We continue to roll out, update, tweak, edit and revisit ourprojections and previews prior to your fantasy draft. And while doing so we're going to occasionally take a more-detailed look at some of the nation's more intriguing stars for 2012.
The players featured over the next month or so may not be the top player at their respective positions, but they'll be ones that caused the most discussion around our roundtable or appear poised for a breakout or letdown campaign.
Breakdowns of college football's top offensive stars can of course be found in the CFFInsider.com 2012 Draft Kit.
2012 Position Rank: 4th ranked Sleeper WR for 2012
2012 Draft Kit Preview:
We'd been waiting for Keenan Davis to deliver on his potential and 2011 saw him emerge as more than just second fiddle to Marvin McNutt. Last season' 50-713-4 bode well for 2012, when the 6-3 target will be expected to be the man out wide. Eliminating his little case of the dropsies will help, and if Davis can put all pieces of the puzzle together then we're looking at a possible 75-1100-10 season.
Extended Analysis:
This is not your typical Hawkeye team. The running back spot is a mess due to heavy attrition and they have the best pure passer in the Big Ten. Sorry Michigan State fans, Andrew Maxwell has yet to play a meaningful down of Div-1 football.
James Vandenberg is a shoe-in to throw for over 3000 yards again. And the Hawkeyes aren't like Houston or Washington State who will spread it out and around. They'll be heavy in two and three wide receiver sets, which means more balls will be thrown to less targets. Which is why we are high on Davis and tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz. Last year Davis and Marvin McNutt accounted for 55 percent of their passing offense. This year look for Fiedorowicz and Davis to shoulder the load.
Of course it is all not sunshine and roses for Davis. He still has to become a more consistent pass catcher. Dropping passes is not a good way to make a living if you're a receiver.
Final Thought:
I was shocked to see no one draft Davis in either the Athlon Mock Draft or the CFFinsider BCS-only Mock Draft this spring. He should of been a mid-round pick in both drafts. I passed on him as my third of fourth WR in the Athlon draft simply to take some lesser known names for the readers. Had this been a real league, Davis would be on my roster as a WR2/3.