John Laub and Justin Heisey join forces to identify the top additions for the Week 9 College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire.
Week 10 College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire
Quarterbacks
Chevan Cordeiro, Hawaii
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 7%
On Saturday, the worst-case scenario came to fruition for college fantasy football managers who drafted Cole McDonald. Without any insightful reports, Coach Nick Rolovich benched McDonald—the 6th ranked CFF quarterback with 284 fantasy points—for Chevan Cordeiro. After the game, Rolovich stated that he did not make the decision until Friday night. Ugh! I’m sure hundreds of CFF diehards lost key matchups over the weekend with McDonald in their lineups.
Over the summer on the CFF: On Campus podcast, I mentioned that CFF managers who invested in McDonald had to select Cordeiro as insurance. Unfortunately, it appears that few did and many likely cut him since kickoff in August.
In his first start, the redshirt freshman illustrated his tremendous skill set and upside fantasy potential in the Rainbows’ run-and-shoot offense. Cordeiro, 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, led Hawaii to a 42-40 victory over San Jose. He tossed two aerial strikes in the fourth quarter, totaling five touchdowns in the game. A dual-threat, Cordeiro passed for 309 and rushed for 55 yards.
In high school, the Rainbows’ new starter was the Hawaii Football Player of the Year and Honolulu Star-Advertiser All-state and Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 3,130 yards and recorded 29 touchdowns with only eight interceptions in 2017.
The remaining three opponents (UNLV, San Diego State and Army) of the 2019 crusade are favorable matchups, and Cordeiro should easily shred the challengers. It is rare to acquire an elite difference-maker this late in the season. Take advantage of the opportunity provided by the change at quarterback by Coach Rolovich. — John
Max Duggan, Texas Christian
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 14%
TCU’s QB woes followed over from last season into this one, and it wasn’t until just recently that Max Duggan really looked like the promising fantasy player that some said he could be. In the previous five weeks, Duggan began with a 20-point game against Iowa State and continued to improve that total against Oklahoma State, Texas, and Kansas State. Before a mild-hand injury against Baylor threw him out of rhythm.
All hand injuries aside, Duggan won’t have to go up against a defensive unit nearly as good as Baylor’s for the rest of the season with WVU, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech on the docket. Duggan has managed three scores on the ground in five weeks and performs far above average when he goes against bottom-dwelling defenses. — Justin
Twitterverse on Fire!
In a Dynasty College Fantasy Football league, who would you like to have at quarterback among the freshmen?
- Jayden Daniels, Arizona State: 16%
- Dillon Gabriel, UCF: 29%
- Sam Howell, North Carolina: 33%
- Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State: 22%
John’s Vote: Dillon Gabriel
“Several good options, but I believe S. Sanders has the highest upside. With Hubbard likely to leave for the NFL, Sanders will soon be the focal point of the offense.” @CFBWinningEdge
“UCF continues to be an offensive juggernaut, and D. Gabriel has performed well. He is already a Top 20 QB. Next year, he will be Top 10!” @aceholesrule
“J. Daniels of ASU, this is a true dual-threat guy. After an offseason when he can put some weight on his frame, this guy will be a force next year.” @JustinNottingh6
Running Backs
DK Billingsly, Troy
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 25%
This one came as a surprise to me at 25% given that DK Billingsley has outscored Zack Moss, Tra Barnett, JK Dobbins, and Marcel Murray in the last three weeks. Billingsly rose to prominence after BJ Smith went down injured early in the year, and the Trojans’ runner is just shy of double-digit scores on the ground in his absence. Troy has Texas State and Louisiana on the schedule, which should make for big games for Billingsly before a tough matchup against Appalachian State ends the year. — Justin
Elijah Collins, Michigan State
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 11%
Michigan State is in free-fall after losing its fourth consecutive game and tumbling to 4-5. Coach Mark Dantonio has not recaptured the halcyon days of 2010-2015 when he won Big Ten Coach of the Year twice and led the Spartans among the elite programs in the Big 10. The coach relied on a strong ground game behind runners like Edwin Baker, Le’Veon Bell and Jeremy Langford.
Since 2016, Dantonio has searched for another great ball carrier to ignite the offense. Is Elijah Collins the next Spartans’ star in the backfield? Against Illinois, Collins made a strong case to be the lead back for the foreseeable future. He rambled for a career-high 170 yards on 28 attempts and scored two times. For the season, the redshirt freshman has earned 143 carries for 715 yards and five touchdowns. He has also snagged 10 passes for 54 yards and surpassed the century mark twice.
A self-effacing athlete, Collins appreciates the opportunity to carry the pigskin. “…no matter how things get, whether they’re high or low…Just going to keep doing what I am doing, try to beat the odds and remain humble at all costs,” Collins told statenews.com by Justin Frommer early in the 2019 crusade.
The Detroit native was a top-rated high school prospect in Michigan by Rivals and was the No. 25 ranked RB prospect in the country by 247Sports. Collins, 6-foot-10 and 217 pounds, has good vision and burst and runs through arm tackles. The matchup at Michigan is not a spot to start Collins in the CFF playoffs; nevertheless, the Spartans play Rutgers and Maryland in the final two weeks of the season. Pickup the bruising ball carrier for weeks 13 and 14 before your competitors. — John
Kenan Christon, USC
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 11%
Very quietly, the Trojans have compiled a 6-4 record and fashioned an underrated offense, scoring 30.5 points on 441 yards per game. Amazingly, USC has trotted out three different signal-callers (JT Daniels, Matt Fink and Kedon Slovis) and all have performed well, combining for 25 touchdowns and 3,110 yards passing.
CFF fanatics have invested in the Trojans’ aerial assault all season and stayed away from the ground game. Finally, diehards like myself can capitalize on the USC backfield: Kenan Christon has provided a stupendous return on investment over the past month, scoring 27.4, 8.9, 14.7 and 22.3 fantasy points.
A freshman, Christon did not even suit up to play in a game until October 19 against Arizona. The Trojans have a decision to make this week: Should Christon play again this season? If he plays in one more contest, the program cannot redshirt the freshman, and he could only play for three more seasons on campus. “I’m going to sit down with Kenan, I’m going to sit down with the other two backs and see exactly where they’re at and make the best decision for our football team and Kenan moving forward. But if he’s needed, we’re one game behind Utah and we’ve got to go win the next one. We’ll do what’s best for the team first.” Coach Clay Helton proclaimed on ogregister.com by Adam Grosbard.
From a purely selfish fantasy perspective, I am crossing my fingers that Christon plays the rest of the season in an attempt to capture the PAC-12 South and earn a conference championship invite against Oregon. I’m old school. There are no quarantines in life or on the gridiron…Win now!
A track and field athlete in high school, Christon competed in the CIF San Diego Division 2 meet and won the 100m (10.26) and finished second in the 200m (20.55). His track speed is evident in the open field: He has scored three times beyond 25 yards: 55, 30 and 58. He averages 5.6 yards per rush and 12.6 yards per reception.
I absolutely love the matchup in two weeks against cross-town rival UCLA, and Christon could be a very sneaky start against the Bruins in a game with an expected high over-under. Let’s cross our fingers that Christon remains on the gridiron for the remainder of the campaign. — John
Twitterverse on Fire!
In a Dynasty College Fantasy Football league, who would you like to anchor your backfield among the Class of 2023? (Kenneth Gainwell not listed…obvious choice.)
- Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M: 25%
- Javian Hawkins, Louisville: 25%
- Zach Charbonnet, Michigan: 36%
- Other: 13%
John’s Vote: Isaiah Spiller
“LOVE Hawkins much more than Z. Charbonnet or I. Spiller who will likely be in a RBBC next year. I just do not trust any Harbaugh offense.” @aceholesrule
“I’m casting my vote for Master Teague, Ohio State.” @Daniel_w_Roper
“Master Teague of Ohio State. Dobbins will leave after this season, and Teague will move into the starters roll next year, with Fields still in the backfield, teams can’t load the box. Expect at least two big years out of him.” @JustinNottingh6
“Teague is a great answer. He’s been excellent in his opportunities this year and seems capable of exploding in 2020. Of the three on the list, Charbonnet is in a pretty good situation to be the unquestioned No. 1 in 2020. Other two are more likely to share.” @CFBWinningEdge
Wide Receivers
Jana Terrell, Virginia
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 1%
Virginia hasn’t exactly found the dynamic playmaker to replace Olamide Zaccheaus in all facets of the offense but they’ve certainly found their guy in the receiving game. Terrell Jana has recorded 28 catches for 309 yards over the last three games and doesn’t appear to be stopping going into the final two games of the season.
After a bye this week, Jana has breezy matchups against Liberty and Virginia Tech to end the season. His lack of touchdowns keeps his ceiling low, but his touches over the last several games keep his floor high, especially in PPR leagues. — Justin
WR Siaosi Mariner, Utah State
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 7%
The Aggies have fallen far short of expectations, and quarterback Jordan Love’s draft stock has plummeted over the past month. Despite Love’s drop-off in production, Siaosi Mariner has risen over the past two weeks. The senior playmaker has recorded 16 catches for 189 yards and three touchdowns.
In 2019, Mariner has recorded 45 catches for 630 yards on 58 targets for a 77% catch rate. He has scored six touchdowns on seven red-zone targets and averaged 10.9 yards per target.
Down the stretch, Utah State plays two the bottom ten teams versus the pass (Wyoming and New Mexico) and host Boise State. The Aggies will surely have success in the air, and Mariner can assist CFF owners who need help at receiver. — John
Twitterverse on Fire!
Identify the Waiver Wire Gemstone most likely to lead college fantasy diehards to a championship in the upcoming playoffs.
- RB Elijah Collins, Michigan State: 13%
- RB Kenan Christon, USC: 19%
- QB Chevan Cordeiro, Hawaii: 37%
- WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC: 32%
John’s Vote: Chevan Cordeiro
“Chevan Cordeiro, Hawaii has my vote.” @Daniel_w_Roper
“Cordeiro. If you can grab this guy, this is a player you can ride to a league championship. Players with this kind of potential don’t come along often at this time of the year.”
@JustinNottingh6
“I love Christon but he could struggle against Cal. Great matchup with UCLA on the horizon.” @aceholesrule
Honorable Mention College Fantasy Football Gemstones
- QB Jarren Williams, Miami
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 8% - RB Sandon McCoy, Army
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 1% - RB Timothy Jackson, Air Force
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 17% - DeJon Packer, San Jose State
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 1% - WR Frank Darby, Arizona State
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 1% - Josh Imatorbhebhe, Illinois
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 2% - WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 44% - TE Kylen Granson, SMU
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 51%
The CFF All-Americans: Week 11
- QB: Holton Ahlers, ECU: 51.4 points
- QB: Brock Purdy, Iowa State: 45.6 points
- RB: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU: 46.5 points
- RB: Xavier Jones, SMU: 36.2 points
- WR: Devonta Smith, Alabama: 36.8 points
- WR: James Proche, SMU: 43 points
- TE: Kylen Granson, SMU: 36.2 points
- FLEX: Sam James, West Virginia: 36 points
Also, be sure to check out Justin Heisey, The Gridiron Scholar John Laub, and InThisLeague’s Scott Bogman’s podcast CFF: On Campus for weekly College Fantasy Football news and analysis on Apple Podcasts or Spreaker.
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