I know I talk about how quickly the season is going by pretty much every week in this column, but God dang, y’all, if you have a playoff with 6-8 teams in it, you’ve only got two weeks left of the CFF regular season! Hopefully this column and its accompanying Chasing the Natty episode each week have helped you build a team ready for those playoff weeks! If not, guess what? We have even more guys for you to look at this week!
That said, here’s who you could grab off the waiver wire coming out of Week 7! All players mentioned are rostered at a sub-30% rate in Fantrax CFF leagues.
Quarterbacks
Trey Owens – Arkansas State – Ros: 16%
I’m going to be honest with you all. Quarterbacks have been difficult to grab all season, and this week isn’t much better. Pretty much all three guys I’ll discuss today fall into the category of “fine” options. However, if one of them would surpass that category, it would be Trey Owens out of Arkansas State. Replacing Jaylen Raynor was never going to be easy for anyone, but Owens has done a pretty solid job.
Like Raynor, Owens is a boom-bust product any given week, no matter the matchup. This has been epitomized over the last three weeks, where he’s put together two 35+ fantasy-point weeks, sandwiching a 9.3 fantasy-point game. Owens is very touchdown-dependent, so you’ll want to play him in weeks with shootout potential. As we’ve seen, though, because Arkansas State’s RB room is all mid or in the infirmary, Owens is very likely to be a part of each scoring opportunity for the Red Wolves.
After his bye, he faces UL Monroe, Coastal Carolina, and Louisiana Tech. I’m not sure if I love the shootout potential of the UL Monroe game because the War Hawks are straight basura, but Coastal and LA Tech in the playoffs make for some nice spot starts if you need them.
Keyone Jenkins – UCF – Ros: 3%
This is a wally-pip situation in the truest sense. I’m not even sure Keyone Jenkins is measurably better than Alonza Barnett (I’d argue he isn’t), but the staff seems to think he’s serviceable enough to keep starting, and they don’t want to rock the boat this late in the season. It also helps that he quarterbacked Scott Frost’s biggest win since his LAST stint at UCF.
Now, what does he bring for fantasy? Like Owens and our next QB suggestion, Jenkins isn’t a rusher in the traditional sense, but he’s good enough that the staff wants to use him around the goal line, especially with the running game looking a bit suspect in the red zone. That possibility exists every week in a conference that scores like the Big 12, which makes Jenkins a solid floor play if you need to plug him in. His next three matchups are Baylor, Kansas, and Arizona State, three defenses that have shown more than enough times they can be taken advantage of.
Isaac Wilson – Colorado – Ros: 3%
Pretty much everything I said about Keyone Jenkins could apply to Isaac Wilson, down to the team colors and their roster percentage on Fantrax. While I don’t trust Colorado’s offense as much as I do UCF’s, I think their production and flow have become serviceable with Wilson under center rather than JuJu Lewis, who might legitimately be broken.
What is particularly nice is that, compared to Lewis, Brennan Marion is much happier to use Wilson’s legs. Over the last three games, Wilson has had 7+ rushing attempts, with 14+ in two of them. That volume hasn’t translated into much production on the ground yet, but you have to think it will come. Especially with their upcoming schedule of Kansas State, Arizona State, and Houston. The last two especially have been susceptible to rushing threats from the quarterback. Another solid add who could make for a good spot-start in playoff weeks if you need him.
Honorable Mentions
- Evan Medders – Air Force – 22%
- Owen Eshelman – Washington State – 17%
- JC French – Cincinnati – 29%
Running Backs
Bo MacCormack – Boston College – Ros: 2%
Injuries suck, but as a CFF player, you have to be ready to pounce when opportunities present themselves. Unfortunately, Evan Dickens is done for the season at Boston College, and it didn’t take long to see what the Eagles plan for the running game without him. MacCormack led the backfield against Georgia Tech last week, getting 20 carries for 155 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus 2 catches for 13 yards. He out-snapped the next RB, Nolan Ray, by nearly 25 snaps. Going forward, BC’s rushing attack appears to center on MacCormack.
The Week 11 matchup against Notre Dame obviously isn’t great for that first round of playoffs (or final week of the regular season), but Boston College has shown themselves to be productive enough that I’m not worried about starting MacCormack against the likes of Duke or Florida State over the next couple of weeks.
The question that lingers in my head is how game-script dependent MacCormack is. The game against Georgia Tech was obviously favorable, as they won that game by three touchdowns. What happens when BC falls behind? Does MacCormack get supplemented with catches, or does he fall off? We’ll likely find out, but for now, MacCormack is easily the most exciting RB grab of the week.
Ahmad Miller – Syracuse – Ros: 5%
Feels like Groundhog Day, as here I am, just two weeks later, recommending another Syracuse running back. For those keeping score, I recommended Tylik Hill a few weeks ago after he came off some monster volume games. It doesn’t seem like that was meant to stick, as his volume dipped sharply after we recommended him, and Ahmad Miller has been the favorite in the Syracuse backfield the last two weeks.
There’s a lot to worry about: Miller’s production may be a hot-hand situation, and any week he could be relegated behind another hot back. However, the mere possibility that Miller could have this sort of volume, averaging 24 carries a game, in an offense that has shown it’s willing to ride one guy like LeQuint Allen makes him worth adding, but maybe not quite starting yet. His next matchups are against SMU, Clemson, and NC State, with Notre Dame looming on championship week.
Tre Wisner – Florida State – 29%
Just like MacCormack, we must be willing to adapt to injury situations. It sucks losing Ousmane Kromah for the season; he was truly putting his team on his back and was on his way to the best kind of breakout. With him and Singleton out, we have to look to the guy Florida State paid nearly half a million to come play for them. Wisner being the 3rd back at the start of the season was certainly a bummer for those drafting him, but as fate would have it, he now gets the shot many thought he would get from the start.
What is also surprising is that, if you look at his advanced stats, he’s behind Kromah in almost every one, but the gap between them isn’t as big as you’d expect. With Clemson, Boston College, and Pitt coming up, I’d expect Wisner to be solid enough to at least get 80 yards and a touchdown in each. Hopefully he can find that second gear along with his second chance and produce well over the coming weeks.
Honorable Mentions
- Aidan Laughery – Illinois -10%
- Dominic Knicely – Coastal Carolina – 18%
- Cyncir Bowers – UConn – 21%
- Devonte Lyons – FIU – 3%
- Cardae Mack – Arizona State – 23%
Wide Receivers
Jaylon Hawkins – San Diego State – Ros: 4%
Is this the final nail in Jordan Napier’s coffin? Many are saying so. Hawkins has been a revelation for the Aztecs the last couple of weeks. The Aztecs don’t have nearly the defense they did last season (if I recall correctly, less than 10% of their defensive production returned) and, as a result, their offense has needed to be more explosive. That is exactly what Hawkins has been providing, averaging 17+ yards per catch on the season. Last week, he saw nine targets for six receptions, 164 yards, and a touchdown.
While waiting on Jordan Napier could put a sour taste in my mouth on recent Sean Lewis WR1s, I’m willing to trust Hawkins’ breakout a bit more. Hawkins plays on the outside, where great Sean Lewis WR1s like Travis Hunter, Xavier Weaver, Dante Cephas, and Devontez Walker have all played. If the Aztecs keep being forced to play from behind, you have to feel good about their weekly production ceiling. I will say, though, I don’t love that two of his next three matchups are Boise State and Utah State, two of the stingiest defenses in the PAC-12. We also don’t know who the Aztecs will face in Week 13 yet.
Wayne Harris – Kent State – Ros: 2%
Speaking of Kent State WRs, the Golden Flashes have been trying to recapture the magic of Sean Lewis’ system ever since he left. They may have found a WR who can help them get there. Wayne Harris has been quite boom-or-bust the last three weeks, but when he booms, he booms.
In that stretch, against MAC competition, he’s had two 15_+ target games, resulting in two 9+ catches and 150+ yard games. His dud games have all come against non-MAC opponents. The good news is he won’t have that problem moving forward. In fact, he is blessed from Heaven above with his next three matchups: Sacramento State, Bowling Green, and Miami, OH. Even by MAC standards, that’s almost as golden of a lineup as you’d want. I’m not sure Harris can get 15 targets every game going forward, but the fact that it’s even possible makes him a must-add at the position.
Cataurus Hicks – Pittsburgh – Ros: 29%
Just barely scraping under our 30% roster requirement here, but let’s be honest, Hicks should be owned in far more than 29% of leagues. Not much has been consistent or gone right for Pitt’s offense this season, but Hicks is one of the few things that has. He’s a big play waiting to happen every single week, no matter who is under center. Hicks’ high target share and usage make him very intriguing to CFF managers. He is tied for 5th among WRs with 20+ yard targets, putting him in the same company as Jesse Legree, Jeremiah Smith, Umari Hatcher, KJ Duff, Isaiah Meyers, and KJ Duff. Those are all top-10 CFF producers at the position so far this year.
Hicks is currently WR29 this season, so he’s certainly a tier below the guys I just mentioned, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he goes on a tear to end the season. As I mentioned, not much else is working on Pitt’s offense right now, but Hicks is, and with defenses like Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Louisville on the horizon, you have to expect points. Actually, I’ll say it: My rest-of-season rankings/projections have Hicks as WR7 in fantasy points per game going forward. Grab him now before it’s too late.
Honorable Mentions
- Isaiah Mizell – Arizona – 28%
- Sam Pickett – App State – 14%
- Josh Derry – UCF – 10%
- Calvin Russell – Syracuse – 22%
- Jonathan Stafford – Western Kentucky – 22%
Tight Ends
Connor Lair – Missouri State – Ros: 3%
It is not often I can say the most important waiver pickup of the week is at tight end, but here we are. That’s what happens when you have a cheat code at the position. Frankly, Connor Lair isn’t a real tight end by any stretch, but he does have the eligibility on Fantrax.
How your league handles that is up to you, but in leagues that won’t change someone’s eligibility mid-season, you now have a running back you can put in the TE slot. And not just any running back, one who has gotten 17+ touches in each of the last two weeks and managed to get 2 touchdowns last week.
Frankly, there is no other TE getting 15+ touches, and that makes Lair a massive advantage. No matter how good you think your TE room is, you need to make room for Lair. Because if you don’t, someone else will, and you will regret it in the playoffs.
Honorable Mentions
- Andrew Rappleyea – Penn State – 19%
- Cole Keller – James Madison – 22%
