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.
WATCH LIST
Josh Kelly WR, Fresno St. (2%): Fresno State has one of the strongest offenses in football. Quarterback Jake Haener has NFL potential, as do weapons Jalen Cropper and Ronnie Rivers. Explosive offenses can support many weapons though, and the Bulldogs are no different. Kelly exploded this week for a pair of scores and has averaged five targets per game in 2021. He’s probably not worth a stash now, but he should be monitored.
Seth Henigan QB, Memphis (1%): Starter Grant Gunnell is out for an undetermined amount of time with a “lower-body injury.” That opens the door for Henigan to take the job at Memphis. After a tame Week 1, Henigan exploded Week 2 with 412 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Tigers don’t have an overwhelmingly difficult schedule from this point, so keep your eyes on Henigan.
CANDIDATES
Jaren Hall, QB BYU (8%): BYU came out of Week 2 with the big upset win over Utah, and much of that is due to the performance of Hall. The sophomore QB had a solid night through the air with 150 yards and three touchdowns, but it’s his legs that should keep his fantasy floor high. Hall had 8 carries for 92 yards and was BYU’s second-leading rusher. If you’re in deeper leagues and need quarterback help, you can do a lot worse than Hall.
Evan Hull, RB Northwestern (5%): After Northwestern lost starting back Cam Porter to a season-ending injury, the backfield situation became quite murky. Sophomore Evan Hull has stepped in admirably in his absence. In Week 2, he received the bulk of the work and ended up with 126 yards and two touchdowns. If you need RB help and our priority adds are all rostered, managers could do much worse than Hull.
Tyquan Thornton, WR Baylor (6%): Thornton is the ultimate post-hype sleeper. The Baylor WR1 has been a staple in CFF lineups over the past decade, and with Denzel Mims on the Jets, most figured Tyquan Thornton would assume that role in 2020. Although the Bears are a run-heavy offense this year, Thornton’s ability should not be discounted, especially with at least eight targets in both games. If your wide receivers are a weakness, target Thornton.
PRIORITY
Brandon Thomas RB, Memphis (17%): Managers may have been wary about the first-year starter after Week 1, but those concerns were eliminated in Week 2. Thomas followed up his 147 yards, 1 touchdown performance with an even bigger game, tallying 191 yards and 2 touchdowns against Arkansas State. Memphis running backs have been very productive in recent memory, and that trend should continue. Thomas also may have NFL upside, although it’s too early to say that definitively. Bonus: he gets at least two more years in college.
Harrison Waylee, RB NIU (22%): Like Thomas, Waylee is also a second-year running back putting up big numbers through two weeks. He’s the focal point of an offense that plays in the MAC. Waylee has gone under the radar compared to Thomas or UCF back Isaiah Bowser, but he should be targeted just as heavily.
Alton McCaskill, RB Houston (7%): What’s better than the two years of production that Waylee and Thomas can get you? Three years! And that’s what true freshman McCaskill brings to the table. McCaskill was the 28th ranked back in the 2021 class, but a crowded backfield figured to keep him on the bench for the year. It appears he is too explosive to keep off the field, though. McCaskill produces in the run game (40 yards, 2 touchdowns) and the air (4 catches, another score). He’s more of a long-term play, but there’s big potential.
Dontario Drummond, WR Ole Miss (42%): Drummond is still only rostered in 42% of leagues, which is a complete mystery to me. Drummond has been the go-to receiver for Matt Corral through the first two weeks of the season; a role left vacant by Elijah Moore. The senior wideout has 18 targets(!) through two games, and those targets are highly valuable. If Drummond is still available, you need to add him.
