I am still in shock that UConn won a football game on Saturday. It was the biggest and loudest crowd at Rentschler Field in East Hartford in years, and so much fun to drive home after a victory. I spent the rest of the evening watching a plethora of games, taking notes on future NFL prospects and seeking potential players on the college fantasy football waiver wire for this week’s column.
Of course, my number one goal after seven games in the regular season is to organize my roster into playoff contention. I want to make sure that my team has depth and my opponents cannot find a difference-maker on the waiver wire to beat me in crunch time. I never stop working the free-agent market in college fantasy football and neither should all of our readers. JD Yonke and I have pinpointed the players to acquire on the college fantasy football waiver wire this week.
Editor’s Note: Just before going to press, Matt Corral, Mississippi, Bryce Young, Alabama, and Will Rogers, Mississippi State were announced as questionable to play this weekend. Plan accordingly.
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 7 College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire
Quarterbacks
Cameron Rising, Utah (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 4%
Yards Per Attempt: 7.4
TD%: 7.6%
I stayed up late to watch the Arizona State-Utah game to scout QB Jayden Daniels and RB Rachaad White of the Sun Devils. While viewing the game, Utes’ quarterback Cameron Rising continually made play after play in the second half in the come-from-behind upset in the PAC-12 South contest.
Against Arizona State, Rising led touchdown drives on all four possessions after halftime and completed 13-of-15 passing for 140 yards and two touchdowns. In the game, he recorded three total touchdowns and accounted for 306 yards of total offense in the victory.
Over the past two games, the Utes’ field general has tossed five aerial strikes and rushed for two scores. Not since Tyler Huntley two years ago has a signal caller in the program run and passed for a touchdown in succeeding outings.
In high school, Rising was ranked as the No. 8 pro-style quarterback in the nation and a four-star recruit by Rivals. He committed to Texas and in 2018, redshirted his first year on campus. The 6’2” and 220-pounder transferred to Utah before the 2020 campaign but suffered a season-ending injury last year and played in only one game. Rising opened the year behind Charlie Brewer on the depth chart. However, he replaced the ineffective Brewer in the third game and has guided the Utes to three consecutive victories as the starter.
With Oregon State and UCLA on the upcoming docket, CFF coaches may find Rising a tantalizing option on the waiver wire this week.
Anthony Richardson, Florida (Yonke)
Fantrax Ownership: 21%
Yards Per Attempt: 10.6
TD%: 13.5%
Before you get too excited about Richardson, understand this: he’s a high-risk, high-reward waiver wire target this week. He’s far from a sure thing going forward as he’s not even guaranteed to start down the stretch, but he could pay off massive rewards if he is inserted into the starting lineup for Dan Mullen’s Gators.
Richardson entered in relief of struggling starter Emory Jones and led four straight scoring drives in the second half against LSU. He ignited a dormant offense, throwing for 167 yards and three touchdowns to pair with 37 rushing yards and a score on the ground. He was far more productive than Jones on the day, and this is certainly not the first time this year in which that’s been the case.
He burst onto the scene in limited playing time to start the season, rushing for 160 yards and a score on only seven attempts against Florida Atlantic. He followed that up with one of the most ridiculous stat lines any player has posted all season: 152 yards and two touchdowns on only three passing attempts and four carries for 115 yards and another score on the ground against South Florida.
It seems as though starting AR15 (yes, that’s his nickname) going forward is a no-brainer for coach Dan Mullen, but he’s yet to clarify who will be the starter. It’s possible that both quarterbacks continue to play in a rotation and neither is trustworthy in CFF. It’s also possible that Richardson is named the starter following the bye week and finishes as a top-10 CFF quarterback over the last four weeks of the season. Following a tough rivalry game against Georgia, the Gators have a dream schedule to end the season: South Carolina, Samford, Missouri, and Florida State.
Richardson is a huge gamble this week, but the upside is too high to ignore. You won’t be using him the next two weeks (bye week, then Georgia) but he’s certainly worth a stash in hopes that he gets the nod as Florida’s starting quarterback.
Jake Bentley, South Alabama (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 12%
Yards Per Attempt: 8.4
TD%: 4%
It seems like Jake Bentley has been in college forever. A freshman in 2016, he played for South Carolina until 2019 and played for Utah last year. When the season opened, Bentley was the ninth-ranked passer among active FBS quarterbacks with 8,409 yards and thirteenth with 61 passing touchdowns.
In 2021, the career totals continue to escalate. He has thrown for 1,505 yards and seven aerial strikes while leading South Alabama to a 4-2 record. As an added bonus, the sixth-year senior has crossed the finish line four times.
Against Georgia Southern last Thursday, Bentley passed for 389 yards and totaled five touchdowns, scoring over 40 fantasy points. In school history, he became the first Jaguar to log five touchdowns in a game. He just missed recording 400 yards of total offense, which would have also been a new program mark.
“It just felt free. The game plan going in was to be aggressive. We consistently did that all night, up-front, on the perimeter, we just really attacked all night. It felt really good as an offense, to really get rolling and put up some points,” Bentley revealed (ai.com).
In the last three games, the Jaguars’ passer has produced 40.3, 14.8, and 15.1 fantasy points. The 6’4” and 225-pounder is playing his best football since 2018 when has netted over 3,000 yards passing and 27 touchdowns for the Gamecocks.
Bentley will continue to shine over the next two weeks: South Alabama travels to Louisiana-Monroe and hosts Arkansas State. The two defenses are respectively ranked No. 117 (457 yards and 35 points per game) and No. 130 (584 yards and 46.7 points per game). I would never have foreseen profiling Bentley in the weekly Waiver Wire Gemstones column. Yet, here we are in 2021. He deserves recognition among the CFF community over the next two weeks and possibly the remainder of the campaign.
Twitterverse on Fire!
More than halfway through the season and options are minimal, Who Ya Got as a replacement at quarterback this week?
- Cameron Rising, Utah: 34%
- Jayden de Laura: Washington State: 29%
- Grant Wells, Marshall: 34%
- Other, post player below: 3%
“Grant Wells is a big part of a powerful offense and it seems he is on the verge of becoming a big part of someone’s fantasy team.” @aceholesrule
Running Backs
Tyrion Davis-Price, LSU (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 11%
Scrimmage Yards: 610
Touchdowns: 5
Total Fantasy Points: 94
After a fascinating, and bewitching six weeks, the SEC regained a little balance after Alabama rebounded against Mississippi State, Georgia pounded Kentucky and LSU uncovered a bruising back to hammer opponents.
Over the past two weeks, Tyrion Davis-Price has earned the praise of the Tigers’ faithful and opened the eyes of CFF managers. He is the No. 1 CFF running back, scoring over 73 fantasy points on 434 rushing yards and five scores.
In 2016, both Leonard Fournette and Darrius Guice (since removed) established single-game rushing records with 284 and 285 yards versus Mississippi and Texas A&M respectively. On Saturday, Davis-Price bludgeoned Florida for a new school-best 287 yards and three touchdowns.
The junior battering ram praised the work of the offensive line afterward. “I was just amazed at how good the offensive line was. You could see those were big holes that I ran through,” Davis-Price declared after his record-setting performance (theadvocate.com).
At 6’1” and 223-pounds, the Baton Rouge product is a downhill runner with balance and power, easily navigating through traffic. Without star receiver Kayson Boutte for the remainder of the campaign, LSU will lean on its offensive line and Davis-Price to move the football.
LSU embarks on back-to-back games against Mississippi and Alabama in the next two weeks. While the annual contest against the Crimson Tide may be problematic for offensive production, the Tigers will be able to move the ball against the Rebels next week.
Travis Dye, Oregon (Yonke)
Fantrax Ownership: 35%
Scrimmage Yards: 680
Touchdowns: 4
Total Fantasy Points: 99.5
I’m in agreement with anyone in the Twitterverse who responded with enthusiasm about Travis Dye as a waiver wire target. Dye stepped up massively for the Ducks in the absence of starter CJ Verdell Friday night against California, rushing 19 times for 145 yards and a score while catching seven passes for another 73 yards through the air. It was a huge performance and showed what Dye can do when given such an enormous workload. Quite frankly, that was probably a game that the Ducks lost without Dye’s contributions, and he’s established himself as the number one CFF option on this roster.
Verdell is out for the season with a leg injury, so the show is all Dye’s going forward. The remainder of the schedule isn’t anything ominous as the Ducks are firmly entrenched in the PAC-12 conference part of their schedule (they have all in-conference games remaining). The offense should continue to run through Dye as the Ducks are in need of a workhorse running back and are very inexperienced behind him.
Coach Mario Cristobal put it best: “Tonight, he got some more opportunities and just played really, really tough and physical. His hard work in the offseason really showed up and paid off in different ways. He was all over the place tonight, so he will keep getting those opportunities as long as it works out for him,” (247sports.com).
Don’t expect the touches to go anywhere. Dye should be owned everywhere as he looks to continue to shine now that the spotlight is finally on him.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Tyrion Davis-Price is the top pick up at running back this week: Who Ya Got other than Davis-Price down the stretch to provide a boost to your backfield?
- Jaylan Knighton, Miami: 25%
- Charles Williams, UNLV: 9%
- Travis Dye, Oregon: 61%
- Other, post player below: 5%
“Blake Watson, Old Dominion: A dual eligibility at RB & WR. Finally healthy, he has over 20 carries and 100 yards in the last two weeks. But he is match-up dependent and is on bye this week.” @CFF_Legend
“Travis Dye was doing well when Verdell was the main back. He will remain very good without his presence.” @aceholesrule
Rahmir Johnson, Nebraska (Yonke)
Fantrax Ownership: 10%
Scrimmage Yards: 556
Touchdowns: 5
Total Fantasy Points: 92.1
This particular gemstone comes with an asterisk—Johnson left the Cornhuskers’ game against Minnesota with an undisclosed injury and did not return. It’s a situation that’ll need to be closely monitored if considering Johnson for your CFF squad.
That being said, it’s what Johnson managed to do before the injury that has me intrigued. Despite barely playing in the second half, he still racked up 83 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. It was yet another productive fantasy day for Johnson, who now has over 20 fantasy points in each of his last three games.
If it seems like Johnson has emerged out of nowhere, that’s because he has—he started fall camp fifth on the depth chart. He’s taken full advantage of his opportunities and established himself as the Cornhuskers’ top option in the backfield.
Here’s how coach Scott Frost put it: “…I’ve been saying all along we’ve been waiting for somebody to step up and take it. He’s taken advantage of chances. I think he’s running hard. Making plays in the pass game,” (247sports.com).
Monitor news of Johnson’s injury closely. He should be owned in the majority of leagues considering his past three performances but is only at 10% ownership as of the time of this writing. If your league has IR spots (most do), he’s definitely worth a stash and won’t count against your roster requirements. Best case scenario, Johnson comes back healthy next week and immediately gives you another productive back on your CFF team.
CFF All-Americans: Week 7
- QB Caleb Williams, Oklahoma: 40.4 points
- QB Jake Bentley, South Alabama: 40.3 points
- RB Tyrion Davis-Price, LSU: 46.7 points
- RB Jerome Ford, Cincinnati: 45.2 points
- WR Quentin Johnson, TCU: 43.5 points
- WR Deven Thompkins, Utah State: 43.4 points
- WR Jerreth Sterns, Old Dominion: 41.8 points
- TE Cole Turner, Nevada: 29.5 points
- Flex Charles Willims, UNLV: 40.1 points
CFF Player of the Week: Caleb Williams, Oklahoma
Wide Receivers
A.T. Perry, Wake Forest (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 19%
Targets: 36
Team Target Share: 19.6%
I wanted to profile A.T. Perry last week, but the Demon Deacons did not play this past weekend so I postponed my analysis. I listed Perry among the Honorable Mention candidates, and his roster% increased from 8% to 19% despite Perry not suiting up. Look for the home run hitter to move north onto more CFF teams after the waiver wire runs this week.
Wake Forest is undefeated (6-0) and coach Dave Clawson’s offense produces plenty of fantasy points behind the pinpoint passing of QB Sam Hartman. The Demon Deacons score over 37 points per game and total more than 270 passing yards. While WR Jaquari Roberson commands the most targets, Perry is second in the pecking order; nevertheless, he produces more fantasy points (110 to 94) with his touchdown equity. Why is Roberson rostered in 82% of leagues while Perry stands below 20%? The two players should be much closer based on the numbers and production.
At 6’5” and 206-pounds, Perry provides a huge target for Hartman and benefits from defensive coordinators focused on slowing down Roberson. The redshirt sophomore has snatched 23 passes for 454 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 19.7 yards per catch.
In OT against Syracuse two weeks ago, Perry caught the game-winning touchdown, which was his third of the day. A dream came true for the Wake Forest wideout: “It’s going through my head right now…I’ve dreamed of this my whole life. Like, since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to make an outstanding catch or win a game, stuff like that. So actually for it to happen in real life? Man, this doesn’t feel real at all. I’m not even going to lie to you,” (journalnow.com).
In the next three weeks, the Demon Deacons travel to Army, host Duke and go on the road to North Carolina. None of the three teams present a daunting challenge for the Wake Forest offense. Perry is a nice addition for CFF managers looking for a boost in time for their playoff run in the next month.
CFF Waiver Wire Honorable Mention
- QB Jaren Hall, BYU
Fantrax Ownership: 16%
Yards Per Attempt: 7.9
TD%: 5.8% - QB Sam Hartman, Wake Forest
Fantrax Ownership: 47%
Yards Per Attempt: 8.8
TD%: 7.6% - RB Devon Achane, Texas A&M
Fantrax Ownership: 26%
Scrimmage Yards: 644
Touchdowns: 5
Total Fantasy Points: 140.2 - RB Dameon Pierce, Florida
Fantrax Ownership: 18%
Scrimmage Yards: 426
Touchdowns: 10
Total Fantasy Points: 116.6 - WR Joshua Cephus, UTSA
Fantrax Ownership: 36%
Targets: 58
Team Target Share: 26.2%
Total Fantasy Points: 133 - WR Tyrese Chambers, Florida International
Fantrax Ownership: 46%
Targets: 36
Team Target Share: 20.2%
Total Fantasy Points: 123.2 - TE Benjamin Yurosek, Stanford
Fantrax Ownership: 4%
Targets: 34
Team Target Share: 15%
Total Fantasy Points: 62.6
Velus Jones, Jr., Tennessee (Yonke)
Fantrax Ownership: 12%
Targets: 37
Team Market Share: 19.6%
Every week we talk about a new waiver wire target from this Tennessee offense. Two weeks ago it was running back Tiyon Evans, a week ago it was quarterback Hendon Hooker, and this week it’s their top pass catcher, Velus Jones.
A USC transfer, Jones started the year slow due to injury but has come on strong in recent weeks. He’s seeing a good workload with 23 targets in his past three games, and he’s produced: 19 receptions for 275 yards and two touchdowns in that span.
I’ll save you the full refrain on this Tennessee offense, but here’s the gist: it’s a fantasy goldmine. The Volunteers have increased their scoring average from 21.5 to 39.3 under first-year coach Josh Heupel. All CFF players should fondly remember the high-powered UCF offenses the last three years under Heupel.
The bad news is that the schedule really starts to heat up: Alabama, bye, Kentucky, and Georgia are in-line the next four weeks. That’s…tough, no way around it. He does end the season against South Alabama and Vanderbilt, so he could pay off big time down the stretch. Velus is the top pass catcher in a high-flying offense and a proven producer. He’s not the top priority on the waiver wire this week due to the schedule, but he should be owned in the majority of leagues due to his talent and opportunity.
Josh Johnson, Tulsa (Laub)
Fantrax Ownership: 10%
Targets: 67
Team Target Share: 30%
Entering the season, I named WR Keylon Stokes as the playmaker to acquire in college fantasy football drafts on the Tulsa roster. Regrettably, I targeted the wrong wide receiver in the Golden Hurricanes’ aerial assault. It is Josh Johnson who leads the team in targets (67), receptions (43) and yards (582).
Since September 18 against Ohio State, Johnson is the thirteenth most productive wideout in college fantasy football. He has exceeded 21 fantasy points in four of the last five games, netting 36 passes for 514 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 21.1 ppg. The senior has surpassed eight catches four times and eclipsed 125 receiving yards three times.
It has taken a while, but Johnson has finally reached the expectations coming out of high school. ESPN graded the Tulsa receiver as a four-star recruit and ranked him as the No. 51 WR prospect in the nation. He enrolled at Iowa State, redshirted in 2017, and played in 12 games for the Cyclones the next year. Afterward, he transferred to Tulsa and has blossomed as the go-to guy in the passing game.
Without much publicity, coach Philip Montgomery’s offense ranks among the best in the FBS: The Golden Hurricanes accumulate 457.3 yards, 273.6 passing yards, and 25.7 points per game. The Tulsa offense ranks ahead of Texas Tech, Kent State, Nevada, and USC.
Cincinnati remains the only difficult matchup remaining on the schedule. The other four games appear to be high-scoring contests, and Johnson will be on the receiving end of many targets down the stretch of the year.
Twitterverse on Fire!
In the free-agent market, Who Ya Got at wide receiver to assist your aerial assault?
- Josh Johnson, Tulsa: 27%
- Stefan Cobbs, Boise State: 20%
- Alec Pierce, Cincinnati: 48%
- Other, post player below: 5%
“I like Josh Johnson, but a bye week followed by Navy and Cincy worries me a bit.” @aceholesrule
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