The biggest piece of advice that I give to new C2C players each season is not to trust my C2C Pod co-host, Colin Decker. The man is a menace.
The second piece of advice is not to overreact to season openers. College football can be a cruel, random mistress at times. Plenty of players have a large spike week at some point in their careers, but the most frustrating ones tend to be those at the start of the year, when we have a singular data point.
To determine whether an opening performance is legit, I like to look at a couple of things. First, what was the player’s actual usage? Were they heavily targeted, or were there some fluky big plays involved? Was there a teammate who missed time who would otherwise have eaten into their touches? Second, is their position one their offense typically features? If we can say yes to both, the player is probably worth adding. If not, ask questions.
So in the spirit of NOT overreacting, my brief thoughts on some of the performances from week 1:
San Jose State WRs: Jerry McClure (40% Rostered on Fantrax) & Carson Clark (14%)
I’m taking a look at a couple of players here. The Spartans have tended to lean heavily on one receiver, meaning whoever identifies that player first is often rostering a fantasy goldmine. That player also tends to be a slot receiver, which narrows our pool to McClure and Clark.
Clark has received more hype this week because he’s a true freshman, but McClure actually out-targeted him (9 to 6) and out-snapped him (42-35). It’s reasonable to think that Clark has room to grow into a larger role, and his remaining eligibility makes him an attractive target. I’d be tempted to put in a lower bid for McClure, if available, rather than spending up on Clark.
Jaylin Carter, RB – Memphis (6%)
There’s a new staff in town, but it’s still reasonable to be optimistic about the Tigers’ run game. Offensive coordinator Kevin Decker has produced top fantasy backs in the past, and Carter looks like he could be that guy in 2026. He finished Week 0 with 97 yards and a rush TD in a big win over UNLV.
A word of caution on Carter. He only out-touched his backfield mate Manny Covey 15-11, and he didn’t have a single target. While I think Carter is interesting, and he could grow into a larger role over the next few weeks, I’m a bit hesitant on Carter unless you have unlimited waivers
Jelani Thurman, TE – North Carolina (17%)
Tight ends often take a long time to break out, but it seems like Thurman has finally found his footing with the Tar Heels. It only took a Jaxxon Warren injury for it to happen.
Billy Edwards looked Thurman’s way early in this game, and he seemed to be the primary target a handful of times. The downside? He’s got Billy Edwards throwing him the ball, and this offense sputtered out a ton. I don’t see huge weekly upside for Thurman, so I’m likely passing and letting someone else spend up on Thurman unless I’m desperate for TE help.
Deep Dive: Devon Rice, RB – Hawai’i (2%)
It’s been a few years since we’ve had a Hawai’i running back capable of making a difference, but Rice could be the next one. He won’t rack up a ton of rush yards, but his weekly target share could be a real floor raiser. He had five targets in this one.
Honorable Mentions:
- Onterrio Smith Jr, WR – Sacramento State (2%): The Sacramento State offense is likely going to be extremely uneven this season, their first in the FCS. But Smith did have 14 targets this weekend and almost 18 points in full PPR formats. That kind of target share could create a solid weekly floor for him.
- Nick Devereaux, WR – Eastern Michigan (19%): Devereaux has been a big play threat throughout his career, but his target share is typically minimal. I need to see another week or two of double-digit targets before I buy this one.
- Tama Uiliata, WR – Hawai’i (11%): I absolutely understand the intrigue with Uiliata, especially with teammate Pofele Ashlock out for the foreseeable future. I would caution against leaning too far into early-season receiver splits for the Rainbow Warriors. There tends to be a fairly large rotation, and QB Micah Alejado is good enough to spread the ball around.
