Pope's Pick 6: Prospects to Watch in Week 0

Welcome to Pope’s Pick 6. Once a week until the start of the season I’ll be bringing you a quick look at my college/devy fantasy football thoughts in quick-hit form. This week, we look at some prospects to watch this week in Week 0 of the college football season.

Caleb Williams, QB, USC Caleb Williams and the Trojans start their campaign for a national championship this week against a far inferior opponent in San Jose State. Williams is the premier quarterback in the 2024 class and is primed for a huge season in his second year in Lincoln Riley’s system. Williams has already flashed his immense upside for making plays outside the pocket and when plays break down, but he has struggled some inside the pocket. This week I hope to see him make a few more plays from in the pocket against a weaker opponent. He will also be adjusting to a few new weapons in the passing game, so it will be nice to see how they look as a unit.

Sam Hartman, QB, Norte Dame Sam Hartman will make his first start for the Fighting Irish this week after five years at Wake Forest. He was hyperproductive at Wake Forest producing 12,967 yards and 110 passing touchdowns against 41 interceptions. He has a big arm and impressive accuracy but offers near nothing in the run game. As a five-year veteran, he is poised and always in control of the offense something Norte Dame has been missing at quarterback the past few years. He is currently outside the top names in the draft but could still work his way into the draft discussion this year. Hartman and the passing game will get a tune-up against Navy this week as they try to improve on the anemic offense they had last year.

Marshawn Lloyd, RB, USC Marshawn Lloyd is an ascending name in the 2024 draft class after transferring from South Carolina to USC. He produced over 800 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing and over 1,000 scrimmage yards in 21 games over two seasons for an anemic Gamecocks offense. He is shorter in stature at 5-foot-9, but he has a thick and powerful frame. He marries an above-average burst with a powerful downhill style to produce chunk plays in the run game while offering a little bit in the passing game. This weekend will be our first look at him in a Trojan uniform in what is a pad-the-stats game for the superior USC team. With this in mind, I expect to see a lot of Lloyd and want him to look like he deserves the hype — he is on my short list of potential risers for this season.

Audric Estime, RB, Norte Dame Last season, Audric Estime finally got a shot to show what he has to offer for the Irish run game. In 13 games he produced over 1,000 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per touch, and he was one of the better playmakers for the Irish. At 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, Estime has the prototypical size for an NFL running back. He is a smooth mover who offers great speed and vision to turn any play into a house call. He showed this in flashes last year and I hope to see him perfect his craft in what should be a better Irish offense this year. This week will be a good test against an always-tough Navy defense that plays fast and physically. Estime is going to be a name that we hear a lot this year, and I am hopeful he can ascend into one of the premier names in this class.

Dorian Singer, WR, USC After a breakout season at Arizona, Dorian Singer took advantage of the transfer portal to head to USC. Singer had the second-most receiving yards in the Pac-12 last season with 1,105 yards but only found the end zone six times. He has decent size at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds and will slide right into the Z wide receiver role for the Trojans that was vacated by Jordan Addison. Singer has some similar traits as a deep-field threat with good ball-tracking abilities and strong hands that allow him to catch outside his frame easily. On the flip side, he is more violent and productive after the catch than Addison is — I am excited to see this in an offense that will manufacture plenty of touches for him. Dorian Singer is currently under the radar in most draft circles but is primed to ascend draft boards and this weekend could be the week he puts his name on the map.

Charles Ross, WR, San Jose State Charles Ross was used sparingly in 2021 after transferring from Nevada and only appeared in four games for the Spartans last season before sustaining a season-ending injury. In these four games, he was one of the main cogs in this offense, catching 14 passes for 204 yards and a score. He is smaller in stature at only 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, but he is an explosive athlete who understands leverage and has solid hands. After the catch, he has good speed and creativity to produce an abundance of bonus yards. This will be a tough test for him against an improving USC defense, but he will see plenty of opportunities to show he can produce against the best of them. It is unlikely Ross becomes anything in the fantasy realm, but if anyone from this San Jose roster could, it’s him.

Pope's Pick 6: Prospects to Watch in Week 0

Caleb Williams, QB, USC

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