As you’ll see this week, the exciting names on the waiver wire can dry up quickly. Strategically, a team manager may opt to take no action on the waiver wire in any particular week, especially in cases where waivers are limited. This week could be one of those weeks. But recall, late season breakouts are possible and some players simply fall through the cracks. In 2024, DJ Giddens, Elic Ayomanor, Germie Bernard, and Josh Hoover are just a few examples of players who were available in supplemental drafts, meaning they went through the entirety of the 2023 season without being rostered by any league managers. There are 134 FBS teams, value still exists out there. We just have to find it.
As a reminder, this year, players identified in the weekly waiver wire column will be given one of 3 levels of interest: (1) monitor; (2) consider; or (3) priority. A player with a “monitor” designation should be added to your watch list. These players are not recommended as immediate pick ups. A player with a “consider” designation should be considered as a potential pick up for that week. Finally, and as the name suggests, a player with a “priority” designation is one who should be considered as a must pick up for that week.
This column is geared towards C2C players. There is a separate waiver wire article for traditional CFF. However, there is likely to be overlap between the players mentioned in both articles.
Understand that there are several different types of college fantasy leagues. Your takeaways from this weekly article should be calibrated for your specific league and format. For example, if your league has unlimited waivers, you could potentially consider any players identified in this weekly piece. On the other hand, if your waivers are limited, you will need to be selective about your waiver wire pick ups. To take it a step further, readers will need to consider whether they intend the pick up to serve pure college fantasy purposes, or, if playing in a Campus2Canton league, whether the proposed waiver wire pick up is a potential NFL talent. That distinction can be a difficult one to make, especially when made (1) with limited data to consider, (2) limited time in which to make the decision.
One more note, with 134 FBS teams, this list is unlikely to be exhaustive. Tune into the Campus2Canton podcast feed and YouTube to stay up to date.
With that said, here are the waiver wire candidates following week 2, in the order of suggested level of interest:
Cade Yacamelli, RB Wisconsin. Level of Interest – Monitor.
This writer was mocked and ridiculed in 2023 when he requested that the do it all back from Penn Trafford High School in Harrison City, Pennsylvania be added to the Campus2Canton player pool. Yacamelli was originally recruited as a receiver, and then spent time as a safety for Wisconsin before injuries in the running back room dictated that he make the switch to running back. Now in his third season, Yacamelli received significant time Saturday in relief of starter Chez Mellusi. He turned those opportunities into 8 carries for 73 yards, and added two receptions. Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker was out in the match up against South Dakota, making room for Yacamelli. But at 6’0, 215 pounds, Yacamelli has an ideal frame for the position and some receiver roots to boot. There’s no rush to stash him now, but he should be added to your watch lists.
Braedon Sloan, RB Ball State. Level of Interest – Monitor.
Ball State has played just one game in 2024. But Sloan was a centerpiece of the offense. Ball State gets Miami next week, with MAC conference play starting thereafter.
Trebor Peña, WR Syracuse. Level of Interest – Monitor.
The fourth year receiver appears to be in the midst of a breakout under first year head coach Fran Brown and with Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord. Peña has 14 targets through two weeks and 12 receptions. He also has 4 rushing attempts and is used as the punt returner. There could be players with higher ceilings than Peña, so he fits somewhere between consider and monitor on the waiver wire this week.
Isaac Wilson, QB Utah. Level of Interest – Consider.
Cam Rising went down with an apparent injury to his throwing hand. As of this writing, it is not clear how long Rising will be out. Wilson is another prospect in a long line from QB factory Corner Canyon High School in Utah. His playing style is very similar to that of his brother, the Broncos’ backup quarterback and former second overall pick Zach Wilson. In Isaac, coach Kyle Whittingham has a player who thrives out of structure and off platform. If he gets a few games to show his stuff, Isaac’s value could swoon in the next few weeks and exponentially headed into 2025. For those reasons, Isaac Wilson is a consideration this week.
Desmond Reid, RB Pitt. Level of Interest – Consider.
Reid has received 73% of Pitt’s running back carries. With Rodney Hammond Jr. out for the season, Reid *is* the running game for offensive coordinator Kade Bell. Volume is king in fantasy football. Reid is getting it, and that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.
Mario Williams, WR Tulane. Level of Interest – Consider.
The one time highly touted prospect for Oklahoma and USC is now the primary receiver for Tulane and redshirt freshman quarterback Darian Mensah . If you are in need of a receiver, you could do worse than the former 4 star who has had more than 120 yards receiving in his first two games.
Darian Mensah QB, Tulane. Level of Interest – Priority.
Speaking of Darian Mensah, the redshirt freshman was highlighted last week as a player to monitor after beating out Ty Thompson and Kai Horton down in New Orleans. But his level of interest must be upgraded to priority. Through two games, Mensah has shredded defenses as an accurate and aggressive downfield thrower with a tight spiral. Mensah is completing 70% of his passes and has a 4 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio. Mensah is a bit awkward when it comes to avoiding pressure in the pocket and running on his own. You should consider him on the Jared Goff or Carson Beck spectrum. However, he is undoubtedly a player that the Power 4 will come calling for at the end of the season. Mensah’s accuracy and ball placement at the G5 level gives this writer the same impression of elite traits that Gevani McCoy, Cam Ward, Jayden Maiava, and Jake Haener once did at lower levels of competition. Again, Mensah is probably not a player you will want to start on a week to week basis since he is not a rushing threat. But the player just might be one of the best pure passers in the country. It’s never a bad thing to have that kind of player on your roster.
Nick Marsh, WR Michigan State. Level of Interest – Priority.
Marsh is the type of player that the Campus2Canton game was created for, to find players like this. The wide receiver 48 in the Campus2Canton Freshmen Guide played 13 snaps in week 1 and 61 in week 2. Marsh turned that opportunity into 8 receptions for 194 yards against the Terrapins. The recognizable athletic comps in the Campus2Canton database for Marsh include former South Carolina standout Bryan Edwards and Illinois receiver Pat Bryant. At 6’3, 209 pounds, Marsh profiles as a big bodied possession receiver who can be used to make tough catches on hitches and slants. But that big body got behind the Maryland defense for a couple of huge plays on Saturday. Someone in your league will look to snag Marsh immediately, which makes him a priority add this week. Can he keep this up? That is not immediately clear, but he has a .66 Star Index score and is one of just 7 receivers to break the Year 1 Zero through two weeks.
Tai Felton, WR Maryland. Level of Interest – Priority
Don’t look now, but Tai Felton is leading the country in receiving yards through two weeks. You read that right. Not Tetairoa McMillan, not Luther Burden, not Jeremiah Smith, but Maryland’s Tai Felton. The result is shocking, specifically considering that Felton is thoroughly outproducing teammate Kaden Prather, an alleged early round draft candidate. Terps gamer Billy Edwards Jr. has targeted Felton a whopping 24 times through two weeks. It’s early, but if there’s a candidate for the 2024 Xavier Legette “Hey, That Guy’s Been Around A Long Time, Why Is He Breaking Out Now?” award, it could be Felton.
