As we head into Week 8 of the College Fantasy Football season the top Fantasy scorer -- Tulsa quarterback David Johnson (222.2) -- was not a household name coming in and even had to battle through preseason camp for his starting position.
In fact, of the top three returning scorers from last season, only Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell (202.8) ranks in the Top 10 at this point. Out of the picture is Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour (141) and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow (137).
Other surprising Fantasy storylines have been Michigan State's Javon Ringer (198), Ball State's MiQuale Lewis (172.2) and Donald Brown (170.5) of Connecticut leading the charge at running back. Ringer was probably the only player remotely close to your draft board.
Rice wide receiver Jarrett Dillard has outproduced Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree, 130 to 115.8 Fantasy points.
And TCU ranks atop the Fantasy DSTs while perennial powers like Ohio State, LSU and Virginia Tech aren't even sniffing the Top 5.
Fantasy Pretender or Contender
Louisiana-Lafayette wide receiver Jason Chery took home Sun Belt Player of the Week honors for a second straight time after torching North Texas for 355 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns in Week 7. His five scores tied a school and conference record for touchdowns and points in a game.
Chery found the end zone on a 97-yard kickoff return, an 81-yard run and receptions of 17, 49 and 57 yards. On the season, he has 26 receptions for 420 yards and five touchdowns. He also has nine carries for 238 yards and three scores.
In the last two Fantasy weeks, Chery has posted 74 points. He had just 35 points in the first five weeks. It's also worth noting that Louisiana-Lafayette doesn't have a top 50 defense left on the schedule.
Chery has never really shown this kind of explosion in his first three seasons, and once Sun Belt teams start drawing up defenses to contain Chery, it might only be a matter of time before the focal part of the offense reverts to Tyrell Fenroy.
Fantasy Take: Pretender, because Chery will not be able to maintain his current pace.
Fantasy Walk-on of the Week
Manuel Johnson's (owned 53 percent of leagues) star is shining bright as ever. After a sluggish start to the season, he has quickly become a prime target for leading Heisman candidate Sam Bradford.
Johnson had a three-touchdown outing in a disappointing Week 7 loss to Texas, but it ran his season total to eight scores. He has seven in his last three games. In that span, he also has 16 catches for 383 yards.
He has two three-touchdown games in his recent surge against Texas and TCU -- two of the premier defenses in college football. If he can shred those teams, who is left to stand in his way?
Injury Notes
Kentucky lost its top receiver in Dicky Lyons after a MRI revealed the senior tore his PCL and MCL during Saturday's loss to South Carolina. His season and college career are likely over ... North Carolina also lost a key offensive and special teams component when wide receiver Brandon Tate tore his ACL and MCL during Saturday's win against Notre Dame. His college career also comes to a sad end ... California running back Jahvid Best has returned to practice after dislocating his elbow Sept. 27 and could be ready for Saturday's game against Arizona ... Central Michigan star quarterback Dan LeFevour left Week 7's game against Temple in the second quarter with a sprained ankle. Head coach Butch Jones said after the game the injury was not serious and he has yet to be listed on the team's injury report for Week 8 against Western Michigan ... Clemson running back C.J. Spiller is expected to miss Week 8 against Georgia Tech because of a hamstring injury suffered Week 7 against Wake Forest ... Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt is nursing a hamstring injury, but he has practiced in full and should start Saturday against Clemson barring setback ... Injuries continue to haunt Iowa tight end Tony Moeaki as he is expected to miss Saturday's game against Wisconsin with a leg ailment ... Oklahoma State tight end Brandon Pettigrew missed a third straight game last week against Missouri because of an ankle injury and his status for Week 8 against Baylor remains questionable ... San Jose State wide receiver Kevin Jurovich has missed most of the 2008 season because of an illness and will likely miss the remainder of the season ... Tulane wide receiver Jeremy Williams missed his first game of the season last week because of a broken left hand and knee injury suffered in Week 6 against Army, and he is expected to miss at least three more weeks ... Wake Forest kicker Sam Swank sustained a leg injury in practice leading up to Week 7 against Clemson and was held out of a thrilling win. His status remains questionable heading into Week 8 against Maryland.
Schools playing Non-FBS teams
An important note to remember in College Fantasy Football is that players are assessed a 25 percent penalty when a FBS team plays a FCS team (formerly Division I-AA). Therefore, if you own a player on a team listed below, you will only get 75 percent of their Fantasy points for the upcoming week:
No games scheduled against FCS teams in Week 8
Five Players to Start
Vai Taua, RB, Nevada: Taua has really picked up the slack for Nevada in the absence of running back Luke Lippincott, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Taua is coming off a career-best performance against New Mexico State as he totaled 237 yards (188 rushing) and four touchdowns. The good times are expected to continue Week 8 against Utah State as the Aggies own the 113th scoring defense (38.67 ypg) and have allowed 12 rushing touchdowns.
Matt Grothe, QB, South Florida: Grothe has had three games this season with 300 or more total yards and he will look to make it four in Week 8 against Syracuse. The Orange is allowing 430 total yards per game. To add the icing on the cake -- Syracuse also ranks 107th in scoring defense (33.17 ppg).
Mark Hafner, TE, Houston: This is a matchup made for Fantasy owners. Houston rolls into Week 8 against Southern Methodist with the second best passing offense in the country, averaging 403.17 yards per game. SMU ranks 112th against the pass (270.14 ypg) and have allowed a NCAA-high 24 passing touchdowns. The odds are in Hafner's corner to get at least one score in Week 8.
Damian Williams, WR, Southern California: The Trojans play Washington State in Week 8 and the Cougars actually have a decent pass defense, allowing just 183.57 yards per game. However, they have allowed 10 passing touchdowns this season and haven't gone against a passing offense like USC, who rank 16th (276.20 ypg). Williams has five touchdowns this season and at least one in four straight games. He should make it five straight this week.
Rodney Stewart, RB, Colorado: Darrell Scott, a five-star recruit, was supposed to be the freshman running back who was going to steal the show in 2008 for Colorado. He hasn't, but Stewart, another heralded freshman, has paced the Buffaloes' running game. He is still looking for his first career touchdown and it could come in Week 8 against Kansas State. The Wildcats have allowed 11 rushing touchdowns this season.
Five Players to Bench
Harvey Unga, RB, BYU: Unga and the Cougars draw the No. 1 ranked rushing defense in Week 8 in TCU. The Horned Frogs are allowing just 20.7 rushing yards per game and have allowed just four rushing touchdowns. Unga is averaging just under 100 rushing yards per game and managed just 64 yards on the ground last season against TCU. Quarterback Max Hall might have to carry BYU.
Sam McGuffie, RB, Michigan: The freshman McGuffie has been one of the few bright spots for the Maize and Blue this season in what has been a dismal campaign. He is coming off a strong performance against Toledo with his second career 100-yard game and has a touchdown in two of his last three contests. He is going to have a hard time finding running lanes in Week 8 against Penn State. The Nittany Lions are allowing just 89.9 rushing yards per game and have yielded just five rushing scores.
Brandon Gibson, WR, Washington State: Gibson has managed to keep his head above water in 2008 despite a revolving door at quarterback due to injuries. Wazzu just lost another quarterback -- Marshall Lobbestael -- for the season, but Kevin Lopina is ready to return and start Saturday against Southern Cal. It's not going to be an easy welcome back as USC has the No. 1 scoring defense (9.4 ppg) and 10th ranked pass defense (158.2 ypg). They have also allowed just two passing touchdowns.
Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin: Beckum was plagued early in the season by a hamstring injury, but he has played the last four games and still leads Wisconsin with 17 catches for 207 yards. The Badgers draw the Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 8. Iowa has allowed just five passing touchdowns this season and kept Beckum in check a year ago to the tune of four catches for 18 yards.
Chris Crane, QB, Boston College: Crane, the heir apparent to Matt Ryan at Boston College, had his breakout game Oct. 4 against North Carolina State with 470 total yards (428 passing) and three touchdowns. He is finally settling in at quarterback, but Week 8 against Virginia Tech could get a little bumpy. The Hokies have a top 40 defense and have allowed just seven passing touchdowns in six games.
