The College Fantasy Football regular season is already half over for many leagues. Playing fantasy for well over 30 years, there is no question that the CFF campaign goes by faster than all the other sports. Yet, even this late in the campaign, the waiver wire still provides options as the bye weeks approach.
I am not immune to poor roster management, injuries or bye weeks and must scan for free agents as possible starters. In a deep league in which we start three quarterbacks, I have rostered five signal callers all season and noticed Sunday morning that three are off this week…Ugh! I will be scrambling to find starters and hope readers have managed their rosters/lineups better than me on this team.
Like myself, CFF managers may need to fine-tune their rosters for suitable starters. Joe Goodwin, Volume Pigs and I scanned the free-agent pool after watching the incredible action on Saturday to pinpoint replacements in starting CFF lineups…Let’s Go!
Week 5 College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire
Quarterbacks
Brady Cook, Missouri (Laub)
Fantrax Rostership: 20%
Total Fantasy Points: 124.4
FPPG: 24.8
During the offseason, questions and concerns swirled around Brady Cook in regard to his status as the starter at Missouri. I constantly saw the dual-threat signal caller fall in drafts and selected him in 3-of-5 best ball leagues as my fourth or fifth quarterback. I also grabbed him in three season-long ones. He has clearly returned great value and should not be hanging on waiver wires in 80% of leagues.
Against Vanderbilt, Cook broke the SEC’s all-time record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception, surpassing the previous mark with his 325th straight pass and extending his record-breaking string to 348 by the end of the contest–I might have inadvertently jinxed Cook. In Cook’s 11 games since his last interception, he has contributed 19 aerial scores and completed 238-of-348 (68%) of his throws.
Cook concluded the game with 395 yards and four touchdowns, both of which are career highs. His 401 yards of total offense makes him the first Missouri quarterback to eclipse 400 yards since Connor Bazelak in 2020.
If there were no queries, CFF diehards would likely have drafted Cook earlier. Last year, the Tigers’ signal caller caught fire in the final four games of the year, scoring 37.4, 35.1, 35.5, and 18.4 fantasy points. To kick off the first five weeks of the 2023 campaign, he has continued to post great numbers: He is the CFF QB No. 18 for the season with 11 passing touchdowns, three rushing scores and over 1,400 passing yards.
The undefeated Tigers are averaging over 30 ppg. and totaling 453 ypg., and Cook and WR Luther Burden are driving the car. Missouri hosts LSU on Saturday, and the LSU defense has surrendered 86 points in the past two weeks against Arkansas and Mississippi. Do not let Cook remain available on the waiver wire any longer.
Notebook: “I’m becoming a lot more confident, I know the receivers are, I know the O-line is…the offense as a whole, I think, is confident. Interceptions are a part of the game. Obviously, I’ll probably throw an interception this year, so I’m not too worried about it,” elucidated Cook after the victory over the Commodores (saturdaydownsouth.com).
Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State (Goodwin)
Fantrax Rostership: 23%
Total Fantasy Points: 96.6
FPPG: 32.2
Jalen Raynor flew under the radar since he didn’t start the season as the starter at Arkansas State. However, he has made up for lost time. Against UMass, he tied a school record with six aerial strikes, scoring 42.8 fantasy points.
In the past two weeks, Raynor has thrown for 616 yards and nine touchdowns and has rushed for 132 yards and two more scores. He is the most productive CFF QB with over 80 fantasy points scored. Since taking over behind center, the Red Wolves are undefeated, and Arkansas State is on a three-game winning streak.
As a high schooler, he was ranked by On3 as the No. 18 player in North Carolina and 26th-best dual-threat quarterback. As a senior in 2022, Raynor completed 186-of-285 passes for 2,944 yards with 40 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He added 1,259 rushing yards on 145 carries and 17 scores. He was also a finalist for Mr. North Carolina Football. Army, Air Force, Navy, UMass and Miami (Ohio) recruited the playmaker but he chose Arkansas State.
At 6’0” and 202 pounds, the freshman has a tough matchup this coming week against Troy, but with favorable games against UL-Monroe, UL-Lafayette, and Texas State, Raynor looks primed for a strong finish.
Notebook: “I can’t say enough about (Raynor) and all these players…It was a great team win. Obviously, he is very poised and mature beyond his years but I thought everybody stepped up around him. We needed the receivers to step up in order to make some big plays, and they stepped up,” coach Butch Jones stated in the post-game interview (astateredwolves.com).
Honorable Mention Quarterbacks
- Jordan McCloud, James Madison
Fantrax Rostership: 7%
Total Fantasy Points: 107.7
FPPG: 21.5 - Chandler Rogers, North Texas
Fantrax Rostership: 16%
Total Fantasy Points: 82.1
FPPG: 27.3 (3 starts)
CFF Twitterverse on Fire!
Who is the top quarterback on the CFF Waiver Wire?
- Brady Cook, Missouri: 23%
- Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, Colorado State: 12%
- Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State: 60%
- Chandler Rogers, North Texas: 5%
“Jaylen Raynor: The Red Wolves have a dude behind center. Six touchdowns yesterday after having five total touchdowns in his first game. In two games as a freshman, 11 scores is wild! Only one turnover and averaging five YPC.” @_NinoBrown_
“Jaylen Raynor is young, fast, and has an easy schedule. What’s not to like?” @aceholesrule
“Jaylen Raynor is electric and very poised for a freshman. He throws the ball on a rope and it’s very rare to see someone so young have total control of the offense like he’s displayed the past two weeks.” @RebelWayOrNoWay
“Jaylen Raynor is a potential league winner. The rest of these guys are…not.” @CFF_Jared
“Jaylen Raynor is just special. Unfortunately I was late to the party and didn’t get any shares of him.” @JustinNottingh6
Running Backs
Tyrone Tracy, Purdue (Goodwin)
Fantrax Rostership: 9%
Total Fantasy Points: 69.5
FPPG: 13.9
In a previous version of this article, I listed Devin Mockobee as a Portal Team member. It was clear Tyrone Tracy was supplanting Mockobee as the lead back at Purdue. With 21 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown versus Illinois, Purdue has found its starting running back.
On the season, Tracy has 288 yards rushing with five touchdowns and eight receptions for 27 yards. Tracy doesn’t have an easy schedule with Iowa, Ohio State, and Michigan still looming, but he is built for grinding out games with his 6’1″ and 210-pound frame.
Notebook: “Yeah, Tracy’s been really, really good for us. He’s explosive. He’s really good with the ball in his hands. He’s run really tough, he’s been physical. He’s been hard to tackle. I think he’s scored every game so far, you know, and has a touchdown every game and has a great feel for the zone schemes. And he’s also a guy that can catch it,” offensive coordinator Graham Harrell remarked after the game against Syracuse (247sports.com)
Malik Jackson, Jacksonville State (Laub)
Fantrax Rostership: 28%
Total Fantasy Points: 84.1
FPPG: 16.8
In their first year at the FBS level in C-USA, the Gamecocks are making noise on the field—and in the CFF universe—under coach Rich Rodriguez. Jacksonville State is 4-1 and scores over 27 ppg. Running back Malik Jackson leads the ground game in carries (77), yards (505) and yards per carry (6.6).
In 2021, Jackson played for coach Rodriguez (offensive coordinator) at Louisiana-Monroe, and suited up for five seasons as a Warhawk. In the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, Jackson rambled for 958 yards and nine touchdowns. During the past offseason, Jackson entered the transfer portal and enrolled at Jacksonville State.
The redshirt senior has flourished for the Gamecocks since arriving on campus. In five games, Jackson has eclipsed the century mark three times with three scores and 10 catches for 56 yards. He is the No. 35 CFF ball carrier and is worthy of starting in a Flex spot for the foreseeable future.
In the next three weeks, Jacksonville travels to Middle Tennessee and hosts Liberty and Western Kentucky. All three matchups are enticing for Jackson and Rodriquez’s ground game.
Notebook: “I played with coach Rich Rod and a majority of all the coaches already, so I trusted them. Coming here, I obviously knew I was going to have to work. I liked the success that they had last year too, so that was like a big part of me coming,” Jackson said (annistonstar.com).
Le’Veon Moss, Texas A&M (Volume Pigs)
Fantrax Rostership: 18%
Total Fantasy Points: 48
FPPG: 12.0
Texas A&M’s Le’Veon Moss now has back-to-back weeks of 16 and 20 touches vs. Auburn and Arkansas, respectively. I was actually watching a bit of the broadcast this week to see how my boy Andrew Armstrong was doing, and the commentators mentioned that the coaches wanted to get Moss around 20 touches per game.
I sort of brushed that off at the time because Moss wasn’t really a guy that had made my radar thus far, but when I looked at his total touch volume on the day (20) and looked back to last week, I started to see the vision Jimbo’s staff had laid before me. In the last two weeks, Moss has scored 16.7 and 16.4 points, which is pretty good.
The next leading carrier versus Arkansas was Amari Daniels with 10. In the previous week, it was five-star freshman Reuben Owens with seven. So this is not an uncontested volume pig (UVP) situation, but the staff are apparently telling us they want Moss to continue to see a high workload, and with their starting QB out for the season, they could be relying on the run game enough such that even a contested volume pig like Moss could be valuable going forward.
Notebook: “…(Moss) is over 200 yards and a touchdown over the past two weeks, and he’s only carried the ball 32 times. He is starting to look like that workhorse back for the Aggies and a guy they can rely on to pick up big yardage on the ground. He’s heating up, folks,” wrote Connor Muldowney (saturdayblitz.com).
Logan Diggs, LSU (Volume Pigs)
Fantrax Rostership: 34%
Total Fantasy Points: 67.7
FPPG: 16.9
I actually featured Logan Diggs (6’1 and 215 pounds) earlier this season in the ‘Fool’s Gold’ section of my weekly newsletter at VolumePigs.com. My thinking at the time is outlined here: “15 carries and over 100 yards—what’s not to like, right? Well, the fact that this came in a game where LSU scored over 70, and worked in backups everywhere they could, as soon as they could. Three different RBs scored in this one. Kaleb Jackson was one of them, who carried the rock 11 times for 62 yards and two scores. This was Diggs’ first game back, so maybe he is the lead carrier, but given our sample size of one vs. opponent Grambling State, I wouldn’t bite too hard on Diggs this week.”
It appeared that I was right in my assessment after the following week—Diggs split carries with four other runners. However, in the last two weeks, I have to say Diggs has become the clear lead carrier for the Tigers, with 14 last week versus Arkansas (the next leading rusher had two) and 19 against Mississippi this past Saturday (only one other RB saw carries—three). Diggs corralled those 19 carries for 100 yards and a couple of scores, he also notched two receptions for 22 yards (26.3 fantasy points).
Notebook: “We knew what we were getting with Logan. He played for me at Notre Dame and I knew what we were going to get from him. It was just a matter of getting him healthy. We weren’t going to play Diggs unless he felt really good,” coach Brian Kelly observed early in the season (on3.com).
Honorable Mention Running Backs
- Emmanuel Michel, Air Force
Fantrax Rostership: 38%
Total Fantasy Points: 88
FPPG: 17.6 - Tyre Shelton, Louisiana Tech
Fantrax Rostership: 18%
Total Fantasy Points: 51.3
FPPG: 17.1
Week 5 CFF All-Portal Team* (Goodwin)
QB Bert Emanuel, Central Michigan
Ownership: 23%
FPPG: 14.94
After returning from injury, Bert Emanuel only threw one pass for six yards. Against New Hampshire, he showed us what he is capable of by scoring 43.75 fantasy points after passing and rushing for four touchdowns on 294 total yards. With Jase Bauer in the mix, it is optional to roster the Chippewas’ quarterback.
RB Jermaine Brown, UAB
Ownership: 97%
FPPG: 14.34
With only a 3.9 yards per rush average, I’m ready to move on from Jermain Brown. He has been solely dependent on touchdowns to be fantasy-relevant. Although the remaining schedule looks promising, splitting touches with Isaiah Jacobs has dramatically impacted his production.
WR J. Michael Sturdivant, UCLA
Ownership: 82%
FPPG: 13.5
The fantasy world was expecting more from J. Michael Sturdivant, but with a catch rate of 57%, Sturdivant has yet to prove he is a reliable fantasy producer every week. In last week’s game against Utah, Sturdivant had three grabs for 60 yards. With Sturdivant’s target share erratic and production sparse, moving on may be in your best interest.
*Players who CFF managers should consider sending to their league’s free agent pool in order to upgrade rosters.
CFF Twitterverse on Fire!
Who is the premier running back to acquire on the CFF Waiver Wire?
- Terion Stewart, Bowling Green: 20%
- Logan Diggs, LSU: 39%
- Dillon Johnson, Washington: 22%
- Malik Jackson, Jacksonville State: 19%
“Malik Jackson for me. The Gamecocks have given Jackson the offense. Over 100 yards in 3 of the last 4 games with a 6.3 ypc…Battle tested!” @_NinoBrown_
“Logan Diggs for me, but it is close. He has proven in this offense that he can be very productive and is getting a ton of snaps.” @aceholesrule
“Don’t trust Dillon Johnson and Tyrion Stewart yet. Logan Diggs and Malik Jackson feel like safe floor plays whose ceilings are unfortunately capped by their touchdown-vulturing quarterbacks, perfect for a bye-week plug in tho.” @CFF_Jared
“I actually like all of these, but Logan Diggs in that high-powered LSU offense. He is the guy I want a piece of for the remainder of the season.” @JustinNottingh6
Wide Receivers
Lewis Bond, Boston College (Laub)
Fantrax Rostership: 6%
Targets: 33
Fantasy Points: 88
FPPG: 17.6
During the summer of 2022, I waxed poetically about WR Zay Flowers at Boston College, and he assisted many of my CFF teams to victories throughout the year. His performance increased his DEVY rankings and Draft value, and he became an eventual first-round selection by the Baltimore Ravens in April.
Looking at the Eagles’ roster during the summer, I did not like any of the potential replacements as a CFF playmaker. Five weeks into the campaign, Lewis Bond has propelled himself to CFF relevance during the past three games. He has garnered 21 targets and corralled 14 passes for 255 yards and four touchdowns.
Against Virginia on Saturday, Bond posted single-game career-highs in receptions (7) and receiving yards (104). It was the first 100-yard receiving game since Flowers last November, and Bond’s third consecutive game with a touchdown, scoring five this season. Boston College plays Army, Georgia Tech and UConn in the next month. Pick up Lewis immediately.
Notebook: “I feel like we could be such a great offense but we just shoot ourselves in the foot so much. It’s something that we’ve just got to keep working through. As you can see, when we’re on, we’re on. I feel like I have to break those tackles in order to stay on the field because that’s what I bring to the team,” Bond asserted after the win over the Cavaliers (wset.com).
Tyler Brown, Clemson (Goodwin)
Fantrax Rostership: 8%
Targets: 24
Fantasy Points: 65.7
FPPG: 13.1
In Clemson’s win over the Orange on Saturday, Tyler Brown grabbed eight passes for 151 yards. With 24 targets in five games, Brown is becoming more involved in the Tigers’ offense. Brown averages 15.7 yards per reception through his first five games.
As Cade Klubnik develops as a passer, the passing game must find reliable playmakers. Tyler Brown has shown he might be the perfect fit for Klubnik to grow with to form a dynamic QB-WR duo.
Notebook: “I would just say Tyler is a very mature kid. He’s got a level of maturity that you don’t see in many freshmen. He is as steady and as mature a freshman as we’ve had. And he’s got elite ball skills. He has great contact and collision balance,” coach Dabo Swinney affirmed during his Sunday night teleconference (tigernet.com).
Jalen Royals, Utah State (Goodwin)
Fantrax Rostership: 2%
Targets: 36
Fantasy Points: 94.2
FPPG: 18.8
Jalen Royals caught all seven of his targets on Saturday for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Don’t be fooled: Royals is not a one-hit-wonder. Jalen has 26 receptions on the season for 382 yards and five touchdowns.
The schedule looks advantageous for the Aggies moving forward. If you need a wide receiver with a consistent target share with four more games against defenses ranked below the top 100, then Royals is an ideal fit.
TE Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame (Volume Pigs)
Fantrax Rostership: 15%
Targets: 23
Fantasy Points: 45.4
FPPG: 9.1
Evans (6’5″, 250 pounds) has come on very strong recently with performances of 14.5 and 19.4 points in his last two outings. It appears he has taken over as TE1, after the Fighting Irish started the season with another—Holden Staes, taking up some of the targets. Evans has established himself recently as a pretty heavy feature in the offense, with an eyebrow-raising seven and eight targets in back-to-back weeks.
While Brian Kelly is no longer with the program, the Fighting Irish have been a program known for featuring its TEs heavily in the past. Will history repeat itself here with Evans?
Notebook: “I learned, put a linebacker on me, I’ll win. Put a safety on me, I’ll win,” Evans declared a couple of days after the loss against Ohio State, in which he led the team in receptions and yards (Irishsportsdaily.com).
Honorable Mention Wide Receivers
- Lawrence Keys, III, Tulane
Fantrax Rostership: 15%
Targets: 31
Fantasy Points: 86.4
FPPG: 17.3 - Eric McAlister, Boise State
Fantrax Rostership: 18%
Targets: 45
Fantasy Points: 85.6
FPPG: 17.1
CFF Twitterverse on Fire!
At wide receiver, who is the likely playmaker to impact fantasy rosters for the rest of the season?
- Chase Roberts, BYU: 24%
- Tyler Brown, Clemson: 35%
- Jaelen Gill, Fresno State: 18%
- Lewis Bond, Boston College: 23%
“Chase Roberts for me. Ride the hot hand while it is hot!” @aceholesrule
“Lewis Bond: He has developed a special connection with QB Thomas Castellanos. He always seems to find a way to be open. As a former running back, he is also difficult to bring down. Four scores in his last three games and add in his seven receptions for 104 yards this week versus Virginia. Bond has arrived!” @_NinoBrown_
“Love me some Chase Robert’s but of this group, I’m going Bond, Lewis Bond!” @CFF_Jared
CFF All-Americans: Week 5
- QB Jayden Daniels, LSU: 48.5
- QB Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State: 42.8
- RB Ray Davis, Kentucky: 53.9
- RB Kadarius Calloway, Old Dominion: 43.1
- WR Tory Horton, Colorado State: 50.7
- WR Jalen Royals, Utah State: 43.5
- WR Brian Thomas, Jr., LSU: 38.4
- TE Brock Bowers, Georgia: 30.0
- Flex Ashton Jeanty, Boise State: 42.5
- CFF Player of the Week: Ray Davis, Kentucky