It is hard to believe we are almost a quarter of the way through the season. Some of you will not make the fantasy playoffs if you don’t turn things around this week. That means you have eight weeks to fix things. Don’t worry, I am here to help with my Week 4 Group of Five (G5) Waiver Saviors. For this article, I am looking for individuals who are 30% owned or less.
G5 Waiver Saviors
Quarterbacks
Tucker Gleason – Toledo
Fantrax Rostership: 29%
Total Fantasy Points: 96.1
Fantasy Points Per Game: 32
Toledo averages 4.5 touchdowns per game, which is tied for 15th in the nation. Tucker Gleason has nine passing touchdowns on the year. That is tied for first in the G5 with three other signal callers. Of those signal callers, he is averaging the most rushing yards per game with 30. His offensive line is also giving him the most time to throw the ball (2.57 seconds) amongst those other three quarterbacks. He has zero big time throws on the year, but is keeping the ball safe with only two turnover worthy plays on the year. Tucker Gleason can be your G5 Waiver Savior going into Week 4!
Toledo leads Mississippi State 28-3 (!!!) at halftime.
The Rockets are outgaining the Bulldogs 305-151. Rockets QB Tucker Gleason is 18/22 for 218 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs and leads the team with 37 rushing yards. pic.twitter.com/i8aCPHggDr
— Colton Pool (@CPoolReporter) September 15, 2024
Caden Veltkamp – Western Kentucky
Fantrax Rostership: 24%
Total Fantasy Points: 57
Fantasy Points Per Game: 28.5
TJ Finley went down in Week 3 against Middle Tennessee State. In steps Caden Veltkamp. Veltkamp goes 27 for 30 for 398 yards and five touchdowns. He also added one touchdown on the ground. Rewind to the Famous Toastery Bowl last year where he led the Hilltoppers back from a 28-point deficit, which was the fourth largest in college football bowl history. TJ Finley is going to miss a few weeks, so pick up Veltkamp and start him with confidence. Veltkamp is a prime G5 Waiver Savior to lead your squad back into the playoff picture.
Emmett Brown – San Jose State
Fantrax Rostership: 9%
Total Fantasy Points: 96.4
Fantasy Points Per Game: 32.1
I mentioned above that Gleason was tied with three other signal callers with nine passing touchdowns. Emmett Brown is one of those he is tied with. Brown has an Average Depth Of Target (ADOT) of 14.1 yards with nine big-time throws and only three turnover-worthy plays. He is averaging 35 pass attempts for 305 yards per game. When the Spartans are in the RedZone, they are throwing the ball. They have nine RedZone attempts resulting in six scores. Of those six scores, five have been via the air. If you need a deep shot down the field to save your season, Waiver Savior Brown is your guy.
Running Backs
Billy Lucas – Liberty
Fantrax Rostership: 23%
Total Fantasy Points: 51
Fantasy Points Per Game: 17
Quinton Cooley went down in Week 3 against UTEP. Early indications are that Cooley may miss a large chunk of time. Billy Lucas stepped up in Cooley’s absence with 21 rushing attempts for 104 yards and three touchdowns. Liberty has 16 RedZone attempts so far in 2024. They are only converting half of those into touchdowns. Of those eight, six are coming from the ground game. When Liberty is down inside the 20’s, they are looking to run the ball. Most importantly, the Flames are getting to the RedZone. If they can convert more of those appearances into touchdowns, look for them to come from the ground game. Stock is rising on Billy Lucas. Liberty may look to lean on Lucas, and you can too as a great G5 Waiver Savior option.
Kam Thomas – University of Texas El Paso (UTEP)
Fantrax Rostership: 11%
Total Fantasy Points: 49.7
Fantasy Points Per Game: 16.6
Kam Thomas has RB/WR eligibility. In 1 point per reception leagues, that is BIG! He is currently averaging 9 targets per game, which is 11th in the G5. He also ranks 23rd in the G5 in receiving yards per game with 79 yards. A running back is tough to find on waivers, but sometimes you need to mine for them. Get it? Mine…Miners… anyway… If you dig deep enough on the waivers, you just might strike gold with this G5 Waiver Nugget.
Fluff Bothwell – South Alabama
Fantrax Rostership: 26%
Total Fantasy Points: 53.7
Fantasy Points Per Game: 17.9
I wrote up Fluff Bothwell in John Laub’s waiver article earlier in the week. We saw his Fantrax rostership go from 4% to 26%, so I wanted to talk about him again to see if we can get him above 30%. South Alabama is currently sitting at a 8:5 run-to-pass ratio when it comes to scoring in the RedZone. They have the second most RedZone appearance in the nation (19). You may be scared off by his 8 touches per game, and I don’t blame you. However, the number of times South Alabama is in the RedZone is comforting. He is handling 43% of the running back carries and 53% of the running back rushing yardage. Da’Marion “Fluff” Bothwell just may be the answer you need before teams head into conference play.
7 for 143 and 2 for Fluff Bothwell tonight
True freshman, best pro prospect on the team
There’s a reason he stormed into this program and is quickly taking the RB1 spot
— Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) September 13, 2024
Wide Receivers
Cade McDonald – Miami (OH)
Fantrax Rostership: 22%
Total Fantasy Points: 46
Fantasy Points Per Game: 23
Cade McDonald needs to be picked up. He is averaging ten targets per game! He is catching eight balls per game and averaging 120 yards per game. McDonald ranks fifth in the G5 in targets per game and third in yards per game. 23 points per game are just sitting out there on your waivers. Your league-mates continue to miss! You may ask yourself, are the 10 targets per game sustainable? I believe so! Brett Gabbert, his quarterback, is averaging 36 passes per game. MACtion is right around the corner, and Cade McDonald will help you make your playoff run!
Dante Wright – Temple
Fantrax Rostership: 18%
Total Fantasy Points: 60
Fantasy Points Per Game: 20
Like Cade McDonald, Dante Wright is averaging ten targets per game. He is bringing in seven passes weekly. However, his yardage is a bit lower with 78 yards per game. Why do I bring him up? Well, the 20 points per game is a nice start! He leads the team in receiving yards, with 236 yards. The next closest is Ashton Allen with 80 yards. Wright has 23 receptions on the year for the Owls. The next closest is Antonio Jones with seven. Wright is dominating the receiving work with 40% of the yardage and target share. If you need something you can count on, it’s the Owls throwing the ball to Dante Wright. Don’t fumble away this G5 Waiver Savior.
Ted Hurst – Georgia State
Fantrax Rostership: 5%
Total Fantasy Points: 56.7
Fantasy Points Per Game: 18.9
TED. HURST. IS. HIM!!!! 🤯#LightItBlue | #NewAtlanta pic.twitter.com/KH3oZxHjnJ
— GSU Football (@GeorgiaStateFB) September 15, 2024
Ted Hurst is averaging 18.9 points per game and just caught the game-winning touchdown to propel the Panthers over Vanderbilt. Hurst is averaging five receptions on seven targets for 79 yards a game. Why do I feel so good about Hurst? His quarterback, Christian Veilleux, is averaging the third most pass attempts in the G5 with 38. On average, he is completing 24 of those 38 pass attempts weekly. That is tied for first in the G5 with Chandler Morris (North Texas) and Joey Aguilar (App State). The stats show the Panthers are willing to throw the ball around to different guys, but this volume can support that. Get next week’s waiver pick up today, and pick up Ted Hurst before Week 4 starts. He is the G5 Waiver Savior you didn’t know you needed…Until Now!
Another week has gone by. Without fail, your league-mates have left several good options on waivers. I am here to dive into the G5 landscape and bring it to your attention. If your league utilizes a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB), I bet you can get away with a small bid for any of these individuals. If you are looking for other additions, be sure to check out John Laub’s article, College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 3 Gemstones. Or you can catch me every Monday night ~10:30 pm EST on YouTube or X as Justice and I bring you The G5 Hive Live. We break down the week that was and look forward to the week ahead.