“Well, that’s too damn bad! You keep diggin’!” – Trout Walker
5 Players Under 5% Owned
For some reason, I figured I’d try to write this for the masses by making a power-conference-only version. With the limited player pool and the average college fantasy football player getting sharper every year, this was much harder than I thought. But just as I thought this wasn’t going to happen, I kept digging and found five players rostered by under 5% who could help you down the stretch.
You can add each of these players with confidence, and most of them are meant to be matchup advantages as we enter the back half of the season. Enjoy, and thank you for your time!
WR • Da’Shawn Martin • Virginia Cavaliers
Rostered 2% • 9.6FP/PG • +2/wk vs Projection
2026 Stats • 24 Targets, 13 Receptions, 196 Receiving Yards, 5 TDs
2026 Pace • 44 Targets, 24 Receptions, 359 Receiving Yards, 9 TDs
Da’Shawn Martin doesn’t project as a hyper-targeted option in this Virginia pass attack, but he’s quietly averaged six targets per game over his last three matchups. Over those last three weeks, he’s been Virginia’s highest-targeted wideout; he’s their boundary, field-stretching option, averaging 17.8 yards per target. When they want a chunk play, they dial up Martin’s number. With five touchdowns in six games, he owns the touchdown share in this offense.
The 15.7% target share isn’t great, and it explains the low roster-share number, but given his role as a vertical threat, the target share matters less than the looks he gets, most of which are going for six. One out of every five of his targets has gone for a touchdown; that’s 20.8%, a number likely to regress. When he doesn’t score, his output is depressing (1.8FP), so his profile has some glaring flags. His fantasy value relies almost entirely on touchdowns.
This week he plays SMU, a tougher defensive matchup that runs 68.4% zone coverage, which Martin has found the most success against, but we have to temper our expectations in this tilt. The schedule gets a bit lighter after that, with soft spots in four of their next six matchups. Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech allow an average of 19.1 FPPG to boundary wide receivers. Add Martin for the scoring upside and play him in high-leverage matchups.
RB • Ashten Emory • California Golden Bears • Rostered 5% • 8.35FP/PG • +3.6/wk vs Projections
2026 Stats • 47 Attempts, 149 Yards, 4 TDs, 9 Receptions, 67 Rec Yards
2026 Pace • 94 Attempts, 298 Yards, 8 TDs, 18 Receptions, 134 Rec Yards
Ashten Emory is an add based strictly on Adam Mohammed’s health and availability, as Mohammed is questionable heading into Saturday. In the game Mohammed missed, Emory wasn’t overly efficient, averaging 2.4 yards per carry on a healthy 19 carries, but he still finished with over 20 fantasy points and two touchdowns. He dominated the snap and carry load in the room with Mohammed on the sideline. If anything, Emory is an add as a deeper handcuff stash because of the role he got when the lead back went down.
In the one game he operated as Cal’s guy, Emory was used in every facet of the offense. Not only did he get the workload out of the backfield, but he was also heavily utilized by QB Jackson Brousseau in the short pass game with seven targets. Emory isn’t a home run hitter, with two runs over ten yards, and neither came in the game where he started. You’re not banking on that with him; you’re starting him for the floor he can give you, given the volume he gets when called upon. 77 routes run, 13 targets, he doesn’t leave the field; with the target share, carry load, and red zone work, he’s a cheap back who can be a useful plug.
The early outlook isn’t good for Mohammed in week seven, and with Carter Vargas already getting the out tag, Emory is set for another decent outing against Wake Forest. Against the run, Wake Forest has been great, allowing only 95.3 yards per game and only one 100-yard rusher on the season. Ijeboi was dominant in that game, finding the end zone three times. We shouldn’t expect that type of outing from Emory, but we can expect better than the field because of his touch percentage.
If Mohammed continues to miss time, the rest of the season shouldn’t scare you off; outside of Wake Forest, Pitt’s stout rush defense is the toughest in the country.
WR • Prince Strachan • West Virginia Mountaineers • Rostered 2% • 5.3FP/PG • +0/wk vs Projections
2026 Stats • 15 Targets, 9 Receptions, 167 Receiving Yards, 0 TDs
2026 Pace • 47 Targets, 27 Receptions, 540 Receiving Yards, 0 TDs
Strachan is a pure projection play here based on his usage in the past couple of weeks. He’s been active in only three games; he started one, and he’s doubled his snap share every week. He’s been productive and efficient; through those three games, he has the best per-route number on this page. Strachan is just behind DJ Epps in targets, but he leads in receiving yards over those three games. His 14% target share has climbed steadily; he’s found his role on this offense. His real usage is in two games where he’s averaged 7 targets and 81 yards. Stretch that over the six games he has left, and that’s 42 targets and 490 yards from a guy who is available in 98% of leagues.
Prince is the boundary option in this offense with an average depth of target of 16.1 yards. He hasn’t found the end zone yet, and in that first game he was barely on the field; that’s what’s dragging down his fantasy points-per-game total. He’s coming off a 121-yard, 8-target, 14.6 fantasy-point game against Arizona; a wide receiver with this many deep targets is due for touchdowns.
West Virginia also runs the ball at a high clip when they get in and around the red zone (100%); they are a run-first team, and Strachan is going to have bad outings. He does win against man coverage, and as a boundary option, that is exactly what you want for fantasy: a big-play option who can beat press coverage is a big day waiting to happen.
Other than the TCU game, every defense for the rest of the season has been susceptible to opposing boundary wide receivers. They got Cincinnati this week; Kansas State’s Joseph Salley Jr. and Miami(OH)’s Maleek Huggins both dropped over 20FP against them as boundary wide receivers. They do play a ton of zone, which isn’t Strachan’s wheelhouse, but they are vulnerable.
After TCU in Week 8, the Mountaineers face Texas Tech, Kansas, Houston, and Utah; combined, they allow an average of 18.32 FP/PG to boundary pass options, and none allow under 16. We’re buying the sample size and the schedule; the offensive scheme will be the speed bump.
WR • Ayden Greene • Virginia Tech Hokies • Rostered 3% • 9.3FP/PG • +1.5/wk vs Projection
2026 Stats • 21 Targets, 14 Receptions, 275 Receiving Yards, 2 TDs
2026 Pace • 50 Targets, 34 Receptions, 660 Receiving Yards, 5 TDs
Greene might hold the most consistent profile of the bunch, putting up double-digit fantasy points in his last two games. Another boundary touchdown-dependent receiver who’s quietly become the program’s downfield target. This is still Que’Sean Brown’s offense, but someone else can get some shine. Unlike Strachan, Greene is on a team that ranks at the top of the league in pass attempts. Grunkemeyer may not be the most efficient downfield passer, but he doesn’t hesitate; he is top 50 in pass attempts over 20 yards.
He is a zone beater in this offense: 203 of his 275 yards, 13 of his 21 targets, both of his touchdowns, and a 2.9 YPRR against the coverage. Against man, it’s a completely different story; Greene seems to get strapped up when it’s mano a mano. The glass-half-full take on his profile is that most college defenses run a high percentage of zone, and Greene is good at exploiting and finding the soft spots in the coverage. In two games against division opponents, he has averaged 15 points. We’d like a bit more volume given how many passes the teams attempt, but everything about how he uses his targets suggests the volume is coming.
Looking ahead, Georgia Tech and Clemson are decent matchups; both allow over 16 points per game to boundary WR’s. Georgia Tech plays 65% zone coverage defensively, and, as we highlighted, that’s where Greene thrives. Clemson is exploitable; SMU is a dicey matchup, as we noted earlier, but Stanford is the softest game on the slate. Jack Foley and Cooper Barkate found the end zone against the Cardinals. Miami and Virginia are the final two games where you’ll most likely sit Greene unless something drastically changes in his role in the offense.
QB • Isaac Wilson • Colorado Buffaloes • Rostered 2% • 10.2FP/PG • n/a vs Projection
2026 Stats • 72 Pass Attempts, 40 Completions, 443 Passing Yards, 2 Passing TDs, 22 Rush Attempts, 31 Rush Yards, 0 Rushing TDs
2026 Pace • 324 Pass Attempts, 180 Completions, 1,994 Passing Yards, 9 Passing TDs, 140 Rush Yards (9-game basis)
Wilson survived, for now, an abysmal three-interception game against Texas Tech to remain Colorado’s starter. In that game, though, he attempted 44 passes and rushed the ball 17 times. In the two games where he played meaningful snaps, he has averaged 35 pass attempts, a passing touchdown, 223 passing yards, and 9.5 rush attempts. In his first game as the starter, he put up 21 fantasy points, not too shabby. Wilson is not a set-and-forget player; you’ll want to pick your matchups and try to pinpoint potential shootouts, which Colorado seems to be projected for often, with an average over/under of 52.7 points.
His potential ceiling is 23-25 fantasy points, he is not known as a dual threat type of player so we can’t expect 17, or really, double digit carries every game, but we can expect games where Colorado has to score to stay relevant. His production really comes down to how good the opposing defensive line is at getting to the QB. With time in the pocket, he’s fine and productive, but once the pressure comes, everything goes downhill; once he gets punched in the mouth, the plan goes out the window.
Under pressure, Wilson turtles into a 3.1 passer rating and a 7.3% sack rate. It’s bad, bad. That’s what takes him out of that set-it-and-forget-it tier of quarterback; he can win you a week in a soft matchup, but he can lose you one against a defense that can bring the pressure.
If he remains the starter for the rest of the season, we should be able to pinpoint potential softer matchups on his schedule. Week 7 against Utah is a sit situation; they rank third in bringing pressure defensively. Oklahoma State doesn’t bring much pressure, but they rank 38th in sacks; the Cowboys could start against them. Kansas State in Week 9 and Houston in Week 11 are the two softest spots on the schedule; both are below the league average when pressuring the opposing QB. Arizona State, Cincinnati, and UCF are tougher games where you might want to look elsewhere for a starter.
