The real football games in Week 1 mostly sucked, but fantasy was absolutely unhinged! We had an RB go for 270 and 6 scores in just over three quarters, and a WR went 10-304-4 and would have had five tuddies had his knee not grazed the turf on the one-yard line. Four games went north of 100 total points. However, the show must go on…to Week 2.
Briles Returning To His Baylor Roots?
What did we love about the Briles coaching duo during their time at Baylor? Well, it sure as hell wasn’t their altruism or concern for the safety of vulnerable women. It was their offensive scheme with pace, volume, and FUNNELLING EVERYTHING TO JUST A FEW PLAYERS. TCU had 32 of its 34 targets to wide receivers go to three guys – Savion Williams (15), Jack Bech (9), and JP Richardson (8). Cam Cook had 20 of the 22 RB carries. Hoover had 48 combined pass and rush attempts. Glorious. Just glorious.
Nash to Smash in 2024
Nick Nash made the move to play WR full-time in 2023 and played 92% of his snaps out wide. He’s 6’3″ and 200 pounds. He is clearly a boundary receiver, right? Not so fast! He played 90% of his snaps lined up in the slot vs. Sac State. Why do we care if he lines up inside or boundary? I’m glad you asked. OC Craig Stutzmann runs the “Spread-and-Shred,” the Gen Z version of the “Run-and-Shoot” he learned from Nick Rolovich. The Run-and-Shoot slot WRs are ALWAYS the first read in this system.
We saw the slot WRs SMASH under Stutzmann’s guidance at Hawaii (2016-19), Wazzu, and Texas State (2023). Don’t be surprised if Nash goes bonkers, like he did last week, on the regular in 2024. Had we known he was the slot in this system, he would have been ranked MUCH higher.
Sadiq the Freak
Oregon TE/Ath Kenyon Sadiq was all over the field in Week 1. The staff has raved about the versatility of the second-year player, and he demonstrated this ability with 53 yards on four receptions while carrying the ball twice for five yards. OC Will Stein is one of the most creative young play-callers in the game and had this to say about Sadiq:
“I’ve been thinking about the kid that just got drafted from Georgia and is with the Raiders now. I’m not saying Kenyon is Brock Bowers, okay. He’s not there yet. But he has all the skills to be a player in terms of true tight end play out of the backfield flexed. So excited about where he’s going.”
Expect Stein to find ways to get the 6’4″, 245 lb. weapon in space and packages around the goal line.
Summer Enrollee Freshmen Standing Out
Several freshmen receivers who didn’t show up to campus until the summer balled out in Week 1. The list includes Malcolm Simmons and Perry Thompson for Auburn, Reece Vander Zee for Iowa (WTF), and Ryan Williams for Alabama. While they didn’t dominate, other late enrollees like TJ Moore of Clemson and Drelon Miller of Colorado have already started taking meaningful snaps.
I did a thread on Twitter in April discussing how summer enrollees are 2.5 times less likely to break the Year1Zero thresholds than early enrollees. So what gives? I think there are two possible answers here – 1) These players are just damn good, and the WR rooms at these particular programs are weak. Or the answer we are all hoping for 2) The fifth and sixth-year extra COVID-19 dudes have mostly moved on, and we have returned to the natural order of things where a talented youngster isn’t blocked by a bunch of mid-26-year-olds that aren’t ready to work a nine-to-fiver.
Stock UP Sleeper
Several guys I thought I might highlight as preseason sleepers are now stock up after Week 1, like Sire Gaines, Kalel Mullings, and Isiah Paige. But the one guy I want to focus on is Alonza “Zo” Barnett, the redshirt sophomore QB for JMU, who has now beaten out multiple much more experienced, former P5 starters in Jordan McCloud and Dylan Morris. But will he maintain the starting gig this time around unlike he was able to do in 2023?
We know about Bob Chesney’s success with Matt Sluka at Holy Cross. But what intrigues me about Zo is his OC. Dean Kennedy is a Dan Mullen (QB Kingmaker) protégé. He was a GA with Mullen at Mississippi State, followed him to Florida, and worked his way up to QB coach. It wasn’t until Kennedy joined Chesney’s staff in 2022 that Sluka became a star QB, who had been a starter for over a year prior.
Barnett struggled out the gate vs Charlotte in week 1, but Chesney stuck with him, unlike Cignetti with the quick hook. Barnett turned things around and put up a strong showing with 219 yards and two TDs with an INT. He also had 100 rushing yards on just eight attempts if you remove the one sack. He fits the mold of a Dan Mullen QB. He’s certainly a risk to lose the job, but a risk I am willing to take in dynasty formats given the system and JMU facing the 133rd most difficult schedule.
Cheers and good luck out there in week dos!
