Freshman Haze: Struggling Frosh

This season has been deemed "Year of the Freshman" by some media outlets. While we have been witness to the excellence of Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz, there have been some disappointments in the early going. I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but fantasy owners want numbers not potential. Some of the hyped first-year players have not put up much production. Will they be able to bounce back or should their owners starting look for other sources of points and boards from 'shmen?

Bam Adebayo, forward, Kentucky Wildcats

The usual line about the 2015-16 Wildcats is that they were missing muscle in the middle. The 6-foot-10, 260, Adebayo was supposed to step on the court and relieve that problem just with his immense presence. Through four games, he is averaging an uninspiring 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. Kentucky is very perimeter oriented with Isaiah Briscoe, Malik Monk, and De'Aaron Fox all averaging 15.3 points or more. None of the three big scorers are excellent perimeter shooters, which doesn't leave a lot of space for Adebayo to operate. He is also losing minutes to Derek Willis, who has more shooting range. Adebayo will likely have a huge game or two, but he will mostly operate in the guards' shadows.

Josh Jackson, forward, Kansas Jayhawks

My colleague, RotoWire James Anderson, did an excellent job profiling Jackson's upside in his Prospect Post last week. Jackson can do a little of everything as shown by the sweet highlights. Like Adebayo, the 6-8 forward is on a team that mainly features its guards, Frank Mason and Devonte' Graham. The bigger problem for Jackson thus far has been foul trouble. Over-aggressiveness has led to Jackson accumulating four fouls in each game. He has been limited to 22.0 minutes. Because the sample size is so small, he may have simply been unlucky. Jackson's numbers should bump up significantly from 11.7 points and 4.3 rebounds once he is able to stay on the court.

V.J. King, forward, Louisvllle Cardinals

Other than the emergence of forward Jaylen Johnson, the Cardinal roster is wafting with vague disappointment. Coach Rick Pitino is using his depth and has six players averaging between 6.7 and 11.0 points. King is right in the middle with 10.3 points to go with 3.3 rebounds through three games. He is doing his damage in extremely restricted playing time off the bench with just 14.7 minutes. This could be cause for hope, except that the Cardinals have not been involved in a competitive game yet and Pitino could have played King more. The 6-6 forward is a per-minute superstar, but needs to get more playing time to earn fantasy kudos.

Mario Kegler, guard/forward, Mississippi State Bulldogs

Coach Ben Howland has a knack for recruiting highly touted players. Last year brought in Malik Newman, who spent one year with the Bulldogs and absconded for Kansas. This year, the 6-7 Kegler was the top player in the class and has been a bit slow to adjust to college basketball. The good news is that Kegler is starting, but he has only scored in double digits once in four games and is making just 37.9 percent of his field goals. The small forward has hit 35.7 percent of his 3-pointers, but he is currently fifth in the scoring pecking order for the team. Fellow freshman Tyson Carter (12.3 points, 44 percent on 3-pointers) has played better than Kegler. Look for this to be a learning season for the freshman.

Quinton Rose, guard, Temple Owls

It is not fair to call the start of Rose's first season a disappointment, but he was drafted early in my Tier 2 league. He does not look like a standout freshman for the Owls yet. Through four games, the 6-8 forward is averaging 9.8 points and 4.5 rebounds. He has played at least 25 minutes in every contest and has not attempted more than nine shots. Rose is coming off his best game of the season – 14 points, three assists, and three blocks – in the win over Manhattan. He is providing better than a steal and block per game, so teams in leagues that value all-around play can make use of Rose.

Jarron Cumberland, guard, Cincinnati Bearcats

The problem with the Bearcats last year is that they had trouble scoring. The 6-5 Cumberland was thought to be an antidote for that issue after averaging nearly 30 points as a high school senior. The scoring role looks like it is being filled by sophomore Jacob Evans, who leads Cincinnati with 20.3 points. Meanwhile, Cumberland has had limited opportunities to put the ball in the hoop. He scored 11 points in the win over Albany on Nov. 14, but has not topped three points in his other three games. Cumberland could still provide a scoring spark for the Bearcats' second unit, but it appears he will be held to single digits in the majority of the games.

Luke Knapke, forward, Toledo Rockets

Fantasy players will take a flyer on a freshman big who looks like he is line for major playing time. Knapke, a 6-11 forward, redshirted with the Rockets last year and looked like he was ready to be a stretch four for coach Ted Kowalczyk. Steve Taylor Jr. has been the de facto power player for the Rockets with 16.7 points and 13.3 rebounds. Knapke has been limited to scraps of minutes. He hit his first 3-pointer of the season in the win over Wright State on Saturdya, but has only scored a combined nine points in three games. It is worth stashing Knapke's name away, but he will not be a productive fantasy player this year.