Another great week of college football has come and gone! We learned a lot this past week. We learned that it’s possible to lose a game while trying to knee an intentional safety. We also learned that if you, as a head coach, leave your old school in dramatic fashion and then face said school in a top-10 matchup the year after, they’re likely to take that out on you. We also learned that Oklahoma and Clemson are competing for the worst quarterback play this season.
So what did it mean for CFF? We’ll discuss that today. Admittedly, the early season wave of waivers is starting to dry up. The first few weeks always include a few guys who we miss during the off-season, and we must adapt to that quickly. Soon, we’ll be deep into conference play, and it’ll become crystal clear which teams will rely on in closer matchups, and we’ll need to adapt. We’ll also be keeping an eye on injuries and potential benchings.
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
Ashton Daniels – Florida State – Ros: 21%
Many had written off the Florida State offense after Week 0’s unimpressive debut. Combine that with the inevitability that Norvell will be fired, and the bottom of this team felt like it would drop sooner rather than later. But that isn’t what we’ve seen so far, at least from a fantasy perspective. Daniels may not be the most impressive QB on Saturdays, but the guy can produce. He’s had three games so far, all with 21+ fantasy points.
Daniels’ fantasy points come from different places week to week. When you think of him, most think of his legs being the prime benefactor, but so far he’s had games of 7, 30, and 71 rushing yards, quite the range. His passing is similar. He’s had games of 125, 202, and 377 passing yards. It’s difficult to know what will happen when, as in Daniels’ toughest game this past weekend, he had a season high in TDs and passing yards, but a low in rushing.
Even though his point production is inconsistent, it’s clear Daniels will find ways to score every week. He profiles as a great floor QB to plug in week to week, as long as the offense doesn’t quit after a few more losses. They have Central Arkansas this week, followed by Virginia and Louisville, so we should expect them to keep rolling at least through the halfway mark.
Ethan Grunkemeyer – Virginia Tech – Ros: 20%
Listen, I’m not thrilled to pick up a James Franklin QB either, but Franklin and his system aren’t in the Big Ten anymore. So far, Franklin is proving that despite his messy final season with Penn State, he’s still a very good college head coach and is instantly positioning himself to be a force at Virginia Tech. His offense is currently top 20 in the country, dominating all three opponents the Hokies have faced.
The major benefactor to that is QB Ethan Grunkemeyer, who followed Franklin from Penn State. He’s had back-to-back 300-yard passing weeks with 2+ TDs each, while completing 75%+ of his passes. He’s also rushed into the end zone each of the last two weeks, although that part feels unsustainable given his lack of rushing yardage. As long as Grunkemeyer and the Hokies keep scoring as they have, you’ll feel good starting him as a floor play, especially with a schedule that includes SMU, Stanford, and Virginia.
Skyler Locklear – Missouri State – Ros: 15%
This next option on the waiver comes with a caveat, as he is not someone you can pick up and start immediately. His next two weeks include a date with SMU, who will outmatch him and his team, followed by a bye week. However, once Skyler Locklear and his Missouri State compatriots get going in conference play, things could be wheels up for them.
We got a glimpse as to how things might go for Locklear moving forward in their game against Marshall. In the matchup, Locklear threw for a season-high 28 completions for 309 yards and 2 TDs and, more importantly, ran the ball 8 times for 53 yards. Locklear didn’t get his full workload in either of his first two matchups: one against Texas A&M, where they were grossly overmatched, and one against Lindenwood, where they were the ones doing the overmatching.
This match against Marshall points to him getting the workload he’ll need in more even matchups to produce for fantasy, as was shown with his 25.66 fpts this past week. What’s also good to remember is that under this same offensive system in the same conference, Locklear was a top-10 CFF QB the second half of 2025. Given how easy the schedule gets going forward, it’s not crazy to think that could be on the horizon again. Make sure to invest now and cash in later.
Honorable Mentions
- JC French – Cincinnati – 20%
- Tayven Jackson – North Texas – 11%
- Ryan Browne – Purdue – 5%
- Camden Coleman – James Madison – 3%
Running Backs
Torrance Burgess – Texas State – Ros: 12%
When you think of the GJ Kinne offense, most people think of the QBs and the WRs. While those certainly deserve their own focus for college fantasy, Kinne is very good about generating a rushing attack that serves as the basis for everything else. Guys like Lincoln Pare and Ismail Mahdi have been CFF producers in this system, but going into this season, especially with the loss of Greg Burrell in the off-season, it looked as if this year would be much more of a committee approach.
While that is certainly somewhat true, as the backfield is more split than in years past, that isn’t stopping Torrence Burgess from getting the volume and production he needs to be a clear, startable RB going forward for CFF. This rushing attack is the identity of the 2026 Texas State offense, even more so than in years past. They’re currently 8th in rush attempts per game, #4 in rush yards per game, and #12 in rush yards per attempt.
At the head of this rushing attack is Burgess, who has averaged 21 carries over the last two games against comparable competition. He’s been playing unconscious, with 8.7 yards per attempt over the last two weeks and averaging 180 yards during this stretch. The big issue is the lack of TDs, but given how he’s playing currently, the TDs are mere bonuses to his insane yardage. A clear add this week for waivers, especially for any team struggling at RB.
Matt Fuller – South Carolina – Ros: 25%
The CFB world can always handle another workhorse. In the early weeks against lesser competition, there can be hints that a guy is going to explode in opportunity against more even opponents. Such was the case with Aiden Flora last week, and such is the case with Matt Fuller this week. While South Carolina fell short in their first major test of the season, one simply can’t blame Fuller for not trying. Fuller was relied upon heavily in this game, with 17 rush attempts and 7 targets in the passing game. In total, Fuller accumulated 158 total yards and 2 TDs in this game, one rushing and one receiving.
Even better than the stats is proof that Fuller’s usage will continue into future weeks. Fuller was on the field for 72.1% of South Carolina’s offensive snaps, an insane number not usually seen even for the best skill players. He saw 47.2% of all rush attempts and had 77.3% of all running back rush attempts. As I mentioned before, he also had a ton of receiving work, which shows he isn’t going to be gamescripted out of games. Thank goodness, because the upcoming schedule, including Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M, is a brutal one and is my only hesitancy when adding Fuller.
Nolan James – Notre Dame – 29%
What’s going on at Notre Dame? What’s happening to Aneyas Williams? Questions abound for this Irish running game, but one thing is clear: we have to take Nolan James seriously. Aneyas Williams was taken off the field in last Saturday’s game after an excessive celebration penalty on his TD. With Williams benched, Nolan James got the keys to the Irish rushing attack. He saw 28 total touches for 128 yards and a TD against Michigan State.
Obviously, any Irish running back given that sort of load needs our attention, as this could quickly evolve into James being the lead back, especially with Williams’ efficiency struggles to start the year. However, I caution somewhat on that front, as Williams got every touch in the 1st and 3rd drives before getting benched. In addition, while Williams has struggled to get his efficiency going in the first few games of the season, James isn’t beating him strongly in those categories either.
The most likely scenario is they continue to share the backfield going forward, and if you’re expecting another near 30-touch game in the near future, you’ll likely be disappointed. However, because that possibility exists and the RB waiver pool is shallow, it’s worth the shot.
Honorable Mentions
- Aiden Flora – Iowa State – 11%
- Patrick Martin – South Alabama – 24%
- Devon Rice – Hawaii – 14%
- Gi’Bran Payne – Cincinnati – 25%
- David MBadinga – Georgia Southern – 1%
Wide Receivers
Justin Bowick – Oklahoma State – Ros: 13%
The death of Eric Morris’ offense was greatly exaggerated after that weird Week 1 dud, and we must take interest when skill-position players emerge for him. After three weeks into the season, it is not last year’s CFF WR4 Wyatt Young leading the way for the passing attack. Neither is it pre-season favorite sleeper Chris Barnes, who has been dealing with injury. Instead, it is the towering Illinois transfer, Justin Bowick. I’ve said it for years: when Eric Morris has himself a great outside threat at WR, he’s going to use him. So far, Bowick is forcing Morris to return to what he’s used to.
Through three games, Bowick leads the Cowboys with 27 targets, almost 10 more than the next WR on the team. The last two weeks have shown Bowick has a clear role in this offense as the big red-zone target. He’s up to three TDs so far this year, including two last week, along with 178 yards on 9 catches. I’m sure the likes of Wyatt Young will bounce back and stay involved week to week, but Bowick is on track to follow in the footsteps of CFF greats like Ja’Mori Maclin and others. We cannot, in good conscience, leave him hanging on the wire after this week.
Tyrell Henry – Wisconsin – Ros: 2%
I’m just as surprised as you that Wisconsin is producing a CFF-relevant option this year, especially after the last few years, but we simply can’t ignore what Tyrell Henry is doing for the Badgers any longer. Over three games, Henry has never seen fewer than seven targets. In fact, his usage and production have only gone up week to week. He’s currently on pace for 132 targets, 88 receptions, and 1,172 yards.
The issue so far is touchdowns (which you’ll notice is a common theme today). Henry has only one TD through three weeks. You’d think that will balance out as the season goes along, but with Wisconsin about to enter Big Ten play, it’s unknown how well this offense will translate. The only Power 4 team they’ve played against, they scored 17 points again. The upcoming schedule includes Penn State, USC, and Iowa. However, the big tests will actually be against Michigan State and UCLA. If this offense can produce against those teams, then you’ll feel good about Henry’s upside the ROS.
Chris Marshall – Arkansas – Ros: 18%
Chris Marshall is in a similar boat to Tyrell Henry, where he’s clearly the top producer on an offense we’re not ready to trust, especially heading into conference play. However, so far this season, Marshall is flashing his former 5-star status and clears the rest of this Arkansas WR room by a country mile in terms of his dependability. He’s seen 10+ targets in every game for the Razorbacks, and I don’t expect that to stop anytime soon. Arkansas will constantly run a passing-game script, and given that Marshall had his best game yet against likely the best defense he’ll face this year in Georgia, I think it’s fair to expect him to produce every week, especially in PPR leagues.
The issue comes down to scoring, and unfortunately the situation is even bleaker than Henry’s. Despite Marshall’s volume and production, he hasn’t scored a TD this year. With Arkansas being 110th in total yardage, 114th in TDs per game, and 122nd in offensive scoring, it seems as though endzone opportunities will be hard for Marshall to come by, especially as the week-to-week grind gets worse for the Razorbacks. However, as I mentioned, in PPR leagues, you don’t need TDs to have a solid week if you’re getting the volume Marshall is getting.
Honorable Mentions
- Rasean Jones – Boise State – 27%
- Ed Small – TCU – 29%
- Maguire Anderson – FIU – 20%
- Mario Sanders – Southern Miss – 4%
- Isaiah Myers – Missouri State – 3%
- Riley Neer – Ohio – 20%
Tight Ends
Eli Finley – Louisiana Tech – Ros: 19%
Tight End has been bleak this year unless you have Luke Reynolds or maybe Hunter Tipton. We’re doing our best to find options each week but there just aren’t knights in shining armor coming to save us at the position. So the best we can do is look for those who are top options in their passing attack.
Louisiana Tech TE Eli Finley certainly fits that metric. Finley has seen 22 targets over the last three games, currently 3rd among all TEs. Louisiana Tech’s recent schedule has been a gauntlet, with games against Baylor and LSU, and even then Finley has managed to find the end zone in one. Things will get much easier for the Bulldogs going forward, and we should see both Finley and WR Jalen Mickens start to pop off once they get through their bye week this week.
Honorable Mentions
- Benjamin Blackburn – Stanford – 25%
- Jaleel Skinner – Louisville – 5%
