C-USA Preview: Star RBs Lead Way

All Conference-USA Fantasy Team

1st team

QB: Brent Stockstill, Middle Tennessee (28)
RB: Ray Lawry, Old Dominion (7)
RB: Anthony Wales, Western Kentucky (14)
WR: Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky (2)
WR: Richie James, Middle Tennessee (4)
TE: Jonnu Smith, Florida International (4)

2nd Team

QB: Nick Mullens, Southern Mississippi (31)
RB: Aaron Jones, UTEP (22)
RB: Ito Smith, Southern Mississippi (27)
WR: Zach Pascal, Old Dominion (19)
WR: Nicholas Norris, Western Kentucky (24)
TE: Ryan Yurachek, Marshall (11)

3rd Team

QB: Jared Johnson, UTSA (51)
RB: Jarveon Williams, UTSA (47)
RB: Alex Gardner, Florida International (54)
WR: D.J. Thompson, Southern Mississippi (44)
WR: Marquis Ricard, Southern Mississippi (80)
TE: Hayden Plinke, UTEP (N/A)

Sleepers

Mike White, Tyler Ferguson or Drew Eckles, QB, Western Kentucky

It's not known who will start at quarterback for Western Kentucky this year – White was the favorite heading into the fall – but Ferguson and Eckels both closed the gap recently and it's now a tossup as to who gets to replace Brandon Doughty in what should be a high-tempo, high-scoring offense. I tend to think any quarterback can produce in an offense this talented and well-coached – Doughty was a poor prospect before the arrival of coach Jeff Brohm, after all – so I think whichever player emerges as starter will enjoy a fine season.

Jeffrey Wilson, RB, North Texas

New North Texas coach Seth Littrell will likely install an uptempo scheme with the Mean Green, as he has roots in all of the Texas Tech, Arizona and, most recently, North Carolina coaching trees. After working under Mike Leach, Rich Rodriguez and Larry Fedora, Littrell is no doubt fluent in high-tempo spread schemes, and the latter two thirds of those past coaching connections imply Littrell will call plenty of running plays. North Texas should score more point this year just by virtue of the tempo increase, and that should bring out a career year from Wilson, who has shown consistent promise to this point but has been undermined by the wider dysfunction at North Texas. He totaled 830 yards on just 155 carries last year (5.4 YPC), yet the Mean Green's broader struggles held him to just one rushing touchdown. It's possible that North Texas will continue to struggle to put Wilson in scoring range, but a career year is almost certain either way.

Hyleck Foster, RB/WR, Marshall

If for no other reason, Foster is an interesting fantasy consideration because he may be a loophole player – eligible at wide receiver despite playing the more favorable position of running back. It's not quite like when Devon Johnson was eligible at tight end two years ago, but Foster would still have good wide receiver fantasy value even if he isn't particularly productive at running back. Carries are a lot easier to accumulate than catches, and Foster heads into the fall as the team's top running back, albeit on a short leash – runners like Tony Pittman, Keion Davis and Anthony Anderson are also pushing for work. After getting switched from slot receiver to running back in the middle of last year, Foster finished with 453 yards and three touchdowns on 100 carries.

Deon-Tay McManus, WR, Marshall

McManus was one of the most disappointing players in college fantasy football last year, as expectations were high for the former four-star recruit following a freshman season where he impressed with 26 catches for 422 yards and six touchdowns. After stepping into a starting role, however, he somehow finished 2015 with just 35 catches for 334 yards and one touchdown. McManus has reportedly looked sharp in practices, however, and with quarterback Chase Litton stepping into his sophomore year with a nearly full season of starting under his belt, the Marshall passing game should improve significantly, with McManus leading the way among the pass catchers.

Busts

Jarred Craft, RB, Louisiana Tech

Kenneth Dixon is off to the NFL, so someone at Louisiana Tech is going to step up and provide similar production, right? Unlikely. Craft was the top backup to Dixon last year but quite simply wasn't any good, averaging just 3.97 yards per carry after averaging 3.54 yards per carry the year prior – all in the same offense in which Dixon dominated ruthlessly. Expect Craft to have a ceremonial role in this offense, but players like Boston Scott and Bobby Holly will keep Craft in the periphery.

D'Andre Ferby, RB, Western Kentucky

Ferby reportedly has slimmed down after performing as one of college football's most sluggish running backs last year, so it's possible that he'll be better than he was last year. But to be clear, he was bad last year. Playing in one of college football's most explosive offenses with opposing defenses terrified of the passing threat posed by quarterback Brandon Doughty, Ferby somehow averaged just 3.96 yards per carry in an offense where Anthony Wales averaged 7.06 yards per carry. He'll maintain a role as a short-yardage runner and clock-eater, but this is Wales' backfield in competitive situations.

Trent Taylor, WR, Louisiana Tech

Taylor has had a very successful last two years at Louisiana Tech and is certainly a good player, but my own projections diverge too drastically from those of the general public for him to end up on any of my teams. After playing the last two years with BCS-level talents at quarterback (Cody Sokol and Jeff Driskel), the Bulldogs will take a big step back at the position in 2016 as Ryan Higgins takes over as starter. Higgins struggled playing off the bench over the last two years, and as a freshman in 2013 he was a disaster as he started a handful of games, averaging 6.1 YPA and throwing six touchdowns compared to 13 interceptions.