It’s that time of year again, as the college football season officially kicks off Wednesday, Aug. 27, with the first full slate of games set for Thursday, Aug. 28 through Saturday, Aug. 30. However, you can refer back to these rankings and this information well after that, so be sure to bookmark the page, especially if you play in Daily Fantasy leagues. Plus, I’ll have a weekly piece for DFS owners, so check back on RotoExperts.com early and often.
*** UPDATED Aug. 19, 2014 at 5:37pm ET
TOP SEVEN
Oregon’s Marcus Mariota is the cream of the crop in Fantasy CFB. Photo Credit: LI Phil
1) Marcus Mariota, Oregon: Not only was Mariota able to throw for 3,665 yards, 31 touchdowns and just four interceptions last season, but he also ran for 715 yards on the ground with nine scores while averaging an eye-popping 7.4 yards per attempt. Fantasy owners will be lucky to have him in the pass-happy Pac-12.
2) Brett Hundley, UCLA: Hundley could have left to play his football on Sundays, but he felt he had unfinished business at UCLA. That’s great news for Bruins fans, and terrible news for the rest of the Pac-12. Hundley tossed for 3,071 yards with 24 touchdowns, and, like Mariota above, he is a dual threat who piled up 748 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
3) Taysom Hill, Brigham Young: Hill was a decent enough passer, throwing for 2,938 yards and 19 touchdowns with a passer rating of 118.2. He’ll need to cut down his interceptions a bit, as he gave it away 14 times in that department. But his value comes on the ground, as the dual threat ran for 1,344 yards while punching it into the end zone 10 times.
4) Bryce Petty, Baylor: The Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year is back after leading the nation with 16.8 yards per completion. Petty lost top rusher RB Lache Seastrunk to the NFL, but he has his top target in WR Antwan Goodley returning. That combination worked for 13 scores through the air.
5) Shane Carden, East Carolina: Some Fantasy providers might not include the American Athletic Conference, as sometimes only the ‘Big Five’ conferences are available for selection. If Carden is available he is a great Fantasy option. He and WR Justin Hardy are one of the most underrated pass-catch combos in the nation. Carden completed 70.5 percent of his throws in 2013, while managing 33 TD strikes and just 10 INTs.
6) Cody Fajardo, Nevada: Like Carden, if your Fantasy provider does not include the Mountain West, you will be missing out on a great Fantasy option. The dual-threat senior threw for 2,668 yards with 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions while running for 621 yards and eight scores. His numbers were actually down last season because he missed two games due to a knee injury. That is all fine now.
7) Jameis Winston, Florida State: Ohio State’s Braxton Miller (shoulder) would have been in this spot, but his shoulder injury takes him out of consideration on Draft Day. You cannot go wrong with Florida State’s Jameis Winston, the defending Heisman Trophy winner. As long as he keeps out of trouble, he will have another productive year in Tallahassee. Winston lost WR Kelvin Benjamin to the NFL, but he still has dynamic WR Rashad Greene on the outside.
SLEEPERS
Rakeem Cato, Marshall: Cato posted 3,916 passing yards with 39 touchdowns and just nine interceptions in 2013, while running for 294 yards and six scores. He loses go-to TE Gator Hoskies to the pros, but there is more than enough talent for Cato to be one of the Top 20 signal callers in the nation. His drop from 69.5 to 59.7 in completion percentage from 2012 to 2013 is a slight concern.
Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion: ODU will be slinging the ball every chance it gets. The Monarchs were one of the top offensive units in the nation with 42.3 points per game in 2013, and Heinicke was the engine. He went for 4,022 yards and 33 touchdown passes. He had a terrible game at Maryland last season, and a similar drop-off at both N.C. State and Vanderbilt might be possible this year. However, the other games against lesser or similar opponents in the wide-open C-USA will give him more video game-like numbers.
Sean Mannion, Oregon State: It sounds crazy to have such a stud like Mannion listed as a sleeper, as he is 10th all-time in the Pac-12 in passing. However, he lost all-everything WR Brandin Cooks to the NFL, and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf left to coach on Sundays, too. A group of inexperienced receivers are left in Corvallis, and therefore, Mannion will likely take a big step back before moving forward again.
DEEP SLEEPERS
Jaquez Johnson, Florida Atlantic: Johnson set an FAU freshman quarterback record with 10 rushing touchdowns. The team started with several QBs rotating in and out early last season, but once Johnson seized the job he didn’t look back. The Owls were fourth in C-USA in total offense, and those numbers will climb with continuity at the position. He ran for 772 yards while throwing for 1,876.
Matt Johnson, Bowling Green: Johnson took over the starting job in Game 2 last season and threw for 3,467 yards with 25 touchdowns and only seven picks. He also had a respectable 238 rushing yards with five scores. There are some bad defenses in the MAC, so remember Johnson when those matchups are up on the calendar.
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