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Big East Fantasy Matchups (I)

John Leichtman
Contributor
September 07, 2010

West Virginia at Marshall – Friday, September 10, 7 p.m.

Fantasy Matchup to Watch … West Virginia Defense vs. Marshall Offense. The Mountaineers shut out Coastal Carolina, 38-0, last week and will want to keep that clean sheet as long as possible. They’ll have a good chance to do so – if only for a few more quarters – against a Marshall team that is rebuilding its program under a new head coach. The Thundering Herd managed only 199 yards and was held without an offensive touchdown in an opening week loss at Ohio State. This is a good week to have the Mountaineers in your lineup.

Don’t forget about … Noel Devine. The elusive running back struggled to break off any long runs through the first three quarters last week until finally streaking for a 53-yard run in the fourth. Look for West Virginia to get the ball into his hands early against Marshall.


Texas Southern at UConn – Saturday, September 11, 12 p.m.

Fantasy Matchup to Watch … Zach Frazer vs. TSU Pass Defense. Nearly every UConn starter had a game to forget last week against Michigan. Frazer, in particular, had More than one chance to get his team back into the game; instead, he seemed out of sync with his receivers and was unable to finish a few promising drives. We’d be surprised if he didn’t rebound with a solid performance against TSU but it would raise several red flags if he struggled for a second straight week.

Don’t forget about … UConn Run Defense vs. TCU Run Game. The Huskies looked beyond dreadful on defense against the Wolverines, raising some questions about the speed and effectiveness of their defensive line and linebacker corps. Granted, very few teams have a player like Michigan’s Denard Robinson, but their inability to stop third-and-longs was painful to watch.

Indiana State at Cincinnati – Saturday, September 11, 12 p.m.

Fantasy Matchup to Watch … Cincinnati O-Line vs. Indiana Pass Rush. Cincy’s O-Line struggled mightily against Fresno State last week – especially as the game wore on – allowing eight sacks on quarterback Zach Collaros. The Bearcats are going to have a hard time running the spread if Collaros spends half the game on his back. Fantasy owners are also going to have a hard time if their number one draft choice gets a concussion before week five. Keep an eye on how much time Collaros spends running for his life over the next few weeks. Let’s hope he returns with a four or five TD performance against an outmanned Indiana State team.


Don’t forget about … Armon Binns and D.J. Woods. Both players will likely see more looks now that Vidal Hazelton is out for the year with a torn ACL. Both players are good choices for your starting lineup this week.

South Florida at Florida – Saturday, September 11, 12:21 p.m.

Fantasy Matchup to Watch … Demetris Murray. Moise Plancher and Marcus Shaw vs. Florida Rushing Defense. Florida’s defense was abysmal against Miami (OH) last week, surrendering 200 yards on the ground and another 200 through the air. USF has a legitimate shot as an upset if they can run the ball against a suddenly-human-looking Gator defense.

Don’t forget about … B.J. Daniels. The electric dual-threat quarterback put up big numbers against Stony Brook last week. The Bulls will need him to be similarly productive the rest of the year if they’re going to put up points against legitimate competition

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