College Football Props of the Week: Week 4
Walter Waddell
Trying to piece together a dynasty fantasy football team is fun but can also be a bit of a challenge. It is very difficult to trade for some of the top players in the league, but some of the best moves you can make are the less exciting ones. Trading for overlooked players who could see their values skyrocket can help put the finishing touches on your roster.
Dynasty Dart Throws: WR/TE
Laviska Shenault, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
There was a lot of hype surrounding Laviska Shenault entering his sophomore campaign, but it didn’t come together. He finished with just 63 receptions for 619 scoreless receiving yards. Despite the Jaguars missing D.J. Chark for most of the season, Shenault failed to get going, as the Jaguars’ passing game was awful. Jacksonville also just didn’t use Shenault correctly. He operated out of the slot just under 60% of the time, as the Jaguars used him out wide more often even after Chark’s injury. The combination of a down season and the Jaguars adding Christian Kirk, Evan Engram and Zay Jones in free agency has led to Shenault’s value taking a major hit. There have been rumors regarding a potential trade, and that would probably be best, especially with Kirk and Engram both primarily playing out of the slot. I still believe Shenault is an immensely talented player.
Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders
Curtis Samuel had a lost season in 2021. He suffered a groin injury during the offseason and just couldn’t fully recover, playing in just five games. And when he finally returned to action, he wasn’t even close to a full-time player. There is a buy-low opportunity here, though, as Samuel is just 25 years old and is familiar with Washington’s offensive coordinator, Scott Turner. The two were together in Carolina, and this Commanders team desperately needs wide receiver help after Terry McLaurin. Samuel still has the ability to make plenty of plays. After giving him a three-year, $34 million last offseason, I expect Washington will continue to find ways to get the ball in his hands.
Brevin Jordan, TE, Houston Texans
The Texans didn’t have a lot to be excited about this past season, but I do believe sophomore tight end Brevin Jordan is a promising player. He missed the first seven games of the season, but once Jordan got healthy and acclimated, the rookie became the top tight end in this offense. Jordan was under 30% of the offensive snaps during his first three games after returning from injury but went on to log 60% of the snaps in Week 12 against the Jets. Now entering his second season, Jordan only has to compete with Pharaoh Brown for playing time, as Jordan Akins is a free agent. Jordan is an extremely athletic player, and any time he saw a reasonable number of targets last year, he was fairly productive. He should now be close to a full-time player in an offense that really only has Brandin Cooks to dominate targets. And with Pep Hamilton as the offensive coordinator, we could see Jordan become a focal point of the offense, as tight ends have been fairly involved in Hamilton’s past offenses.
Irv Smith, TE, Minnesota Vikings
I was so, so excited about Irv Smith’s potential in 2021, but a preseason torn meniscus ended his season before it began. However, my stance has not changed, and I believe Smith could be the next great young tight end in football. There was a stretch toward the end of the 2020 season when Smith operated as the lead tight end in Minnesota. During Weeks 14-7 when Kyle Rudolph was sidelined, Smith was the TE4 in fantasy in that span, averaging just under 13 fantasy points per game. He also ranked second among all tight ends in end-zone targets during that span with four, while Smith ran a route on nearly 89% of Minnesota’s passing snaps. He was also eighth among all tight ends in routes run during that four-game stretch, despite only playing around half the snaps in Week 14. Smith can make a ton of huge plays, as his 2020 yards per target (8.49) and yards per reception (12.17) marks suggest. With Tyler Conklin now in New York, Smith has every opportunity to fully break out in 2022.
