By Vince Mullins
We of course will start with your 2008 WR PermaStarters :
1. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech vs. E. Washington (#6 FCS)
2. Chris Williams, New Mexico State (IDLE)
3. Jarett Dillard, Rice at SMU (Friday)
4. Dante Love , Ball State vs. Northeastern (Thu.)
5. Emmanuel Sanders, SMU vs. Rice (Friday)
6. Michael Thomas, Arizona vs. Idaho
7. Jeremy Maclin, Missouri vs. Illinois in St. Louis
8. Casey Fitzgerald, North Texas at Kansas State
9. Bryan Anderson, Central Michigan vs. E. Illinois (Thu) (#18 FCS)
10. Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State at Washington State
Right now, these are the guys you start regardless of opposition. There is no set number, it is simply my subjective list. People will fall off but rarely return. Players will be added as I gain confidence in them. On that radar:
Stephen Williams, Toledo; Duval Kamara, ND; Jeff Moturi, UTEP (a 2007 member); Jamarko Simmons, Western Michigan; and two freshman in Julio Jones, Alabama and DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss .
Each of the radar guys should get started in Week One - injuries will keep Percy Harvin and Malcolm Lane off the list for now.
PINE TIME
As our own Will Carroll tipped you Aug 5 in Triage Time , Percy Harvin will not play in the opener versus Hawaii due to heel tenderness. Get used to hearing the injury scoops here my friends as this was just on the AP wire. See Will’s recent article on Malcolm Lane also to grant him some pine. Remember that Boise’s Jeremy Childs is out Week One due to suspension.
SPOT STARTS
I doubt you need one fresh off the draft, but some nice matchups for some mid-level guys on my preseason cheat sheet…
Eric Peterman and Ross Lane of Northwestern vs. Syracuse - the boys in Vegas have the number at 57.5 points, yet it would not surprise me to see the Wildcats do that by themselves.
You should play all of the Tulsa guys too as they open at UAB. Brennan Marion and Trae Johnson will get off regardless of the QB shuffle, but look for Slick Shelley to make an early season impact.
Pitt WR vs. Bowling Green - Oderick Turner and Derek Kinder are first-day NFL draft talents, and I sense that Bill Stull can make a name for himself. The Falcon D still has nightmares of Tulsa going by them from the GMAC Bowl.
Brandon Gibson, Washington State - CFO and RB analyst Drew Smith lobbied me all pre-season to move him higher than #26, but know this - Cowboy D is still a sieve. Give BG the PT. Balls should be flying all over Qwest Field in this neutral field game. As a big Cowboy fan I must say this one scares me a bit. Awesome pic here for Drew…
CUIDADO! ACHTUNG!
Quan Cosby , Texas vs. FAU - Owls are the class of the Sun Belt but cannot hold up at the line of scrimmage. Longhorns run all darn day.
Oregon WRs vs. Washington - Jaison Williams stands tall at the #1, but the rest of the depth chart is up for grabs. Seriously, take any three off this two-deep roster and they would start anywhere but maybe USC or Missouri.
Anyone in the Louisville-Kentucky game - was it just twelve short months ago that you could play ALL WR in this game? Kentucky QB issues make Dicky Lyons a troubling option, and Cardinal wideouts have dealt with expulsions, gunshots and ACL tears.
Rejus Benn, Illinois at Missouri - beat writers say Benn will look like Percy Harvin plus twenty pounds this year, getting the ball in his hands as a hybrid WR/RB (see my delicious.com feed at bottom right of the screen as I highlighted this last week). Tigers defense is exceptional - I cannot bring myself to recommend Pine Time, but at least temper your expectations.
SLEEPERS
Josh Smith , Colorado at Colorado State - Matt Hayes of the Sporting News called Smith “the new Jeremy Maclin”. Colorado State still is rebuilding.
Deon Murphy , Kansas State hosts North Texas - Mean Green may still be the #119 defense in the land. Murphy may not be a sleeper based on his rep as an elite return man, but he should get to the house twice.
UPDATE: Kyle Halderman, Air Force host Southern Utah - with Ty Paffett not close to full speed after two surgeries in off-season, sophomore Halderman becomes the starter at WRZ. Yes same position as Chad Hall last year.
Things I look forward to discussing on Sunday
- Which USC wideout will tempt our free agent limits after the game versus Virginia?
- How much fun I had watching Rice-SMU on Friday night.
- How will the Auburn spread look against ULM (Warhawks know the Tony Franklin offense from his time at Troy)?
VEGAS CLUES
Games where the big money play-uhs expect 70 points and you should play anyone on your fantasy lineup.
SMU at Rice 73.5 - might be too low
Hawaii at Florida 71.5 - Gators could break the highway speed limit
North Texas at Kansas State 71.5 - are their two less respected programs in the national media? We like them here, just sayin…
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