College Fantasy Football Post-Week 9 Waiver Wire Adds

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, waiver wire content gets really hard this late in the season. However, if you guys are snatching up good waiver pickups, that means we’re doing a good job!

I don’t think there is that much else to say. Playoffs are around the corner in most leagues. Let’s grab some last minute waiver additions that could be huge down the line for you all. At quarterback, as I’ve said for weeks, the usual suspects are back, although there are a few G5 guys who are popping up late that I, admittedly, did not give enough credit before. At running back, it continues to be a tough scene, with a few guys you can try to work with but its highly doubtful they’ll make or break your team the rest of the way. Wide receiver once gain provides us with some late-rising folks that can definitely bolster your room if that is where you are struggling.

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

Cameran Brown – Georgia State – Ros: 4%

As mentioned in the intro, today’s QBs are made up of two G5 quarterbacks whom I’ve been hesitant to put on these lists. None moreso than Cameran Brown of Georgia State. Brown is a former 3-star Texas Tech player who transferred to Georgia State during the offseason.

Three weeks ago, he got his shot to start when, shocker, starting TJ Finley didn’t work out for the team. Against App State and Georgia Southern, Brown put together some solid fantasy performances, ending with 23.08 fpts and 33.2 fpts in those matchups, respectively. That’s obviously good, but there was a part of me that was afraid those were flukes.

Of the six TDs that Georgia State scored in those two games, Brown accounted for five of them. I wasn’t sure that was sustainable, and when you look at Georgia State’s offense this year, the 24 points they scored against Georgia Southern were a season-high against FBS opponents. So was I prepared to rely on a QB that seemed locked into a ceiling of 2-3 TDs any given week? Not quite.

Then Georgia St. shut me up this past week, putting up 31 points against Southern Alabama, and Brown put together another great performance, with 32.34 fpts. My concern about Brown’s TD rate compared to his team’s TD rate is going to have to subside for now. The Panthers don’t have an RB that anyone on defense fears, and Brown himself can run (187 yards rushing in the last two weeks combined). There’s a recipe brewing for Brown to score 80+ of the TDs Georgia State scores going forward, and if their offense continues to improve under Brown, watch out.

It’ll help immensely that the two next matchups for Georgia State, once they’re done with their bye week this week, are against Coastal Carolina and Marshall. Both teams are giving up 250+ passing yards per game and 150+ on the ground. If Brown’s game isn’t figured out between now and then, those are two defenses he should be able to eat against, right during the start of playoff games in your league.

Evan Simon – Temple – Ros: 13%

Another G5 QB I’ve been underestimating is Evan Simon of Temple. I’ll be honest with you all. This has everything to do with my inherent bias against Temple players and this squad, because my preseason expectations were that they wouldn’t be good and wouldn’t matter because the system sucks. Well, shame on me for doubting KC Keeler and what he can do in Year 1, and I’ll be making amends by highlighting not one, but three Temple players today. Simon has been the core of this offense since beating out Gevanni McCoy in fall camp.

Simon has thrown for 1,610 yards and 21 TD through eight games, and he only seems to be getting better by the week. Recently, he’s put up 3 25+ fantasy point performances in a row. He doesn’t rush a ton, but it is remarkably consistent: 5-6 rushing attempts for 15-20 yards and 0-1 TD in each of his last three games.

Things will get a bit tougher for Simon and Temple these next couple of weeks, but still manageable. They’ll be facing East Carolina, which is 78th vs. the pass, and then Army, which is not only 51st against the pass but also always loves to drag teams into low-scoring mud-fests. However, I’m going to trust that Keeler and Simon will be somewhat consistent against those teams and maintain their 30-point-per-game average on offense. That’ll be plenty good enough for Simon to be, at the very least, a solid bye-week substitute.

Honorable Mentions

• D’Wayne “Lunch” Winfield, QB – ULL – 5%
• Alonza Barnett, QB – James Madison – 25%
• Broc Lowry, QB – Western Michigan – 5%
• Cale Hellums, QB – Army
• Nick Minicucci, QB – Delaware – 24%
• Connor Weigman, QB – Houston – 27%
• Joe Fagnano, QB – UConn – Ros: 7%
• Bear Bachmeier, QB – BYU – Ros: 26%

Running Backs

Caleb Komolafe – Northwestern – Ros: 9%

God in Heaven, almighty. Running backs stink this week. As I did last week, I’m going to draw your attention to the players in the honorable mention section and encourage you to look for their availability before going after either of our featured guys this week. With that being said, let’s discuss Caleb Komolafe. When Cam Porter went down earlier this season, after looking like he was going to be the workhorse back for Northwestern, I thought for sure we were going to get a committee approach behind him. Well, Komolafe has proven me wrong on that front.

Over the last three weeks, Komolafe has gotten the majority of carries for the Wildcats and has put together some solid, consistent weeks in terms of production. He’s averaged a TD in his last three games, and for a team like Northwestern, which wants to play that old-school Big Ten football, being the lead back is a great way to project future production.

Komolafe’s upcoming schedule isn’t great, but it isn’t awful either. They’ll be facing USC and Michigan after their bye this week. Those teams and 69th and 48th against the run. Not elite by any stretch, but also not swiss cheese ready to be sliced.

Northwestern not being a doormat for conference opponents helps me believe in Komolafe going forward. Their offense may be only good for about 20 points a game, but their defense is good enough that Northwestern isn’t even gamescripted against the run. I expect that to be the case going forward, and as long as that stays true, Komolafe is a great player to pick up and provide a safe floor for your teams if your stud is on bye.

Jeyvon Ducker – Temple – Ros: 13%

As promised, we are looking at our 2nd Temple player of the day. Jay Ducker was a favorite of some during the off-season, and on the surface, it is easy to understand why. He had been CFF relevant in the past during his time at NIU and somewhat at Sam Houston last year. He follows KC Keeler to Temple, and despite Keeler not typically employing a workhorse back, it was pretty clear from the pre-season report that Ducker would be a big part of the Owls’ offense.

As I mentioned with Simon, I was concerned about how good this offense would be. Those concerns have been laid to rest. My next concern was that Temple was returning players from the previous regime, like Joquez Smith and Terrez Worthy, and they’d figure into the rotation enough to cap Ducker’s ceiling. Well, they haven’t. In fact, Worthy has left the team.

Ducker hasn’t been on fire throughout the whole season (he is currently RB70 in fpt/game), but his last three weeks seem to show he might be turning a corner for the 2nd half. He has hit 18+ 0.5 PPR fantasy points in each of his last three weeks and has seen 75+ yards rushing and 1+ touchdown in each game. Outside of the blowout game against Charlotte, Ducker has also seen 20+ touches in his games against Tulsa and Navy. If that continues, we’re in for a fun time as we enter the final stretch of the season. He’ll be tested against some decent run defenses in East Carolina (49th vs the run) and Army (42nd vs the run), but if he passes those tests, he could be a difference maker going forward.

Honorable Mentions

• Davon Booth, RB – Mississippi State – 14%
• Kevorian Barnes, RB – TCU – Ros: 27%
• Jordan Brunson, RB – Miami, OH – 14%
• Rodney Fields, RB – Oklahoma State – Ros: 18%
• Coleman Bennett, RB – Kennesaw State – 5%
• Jekail Middlebrook, RB – MTSU – 20%
• Kendrick Raphael, RB – California – 13%

Wide Receivers

Kajiya Hollawayne – Temple – Ros: 1%

Okay, I promise this is the last Temple player we’ll be discussing (unless you count Peter Clarke hanging out in the TE honorable mentions). Kajiya Hollawayne, looking back, is a guy I’m surprised hasn’t made more noise in the CFF community. He’s only rostered in 1% of leagues, but just look at his last three games.

For those that don’t want to do the math, this man has been averaging 12.3 targets, eight receptions, 105.3 yards, and 1.3 TD per game his last three games. As I’ve said for both Simon and Ducker, this Temple offense is working and putting up points. If that continues, it stands to reason that Hollawayne will continue to be fed. I’ve already mentioned Temple’s matchups against ECU and Army, but especially in PPR formats, I’m not worried about Hollawayne any more than I am with your average receiver, given the variance that comes with that. I think he and the next guy we’ll talk about are saving graces for teams struggling at the WR position heading into the playoff portion of the season.

Jeremiah Koger – USF – Ros: 3%

It’s always strange when guys start to emerge randomly in the mid-late portion of the season, but with true-freshmen, it’s sort of expected. However, normally we’re watching those big-time recruits at their big-time programs, and we forget that G5 teams sometimes have freshmen of their own to develop. Such is the case with Jeremiah Koger at USF.

During the off-season, we kept asking ourselves who would be the Sean Atkins for this year’s Bulls team. Many, including myself, favored Keshaun Singleton, and he didn’t quite live up to our expectations. Then it looked like Tennessee transfer Chas Nimrod, whom I initially favored in the off-season, would be that guy, but then he got hurt.

Now, Koger seems to be the guy. After the Bulls’ first bye week, Koger saw a massive jump in his snap count, going from an average of 14 snaps per game prior to the bye to 58 per game after the bye. His target numbers followed suit, going from one target in four games to 20 in his last four games. This man is on a full-scale ascent, and I’m not sure we’ve seen the top yet.

Now, if you’re doing the math at home, you know that five targets per game over his last four games isn’t something I’ve ever been excited about. What I am excited about is his consistency. Over the previous four games, Koger has had 75+ yards and a TD in all 4 of them. Koger may not get many targets, but he’s sure getting high-value ones. Outside of Nimrod, Koger has the best average depth of target on the team, and he’s been efficient in turning those limited deep targets into completions, with a catch percentage of 85%. Absolutely elite for a deep threat option.

Now, I am concerned it isn’t sustainable, so I’m hoping we can see more like 8-9 targets a game, rather than five. Even still, if you’re going to bet on a lower-volume option, this is the kind of guy you want. Deep ADOT, high catch percentage, offense is in the top 15 in points per game, need I say more? Koger and the Bulls have dates against UTSA and Navy after this bye week, both of whom are susceptible to the pass.

Ronnel Johnson – Missouri State – Ros: 0%

I was pretty impressed to find two receivers before this that had sub-3% rostership, but it’s very rare I get to discuss a receiver who, according to Fantrax, isn’t rostered in any leagues. Ronnel Johnson is a transfer in from Stetson and currently leads Missouri State in targets. As of late, he is the clear favorite option for Missouri State’s QBs, whether it is Clark or Bailey at the helm.

In fact, it seems that with Clark back at the Helm, Johnson is even more favored as a target, as his last game of 13 targets shows. Over his last three games, Johnson has seen 27 targets, which he’s converted into 16 catches for 232 yards and 2 TDs. Obviously, we want the production to increase, but again, his last game of 99 yards gives us hope.

What is really nice is Johnson’s upcoming schedule. He and the Bears will be facing FIU, Liberty, and UTEP. All three have secondaries that are 80th or worse against the pass. Liberty, in particular, is awful at 111th against the pass. What’s even better is that Liberty and UTEP are both relatively stout against the run, both being the top 25 in that stat. That means in those games, Missouri State will likely have to throw the ball to consistently move the chains, and that just smells like a lot of opportunities for Johnson going forward.

The concern is that Missouri State’s offense has averaged 18.7 points per game so far this year. However, that has upticked slightly over the last three games they’ve played to 22.7, so let’s hope that trend continues.

Honorable Mentions

• Gabriel Benyard, WR – Kennesaw State – 24%
• Parker Kingston, WR – BYU – 9%
• Iverson Hooks, WR – UAB – Ros: 11%
• Jackson Harris, WR – Hawai’i – Ros: 18%
• CJ Williams, WR – Stanford – 23%
• Cooper Barkate, WR – Duke – 24%
• Amare Thomas, WR – Houston – 20%
• Jordan Hudson, WR – SMU – 12%
• Braden Pegan, WR – Utah State – 16%

Tight Ends

Just keeping it real with you all, there are no new names at tight end this week that are worth their own featured section. Our feature from last week, Brody Foley, is now TE2 on the season and is still unrostered in 71% of leagues, so you absolutely need to grab him after a 3 TD performance from this past week. Otherwise, check out the rest of the guys we’ve discussed recently.

Honorable Mentions

• Brody Foley, TE – Tulsa – 29%
• Boden Groen, TE – Kansas – 13%
• Richie Anderson, TE – Fresno State – 9%
• Peter Clarke, TE – Temple – 20%
• Joshua Long, TE – Eastern Michigan – 6%
• Sam Roush, TE – Stanford – 24%