College Fantasy Update

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(continually updated)

The biggest news on Tuesday was that Charlotte QB Chris Reynolds is expected to play this weekend, and that Louisville QB Malik Cunningham is practicing and good to go after a scary hit last weekend.

On Wednesday Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman shared he will be able to play this season after opting back in.

List of Injuries & Updates from September 29-30:

QBs:

• Malik Cunningham, Louisville – practicing and good to go
• Kevin Doyle, Arizona – opts back into the season
• Joey Gatewood, Kentucky – ruled eligible after transfer from Auburn
• Emory Jones, Florida – spotted with brace on hand
• McKenzie Milton, UCF – practicing in full pads, not a rush to bring him back though
• Missouri – depth chart still Shawn Robinson OR Connor Bazelak
• NC State – depth chart Bailey Hockman OR Devin Leary
• North Texas – depth chart still Jason Bean OR Austin Aune
• Chris Reynolds, Charlotte – expected to play this week
• Anthony Russo, Temple – limited by muscle strain but should be good to go for practice next week
• Skylar Thompson, Kansas State – good to go despite some limping last week
• Tyler Vitt, Texas State – not at practice today as works way through protocol but expected back soon

RBs:

• Keyon Brooks, Vanderbilt – did not practice Tuesday, hopeful Wed, missed last weekend with illness
• AJ Davis, Pitt – “making progress” after apparent shoulder injury last game, this felt very vague and I’m not reading too much into it yet
• Zach Evans, TCU – practiced Sunday, had missed about a month due to contact tracing
• Willie Parker, Eastern Michigan – opts out of season
• Larry Rountree, Missouri – RB1 on depth chart, no OR with Tyler Badie
• Len’Neth Whitehead, Tennessee – has begun taking scout team reps as he comes back from a foot injury

WRs & TEs:

• Rashod Bateman, Minnesota – reinstated and will be able to play this season
• TE Tyler Carr – in transfer portal again as grad transfer, transferred from Texas Tech to Hawaii in January
• Adam Cousins, UTEP – transfer portal
• Brennan Eagles, Texas – starting over Tarik Black on weekly depth chart
• TQ Jackson, SMU – eligible after transfer from Arkansas
• TE Tre McKitty, Georgia – practiced Tuesday, may be able to play this weekend
• Tarique Milton, Iowa State – described as day to day (missed last weekend)
• Dalton Rigdon, Texas Tech – not expected “to be down for an extended period” after apparent upper body injury last weekend
• TE Major Tennison, Alabama – dealing with intestinal issue

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Some of these 18 stats from Week 4 are just for trivia, but most are good to know as you look at fantasy trends/leaders across the season or for specific positions or teams (at least I think they are interesting, leave me alone!).

Since 2015 QBs have passed for 600+ yards in a game only 4 times – Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech – 734, KJ Costello, Miss St – 623 this week, Anthony Gordon, Washington State – 606, Alan Bowman, Texas Tech – 605.

14 times this season a player has rushed for 3 TDs in a game, but Daetrich Harrington, Applachian State was the first player to rush for 4, which he did against Campbell last weekend. His 32 carries was the 2nd most in a game this season (Destin Coates, Georgia State-34).

Baylor RB Trestan Ebner is the only player since 2000 to have a rushing TD, receiving TD, and 2 kickoff return touchdowns in the same game

While Miami QB D’Eriq King passed for 267 yards and rushed for 65 yards last weekend, only one player has passed for 200+ and rushed for 50+ twice this year – Jeff Sims, Georgia Tech.

Syracuse RB Sean Tucker rushed for 112 yards against Georgia Tech last weekend. Syracuse’ leading rushers in the previous two games rushed for 40 and 30 yards. Tucker is the only Syracuse RB averaging more than 2.5 yards a carry (4.8)

There have only been 6 400+ yard passing games so far this season – the only player to make the list twice – Dillon Gabriel from UCF (417 & 408).

Boston College TE Hunter Long has caught 7/93-1 and 9/81-1 in his first two games of the season, strong numbers from the TE spot.

When Florida QB Kyle Trask threw for 416 yards last weekend it was the first time a Florida QB passed for 400+ since Tim Tebow did it in 2010.

Over his past two games Oklahoma State RB Chuba Hubbard has rushed for 27/93 and 22/101. Hubbard has at least 20 rushing attempts 15 times in his career, and the past two weeks’ yard totals rank 14th and 15th on that list.

Amongst players who have played more than one game – Iowa St RB Breece Hall has the highest average rushing yards per game (128.5), next are SMU’s Ulysses Bentley (126.6), Liberty QB Malik Willis (126.5) and UTSA RB Sincere McCormick (125.6)

Ole Miss WR Elijah Moore had 227 yards receiving last weekend – it was the first time this year a player had over 200 yards. The next highest this year is 183 – Austin Watkins (UAB) & Osirus Mitchell (Miss. St)

When Kansas State RB Deuce Vaughn rushed for 45 yards and received for 129 yards on Saturday it was the first time this season a player had rushed 40+ and received 100+ in a single game. The next two closest statlines also came last weekend, Kylin Hill, Mississippi State (34-158) & Wesley Kennedy, Georgia Southern (29-105).

Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller was the only player in the SEC to rush for over 100 yards in the SEC’s opening weekend as he rushed 8 times for 117 yards.

I’m officially down on Louisiana-Monroe RB Josh Johnson. After rushing for 1298 yards and 11 TDs in 2019, in 2020 over 3 games he has 38/108-0, a 2.8 avg. Perhaps he can have a breakout week like MTSU QB Asher O’Hara did this past weekend, but until then avoid.

Kansas State QB Skylar Thompson threw for 334 yards and rushed for 3 TDs against Oklahoma. He was the first player with that combo (300+ & 3 rush) this season. It only happened 5 times in 2019, ironically twice by Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts.

The QBs from the two SEC Mississippi schools (KJ Costello and Matt Corral) passed for over 1000 yards combined last weekend (1018).

Florida TE Kyle Pitts 4 receiving TDs was the most of any player in a game this season. 3 players have caught 3 TDs in a game – Johnathan Adams (Arkansas State), Jaelon Darden (North Texas), & Joshua Moore (Texas).

Only 2 players have rushed for 2+ TDs in 3 games this season – Ulysses Bentley, SMU & Cameron Carroll, Tulane.

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In Monday QB news Georgia’s JT Daniels will be medically cleared this week and Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders practiced Sunday. Texas WR Jake Smith is expected to play this week, while it was revealed that Florida State WR Tamorrion Terry was limited by an injury last week and continues to be evaluated.

List of Injuries & Updates from September 28:

QBs:

• Air Force – Haaziq Daniels OR Warren Bryan on first depth chart
• Luke Anthony, Louisiana Tech – QB1 on depth chart, no more OR with Aaron Allen
• JT Daniels, Georgia – will be medically cleared this week
• Cade Fortin, South Florida – expected back this week
• Frank Harris, UTSA – gametime decision this week
• Jamil Muhammad, Georgia State – moved to LB
• Chubba Purdy, Florida State – getting closer to being able to play, on depth chart this week
• Will Rogers, Miss State – hopeful to return this week
• Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State – practiced Sunday
• Jordan Travis, Florida State – suffered apparent lower-leg injury last weekend, was “moving around some” on Sunday
• Desmond Trotter, South Alabama – “protocol for illness”, expected to practice later this week, might be available this weekend
• UTSA – Josh Adkins OR Frank Harris (GTD) on depth chart
• Malik Willis, Liberty – day to day, left elbow

RBs:

• Otis Anderson, UCF – expected to be 100% this week after injury last weekend
• Bijan Robinson, Texas – didn’t practice Sunday, expected to try Tuesday or Wednesday
• Quinton Cooley, Wake Forest – out for the year, should be back for spring
• Chris Smith, Louisiana – ankle injury not expected to be a long-term issue, not season-ending

WRs & TEs:

• Edwin Carter, Illinois – entering transfer portal
• Noah Frith, Liberty – hamstring injury
• Shedrick Jackson, Auburn – hopeful to play this week
• Hezekiah Jones, Texas A&M – injured, had boot on last weekend and didn’t dress
• Tim Jones, Southern Miss – hamstring injury, chances to play this week improving, ran around some Sunday
• Peter LeBlanc, Louisiana – undisclosed injury
• Marquis McCoy, Southern Miss – in the transfer portal (2/43 this season)
• Eddie McDoom, South Florida – enters transfer portal, had opted out
• Jake Smith, Texas – expected to play this week
• Tamorrion Terry, Florida State – didn’t practice until Friday last week with an injury, was limited on Saturday, will continue to be evaluated

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I take a look at some key stats & fantasy takeaways that stood out for every SEC team’s opening game last weekend. The “Stat to Know” is bolded, as well as players who are mentioned.

Opening Week SEC Passing Leaders (yards):

• 623 – KJ Costello, Miss St
• 416 – Kyle Trask, Florida
• 395 – Matt Corral, Ole Miss
• 345 – Myles Brennan, LSU
• 290 – Collin Hill, South Carolina

Opening Week SEC Rushing Leaders (yards):

• 117 – Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M
• 98 – Najee Harris, Alabama
• 86 – Ty Chandler, Tennessee
• 79 – Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
• 71 – Zamir White, Georgia

Opening Week SEC Receiving Leaders (yards):

• 227 – Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
• 183 – Osirus Mitchell, Miss State
• 170 – Kyle Pitts, Florida (TE)
• 158 – Kylin Hill, Miss State (RB)
• 140 – Shi Smith, South Carolina

Teams (listed in alphabetical order):

Alabama – RB Najee Harris (98-3) and WRs Jaylen Waddle (8/134-2) & DeVonta Smith (8/89) all were the studs we expect them to be. What actually stood out to me though was QB Mac Jones’ stats – 18/24-249-2. Not outstanding from a shear volume perspective, but I liked the 75% completion percentage. In 2019 Tua Tagovailoa completed 71.4% of his passes, in 2018 it was 69%. If Jones can complete passes at the same clip as Alabama has the past few years that is a great indicator for the overall success of all the pieces around him.

Arkansas – No one usually runs that well against Georgia, but RB Rakeem Boyd disappointed with an 11/21-0 performance on the ground. WR Treylon Burks hauled in 7/102-1, right at 50% of Arkansas’ 203 passing yards. Burks was targeted 11 times, the next highest was 6.

Auburn – RB by committee led to DJ Williams (8/21-1), Shaun Shivers (6/29), and Tank Bigsby (6/15) all disappointing fantasy owners. The standout was WR Seth Williams with 6/112-2. In 12 games last season Williams had 6 games under 50 yards receiving along with 6 games over 50 yards, so it’s too soon for me to call this a breakout, but it’s a hopeful start.

Florida – When is QB Kyle Trask throwing for 416-6 somehow not the highlight? When your TE (really a hybrid WR) Kyle Pitts catches 8/170 for 4 TDs. 4 TD receptions was the most in a game by any player so far this season. To give Trask his deserved props, 416 and 6 were both career highs.

Georgia – QB D’Wan Mathis just didn’t look ready, passing for 8/17-55-0 in his first game as the starter. Stetson Bennett on the other hand looked like he was comfortable, throwing for 20/29-211-2. JT Daniels will be medically cleared this week, and I’m not writing Mathis off just yet, but it sure seems like Daniels is going to get his chance.

Kentucky – It was RB by committee (which it could be all season) as AJ Rose (10/31), Christopher Rodriguez (9/13) & Kavosiey Smoke (7/62-1) split carries. QB Terry Wilson had a solid first outing after his injury last year (239-1, 13/42), but what stood out to me the most was WR Josh Ali catching 9/98, getting 13 targets while the next highest was 5.

LSU – Yet another SEC team this week that was RB by committee with none of Chris Curry, Tyrion Davis-Price or John Emery getting more than 11 carries or 47 yards. QB Myles Brennan isn’t Joe Burrow yet but the volume was there – 27/46-345-3, which is very promising. As expected Terrace Marshall was the top WR (8/122-2), but the 2nd best of the day may have been a surprise, Jaray Jenkins brought in 5/85.

Mississippi State – You already know QB KJ Costello passed for 623-5, but who did he throw it to? Four players got 9+ targets, but only 3 of those had big stat days – RB Kylin Hill (8/158-1 receiving, 7/34 rush) & WRs Osirus Mitchell (7/183-2), JaVonta Payton (6/122). While Mike Leach offenses typically spread the ball around to a lot of receivers, Mitchell and Payton look to be strong plays right now until we get a few more games of data.

Missouri – QB Shawn Robinson started the game, but QB Connor Bazelak also got time. Keeping in mind that he was playing against the Alabama defense in the season-opener, Robinson’s 19/25-185-1 stood out to me for completing 76% of his passes. Unfortunately Robinson had negative rushing yardage on the day. Bazelak was 7/14-68 as the game got out of hand, but did rush for a TD. Robinson did enough to be the starter, and I’m eager to see what he can do against some lesser defenses.

Ole Miss – Most in the fantasy community may have been hoping for QB John Rhys Plumlee to be the guy this year, but instead QB Matt Corral delivered in a big way. Corral threw for 395-3 and rushed for 13/50, while Plumlee threw 1 pass for 3 yards and rushed 4/4. Corral’s favorite target was WR Elijah Moore with a monster 10/227-0. And for those needing a TE, transfer Kenny Yeboah impressed in his first game as a Rebel with 5/91-1.

South Carolina – QB Collin Hill impressed, throwing for 25/39-290-1 in his first start since transferring from Colorado State. In his first two games last season (at CSU) before getting injured, Hill passed for 374 and 367 yards, so he can sling it. Hill’s go-to WR was Shi Smith, 10/140-1 on 15 targets. I liked Hill a lot last year before he was injured, and Smith should also be rostered/started immediately if he is available.

Tennessee – QB Jarrett Guarantano passed for 19/31-259-1. 259 yards was the 4th highest total of his career. On the ground RB Ty Chandler was much more productive per carry (13/86 – 6.6 avg), than RB Eric Gray (12/40 – 3.3 avg), although Gray had a rushing TD & also caught one pass for 31 yards.

Texas A&M – None of Texas A&M’s unproven receiving corps stood out, as QB Kellen Mond only passed for 189 yards on the day against Vanderbilt. I think RB could be a play this season here, but Texas A&M curiously only gave RB Isaiah Spiller 8 carries as he ran for 117 yards. RB Ainias Smith, a converted WR, rushed for 10/51-1 while catching 2/27.

Vanderbilt – They are extremely inexperienced on the offensive side of the ball this season, and new QB Ken Seals got the start and passed for 20/29-150-1. They are running a new spread offense, and Seals was efficient but only averaged 7.5 yards a completion. Hopefully as he gets more comfortable he’ll start looking downfield more (if the O-line allows time). The only RB or WR who stood out was WR Amir Abdur-Rahman who caught 5/72-1. (If I might editorialize – as I did my undergrad work at Vanderbilt I will say I am pleased at the attempt at a spread offense. Vandy will never out-recruit the rest of the SEC nor will they control the line of scrimmage. Their best attempt at winning in the SEC is out-scheming opponents, so I’m rooting for the spread.)

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I break down the injury news from this past weekend with notes on each player who may have been dealing with injuries.

A few notes about this list, being on it does not for sure mean a player is “injured”, but rather:

• They may have missed the game due to a known injury (ok, this does mean they are injured)
• They may have gone out of the game due to injury and not returned (sometimes with an official announcement from the team)
• They may have left the game but returned, or at least attempted to return (sometimes these guys end up banged up enough to miss future games)
• They may have had a vague twitter mention about possibly being injured or leaving a game, so it’s something on my radar

I’ll continue to post any updates I see during the week, those will be added to daily updates as well as the injury database.

If you are aware of a fantasy-relevant injury from this weekend that you don’t see here (or don’t see listed in the database), or think anything shared here is incomplete, please tag me on twitter with a link and let me know, thanks!

List of Potential Injury News from Saturday Sept. 26 (alphabetical by last name):

• RB Tyler Allgeier, BYU – was seen icing his knee on the sideline late in the game
• RB Otis Anderson, UCF – he was not in pads on the sideline during the second-half for undisclosed reasons, rushed for 7/22 yesterday
• WR Tarik Black, Texas – may have gotten “dinged up on a hit” (from a postgame article)
• RB Raheem Blackshear, Virginia Tech – was limping in the 3rd quarter and headed to the trainer’s tent (from the play by play it doesn’t appear he returned)
• QB Charlie Brewer, Baylor – missed some time with a bruised quad but returned
• WR Ahmarean Brown, Georgia Tech – appeared to hit his head hard on the turf and was shaken up, unclear if returned
• QB Braxton Burmeister, Virginia Tech – left the game with hand cramps, later returned to action
• QB Malik Cunningham, Louisville (he is officially back to Malik) – took a tough hit near the end of the game – was carted off the field on a backboard, no official update but he did travel back with the team
• RB AJ Davis, Pitt – left in the first half after a hard hit to the head/shoulder, did not return
• QB Frank Harris, UTSA (Friday) – looked like his leg got rolled up at the end of the first half, came out of halftime not in pads but seemed to be walking around the sideline comfortably, had an MRI scheduled Saturday – knee sprain, described as gametime decision in a Sunday night update (Pete Thamel)
• QB Hendon Hooker, Virginia Tech – did not play, there had been some rumors throughout the week about his availability, it sounds like essentially he had not been practicing recently for covid-related reasons
• WR Tim Jones, Southern Miss – suffered a lower-body soft-tissue injury last weekend (9-19) and there was very little commentary from the team this week, he sat out yesterday
• TE Brevin Jordan, Miami – left the game for the locker room but returned, after the game he was said to be “fine”
• QB Thomas MacVittie, Kansas – at the start of the week was said to be expected back but he did not play. In postgame the comments were that he was not healthy enough to play yet, which likely led to the Jalon Daniels start but is unclear what that may mean for Kansas at QB when he is healthy
• WR Tarique Milton, Iowa State – did not play with a lower body injury
• WR Tre Nixon, UCF – did not play after injury last week, still no updates from team
• WR Dalton Rigdon, Texas Tech – he was “carted up to the Tech football building. Holding the area of the ribs on his left side” – via Don Williams
• RB Bijan Robinson, Texas – suffered a strained back (according to the team) on a tough fall after a hurdle in that clip I’m sure you saw of him landing on his head and getting bent like a slinky
• WR Stephon Robinson, Kansas – was seen grabbing at his leg early in the game, and later in the game got sandwiched in a collision and was shaken up, unclear if returned
• QB Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State – dressed and active in pregame after ankle injury last game but did not play, my gut is this was just gamesmanship and the plan was for him to sit based on some pregame reports that correctly predicted that Shane Illingworth would start.
• RB Chris Smith, Louisiana – limped off and went to the locker room in the first half, team announced he was officially questionable to return, and he did not come back. In postgame it was said to be an ankle, but the extent wasn’t known.
• RB Tyjae Spears, Tulane – had a strong first half (8/50-2) but left with a leg injury in the first half, no postgame update from the team but there did seem to be some concern
• QB Jordan Travis, Florida State – limped out of the locker room at halftime and was seen with a wrap on his right knee trying to run on the sideline
• QB Tyler Vitt, Texas State – did not travel due to Covid-protocols, (it’s just bizarre how he and Brady McBride seem to alternate for Covid-related reasons)
• TE Brayden Willis, Oklahoma – went down with a possible injury in the fourth quarter, haven’t seen any postgame updates
• QB Malik Willis, Liberty – left the game, was wearing a sling on his left arm/shoulder on the sideline late in the game – later tweeted out that he was “all good” for whatever that is worth

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Saturday saw Appalachian State get hid hard by Covid-protocols, but other than perhaps Virginia Tech, no other teams seemed especially wiped out for fantasy-purposes.

These updates are a mix of inactives, QB starters, and some simple injury updates (but not all). Look for a separate post later today (Sunday) with in-depth Saturday injury news.

List of Updates from September 26:

QBs: The most interesting news of the day was Virginia Tech’s Hendon Hooker not playing, as well as Jalon Daniels starting for Kansas with Thomas MacVittie still not being healthy.

• Max Bortenschlager, FIU – starts, but Stone Norton played the most
• Braxton Burmeister, Virginia Tech – starts
• Hudson Card, Texas – did not travel
• Matt Corral, Ole Miss – starts
• JT Daniels, Georgia – not medically cleared
• Jalon Daniels, Kansas – gets the start
• Jaren Hall, BYU – not dressed out again
• Hendon Hooker, Virginia Tech – not dressed out
• Thomas MacVittie, Kansas – did not play, was not available
• D’Wan Mathis, Georgia, started, but replaced by Stetson Bennett
• Shawn Robinson, Missouri – starts
• Will Rogers, Miss St – not warming up
• Ken Seals, Vanderbilt – starts
• Justin Tomlin, Georgia Southern – inactive
• Tyler Vitt, Texas State – not travel, Covid-protocols, Brady McBride started

RBs: The biggest news here was Camerun Peoples and Marcus Williams both being out for App State, which led to a huge day for Daetrich Harrington, and Harry Trotter being out for Kansas State.

• Keyon Brooks, Vanderbilt – out, unspecified
• Sion Finau, BYU – DNP but close to returning
• Gerald Green, Georgia Southern – inactive
• Keshawn King, Virginia Tech – unavailable
• Marcus Major, Oklahoma – dressed, did not play (that I saw)
• Demetrius Mauney, ECU – not warming up
• Camerun Peoples, App State – not on DC
• TJ Pledger, Oklahoma – played
• Harry Trotter, Kansas State – expected out
• La’Damian Webb, Florida State – did not play, was not available
• Terius Wheatley, Virginia Tech – unavailable
• Marcus Williams, App St – not on DC

WRs & TEs: Amongst the more interesting highlights were that Charlie Kolar (Iowa State) and Taysir Mack (Pitt) both made their season debuts, while Tarique Milton (Iowa State) didn’t play and Obi Obialo (Oklahoma) remained out.

• TE Zac Crosby, App State – not on DC
• TE Mike Evans, App State – not on DC
• Dontae Fleming, Louisiana – out today (was questionable)
• TE Brandon Frazier, Auburn – not warming up
• TE Larry Hodges, Miami – returned
• JJ Holloman, FIU – played
• Koilan Jackson, Arkansas – inactive
• TE Charlie Kolar, Iowa State – played
• TE Lucas Krull, Pitt – out
• TE Dante Lang, Florida – inactive
• TE Nick Lenners, Kansas State – expected out
• TE Joey Luchetti, Boston College
• Taysir Mack, Pitt – season debut
• McLane Mannix, Texas Tech – unavailable
• Tarique Milton, Iowa State – out, lower body injury
• Obi Obialo, Oklahoma – not warming up
• Bryce Oliver, Kentucky – out
• Tyler Page, SMU – not dressed out
• Jeremiah Payton, Miami – returned
• TE Henry Pearson, App State – out
• Corey Reed, Louisville – unavailable
• CJ Riley, NC State – returned to action
• Darryle Simmons, Virginia Tech – unavailable
• Drake Stoops, Oklahoma – suited up
• Joshua Tse, Florida – unavailable
• Jalen Virgil, App State – not on DC
• Christian Wells, App State – not on DC
• Malik Williams, App State – not on DC
• TE Brayden Willis, Oklahoma – suited up
• TE Kyi Wright, Pitt – out today
• CJ Yarbrough, Liberty – listed as out in pregame, had been GTD
• TE Jake Zilinskas, Pitt – out today

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(Post will be continually updated throughout the week)

As the season gets closer to practices starting we are beginning to get injury updates from teams. Robby Carmody (Notre Dame) will be out for the start of the season, we also got updates on 5 different Texas players who dealt with injuries last season.

List of College Basketball Updates, Injuries & Transfers this week:

• Robby Carmody, Notre Dame – broken kneecap, will have surgery – out until December
• Devonaire Doutrive, Boise State – waiver for fall eligibility denied, will be eligible in winter
• Jase Febres, Texas – knee, still a few weeks away
• Patrick Good, ETSU – will opt out of season for personal/family reasons
• Andrew Jones, Texas – hip, could be cleared next week
• Duncan LeXander, Charleston Southern – enters transfer portal
• Gerald Liddell, Texas – back, has been cleared
• Asbjorn Midtgaard, Grand Canyon – eligible after transfer from Wichita State
• Austin Mueller, Wyoming – no longer playing basketball, at least in part due to injuries
• Ugo Obasi, Virginia – out for season with injury
• Koreem Ozier, Louisiana Monroe – eligible after transfer from Sacred Heart
• Aaryn Rai, Dartmouth – enters transfer portal as a grad transfer
• Cooper Robb, Eastern Kentucky – eligible after transfer from Charlotte
• Olivier Sarr, Kentucky – reports that the Wake Forest transfer has had his NCAA waiver approved, but still waiting on a separate SEC waiver
• Nike Sibande, Pitt – waiver for eligibility denied after transfer from Miami (OH), team will appeal
• Jericho Sims, Texas – back, has been cleared
• AJ Taylor, NC State – enters transfer portal
• Donovan Williams, Texas – knee, still a few weeks away

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In Wednesday injury news Louisiana RB Elijah Mitchell was not on the depth chart, and the coach said to reference the depth chart for availability, so he appears to be out for covid-related reasons. UCF RB Greg McCrae was said to be practicing after his injury last week, while Boston College WR Kobay White was confirmed out for the season with ACL surgery.

On Thursday Purdue WR Rondale Moore announced he was opting back into the season. Reports also came out that Texas WR Jake Smith is not expected to play on Saturday.

On Friday morning came news that Georgia Tech RB Jordan Mason wasn’t expected to play this weekend. And in the Mountain West, Air Force QB Donald Hammond was confirmed to not currently be in good standing as a cadet, while Boise St RB Robert Mahone entered the transfer portal after recently being arrested and suspended.

List of Injuries & Updates from September 23-25:

QBs:

• Matt Corral, Ole Miss – reports that he will start, John Rhys Plumlee will also play
• Florida International – Kaylan Wiggins OR Stone Norton OR Max Bortenschlager on depth chart
• Joey Gatewood, Kentucky – no update on waiver for eligibility
• James Graham, Georgia Tech – not listed on “Above the Line”, expected out
• Frank Harris, UTSA – injured Friday night, did not return
• Jaiave Magalei, Louisiana – out for covid-related reasons
• Ken Seals, Vanderbilt – reports that he will start this weekend, depth chart has a 4-way OR
• Desmond Trotter, South Alabama – was not present for pregame warmups, broadcast said he was unavailable due to illness

RBs:

• Emari Demercado, TCU – RB1 on depth chart
• Cameron Fleming, Memphis – out indefinitely due to leg injury in Arkansas State game
• Deion Hankins, UTEP – practicing with the first team Thursday as he is expected to be back this weekend
• Kevin Harris, South Carolina – will start on Saturday
• Jahmyl Jeter, Texas State – Oklahoma State transfer had waiver for eligibility approved
• Robert Mahone, Boise State – enters transfer portal, was previously suspended for legal issues
• Jordan Mason, Georgia Tech – not on Above the Line list, expected to be out
• Greg McCrae, UCF – sounds like he is doing ok after injury last weekend – “has been great in practices this week”, “expect him to have a big ballgame”
• Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana – not on depth chart, out for covid-related reasons

WRs & TEs:

• D’Marcus Adams, Florida Atlantic – waiver to play approved
• Dee Beckwith, Tennessee – will not travel, ankle injury
• Cjay Boone, Missouri – opts out of season
• TE Dylan Deveney – not on Georgia Tech’s “Above the Line”
• Dontae Fleming, Louisiana – lower body injury, questionable
• Zakhari Franklin, UTSA – got first playing time of season on Friday night
• Noah Frith, Liberty – expected to play
• Wykeen Gill, Kansas St – expected back this week
• Damon Hazelton, Missouri – expected to start this week, was dealing with hamstring in fall camp
• Jake Herslow, Old Dominion – transfer portal
• Jeremiah Holloman, FIU – not on depth chart, could be a gametime decision
• Rob Johnson, UAB – ejected in 2nd half for throwing a punch
• Jaylin Lane, MTSU – listed as out in pregame
• TE Dylan Leonard, Georgia Tech – not on “Above the Line” list
• Kyle McNamara, transfers from Michigan to Western Kentucky
• Rondale Moore, Purdue – opting back into season
• Tre Nixon, UCF – no update from the team/Heupel on Thursday (the team had said an update would come later in the week)
• Jake Smith, Texas – expected to be out this weekend, Brenden Schooler expected to start
• Landry Weber, Kansas St – expected back this week
• Kobay White, Boston College – officially out for the season with an ACL injury, had surgery
• CJ Windham, MTSU – hip, didn’t travel to game
• CJ Yarbrough, Liberty – described as a gametime decision (was questionable last week and played)
• Joshua Youngblood, Kansas St – expected back this week

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Following are the fantasy-relevant starting depth charts released by the teams, along with any notes and last year’s stats, for FBS teams playing their FIRST games of the season Saturday Sept. 26th.

• Teams are in alphabetical order on the date they play.
• Starters on depth chart are listed, for full charts see posts on twitter
• Post will be continually updated as more depth charts are released
• Stats listed are from 2019
• Charts/Notes only included for FBS teams
• (Several of these charts are carry-overs from last week whose teams games were postponed, I will be checking for any updates)

Saturday September 26th:

Alabama depth chart:

• QB: Mac Jones (1503-14)
• RB: Najee Harris (1224-13, 27/304)
• WRs: John Metchie (4/23), DeVonta Smith (68/1256), Jaylen Waddle (33/560)
• TE: Miller Forristall (15/167)

Arkansas depth chart:

• QB: Feleipe Franks (698-5 – Florida)
• RB: Rakeem Boyd (1133-8)
• WRs: Mike Woods (33/423), Treylon Burks (29/475), Trey Knox (28/385)
• TE: Hudson Henry (2/17) OR Blayne Toll

Auburn depth chart:

• QB: Bo Nix (2542-16, 313-7)
• RB: Shaun Shivers (286-3)
• WRs: Anthony Schwartz (41/440) OR Eli Stove (37/321), Shedrick Jackson (2/31), Seth Williams (59/830)
• TE: John Samuel Shenker (3/21)

Baylor depth chart (from last week before postponement):

• QB: Charlie Brewer (3161-21, 344-11)
• RB: John Lovett (655-5) OR Trestan Ebner (250-3, 24/317)
• WRs: RJ Sneed (42/437), Gavin Holmes, Tyquan Thornton (45/782)
• TE: Ben Sims (2/5)

East Carolina depth chart:

• QB: Holton Ahlers (3387-21, 359-6)
• RB: Darius Pinnix (289-4) OR Chase Hayden (39-0 – Arkansas)
• WRs: CJ Johnson (54/908) OR Audi Omotosho (5/114), Tyler Snead (66/759), Blake Proehl (54/670)
• TE: Jeremy Lewis (5/39) OR Shane Calhoun

Florida depth chart:

• QB: Kyle Trask (2941-25)
• RBs: Malik Davis (86-1) OR Dameon Pierce (305-4)
• WRs: Jacob Copeland (21/273), Kadarius Toney (10/194), Trevon Grimes (33/491)
• TE: Kyle Pitts (54/649)

Florida Atlantic depth chart (from last week before postponement) – POSTPONED again:

• QB: Nick Tronti (180-2)
• RB: BJ Emmons (237-6)
• WRs: TJ Chase (7/70 – Clemson), Jordan Merrell, BJ Alexander (Kentucky transfer)
• TE: Michael Irvin (2/33 – Miami)

Florida International depth chart:

• QB: Kaylan Wiggins (172-0) OR Stone Norton OR Max Bortenschlager (Maryland transfer)
• RBs: Maleek Williams (144-2 – Ark, 2018), D’vonte Price (249-0)
• WRs: Kris Mitchell, Bryce Singleton (29/368 – 2018)
• TE: Sterling Palmer (22/205)

Georgia depth chart (roughly PROJECTED until/if official is released):

• QB: D’Wan Mathis, JT Daniels ( 215-1, USC – not yet medically cleared but expected to be)
• RB: Zamir White (408-3), James Cook (188-2)
• WRs: George Pickens (49/727), Kearis Jackson (5/79), Demetris Robertson (30/333)
• TE: John Fitzpatrick (1/22), Darnell Washington, (Tre McKitty doubtful)

Houston depth chart (from last week before postponement) – POSTPONED yet again:

• QB: Clayton Tune (1533-11)
• RB: Kyle Porter (615-3) OR Mulbah Car (375-3)
• WRs: Jeremy Singleton (26/381), Keith Corbin (11/192), Marquez Stevenson (52/907), Nathaniel Dell OR Tre’von Bradley (16/326)
• TE: Christian Trahan (22/244)

Kentucky depth chart:

• QB: Terry Wilson (360-2)
• RB: AJ Rose (826-6)
• WRs: Bryce Oliver (6/111), Allen Dailey (7/75), Clevan Thomas (11/99), Josh Ali (23/233)
• TE: Justin Rigg (11/128)

LSU depth chart:

• QB: Myles Brennan (353-1)
• RB: Chris Curry (189-0) OR Tyrion Davis-Price (295-6) OR John Emery (188-4) – Curry was mentioned earlier this week as the possible lead back
• WRs: Kayshon Boutte, Terrace Marshall (46/671), Racey McMath (17/285)
• TE: Arik Gilbert

Mississippi State depth chart:

• QB: KJ Costello (1038-6 – Stanford) OR Will Rogers – Costello has been named the starter
• RB: Kylin Hill (1350-10)
• WRs: Malik Heath OR Cameron Gardner (1/7), JaVonta Payton (9/147), Austin Williams (11/119), Tyrell Shavers (1/20 – Alabama)

Missouri depth chart:

• QB: Connor Bazelak (144-0) OR Shawn Robinson (1334-9 – TCU 2018)
• RB: Larry Rountree (829-9) OR Tyler Badie (457-3)
• WRs: Damon Hazelton (31/527 – Va Tech), Keke Chism, Jalen Knox (19/307)
• TE: Daniel Parker (15/140) or Niko Hea (3/30) OR Logan Christopherson

Ole Miss depth chart:

• QB: Matt Corral (1362-6) OR John Rhys Plumlee (910-4, 1023-12)
• RBs: Jerrion Ealy (722-6) OR Henry Parrish
• WRs: Jonathan Mingo (12/172), Elijah Moore (67/850), Dontario Drummond (13/188)
• TE: Kenny Yeboah (19/233 – Temple)

South Carolina depth chart:

• QB: Collin Hill (840-8 – Colorado State)
• RB: Kevin Harris (179-4) OR Deshaun Fenwick (111-0)
• FB: Adam Prentice
• WRs: Shi Smith (43/489), Xavier Legette (9/80), Dakereon Joyner (6/46)
• TEs: Nick Muse (17/158), Keveon Mullins

TCU depth chart (some have questioned whether there may be some gamesmanship/inaccuracy in this depth chart, nonetheless I share what the team releases):

• QB: Matthew Downing (UGA transfer – announced as starter) OR Max Duggan (2077-15, 555-6)
• RB: Emari Demercado (65-0)
• WRs: Dylan Thomas (8/121), Taye Barber (29/372), Pro Wells (17/196), Blair Conwright (3/25)
• TE: Artayvious Lynn (11/118)

Tennessee depth chart:

• QB: Jarrett Guarantano (2158-16)
• RB: Ty Chandler (655-3) OR Eric Gray (539-4)
• WRs: Ramel Keyton (4/104), Brandon Johnson (2/31), Josh Palmer (34/457)
• TE: Princeton Fant (2/15) OR Sean Brown OR Jacob Warren (1/1)

Texas A&M depth chart (so many ORs at WR I listed them individually):

• QB: Kellen Mond (2897-20, 501-8)
• RB: Isaiah Spiller (946-10, 29/203) OR Ainias Smith (54-0, 22/248)
• FB: Cagan Baldree
• WR: Kam Brown (2/19) OR Chase Lane OR Moose Muhammad OR Devin Price
• WR: Jalen Preston (3/36) OR Demond Demas
• WR: Caleb Chapman (1/6) OR Hezekiah Jones (15/134 – 2018) OR Kenyon Jackson OR Dylan Wright
• TE: Jalen Wydermyer (32/447)

Vanderbilt depth chart:

• QB: Mike Wright OR Jeremy Moussa OR Ken Seals OR Danny Clark – there are reports that Ken Seals is expected to start
• RB: Jamauri Wakefield (7-0)
• WRs: Tyrell Alexander OR James Bostic (11/112), Cam Johnson (30/316) OR Devin Boddie, Chris Pierce (14/245) OR Amir Abdur-Rahman
• TE: Ben Bresnahan (7/105)

Virginia depth chart:

• QB: Brennan Armstrong (196-1)
• RB: Wayne Taulapapa (473-12)
• WRs: Terrell Jana (73/878), Billy Kemp (35/289), Ra’Shaun Henry, Tavares Kelly (14/152)
• TE: Tony Poljan (33/496 – CMU) OR Grant Misch (1/6)

Virginia Tech depth chart:

• QB: Hendon Hooker (1555-13), Braxton Burmeister also expected to play
• RB: Khalil Herbert (384-2 – Kansas)
• WRs: Tayvion Robinson (31/404), Tre Turner (34/553), Kaleb Smith (9/121)
• TE: James Mitchell (21/361)

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On Tuesday came news that TCU QB Matthew Downing will be their opening game starter, while Missouri and Vanderbilt have ORs on their first depth charts.

In WR injury news Boston College’s Kobay White will be out for an extended time, while Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce will miss a few weeks.

List of Injuries & Updates from September 22:

QBs (I list every QB1 on first-released depth charts that hadn’t already been formally announced):

• Holton Ahlers, East Carolina – confirmed as QB1
• Matthew Downing, TCU – named starter for the opener, Max Duggan may also play
• Jarrett Guarantano, Tennessee – confirmed as QB1
• Louisiana Tech – Luke Anthony will start, Aaron Allen will also play
• Missouri – Connor Bazelak OR Shawn Robinson on depth chart
• Chubba Purdy, Florida State – appears to be getting reps in practice, not confirmed to what degree he has been cleared
• Texas State – both QBs Tyler Vitt & Brady McBride expected to play this weekend
• Skylar Thompson, Kansas State – limited to therapy last week, but practicing and hopeful full-strength this week
• Jay Urich, South Carolina – reserve QB will have surgery for a chronic shoulder injury and move on from playing
• Vanderbilt – 4 way OR at QB1 on the depth chart- Mike Wright, Jeremy Moussa, Ken Seals, Danny Clark

RBs:

• Brenden Brady, UTSA – will be out a while with a leg injury suffered last weekend
• Quinton Cooley, Wake Forest – has fallen off the depth chart

WRs & TEs:

• Jalen Brooks, South Carolina – waiver for eligibility denied for Wingate transfer, team will appeal
• Jadon Haselwood, Oklahoma – making progress, expected back sometime this season
• TE Charlie Kolar, Iowa State – still day to day (lower body), expected to travel with team this week
• TE Tre McKitty, Georgia – doubtful this weekend with knee injury
• Joseph Ngata, Clemson (missed this over the weekend) – did not play Saturday due to a tweaked abdominal muscle
• Alec Pierce, Cincinnati – knee scoped, likely out a a few weeks, hopeful back for Oct 17 game
• TE Brendan Scales, Missouri – out season, medical redshirt for foot injury
• Kobay White, Boston College – out with an injury (likely knee), possibly for the season