Three Rookies Ready To Make An Impact On Offense

The NFL has a new crop of talent entering the league every single year. No one is claiming that the class of 2015 is one of the best ever, but there are a number of guys who could make an impact as a rookie. Here is a look at three to keep an eye on in fantasy football.

Jameis Winston
Other quarterback rookies are probably going to start at some point in 2015, but no one is in a better position than the #1 overall pick. Tampa Bay is going to allow him to learn on the job from day one. Even though they were awful last year, Winston knows that there is some talent on the team for a quick turnaround. He’s not going to be drafted like a starter in fantasy football, but he’s worthy of a backup role from Week 1. By the end of the season, he could have similar numbers to some of the more recent rookie quarterbacks.

Amari Cooper
No receiver was considered a safer pick coming out of college than Amari Cooper. Oakland knew that they had their options, but they decided to go with the Heisman finalist out of Alabama. The Raiders had a terrible passing game last year, but Cooper becomes a featured guy right away. People in fantasy football should keep that in consideration.

Melvin Gordon
Gordon wasn’t the first running back off the board in the draft, but he was the first healthy one. Couple that with him going to a team like San Diego that definitely needs a better running game, and you have perhaps the offensive rookie of the year in the NFL. At Wisconsin, he was a workhorse. San Diego could make him the #1 running back right away as well.

Heisman Watch: Week 4

With the season now well underway, talk about the Heisman race can really heat up. No surprises, really, at this point in the season. Besides of course that so far I was spot on in my preseason predictions. Here's a list of top five Heisman candidates, contingent upon not just their current performance but how I see them playing (and thus making their case) in the next couple of weeks. I also tried to spice it up a little, positionally. 

Absolute no doubter

Marcus Mariota is a no doubter at the top of this list. It was a couple of weeks ago when the to date biggest game of the year was on display in Michigan St. vs Oregon, and Mariota did not hurt his case. As I was taught when a wee lad, Heisman moments make Heisman campaigns. Well, Mariota had his moment. Down 24-18 at the half, with the world whispering of an upset in the making and the producers on sports center licking their chops at some "not so mighty ducks" puns, Mariota came out of the locker room and played one of the better halves of football we've seen in a while. He dropped a casual 28 in a half to finish with a resounding 46-27 win over the then 7th ranked Spartans. Suffice it to say this was an awesome game, in which Mariota finished with 318 yards and 3 touchdowns, against one of the better defenses in the country. To top that off, last week he missed a grand total of 4 passes against Wyoming en route to a 48-14 victory, with four total touchdowns, good for an almost perfect performance. Not hurting his chances, certainly. Watch for Mariota to make another statement this week as the Ducks travel to Washington St, a respectable Pac 12 foe. For now, he's miles ahead of the pack. 

Kenny Hill, the sophomore quarterback from Texas A&M is a surprising candidate for the award this year. In this horse race, they're coming around the far turn and he's starting to make his move on the heavy favorite. But the more you think about it, the more it looks like the Heisman is his for the taking. He absolutely has the team for it, (the Aggies are currently ranked sixth and they don't look like they want to stop any time soon) and in the SEC he certainly has the schedule, with the likes of Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Missouri. All those teams are national contenders, and if Hill and the Aggies run the table (I'm not saying that's going to happen) it will be hard to deny that he's the most valuable player in college football. He has already exhibited that uncanny penchant for dazzling, diverse displays of offensive fireworks we see from, for example, the Ducks. The only thing that separates Mariota from Hill is currently Mariota's history; we know Mariota can and will drop video game numbers, because he's been doing it for a while now. Hill, to his credit, has 11 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and 1,094 yards passing in 3 games this season, with a completion percentage nearing 70%, but the size of his sample size holds him back, for now. Still that's a trend we'd like to see continue. So watch him all season, because we'll see some great games in which he features as prominently as M&M's in trail mix. 

"Johnny Football who?"

Now we drop off a bit, but don't tell Jameis Winston that. Statistically, and unfairly, I don't think Winston has another trip to New York in him. He has of course been effective in two games so far this season, but has passed for only 3 touchdowns compared with 2 interceptions. Not a ratio that will win the award this season, with other outstanding quarterbacks in the mix. 

[Now the horses back here are gasping for breath, and we (the crowd) are vaguely aware that it is the same race, but on some level unsure if they're even viable contenders. We don't spend too much time worrying about them though, preferring the stallions who are something like 40 lengths ahead, for the moment.] 

He does that really, really well

Amari Cooper is the currently sexy Heisman pick, but he's by no one's measure the frontrunner. What he is is an outrageously athletic wideout on a great team, who made his debut a couple of years ago and has been in the back of mind ever since. He is also off to a blazing start, with 33 catches and 454 yards in three games. That's absolutely ridiculous on a team and under a coach that loves to run, against stingy SEC secondaries. He'll stay on my list of top five players until he cools off, and I can't predict when that'll happen. This guy's an animal. 

Todd Gurley is on my list as the best running back in contention. If I had my way, however, he wouldn't be up here. His sixth ranked Bulldogs just lost to rival 24 South Carolina, for starters, and that is a heavy mark against him already. He's averaging over 100 yards a game, and in the SEC that is worth watching of course, with statement performances brewing in the future, but that's a tough hit to take to your chances this early in the season. 

2013 Iron Bowl Preview

        3:30 pm, Eastern standard time, you can bet that the televisions of college football fans across the country will be tuned to one game. #1 Alabama @ #4 Auburn looks to be a decent showing, I think. This year's iron bowl is probably the biggest matchup ever between the two rivals, as in no previous game have both teams been ranked this high at the time they meet.

This year, "The mother of all Iron Bowls" is undoubtedly the best rivalry in the sport. Although the last two iron bowls have seen a total of Alabama 91-14 Auburn, we won't see another blowout this week. Interestingly for a game this huge and historically this crazy, the odds are very lopsided. Vegas sides heavily with the Tide (they opened as 9.5 point favorites, and have climbed high and quickly since then), as do most gurus. The Odds Shark computers see a 44-21 drubbing in store for the Tigers. All this is to be expected, as Alabama has done nothing this season to lose their reputation as the best team in college football, but I believe the game might be closer that that. Auburn has done nothing but trend upwards all season, and although this reasoning isn't popular with the number crunchers, this is always a crazy game. When so many Southerners get so worked up for one sporting event, in one state, to determine the undisputed rulers of said state, crazy stuff should happen. This game is bragging rights to a whole other level. As someone who's never been in Alabama I can't really understand it, but the impression I get is that this will be some sort of glorious, timeless war on a gridiron. Folks write poems, ballads, short plays even about this game, every year. Every player knows that a great performance will permanently cement his name in Alabama state history, not to mention guarantee him a drink in half the bars of the state forever. This game lasts and resonates forever. The winner not only wins for his half of Alabama, but punches their ticket to the national championship as well. We can't forget that, and I promise you these two teams have not. With this much emotion, pressure, and desire in one building at the same time, we really don't know what we'll see.

        But let's not get carried away. A few quick (and obvious) things to watch for…
McCarron needs to step up big if he wants a Heisman trophy in this one. He knows it, we know it, and the Auburn defense (a nasty unit allowing 22 points per game) knows it, for sure. If the Tigers win this one, it will be because of not only a stingy defense but a couple of big plays. I'd say they need to force two turnovers to stay in the game, but the occasional sack is also in order. Look for outside linebacker Dee Ford to have himself a day, as he leads his Tiger team in sacks, tackles for loss, and QB hurries, all  stats which put him close to the top of the SEC individually. The Tigers will only win if we hear his name, and hear it several times.
     
        Alabama has an explosive receiving core, one that can make you regret the blitz in a hurry. Look for sophomore sensation Amari Cooper and senior Kevin Norwood (leading the team with close to 500 receiving yards) to show up. However they have their work cut out for them, against a stingy secondary, led by future NFL stalwart cornerback Chris Davis. We all know TJ Yeldon will feature prominently in any Tide win, but we forget that AJ McCarron has a couple of great targets every play. Finally Auburn RB Tre Mason leads the SEC in rushing. Of course, a quarterback who gives you the ball all the time is nice for a running back's numbers, but regardless he is an impressive kid. That said, I don't see him having a huge day against Alabama's linebackers, including of course C.J. Mosley (just a scary man) and (I had to say his name) Ha-Ha Clinton Dix. These two on the field together go a long way towards stopping any team's offense.
     
        So I don't see the upset. Auburn's freshman quarterback Jeremy Johnson may fold under the pressure completely, but more likely he is simply shut down by a terrifying Alabama pass rush. So he won't have a terrible day at home, but he won't do anything special, and you need to do something really special to beat the Crimson Tide. Alabama's one weakness is an at-times suspect secondary, and they can be exposed when a talented quarterback has explosive outside threats (Johnny Manziel dropped 42 on them, if you recall.) Auburn's lack luster passing game won't do that, and forced to run the ball they will tire and lose it slowly. Crazier things have happened, and especially in this setting, so knowing full well that I may have to eat these words, I unconfidently predict Alabama 28-Auburn 10.