In 40 years watching college football, I do not remember a more exhilarating and exciting afternoon of competition and performances than this past Saturday. I sat down in front of the TV at noon and could not take my eyes off the screen for the next 11 hours.
The Penn State-Michigan and Kansas-Oklahoma games kicked off the delirium and followed by the instant classic between Alabama-Tennessee. The stupendous day concluded with the one-point, nail-biter between USC-Utah. Michael Penix, K.J. Jefferson, Caleb Williams, Hendon Hooker, Bryce Young, Blake Corum, Eric Gray, Chase Brown, Quinshon Judkins, Quentin Johnston and Jalin Hyatt all displayed their incredible skills for college football fanatics, like myself, to follow and enjoy.
Only one of the aforementioned players makes this week’s waiver wire gemstones. Even so, there are still difference makers available. If you need a bye-week starter or injury replacement, I have uncovered the premier players to target on the college fantasy football waiver wire.
Week 7 College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire
Quarterbacks
Kyle Vantrease, Georgia Southern
Fantrax Ownership: 19%
Yards Per Attempt: 7.2
P-TD%: 4.8%
Fantasy Points: 218.3
In the week 2 waiver wire column, I highlighted Kyle Vantrease as a viable CFF signal caller. Despite posting impressive numbers, the Eagles’ quarterback remains ignored by the vast majority of CFF diehards.
Against the 25th-ranked team, Vantrease attempted 64 passes and completed 38 for a school-record 578 yards and four touchdowns. More importantly, he only tossed one interception, which has been his Achilles heel this year with 12, including four the week before. For the seventh-straight game, Vantrease tossed a touchdown, and he has already established the team’s single-season passing touchdown mark.
Vantrease is CFF QB25 with 2,511 passing yards (second in the nation) and 17 touchdowns. He has produced over 25 points in five of seven games (depending on scoring format) and five times has exceeded 300 passing yards, twice surpassing 400.
With many teams off in the next two weeks, Vantrese is a nice option on the waiver wire against Old Dominion. Unfortunately, the Eagles are also off in week 9 but the Sun Belt schedule commences afterward with enticing matchups for Georgia Southern’s third-ranked passing offense (358.7 PYPG) in the FBS.
Parker McNeil, Louisiana Tech
Fantrax Ownership: 1%
Yards Per Attempt: 9.1
P-TD%: 8.0%
Fantasy Points: 150.4
It has been a long road to CFF relevance for Parker McNeil. In 2017, the redshirt senior graduated high school and enrolled at the JUCO level. At Navarro College, he earned the National Junior College Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year following his sophomore campaign and two-time first team All-American. McNeil threw for 5,635 yards and 56 touchdowns as a member of the Navarro Bulldogs, ending his tenure with a 62.9 completion percentage and averaging 348.5 passing yards per game.
In 2020, McNeil played at Troy, appearing in only one game, and in 2021, he served as a backup at Texas Tech but never saw any playing time. He transferred to Louisiana Tech this year, reuniting with his former coach, Sonny Cumbie, on the Red Raiders.
He saw action in the first game of the season against Missouri. Afterwards, the Bulldogs’ signal caller had a slow beginning to his career in Ruston, Louisiana, beating Stephen F. Austin and losing to Clemson and South Alabama as a starter.
Nevertheless over the last two weeks, McNeil has performed much better and his numbers are fantasy relevant. Against UTEP, the 6’6” and 224-pounder passed for 266 yards and four touchdowns. Last week versus North Texas, McNeil logged a career-best 424 passing yards, adding two more aerial strikes. He is the CFF QB24 with 59.7 fantasy points in the past eight quarters.
McNeil has two productive receivers—Smoke Harris and Tre Harris—to count on in the passing game. In the next three weeks, Louisiana Tech plays Rice, Florida International and Middle Tennessee, which all foreshadow big offensive outputs.
Honorable Mention Quarterbacks
Jayden Daniels, LSU
Fantrax Ownership: 45%
Yards Per Attempt: 7.5
P-TD%: 4.8%
Fantasy Points: 198.8
Jayden de Laura, Arizona
Fantrax Ownership: 39%
Yards Per Attempt: 8.3
P-TD%: 6.9%
Fantasy Points: 220.1
Michael Pratt, Tulane
Fantrax Ownership: 22%
Yards Per Attempt: 9.5
P-TD%: 6.6%
Fantasy Points: 144
Running Backs
Marion Lukes, Central Michigan
Fantrax Ownership: 1%
Scrimmage Yards: 340
Touchdowns: 4
Total Fantasy Points: 63.0
Around 10:30 AM ET on Saturday, reports surfaced that Lew Nichols would not play for the Chippewas against Akron, which left many CFF owners scrambling for a replacement for their injured star ball carrier.
On the depth chart, Myles Bailey was the starter with Nichols out but only played eight snaps before Marion Lukes took over the running duties. A kick return specialist, Lukes took advantage of his opportunity to shine on Saturday. In his first extended action for Central Michigan, the sophomore dominated the Zips on 26 carries for 160 yards and two touchdowns, adding four catches for 71 yards and a score.
“When you get the ball more and more, you’re definitely going to get into a rhythm. You start to feel yourself especially when you start breaking off big-time runs, and start making people miss, hitting people with moves you’ve been practicing the whole year. When you actually get to do that, it just gives you the confidence to keep doing it,” Lukes proclaimed (cmuchippewas.com).
At 5’9” and 195-pounds, Lukes’ CFF value depends on the long-term health of Nichols, which is unknown as of press time. Nichols owners would be wise to acquire Lukes this week in order to have the Chippewas’ runner on their roster. Even CFF diehards without Nichols would be wise to place Lukes on their teams.
Kevorian Barnes, UTSA
Fantrax Ownership: 1%
Scrimmage Yards: 161
Touchdowns: 2
Total Fantasy Points: 27.1
On Friday night, I sat down in my big chair to watch the UTSA-FIU game. Like many in the CFF community, I expected a huge offensive outing from the Roadrunners’ dynamic offense. Regrettably, the team only scored 30 points, and Brenden Brady, who I started on two teams in the Flex position, only garnered seven carries.
Unexpectedly, Kevorian Barnes took control of the ground game. The redshirt freshman began the contest with only 12 rushes for 36 yards on campus before notching his first 100-yard game. The 5’9” and 215-pounder carried 20 times for 128 yards (a season-best for UTSA) and two scores. Barnes also caught one pass for 13 yards. During the game, I had to research the UTSA ball carrier for the upcoming waiver wire column.
A three-star prospect in high school, Barnes racked up over 4,000 rushing yards and topped 1,000 yards in three consecutive campaigns. As a junior, he scampered for 2,197 yards and 29 touchdowns on 142 totes. He was a three-year captain and all-district honoree at San Augustine High School in Texas. He also suited up on the track & field, baseball, basketball and powerlifting teams.
“I come from a small school, where I didn’t really know much about football. The coaches have been patient with me. Teaching me and helping me with my game. I feel like I’ve come a long way,” Barnes stated after the contest (texashsfootball.com). If the coaching staff trusts Barnes with the pigskin, maybe CFF diehards should also.
The Roadrunners are the seventeenth-ranked offense, averaging 489 yards and 36.3 points per game. Down the stretch, the UTSA schedule includes North Texas, Louisiana Tech and Rice in the next month. There is uncertainty in the backfield moving forward. Nonetheless, Barnes looks worthy of taking a flier on.
Honorable Mention Running Backs
Casey Filkins, Stanford
Fantrax Ownership: 16%
Scrimmage Yards: 633
Touchdowns: 5
Total Fantasy Points: 109.3
Dedrick Parson, Hawaii
Fantrax Ownership: 26%
Scrimmage Yards: 532
Touchdowns: 10
Total Fantasy Points: 125.2
Sieh Bangura, Ohio
Fantrax Ownership: 27%
Scrimmage Yards: 569
Touchdowns: 8
Total Fantasy Points: 118.4
See profile in last week’s column
Twitterverse on Fire!
CFF Waiver Wire Battles: Week 7
Who Ya Got at Quarterback?
- Kyle Vantrease, Georgia Southern: 32%
- Jayden Daniels, LSU: 23%
- Jason Bean, Kansas: 34%
- Jordan Travis, Florida State: 11%
“Kyle Vantrease is basically getting the Will Rogers workload, but plays in the Sun Belt instead of the SEC.” @copieps
“Against a stout Clemson defense, FSU QB Jordan Travis was 24-of-42 for 254 yards and two touchdowns with 64 rushing yards and another score. I’ll go Jordan here as he kept the Seminoles within a one-score striking distance!” @NinoBrown_T2T
“In that system, Kyle Vantrease will continue to get the volume.” @SoonerNationCFF
Who Ya Got at Running Back?
- Sieh Bangure, Ohio: 49%
- Casey Filkins, Stanford: 28%
- Marion Lukes, Central Michigan: 14%
- Dedrick Parson, Hawaii: 9%
“After securing the lead role (week 3) at RB for the Bobcats, Sieh Bangure has totaled 266 yards and six touchdowns. Fresh off a two score and 115 total yard performance vs. Western Michigan, Sieh will crack the century mark next week!” @NinoBrown_T2T
“You have to add Marion Lukes, but realize that when Lew Nichols is back, he is likely unusable.” @copieps
“Sieh ‘Bang’ Bangura for me. I have been on him the entire season, and he hasn’t let me down.” @aceholesrule
“Sieh Bangura with MACtion continuing definitely has my vote…Curious to see how long Lew Nichols is out too as that directly impacts Marion Lukes.” @BTR_Pod
“I took Casey Filkins this week to replace Xazavian Valladay on my roster.” @jmargliano
“It’s amazing Casey Filkins is still under 30% rostered. Classic plug-and-play Stanford RB pickup.” @CFFonIG
Who Ya Got at Wide Receiver?
- Elijah Cooks, San Jose: 11%
- Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee: 63%
- Isaiah Winstead, East Carolina: 14%
- Oronde Gadsden, Syracuse: 12%
“Jalin Hyatt: With six receptions for 207 yards, 34.7 YPC, and five touchdowns, should there really be another name in the poll? Hyatt single handedly stomped on the hearts of the ‘Bama secondary. Hyatt had Knoxville loud enough to hear from outer space. Imagine Cedric Tillman and Hyatt in the SEC Championship game for Hendon Hooker!” @NinoBrown_T2T
“Oronde Gadsden for me, but I am sure Jalin Hyatt will win the poll.” @aceholesrule
“I’m all over Oronde Gadsden too. Also, when Cedric Tillman comes back, Jalin Hyatt’s value will certainly take a hit.” @bwag83
“Hard to not go with Jalin Hyatt after yesterday’s big game…Imagine, he has a real shot at being WR1 too once Cedric Tillman comes back.” @BTR_Pod
Wide Receivers
Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
Fantrax Ownership: 49%
Targets: 45
Team Target Share: 24.3%
Total Fantasy Points: 152.5
Identifying Jalin Hyatt as a gemstone is low-hanging fruit for sure. Nevertheless, he is below the 50% rostership standard that I employ to feature in the column. He put on a performance for the ages yesterday in Knoxville, TN, earning CFF Player of the Week with 56.7 fantasy points.
In the 52-49 victory against Alabama, Hyatt scored five times on only six receptions and sprinted for 207 yards, averaging 34.5 YPC. He shattered the receiving touchdowns mark at Tennessee, breaking the all-time best of three, previously established 12 times. The five receiving touchdowns also ties a SEC single-game record, last achieved by Alabama’s DeVonta Smith in 2019.
“To be honest, I didn’t know I was going to have five touchdowns. That’s a lot. It was just the looks, what they were showing us and what we came to the sideline and what we thought would work against their defense. It’s a lot that goes into it as far as how we game-planed, how we prepared. We knew we could execute on big plays,” Hyatt affirmed after his record-breaking afternoon (GoVols247Sports.com).
For the season, Hyatt now ranks inside the Top 10 CFF playmakers with 152.5 fantasy points. He has secured 33 passes for 595 yards and 10 touchdowns, posting 18.3 YPC.
At 6’0” and 185-pounds, the junior was a four-star prospect as a recruit. Before the season kicked off in September, he had played in 28 games with seven starts. With Cedric Tillman sidelined, Hyatt is taking advantage of the opportunity to be a difference maker and CFF diehards are reaping the rewards. The speedster might be rostered in over 80% of leagues by the end of waiver wire acquisitions this week.
Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
Fantrax Ownership: 19%
Targets: 54
Team Target Share: 18.7%
Total Fantasy Points: 111.4
It is rare for an NFL team to support three fantasy-relevant wide receivers. In college football, it is more common when an offense employs a high-flying aerial assault and scores over 35 points per game.
In 2022, Arizona, and QB Jayden de Laura, look like one of those passing attacks that offer three possible playmakers. The Wildcats are the eighth-ranked offensive unit, averaging 334.4 passing yards per game and completing 19 touchdown passes. Also, Arizona only rushes for 131.6 yards per game.
While Jacob Cowing is rostered on 100% of CFF teams, Dorian Singer and Tetairo McMillan are still available in the vast majority of leagues. At 6’5” and 205-pounds, McMillan earned four-stars by 247Sports and has blossomed in his first year in the desert. The freshman is third on the team in receptions (28) and yards (470) and second in touchdown receptions (six).
“T-Mac (McMillan) is all ball. T-Mac loves the game of football and you see it in the way he plays. He’s got a volleyball background, which I think is why he’s so explosive when it comes to catching a ball. His catch radius is unreal. Any ball that’s in his area, he has a chance to get,” wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings revealed in a recent interview (wildcat.arizona.edu).
McMillan has scored double-digit fantasy points in every game this season except one and twice produced more that 20. Against Washington on Saturday, he paced the Wildcats’ trio in receiving with seven catches for 132 yards and two scores. Arizona is off this weekend, but has USC, Utah and UCLA following the break. McMillan is a nice option in the Flex for CFF diehards moving forward.
Honorable Mention Wide Receivers
Isaiah Winstead, East Carolina
Fantrax Ownership: 25%
Targets: 81
Team Target Share: 30%
Total Fantasy Points: 141.9
Elijah Cooks, San Jose State
Fantrax Ownership: 18%
Targets: 45
Team Target Share: 21.6%
Total Fantasy Points: 103.5
Khaleb Hood, Georgia Southern
Fantrax Ownership: 3%
Targets: 70
Team Target Share: 20.7%
Total Fantasy Points: 113.9
CFF All-Americans: Week 7
- QB John Rhys Plumlee, UCF: 52.6 points
- QB Cameron Rising, Utah: 49.5 pints
- RB Blake Watson, Old Dominion: 43.6 points
- RB Marion Lukes, Central Michigan: 41.1 points
- WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee: 56.7 points
- WR Tyrone Howell, Louisiana Monroe: 51.4 points
- WR Trey Palmer, Nebraska: 48.7 points
- TE Dalton Kincaid, Utah: 29.4 points
- Flex Puka Nacua, BYU: 42.1 points
CFF Player of the Week: Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee Tennessee