John Laub and Eric Froton break down the top options likely available on your College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire.
College Football finally kicked off, and Eric and I closely watched the games and scrutinized the recently released depth charts with elation. We will provide waiver wire gemstones and sleepers all season and look forward to helping college fantasy footballers win championships in 2020.
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Let’s examine some early CFF risers to place on your radar.
College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire
Quarterbacks
Desmond Trotter, South Alabama (Froton)
Fantrax Ownership: 22%
Heading into 2019, South Alabama coach Steve Campbell chose Cephus Johnson to serve as the Jaguars’ starting quarterback over promising freshman Desmond Trotter. Johnson managed to hold the job for eight games, completing 51.6% of his passes for 900 yards and a paltry 5:7 TD:INT ratio, while rushing for 173 yards and four touchdowns. It’s amazing that it took Campbell so long to pull Johnson, considering South Alabama had only averaged 9.8 ppg. in Johnson’s final six contests before being ousted in favor of Trotter.
Trotter’s effect on the offense was immediate, as South Alabama went on to average 26 ppg. over their last four games, including a dramatic 34-30 victory over a very competitive Arkansas State program that won eight games last season. Trotter finished the season completing 57.7% of his passes for 820 yards and a 8:2 TD:INT ratio while also chipping in another 197 rushing yards.
Last week, South Alabama opened up with a Southern Miss team that won seven games and allowed 23 ppg. against Group 5 offenses in 2019. Even so, Trotter was on point completing 16-of-27 passes for 299 yards and a 2:2 TD:INT ratio while also rushing nine times for 41 yards. Trotter almost exclusively utilized his three starting wide receivers: Jalen Tolbert (6-169-2), Jalen Wayne (6-101), and Kawaan Baker (4-82), who broke loose for multiple chunk-plays of 49, 52, and 73 yards.
With a Sun Belt schedule that doesn’t include Conference powerhouse Appalachian State who allowed only 20 ppg. in 2019, South Alabama has a legitimate shot at achieving bowl eligibility. However, after their impressive 32-point opening week performance, astute CFF managers would be wise to consider Trotter and his talented receiver corps with a waiver wire selection in 12+ team seasonal and dynasty formats.
Jason Bean, North Texas (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 17%
Over the past three years, Mason Fine led the Mean Green and completed 87 touchdown passes for 10,933 yards. On Saturday, Jason Bean took over the reins of the offense and displayed his dual-threat skills.
The redshirt sophomore passed for 217 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown. “It’s a great opportunity. I’m thankful to be in a battle with Austin (Aune) and for having him as a teammate. He is helping me and everyone around us,” Bean proclaimed after the game (dentonrc.com by Brett Vito).
Bean, a three-star prospect, garnered offers from Colorado State, SMU and Louisiana Tech out of high school after combining for over 5,800 total yards and 59 touchdowns as a junior and senior.
A member of C-USA, the North Texas schedule does not present any problematic speedbumps. Plus, the two non-conference opponents, SMU and Houston, should produce high-scoring contests in the upcoming weeks. I already acquired Bean as a fourth-quarterback in a 14-team league with two starters.
Running Backs
Kyren Williams, Notre Dame (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 21%
Since coach Brian Kelly took over the Fighting Irish in 2010, three runners have eclipsed the 1,000-yard barrier in the backfield: Cierre Wood (2011), C.J. Prosise (2015) and Josh Adams (2017). In college football, Notre Dame returns one of the elite offensive lines and will surely open holes for the ball carriers. Is there a runner worth acquiring on CFF rosters in 2020?
At 5’9” and 195-pounds, Kyren Williams was the No. 22 ranked running back in the nation by 247Sports.com after earning First Team All-State in Missouri in 2018. He enrolled early at Notre Dame, but earned very few touches as a freshman last year.
“Kyren Williams has really emerged as somebody we feel right now has gained an advantage as the top back right now. He’s going to require, obviously, some assistance at that position from a number of other guys. We’re not just going to feature one back. But Kyren’s done a great job,” Kelly stated (ndinsider.com by Eric Hansen). I’m acquiring Williams as often as possible this year.
Aaron McAllister, Charlotte (Froton)
Fantrax Ownership: 6%
When former Northern Illinois grad transfer Tre Harbison chose Charlotte to play out his final season of collegiate eligibility, it was widely speculated that Harbison would take the running back mantle in place of the now departed Benny LeMay. To be fair, Harbison was coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons at Northern Illinois and is a proven Group of 5 caliber starter.
Yet, despite his production at Northern Illinois, Harbison was still the new kid heading into fall camp. Now that LeMay and backup RB Ishod Finger move on, Senior Aaron McAllister is the leading returning rusher for the 49ers with 81 rushes for 392 yards, 4.7 ypc. and five touchdowns while also catching seven passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
McAllister has been a steady presence for the last three seasons, rushing 262 times for 1,233 yards in that span as the trusted No. 2 ball carrier. When given the opportunity last season to take on a feature role due to an injury to LeMay, McAllister shined. He rushed 24 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-20 victory over Middle Tennessee State on November 2.
Clearly the standout performance by McAllister in a feature role resonated with second-year coach Will Healy, as he named McAllister the team’s starting running back in advance of their first game this upcoming weekend.
The top role under Healy thrived last season in both the rushing and passing game, as LeMay and McAllister combined for 26 receptions for 311 yards and six touchdowns receiving. In addition, Healy boosted Charlotte’s offense from 21.7 ppg. and 343 ypg. in 2018 to 29.8 ppg. and 414 ypg. last season. A precipitous jump in production from the first-year coach who deserves all the praise for turning around the floundering 49er offense in only one season.
Charlotte is on the rise and the top ball carrier in coach Healy’s system is in a prime position to produce on a weekly basis. In a 77-team player pool, McAllister should be considered a solid choice in the RB 25-35 range.
Rodrigues Clark, Memphis (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 28%
I am participating in a slow CFF draft that began last Friday. I had hoped to acquire Rodrigues Clark in Round 7 after watching his opening-game performance. Unfortunately, I got snipped when an opponent grabbed the Tigers’ ball carrier.
Over two weeks ago, Kenneth Gainwell, last year’s starter, announced that he would opt-out amid concerns over Covid-19. Afterward, Clark was elevated to the top of the depth chart. On Saturday night against Arkansas State, he displayed his tremendous running skills. He rambled for 105 yards and scored a touchdown.
A powerful ball carrier at 6’0” and 200-pounds, the sophomore knocks down opponents on the field and conquers the books in the classroom. Clark joined the Tiger 3.0 club and earned AAC All-Academic Team last fall. I’m stunned that Clark is on so few CFF rosters, and he should be scooped up immediately on waiver wires.
Cam’Ron Harris, Miami (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 58%
I’m old enough to remember when NFL Scouts flocked to “The U” every weekend to uncover backfield talent. In the 1979 Draft, the St. Louis Cardinals grabbed Miami’s Otis Anderson with the eighth pick. Over twenty years later, the Hurricanes produced a trio of Saturday stars (Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis and Willis McGahee) who became 1,000-yard runners in the NFL.
Last year, DeeJay Dallas, a fourth-round pick by Seattle, paced the Hurricanes in rushing. In 2020, Cam’Ron Harris hopes to place his name among the all-time greats on campus. A four-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals.com, the junior saw limited opportunities as a true freshman in 2018, rushing for 166 yards on only 28 carries. As a sophomore, the 5’10” and 210-pounder totaled 576 yards on 114 attempts and scored six times.
In the team’s scrimmage on August 22, Harris gained 77 yards on the ground and scored three times (one rushing and two receiving). “Cam was fantastic. He caught a ball in the flat about eight yards from the end zone and had three guys that really had to get him on the ground, and he ran through all three tackles for a touchdown. So very impressive to see that Cam is making an older-guy-type play,” coach Manny Diaz detailed after the game (sun-sentinel.com by David Furones). Harris should be acquired if available on the waiver wire, or in drafts, in all CFF leagues.
Wide Receivers
Tarik Black, Texas (Froton)
Fantrax Ownership: 38%
As I stated emphatically on the CFF: On Campus Podcast last week, I have no faith that Texas outside WR Brennan Eagles can be a productive CFF player despite the potentially dominant offense that new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich is capable of producing.
Eagles received 41 catchable targets in 2019 opposite the now-departed Collin Johnson. Out of those 41 targets, Eagles dropped nine, which amounts to a ghastly 22% drop rate. His drop rate ranks as one of the five worst rates for any returning wide receiver in the country with more than 30 targets. With a wide receiver room as deep and talented as Texas’, a challenger for the lead outside wide receiver spot was bound to emerge.
At first, talented freshman Troy Omeire received a lot of buzz due to his 6’5” and 202-pound frame that reminded some of the aforementioned Johnson. However, Omeire sustained a knee injury and will now miss all of the 2020 season. His absence paved the way for former four-star Michigan recruit Tarik Black to enter the fray following his graduate transfer back in April.
Black had received major praise dating back to 2017 and was predicted to be a prominent weapon alongside fellow standout wideout Nico Collins. However, a devastating foot fracture in 2017 ended up sidelining Black for most of 2017 and 2018. Black was finally able to return to the field, where he posted a respectable line of 25 receptions, 323 yards, a 12.9 ypc. and one touchdown for the Wolverines last year. With Nico Collins and Ronnie Bell established as the top two receivers for Michigan, Black opted to compete for playing time at Texas, where the receiver room was unsettled following the graduation of Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson.
With a clean slate, a finally healed foot ailment, and the opportunity to compete for playing time, Black turned heads all camp long. He has now been named the starting X-receiver for Texas, ahead of the aforementioned Eagles, who has been designated as Black’s backup. With 3,636 passing yards up for grabs from Texas QB Sam Ehlinger, starting receivers Tarik Black and Jake Smith should be owned in all CFF formats while Joshua Moore and Jordan Whittington should be closely monitored in deeper leagues.
Bubba Ogbebor, Arkansas State (Froton)
Fantrax Ownership: 1%
Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf’s offense is built to spread the defense out and take deep shots down the sidelines. Last season, the Red Wolves produced enough passing volume to distribute 100+ targets to three different wide receivers. While 100-target wide receivers Omar Bayless and Kirk Merritt depart, Jonathan Adams returns. Adams is expected to seamlessly transition into the premium receiver No. 1 role vacated by Bayless, who was on the receiving end of 144 targets, 93 receptions, 1,653 yards, and 17 touchdowns in 2019.
Adams started the season opener against Memphis and saw his share of work on the day, leading the team with 10 targets and catching six passes for 65 yards. However, Adams was outperformed by Dahu Green, who caught five of eight targets for 99 yards while serving as the starting Z-receiver opposite Adams. Adams dropped a quick hitch and was subbed out for Bubba Ogbebor (6’0” and 200-pounds) for a series who looked up to the task, catching four of six targets for 45 yards and displaying a noticeable burst out of his cuts.
Ogbebor was called upon again in the fourth quarter when Adams was taken out for either injury or performance reasons. Tellingly, Ogbebor received three of the Red Wolves’ five red zone targets, while Adams received zero. It would be unfathomable to Arkansas State to take out the dominant Bayless in the red zone last season. Yet here we are in the fourth quarter with every other starter still in the game and Adams wasn’t out there.
Now, we shouldn’t abandon ship on Adams as a credible CFF threat after one game against an upper-echelon Group 5 opponent. Yet, the best-case scenario of an Omar Bayless repeat might not be in the cards based on his usage against Memphis. It’s possible Adams was dinged up and taken out as a precaution, or the coaching staff wanted to see how Ogbebor handled the role with Memphis up two scores. However, I will closely be watching how this situation develops when Arkansas State travels to play a tough Kansas State team this weekend.
At a modest 1% ownership rate, Bubba Ogbebor flashed enough potential for seasonal CFF owners in 12+ team leagues with 20+ roster spots to take a flier on.
Tight Ends
Sean Dykes, Memphis (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 18%
On Saturday, I waited patiently for kickoff to the primetime game on ESPN. I wanted to see the new-look Memphis squad host the Arkansas State team. First-year coach Ryan Silverfield needed to replace three playmakers—Kenneth Gainwell, Antonio Gibson, and Patrick Taylor—from last year’s AAC Championship roster. Who would step up for the Tigers in their opening game of the season?
A redshirt senior, Sean Dykes made a spectacular return to the gridiron. After missing nearly all of last season with a knee injury, he opened many eyes with an outstanding performance. Dykes logged a career-best 10 receptions for 137 and two touchdowns.
Dykes’ production did not surprise quarterback Brady White after the game: “He’s put so much into this program so to see him have the night he had and to be able to connect with him. … it was a great feeling and he’s going to be a huge asset for us throughout the year,” White stated after the game (commerialappeal.com by Evan Barnes).
At 6’2” and 224-pounds, the Tigers’ tight end is the nephew of Hart Lee Dykes, who was selected in the first round of the 1989 Draft by the Patriots. In college fantasy football, it is a shallow pool at tight end. Dykes is a must-have player after his outing over the weekend.
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