Although not technically a conference, the group of independents is headlined by Notre Dame and BYU. An addition to the ACC last season, the Fighting Irish are back to their “IND” status and look to try to compete for a national title. Although not the sexiest group of teams, there are some high-end producers among independet schools worth keeping an eye on.
For our conference (or in this case, lake thereof) previews, we will try to include all the relevant offensive players for the 2021 season, broken into the following groups:
- Fantasy Relevant
- Roster Fillers
- Stashes
- Player to avoid at ADP
All teams are listed in alphabetical order.
Army
Fantasy Relevant
None. Army doesn’t have any players worth targeting, even in deep C2C Leagues unless you can roster the defense who finished 2020 limiting teams to 14.8 points per game.
Roster Fillers
None.
Stashes
None.
Players to Avoid
None.
BYU
Fantasy Relevant
Tyler Allgeier is one of the rising running backs in the 2022 class. At 5’11” 220lbs, he has feature back size and moves extremely well. A high-end producer, Allgier should be the focal point of the Cougars offense in 2021 with the departure of Zach Wilson. His 1,130 yards, good for fourth in the country, 13 touchdown season could be tough to top, but given his ADP of 91.6, he represents the perfect blend of production and upside for the upcoming 2022 season.
One concern for Allgeier is that BYU is only returning two offensive line starters as potentially facing more stacked boxes with the departure of Wilson to the Jets. I’m still drafting him with confidence but it’s worth noting before selecting him.
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At a position where there is a dearth of production, Isaac Rex stands out as a likely top-20 producer at the position in 2021. Posting 37-429-12 in 2021, Rex could see an expanded role in the passing game after the departure of Dax Milne. Although the departure of Wilson could hurt Rex as a red-zone producer, look for him to see an increased target share that makes up for any potential touchdown regression.
Roster Fillers
Although Allgeier and Rex are starters, BYU lacks clarity to determine any potential roster fillers.
Stashes
Baylor Romeny or Jaren Hall could start for the Cougars this season and in an offense that looks to throw the ball. Both he could be players to keep an eye on in C2C leagues, especially at Romney’s current ADP of 390 and Hall going undrafted.
Players to Avoid
None of the Cougars players are going high enough to warrant avoidance.
Liberty
Fantasy Relevant
Malik Willis is likely the first pick in any CFF draft and has the NFL draft world abuzz with first-round predictions. With the potential to go over 1,000 yards rushing this season, don’t shy away from Willis for college production. As he is a superstar producer for your college team, Willis not only gets his entire offensive line back but the majority of weapons that contributed to his 20 passing touchdowns, 2,250-yard season.
Roster Fillers
Willis is the only player being drafted currently and that should hold true. The entire offense flows through him on the ground and he spreads the ball around in the air. No other Flames are worth rostering.
Stashes
None.
Players to Avoid
None.
New Mexico State University
Fantasy Relevant
None. New Mexico likely doesn’t have anyone worth rostering, even in deep C2C Leagues.
Roster Fillers
None.
Stashes
None.
Players to Avoid
None.
Notre Dame
Fantasy Relevant
Kyren Williams will likely lead the charge for the Irish this season with the departure of Ian Book to the NFL and a trio of quarterbacks vying for opportunity. Williams took the college football world by storm, posting a monster season with 1,125 rushing yards,13 touchdowns, 35 receptions, and 313 receiving yards.
Although smaller in stature, Williams was efficient last season while also commanding a monstrous 70.1% backfield dominator rating. The likely involvement of speedster Chris Tyree may cap William’s true ceiling some but he is locked in as a top 12 producer this season
Possibly the biggest leverage spot on Notre Dame’s roster is tight end Michael Mayer. A locked-in starter with top-5 upside this season, Mayer posted one of the greatest freshman seasons from a tight-end in the last decade. Leading the Irish in yardage while sharing a field with third-round draft pick Tommy Tremble, Mayer is poised for a breakout season and is a locked-in weekly starter.
Roster Fillers
None. Notre Dame should be an offensive concentrated on establishing the run and feeding the next great tight end Michael Mayer.
Stashes
Chris Tyree is likely rostered in most leagues but the speedy backup is worth a stash as he should see some touches week to week while providing an option as an elite handcuff to Kyren Williams.
Tyler Buchner isn’t a necessarily stash in traditional C2C leagues but he does have sneaky upside if he manages to see the field this season or wins the job outright from Jack Coan or Drew Pyne.
Players to Avoid
None. ADP is correctly pricing the Notre Dame offense.
University of Connecticut
Fantasy Relevant
None. UConn likely doesn’t have anyone worth starting on a weekly basis.
Roster Fillers
None.
Stashes
Kevin Mensah will likely be the focal point of a tepid Huskies offense in 2021. Although they didn’t play in 2020, Mensah had a productive 2019 with 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns.
Cameron Ross should vacuum up any production in the passing game. After posting a 27.9% receiving market share as a true freshman in 2019, Ross could be worth a stash in deep leagues.
Players to Avoid
None.
University of Massachusetts – Amherst
Fantasy Relevant
Although a beautiful campus in a college town, there is not a player that should be on anyone’s radar in C2C leagues.
Roster Fillers
None.
Stashes
None.
Players to Avoid
None.
