WEEK 3 – Guide to Early Rivalry Week
On the Audio Version Today:
Questions with all 32 NFL teams heading into Week 2
Rookie QB discussion (Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels, & Caleb Williams) — TEXT below
A deeper look into the schedule games listed below
Times are in Eastern. Players without years are eligible for the NFL Draft. Years are when players are first eligible.
Before the start of consistent conference play, we get the highest percentage of teams playing in games against lower conference or even lower division opponents. Because of this, Weeks 2-4 are generally the weakest for this schedule show. I struggled a bit to find games of the caliber I’m used to looking for, and so I decided to simply transition to a different idea for this week: RIVALRY WEEK. The focus will of course still be on future Dynasty prospects, but some of these highlighted games do probably mean more to a College Football fan. There have always been a few early rivalries, but specifically the “Civil War” between Oregon & Oregon State as well as the Apple Cup between Washington & Washington State have been moved to the early portion of the season after the Pac-12 dissolved.
To be clear, not every game this week is a “rivalry” match-up, but the rivalry games should be high-intensity and exciting match-ups this weekend.
EARLY GAMES
Friday
Arizona @ Kansas St. on FOX at 8:00 PM
Key Players: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona ; Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona ; DJ Giddens, RB, Kansas St. ; Dylan Edwards, RB, Kansas St. via Colorado (2026) ; Avery Johnson, QB, Kansas St. (2026)
If this game were on Saturday, I might anoint it the “Game of the Week.” While both QBs mentioned above in Avery Johnson and Noah Fifita are probably just a bit short of being truly interesting for Dynasty Fantasy at this moment, they both possess intriguing traits and upside, though for Fifita the upside is a bit muted by his size. The most likely high-end talent for this game comes from Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan, who is a commonly projected top-10 NFL Draft pick in early mocks. McMillan has incredible size, and should be needed a bit more in this game against Kansas State. Aside from McMillan, there are some intriguing future NFL names in the Kansas State RB room between senior D.J. Giddens and true sophomore Dylan Edwards. Giddens shows flashes of all-three-down capability while Edwards is much more of a true 3rd-down back.
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Saturday
LSU @ South Carolina on ABC at NOON
Key Players: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU ; Mason Taylor, TE, LSU ; Kaleb Jackson, RB, LSU (2026) ; Kyren Lacy, WR, LSU ; Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, RB, South Carolina via Arkansas ; LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina (2026) ; Nyck Harbor, WR, South Carolina (2026)
If you’ve followed the Devy space for a few years, South Carolina has a few big names like LaNorris Sellers and Nyck Harbor who have unique upside. We frankly haven’t seen great performances from either player, but they’re worth watching to see if they can make those steps. On the LSU side of the ball, Garrett Nussmeier is a QB considered by many to be a popular dark horse for the 2025 class. His go-to target, Kyren Lacy, played well in his first game without Nabers or Thomas Jr. in front of him, but needs to sustain that success beyond the first half. In the RB room, John Emery Jr. will miss yet another season due to injury, which means exciting sophomore Kaleb Jackson might have an opportunity to showcase his potential NFL traits in a large role. Jackson’s open to the season has been quite muted, but the Emery injury gives him another sliver of opportunity. Mason Taylor is probably my #2 TE for the 2025 class, and if not, he is certainly someone who seems to be making an argument for a Day 2 selection.
Alabama @ Wisconsin on FOX at NOON
Key Players: Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama (2027) ; Jamarion Miller, RB, Alabama ; Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
This will be our first taste of Alabama against real competition, so we don’t really know yet how this offense will look in the post-Nick Saban era quite yet. Ryan Williams is the most obvious future fantasy player to watch, but as a true freshman who was born in 2007, Williams will not be eligible for the NFL draft until 2027. In the meantime, Jamarion Miller seems to be positioning himself to be the clear #1 RB for this team, while Jalen Milroe still has substantial upside as a fantasy QB should he ever prove to teams he can be an NFL QB due to his mobility.
Boston College @ Missouri on SEC Network at 12:45 PM
Key Players: Luther Burden, WR, Missouri
Normally I wouldn’t write-up this game, but with Boston College ranked and Luther Burden in hiding so far this season, it made sense to at least include it here. Given how Missouri has deployed Burden so far this season, Boston College will have to keep it close with the Tigers if we’re to see much out of Burden. Otherwise, you have to imagine they exercise caution in the hopes that Burden’s last season at Missouri can end in the playoffs. Theo Wease of Missouri is another WR prospect, though Wease is far more likely a Day 3 prospect.
Texas A&M @ Florida on ABC at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Conner Weigman, QB, Texas A&M ; Eugene Wilson III, WR, Florida (2026) ; D.J. Lagway, QB, Florida (2027)
If D.J. Lagway starts this game, it is the must watch game for the weekend for anyone who plays dynasty fantasy football. That might seem silly as Lagway is not eligible until the 2027 draft, but the Florida QB has immense talent and fantasy upside. Across from him, Conner Weigman has had an awful start to the season, but does have time and eligibility to improve and become the prospect people thought he could be earlier in the season, particularly for the 2026 class and beyond. The most dynamic playmaker in this game is likely Florida’s Eugene Wilson III, though we need to see Wilson work down the field more often. Wilson had a 3.3 ADOT in Week 1 against Miami (FL).
Tulane @ Oklahoma on ESPN at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Jackson Arnold, QB, Oklahoma (2026) ; Deion Burks, WR, Oklahoma via Purdue ; Taylor Tatum, RB, Oklahoma (2027) ; Makhi Hughes, RB, Tulane (2026)
The Oklahoma Offense struggled quite a bit last week, and they cannot take it easy on a Tulane team that went toe-to-toe with Kansas State in Week 2. Jackson Arnold is a top QB prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft who has out-of-structure and playmaking ability. His #1 target early in the season seems like it may be Deion Burks, the Purdue transfer with NFL explosive ability. For Tulane, RB Makhi Hughes has only been in college for a little over a year, but he has already started to compile some very impressive career numbers for someone not eligible until the 2026 season.
The Rivalry Formerly Known as the Civil War – Oregon @ Oregon St. on FOX at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon ; Jordan James, RB, Oregon ; Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon
Oregon’s trenches create some doubt with the team, but when it comes to potential NFL futures, it isn’t particularly close. Evan Stewart and Jordan James are each candidates to be top 5 players at their positions, while Tez Johnson has some traits that may intrigue NFL teams as well.
The Apple Cup – Washington State @ Washington on Peacock at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington via Arizona
Jonah Coleman had a strong 2023 campaign for Arizona and transferred over to Washington alongside his HC. Coleman, who possesses strong two-down traits and bowling-ball capabilities, continues to get a large workload and be a focal point for the Washington offense.
The Backyard Brawl – West Virginia @ Pittsburgh on ESPN at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Desmond Reid, RB, Pittsburgh via Western Carolina ; Jahiem White, RB, West Virginia (2026) ; Eli Holstein, QB, Pittsburgh via Alabama (2026)
There aren’t household names in this game necessarily, but Desmond Reid is a dynamic player who has lit up CFB scoreboards in his short time in the FBS. On the opposite side, Jahiem White has been a dynamic player for the Mountaineers since taking over the main backfield role towards the end of his freshman season in 2023. This means White is not eligible until 2026, but these two RBs should combine for well over 200 yards. Eli Holstein has a long way to go, but the former top 150 prospect has shown some promise since transferring to Pittsburgh.
Georgia @ Kentucky on ABC at 7:30 PM
Key Players: Carson Beck, QB, Georgia ; Trevor Etienne. RB, Georgia ; Nate Frazier, RB, Georgia (2027) ; London Humphreys, WR, Georgia (2026) ; Brock Vandagriff, QB, Kentucky ; Barion Brown, WR, Kentucky ; Dane Key, WR, Kentucky
My biggest Faller for last week in CFB, Barion Brown still has the upside and potential of an explosive WR at the next level, but we need to start seeing the receiving production. Even if we don’t, Brown’s ability as a return specialist is dynamic. For Georgia, it will be interesting to see how the WR and RB roles continue to break down as we get into the SEC portion of Georgia’s schedule. Etienne missed the first significant game for Georgia with a suspension, and I’m intrigued to see if either Nate Frazier or London Humphreys can build on the hype of their performances against Clemson.
The Rocky Mountain Showdown – Colorado @ Colorado State on CBS at 7:30 PM
Key Players: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado ; Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
This was one of the best football games of the season in 2023, though I have some doubts if it lives up to the hype this year. On paper, this should be a “get right” game for Shedeur Sanders, but we’ll have to see how Colorado responds to losing in Week 2. Travis Hunter, regardless of his future position, is one of the most exciting football players to watch any given weekend.
UCF @ TCU on FOX at 7:30 PM
Key Players: R.J. Harvey, RB, UCF ; Cam Cook, RB, TCU (2026)
There is no player here that I have in a particularly high tier, but both featured RBs in this game between R.J. Harvey and Cam Cook at least have potential NFL futures. Harvey, a 6th-year senior, is a much older RB compared to Cook, who is not even eligible for the 2025 Draft.
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BONUS SECTION
After recording the middle section on today’s show, I decided to write this up as a potential social post. These won’t always make the substack, but I’ll try to include them if they are finished in time.
They Were Who We Thought They Were: Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels’ Areas for Improvement
To make it crystal clear at the top, this is not advocating for changing prices or suggesting that Bo Nix or Jayden Daniels should be valued differently today than they were a week ago. Instead, the point is more to find specific areas– areas related to their college profiles– that can unlock their full upside.
When Denver QB Bo Nix transferred from Auburn to Oregon before the 2022 season, he was nowhere near as successful as he would be with Oregon. A major reason for his improvements seem to be related to a reduction in Average Depth of Target (ADOT). After having an ADOT of around 9 at Auburn, Nix produced ADOTs of 7.4 and finally 6.8 during his last two seasons. Out of the 94 QBs to drop back 300+ times in CFB in 2023, Bo Nix has the 3rd lowest ADOT at 6.8.
In his first taste of NFL action, Bo Nix was atrocious at any pass beyond 10 yards. Nix was 24 of 29 (82.8%) on passes within 9 yards of the LOS, but 10-yards and beyond Nix completed only 2 of 11 passes (18.2%) with 2 INTs. Of particular note, it was actually intermediate passes of 10-19 yards where Nix struggled the most, completing just 1 of 8 passes.
There are obviously a lot of factors that go beyond these simple numbers, and so that is why to reiterate the first point: I’m not saying to adjust Bo Nix at all. This is more like pointing to an area to focus on.
With Washington QB Jayden Daniels, the issue is probably more easily apparent when watching Daniels play this past week. Jayden Daniels is a dynamic and effective rushing playmaker, and he also has the ability to make explosive and dynamic plays with his arm within structure. However, going back to the off-season, there have been significant questions whether or not Daniels is actually an effective playmaker as a passer out of structure. Generally speaking, once he commits to the run, Jayden Daniels is running.
This tendency was on display right away in his first taste of action, and we can see this statistically by his Time to Throw (TTT). When Daniels passed the ball particularly on intermediate and deep routes, the ball came out as quickly as it did for any QB in the NFL on Sunday. However, his overall Time to Throw was closer to 20th-25th on the week amongst qualified QBs. If Daniels were taking even these intermediate shots 3+ seconds into the down, that would statistically translate to his Deep and Intermediate TTT, and on the field allow his WRs time to break coverages for big plays. Instead, we see once again that if he is going to pass, he passes early. If he is not passing early, he is going to run. Tendencies are the death of all kinds of players and coaches at the NFL level, and this is a tendency that will be easy to pick-up on and counter.
Once again, I don’t necessarily have anything actionable on Jayden Daniels or at least not because of this. Recently, he has passed Jordan Love on KeepTradeCut, and that is a trade I would pursue (and will be pursuing) as a Jayden Daniels manager, but that has more to do with Love and these general price points. This is certainly something that could hold Daniels back, but we also should expect for these problems from College to still be there in Week 1. To add to that, unlike Nix, Daniels’ ability as a rusher means that if he even starts two seasons, they may both be QB1 seasons, and that is still very valuable.
Moving forward, these will be clear areas of focus for my evaluations of these young players and the early predictions for what their future might bring.
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If you have any questions, I can be reached by email at cjfreelfantasy@gmail.com. You can also often find me on reddit promoting these pieces.
Until Tuesday’s Risers,
C.J.
(#46) Week 2 NFL Preview, CFB Viewer's Guide, and Rookie QBs