The wait is officially over and Week 1 of the 2025 season is in the books (pending a few Sunday and Labor Day games). We were blessed with a full lineup where we got eyes on all of the teams whose unknowns have been driving us nuts this off-season. While all our questions weren’t answered, we still have a large group of players to start adding to our rosters.
In a deep year for quarterbacks, where many known commodities were sucked up in drafts, it’s no surprise that there’s few game-changing options on the waiver wire. However, dual-threat QBs can still be weekly winners and there’s a few big time ones to emerge this weekend. At running back, rooms we were told would be split between multiple guys turned out to be anything but. Especially at the G5 level, there are quite a few surprise workhorses that need to find homes on rosters as soon as possible. Then there’s the WRs. Good Lord in Heaven, there are so many wide receivers who are intriguing this week. Before I started writing this article, I had as many as 25 WRs written down to potentially discuss. I’ve somehow managed to cut it down to 3 to dive into, but there are so many names you could throw my way and it wouldn’t be a lie to say they’re worth a pickup, even if most of them have some warts that keep them from being a surefire bet. Finally, at tight end, some old CFF favorites have reemerged after being left for dead either because of injury or because of failure at previous schools. There’s quite a few to be excited out that could easily end up being weekly starters if things break right for them in their offenses.
With all that being said, let’s look at who you could be grabbing off the waiver wire to enhance your playoff runs! All players mentioned are sub-30% rostered in Fantrax CFF leagues.
Quarterbacks
Brad Jackson – Texas State – Ros: 20%
How in the world is a GJ Kinne quarterback available on waivers? Well, despite Jackson getting backup duties for Texas State last season, for most of the off-season it was far from a certainty Jackson would win the starting job. He was competing against the likes of Holden Geriner, Nate Yarnell and Kedric Luster in a 4-way race for the job. It did not help that based on what we had previously seen from Jackson, he didn’t quite fit what we’d want to see in a Kinne starting QB. When Jackson filled in for Jordan McCloud last season, he was very limited in his passing opportunities and was much more often used as a runner. This led to doubt that Jackson could run this full offense and if one of the more traditional QBs would eventually win the job. Well, there is no doubt now.
In his first start of the season, Jackson passed 26 times and completed 18 of them for a solid 69.2% competition percentage, a marked improvement from what we saw last season. This totaled in 214 yards through the air and 4 touchdowns. Jackson was able to run some, as expected, totaling 48 yards on 10 carries. Now that Jackson’s passing ability has improved, in addition to his potential to rush for 100 yards any given week, Jackson could very well end up a weekly starter in most leagues. Outside of a date with Arizona State in a few weeks, there would be very little resistance to Jackson being worth a start most weeks.
Beau Pribula – Missouri – Ros: 20%
Another quarterback competition that entered into the season. Going into week 1, both Beau Pribula and Sam Horn were set to get series in their week 1 game against Central Arkansas. The competition ended quickly. The bad news is that it ended quickly because Sam Horn was injured on his first snap of the game. The good news is that is ended quickly because Beau Pribula looked really good. Pribula completed 23 of 28 passes for 283 yards and 2 touchdowns. As expected with Pribula, we also saw him use his legs, where he accumulated 65 yards and 2 TDs on 10 carries. It was against Central Arkansas, but Pribula’s passing numbers answered a lot of questions regarding his ability to be more than a rushing threat. He was able to show off his arm in different moments including an early deep shot for Marquis Johnson for a touchdown.
College fantasy players will remember what this offensive system did for Brady Cook just two years ago, allowing him to finish as a top 30 QB in college fantasy 2023. Pribula, with his rushing skill-set, looks to be able to potentially take even more advantage. The main thing that will hold Pribula back is playing in an SEC schedule where shootouts are less likely to happen.
Dewayne Coleman – Army – Ros: 16%
Bryson Daily he is not, but that still should prevent CFF players from adding Dewayne Coleman to their rosters this season. I had mentioned during the off-season that Coleman was worth a late-round shot at quarterback, mostly due to the fact that even if he was only able to get 65-70% of the production that Daily was able to get last season, then he’s still a viable CFF QB option. Well, it looks like that is exactly what we’re going to get.
Coleman did not play the whole game, as he was taken out due to what appears to be a minor injury, more on that in a second. In the time he did play, though, you have to love what you saw. Coleman passed 12 times and completed 7 of them for 129 yards and a TD. Then, just like a good Army QB, he ran the ball 24 times for 100 yards and another TD. The fact that Army failed to put away a Tarleton State FCS squad definitely is concerning as the Black Knights get ready to enter harder competition, but an early season loss might be enough to get them to set things straight. Coleman being banged up this early is also concerning and the hope is his injury isn’t anything that keeps him out short or long term.
Honorable Mentions
- Drew Mestemaker, North Texas – 32% (Should be 100% by end of week)
- Jake Retzlaff, Tulane – 18%
- Hauss Hejny, Oklahoma State – 20% (Injured, worth the IR stash)
- Nick Minicucci, Delaware – 0%
- Anthony Colandrea, UNLV – 21%
Running Backs
Myles Montgomery – UCF – Ros: 14%
I’ve been a Myles Montgomery believer since his days at Cincinnati. It sucked having to watch him be stuck behind RJ Harvey at UCF, but now his time has come and those who have believed are being rewarded. There was concern that Scott Frost, who rarely uses a workhorse, was bringing in the likes of Jaden Nixon to run another split backfield. Those fears were completely absolved on Friday night as Montgomery got 56.8% of the carries and his main competition was the dual threat QBs he was playing with, not another RB. In fact, the next closest among the RBs in carries was Jaden Nixon with a whopping 2. Frost made it very clear: Montgomery is a tier above the rest of his room and they are going to rely on him.
Now, watching UCF struggle to put away a depleted Jacksonville State squad wasn’t great and certainly makes me concerned that Montgomery’s scoring opportunities will remain low. However, I do think that Montgomery was one of the few things that worked on this offense, which will only continue to make this staff rely on him when they need to score. Montgomery was by far the most productive member on the squad with 21 carries for 79 yards and 3 catches for 71 yards. With Tayven Jackson now looking to be the starting quarterback moving forward, the hope is that Jackson makes the passing game more viable. This will help Montgomery in two ways. First, it’ll lead to more sweet PPR points for him. Second, it will lighten the box as defenses don’t feel like they can key in on the run like Jacksonville St did. Montgomery has a bright CFF future ahead, especially playing in a high scoring conference like the Big XII.
Rashod Dubinion – Appalachian State – Ros: 11%
With Dowell Loggains taking over as the head coach of App State, there was no doubt that he would want his offense to translate in Boone. That sounds easy but in his last two years at South Carolina, Loggains employed a split backfield in 2023, with Mario Anderson, Joyner and others, and a workhorse in 2024 with Raheim Sanders. So it wasn’t entirely clear what we should expect at App State. The word was that we’d see a committee approach, headlined by a split between Dubinion and program veteran Kanye Roberts. Unfortunately right before the season, Roberts sustained a season-ending injury. Most of Roberts’ carries seem to be headed toward Dubinion, making him a true workhorse back for the Mountaineers.
Dubinion finished the game against Charlotte on Saturday with 22 carries, totaling 111 yards and a TD. He also saw 6 targets which resulted in 5 catches for 31 yards, which could come in real handy in PPR leagues. Dubinion’s previously relationship with Loggains, from when both were at Arkansas, should solidify his position on this team and make him an excellent weekly play, especially as the Mountaineers get into Sun Belt play.
Lucky Sutton – San Diego State – 14%
For much of the off-season, there was much doubt that we’d ever see Sean Lewis make a workhorse back who didn’t carry the name Marquez Cooper. After all, that is literally the only player Lewis has allowed to tote the rock that many times. However, as we got closer to the season, whispers of a “Lucky Number 7” began to surface in practice reports and they were quite literally referring to Lucky Sutton, who wears #7.
And a good luck charm he may end up being. Sutton put up a nice stat-line of 100 yards and 2 TDs on 22 carries against Stony Brook. While not a great line in terms of efficient touches, especially against an FCS opponent, we don’t need him to be that efficient to be relevant. This is a pure volume play. In 2024, Cooper finished as the RB16 in CFF. Theoretically, Sutton will be playing with a better QB than what Cooper had last season which could be both good and bad for his upside, similar to Myles Montgomery, where it’ll lighten the box against him but also doesn’t let him monopolize scoring opportunities like Cooper did. Regardless, a workhorse back in the Mountain West is more than welcome in CFF.
Honorable Mentions
- Jevon Jackson, UAB – 14%
- Sam Scott, Wyoming – 5%
- Tae Meadows, Troy – 1%
- Dominic Richardson, Tulsa – 4%
- Quinton Jackson, Rice – 3%
- Jalen Dupree, Colorado State – 2%
- Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss – 26% (Should be 100% by end of week)
Wide Receivers
Chase Hendricks – Ohio – Ros: 25%
Most of the popular waiver WRs this week have holes that can be poked in their potential. Their target share was too low. They play on an offense that isn’t going to score a lot. Their system doesn’t normally support a CFF relevant WR. However, Chase Hendricks at Ohio checks off all of the boxes and makes him a must add in any format.
With Tim Albin leaving for Charlotte and Brian Smith’s promotion from offensive coordinator to head coach, the assumption was that Ohio’s offense was going to look very similar to past years. Based on what we saw on Saturday vs Rutgers, we were correct to assume that. One of the key pieces of that system the last couple of years has been a slot WR to force feed. The two names that come to mind in the last few years are Sam Wiglusz and Coleman Owen. The talk during the off-season was that Chase Hendricks would be that next guy up for Ohio, but he had played on the outside most of his career. This left enough doubt in drafters’ minds that someone else could emerge that Hendricks slipped in drafts.
Hendricks was not kept on the outside like previous seasons. He has been moved into the slot, which solidifies his CFF relevance not only as the most talented receiving option on this squad, but he’s now in the system spot to benefit the most as well. Against the Scarlet Knights, Hendricks saw 12 throws head his way. He caught 9 of them for 115 yards. He didn’t find the endzone but given his usage, that issue will be solved sooner rather than later. Those 12 targets were a whopping 42.9% share of all the throws. Simply put, Hendricks is going to be fed. It’s even better that Hendricks saw all this workload against a Power 4 defense that has been solid in recent years. It just shows how much this staff plans to rely on him in the toughest matchups and they need a play to win. The bobcats may have come up just short against Rutgers, but Hendricks’ impact on the 2025 CFF will be felt for a long time as the weeks role on.
Jaden Bradley – UNLV – Ros: 11%
I don’t love the idea of betting on Dan Mullen to produce weekly WRs for CFF, but we now have two weeks in a row of Jaden Bradley producing and it looks like this is going to be a thing. So far this season, Colandrea hasn’t passed for more than 25 times in either game he’s been a part of. Granted, he hasn’t been required to do so by game script, but the point still stands that this is a relatively low volume passing game. That’s what makes it so impressive that Bradley has had not just one but two 100+ yard games to start the season.
In each contest, Bradley has lead Rebel receivers in key stats: targets (13) and average depth of target (16.9). So not only is he getting the most opportunities for his squad, but he’s getting high-value opportunities. There is not much more you can ask of a WR in an offense in a low-passing volume. The good news is that UNLV is on its way to becoming this season’s 2024 New Mexico: a good offense paired with a terrible defense that forces its best players to score and produce. Once Bradley gets past his tough matchup vs UCLA in Week 2, it should be smooth sailing for the rest of the season.
Malachi Toney – Miami (FL) – Ros: 3%
Oh the glories of week 1, where we get to see the first glimmers of the future stars of the sport. There was the steadiest of drumbeats all off-season about a true freshman receiver stepping up to fill massive holes left by Jacolby George, Isaiah Horton and, most importantly, Xavier Restrepo. The praise was coming from everywhere: beat reporters, coaches, Carson Beck himself. It was going to be a shocker if he didn’t start contributing immediately. Not only will Toney contribute, he looks to be key in this Hurricane offense moving forward.
Shane Dawson comes from the Dana Holgerson coaching tree, which has produced top-end WRs for CFF when he has a guy he can trust. The last two years, he’s made Xavier Restrepo, a guy who would go on to be an un drafted free agent in the NFL, into a mainstay for college fantasy football. Toney looks to take over that slot role in this system this year. Not only is this the desirable system play for this offense, but it’s where Carson Beck does his dirty work. One of Beck’s greatest strengths is attacking zone coverages, particularly over the middle of the field. That is where Toney is going to be living, so you can expect heavy targets.
Honorable Mentions
- Miles Davis, Utah State – 1% – Can be played in the WR slot
- Beau Sparks, Texas State – 6%
- Lewis Bond, Boston College – 22%
- Mario Craver, Texas A&M – 23%
- Keontez Lewis, Oklahoma – 1%
- Romello Brinson, SMU – 1%
- Corri Milliner, UAB – 13%
- Skyler Bell, UConn – 16%
- Carl Chester, Southern Miss – 2%
Tight Ends
Michael Trigg – Baylor – Ros: 24%
What’s the saying? “Never wrong, just early”? There may not be a more clear example for me than Michael Trigg. I loved his talent going to Ole Miss and two years in a row it just didn’t work out there. Even last year, Trigg was with Baylor and didn’t produce a ton. Now? It seems pretty clear that Trigg, as one of the few returning receiving options for the Bears, will have a huge role this season.
In the game against Auburn, we saw the Tigers successfully shut down Josh Cameron. This forced Sawyer Robertson and the Baylor passing game to find other options to go to. This benefitted Kole Wilson and even more so, it benefitted Trigg. Trigg saw a whopping 16 targets. He brought in 7 of those for 99 yards and a touchdown. It’s unlikely we see Trigg get that level of volume again this season but it is fair to say it’s likely he keeps his role as the #2 option in a team that is going to find itself in a lot of shootouts in the Big XII.
Jaxxon Warren – Colorado State – Ros: 8%
While Trigg is someone I love as an individual player and talent, there is one system TE play I’m willing to target year after year: Jay Norvell’s TE1. Norvell will absolutely feed his top receiving tight end option. The names that come to mind are Cole Turner during his time at Nevada and, most recently, Dallin Holker just two years ago at Colorado State. Both of those guys not only were relevant for CFF, but finished in the top at the position in those years. It looks as though Jaxxon Warren, who is back after tearing his ACL in fall camp in 2024, is set to be the next in a line of Norvell TE greats.
Trigg is a good play as a piece within a great offense for CFF. The other type of CFF relevant TE is the guy who is a top receiving option in his offense, even if the offense isn’t super CFF-relevant. It’s the latter options that tend to end up being game-breakers for CFF. Norvell already has said in his interviews he’s waiting on a WR to step up and based on the game versus Washington, he’s still waiting. What he isn’t waiting on is deploying Warren. Warren had 11 targets in the game, which he turned into 6 catches for 79 yards and a TD. If Norvell feels comfortable relying on him in that way while trying to upset a Big Ten team, imagine how comfortable Norvell will be once they get into conference play, especially if there is a lack of other receiving options.
Honorable Mentions
- Dorian Thomas, New Mexico – 1%
- Marlin Klein, Michigan – 18%
- Seydou Traore, Mississippi State – 19%
- Jameson Geers, Minnesota – 2%
- Desirrio Riles, East Carolina – 1%
