Hill totaled nearly 1,200 yards from scrimmage and was a USA Today freshman All-American. In 2017, he improved on his efforts totaling over 1,600 yards from scrimmage, catching 31 passes and finding the end zone 16 times. He may be a little small at 5’10, 190 pounds, but he’s incredibly strong (squats nearly 600 pounds). That strength and quickness already showed in week one of this season as he ran for 122 yards on just 10 carries against Missouri State. If he puts together, another 1,500-yard season Hill could be a day two pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Jalen Reagor was one of only a few true freshmen to truly have a “breakout” season in 2017. If you’re unfamiliar with what constitutes a “breakout” season, it’s simple. When a wide receiver accounts for at least 20% of his team’s receiving offense (yards and touchdowns), then that player has their breakout season. This may not sound difficult, but every year there are generally less than five true freshmen in the country that pull this off.

Reagor grabbed 33 receptions for 576 yards and eight touchdowns last season, and he’s already on pace to beat that mark this year. TCU quickly jumped ahead of Southern this past weekend, so Reagor didn’t have to do much, but he still logged four catches for 45 yards and a score. Expect much more in the coming weeks for this genuinely explosive future NFL wide receiver.

Najee Harris didn’t drop out of my top 10 running backs due to his own poor performance. Hill just looks like he’s going to put together his third consecutive season of at least 1,200 yards from scrimmage. Harris entered college as a consensus five-star recruit because he is an elite talent. The somewhat annoying thing is that Alabama tends to have a handful of those guys in their backfield every year. The other Harris (Damien Harris) is likely going to lead the way for the Crimson Tide, so we may have to wait until 2019 to see Najee truly take off from a production standpoint.

He did log eight carries against Louisville on Saturday, but he only gained 30 yards on those attempts. Harris has some developing to do, but the potential is massive. At 6’2, 230 pounds, expect Harris to eventually become the next Derrick Henry (lite) when enters the NFL Draft.

Tyler Vaughns has been an excellent receiver for the USC Trojans. In fact, he was debatably the second- or third-best wide receiver in the PAC-12 just one year ago. However, he may just get overshadowed by true freshman Amon-Ra St. Brown in the coming weeks.

St. Brown caught seven balls for 98 yards and a touchdown against UNLV on Saturday. Vaughns only caught four receptions for 37 yards. Vaughns is an excellent outside wide receiver that wins down the sideline with excellent ball skills and physicality for his somewhat lean size. However, he needs to continue showing that he can be the every-down go-to guy for the Trojans if he wants to stay in the “elite” conversation at wide receiver.

Other Notable Performers from Week One

My pick to win the Heisman and third-ranked devy quarterback, Will Grier, absolutely demolished the Tennessee Volunteers for 429 yards and five touchdowns. He should add another 400 yards against Youngstown State this week.

Caleb Wilson moved up to my second-ranked tight end thanks to his four-catch performance in an ugly UCLA loss to Cincinnati. This former walk-on looks like he could be the best raw receiver at the tight end position in college and should continue to showcase this in the coming weeks.

Bryce Love disappointed everyone against San Diego State with the worst game of his college career. He put up a disgusting 29 yards on 18 carries in week one, but it’s not time to panic just yet. The over/under on his yardage total for 2018 was set around 1,900 yards for a reason. Make sure you keep an eye on him moving forward, but Love should right the ship here soon.

I hope you enjoyed this installment of Devy Weekly! Again, feel free to reach out to me @FF_TravisM on Twitter to chat more about college or the NFL! Good luck in all of your leagues and expect to hear from me again here soon!

Import your team to My Playbook for instant Lineup & Trade advice partner-arrow


Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS

More Articles

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by TJ Horgan | 3 min read
Best Ball Strategy & Advice: Draft Targets by Round (2024 Fantasy Football)

Best Ball Strategy & Advice: Draft Targets by Round (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Tera Roberts | 3 min read
NFL Draft Burning Questions: J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams (2024 Fantasy Football)

NFL Draft Burning Questions: J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Joe Pepe | 3 min read
Thor Nystrom’s 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Running Backs

Thor Nystrom’s 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Running Backs

fp-headshot by Thor Nystrom | 1 min read

About Author

Hide

Current Article

3 min read

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

Next Up - RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

Next Article