Hot and Cold (10/21): Locker Rebounding

ACC

Hot

With Ryan Williams on the sidelines the last four games due to a hamstring injury, Darren Evans has re-established himself as the most productive back for Virginia Tech. Evans has scored at least once in five straight games and is averaging 6.0 yards per carry this season. Unfortunately for Evans' owners, it's looking like Williams could be back against Duke.

Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt is only 12th in the conference in passing, but his 649 yards on the ground are tops among all ACC players. Nesbitt has run for over 100 yards in each of his last two games and is averaging nearly 25 fantasy points per week.

Cold

After running for 199 yards and two touchdowns in his first two games, Duke running back Desmond Scott has put up just 126 rushing yards and zero touchdowns in his last four games,

Over his last three games, Virginia quarterback Marc Verica has thrown just one touchdown pass compared to five interceptions. He will face an Eastern Michigan team in Week 8 that has allowed 16 touchdown passes and recorded only two interceptions, so he has a good chance to get back on track.

Big 12

Hot

Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray has been a fantasy beast this season. Murray has scored at least twice and racked up over 100 total yards in all but one of his six games this season.

Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon has put up big numbers all season, but his highest two receiving yardage totals have come in the last two weeks. Blackmon caught 23 passes for 397 yards and three touchdowns over that span.

Cold

Foswhitt Whittaker is the latest Texas running back to see his fantasy value take a dip. Whittaker ran for over 50 yards in each of his first three games and scored twice, but he has run for just 94 total yards in his last three contests and has not scored since Week 3. Whittaker has recorded 100 receiving yards over his last three games, but his troubles finding the end zone have limited him to single-digit points in each of those games.

Texas A&M running back Cyrus Gray picked up nearly 1,000 total yards last season, but a recent slow stretch has him on pace for only about 650 total yards this year. Over the last three weeks, Gray has been limited to only 54 total yards and one touchdown.

Big East

Hot

Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros has been throwing touchdown passes in bunches lately. Collaros has thrown for at least three touchdowns in each of his last four games, including a five-touchdown performance in a Week 7 victory over Louisville.

Cincinnati wide receiver D.J. Woods' fantasy production has taken off due to Collaros' recent hot stretch. Woods has averaged 100 receiving yards over his last four games and has found the end zone six times over that span.

Cold

Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib was responsible for nine touchdowns over his first three weeks, but he has been held to just three touchdowns and 529 passing yards in his last three games.

West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin recorded at least 85 receiving yards in each of his first three games, but has not picked up more than 52 receiving yards in a game over his last three contests.

Big Ten

Hot

Wisconsin running back John Clay has been about as consistent a fantasy option as they come. Except for an 80-yard performance in a loss to Michigan St., Clay has run for over 100 yards and scored at least touchdown each week; and over the last two games, Clay has found the end zone five times.

Iowa's passing game has taken off this season, and wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos has been the biggest beneficiary. Johnson-Koulianos caught just two touchdown passes all last season, but he topped that number last week alone by putting up three scores against Michigan.

Cold

Al-Terek McBurse was supposed to play a key role for Purdue this season, but the sophomore incurred several nagging injuries, and save for an 81-yard performance in Week 2, he has run for just 12 yards this season. Fullback Dan Dierking has become the top running option in the Purdue backfield.

Former Minnesota quarterback MarQueis Gray made the transition to wide receiver look easy earlier this season, but his production has fallen since the beginning of conference play. A foot injury has slowed him, but he dropped an easy touchdown pass against Wisconsin and seems to have hit a bit of a wall.

Conference USA

Hot

Central Florida running back Ronnie Weaver did not score in Week 7, but he did run for a season-high 150 yards. Weaver has recorded at least 15 fantasy points in each of his last four games thanks to two 100-yard efforts and two two-touchdown games.

East Carolina wide receiver Lance Lewis was limited to just 48 receiving yards in Weeks 2 and 3 after hauling in two touchdown receptions in Week 1, but he has taken off again recently. Lewis has scored at least once in each of his last three games and has averaged over 15 fantasy points per week over that span.

Cold

Donald Buckram was supposed to be one of the elite fantasy players this year, but a knee injury has all but derailed his whole season to this point. He has just 144 yards rushing and no touchdowns after playing in three games.

Fellow Miner Donavan Kemp also got off to a good start this season, but his production has only been minimal over the last four weeks. Kemp has not scored in his last four games, and he has a total of just 79 yards over that span.

Independents

Hot

Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist's recent play has the Irish on a three-game winning streak. Over those contests, Crist has thrown six touchdown passes while adding three more on the ground.

Cold

Although Crist is putting up big numbers in the passing game, freshman wide receiver T.J. Jones has been quiet in recent weeks. Jones scored a touchdown in each of his first two collegiate games, but he has been held out of the end zone each of the last five weeks and has been limited to just six catches for 89 over that span.

MAC

Hot

Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler Harnish has accounted for ten touchdowns over his last four games and has put up at least 25 fantasy points in all but one of his six starts. Those numbers make him a valuable fantasy player in all formats.

Harnish is not the only Husky who is putting up big numbers. Running back Chad Spann has scored at least once in each of his last six games and has put up 518 rushing yards over the last four weeks.

Cold

Eric Williams has taken over as the primary running back for Ball State, which has made MiQuale Lewis a fantasy afterthought. Since a 22-touchdown season in 2008, Lewis has scored just seven times, including twice this year.

Temple is off to a 5-2 start, but quarterback Chester Stewart has not been one of the reasons for the Owls' impressive record. Stewart has not thrown for more than 159 yards since Week 1, and he is now in danger of losing his job after being replaced in Week 7 by Mike Gerardi.

MWC

Hot

TCU quarterback Andy Dalton has accounted for multiple touchdowns in five of his seven games this season, but he has been especially hot lately. Over the last two weeks, Dalton has tossed seven touchdown passes and averaged over 30 fantasy points a game.

The return of Matt Asiata has taken away some of fellow Utah running back Eddie Wide's carries, but Wide has still remains a productive fantasy player. Wide has put up double-digit fantasy points in four of his last five games and has scored seven touchdowns over that span.

Cold

UNLV wide receiver Michael Johnson got off to a good start, and the suspension of fellow receiver Phillip Payne could have allowed him to be even more productive. However, Payne's absence has allowed opposing defenses to focus more on Johnson and he has been limited to just eight catches for 49 yards over the last three weeks.

After opening the season on a three-game touchdown streak, Utah wide receiver Jereme Brooks has been limited to just 94 yards and no scores over his last three outings.

Pac-10

Hot

Oregon's LaMichael James has been garnering most of the attention among Pac-10 running backs, but Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers is doing his best to make sure he is not forgotten. Rodgers has recorded over 100 total yards in each of his last three games and has scored seven touchdowns over that span, including four in a Week 7 loss to Washington.

Washington quarterback Jake Locker can take a lot of credit for helping knock off Rodgers' Oregon State team last week. Locker tossed five touchdown passes in that game and has accounted for eight total scores, to go along 805 passing yards and 176 rushing yards, over the last three weeks.

Cold

California wide receiver Marvin Jones would have provided almost nothing over the last three weeks had he not run for a 48-yard touchdown in Week 6. Jones has caught just eight passes for 70 yards over his last three games after racking up 328 yards in the first three weeks.

Arizona State running back Cameron Marshall got off to a fast start with five touchdowns in his first three games, but he has not run for more than 79 yards in any of his last three contests and has scored just once over that span.

SEC

Hot

Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton is doing his best to remain on the 'Hot' list on a weekly basis. Newton accounted for four touchdowns in each of his last two games and has a staggering 16 total scores over the last four weeks. Enjoy the ride.

Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray may be a redshirt freshman, but you wouldn't know from watching him. Murray has picked up nine touchdowns over the last three weeks and is currently third in the conference with 1,653 passing yards.

Cold

Running back Jeff Demps is arguably Florida's most explosive player, but that has not translated to big numbers this season. Demps has not rushed for more than 73 yards in a game or scored a touchdown since Week 2.

Demps is not the only Florida player who has struggled to put up big numbers. Wide receiver Deonte Thompson was supposed to be the team's top wideout, but he has yet to catch a touchdown pass and has been limited to just 45 receiving yards over his last two games.

Sun Belt

Hot

Arkansas State is not winning many games, but that has not stopped quarterback Ryan Aplin from being a very productive fantasy player. Aplin has accounted for at least two touchdowns in each of his last six games and has recorded ten total touchdowns over his last three games.

Over his last three games, Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Chris Masson picked up the pace. He has averaged 288 passing yards over that span and tossed five touchdown passes.

Cold

Louisiana-Monroe running back Frank Goodin just scored his first touchdown last week, and he has still yet to account for more than 47 total yards in any game this season. The lack of production is surprising for a guy that accounted for over 1,200 total yards a season ago.

Logan Kilgore started three games for Middle Tennessee State earlier this season, but he has not appeared in either of the team's last two contests thanks to return of fellow quarterback Dwight Dasher. Don't expect Kilgore to be a fantasy factor going forward.

WAC

Hot

Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle has thrown for at least 347 yards in his last three games, and he has tossed three touchdown passes in each of those contests to boot (even in last week's game in which he was removed late). Expect another big performance this week against a New Mexico State team that is 92nd in the nation in pass defense.

Idaho wide receiver Justin Veltung hauled in all three of Enderle's touchdown passes last week, and he added another touchdown pass from backup Brian Reader to give him four in the contest. Veltung has caught just 13 passes this season, but seven of them have gone for scores. Look for him to be more involved in the offense in coming weeks.

Cold

Utah State quarterback Diondre Borel was responsible for six touchdowns in his first three games, but he has accounted for only two in his last three games. In the other two games, Borel was limited to just 203 passing yards and 45 rushing yards.

Idaho running back Princeton McCarty put up double-digit fantasy points in Week 1, but he has not come close to a repeat performance since and is now dealing with a broken finger. The Vandals are splitting the carries among multiple backs, so expect McCarty's production to remain limited.