Well, well, well, everyone is a hater, huh? That is just the life of a start/sit prognosticator, I suppose. You make a gut call and go with the flow, only to be mocked. But in the end, as this week shows, (sometimes) it is good to trust us. With that in mind this week will surely be the opposite, so it could be best to go the other way. Just kidding.
After a week during which every one of our start guys grade out to an A -- outside of Cole Beasley, who left in the second quarter with a knee injury (after getting 50 yards) -- we are back in the groove. Even after heated debate on the message boards about benching Dwight Jones and Jermaine Kearse, they combined to score the same amount of touchdowns I did this weekend.
And hey, that is the point of the game, to find the end zone. Before we take a look at some Week 5 starts and sits, let's report on how we did overall in Week 4.
Starts
Emory Blake, Auburn vs. Florida Atlantic: 5 receptions, 78 yards, TD. Grade: A-
Cole Beasley, SMU vs. Memphis: 3 receptions, 50 yards, injured in game. Grade: Incomplete
Tyler Shoemaker, Boise State vs. Tulsa: 5 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TD. Grade: A
Marvin McNutt, Iowa vs. Louisiana-Monroe: 7 receptions, 100 yards, 2 TD. Grade: A
Sammy Watkins, Clemson vs. Florida State: 8 receptions, 141 yards, 2 TD. Grade: A
Conner Vernon, Duke vs. Tulane: 6 receptions 96 yards, TD. Grade: A
Sits
Dwight Jones, UNC vs. Georgia Tech: 7 receptions, 85 yards. Grade: B+
Jermaine Kearse, Washington vs. California: 3 receptions, 23 yards. Grade: A
Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers vs. Ohio: 16 receptions, 176 yards, 2 TD. Grade: F.
Sterling Griffin, USF vs. UTEP: 2 receptions, 24 yards. Grade: A
Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech vs. Mississippi State: 11 receptions, 87 yards, TD. Grade: D.
Overall Grade: A-
Now onto this week
Start ‘Em Wide Receivers (BCS)
Eric Ward, Texas Tech vs. Kansas: With top receiver Darrin Moore battling an ankle injury, Ward is now the top guy for Seth Doege and the talented offense. Ward remains a consistent red zone target who should find plenty of room to roam against a terrible Kansas defense. Despite Moore’s 21 catches (which lead the team) it is Ward who leads Texas Tech in touchdown catches with five.
Da'Rick Rogers, Tennessee vs. Buffalo: With Justin Hunter out for the year, Rogers has become the top target for the Vols, and with his insane talent, he vaults into must-start status. He already has four scores on the year, and we expect him to get two more this weekend.
Kevin Dorsey, Maryland vs. Towson: Maryland got blown out at home by Temple. They looked terrible. Yet Dorsey, who leads the team with 22 catches on the year, is a great play this weekend against Towson. Look for Randy Edsall and company to hang 50 and put up plenty of huge numbers.
All Miami (Fla.) WRs vs. Bethune-Cookman: Do we need to explain why?
All 120
Justin Johnson, Houston vs. UTEP: Who leads the Cougars in touchdown catches? Tyron Carrier? No. Patrick Edwards? No. It would be Johnson, who has four, including two last week. He is a solid No. 3 receiver start this week against a UTEP team that cannot stop anybody.
Royce Pollard, Hawaii vs. Louisiana Tech: Pollard got going and seems to be back to his productive self following a three-touchdown game last weekend. Against Louisiana Tech, Pollard should keep his momentum and find the end zone on the road this week.
Sit ‘Em Wide Receivers (BCS)
Darius Reynolds, Iowa State vs. Texas: Reynolds has been solid for the Cyclones in 2011, scoring four times. However there are two reasons for concern. He only has 13 catches on the year, which shows he doesn’t get a ton of touches, and he has done this damage against less than stellar competition. Thus, let him prove he is worthy against Texas.
La'Rod King, Kentucky vs. LSU: King has four scores in 2011 to go along with 276 yards. But there is no way he can be recommended as starter against LSU, on the road.
B.J. Cunningham, Michigan State vs. Ohio State: Something tells me the Spartans will struggle this week. I love Cunningham as a player and as a receiving option, but this is me going out on a limb this week. He is a talented receiver with potential to play on Sundays. Just a hunch.
All 120
Mike Scott, Idaho vs. Virginia: Yes, Virginia let Austin Davis toss the ball all over the field last week, but Idaho, traveling across the country, is in a bad spot. Scott has 26 catches on the year, so for those in PPR formats that’s good. But he only has one touchdown. Bench material in my book.
Ty Kirk, New Mexico vs. New Mexico State: Kirk has done a good job catching passes for the Lobos with 24 receptions. However, his per-catch average is less than 10 and he has yet to score. PPR players like the catches, but considering a coaching change and the state of Lobos football, Kirk cannot be started this week.