The Fiesta Bowl gave us a better football game than the Peach Bowl. Like the Peach Bowl and this level of college football, several players that we will soon see on Sunday were in action. Included were some players soon to be on our fantasy football teams and players we’ll be eyeing for in our dynasty drafts. Just as we did in our Peach Bowl recap, we’ll talk about some of the bigger name players we saw in the Fiesta Bowl.
Clemson gives us both of the better options here, starting with a guy I’m personally high on, running back Travis Etienne. Etienne put on an absolute clinic and showed why he’ll be one of the first names off the board in most dynasty drafts this upcoming year on Saturday. He ran the ball 10 times for just 36 yards and a score. Where he really shined was the passing game, where he’ll be very valuable at the next level. He had three receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a smaller guy and some fear his size could be an issue at the next level. He’s still a superior athlete who is extremely shifty, elusive and explosive. He had 1,536 rushing yards on the season and 396 receiving yards.
Playing opposite Etienne is a running back who too has quite the resume. J.K. Dobbins outperformed Etienne on Saturday, running the ball 18 times for 174 yards and a touchdown. He too showed his ability to catch the football out of the backfield with six receptions for 47 yards. He’s not one of the top options in terms of running backs when we have the likes of Etienne, Jonathan Taylor and De’Andre Swift, but he’s going to get his chance to put his talents to the test on Sundays. Dobbins ran for over 2,000 yards on the season, which is absolutely crazy. His landing spot will have a lot to do with his value, but he’s definitely a guy who will be flirting with late first round selection in dynasty.
Moving outside, Clemson also has the superior NFL prospect in Tee Higgins. Tee Higgins is a monster. He’s six-foot-four and has an unlimited catching radius. He’s not a burner, but with his size, the 4.6 speed he does possess is not all that bad. As most wide receivers go, his landing place will affect his draft stock. I’m not one to think Higgins can be a true number one receiver but he has big play potential written all over him. In the first round of dynasty drafts he’ll be off the board in the first round, more often than not. He caught 56 balls for 1,115 yards and 13 TDs this season.
Finally, we’ll go again, to the opposite side of the field to Ohio State wideout K.J. Hill. Hill has a limited catch radius with short arms, but is a very fluid and complete receiver. He’s seasoned and shows that with his great ball skills. This is a guy who is going to be a late round selection in the NFL draft but I think he’s going to have a fine career. I think he’s a steal and at this point, is very underrated. I think he makes his way up draft boards as things progress more this off-season. He posted 885 receiving yards last year and 636 yards this year. I think that's part of the team running the ball more this year. Again, this has a lot to do with landing placement, but this guy could be the steal of your dynasty draft in the third round.
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