Three Key Players "Trending Positively" For Stanford Ahead of Duke Matchup

After a bye week, Stanford is looking to get some key pieces back against Duke, though it's still too early in the week to tell which players will ultimately be available at kickoff. 

Offensive linemen Niki Prongos, Simione Pale, and wide receiver Nico Brown are all listed on the Cardinal depth chart, so Stanford Roundtable asked about each player's availability at this week's press conference with head coach Tavita Pritchard. 

"It's too early for me to call if those guys are absolutely going," Pritchard said. "The signs are positive for sure. All those ones [Brown, Prongos, Pale] are trending positively, and we'll see where we are in the later parts of the week." 

Coach Pritchard has said previously that he views wide receivers as a basketball team, where each player has different skills that can be utilized in different situations, giving them different ways to attack the opposing defense. 

Potentially having Brown back against a tough defense like Duke would be a big boost to the offense. Caden High missed the first week against Hawai'i, then exploded for six catches and 92 yards against Miami in his first game of the season. Brown is seen as a potential high-level complementary piece to High when they're both healthy.

In Week 1 against Miami, High was on a snap count, which he accumulated in the first half. He said that any potential snap count heading into this week's game will be up to the coaches, but he has been practicing "full go" and has been out there with the first string players. 

"There shouldn't be," High said in reference to any sort of snap count against Duke. 

On the offensive line, Prongos graded out as one of the best pass blockers on the team last season with a PFF grade of 75.2. While he's not certain to play, getting him back in the near future would be a big boost to Stanford's O-line, and could be the difference between another rebuilding season and a step forward for the program.

Pale was Stanford's best run blocker last season with a PFF grade of 65.1. Getting one of, or both, of those players back would be a big boost for the Cardinal line going into a tough conference matchup. Duke entered the season with the No. 67 ranked defensive line in college football.

Stanford is ranked 57th, though that was with a projected healthy front that included transfer Aidan Kilstrom at center to solidify the line. He was injured in Week 0 and could be out for a while. Getting any sort of boost on the offensive line is going to allow the Cardinal to have a fully functioning offense moving forward.