Many of my readers over the past eight years know that I own season tickets to the UConn Huskies in the fall. The games have been so bad that I preferred to watch the college football scoreboard on my iPhone than view the blowout on the field. Yesterday was the best performance by the Huskies in over three years as they almost upset Wyoming. When I got home, I immediately turned on the TV and began looking for players to pick up on the College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire.
Among the evening games, West Virginia-Oklahoma frustrated me, and thousands of CFF fans, with only 29 total points…Ugh! Is it time to move on from Sooners in College Fantasy Football starting lineups? The conversion must begin as coach Lincoln Riley’s scheme behind QB Spencer Rattler has failed to replicate the production of the past four campaigns and sunk the prospects of many CFF diehards over the past two weeks.
Throughout the spring and summer, I selected many Oklahoma players and have moved on from a few already in my lineups. If you are also seeking replacements for your Sooners, JD Yonke, @YonkersCFB, and I have identified the top players to acquire off the college fantasy football waiver wire this week.
College Fantasy Football provides alternative-reality zealots, NFL Draftniks, and Dynasty and Devy owners a competitive advantage against their opponents. What are you waiting for this summer? Get off the sideline and into the game on Fantrax. We guarantee that you will not regret playing in a CFF league this fall.
Week 4 College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire
Quarterbacks
Casey Thompson, Texas (Yonke)
Fantrax Ownership: 21%
Yards Per Attempt: 10.5
TD%: 14.8%
Casey Thompson is officially the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns, which means he finds himself in immediate consideration for CFF rosters. Thompson wasn’t able to show much in his first start two weeks ago in a 58-0 blowout of Rice, but he lit-up the scoreboard this week against Texas Tech to the tune of six total touchdowns—five passing and one rushing.
Texas has now scored 128 total points in the two games Thompson has started. Not bad? Obviously, that sets an unrealistic expectation going forward—they won’t average 60-plus points per game this season, but they will be a very dangerous offense with valuable CFF assets.
Steve Sarkisian is undoubtedly a bright offensive mind who is a CFF-friendly coach, and Casey Thompson should thrive in this system for as long as he is the starter. Thompson has three rushing scores with his legs already in very limited opportunity, evidence of his dual-threat ability.
There are some difficult games ahead on the schedule (don’t look now, but the Big 12 is becoming a defense-first conference in many ways), but he is startable next week against a TCU defense that just got embarrassed by SMU. The schedule likely holds down his ceiling, but he should have a decent floor given his dual-threat abilities and control of this high-scoring offense.
Haaziq Daniels, Air Force and Christian Anderson, Army (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 4% & 3%
No one enjoys watching spread schemes and run-and-shoot attacks put over 40 points on the scoreboard more than I do. Yet. I appreciate the triple-option offense: I loved watching Navy over the past decade. Coach Ken Niumatalolo’s offense flustered opponents on the ground and produced a trio of stud CFF quarterbacks: Keenan Reynolds, Zach Abbey, and Malcom Perry.
My good friend Justin Heisey always stated that he likes his option signal-callers to be “greedy” around the goal line. In 2021, the Midshipmen do not have a fantasy-worthy commander, but Army and Air Force provide stupendous option quarterbacks who should be rostered.
After four weeks, Haaziq Daniels has guided the Falcons to a 3-1 record, and the offense ranks fourth in rushing yards, averaging 327.7 ypg. The 6’1” 200-pound junior is the 16th most productive CFF quarterback with 96.9 fantasy points, averaging 23.7 ppg. Daniels has rushed for 389 yards and scored seven touchdowns. As a bonus, he has passed for 351 yards and tossed a touchdown.
Against Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Daniels recorded the longest TD run in the history of the school with a 94-yard scamper, which was executed to near perfection: “It was simply a quarterback sweep. Did a good job with all of our targets. The tight end at the point of attack, getting the guard around up to the safety, then the fullback did a good job of kicking out the (cornerback) to get a little bit of a lane in there. And the center got up to the back-side ‘backer,” explained coach Troy Calhoun after the game (gazette.com).
In New York, Army has produced a 4-0 record behind Christian Anderson, and the Black Knights are the third-best unit on the ground, averaging 331.3 ypg. The senior signal-caller has produced over 90 fantasy points, averaging 23.1 ppg. Anderson has been very self-centered with five rushing touchdowns and rambled for 431 yards. In addition, he has completed three aerial strikes and logged 187 passing yards.
Against Miami (OH), the Black Knights did not throw a pass and blasted their way to 384 yards on the ground. Anderson scored on 72- and 75-yard scampers, totaling 236 rushing yards for the sixth-best, single-game mark in school history. “The guys in front of Anderson did a great job. Coach Davis and his staff did an excellent job of creating some windows for him on those couple of big plays…but that was all due to the great blocks and his breakaway speed. To have a performance like that made a huge impact on the game. We needed a guy to make some plays and Anderson did,”coach Jeff Monken stated while breaking down the ground game (goarmywestpoint.com).
With week 7 right around the corner, astute CFF coaches are looking forward to ensuring a starting lineup despite so many teams on a bye. Both Daniels (Boise State) and Anderson (Wisconsin) are scheduled to lead their programs on the gridiron in three weeks and are nice starters the rest of the campaign.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Signal callers are always in demand: Who Ya Got this week?
- Gerry Bohanon, Baylor: 45%
- KJ Jefferson, Arkansas: 42%
- Haaziq Daniels, Air Force: 5%
- Other, post below: 8%
“You must be using my bench as great waiver wire pickups! Bohanon is doing it by air and foot. Nice waiver wire addition.” @aceholesrules
“I am seeking to acquire Texas QB Casey Thompson.” @mattpow1
“Gerry Bohanon out of that bunch gets my vote. Dual threat and relatively easy schedule ahead. KJ Jefferson’s schedule is brutal. I’d also add Chance Nolan, Oregon State (2% owned) to the list. Incredibly efficient passing for 3-4 TDs with less than 20 passes two weeks in a row.” @TeacupPigskin
CFF All-Americans: Week 4
- QB Gunnar Holmberg, Duke: 47.9 points
- QB Rocky Lombardi, Northern Illinois: 43.1 points
- RB Breece Hall, Iowa State: 47.1 points
- RB Sincere McCormick, UTSA: 42.7 points
- WR Jalen Cropper, Fresno State: 44.7 points
- WR Jordan Addison, Pittsburgh: 41.9 points
- WR Xavier Worthy, Texas: 33 points
- TE Jordan Myers, Rice: 48.8 points
- Flex Cam’Ron Harris, Miami: 37.3 points
CFF Player of the Week: Breece Hall, Iowa State
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 23%
Yards Per Attempt: 8.6
TD%: 8.0%
On Friday night, I was so pumped to watch the Wake Forest-Virginia game, and looked forward to scouting Breenan Armstong. Little did I expect Sam Hartman and the Demon Deacons to pull the upset and outperform the Cavaliers.
In the 37-17 thrashing, the redshirt sophomore completed 17-of-28 throws for 270 yards and three touchdowns, marking the fourth time in his career with at least three scores in a game. Additionally, he now has 42 career touchdown passes and is just one throw away from moving into sixth place in the record books.
Hartman has guided Wake Forest to an undefeated record and first place in the Atlantic Division of the ACC. “It’d be hard to find fault right now with how we’re executing our offense. We’re able to do what we need to do,” Deacons coach Dave Clawson proclaimed (apnews). Hartman has logged a 9-1 TD:INT Ratio, completed two-thirds of his passes, and recorded 961 passing yards. He also has 82 rushing yards and a score to boost his fantasy value.
In October, Wake Forest hosts Louisville and Duke and travels to Syracuse and Army. None of the upcoming opponents post a major threat to Hartman and the aerial attack. If a CFF manager needs a signal-caller, Hartman provides a nice floor as a passer with some upside.
Grant Wells, Marshall (Yonke)
Fantrax Ownership: 25%
Yards Per Attempt: 10.0
TD%: 4.0%
It may take a while for the stink of past Marshall offenses to wear off for CFF fans. Despite fielding winning teams, their contribution to the CFF community came pretty much solely from the running back position under Doc Holliday’s emphasis on the running game and the defense. As evidence: entering this year, they hadn’t scored 30 points per game since the 2015 season.
What if I told you that Marshall is now one of the fastest-paced teams in the entire country in 2021? It’s true! Under new head coach Charlie Huff, the Thundering Herd are Top-20 in the country in offensive plays per game. That mark will likely go up, as the numbers are weighed down by last week’s matchup with an Appalachian State team that slowed down the tempo.
More plays mean more opportunity for Wells to pad his stats for your CFF team. Wells is making the most of his opportunities, passing for 346 yards per game. The bad news is that he’s thrown only five touchdowns to go with three interceptions, but the touchdowns are all but assured to regress to the mean as long as he keeps seeing this kind of volume (37 attempts per game).
The schedule sets up extremely favorably in the coming weeks, with Middle Tennessee State, Old Dominion, and North Texas next up.
Running Backs
Keaton Mitchell, East Carolina (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 14%
As a child, my Dad always stated that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good when we played cards as a family on the weekends. At the time, I did not recognize the genius in his statement: After 35 years playing fantasy sports, I appreciate his insight when playing a game.
While searching the waiver wire on Friday for a running back in one of my leagues, I noticed that Keaton Mitchell was not on any team. Not my preferred target, the ECU speedster offered an interesting option as a fourth ball carrier in my lineup so I nabbed and started him…Bazinga! Mitchell scored a surprising 20.9 fantasy points to help me secure a victory.
It is very rare to be compared with former ECU and NFL star Chris Johnson; nevertheless, Mitchell’s performances have inspired praise from fanatics, and onlookers, of the program.
I first noticed the freshman playmaker against Appalachian State on September 2. He looked so explosive running the football, averaging 12.5 ypc against the Mountaineers. In the contest, he recorded the fastest single play in the nation over the opening weekend when clocked at 22.6 miles per hour. “It felt good. It was my first time playing in front of that many people. When I ran past everybody, I just heard the oohs and aahs, so that was cool. That’s why I’m here,” Mitchell stated afterward (247sports.com).
Over the past two games, Mitchell has overtaken the backfield duties for ECU. He has scored over 20 points in back-to-back contests, rushing for 260 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. In the passing game, he has corralled seven passes for 59 yards. The Pirates open their AAC schedule this week and their upcoming matchups (Tulane, UCF, Houston and USF) in October forecast a huge month ahead for Mitchell.
Tucker Gregg, Georgia State (Yonke)
Fantrax Ownership: 0%
Ownership at 0%—yes, you’re seeing that correctly! It’s not a typo, just a deep cut.
The pickings are pretty slim at running back this week, as we’ve already given you the crucial pickups at the position in the last few weeks when starting jobs were getting sorted out. One starting job that has changed in the past few weeks that is going under the radar is over at Georgia State, where senior Tucker Gregg has assumed duties as the lead ball carrier.
Everyone scoffed at his 22 carries for 76 yards two weeks ago against Charlotte. It was a disappointing performance against a bad rush defense. It’ll be difficult to overlook his performance against Auburn this past weekend when he took 12 carries for a massive 150 yards and a score. That’s good for 12.5 yards per rush against an SEC school!
Gregg is a little risky, sure, but he’s 0% owned and just put up a great stat line against the most difficult opponent on his schedule. He’s the new lead dog for the Panthers, who have shaken up their starting lineup by benching quarterback Quad Brown and original starting running back Destin Coates after a sluggish start to the year.
After a tough matchup with Appalachian State next week, Gregg should see easier matchups for the rest of the Sun Belt schedule as the Panthers look to get back to their rushing game of last year when they averaged nearly 200 yards per game.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Need assistance in the backfield? Who Ya Got this week?
- Tayon Fleet-Davis, Maryland: 17%
- Jaylen Warren, Oklahoma State: 56%
- B.J. Taylor, Oregon State: 25%
- Other, post below: 2%
“BJ Baylor all day!!! He absolutely dominated USC!!! He had multiple goal-line touchdowns vultured as well but typically gets those carries. Top 15 RB averaging 21 ppg. (Sat out second half vs Idaho after 70 & 2 scores.)” @CFF_Legend
“Warren is a clear answer for me. BJ Baylor second (though I think Oregon State may need to abandon the run in future weeks when they fall behind). Mangam (USF), Hull (NW), and Garwo (BC) also have low ownership but heavy volume within their offense and could fill in with a nice floor.” @TeacupPigskin
“I am rolling with BJ Taylor. He continues to produce week in and out! @aceholesrules
Wide Receivers
Corey Sutton, Appalachian State (Yonke)
Fantrax Ownership: 9%
Targets: 43
Team Target Share: 36%
It seems like Corey Sutton has been in college forever. His college career actually got started way back in 2016 with Kansas State. All these years later, Sutton is shining as the top option for this Appalachian State team, garnering 17 targets a week ago en route to ten receptions for 127 yards and a score.
In his career, Sutton now has 113 catches for 1,741 yards and 19 touchdowns. Looks like all that experience is paying off!
He now has at least seven receptions in three straight games, accumulating 24 catches and 315 yards during that span. He’s clearly built a strong rapport with quarterback Chase Brice, and should be a decent option for your team going forward.
Xavier Worthy, Texas (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 17%
Targets: 21
Team Target Share: 23.3%
I did not expect to highlight Xavier Worthy because I assumed that he was rostered on more than 50% of CFF teams. His low ownership (17%) shocked me, and I decided to profile the breakout performer this week.
QB Casey Thompson (see profile above by JD Yonke) ignited the dormant Texas’ passing game, and Worthy clearly benefited the most from Thompson’s passing acumen. The freshman game-breaker exploded against Texas Tech on Saturday with five receptions for 100 yards and three touchdowns. In the previous game versus Rice, Worthy snagged seven passes for 88 yards and a score.
The quarterback clearly trusts the newest Longhorns’ playmaker and is not afraid to toss him the pigskin downfield. In the past two weeks, Worthy is the ninth-ranked receiver in college fantasy football, scoring 54.8 points. “Xavier’s a great player. What I like about him the most is that he’s a great competitor. I have never seen him be fearful or scared at all. He doesn’t back down to any challenge,” Thompson remarked in a recent interview when asked about his teammate (247Sports.com).
A speedster, Worthy earned four stars by both 247Sports and ESPN coming out of high school in California. He was the No. 76 overall player in the nation and No. 12 receiver prospect by 247Sports. The game breaker has rare speed, rapidly separates, and is very difficult to tackle in the open field. Without any reservation, I am placing Worthy at the top of my waiver wire selections this week.
Honorable Mention Gemstones
- QB Chris Reynolds, Charlotte
Fantrax Ownership: 28% - QB Gerry Bohanon, Baylor
Fantrax Ownership: 9% - QB James Blackman, Arkansas State
Fantrax Ownership: 3% - RB Calvin Tyler, Utah State
Fantrax Ownership: 12% - RB Evan Hull, Northwestern
Fantrax Ownership: 12% - RB Jashaun Corbin, Florida State
Fantrax Ownership: 28% - WR Makai Polk, Mississippi State
Fantrax Ownership: 11% - WR Kyle Philips, UCLA
Fantrax Ownership: 10% - TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
Fantrax Ownership: 54%
Nick Mardner, Hawaii (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 21%
Targets: 25
Team Target Share: 28.4%
For a couple of weeks, I chatted about Nick Mardner on two weekly CFF Podcasts (The Blitz and InThisLeague) that I am a co-host of. Regrettably, I did not write a profile in our waiver wire column. I could not postpone the analysis anymore.
Similar to my decision to start Mitchell, I needed a Flex starter in my most important league and inserted Mardner last week. I could not believe my luck: He scored on a 74-yard pass the very first play of the game against New Mexico State. When the day ended, the junior logged three more catches for 46 yards.
In five games, the 6’6” and 190-pounder has secured 22 passes for 459 yards and three scores while averaging 20.9 ypc. In each of the past four games, he has surpassed 95 receiving yards and scored double-digit fantasy points. In ppr-scoring formats, Mardner’s 85.9 fantasy points place the Rainbows’ wideout among the Top 20 CFF pass catchers.
A Canadian, Mardner was ranked in the Top 10 prospects by allCanadaGridiron.com in 2018. He played in the U.S Nike Football and The Opening and chose to attend Hawaii. He took a redshirt season in 2019 and finally earned a starting position this summer. Sign in to your league immediately and place the lengthy playmaker in your waiver wire queue to add to your roster.
Jordan Myers, Rice (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 13%
Targets: 12
Team Target Share: 16.4%
Every once in a while, College Fantasy Football provides a cheat code to enhance lineup productivity. In 2011, Ryan Tannehill qualified as a receiver but started at quarterback for Texas A&M, leading many CFF coaches to the postseason. Three years later, Marshall transferred tight end, Devon Johnson, to running back, and he rambled for over 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns.
In 2021, it looks like another opportunity to get an advantage over opponents presented itself this weekend. Tight end Jordan Myers moved into the backfield for the Owls this year and is listed as a TE/WR on Fantrax…Woo Hoo! How good is Myers as a fantasy tight end? He leads the position in college fantasy football with 77.8 points.
The redshirt senior finally produced a memorable stat line on Saturday against Texas Southern (an FCS program). He rambled for 160 yards on 26 carries, snatched four passes for 48 yards, and scored four touchdowns, logging 46.8 fantasy points. For the season, he has rushed for 224 yards, corralled 15 passes for 119 yards, and crossed the finish line five times.
The 6’2” and 216-pounder earned many preseason honors over the summer: Reeses’s Senior Bowl Watch List, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Watch List and Athlon Sports All-Conference USA preseason First Team. Over the past decade, I have not recommended many Rice players; nevertheless, the upside production and roster flexibility make Myers one of the foremost candidates on the waiver wire.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Wide receivers continue to pop up among the nation’s leaders: Who Ya Got after week 4?
- Kyle Philips, UCLA: 23%
- Xavier Worthy, Texas: 60%
- Corey Sutton, Appalachian State: 13%
- Other, post below: 3%
“Another of my men! Corey Sutton is back to his 2019 form and is an outstanding pickup.” @aceholesrules
“I am acquiring Jacob Cowing, UTEP.” @jojok_2k
“Tay Martin is the choice
this week.” @sportsdatastuff
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