Week 2 of the 2026 college fantasy football season has come and gone! Slowly but surely, we are getting out of weekends filled with lopsided matchups, and we’ll soon be in the heart of conference play! For now, let’s get some folks onto your roster that’ll be ready to explode once that happens.
This week’s strength still lies at wide receiver, with multiple players you can pick up and start immediately. Quarterbacks and running backs mostly fall into the same group, with a couple of startable options, but they’re mostly guys you’ll use as bye-week plugs or hold onto, hoping for a higher ceiling.
That said, here’s who you could grab off the waiver wire to boost your playoff runs! All players mentioned are rostered at a sub-30% rate in Fantrax CFF leagues.
Quarterbacks
Braden Atkinson – Oregon State – Ros: 8%
Our first quarterback for this week could very well be a starter for your squad the rest of the season. Braden Atkinson was elite as a true freshman at the FCS level last season, starting the full year for Mercer. He tossed the rock 407 times for 3,611 yards and 34 touchdowns. However, he didn’t follow the rest of his squad from Mercer to Toledo. Instead, Atkinson joined JaMarcus Sheppard at Oregon State and beat out Maalik Murphy for the starting gig.
Since earning that starting role, Atkinson has commanded a full air-raid attack, tossing the ball 48+ times in both of his starts so far. It’d be easy to chalk this up to game script, except our stats and info show Oregon State is currently third in the country in pass attempts over expected and 3rd in 1st-down pass attempts. It’s culminated in 789 passing yards and 3 TDs so far. That’s what he’s put together in easily his toughest games of the year.
From here on out, Atkinson will be facing G6 opponents in the PAC-12, and if he’s able to drop 375+ against Houston and Texas Tech, Lord knows what he could do against lesser defenses. The TDs need to rise for Atkinson to truly take that next step for fantasy, but for now he’s an elite volume passer.
Mason McKenzie – Boston College – Ros: 9%
While on some level, I believe that Boston College has lucked out on their start to the schedule and things will only get harder from here, it’s hard to deny the fact that Boston College QB Mason McKenzie perfectly fits what we often look for in a college fantasy QB. McKenzie’s dual-threat ability was clear going back to last season at Saginaw Valley State University, where he tallied 942 rushing yards and 10 TDs in 11 games, along with 2086 passing yards and 17 TDs. The questions that remained were whether McKenzie could translate to the ACC level of competition and whether this offense in general would be good enough for CFF production.
So far, it is a promising start. Against Cincinnati and Rutgers (admittedly likely two of the worst Power 4 teams out there), McKenzie has rushed for 75+ yards in both games and thrown for 220+. Even though he’s only scored 3 TDs in the first two games, his rushing is keeping his scoring afloat, allowing him to get 22+ fpts in both outings. There are major questions about this Eagles offense now that they’re about to face tougher outings in ACC play, but for this week, you get a nice FCS matchup where McKenzie could go bonkers. After that, he’s likely riding your bench as a high-ceiling, low-floor backup option.
JJ Kohl – FIU – Ros: 6%
The towering JJ Kohl has locked in the starting gig at FIU after previous stops at Iowa State and Appalachian State. He’s a much different QB than we’ve come to expect in recent years compared with the likes of Keyon Jenkins, who was far more mobile. Kohl is a pass-first QB, and what we’ve seen so far has completely changed the look of this offense, even as the running game has been less than stellar. In two games, Kohl has averaged 43 pass attempts per game and has hit 300+ yards in both outings, with a little rushing on the side.
The most exciting thing about Kohl is that, in addition to his passing floor, his remaining schedule might be among the best in the nation. FIU has zero remaining Power 4 teams to face, and even by CUSA standards, the Panthers have pulled a very favorable draw in the conference schedule. Kohl should end up being a solid high-floor QB play down the stretch who is perfect for plugging in when your normal starters are on bye or have a tougher matchup.
Honorable Mentions
- William “Pop” Watson III – UMass – 11%
- Deuce Bailey – Coastal Carolina – 22%
- Jaylen Raynor – Iowa State – 27%
- JC French – Cincinnati – 20%
- Tayven Jackson – North Texas – 11%
Running Backs
Fame Ijeboi – Purdue – Ros: 26%
I said many times during the off-season that Fame “It’s Ya Boi” Ijeboi wouldn’t leave the cushy gig as Darius Taylor’s backup unless he was going somewhere he’d be the #1 guy, and that is exactly what happened. Purdue’s RB room was wide open after the departure of Devin Mockobee, and while Purdue brought in others like Texas’ Jerrick Gibson, the buzz was clear that Ijeboi was the top option. However, even the biggest optimists weren’t expecting this.
In their first Power 4 game of the season, Purdue fed Ijeboi and then fed him some more like a Grandmother at Thanksgiving. On the day, Ijeboi toted the rock 27 times and saw 8 targets in the passing game. This totaled 156 yards on the day with 3 TDs as well. Ijeboi got 84.4% of all RB carries in this game. He’s beyond an alpha and more than worth the grab simply because of volume. Purdue’s schedule is the biggest holdup, especially that playoff schedule, but for now, it’d be irresponsible to leave him on the wire.
Gi’Bran Payne – Cincinnati – Ros: 8%
Our next two options at RB are certainly more depth-builders than immediate starters, but there is still plenty to like here. Scott Sattefield has been good to us over the years for solid RB production in CFF, and it looks like former Notre Dame RB Gi’Bran Payne is his next man up. There was plenty of talk this off-season from the Cincinnati beat report that we’d likely see a committee approach at running back, but through two weeks, Payne looks to have a clear lead over Zylan Perry and Zion Johnson. He’s doubled the next in both snaps and carries, and it’ll be interesting to see if that share % improves as they face tougher competition.
For now, we’re pretty content with the production he is giving us, even with some split in the backfield. He’s seen 14 touches in both games so far, which isn’t elite, but it’s solid. With that, he’s crossed 100 yards in both games and will likely do so again this week against Miami, OH. Also encouraging is that Payne’s passing snaps are increasing, which raises the likelihood of him getting a 3-down role for the Bearcats. Because of the current split, and the likelihood that Cincinnati will be playing from behind in plenty of their conference games, we can’t yet recommend a clear starter here, but Payne is an excellent piece to grab and see how big his role could get.
Aiden Flora – Iowa State – 7%
Our last running back option for today is someone you won’t find near the top of fantasy point charts, as he’s yet to break 10 fpts in either of his games this year. However, we’re happy to recommend Aiden Flora of Iowa State. His usage in these first two games points to a much bigger role down the line. He initially caught our attention when he was named one of Iowa State’s representatives at Big XII media days.
From there, fall camp reports made it clear he was the #1 guy. Then, he got most of the carries for Iowa State in the 1st quarter against Southeast Missouri before being rested. Lastly, in Iowa State’s biggest rivalry game of the season against Iowa, Flora was heavily relied upon, logging 20 touches for 92 yards.
While not the most efficient day (few RBs are against Iowa’s defense, to be fair), Flora’s usage is the tip-off to how Iowa State wants to use him. In this game, Flora had 55.9% of Iowa State’s raw rushes. He had 76% of all running back snaps and 25 more snaps than the next running back, Cameron Pettaway. The staff has made it crystal clear that Flora will be their main back in more even matchups. The efficiency and touchdowns he lacked in the Cy-Hawk game will come with Big XII play. For now, buy him and drop him before his first big breakout game.
Honorable Mentions
- Rodney Fields – Kansas State – 28%
- Patrick Martin – South Alabama – 19%
- Steven Robinson – Southern Miss – 27%
- Jabari Bates – San Jose State – 16%
- Devon Rice – Hawaii – 14%
Wide Receivers
Collin Dixon – Illinois – Ros: 16%
And now we reach the pinnacle of today’s waiver column. The wide receivers coming off the waiver these first few weeks just reinforce how important it is to nail RBs and QBs in your draft and to let WRs sort themselves out after the elite ones are off the board. All three options presented to you today can be grabbed and started immediately.
We’ll start with Illinois’ WR1 Collin Dixon. Since Barry Lunney Jr. has been the offensive coordinator at Illinois, we’ve been enjoying his WR1s. Names like Isaiah Williams, Pat Bryant, and Hank Beatty have been helping our lineups for years. This season, tho, the WR1 was not clear going into the season between Dixon, Hudson Clement, and FAU transfer Jayshon Platt, who was getting hype before the season. However, even though we haven’t seen Platt yet, Dixon is the clear alpha.
Dixon has seen 22 targets in the first two games of the season for the Fighting Illini, including 16 in a much more even matchup against Duke last week, which he turned into 11 catches for 166 yards and 3 TDs. In total, he’s scored 5 TDs in 2 games. Obviously, that TD efficiency will not hold, but it is crystal clear who Katin Houser will be relying on on a week-to-week basis, especially in the red zone and end zone. Grab him and start him in all matchups not against Ohio State.
Jesse Legree – Oregon State – Ros: 19%
Collin Dixon might’ve been the first WR named in this column, but Oregon State’s freshman phenomenon, Jesse Legree, might be the one to break college fantasy this year. There were some hints of Legree’s emergence in the spring, but most didn’t think much of it because it was unclear what this offense would look like. Now we know Oregon State is set to go full air raid, and where there’s an air raid, there is ridiculous volume for WRs. Add in Legree’s ridiculous efficiency so far, and you have a WR who will not only be relevant, but have WR1 overall upside going forward.
In two games for Oregon State, Legree has been phenomenal. As of now, he leads the country in receiving yards at 376, beating out KJ Duff, Jeremiah Smith, and Malachi Toney. What he has over all those guys is a QB who is set to throw the ball 40+ times a game. Legree won’t get 30 yards per catch going forward, as that would be insanity, but the volume will be there for him every week. Much like Atkinson, the competition only gets easier from here. Legree should be 100% rostered by the end of this week. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Brendan Jenkins – South Alabama – Ros: 1%
If you’ve read my columns long enough, you know that I’m a systems guy and there simply isn’t a more reliable system play than Major Applewhite’s WR1. Since 2021, every single Applewhite WR1 has gotten 100+ targets. It looks like Brendan Jenkins, not the oft-injured Anthony Eager, will get that treatment this season.
So far through 2 games, Jenkins has seen 22 targets, turning that into 14 catches for 197 yards and 2 TDs. He’s currently on pace for well over 100 targets and 1000 yards. As Eager gets healthy, there’s some doubt that Jenkins will continue to dominate as he has, but there is hope as well. Eager had his chance last season to steal the #1 spot from a past-his-prime Devin Voisin and failed to do so. In fact, his efficiency was horrible. Add in the fact that he’s constantly dealing with injury, and Jenkins looks more and more like the reliable option in this offense. The great part about Jenkins is that if you’re in a FAAB league, the cost-benefit ratio is likely much better than you’ll see for Dixon/Legree, so make sure you take advantage of it.
Honorable Mentions
- Tony Diaz – Iowa – 24%
- Chance Morrow – Buffalo – 21%
- Maguire Anderson – FIU – 2%
- Mario Sanders – Southern Miss – 2%
- Ashton Hollins – Georgia Southern – 14%
- Riley Neer – Ohio – 19%
Tight Ends
Darrin Fugitt – Appalachian State – Ros: 4%
Tight ends continue to be a disappointment all around CFF, and unfortunately even the waiver options don’t seem particularly strong. However, some are emerging as consistent targets for their teams and are absolutely worth holding onto your roster if your #1 guys continue to fall on their face. Darrin Fugitt (Foo-jit) is certainly one of these players. He currently leads the Mountaineers in targets with 12 and has put up two solid fantasy days with 12.7 and 10.1 fpts in 0.5 PPR formats. While he likely won’t win your weekly matchup, Fugitt has a solid floor in volume and scoring opportunities to keep you from losing.
Honorable Mentions
- Benjamin Blackburn – Stanford – 25%
- Jaleel Skinner – Louisville – 5%
- Noah Bennee – Utah – 1%
