Devy Digest: Monday Musings- Week 3

Andy Pham covers the third week of college football!

Prelude: Our Monday Musings article will wrap up the week that was. We’ll cover stock up, stock down, and some names to watch who might flirt with the devy landscape. We’ll discuss the waiver wire of your C2C leagues, how to structure each player, the allocation you should give to each potential pickup, and the reasoning behind it.

Devy Stock Up ⬆️

Washington WR Giles Jackson (2025)

Jackson has put together a nice season, filling the Jacob Cowing role in Jedd Fisch’s system. It was one of the reasons I liked Jackson for the upcoming season. An older prospect, Jackson has the potential to be a day-three prospect as a floor. Jackson is a good athlete coming out of High School and can show that off during Senior Bowl week or East/West Shrine Bowl week. With his productivity this season, he should be a Senior Bowl watch candidate. His usage has been good in the Washington offense, and he’s been a safety valve for Quarterback Will Rogers. Jackson has come down with all 24 targets and is elusive after the catch. Being a twitchy slot receiver, he finds the soft spot in a zone and will work his way back to his Quarterback and make himself an easy outlet. The IQ that he has being a sixth-year player is evident. Most people will hold that against him and write him off simply because he is a sixth-year guy who took advantage of his age against younger defenders. I understand that as a blanket statement, but you can see a pathway if you research. Doing research is one of the reasons I was adamant about Xavier Legette this time last year when most didn’t even know who he was. 

South Carolina RB Rahiem Sanders (2025)

If you listen to my weekly podcast, you know I’ve told you to buy Sanders for the past couple of weeks. The usage was positive, and the high-leverage situations he’s been put in were positive. He got that game to make us remember his 2022 form. We needed to see him return to his old self; he’s looked better and better each week. Will he ever capture his value from the offseason of 2023? It's unlikely, but he’s trending up and should be considered a high-end devy asset at the position.

Alabama RB Jam Miller (2025)

Miller was the lead back against Wisconsin. Miller had nine carries to Justice Haynes's two. Miller has looked sharp all season and is an ascending devy asset. Miller has shown good vision and speed as a home run threat and laterally as a runner. Miller has always had potential but is finally putting everything together in his third season. 

Devy Stock Down ⬇️

Oklahoma RB Gavin Sawchuk (2025)

Sawchuck has quickly fallen out of the rotation and the scat back has lost all of his value and shouldn’t be viewed as a viable prospect going forward. With Jovantae Barnes re-emerging and exciting true freshman Taylor Tatum in the fold, Sawchuck is a prime transfer candidate at the end of the season.

Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon (2025)

Gordon has looked slow and unathletic and has shown no burst this season. Against a porous Tulsa defense, Gordon failed to get 45 yards on the ground on 17 opportunities. Gordon will need to showcase quick burst from last year. Adding on additional weight in the offseason did him no help.

Devy Watch

Utah RB Mike Mitchell (2026)

Mitchell has cemented himself as the RB2 for the Utes. The redshirt freshman has looked good. Mitchell has been the power back and the back they use for short yardage. Mitchell has showcased good contact balance, lateral movement, and ability to fight for yardage. With Bernard moving on next year, Mitchell will be the lead back, and the former track athlete will have all the tools to be a three-down back. Mitchell's traits are tantalizing, being 6’0 and 216lbs with a verified 10.81 seconds in the 100-meter dash.

Pittsburgh QB Eli Holstein (2027)

It’s been a mixed bag, but for the most part, the positives have outweighed the negatives. Holstein’s becoming a gunslinger is not exactly how he would have been described coming out of High School. Holstein pushes the football downfield with an average depth of throw (aDOT) of 10.3 yards. Holstein fits the ball into tight coverages, puts it up in 50-50 situations, and has been bailed out a few times. Holstein is getting more comfortable as a starter as the weeks go on, and Pitt is allowing him to be vertical with this offense, and you see next-level throws. One variable I pay attention to because the NFL pays attention to, is the pressure-to-sack ratio. This past NFL Draft, Michael Penix and Bo Nix held one common trait: they got the ball out quickly and were point guards at the position; if they had pressure, they got it out quickly. The NFL wants to get ahead of the chains, and while that seems common sense, we see prospects propped up who don’t fit that mold, struggle with pressures, and take bad sacks. Holstein currently has an 18.9% in that metric, and with more experience, I would like to see that lowered. Pitt is void of any true talent; that’s another variable I look for in a quarterback; if Holstein can elevate his team and players, there could be something there.

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Freshman Watch