Playoffs have officially begun! Okay, I know there are some leagues where only four teams make the playoffs, and those start next week, but most leagues have already begun. All the cliches matter now more than ever: “It’s do or die time”, “One misstep and it’s all over”, “Are you going to make the moves that’ll make you a winner”? Well, even though we are 11 weeks into the season, there are still moves to be made on the waiver wire, and they can help you navigate these all-important final weeks?
So, what is available on the waiver market? As has been the case, there are still many players available who were discussed in previous weeks. That hasn’t changed, and that applies to all prominent positions. Make sure to double-check those honorable mentions in addition to our featured guys of the week.
Speaking of our featured guys, let’s tease who’s there. At quarterback, I have some apologizing to do to two quarterbacks that I have not been too kind towards. At running back, we have another strong group of late-breaking guys, which is such a rarity at this point in the season. At wide receiver, the returning honorable mentions are probably better than our featured guys again, but there’s still some fresh meat to sink your teeth into. And before the tight end truthers get upset, we do have a TE to feature this week.
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 rostered at a sub-30% rate in Fantrax CFF leagues.
Quarterbacks
Ashton Daniels – Auburn – Ros: 5%
Wow, I knew Hugh Freeze was a problem for this Auburn offense, but I didn’t think he was *this* much of one. After Freeze’s firing, I personally felt that Auburn’s team would mail it in the rest of the season, maybe get up for the Iron Bowl.
Instead, we got an explosion against Vanderbilt. Granted, Vanderbilt’s secondary had been picked on all season, but Auburn had shown no ability to take offensive advantage of weaknesses like that. Well, they proved me and everyone else wrong, putting up 38 against Vanderbilt in regulation, forcing overtime. And leading the way was… Ashton Daniels? Yes, that Ashton Daniels. The one everyone left for dead, as he joined a QB room with Jackson Arnold and Deuce Knight this offseason.
In his performance, Daniels threw the ball 44 times for 353 yards and 2 TDS, with another 89 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. There’s really not much else to say outside of “wow, I didn’t know he had that in him.” Granted, Stanford was not a good team to play for, but nothing I saw out of Daniels led me to believe he could do this, let alone on the road in the SEC. Sorry, Jackson Arnold, any hope of you getting this job back now solely relies on injury. Best of luck to you at South Alabama next year.
So, what can we expect the rest of the season? It’s easy to say this was a fluke and that we’re not getting this out of Daniels again this year. I don’t entirely disagree, especially given his performance this past week. However, after the bye this week, Daniels will get to face Mercer. Usually, I’d worry about an early sit, but I think this interim staff will want Daniels to get as many reps as he can before the Iron Bowl the following week. Obviously, starting a QB against Bama’s D is a tough out, but we know how weird those Iron Bowls can be. I’d grab Daniels as a fun semi-finals spot start, if you need it.
JC French – Georgia Southern – Ros: 16%
Great, another quarterback I owe an apology to. I was not kind to JC French this off-season, nor when I brought him up on the waiver wire trap segment some weeks ago. I’ve effectively blamed French for the significant setback in Clay Helton’s offensive system the last two years for the Eagles, and when he had a solid performance against Southern Miss, I didn’t want to believe it. Well, all he’s done is rip off three straight 25+ fpt games, not including that Southern Miss game, and would’ve been a solid anchor for any team struggling at QB the last few weeks.
Whether it is French who has turned a corner or it is this staff that has finally figured out how to use him, the recent results have been great. In his last five games, French has averaged 12+ carries, providing a safe floor for his rushing. This almost always comes with a TD on the ground as well. His passing is a bit more erratic, but he still seems to find points. Throw for barely 200 yards? Here are multiple TDs for your troubles. Only got 1 TD through the air? How about a season-high 353 passing yards?
The best part about French, especially compared to Daniels this week, is that if I have a team that has struggled at QB, I could see French starting all three weeks of my playoff run. Look at these matchups coming up: Coastal Carolina, Old Dominion, and Marshall. All three of those are 80th or worse against the run, so I should expect French’s rushing floor to remain. Both Coastal Carolina and Marshall are giving up 250+ yards passing per game. Old Dominion’s passing defense is definitely something to worry about, but its rushing defense should allow Southern to move the ball and still get those scoring opportunities. Like I said, French could be in for a really nice finish to the season.
Honorable Mentions
- Jeff Sims, QB – Arizona State – 4%
- Cameran Brown, QB – Georgia State – 18%
- Samari Collier, QB – Coastal Carolina – 8%
- Broc Lowry, QB – Western Michigan – 7%
- Joe Fagnano, QB – UConn – Ros: 31%
Running Backs
Evan Dickens – Liberty – Ros: 34%
After the monster Week 10 game against Old Dominion, I dared to list Evan Dickens as merely an honorable mention, both in my article and on my show. Well, I’m fixing that this week, as Dickens has become a serious Volume Pig TM (Shout out Justin Leo & Volumepigs.com) in these final weeks.
While his performance against Missouri State didn’t live up to the 40-bomb the week prior, Dickens’ reliance on and volume for the Flames are only increasing. Dickens posted a season-high 28 carries in this game, which led to 127 yards and a TD to go with it. Dickens’ downside is that his receiving usage has been non-existent in recent weeks, so this may be more of a standard-scoring league play.
Looking at his upcoming weeks, Dickens has some matchups to be somewhat concerned about. I say slightly because all three of FIU, La Tech, and Kennesaw State are average to above average against the run, but weak against the pass (both La Tech and FIU are giving 260+ yards through the air on average). There’s a world where Liberty sees their chance at victory as just throwing the ball, in which case Dickens could be in trouble. I will once again point to his lack of receiving work in recent weeks.
However, that’s not the only way to look at this. Those three opponents are giving up, on average, per opponent rush attempt, 4.8 yards per carry, 4.3 yards per carry, & 4.1 yards per carry. If Liberty commits to getting Dickens 20+ touches and can hit those averages, you’re looking at a solid floor of 80+ yards each game. I’ll happily take that floor going through the playoffs.
Austyn Dendy – Bowling Green – Ros: 4%
Admittedly, I haven’t paid a ton of attention to Bowling Green this year, but I didn’t realize they were housing a secret weapon in former 3-star and Missouri transfer Austyn Dendy. Dendy did not play for most of this season. During that time, Chris McMillian was *kinda* a lead back, getting ~25% of the Falcons’ carries, but it was mostly a committee approach. All of a sudden, Dendy comes along and starts sucking up all the carries in this backfield. I don’t know what kept him out to this point, whether it was injury or the coaching staff just not trusting a youth, but whatever it was, Dendy has gotten over it really quickly.
In the last three weeks, Dendy has averaged just under 20 carries a game for the Falcons. The production from that hasn’t been elite by any stretch, but two 90+ yard games and 3 TDs in that stretch will make most CFF managers pretty comfortable. His game doesn’t see him getting a ton of receiving work at the moment, though his 13 yards per catch against Eastern Michigan might encourage more of that in the future.
Dendy is already intriguing because of his late breakout, but his remaining schedule makes him even more enticing. He’s got a bye this week, which sucks. Because of that, as well as Bowling Green just not being a great team in general, I was initially hesitant to put Dendy on the waiver recommendations this week. That was until I saw his remaining opponents: Akron and UMass. I’m not sure you can draw up a better draw for a remaining MAC schedule, especially for an RB. Both Akron and UMass are outside the top 90 in run defense, giving up 165+ yards on the ground on average. UMass is even worse, giving up 200+. Dendy could be a really sneaky add to hide on your bench and surprise your opponents the final two weeks of the season.
Honorable Mentions
- Keyjuan Brown, RB – Louisville – 24%
- Ja’Kyrian Turner, RB – Pittsburgh – 14%
- Caleb Komolafe, RB – Northwestern – 9%
- Diore Hubbard, RB – West Virginia – 7%
- Antwan Roberts, RB – Marshall – 2%
- Jordan Brunson, RB – Miami, OH – 14%
- Jordon Simmons, RB – Georgia State – 0%
- Jordan Gant, RB – Akron – 21%
Wide Receivers
Jacob De Jesus – California – Ros: 27%
Before we get too far into the WRs, I will once again bring your attention to the honorable mentions. I would check through those names first, especially those from previous weeks, before going to some of these new names. Not that the new names aren’t exciting, I just don’t think they’re as strong as previous weeks’ entries.
Now, let’s discuss Jacob De Jesus from Cal. I never planned on grabbing a Cal WR this year, let alone one who transferred up from the G5, but I can’t ignore how much the Bears have come to rely on De Jesus. Bryan Harsin must’ve told Sagapolutele at some point this week that he needed to “find Jesus,” and Sagapolutele took that to heart.
De Jesus, in the big win over Louisville, saw 23, I repeat, 23 targets, which resulted in 16 catches for 158 yards and a TD. Just a gluttonous amount of volume for him and obviously not a result/strategy that’ll be repeated, but it bears mentioning this late in the season. However, just because I’m saying he won’t see 20+ targets again this season doesn’t mean I don’t think this is still a volume play.
Even in the weeks leading up to the monster game, De Jesus saw target numbers of 11, 9, 19, 11, and 7 in the five games leading up to this. This is a volume play and a good one for PPR leagues. I am a little concerned with De Jesus’ efficiency, as he’s seen ten or fewer yards per catch in four of his last six games; however, his upcoming matchups should help with this.
After De Jesus gets past his bye this week, check out his final two matchups. Stanford and SMU. Those are two of the bottom 10 pass defenses in the country, both of which are giving up 280+ yards a game. Much like Dendy, De Jesus is a great addition to hide on your bench for a week before launching in the final two weeks of the season.
Alex Perry – FIU – Ros: 1%
Alex Perry is a guy I’ve been waiting to take off in this FIU offense since the start of the season. I drafted him late in a few best balls, knowing there was some hype around him and that Keyone Jenkins liked his outside WRs. And while we certainly have not taken off to the point of going to the moon with Perry, I think we can safely say he’s cruising at a commercial airline altitude these past few weeks. Nothing flashy, but still an integral piece providing grunt work for your CFF rosters.
What do I mean by this? Well, Perry has consistently seen 6-11 targets in every game since late September. Enough volume to consistently see production each week. He’s seen 70+ yards in three of his last four matchups and has been getting a lot of red-zone love recently. He’s seen three TDs in his last two games, and with matchups against Jacksonville and Sam Houston in his previous three games, both of whom are outside the top 100 in passing defense, there are opportunities for him to keep scoring. He’s by no means a weekly winner, but Perry has been good for 10+ points in 0.5 PPR formats most weeks, and if you’re looking for a guy to spot start, he fits the bill.
Honorable Mentions
- Shelton Sampson, WR – Louisiana – 16%
- Nik McMillian, WR – Buffalo – 15%
- Jeremy Scott, WR – South Alabama – 2%
- Kyre Duplessis, WR – Delaware – 26%
- Parker Kingston, WR – BYU – 22%
- Iverson Hooks, WR – UAB – Ros: 31%
- Jordan Hudson, WR – SMU – Ros: 28%
- CJ Williams, WR – Stanford – 26%
- Amare Thomas, WR – Houston – 32%
- Braden Pegan, WR – Utah State – 29%
- Javen Nicholas, WR – Charlotte – 6%
- Chris Dawn, WR – Texas State – 12%
Tight Ends
Juice Vereen – UConn – Ros: 11%
Our tight end feature for this week has to have Ethan Sauers smiling ear to ear, because he —and many others —were not wrong about Juice Vereen, just early. When Vereen first transferred to UConn, he was entering a room filled with established guys like Alex Honig and Louis Hansen. The projection for him to start was a tough one to make. However, he’s climbed that depth chart quickly and has become a heavily needed secondary passing option for UConn to keep defenses from keying in on Skyler Bell.
Vereen has been on quite a heater lately, scoring five TDs in four games. It helps that UConn is putting up 35+ a game recently, and they make sure to get all their stars a TD each game. It seems Vereen has joined that star club along with Bell and Edwards.
Since Week 6, Vereen has been a top-three TE in all of CFF, beating out guys like Michael Trigg, Dorian Thomas, and Mason Mini. As long as UConn keeps scoring, Vereen will keep scoring. His last two matchups are against Air Force and FAU, two defenses that will provide a ton of scoring opportunities for Vereen, so I would say this Juice is more than worth the squeeze.
Honorable Mentions
- Chamon Metayer, TE – Arizona State – 32%
- Boden Groen, TE – Kansas – 34%
- Peter Clarke, TE – Temple – 24%
