Every week here at Campus2Canton.com, we will highlight players who should be considered as pickups in college waivers. Many C2C formats allow only one or two waiver wire pickups per year. So tread carefully. Each week, players will be organized in terms of watch list, candidate, and priority.
Watch list. These are players that should be monitored to track their progress. But they are not necessarily considerations to add at the moment.
Candidates. These are players who are potential waiver-wire targets but are on equal footing as other targets. They should be prioritized per your team needs.
Priority. These are players who should be considered as priority acquisitions or 100% FAAB type players. They could have NFL potential, CFF potential, or both. Either way, they are players that will likely be rostered quickly.
The current Fantrax rostership percentage is listed next to each player’s name. That way, you have a sense of how likely you will find this player in the free-agent pool.
Lastly, and before getting into the players, special consideration and attention should be given to week 1 pickups. Like the NFL, the firehose of information in college football is the most pronounced after week 1. It is time to pounce and take advantage while others are sleeping at the wheel.
With that said, here are the players that you should be considering this week in waivers.
WATCH LIST
Samori Toure WR, Nebraska (7%). Zavier Betts and Omar Manning were hot names in the offseason. But Montana transfer Samori Toure was the focus of the passing game in the Week 0 loss to Illinois and in the week 1 win over Fordham. Starting Cornhuskers will be a losing proposition most weeks, but Toure has to be considered a Senior Bowl candidate, which means he has NFL potential, even if it is Day 3 or a UDFA.
Dylan Wright WR, Minnesota (5%). The lanky Wright is on this list by virtue of his performance against Ohio State. But I would tread lightly. Daniel Jackson appears to have obtained the high-volume slot role for the Gophers, which was previously occupied by both Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman. Jackson was targeted heavily and deep for the Gophers in week 1, but he and Tanner Morgan had trouble connecting. Jackson will see better days. Chris Autman-Bell will return from injury. I would expect Wright to return to obscurity.
Jacob Cowing WR, UTEP (37%). Cowing is second on the team in receptions but is averaging a whopping 25 yards per catch.
⛏ @UTEPFootball‘s Jacob Cowing: Highest-graded WR in WK0 (91.3)
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 30, 2021
158 yards on just FIVE catchespic.twitter.com/OacTgApuAu
Cowing will need to be more consistent before being considered an every-week start. But he must be monitored.
CANDIDATES
Isaiah Williams WR, Illinois (6%). After flashes at QB as a true freshman, and then as WR in week 0 against Nebraska, Isaiah Williams appears to have taken hold of the receiving work for Bret Bielema’s offense. Williams was Artur Sitkowski’s favorite target in week 1, posting 8/101/0. C2Cers shouldn’t invest a ton in starting Illinois players, but Williams is one to monitor as an athletic yards-after-catch wide receiver who may catch the eye of NFL scouts.
Will Levis QB, Kentucky (12%). Levis will not be as prolific as his 18/26/367/4 performance once the conference schedule begins. But he is athletic enough and has enough arm talent that he should be rostered in the majority of C2C leagues, specifically given the standard Superflex format. Just unlikely to be a weekly play in the SEC.
PRIORITY
Jashaun Corbin RB, Florida State (25%). Some in the devy community have been waiting for this version of Corbin since his transfer from Texas A & M to FSU last season. Corbin possesses an ideal size at 220 pounds, and he has a versatile skill set. He should be a player who makes his way onto an NFL roster. Even without his 89-yard touchdown run against Florida State, Corbin still averaged 4.0 yards per carry against a Notre Dame defense that ranked 16th against the run in 2020.
Jashaun Corbin!!
— Damian Parson 🏈 (@DP_NFL) September 6, 2021
🔸patience/follow blocks
🔸Run through arm tackles
🔸Vertical cut/explode upfieldpic.twitter.com/ltBPexhS8T
Treyson “Trey” Potts RB, Minnesota (4%). Potts figures to be at the center of an RBBC, given the Gophers have now lost Muhammad Ibrahim for the season. My colleague Chris Moxley will disagree with me here, but I think Potts could be in for a breakout season in the wake of the Ibrahim injury. Here’s why. First, Potts was efficient in a truncated season in 2020, posting 19 carries for 121 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry behind Ibrahim in 2020. He also added four receptions. That fact should be given considerable weight given that even with all of his usage in 2020, Ibrahim only accounted for 8 receptions.
Second, Potts’ usage before the Ibrahim injury is indicative of (1) athleticism, (2) trust from the coaching staff, and (3) an all-purpose skill set. Even before the Ibrahim injury, Potts was being used as a punt returner and in the slot as a receiver – neither of which we’ve seen from Ibrahim. Football coaches are notoriously conservative when it comes to the return game, specifically the punt return game. The play increases the likelihood of a turnover given that a vulnerable return man is tracking a ball in the air for 4 or 5 seconds while gunners are running full speed and seeking the high-impact collision. Potts is a different kind of back than Ibrahim. Minnesota’s offense could look entirely different with Potts in the backfield. My educated guess is that the Gophers look to get Potts the ball creatively by utilizing him in the passing game.
Anthony Richardson is a BAD man
— Barstool Florida (@UFBarstool) September 5, 2021
pic.twitter.com/Il52CLY750
Anthony Richardson QB, Florida (10%). Football doesn’t always have to be rocket science. Anthony Richardson is one of the 5-10 best size-adjusted athletes at any position in the entire country. According to a source, Richardson’s role will be expanding considerably after his week 1 performance. He should be rostered in all C2C leagues.
Good Lord, 6-1, 215-pound ZaQuandre White lookin’ like he was shot out of a cannon on this run pic.twitter.com/3IGpaa29NE
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) September 5, 2021
Zaquandre White RB, South Carolina (1%). White, not devy darling Marshawn Lloyd, led the Gamecocks in yards in Week 1, even though Lloyd got the edge in carries. The former JUCO transfer and redshirt senior has ideal size for the position at 6’1, 215 lbs. One long run isn’t enough to fully evaluate a player. But it is enough for coaches to continue to give opportunities to a player. White will continue to receive opportunities for a South Carolina team that does not have many offensive weapons outside its backfield.
Hilltoppers, Western Kentucky. Credit to Campus2Canton’s own Alfred Fernandez for pointing out the huge Houston Baptist migration to Western Kentucky earlier this offseason. Bailey Zappe and company did not disappoint in their week 1 explosion. Zappe tossed 7 touchdown passes as WKU kept its foot on the gas against Tennessee-Martin. The Hilltoppers have much tougher opponents on the schedule in Indiana, Michigan State, and Army. But this offense should be treated like the Denver Broncos record-setting offense in 2013. Outside of the aforementioned opponents (and maybe even there), Bailey Zappe QB, Jerreth Sterns WR, and Josh Simon TE should be started weekly. Wide receivers Daewood Davis, Malachi Corley, and Mitchell Tinsley should also be considered. Finally, redshirt sophomore QB Carson Baker is a sneaky stash for 2022 or if there is an injury to Zappe, whose eligibility is up after this season.
Miyan Williams RB, Ohio State (17%).
Williams got the start for the Buckeyes and led the team in carries, yards, and yards per carry. Meatball is a load to bring down but demonstrated some breakaway speed in Week 1. Given their respective performances, the logical conclusion is that Williams and phenom Treveyon Henderson will continue to get the bulk of the work and phase out plodder Master Teague.
