What an incredible week for CFF! Delaware got things started early in the week with another triumphant game from the returning Nick Minicucci. A few days later, we had an increasingly rare 77.5 over/under game between FAU and UNT, and it lived up to every billing you could think of!
On Saturday, Oklahoma State-Iowa St looked like it would be the CFF shootout of the weekend, but thankfully, Boise State’s defense decided to play only 30 minutes in a late-night shootout that saw 60 points scored in the 2nd half!
As great a weekend as it was, are there any CFF producers left to grab on the waivers? Not going to lie to you all, it’s getting tough. The CFF community has done a great job picking the wire clean this season, and with most teams already through their bye weeks, there are increasingly fewer opportunities for major switches in teams’ personnel usage. That doesn’t mean there are none, tho! It’s just that the ones that are there will come with questions.
That said, here’s who you could grab off the waiver wire coming out of Week 7! All players mentioned are rostered at a sub-30% rate in Fantrax CFF leagues.
Quarterbacks
Thomas Castellanos – Texas Tech – Ros: 5%
Let’s start with the clearest add of the week. Look, I’d love to take the principled stand and say, because I don’t think Castellanos should’ve gotten his extra year of eligibility, that I’m not going to use him in fantasy, but that would be foolish from a competitive standpoint. It looks like the courts are done going back and forth on this, and the Red Raiders made the change at quarterback after Will Hammond has been less than impressive this year. Based on his one full-time start, Castellanos could be a difference maker down the stretch.
As has become the norm with Castellanos, his passing left something to be desired. He completed less than 50% of his passes and threw for under 150 yards, though he did get two TDs. However, his legs have been and always will be a difference maker. Despite competition for carries among the running backs, Castellanos ran the ball 18 times for 124 yards and a touchdown and was sacked only once for 7 yards. This all added up to a 30-point performance for his debut as the starter.
I’d be shocked if Texas Tech goes back to Hammond at this point. Castellanos’ upcoming schedule is pristine for CFF, with West Virginia and Oklahoma State (two of the worst defenses in the Power 4) as his next two matchups. After that, he finishes with Baylor and TCU, who are tougher outs compared to the previous two, but not tougher than Arizona, who he just ran all over.
Tait Reynolds – Clemson – Ros: 22%
The drop-off from Castellanos to here is big, but if Clemson’s offense is starting to find a rhythm, you might want to add true-freshman QB Tait Reynolds. Over the last two weeks, Reynolds has shown what you can expect from him and this offense going forward. You won’t get gaudy passing numbers (sorry to those still holding out hope for Moore and Wesco), but you’ll get 150-200 yards. The bigger deal is his legs. Reynolds has had 32 carries over the last two weeks for 148 yards. He’d have 47 more yards if he wasn’t taking four sacks a game behind this offensive line.
His rushing usage makes him one of the more intriguing adds at QB this week and gives him bigger upside down the line. Some conferences always make you interested in any dual-threat QB, and the ACC is one of them. Clemson’s upcoming schedule makes this even more apparent: Syracuse, Georgia Tech, and Duke. All of those matchups are startable for Reynolds, except Duke, whose defense has allowed only 1 team to break 28 points this year.
Conner Harrell – Charlotte – Ros: 4%
Welcome back, Mr. Harrell, the 49ers nation, and we have been waiting for your return. After missing a good chunk of the season due to injury and slowly coming back, it looks like Conner Harrell is finally at full strength, and the 49ers are benefiting. After not being able to break 10 offensive points for three weeks straight (including against North Texas’ abysmal defense, how is that even possible?), Charlotte has broken 30 points offensively for two straight weeks for the first time since November 2023, nearly three years ago.
Harrell, whether it’s due to injury or his own previous limitations, doesn’t quite match the highs of previous Tim Albin QBs like Parker Navarro and Nathan Rourke, so don’t be expecting that here. However, he is mobile enough to run around the goal line, which is increasingly likely given the horrid state of Charlotte’s RB room, and that’s enough for CFF players.
It can lead to games like the one he had against Temple, where he scored two touchdowns despite only having 7 carries for 22 yards. His passing is also solid enough, with over 200 yards in each of his three starts so far and multiple touchdowns in two of them. His upcoming schedule isn’t great, with East Carolina on deck in Week 11, but UAB and Tulsa are startable matchups if one of your main QBs is stuck in a worse matchup.
Honorable Mentions
- Trey Owens – Arkansas State – 15%
- Owen Eshelman – Washington State – 23%
- McCae Hilstead – Utah State – 9%
Running Backs
Damon Ferguson – Pittsburgh – Ros: 32%
Running back is such a wasteland on the waiver wire that I’m breaking my 30% roster-ship rule. It also helps that if things don’t change going forward, this could be one of the most important pickups at the position remaining this year.
Damon Ferguson was already, annoyingly, taking away carries from Ja’Kyrian Turner well before this past week, and given Turner’s inability to stay healthy, there were many weeks where Ferguson got even more carries than him. However, Turner’s latest injury sounds more severe. When asked about Ferguson being banged up the week prior, Pat Narduzzi said that Ferguson’s injury was minor and “not like Boozie’s”, referring to Turner. When asked to elaborate on what he meant regarding Turner’s injury, Narduzzi refused to do so. So it sounds as if Turner will be out for some time.
If that’s the case, we should definitely be reading a lot into what we saw this past week. Ferguson ran the ball 31 times (!) for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had three targets for one catch and 11 yards. So he had, in total, 34 total opportunities and 196 yards of production.
Obviously, given how we’ve seen Turner and Desmond Reid get ridden down the stretch under Narduzzi, this has our full attention. Especially since Pitt’s last three matchups are Florida State, Louisville, and Cal, all of which rank 90th or worse against running backs. You will have to wait a week, which could give Turner time to recover, but if he doesn’t and this is Ferguson’s backfield for the rest of the regular season, we could end up seeing a league winner here.
Alan Woods – Kennesaw State – Ros: 4%
After Ferguson, we quickly enter the realm of running back waiver options that all mostly amount to “Please God above, just get me 60-70 yards and a touchdown.” Alan Woods perfectly represents this. His volume isn’t elite by any stretch, as he hasn’t seen more than 13 carries on the ground over the last three weeks. He is supplemented by passing game work, though, with 10 targets over the last three weeks.
Unfortunately, you can’t count on his production overcoming that lack of volume, as his max total yardage over the last three weeks was 83 yards. However, Woods is the clear top back for Kennesaw State, and at this point in the season, any clear top back is interesting on the wire. It helps when Kennesaw State’s upcoming schedule includes Delaware, Sam Houston, and FIU. Those are all defenses KSU’s offense should be able to score against, giving Woods the touchdowns he’ll need to be a starter.
Jabree Coleman – South Carolina – 4%
Injuries, injuries, and more injuries. South Carolina notched another big win this weekend over Oklahoma, but it came at the cost of their workhorse back, Matt Fuller, who was quickly ruled out for the season after the game. In this scenario, as with many others, we have to go with the next man up.
Penn State transfer Jabree Coleman got most of the carries after Fuller went down. It was no super-successful day for him. He had 62 yards on 13 carries on the ground, with 2 catches for 8 yards. However, I’m willing to dismiss that against an Oklahoma front seven that’s still very adept at stopping the run. Admittedly, though, the matchups don’t get much better, with S. Carolina’s next three opponents including Texas A&M and Georgia. Starting against Georgia is a non-starter; the other two, plus the final week against Clemson, are workable. However, this depends on whether Coleman can inherit the volume. If not, keep this one on the watchlist.
Honorable Mentions
- Michael Barrow – Navy – 8%
- Ahmad Miller – Syracuse – 17%
- Aidan Laughery – Illinois -10%
Wide Receivers
Anthony Garcia – Utah State – Ros: 9%
It took Eli Wood being out, but I can finally feel vindicated for my Anthony Garcia love this off-season! Garcia has been on a tear these last couple of weeks, seeing 10+ targets against both Texas State and Colorado State. These games have combined for over 200 yards but, unfortunately, haven’t turned into touchdowns yet.
You have to imagine, tho, as those target numbers stay up, the touchdown opportunities will arrive as well. Especially when you consider the Aggies’ remaining schedule. They finish the year with Fresno State, San Diego State, and Oregon State. Two of those are 120th or worse against WRs this season, and Oregon State itself is very gettable. I’m not a huge fan of this offense this year, but even they should be able to be consistent against that row of struggling defenses.
Hopefully doubly so with QB McCae Hilstead back at the helm. If and when Eli Wood returns, we’ll see if they stick with Garcia as a primary option, but for now, he’s more than worth an add.
Kayden McGee – UNLV – Ros: 3%
Has McGee been one of the quieter, productive receivers lately? Only 3% rostered, but in three of four games, he’s had at least 85 yards and a touchdown. His only flop game came against North Dakota State, which isn’t surprising, as many have had flop games against the Bison. The volume isn’t great for McGee, as he’s had multiple recent games with only three targets, but that’s okay on two fronts.
One, his per-game targets have risen from 3 to 7 over the last three weeks, so we’ll hope that continues. Two, McGee earns his nickname: “Big Play”. He truly is a big play waiting to happen any given weekend. In the last four weeks, he’s had plays of 70, 68, and 75 yards. If he can bust one of those each week, you’d be golden at the start.
Unfortunately, his upcoming schedule doesn’t typically allow for those, as Wyoming, New Mexico, and San Jose State are quite stingy defenses for the Mountain West. San Jose State is particularly good at stopping explosive plays, while New Mexico and Wyoming are solid defenses overall, but are among the worst at giving up explosive plays. So that’ll be a fun pickle to sort through, but if McGee’s volume increases, then we won’t have to worry about it as much.
Alex Taylor – Georgia Southern – Ros: 5%
I was so happy with my hype for Ashton Hollins earlier this year. He truly looked like he’d pick up right where Camden Brown left off on the outside in this passing game. Unfortunately, injury stole him away from us. However, Georgia Southern had a clear replacement, and it feels like people aren’t talking nearly enough about him.
Since Hollins went down, Alex Taylor has been the clear go-to outside target for this offense. He’s averaged eight targets per game over the last five games, and his production has been solid in almost every game. He’s had 75+ yards and 6 receptions in four of his last five games, which is a locked-in 13.5 fpts in PPR. The only game he didn’t produce was against JMU, and he got bracketed in that one.
The only issue with his production is his lack of touchdowns for whatever reason. He hasn’t scored in a month, and much of that has to do with the offense struggling more with Max Johnson banged up and them relying more on their defense. However, the upcoming schedule may not reflect that. The Eagles’ last four matchups are Marshall, Georgia State, Troy, and Louisiana Tech, all outside the top 80 against the pass, with Georgia State and Troy outside the top 100. It’s a beautiful end to the season, and you have to imagine more TDs are in store for Taylor.
Honorable Mentions
- Jaylon Hawkins – San Diego State – 16%
- Chris Lawson – Washington – 14%
- Sam Pickett – App State – 20%
- Josh Derry – UCF – 16%
- Rico Scott – Alabama – 9%
Tight Ends
Max Reese – North Texas – Ros: 13%
Are tight ends a crap-shoot this year? No way; this is brand new information. I would never expect this. However, even with the crap-shoot nature of the position, you can be smart about where you roll the dice. Take North Texas.
It has one of the most productive offenses in the country, and its second-leading receiver by receptions and yards is a tight end. Sure, he’s only had three touchdowns this year, but given that North Texas will be in shootouts every week and look to get Reese involved at least three times a game, it’s hard to see how he’s still rostered in less than 15% of leagues. This is the kind of guy that’ll still be quite boom or bust at the position, but he’s one you feel good about starting each week, knowing the highs will be high, and the lows will be…well…just as low as any other tight end.
Honorable Mentions
- Connor Lair – Missouri State – 30% <– Priority add!!
- Cole Keller – James Madison – 22%
