Top College Prospects - Dynasty League Scouting (Week 13 Edition)

There's not a lot to be said for Week 12. I said in my preview last week that the slate was fairly ugly and it, mostly, lived up to that statement. It did, however, serve as a perfect warmup for Week 13.

Rivalry week is here. We've got the Apple Cup and Civil War out west and Ohio State vs. Michigan in the midwest. Top it all off with Oklahoma vs. West Virginia and Auburn vs. Alabama and you've got a week of games that will have you stuck on your couch all weekend.

Today, we'll take a look at two RBs and two WRs. And for the first time all season, I'm going to include games not taking place on Saturday with several of the Friday matchups being too good to ignore.

Scouting The Running Backs

Myles Gaskin, RB Washington

Week 13 -  at Washington State (11/23)

It's time for the Apple Cup and while this season hasn't lived up to their lofty expectations, Washington will have a chance to end their rivals playoff hopes. Jake Browning is still living on past hype, but Myles Gaskins is the glue that keeps the Huskies offense together.

Barring crazy production in the final few games, Gaskin will fall short of 1300 yards for the first time in his college career. But he's still on pace for more than 200 carries and over one reception per game. His efficiency has dipped from his 2017 season that saw him surpass 6.0 yards per carry and he's missed meaningful time for the first time in his career. But Gaskin's career will likely end with over 5,000 rushing yards, nearly 500 receiving yards, and over 55 touchdowns.

I wasn't a fan of Gaskin's decision to return to college following a 2017 season that answered all questions about Gaskin as a prospect, but now he's a part of a weaker class. So with a solid postseason and draft process, Gaskin could emerge as an early round prospect since he's arguably one of the most proven workhorse backs in the class. If he is drafted in the first two days, he's worth a second round rookie pick. If he slips to day three, then he falls approximately one round of value. Few RBs have four years of sustained production at Gaskin's level and if an NFL team is in need of a safe RB, then Gaskin could have instant fantasy value.

Karan Higdon, RB Michigan

Week 13 -  at Ohio State (11/24)

Karan Higdon has fully embraced the rivalry with Ohio State. He went as far as guaranteeing a victory in the same fashion as his head coach who guaranteed a win in 1986. As a fan of the rivalry, I love this sign of competitiveness. As a well-documented Ohio State fan, I hope he has his worst game ever. But there's no denying his growth as a prospect and, as his final year of eligibility winds down, he'll begin moving forward towards the NFL.

Higdon has never had a season significantly over 6.0 yards per carry and for his career, he'll likely fall short of that threshold. And he's averaged less than one reception per game during each of his seasons. However, he's become the centerpiece for the Michigan offense in 2018 and has surpassed 1,000 yards.  While he lacks a single season with more than 200 carries with an average over 6.0 yards per carry, this season with a heavy workload and high production should go a long way to help his draft stock.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller listed Higdon as his early 2019 RB sleeper. He listed Higdon's best fits as being with the Falcons, Jets, and Raiders with the following analysis:

He is 5'10" and 202 pounds, so there will be some concerns about his size. He may not be seen as an every-down player, but he has the vision and outside running ability to contribute as a complementary back. A strong Senior Bowl showing (if he's invited) could boost his stock if he can show off a developed skill set as a pass-catcher.

As Miller noted, Higdon has the ability to become an outside the tackles RB capable of big plays, but his lack of receiving production is noteworthy as a prospect. This may eventually hinder his draft stock, if he fails to impress during the Senior Bowl and NFL combine. If he's drafted to one of the listed teams in the first three rounds, Higdon should be seriously considered at the top of the second round of rookie drafts. If he falls to Day 3, then he'll likely settle more in the back of the second or top of the third round.

Scouting The Wide Receivers

Marquise Brown, WR Oklahoma

Week 13 -  at West Virginia (11/23)

Standing 5-foot-10 at 170lbs, "Hollywood" Brown isn't the physical specimen that immediately stands out as a future NFL prospect, but after two seasons of high production following his brief junior college run, scouts are keeping a close eye on him as he looks to make the jump to the next level.

Barring something significant changing, Brown will technically have never broken out with a season over a 0.30 dominator. But pay no attention to that when you look at his efficiency. Brown is a true field stretcher with an average over 18 yards per reception for his career.  And while some analytic evaluators will struggle to see beyond his failure to eclipse 29 percent career market share of yards, it wasn't due to coaching concerns about giving him a heavy workload. Per Bill Connelly's statistical profile, he leads Oklahoma receivers with 80 targets, 17 more than the second highest, and he's converted over 70 percent into catches. With CeeDee Lamb lined up beside him, owning 29 percent of yards for the season is reason enough to believe in him as a prospect.

It's somewhat crazy to hear that Brown had to spend time in junior college when he's been a focal point in the country's best offense, this season. And even after playing at junior college and showing his 4.33 second forty speed, Brown still had to scratch and claw to get FBS offers in large part due to his 140 lbs frame. But once he reached Oklahoma he kicked down the metaphorical doors and became one of college football's most explosive players. Now, scouts have begun to peg him as a potential first-round pick. If that happens, he'll be taken before the end of nearly all rookie draft first rounds.

David Sills V, WR West Virginia

Week 13 -  vs Oklahoma (11/23)

West Virginia's loss last week seemingly took some of the shine off of this matchup, but make no mistake about it, this is still a game between two teams with legitimate Big 12 Championship aspirations. And while Will Grier is the known entity on the West Virginia offense, Sills is the WR that makes the offense go. And even though he started of his career as a QB and spent time at junior college, he's turned himself into a legitimate WR prospect.

Sills broke out during his 2017 season with a 0.37 dominator rating with nearly 50 percent of the team's receiving touchdowns. And while his dominator rating has regressed slightly due, he remains at 0.30 for the year.  Even with the touchdown regression, he ranks second nationally in receiving touchdowns. For his career, Sills will end up short of the ideal 0.29 market share of yards, but his two seasons of high level production for a nationally ranked program should help his draft stock.

Draft stock will be the biggest indicator of Sills's potential fantasy success. As a former pro-style QB high school prospect, there's not a huge prospect pedigree to build upon, but at 6-foot-3 with a track record of scoring touchdowns, he could intrigue scouts. If Sills is drafted before round five, expect his rookie draft ADP to end up near the two-three turn.

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