This season I will be bringing you a weekly column on navigating the college football landscape and its ever-changing devy values. Value can be difficult to judge, especially in leagues where there are so many different types of managers. But it’s good to get out in front of your league mates, especially in C2C. Let’s dive in.
STOCK UP
RB Will Shipley (FR – Clemson) 5’11″, 205 lbs
There hasn’t been a lot to like about the Clemson offense this season. Against the two best opponents they’ve faced this season, they have scored only eleven points. While Clemson’s passing offense has been abysmal, one bright spot that we have seen emerge is freshman running back Will Shipley. Shipley rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns last Saturday and probably secured RB1 status moving forward. Shipley didn’t play in 2020 due to the pandemic but still was able to rush for 4,173 yards on 503 carries (8.3 yards per rush) in his three-year high school career. He had 1,411 receiving yards on 84 catches for a 16.8-yard average and was a touchdown machine scoring 80 touchdowns in his career. Shipley is an offensive weapon, and we should see Clemson using him more after his week three performance. He’s moving closer to a must-start in C2C formats, and if Clemson wants to make their way back into playoff contention, they will need to lean on Shipley moving forward.
TE Trey McBride (Sr – Colorado State) 6’4”, 260 lbs
Trey McBride may not be a household name yet, but he will be soon. Mcbride has started the season off on fire. So far in 2021, he has thirty receptions for 339 yards and one touchdown. Trey McBride is quite literally the passing offense at Colorado State. In their win at Toledo, McBride had 109 receiving yards, and Colorado State only threw for 110 yards total. He is the outlet, the third-down target, and the big-play target. McBride has a big frame, and he added weight in the off-season. He gets off the line of scrimmage well and does an excellent job of getting into the second level of defenses. His best trait is his ability to find open space in the middle of the field. He is not the most athletic TE, but he does just enough to find and create opportunities for the offense to move the ball in the gaps of defenses. McBride does an excellent job of getting into seam routes and is a pretty good route running TE. He has some versatility at the position, and CSU has lined him up at almost every position on the field this season. McBride has played himself into the discussion to be a Day 2 pick next year, which may be too low. No other tight end in the 2022 class has improved his draft stock as much as McBride.
QB Jaxson Dart (Fr – USC) 6’3”, 215 lbs
Jaxson Dart has been one of my favorite prospects in college football since the last off-season. I’ve been touting him as the heir apparent to Kedon Slovis and someone who could very easily see playing time this season. Well, that happened on Saturday after Slovis went down with an injury. Dart was able to lead a comeback against Washington State. USC ended up wining 45-14 after being down 14-0 early in the first half. Dart threw for 391 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 32 yards. The offense also just looked different with Dart under center. They opened it up more and were willing to challenge defenses vertically. Dart proved on Saturday that his talent is real and the best quarterback on USC’s roster. He also increased his value overnight. I turned down an offer for C.J. Stroud straight up for him in a C2C league this week. While Slovis may be the starter now that he’s back from an injury, Dart showed enough to improve his stock in one game and will be a highly sought-after player next year.
STOCK DOWN
Jashaun Corbin (RS So – Florida State) 6’0”, 221 lbs
Before the 2021 season, Corbin was one of my favorite late-round targets in C2C formats. The former Texas A&M transfer looked great in his first two games of the season. In those two games, Corbin rushed for 253 yards and two touchdowns. This last weekend was a different story. He only had seven attempts for 27 yards, and unfortunately, Florida State’s ineptness on offense will be his biggest downfall this season. There isn’t a scenario where he’s a trustworthy start week to week in C2C formats, and my worry is he won’t produce enough to help out his devy value. I still believe in him as a runner. He has excellent acceleration and vision. He uses his one-cut ability and is explosive when he hits holes on the line of scrimmage. Corbin also demonstrates a remarkable ability to catch balls out of the backfield. Unfortunately, Florida State’s offense will hold him back this season, especially their poor offensive line play.
