Conference Preview: Mountain West

In recent years, one team stood out when you thought about the Mountain West: the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Nevada started out hot last season as the No. 5 team in the nation, but it suffered some embarrassing conference losses, gave up the Mountain West tournament to Utah State, and was unceremoniously bounced out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round. They can officially throw all of that out the window, as we are looking at a completely different team this season -- as well as a different head coach. Eric Musselman?  Left to coach the Arkansas Razorbacks. Their entire 2018-19 starting lineup? Graduated.  So, has the torch been passed in the Mountain West? Is Utah State the new team to beat?  Are any of these teams truly fantasy-relevant?

We've all done it before -- scoured through oceans of statistical information trying to find a diamond in the rough, and time and again, a non-Power 5 guy will show up. You'll find some dynamic players in the big conferences, but there are some great finds in the Mountain West. You'll find the nation's top rebounder, one of the top scorers in the country, and some interesting transfer situations that could blow up for the lucky owner.  In the DFS arena, you'll find extremely low ownership as well.

Key Players

Center: Neemias Queta, C, So., Utah State

When Utah State was ranked anywhere from seventh to ninth in preseason projections, the Aggies were largely viewed as an afterthought. That all changed rather quickly when the Aggies started picking apart teams like Arizona State and BYU in the early going, and all the while, Queta's minutes kept increasing. He finished the season with 10 double-doubles and ended up leading the league in blocked shots (82).  The duo of Queta and Sam Merrill turned this team around in short order, and you can bet on the likelihood that they'll keep the cylinders humming this year, with Queta leading the way. Editor's Note: Queta recently underwent a knee procedure, but at the moment, it's not considered serious. Still worth checking up on before draft day.

Also considered: Ryan Swan, Air Force; Nate Grimes, Fresno State; Cheikh Mbacke Diong, UNLV

Freshman: K.J. Hymes, F, Fr., Nevada

With Jordan Caroline and the Martin twins gone -- in fact, the entire starting five gone -- someone has to fill in the holes left by these guys.  To make matters worse, some players had to be convinced to stay, as they were Eric Musselman loyalists. When he left for Arkansas, Hymes was one of the players who reconsidered his future with Nevada.  While not a freshman in the truest sense, he redshirted his first season and has yet to take the court. When he realized the opportunities available to him, he reconsidered and decided to stay. When grading fantasy potential, I look for players with speed, size and opportunity. At 6-10 and 210, he certainly has the size.  At Nevada, he'll have plenty of opportunities.

Also considered: Assane Diouf, Fresno State; Orlando Robinson, Fresno State

Scoring: Sam Merrill, SG, Sr., Utah State

Merrill is the only player remaining of last year's top-10 scorers in the conference, As part of Utah State's cinderella-like season, he averaged 22.1 points per game and converted 38 percent of his shots beyond the arc.  The general public saw him get totally dominated by Washington in the first round of the NCAA's last year, but that's not a good representation of Merrill's impact. He's not going to wow you with a lot of ancillary stats like assists or steals, but he will put up plenty of points. He put up as many as 38 points in a single game last season, so he has the ability to pop on any given night, giving him a lot of upside.

Also considered: Lavelle Scottie, Air Force; Justinian Jessup, Boise State; Vance Jackson, New Mexico

Rebounding: Nico Carvacho, C, Sr., Colorado State

It was very hard to keep Carvacho off the center list because I wanted the big reveal in the rebounding category.  Carvacho didn't just lead the conference in rebounding at various points last season, he led the NATION in rebounding.  He's that non-Power 5 guy you hear a lot about, but you figure there has to be some kind of catch, right? No, he's really that good.  He grabbed less than 10 rebounds only eight times last season, and collected 20 or more five times. He's not bad in the scoring department either (he averaged 16.1 points per game last season), and did I mention blocked shots? He'll get you a couple of those as well.  Carvacho is THE fantasy find of the Mountain West.

Also considered: The aforementioned Nate Grimes and Neemias Queta; Carlton Bragg, New Mexico

Assists: Noah Blackwell, PG, Sr., Fresno State

There are a lot of decent dime-droppers in the Mountain West, but this season they lost some of their best, like Cody Martin and Justin James.  In two years at Long Beach State and a junior year in Fresno, Blackwell has quietly put up some nice assist numbers, and every once in awhile, the guy will lead the team in scoring. You won't necessarily remember that he did that since watching him live is nothing flashy, but he just gets the job done.  When the game is over, you'll be glad you slotted him in.

Also considered: Amauri Hardy, UNLV:  Brae Ivey, San Jose State

Sleepers

Assane Diouf, C, Fr., Fresno State

The 7-2, 275-pound center from Senegal redshirted last season, and everyone seems to be waiting to see what he can really do. A former three-star prospect, he was initially looked at by a lot of smaller schools but eventually committed to the Bulldogs, He was ruled ineligible last year after failing to complete unspecified required coursework. The Bulldogs desperately need some help up front, and at 7-2, you have to assume that this guy can work the glass. The fact of the matter is this: there's very little footage of him, and no one really knows what he's capable of. That's the best definition of the word 'sleeper' that I've heard recently.

JaQuan Lyle, PG, Sr., New  Mexico

Lyle is one of the reasons I'm high on the Lobos this year.  The Ohio State transfer entered the portal to carve out a better role for himself, and it appeared he had found it until a ruptured Achilles tendon delayed his debut with New Mexico for a year. He's now back at practice, and although he'd buried on the depth chart, I suspect he'll be the Lobos' floor general when all is said and done.  A ruptured Achilles is no joke, and it's cause to fade him, but potential low ownership is exactly why I like him, in seasonal and daily leagues.

Also considered: Donnie Tillman, UNLV; Jalen Harris, Nevada

Top 10*

1. Nico Carvacho, C, Colorado State
2. Sam Merrill, PG, Utah State
3. Neemias Queta, C, Utah State
4. Lavelle Scottie, F, Air Force
5. Justinian Jessup, SF, Boise State
6. Carlton Bragg, PF, New Mexico
7. Ryan Swan, C, Air Force
8. Derrick Alston, PF, Boise State
9. Jalen Harris. PG, Nevada
10. Vance Jackson, PF, New Mexico

*Note: These rankings are at the discretion of the article author and may not necessarily correspond with Rotowire's official 2019-20 player rankings.