Man, just four weeks left in the regular season of college football. Like every year, it all just goes by so quickly, especially in the mad dash that is college fantasy football. In many leagues, this is the last week to prepare as you hope to get your teams into one of the coveted playoff spots. Today, we’ll be looking at some options to pick up on your waiver wire that can help seal the deal for one of those spots this week. Or help you build up some depth early for that week 11-13 playoff run.
A word of advice, real quick. The players in this week’s waiver article are great and will help you in certain spots. However, I highly recommend going and checking out the previous week’s articles and CTN Waiver episodes. A lot of the guys recommended in them are still available in a large chunk of leagues and maybe even more help than the guys listed below.
In this article, we’ll be discussing players who should be widely available on your CFF/C2C teams. In order to accomplish this, we’ll only look at guys who are rostered on only 30% of teams or less, according to Fantrax.
As always, it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t always just target the top performers from the week before. Context matters even more in college fantasy than it does in NFL fantasy. A guy going off for 200+ yards and three touchdowns is great, but when it only comes on five touches versus an FCS opponent, you don’t want to fall for that trap. We do our best here to sift through the traps and provide you guys who will boost your teams down the stretch for your playoff runs!
Quarterbacks
Jarrett Guest – Coastal Carolina – Rostership: 0%
Unfortunately, we are late enough in the season where the choices on the waiver wire for quarterback are all going to come with massive asterisks. My apologies for there not being a savior waiver wire QB to carry you through the playoffs. I promise to do better. As I mentioned at the top of the article, many of the QBs discussed in previous weeks will probably be better suited for your teams. I’ve done my best to list some of those guys below in the honorable mentions of each section.
We all hate to see long-time starters go down to injury. Grayson McCall’s injury in Week 8 left the door open for Guest to get a crack at the starting job. He wasn’t asked to do much in the remainder of the Arkansas State game, as the staff and players just wanted to get out without further incident while they still had a lead. The next week, against Marshall, we got to see what Guest looked like full-time behind center. The results, albeit for one week, looked promising.
Against what is supposed to be a stingy Marshall secondary, Guest was able to put up 289 passing yards and three touchdowns. Admittedly, his volume was not great, as he was only given 20 passes in the game. The number of passes was likely cut down due to the number of explosive plays the Chanticleers were able to hit in this game. I personally expect to see this number rise over the next couple of weeks.
Guest passed the trial run last week with flying colors, which should earn him more trust with the staff. In addition, the upcoming schedule sets up Guest really nicely, assuming he remains the starter. This week, the Chanticleers take on Old Dominion, who are115th in the country protecting the pass. After that, they get a date with the Bobcats of Texas State, who are 109th vs. the pass. That is back-to-back great matchups. Admittedly, this is assuming a lot based on one game, and there’s always the possibility that McCall could be back within the next two weeks. Know that is the risk you are taking if you pursue Guest.
Zion Webb – Jacksonville State – Rostership: 4%
Even this late into the year, Webb is an investment play rather than someone who can provide you immediate help. The next two weeks are not great, given that the Gamecocks take on the other Gamecocks of South Carolina in Week 10 and then have a bye the next week. Yes, USCjr’s defense has been atrocious this year, but I’m still not comfortable betting on G5 players going up against Power 5 defenses. Webb’s value will come in the final two weeks when he plays Louisiana Tech (124th vs. the rush) and New Mexico State (85th vs. pass, 55th vs. rush).
We’ve talked about the starting QB position before when Logan Smothers was under center, but since then…he kind of crapped the bed. Webb took the job back over for the last few weeks, and the results have been *chef’s kiss*. While still very limited in his passing ability, Webb’s legs have given him an insanely high floor each and every week.
In the last three weeks where Webb started the whole game, he has seen 100+ rushing yards, plus a touchdown, in each of them, and that’s just the floor. In the last two weeks, Webb has seen 20+ rushing attempts in each of those games. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: any QB with 20+ rushing upside should belong on a roster somewhere. As mentioned before, Webb won’t be good for the next two weeks, but if you find yourself in a situation where your QB has a bad matchup (think Haynes King vs Georgia) or just isn’t playing (where are my Caleb Williams managers at?), Webb could provide some great relief.
Honorable Mentions
- Blake Murphy, QB – UL Monroe – 25%
- Jordan McCloud, QB – James Madison – 28%
- Joey Aguilar, QB – Appalachian State – 17%
Running Backs
John Gentry – Sam Houston – Rostership: 1%
I was skeptical when Gentry first broke onto the scene against Jacksonville State, where he ripped off 30 carries for 97 yards on the ground. He added another 85 yards and a touchdown through the air. Since then, outside of one game where he was banged up, Gentry has proven me wrong. He’s clearly a focal point within this Bearkats’ rushing offense and has seen consistent volume the last two weeks, with 19 and 18 touches, respectively, in those games. Although his efficiency leaves plenty to be desired. He has also seen four or more targets in the passing game in three of his last four games, making him especially enticing for those in PPR leagues.
While I’m worried about his per-carry efficiency (4.4, 2.6, and 2.0 in his last three games), Gentry has a goldmine of a schedule coming forth in the next three weeks. They start off against Kennesaw State (Go Owls!), who has been abysmal this year, even by FCS standards (They’re gonna get slaughtered in the CUSA next year). Next, they get Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky, which might be the two best matchups a CFF player could ask for their running back. LA Tech boasts the 124th defense vs. the rush, and Western Kentucky boasts the 131st vs. the rush. Gentry could very likely have his best three games over the next three weeks. Get him now while you still can!
Tawee Walker – Oklahoma – Rostership: 10%
All off-season, the debate around the Oklahoma backfield surrounded the two breakout freshmen from last year, Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barnes. You could also find your sprinkling of Marcus Major fans, all five of them (even that may be generous). So, of course, as the season progresses, it is the former walk-on who is cementing his role as the leader of the backfield. Walker has shown an ability to break tackles better than anyone else in that room, which has come in handy as the offensive line’s inability to run block properly has become an issue for the Sooners.
Walker really made a name for himself over the last two weeks, putting up two touchdowns vs. Texas. In the loss to Kansas, he seemed to be the only thing consistently working for the Sooners offense, as he got 23 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown. We saw what Jeff Lebby can do with clear a top RB, as we saw with Eric Gray’s RB17 finish last season. While it’s too late for Walker to get a finish like that, he could see a finish like Gray had last season, where the lowest fantasy total Gray got was 18.1 fantasy points in his last five games.
It also helps that Oklahoma has a nice set of matchups over the next three weeks. All three of their matchups are against opponents with defenses 90th or worse vs the rush (Oklahoma St – 102nd, West Virginia – 94th, BYU – 90th). So long as Lebby, Venables, and staff finally commit to Walker as the feature guy moving forward, he could be someone who helps carry you to the playoffs and through them as well.
Jordan Nubin – Minnesota – Rostership: 0%
A third running back waiver wire option? In this economy? Yes, I’m spoiling you all with another pickup here. Although, this one comes with, by far, the biggest asterisk. We all know the Minnesota back is incredible for CFF; it’s just been a nightmare on the injury front for them. Both candidates for bellcow work, Darius Taylor and Zach Evans, were out this week.
This made way for Nubin to get the call. I would’ve assumed with Sean Tyler still around; there would’ve been some split between him and whoever they could find to play RB. Well, the staff passed on Tyler (I got plenty of things wrong this offseason, but fading Tyler into oblivion was not one of them), and they went with the converted safety at back. In his first start, Nubin got 40 carries and amassed 204 yards and a touchdown.
Like with Darius Taylor earlier this off-season, this isn’t a system you play around with in CFF. There’s a chance Evans and/or Taylor come back next week, and Nubin is quickly demoted, making him useless for your teams. However, what if they don’t? And you let another contender grab him and play him during this crucial time? As my friend Eric Froton would say, the juice is well worth the squeeze here. Take a chance and roll the dice. It also helps that Minnesota has nice matchups vs. Illinois (85th vs. the rush) and Purdue (75th vs. the rush) over the next two weeks. Watch out for that week 11 Ohio State game, though!
Honorable Mentions:
- Malik Sherod, RB – Fresno State – 26%
- Camryn Edwards, RB – UConn – 3%
- Kye Robichaux, RB – Boston College – 14%
Wide Receivers
Jamaal Pritchett – South Alabama – Rostership: 1%
When Devin Voisin went down with an ACL tear earlier this year, it looked as though Caullin Lacy was going to be the main target to step up for the Jaguars. He performed very well, but his upside is still limited with his positioning in the slot. Meanwhile, one Jamaal Pritchett, a former walk-on, has been earning his keep on the boundary. This has culminated in the last two weeks, where he’s seen 23 targets in two games, going over 120 yards in both of them. If Pritchett can build on this, he could be in for a mini-Jalen Tolbert-type run to finish the year.
The upcoming schedule has some ups and downs for the Jaguars. Pritchett and the Jaguars will first play against Troy with, likely, a true freshman starting at QB. YIKES! Stay away from that one! However, afterward, they get two nice matchups to win weeks 11 and 12. First, they get Arkansas State, who is 118th vs. the pass and is built to force teams into shootouts. Then, they go up against Marshall, who supposedly has the 34th-best defense vs. the pass. But over the last three games, they’ve given up an average of 263 passing yards in each game, which is 95th in the country over that stretch. Certainly, some question marks to figure out with a new QB under center after Carter Bradley went down, but given Pritchett’s spot in this system, he’s someone I’m willing to take the shot on.
Monaray Baldwin – Baylor – Rostership: 17%
What are two things we like in a WR in any fantasy format? We like guys with good volume, and we like guys with explosive playmaking ability. Baldwin has both, and I can’t believe I didn’t tout this guy sooner. Over the last five games, Baldwin has seen seven-plus targets in each of them. The number has been steadily increasing to his season high of 11 targets in last week’s loss to Iowa State. Baldwin’s explosive ability just adds to his weekly ceiling. In the last five games, his yards per catch have been as follows: 27.0, 21.4, 25.2, 7.0, and 19.5. That is elite, consistent, efficiency right there. It’s led to him hitting over 100 yards in three of those games and a touchdown to boot.
Between his targets and his efficiency, there’s plenty to like about Baldwin already, but the upcoming schedule for Baylor just adds the cherry on top. Baylor’s defense has been atrocious, giving up points to even the middest (that’s a word, right?) of offenses. This either forces Baylor to play from behind or in a shootout, which is where Baldwin thrives. The next three opponents for Baylor are Houston, Kansas State, and TCU. All three of those teams will race Baylor to score to win those games. This means Baldwin could be a super sneaky grab for big upside in the next couple of weeks, gearing up for playoff runs.
Honorable Mentions
- Noah Smith, WR – Sam Houston – 27%
- Courtney Jackson, WR – Oklahoma State – 4%
- Kenneth Womack, WR – Western Michigan – 4%
- Javon Baker, WR – UCF – 26%
- Reggie Brown, WR – James Madison – 23%
- Elic Ayomanor, WR – Stanford – 30%
For More Waivers:
There are obviously way more names to consider for picking up in CFF this week than the one-two per position that I’ve fully broken down above. For more in-depth looks at even more waiver wire options for this week, make sure to check out Monday’s episode of Chasing the Natty: A CFF Podcast, available on YouTube and all your favorite podcast locations!
