If you’ve been following the series, you have built a strong college fantasy squad. This holds especially true after the Week 4 suggestions, as Jared Palmgren destroyed with pickups that produced massive performances.
I’m not the CFF Virtuoso that Mr. Palmgren is, but I am filling in for him this week; he was able to attend the massive Alabama vs. Georgia tilt on Saturday.
After much studying, taking in the weekly performances, and looking ahead to Week 6, we will again focus on players with good weekly matchups. Most players we would love to recommend are over 30% rostered, and I will hold to Jared’s rule. Let’s focus on players rostered under that magic number.
Quarterbacks
Last week, we hit one of the sweetest weeks I can ever remember if you needed QB help. Players like Alonza Barnett and Blake Horvath infused life into your lineup. Barnett was the QB1 on the week, and Horvath was top-20, scoring 35 points on Thursday night. Both players will give you massive weeks in many matchups from now on, but you will still have to keep an eye on the defenses they face (obviously).
This list includes a couple of newbies, so it’s a bit more reactionary, but I still really like the options we have available this week.
Hajj-Malik Williams – UNLV – Rostership: 7%
I’m hoping my first entrant doesn’t already have Jared rolling in his eyes, but Williams impressed me in his first game. He torched the Fresno State defense, passing for 182 yards, rushing for 119 yards, and accounting for four total touchdowns. The efficiency was impressive, at 81.3%, and the team responded to the Matthew Sluka saga with a resounding thumping of the Bulldogs.
Spring reports were positive for Williams in the offense, and some were surprised when he wasn’t named the starter. Williams came from the Campbell Fighting Camels after an impressive accolade-laden three seasons. He’s more polished as a passer and still can terrorize teams on the ground. The team rallied to him Saturday night, and I know it’s only one game, but it’s hard not to love a player with his talent leading a veteran team like UNLV.
Ricky White’s owners are undoubtedly much happier with Williams at the helm. White raked in ten passes for 127 yards and a pair of scores. He’s always commanded a massive target share in the Rebels’ offense. A return to a quarterback that can deal is a welcome sign for White owners.
Syracuse comes to town next week, and it should be a shootout. The game has a 58.5 O/U, with UNLV implied to score over 27. That feels light to me; I could see this game getting well over 70 points and Williams having a big game again.
Williams’s playoff schedule is pretty sexy, too. If he continues to play well, he’s going to be a guy you want for CFF. He’s got San Diego State in Week 12, San Jose State in Week 13, and Nevada in Week 14. All three could be shootouts, especially if UNLV continues to play well and SJSU has Mountain West title implications.
Ben Wooldridge – ULLaf – 8%
We normally frown on quarterbacks who don’t rush the ball in bushels, and they typically have a higher upside. But sometimes, you have to see what the offense is doing, and a player is scoring so well passing, we overlook the rushing.
Wooldridge (that extra d in the middle is throwing me off) has surpassed 30 points in three of his four games. He’s got a 69% completion percentage and has over 30 attempts in three of the four games. There was one ‘down’ outing against Kennesaw State, but the offense didn’t ask much of Wooldridge in that win.
Next, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles welcome in the Ragin’ Cajuns, and the offense should feast on their abysmal defense. My only worry is that the past few teams with good offenses tore up the Eagles so quickly that the quarterbacks’ production was limited. The Ragin’ Cajuns are efficient on the ground but do most of their damage with the aerial assault.
I can’t see Wooldridge having a massive game, but he’s likely to get you an excellent 25-point floor, which could help through bye weeks. After that, he’s got matchups with App. State, Coastal Carolina, and Texas State. These games could end up being ones when Wooldridge has to push the ball. The playoff matchups are not great, so he’s more of a short-term play for me.
Kevin Jennings – SMU – 4%
We have a history of love for Rhett Lashlee QBs, and most of us, present company included, expected Preston Stone to be the beneficiary of that love in 2024. But Stone was abysmal and, hence, replaced by Kevin Jennings.
This is the other new starter on this list, and I am a bit hesitant about fully buying him, yet I acknowledge his value in this offense. Jennings was efficient against TCU in his first start last week, but I wanted to see more. He followed that up by throwing for nearly 300 yards and three TDs against Florida State this week.
While almost any QB can decimate Florida State, it was good to see another strong performance. The Mustangs travel to Louisville in Week 6, and the game has a 57.5-point O/U, while I forecast a higher-scoring affair. Haynes King threw all over the Cardinal defense, and Riley Leonard had a strong game against the defense last week. I like Jennings to score in the 30-point range this week.
After Louisville, SMU has a bye, then another great matchup with Stanford. Duke and Pitt are not as good, then another bye, followed by tougher matchups in two of the last three weeks. Jennings is at the start this week, and in Week 8, there will be a hold if you have roster space.
Honorable Mentions
- Dorian Mensah – Tulsa – 11% (keep an eye on him)
- Jake Retzlaff – BYU – 9% (on a bye, great matchups after)
Running Backs
Star Thomas and Kalel Mullings had big weeks from last week’s list. Thomas had a top-three week by rushing for 166 yards, catching two passes for 45 yards, and scoring thrice. Jared had a great week with a less-than-stellar pool to choose from.
It’s tough sledding again, and I don’t love my options. This week’s pool will be less fruitful, but I will try to give you a few great options.
Jaden Nixon – Western Michigan – 6%
As a fantasy owner who has multiple shares of Jalen Buckley, it’s beginning to feel like he isn’t going to play this season. The Broncos have historically been a team that leans hard on one running back, and we want to roster whomever that back is.
Nixon was “the man” in Week 5, rushing 23 times for 146 yards and scoring once. He had a strong game in Week 4 against Bethune-Cookman, but I wanted to see more before considering him. He’s not showing much in the receiving game, but Nixon has been so good in the rushing department that it’s not as big of a hindrance.
My favorite reason to target Nixon is the upcoming schedule. We’ve got MACtion for the next four weeks of Ball State, Akron, Buffalo, and Kent State. All are in the bottom quarter of the FBS defenses, and several could end up with loads of scoring. Nixon is going to be relied on heavily if Buckley is out. I could still see Nixon having a role with Buckley back, but it won’t be as great for fantasy teams.
This pickup feels like we could be chasing points, so I won’t give it a ton of FAAB if I decide to make a Nixon claim. He has an enticing schedule but could be far less valuable if Buckley is back in the lineup.
Kanye Udoh/Noah Short – Army – 7% / 17%
BREAK GLASS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
These Army backs are dire case starts, but you could do worse. Both backs have been scoring if you need a week or two fill-in start. And Army will boa constrictor their opponents’ will to live, starting with their QB and RBs.
Short has been consistently scoring, mostly through the air. He’s averaging 16 points a game, and it’s been alarmingly consistent.
Udoh is hella fun to watch; he runs like a bull in a china shop but hasn’t been as consistent. He had nearly 20 points in Weeks 1 and 4 but only 11 points and 2 points in the other weeks.
These are more emergency guys with good schedules ahead, and Army may have to score more than some of their most recent contests. Both guys could flop for the week, so I don’t want to rely on them. But either could give you a good number from a flex spot in times of need.
Honorable Mentions
- Delbert Mimms III – Eastern Mich. – 2% (getting workload, heading into MACtion)
- CJ Campbell – FAU – 6% (20 points in 3 straight but split backfield)
Wide Receivers
Dante Wright was a phenomenal pickup from Week 4, and he’s emerging as a go-to receiver for Temple. Luke Grimm had another strong week but may be hampered by the inconsistent Jalon Daniels. Two strong hits from Jared’s Week 4 pickups and both should be rostered if they are still out there.
The options aren’t the best again this week, but I have a couple of players that my gut tells me need to be picked up. They may be a little more speculative and not guys you want to dump a bunch of money on trying to acquire.
Skyler Bell – UConn – 15%
This may feel like a knee-jerk reaction after Bell was the WR1 for Week 4, but I nearly chose him last week as one of my receivers on the CFFLists’ waiver show. He’s getting targets, but they haven’t been as consistent. UConn is surprisingly competitive, and Bell is one of the reasons for this.
Unfortunately, if you follow his trend, this week could be a down week for Bell. He’s had 7, 2, 13, 3, and 7 targets. Even with only two targets in Week 2, he caught both for 105 yards and a score.
It will be hard not to pepper Bell with targets following last week’s performance. He caught six of those seven targets for 153 yards and reached the endzone three times. Buffalo was an atrocious pass defense, but there are more of those on the schedule. Temple, next week, could be a shootout, and Bell will want to one-up Dante Wright. It should be a fun matchup with the offenses on center stage.
Bell has been a guy I’ve been watching, and this could be a mirage, but I like his involvement in the offense. UConn has scored 63, 48, and 47 points in the last three games. After Temple, there’s a bye, but games down the stretch versus Wake Forest, Rice, Georgia State, and UAB could have more fireworks for Bell and UConn’s offense.
Jaden Williams – Texas State – 4%
Jordan McCloud is chucking the ball around, and unfortunately, if you spend high draft capital on Joey Hobert, the distribution is annoying. Kole Wilson was the WR2 you spent draft capital on, and you are likely disappointed, too.
Surprisingly, after four games, the Bobcats’ leading receiver is Jaden Williams. He has 292 yards, scored three times, and 22 receptions. His performance has been mostly consistent, with three of his four games at or above 20 points. Last week, Williams had eleven targets against Sam Houston State, turning them into ten receptions for 133 yards.
With the distribution so spread out and Hobert still being there and not far behind in production overall, it’s hard to trust Williams to be much more than a flex play if you are short due to injuries and byes. I like the consistency and trust in the offense.
Texas State has tougher matchups against Troy and Arkansas State, but I don’t see them holding back McCloud and this receiving crew much. If anything, Hobert draws the attention of their best DBs, and I can see Williams still getting 7-10 targets regardless.
Honorable Mentions
- Krist Hutson – Wash. St. – 16% (Last three games – 10, 13, 13 targets in that offense – GOLD)
- Coleman Owen – Ohio – 17% (on bye, but phenomenal upcoming MACtion!)
- Ja’Kobi Lane – USC – 25% (first USC receiver to hit 100 yards, 13 targets; could Miller Moss finally have found a receiver to lean on? I love Lane’s talent)
- Raylen Sharpe – Fresno St. – 1% (on bye, speedy as heck, 16 targets this week)
Tight Ends
Harold Fannin and Jack Bech were the TE1 and TE2 on the week. The person who typically writes this column is dominating the King’s Classic with these two TE1s. Very annoying.
Thankfully, Jared isn’t out trolling for tight ends on the waivers. It’s a bleak landscape rife with fantastic one-week performances followed by weeks of ineptitude. Personally, I am happy if I can find a tight end who scores 8-12 points a week. I have a lot of Fannin and Tanner Koziol, though, so I don’t have to troll often.
Matthew Lauter – Boise State – 5%
I won’t spend much time on these few guys; they are all honorable mentions. Lauter was the TE3 of the week, but he caught his four targets and turned them into 96 yards and two scores. He did have nine targets in Week 4, but the prior two games were #UGLY.
If you need a TE, take a flier on Lauter; perhaps he continues, and I want pieces in this offense. Occasionally, Ashton Jeanty needs a breather. They’ve got solid matchups coming up, especially in the playoffs.
Plus, if you don’t take him, Lauter may come after you with the sledgehammer depicted above. Choose wisely.
- Jacob Newell – Akron – 3% (averaging over six targets a game)
- Dorian Fleming – Georgia St. – 14% (on bye, also 6+ targets a game)
