FLootball Staff Article- 8/9/13
ACC!, ACC!, ACC! AC.....? Er, anybody? Ok ACC fans, let's just get it out of the way; our football programs, as a whole, suck it. Despite the recent resurgences of Clemson, FSU, and Miami, our conference teams has been incredibly disappointing in BCS bowl appearances (looking at you Va tech), and games against SEC competition (looking at you FSU, Va tech, Clemson, NC State, UNC, BC, UMD, etc., etc.).
But we don't care about "teams" in fantasy, Its all about individual accolades! On that note, there are actually a few decent fantasy players coming out of the ACC this year... but there weren't quite enough to make a top 10 list. In fact, there are only 4 worth mentioning. So without further Adieu, here are your Top 4 ACC Fantasy Rookies for 2013!:
1. Giovanni Bernard-UNC- 2nd round to Bengals-
Well this one is a no brainer. Bernard was an absolute monster at UNC, totaling 3,333 yards from scrimmage to go with 31 Tds in his college career. Granted, he was piling up these career numbers against vaunted ACC football powers like Duke and Wake Forest, but his potential is obvious. He is a quick and versatile back, with good hands out of the backfield; kind of like a poor man's C.J Spiller.
Speaking of C.J. Spiller, at first blush Bernard seems to have landed in a similar spot as Spiller did with the Bills; in free agency the Bengals picked up The Law Firm, aka BJGE, aka the artist formerly know as Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis. C.J. Spiller had to wait behind Fred Jackson for his first couple years with the Bills, despite showing flashes of brilliance. Will the situation with Bernard and BJGE be the same, with Bernard getting less carries behind the veteran? I don't think so. The Law Firm is a decent back, but Bernard has the versatility and big play potential out of the back field the Bengals crave.
Another good sign is that Bernard got 10 carries to The Law Firm's 3 in the Bengals first preseason game against the Falcons. If that is the ratio of carries we can come to expect this year for the Bengals backs, then Bernard is hands down the best ACC fantasy rookie in 2013, and quite possibly the best overall impact rookie in the league. I would feel comfortable drafting Bernard as my Flex back, or even a middle of the road #2 running back, especially in PPR leagues.
2. DeAndre Hopkins- Clemson-1st round to Texans-
CBS Sports' Pat Kirwan recently compared the Texans' new receiving duo of Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins to the dynamic Falcons duo of Julio Jones and Roddy White. That's high praise for the Clemson standout, who amassed over 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns in his career with the Tigers.
Hopkins will no doubt be the Robin to Andre Johnson's Batman, but that's not always such a bad thing. With Johnson and Arian Foster drawing so much attention from defenders, Hopkins could definitely reap the benefits of a lot of open looks. This situation is reminiscence Reggie Wayne's early years with the Colts. With Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison giving fits to defenders all over the field, Wayne was able to be a pretty solid fantasy wide receiver under the radar due to a lot of single coverage situations in the slot.
Hopkins is a late round sleeper pick, maybe a low-end #2 receiver, but most definitely a solid guy to have on your bench this year.
3. E.J Manuel- Florida State-1st round to the Bills-
Yes, E.J Manuel is #3 on this "Best of the ACC" list. Yes, that simple fact shows the weakness of the ACC's incoming rookie class. Manuel came into FSU with all the hype in the world; he was ranked almost unanimously as the #1 high school QB recruit. However, his career at FSU was just so-so. He's got a lot of asterisks next to his abilities and accomplishments in his time with Seminoles. For instance: Manuel had a really good completion percentage in college *BUT the FSU offense was super simple and included a lot of short yardage throws. He has good mobility *BUT he's no Russell Wilson, RGIII, or Kaepernick. He won a BCS bowl at FSU *BUT it was against mid-major Northern Illinois.
Despite having more questions than answers as to whether he can hack it in the NFL, The Bills had faith enough to draft E.J. with the 16th overall pick in the draft. With Kevin Kolb sidelined with injury, and the fact that Kevin Kolb is... Kevin Kolb, The Bills QB job is likely Manuel's for the taking. That doesn't mean you should probably draft Manuel, unless you are in a 2 QB league and forgot to draft your 2nd QB until the last round. But he is definitely a guy to keep an eye on due to his ability to make plays with his *arm and his *legs. He could potentially be an *excellent bye-week replacement.
4. Mike Glennon-NC State- 3rd round to the Bucs-
Mike Glennon was in the same QB class as Manuel coming out of Highschool, and was also a highly regarded QB prospect. Glennon is a big (6'6"), hard throwing, old school stand in the pocket type QB. Kind of like Ben Roethlisberger but not fat. Kind of like Peyton Manning, but not as accurate, smart, or as good a leader. You get the idea. But he has LOADS of potential.
Glennon was expected to come in as a freshman at NC State and take over the QB job, and he probably would have... if it hadn't been for a shrimpy, no hype QB recruit by the name of Russell Wilson. You may have heard of him. Wilson held onto the job for the next 3 years before being told by then State head coach Tom O'Brien that he was gonna ride the pine in his final season, (for reasons we won't go into), so Wilson transferred to Wisconsin to be the starter. (why Tom, why?!). Wilson is now a NFL super star, and nobody remembers he went to NC State. Some bitter Wolf pack fans call that phenomenon "NC State Sh*t." (It even has its own Twitter Handle). But I digress. Glennon went on to have two pretty successful seasons with the Wolf pack after Wilson's departure, racking up some monster yardage and touchdown totals.
Glennon landed with the Bucs in the 3rd round, which is a pretty solid situation for him. He will begin this year as the backup to incumbent Josh Freeman, however Freeman has had two piss poor seasons in a row in Tampa, and his seat is hot. If he struggles early, Glennon might get the call. Due to his accuracy, cannon for an arm, and ability to make smart reads, Glennon has the potential to be a pretty serviceable fantasy QB... just probably not this year. Still, keep an eye on the Bucs QB situation through the season. If Glennon gets the nod, he could potentially be a great bye week replacement, or even a solid #2 option at the position.
That's it for the ACC's Top 4 Impact Fantasy Rookies. Stay tuned for next week, when we preview the SEC and their Top 40 Impact Fantasy Rookies segment.
Happy Friday!
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