Election Day has come and gone with the masses exercising their God-given rights as Americans to go out and do their small part in choosing the next leader of this great nation.
Like debate season, College Fantasy Football's regular season has come and gone and the cream has risen to the top. If you've lobbied, prepared and executed your rosters with care all season, you are now attempting to navigate the playoffs and should be commended for 10 successful weeks.
By now most Fantasy owners have their lineups set and don't need much more Fantasy advice on diamonds in the rough to be had off the walk-on list. But seeing as though the walk-on list is still ripe with talent that can produce in a pinch, it is worth noting some of the players who can -- just in case you need it -- give your roster an added boost come crunch time.
And because of our renewed patriotism, here are two names at quarterback that are as American as apple pie -- and calzones. Giovanni Vizza at North Texas and Termple's Adam DiMichele are both available in at least 99 percent of Fantasy leagues and have been pretty much all season. Each has been consistently glossed over in Fantasy, at times for good reason, but both are on the verge of finishing of their year's very strong.
Vizza was an interesting Fantasy quarterback heading into his sophomore season after notching 17 touchdowns last year. His 20 interceptions made people shy away from drafting him but he showed the kind of potential that would allow him to improve greatly. His second season hasn't been all it can be, however, as he's thrown for 13 touchdowns and 11 picks in nine games.
Vizza and the Mean Green started the year 0-8, but that all changed last Saturday as Vizza completed 23-of-37 passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns and added another score with his legs to help UNT defeat Western Kentucky, 51-40, for their first win of the season.
The win not only gives the team a boost of confidence, but it also sheds some light on what Vizza has been up to over the past few weeks. A closer inspection shows this turnaround has been in the making for some time now.
Throw out a poor performance against a tough Troy team two weeks ago, Vizza has averaged 312 passing yards per game in his three contests. What's more, he's thrown eight touchdowns, ran for one and lost just two picks in those three games against Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe and the Hilltoppers.
An Owl on the mend
Unlike Vizza, DiMichele wasn't fortunate enough to be able to rebound from early poor performances. That's because Temple's senior leader threw two passes in the Week 4 game against Penn State and then suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to miss three straight games smack in the middle of the season.
Returning Oct. 21 against Ohio, which Temple was able to beat 14-10 for only their third win of the season, DiMichele was thrust into action a bit early and completed just 9-of-22 passes for 79 yards and one touchdown. The last full game he played, at Buffalo on Sept. 13, DiMichele threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns, so you knew something was off.
With 11 days between the game against Ohio and their next contest last Saturday at Navy, the extra time to rest made all the difference for the McKees Rocks, Pa., native.
"For me personally, it's a blessing," DiMichele told the Philadelphia Inquirer of the break between games. "It's giving me more time to get mentally prepared and get the shoulder back to where it needs to be. This week, the shoulder feels a lot better. I'm not going as hard in the weight room, but I'm throwing the ball this week better than I have in a long time."
Whether it was a little bit of clairvoyance or DiMichele can just tell when his body feels ready to perform at the highest level, the outcome was clear. The rest worked. DiMichele was 21-of-28 for 340 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in an overtime loss to the Midshipmen. Granted, the Owls couldn't eek out the win, but DiMichele certainly resembled a high-end Fantasy quarterback.
If it hadn't been for the injury, his numbers might have put him up there with all the other Fantasy viable quarterbacks. Tough defenses gave him trouble, but you can expect that from an Owls team not expected to finish with much success this season. Still, over his first three games he had thrown for five touchdowns and three picks -- two coming against UConn's tough defense in Week 2. He's now got six touchdowns compared to just one interception in the last three full games he's played.
If you are reading this and taking the advice to heart, obviously that means you are in the playoffs and might need a last-minute replacement at quarterback. Never fear, though, because with these two walk-on candidates you will get solid performances in Week 11 worthy of any high-end Fantasy quarterback.
North Texas plays at Florida Atlantic in Week 11 and FAU's defense is giving up 23 more points per game than the Mean Green's last opponent, which Vizza was able to dominate. DiMichele's Owls have another 11 days to get ready for their next game, Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Kent State. The Golden Flashes are allowing almost 27 more points per game than Navy. Both matchups are good and both quarterbacks are well worth a look off the walk-on list this week.
The All-Fantasy Team
Instead of listing the best Fantasy performers at each position, the All-Fantasy Team is the FBS program that boasts the best overall threesome of Fantasy quarterback, running back and wide receiver. This is the team with the highest ranked triumvirate at the three most important positions in Fantasy.
This team is highly ranked in all the collegiate polls but isn't necessarily the one you would expect. While Alabama, Texas Tech, Penn State, Florida and Texas are 1-5 in the AP's Top 25, none of them get to be our All-Fantasy Team.
The No. 1 overall Fantasy producer is Rice quarterback Chase Clement, which should give the Owls an advantage in this race. But since their second-best Fantasy producer is James Casey, the tight end, they lose out in the running. Sorry Owls, it's a nice accomplishment, but you are not the All-Fantasy Team.
The No. 16 overall Fantasy player is Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson. Robinson has led his Cowboys to the No. 8 AP ranking, but he's had help. The No. 28 overall Fantasy player is wide receiver Dez Bryant, Robinson's main target. And if the passing game isn't working, the No. 34 overall Fantasy producer is Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter.
With three players ranked inside the top 35 in Fantasy, the Cowboys have the best overall Fantasy triumvirate in the nation.