My greatest apologies for missing the last two weeks of the waiver wire column, but the beautiful maple syrup of Quebec, Canada was calling my name! But fear not, the column is back this week, and it seems I picked a good time!
I have this theory that waivers come in waves for CFF. You have your initial rush at the start of the season, but by weeks 4 and 5, those initial unknown guys start to dry up. However, right around the midpoint of the season, you start seeing teams going in and out of their bye weeks. Guys who didn’t get a ton of run the first few weeks are now being inserted into starting lineups, including many freshmen (more than a couple of the guys recommended here).
We are also getting a much better idea of who will be impactful in their conference matchups for the rest of the season and who was just a flash in the pan against weaker competition or suppressed by overmatched opponents.
That said, here’s who you could grab off the waiver wire to turn your season around and get through your bye weeks! All players mentioned are rostered at a sub-30% rate in Fantrax CFF leagues.
Quarterbacks
Jackson Gutierrez – Navy – Ros: 6%
Service academy QB changes are always fun, especially when an injury is involved. With Braxton Woodson knocked out for a few weeks and Gutierrez taking over, he’s been the source of intrigue in the CFF community. However, before last week’s game against Tulsa, we got official news that Woodson has been benched and Gutierrez will start moving forward. That is huge news for the CFF community, and that makes him the priority add at QB this week.
This past week against Tulsa really showed the upside Gutierrez brings to every matchup. The guy ran 41(!) times for 232 yards and 3 TDs on the ground, with an additional 95 yards and a TD through the air. Gutierrez is giving us the upside we wanted to see out of Woodson.
While Woodson was more explosive on the ground, Gutierrez brings back the passing ability that Blake Horvath had and really opens up this Navy offense. While Woodson struggled to pass for 3.6 yards per attempt, Gutierrez has nearly tripled that to 9.5 yards per attempt and has thrown for 95+ passing yards in each start, basically Heisman numbers, passing-wise, for a Navy QB. Expect more scoring from the Midshipmen going forward, with Gutierrez at the center of it.
Evan Medders – Air Force – Ros: 7%
Another service academy QB? Yessir, although this one’s ascendancy was more cut-and-dry. Liam Szarka was a beast for CFF last year and started the year well (QB30 in fantasy points per game). However, he’s out for the year, and it seems Air Force is ready to hand Evan Medders the keys to the kingdom. New service academy QBs can be quite hit or miss, especially at Air Force. Sometimes, they are Szarka. Sometimes they are Josh Johnson. Thankfully, based on what we saw this past week, Medders may not match Szarka, but he should be close enough to be relevant for CFF.
Medders got the start against an admittedly poor Northern Illinois squad, but this one game provides hope for the future. Medders didn’t throw a pass (which is somewhat concerning), but he ran the ball 14 times for 114 yards and 2 TDs. The good news is that outside the Army game on November 7th, Medders should continue to get great matchups, including UNLV, UConn, and UTEP. Gutierrez provides the ceiling of these types of QBs, but Medders should still provide a very solid floor for those struggling at the position.
Brock Glenn – Western Kentucky – Ros: 6%
It’s been back and forth at Western Kentucky on who will start, and while I understand the staff wanting to give Rodney Tisdale every chance he can get, it’s time to acknowledge that Brock Glenn is the better option moving forward. The offense flows better with Glenn, and with an O-line that doubles as a sieve, you need someone like Glenn, a master at escaping sacks. The passing game might take a hit (more on that later), but we’re willing to make that trade for more scoring opportunities.
In the three games Glenn has started or played significant time in, he’s seen double-digit rushing attempts each time. And these are real rushing attempts. Only 2 out of the 39 rushing attempts he had in those games were sacks. The guy can escape pressure and scramble repeatedly. He’s had multiple 50+ rushing-yard games and, in all but one game this season, has scored on the ground for the Hilltoppers. While his passing is a downgrade from Tisdale, it is good enough to get the ball to at least one guy, and that’s all we need for CFF. The worry is that the staff will keep trying to force Tisdale out there, but we’re deep enough into the season that I think they have to make a call now.
Honorable Mentions
- Jayden Mandal – Fresno State – 3%
- Rickie Collins – Kennesaw State – 8%
- Aidan Chiles – Northwestern – 33%
Running Backs
Jonaz Walton – Notre Dame – Ros: 32%
A few weeks ago, we had Nolan James listed as a waiver pickup for CFF, and while James is still performing well, true freshman Jonaz Walton, for my money, is the guy you want to roster for the rest of the season. Over the last two weeks, Walton has seen 40 touches for 357 yards and 2 TDs. He looks like the best back in the Irish backfield, and it feels like the toothpaste has left the tube.
Unless something catastrophic happens here, it’s hard not to see Walton continuing to get touches. While his carry share last week wasn’t great (only 13 carries), you have to imagine that was partly due to the game’s blowout nature. After all, in a game where things got dicey for Notre Dame against UNC, Walton got 25 carries. It’s also nice to know that Walton doesn’t need 20+ touches to have a great day. He’ll likely stay below 40% in this backfield for the rest of the season, which keeps him from being a “must-add” waiver pickup, but the upside is insane and makes him very worth picking up.
Tylik Hill – Syracuse – Ros: 6%
Holy underrated volume, Batman! I will be real, if it wasn’t for our benevolent overlord, Austin Nace, pointing this out to me, I would’ve completely missed the volume that Tylik Hill has been getting at Syracuse. I mistakenly wrote off this backfield as a mess, with guys getting injured and a new name popping up each week. But when you tote the rock 51 times over the last two games, I’m intrigued.
These carries haven’t been in vain either. Hill has two straight weeks of breaking 100 yards, but just hasn’t found the endzone yet. Given the crazy volume he is seeing, you have to imagine that situation will rectify itself soon enough, especially if Amari Odom comes back at QB. I’ll always be concerned about guys like Ahmad Miller, Shavane Anderson, and Ju’Juan Johnson lurking in the background, but we’ve seen this staff settle in on one guy before. LeQuint Allen went nuts their first year, and even Yasin Willis, while disappointing last year, was clearly the #1 guy. It looks like Hill is the next guy up for Fran Brown; now you just pray he finds the endzone.
Jaziun Patterson – Michigan State – 8%
Another player who benefits from another’s misfortune. It really stinks to see Cam Edwards done for the season (and maybe his college career), but the question after his injury was whether Michigan State would go committee with their RB approach or try to find another guy to feed. In Weeks 4 and 5, the plan was for Jaziun Patterson to be that guy, as he saw 17+ touches against Nebraska and Wisconsin. Unfortunately, he was not efficient. He struggled to get to even 3.5 yards per touch in those games and didn’t break 65 yards on the day in either. Volume is great, but it means little if you can’t do anything with it.
So, the CFF community held off on grabbing him off waivers. However, this past week, Patterson finally seems to have found his groove. In the game against Illinois, Patterson saw 20 touches for 123 yards, a much-improved 6+ yards per play. He also found the endzone four times! I don’t expect another performance like this from Patterson anytime soon, but if he can average out to 80 yards and a single TD each week, you’ll feel good about adding him to your roster, especially as a bye-week plug-in.
Honorable Mentions
- TJ Engleman – East Carolina – 4%
- Dominic Knicely – Coastal Carolina – 5%
- Aidan Laughery – Illinois – 8%
- Cyncir Bowers – UConn – 15%
- Re’Shaun Sanford – Houston – 9%
- AJ Newberry – Oregon State – 15%
- Messiah Burch – Buffalo – 6%
Wide Receivers
Mario Sanders – Southern Miss – Ros: 14%
I’ve had this man listed as an honorable mention since basically the start of the season, and no more! He is getting featured this week! All off-season, I kept circling Southern Miss’ WR room and saying someone in it would be CFF-relevant this year. After all, Blake Anderson WR1s have been a CFF staple for over a decade. Guys like Omar Bayless, Jonathan Adams Jr., Deven Thompkins, etc all come to mind. Especially now that Anderson is running his offense completely and doesn’t have to share philosophies with Charles Huff, he’s quickly returning to his roots with Mario Sanders.
In this WR room, Sanders was the only one coming into the season with a large collegiate WR workload (granted, Sanders’ best season was at JuCo). His comfort in that role shows, culminating in his best week yet against Troy. He caught 8 of 10 targets for 102 yards and 2 TDs. He also threw a 75-yard passing TD, but obviously we can’t expect that every week. While Sanders isn’t on the same trajectory as some of the Blake Anderson game-breaking WRs of the past, he’s still on a very solid trajectory. As of now, he projects out to 96 targets for 67 receptions, 970 yards, and 12 TDs in the regular season. That’s a top 12 WR pace. So yes, Sanders is likely the most important pickup this week outside of Gutierrez.
Jonathan Stafford – Western Kentucky – Ros: 12%
Huzzah! More freshmen! And a G6 one at that! We know Western Kentucky WRs will always be intriguing under Tyson Helton, though the type usually differs by OC. This year, it seems we’re back to favoring the slot WR, and Stafford has been the primary beneficiary, especially with KD Hutchinson’s injury. We discussed before how Brock Glenn is bad enough of a QB to not progress in his reads and key in on one guy, but he’s good enough to get him the ball. Well, Stafford is the guy who has been on the receiving end of that.
Over the last three weeks, Stafford has solidified his role. He’s averaged just over 10 targets per game and converted over 70% into catches, making him an excellent PPR add. His production from those catches seems to be lacking, as he’s only seen 1 TD this year and averages about 10 yards per catch. He is a true freshman, so the hope is that his efficiency can improve, especially if Western Kentucky can settle on one guy under center. More chemistry with Stafford is obviously a good thing, and once this CUSA schedule really gets underway, you have to imagine Stafford’s best performances are still ahead of him.
Isaiah Mizell – Arizona – Ros: 6%
Down their top 2 WRs and another contributor at the position, Arizona desperately needed someone in their WR corps to step up. Isaiah Mizell answered that call emphatically. In the game against West Virginia, Mizell had his best performance ever, catching 6 of 7 targets for 183 yards and 2 TDs. He was a big-play threat. While his volume hasn’t been elite recently (no more than 7 targets in any game), this is the kind of performance QBs and coaches reward.
I fully expect Mizell to start seeing 9-10 targets a game going forward, especially with his starting role locked in. Tre Spivey, the guy he is replacing, is out for the season. Things could shake up when Chris Hunter returns, but Mizell outperforms Hunter on nearly every efficiency metric. You’d have to imagine the coaching staff sees that and keeps the focus on Mizell. I think this passing game is now Mizell’s to own, and whatever thoughts you had on Tre Spivey before his injury can be directly translated to Mizell now. Go pick him up!
Honorable Mentions
- Josh Derry – UCF – 3%
- Isaiah Myers – Missouri State – 18%
- Justin Stevenson – North Texas – 21%
- Oran Singleton – Tulsa – 10%
- Kenny Darby – Kentucky – 28%
Tight Ends
Daunte Bacheyie – Syracuse – Ros: 5%
I could highlight a couple different options at tight end this week, but in a year where the position feels more like a crap-shoot than ever, you have to target guys who’ll either boom or bust on you any given week. The kind of guys where you’ll have to accept some complete dud performances, but when they do get it done, it’s likely to win you your week. Daunte Bacheyie (Bah-shay) perfectly fits this.
I’m certainly not saying he’s Oronde Gadsden 2.0; that would be silly. But it’s hard not to draw comparisons when Bacheyie fits the same mold and usage. He’s a big, nimble receiving tight end option in this passing attack, and any given week he could be the second option behind Umari Hatcher. That translates to games like last week, when he got 7 targets for 4 catches, 97 yards, and a touchdown. The QB situation makes this a bit shaky to bet on, but it’s still one of the best grabs at TE you can get this week.
Honorable Mentions
- Andrew Rappleyea – Penn State – 18%
- Cole Keller – James Madison – 13%
