Here are some players that have seen their college fantasy football value decline since the start of spring camp. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t worthy of drafting, but that their stock is trending in the wrong direction for various reasons listed here.
QUARTERBACKS
Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin
It is possible Mordecai threw yet another pick since you started reading this article. The “Dairy Raid” soured quickly in the spring game up in Madtown. Mordecai threw an interception on his first three possessions while working with the first-team offense and then a fourth later in the scrimmage. We like the Phil Longo system, and specifically his QBs, for CFF purposes, but this is a big step up in competition for both Mordecai, coming from SMU, and Longo, coming from UNC. As I mentioned in my Big10 Coaching Change Article, this simplistic offensive scheme has struggled against above-average defenses as it will face in the B10 West. They got a glimpse of what the weather conditions will be like come November when it was sleeting and snowing during the spring game. Mississippi State transfer QB Braedyn Locke outperforming Mordecai in the spring game gives credence to the statement made by Chris Kay in the rankings summit when he said, “I just don’t think Tanner Mordecai is very good at football.”
Collin Schlee, UCLA
Not going to lie…this one hurts. This one-time CFF darling was part of the mass exodus from Kent State. He landed at what seemed to be a solid spot for this uber-athletic QB with a big arm in the Chip Kelly RPO system. However, five-star QB Dante Moore flipped from Oregon to UCLA late in the recruiting process and complicated things. A very detailed array of spring practice reports made it abundantly clear that Schlee was not only trailing Moore but also Ethan Garbers on the spring depth chart. It appears that a number of the Devy guys at C2C (Felix, Matt, and Mike) were correct. Fire up the Undertaker .gifs for Schlee, because that’s what it will take in fall camp for him to win this job. The dirt is currently being shoveled on top of his CFF coffin.
Honorable Mention: Tyler Shough (Texas Tech), Kyle McCord (OSU), Conner Weigman (Texas A&M)
RUNNING BACKS
Treyson Potts, Penn State
This one is pretty straightforward. Potts was viewed as the heir apparent to Mo Ibrahim at the conclusion of 2022 after getting 100+ touches as the RB2 for the Gophers. He also proved himself worthy of being a workhorse back in the PJ Fleck glorious run-heavy system when Potts carried the load early in 2021 prior to an unexpected medical issue. After a transfer to Penn State, Potts is now the RB3, at best, for the Nittany Lions. This is a crushing blow to his owners in dynasty formats and renders him unworthy of a draft pick in redraft formats.
Carson Steele, UCLA
I’m sensing a theme here on guys transferring from the MAC to UCLA. In theory, it seems great. In reality, it seems less than ideal. Again, practice reports indicate that the star RB from Ball State that went 318-1,722-15 from scrimmage in 2022, is running with the twos behind TJ Harden. Yes, we still have a long way to Week 1, but the long-haired reptile owner, and roommate of Collin Schlee, has struggled with ball security and creating breakaway runs. Even if Steele happens to leapfrog Harden as RB1 in the fall, the days of 300+ touches seem like a pipe dream. Things appear to be looking more like the split we saw with Zach Charbonnet and Brittain Brown in 2021 for the Bruins.
Honorable Mention: George Holani (Boise St), Jovantae Barnes (OU), TreVonte’ Citizen (Miami)
WIDE RECEIVERS
All Alabama Receivers
The move from Bill O’Brien opened the door for Saban to bring in a more creative play-caller to breathe some life into this passing game. But striking out on Jeff Lebby and Ryan Grubb, then settling on Tommy Rees was a wet blanket of hire for the WR production. The WR1 in Rees’ three seasons as the Irish OC saw an average stat line of 38-655-4. Yes, Rees has more talented WRs to work with in T-Town, but if the QB play in the spring game was any indication of what the Tide’s pass game will look like in 2023, then excuse me while I find the nearest trash can to lose my lunch in. It was so bad that Rees felt obligated to add Tyler Buchner. The QB he worked so hard to replace in the portal before he hightailed it out of South Bend. The spring game looked like Jermaine Burton and Isaiah Bond had the yips of Roy McAvoy in Tin Cup prior to the US Open, and Malik Benson was essentially non-existent until the last drive. I trust Ja’Corey Brooks as far as I can throw him.
Chris Marshall, Formally of Ole Miss and Texas A&M
It may be stating the obvious here, but Marshall is now an easy cut from your dynasty rosters and is an absolute avoid in redraft leagues. The 2022 Five-Star transferred to Ole Miss after having off-field decision-making issues at A&M and got dismissed from the Rebels shortly after the spring. Let’s face it; if you are too dirty to play for Jimbo and Lane, then you are dirtier than a toilet seat at a Motley Crue concert. Let’s hope this kid gets things back on track to fulfill his potential, but I have to believe the list of successful players that failed at two programs in the first eight months of their college career because of disciplinary reasons is a short one.
Honorable Mention: Zakhari Franklin (Transfer Portal), Mario Williams (USC), Adam Randall (Clemson), Lorenzo Styles (Ohio State)
TIGHT ENDS
Seydou Traore, Currently in Transfer Portal
The TE4 among returning players has portaled (it’s a verb now) twice since the conclusion of 2022. He was in a great spot at Arkansas State, where they force-fed this lanky WR with TE eligibility. Instead of recreating the magic, he decided to look for greener pastures. After portaling to Colorado and quickly realizing that the Sean Lewis veer-and-shoot system has no desire to feature the TE, Traore hit the portal yet again. This time attempting to play WR. The big issue here is that he now requires a waiver in order to be eligible for 2023, as he is not a grad transfer. He appears to be garnering interest from P5 programs like Arkansas, Miami, Oregon, and Purdue at the time of this article. Traore has gone from a clear top-10 TE to a guy battling for playing time versus stiffer competition and potential eligibility issues entering 2023.
