Fantasy Football Devy and C2C: The Kids Are Alright

When it comes to drafting in a newer format like Campus to Canton (C2C) Leagues, there are no rules!

Campus to Canton is one of the most in-depth and comprehensive formats of fantasy football. The format calls for each fantasy player to manage both a NFL dynasty roster, as well as a full Devy roster simultaneously. Each team has the opportunity to compete for a championship on each side of the format, NFL or Devy, with the caveat that once players graduate from the NCAA they are automatically placed onto your NFL roster.

With two separate Championships up for grabs each season, fantasy managers have endless strategies at their disposal. My own personal preference is to take a Devy heavy approach in an attempt to create a pipeline of talent from the NCAA side to NFL.

This sounds like an obvious goal to strive for, but experienced dynasty players know just how difficult it is to project college players to the NFL and how low the hit rates are on dynasty rookie picks. Now consider the fact that in C2C leagues, the goal is to project these players two, three, and sometimes four or more years out from being drafted into the NFL. This plays into the preference of many C2C managers being conservative in their pursuit of pure Devy targets. Instead, shifting their focus in drafts to College Fantasy Football (CFF) producers earlier in drafts. This is where I think you can gain a long-term advantage by drafting with a Devy heavy approach.

To be totally transparent, this strategy is not for the faint of heart! You do run the risk of being thin on CFF production, as a lot of high end Devy assets won’t be expected to produce great fantasy production immediately.

With all of that information on the table, here’s why I prefer to draft with this approach in C2C.

The Problem With CFF

In C2C circles, you’ll often hear of player referred to as “CFF only” assets. These are players expected to produce well in college, but generally not viewed as having an NFL future. While like anything, there are exceptions. But those exceptions are generally an impossibility to predict.

With that in mind, here are some factors that contribute to my personal preference to limit these types of assets on my C2C rosters:

Risk

CFF-only assets are often viewed as “risk free” assets, but that’s not the case. These players are still vulnerable to hit rates, injury, and even being total busts. College production is often a byproduct of coaching systems, even more so than the actual skill level of the player in question. This leaves fantasy managers guessing on a player’s role within a system. It can lead managers to use multiple roster spots on one team’s position group in an attempt to hedge their bets. That’s something I’m not particularly fond of doing.

Also, in the event of a coaching change, you’re left with a less talented player who may no longer be in an advantageous position under a new regime.

Waivers

With CFF production being so scheme dependent, it’s not uncommon for some of the biggest Devy producers to be found on waivers every season. This is another opportunity to acquire CFF production at a minimal cost, even if you focused on Devy assets in the draft process.

Value

The shifting value of players in Devy is a huge portion of the format. There are many opportunities to capitalize on the value increases of ascending Devy players over the course of their college careers, whether they eventually make it onto your NFL rosters or not.

That is something you won’t see from CFF-only producers. They’re basically depreciating assets from the moment they are drafted. Their sole utility to your team is to score fantasy points.

Top CFF producers are often upperclassmen who hold very little, if any, value beyond the current season. They can often be acquired for very minimal cost in season.

CFF-only players also lack the value insulation that can come with high end Devy assets. A season ending injury, for instance, can totally diminish any value a CFF asset has. Whereas most Devy assets would still be given a benefit of the doubt.

Transfers

If you’re a fan of college football, you’re well aware of the impact the new transfer portal has had on the college football landscape. This is particularly evident when it comes to CFF assets.

We’ve seen numerous top-end college assets transfer up in competition level, in hopes of furthering their draft stock or bettering their educational opportunities. With this increase in competition level comes an uncertainty in their roles on new teams and how effective they will be in these roles. Basically, turning the appeal these players had into complete unknowns.

The Devy Appeal

My interest in Devy and C2C leagues is deeply rooted in my own personal passion for player evaluation. Naturally I prefer to view the college side of the C2C format as an extension of the NFL side; with the ultimate goal of supplementing the NFL side with as much incoming talent as possible.

This is a tricky approach. The best way is to draft aggressively with a Devy-heavy approach on the college side. Using the Devy drafting tips and Devy Astrology articles I’ve previously written will help in this approach. It will help give a baseline for draft strategy, as well as context to historical hit rates and which type of college assets and recruits we should target for future success.

Not only will hitting early on these players mean we can acquire more of these difference making assets on our teams, but it also provides greater opportunities to capitalize on their value increases.

These are a few examples from my own personal drafts:

These players are all tradeable assets. Just like in Devy or Dynasty, you can use these players as assets to move in trades with leaguemates.

The uniqueness of C2C allows you to trade assets across platforms. Not only will the players graduating to your NFL rosters help your team, but you also have the opportunity to use those college assets to help improve your NFL squads via trade.

With an average ADP increase of approximately 165 spots, you can imagine the opportunity those value increases can afford you, especially with multiple on the same rosters.

Not to mention the franchise altering momentum you can gain from drafting an Anthony Richardson 260th overall.

Todd Vincent