Joel Lanning

Lanning enters the 2016 as the unquestioned starter for the first time after he started Iowa State’s final five games last season in place of Sam Richardson. He averaged 196.4 yards per game in that stretch, tossing six touchdowns and four interceptions along the way. Still, that experience as a starter ought to give him an increased comfort level heading into this season, and he has a couple of top notch skill position players at his disposal. Allen Lazard (6-5, 223) is one of the more underrated receivers in the Big XII and is coming off a 56-catch, 807-yard, six-touchdown campaign. What’s more, the two of them showed instant chemistry as Lanning found Lazard for touchdowns three times after becoming the starter. Lanning will also have the luxury of having Mike Warren, who is coming off a 1,339-yard season, to help take the pressure off. Still, Lanning is unlikely to put up the gaudy type of production we’ll see from other quarterbacks around the Big XII given that he won’t be asked to throw it 40+ times per game like some of his peers. Lanning should be a decent option under center for the Cyclones, but he’s a lower end fantasy option overall.