John Laub and Justin Heisey join forces to identify the top additions for the Week 9 College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire.
Week 9 College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire
Quarterbacks
J’Mar Smith, Louisiana Tech
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 18%
Louisiana Tech’s offense use to be the land of opportunity for fantasy talent with names like Ryan Higgins, Kenneth Dixon, Trent Taylor, Jeff Driskel, and Carlos Henderson. Since the loss of Driskel, the Bulldogs haven’t had a consistent fantasy performer all season despite returning Adrian Hardy.
In the previous three weeks, J’Mar Smith has managed to produce fantasy points at a level not seen by him during his career with ten touchdowns over the last four weeks. LA Tech takes on North Texas and Marshall in the next two weeks before a tough road test against UAB. The Bulldogs end the year with a cakewalk against UTSA in championship week. — Justin
Kedon Slovis, USC
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 11%
I stayed up late on Friday watching the Trojans’ comeback victory over the Buffaloes. USC trailed by 10 points at the end of the third quarter; nevertheless, freshman Kedon Slovis led the team to two touchdown drives in the final period, tossing a pair of touchdowns to senior Michael Pittman. Illustrating the calm demeanor of an upperclassman, Slovis passed for 406 yards and totaled four aerial strikes in the conquest of Colorado.
“They (Colorado) bring all-out pressure on third down on that last drive. He’s got to believe in [Pittman] on the sideline and he lets it go while he’s getting hit, steps right into it and gets ear-holed and delivers a ball on-time, accurately and with unbelievable poise. I’m not trying to blow his head up, even me and Graham [Harrell] are sitting there going, wow. But that’s who he is. In the brightest moments and when it’s time to show immense poise in a situation, he’s done that…,” Coach Clayton Helton said after the victory on ocregister.com by Adam Grosbard.
The Trojans’ field general finished week 9 as the thirteenth ranked CFF quarterback, scoring 34.7 points. Over the past two weeks, he ranks among the top two dozen signal callers, passing for 638 yards and six touchdowns.
USC stands atop the Pac-12 South Division at 4-1, scoring 31.3 points per game and producing 442 yards of total offense. The remaining schedule is not ideal but the matchups against Arizona State, California and UCLA suggest plenty of points for the offense and Slovis down the stretch. — John
Skylar Thompson, Kansas State
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 4%
I turned on the Oklahoma-Kansas State game to watch my CFF investments in QB Jalen Hurts and WR CeeDee Lamb. While neither player disappointed, QB Skylar Thompson and the Wildcats’ offense mesmerized me all afternoon. Kansas State smashed the Sooners defense at the line of scrimmage behind a dominant ground game and timely and efficient passing. Thompson completed 18 of 28 passes for 213 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns.
“Offensively, we were cracking and winning the line of scrimmage… I thought Skylar was on point. He saw pressure (and) he delivered the football against a really dominant defense.” Coach Chris Klieman stated after the triumph on themercury.com by Sean Collins.
Shockingly to many CFF diehards (myself included), Thompson is the sixth most prolific signal-caller over the past two weeks, scoring 38.5 and 29.5 fantasy points in back-to-back games. The dual-threat playmaker has passed for 385 yards and two touchdowns and scampered for 107 yards and five touchdowns. In the next three weeks, Kansas State travels to Kansas and Texas and hosts West Virginia. All the matchups are scrumptious enough for Thompson to continue feasting against the opposition. — John
Twitterverse on Fire!
Identify the most intriguing quarterback to acquire this week off the waiver wire.
- Max Duggan, TCU: 27%
- Skylar Thompson, Kansas State: 45%
- Chris Reynolds, Charlotte: 6%
- Justin McMillan, Tulane: 21%
John’s Vote: Justin McMillan
“Skylar Thompson was the most impressive. I just don’t see him doing what he did yesterday again. One of those one and done, drop the mic performances.” @JustinNottingh6
“Simply, S. Thompson plays Kansas next week. Pretty nice matchup.” @CFBWinningEdge
“Max Duggan. The TCU offense is starting to find its’ identity, and Duggan is leading the charge. He can beat you through the air and on the ground.” @AddisonButler17
“Thompson ran for touchdowns yesterday like a Bill Snyder quarterback from the past, but he only ran for 39 yards and had no passing strikes. He only has two games this season with multiple passing touchdowns and has yet to throw for more than 220 yards. If he’s not rushing for scores, his value really diminishes.” @FBSFantasyFoot
Running Backs
Jamale Carothers, Navy
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 1%
I really hate owning shares of Malcolm Perry. It seems as though every time I get my hands on him a different football player starts scoring all of Navy’s touchdowns. Jamale Carothers got his first carries of the season three weeks ago and progressively took more the following two weeks.
Carothers has scored a touchdown in each of the last three games and actually scored three against Tulane. The Midshipmen have huge offensive upside against UConn this week before a tough matchup against Notre Dame. Navy ends the year with shootouts against SMU and Houston, however, giving Carothers great matchups for your playoff run. — Justin
Tra Barnett, Georgia State
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 35%
I am upset with myself for not analyzing Tra Barnett as a Waiver Wire Gemstone earlier. I placed the Panthers’ ball carrier among the Honorable Mention players two weeks ago but did not profile Barnett. Well, now is the time that he earns a deep analysis.
The redshirt senior is on fire in the month of October. In four games, he has eclipsed the century mark in each and established a career-best 242 against Troy on Saturday. Barnett has totaled 599 yards rushing and scored six times. He is the fifth-ranked runner in college fantasy football over the past month.
At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Barnett’s 242 rushing yards also set a school record, and he is now Georgia State’s all-time rushing leader with 1,631 yards. For the season, he has rushed for 928 yards, which is another school record.
The Panthers average 257 rushing yards per game and are the ninth-rated ground game in the country. Why is Barnett not rostered on over 75% of leagues? Go to the waiver wire and place a bid this week for the spectacular speedster. — John
Twitterverse on Fire!
Identify the most shocking performance among running backs this weekend:
- Xazavian Valladay, Wyoming: 14%
- Kevin Mensah, UConn: 12%
- CJ Verdell, Oregon: 60%
- Tra Barnett, Georgia State: 14%
John’s Vote: CJ Verdell, Oregon
“CJ Verdell: At some point, I think we have all written this guy off, and last night, he goes for 257 yards and 3 touchdowns. He will be a hot waiver pick up this week.” @JustinNottingh6
“Verdell was riding the pine for me unfortunately. Bryant Koback, Toledo could be on this list as well. He totaled 32 carries for 259 yards and two TDs yesterday after a couple of duds in previous weeks.” @CavenderCorey
“We’ve been covering Georgia State, and I’ll be honest with you, there is nothing ‘shocking’ about this performance by Tra Barnett. By the end of this season, he literally may own every single Panthers rushing record available.” @RicSincere & @MTMVSports
“Definitely CJ Verdell. Has been meh all season. K. Mensah you knew would run wild in Amherst, X. Valladay is all Wyoming has left standing at RB right now.” @MacDaddy178
Wide Receivers
Lucky Jackson, Western Kentucky
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 2%
Although the Toppers lost their starting quarterback to injury a few weeks ago, Ty Storey has gotten the most out of wide receiver Lucky Jackson in the past two weeks. On top of three touchdown receptions in three weeks, Jackson has gone over 140 yards receiving in the last two weeks, and last week, he even had sixteen receptions in one game.
Sixteen receptions are a ridiculous amount and is likely not repeatable. We know that the Toppers want to get Lucky the ball and that he’s not leaving the offensive plan. Lucky is a must-add in ppr-format leagues because clearly Tyson Helton loves him. WKU has four excellent matchups against FAU, Arkansas, Southern Miss, and Middle Tennessee in the final weeks of the season. — Justin
Victor Tucker, Charlotte
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 6%
Last week, I posted a Twitterverse poll in regard to CFF sleepers at receiver to place into lineups. Among the four options, I placed Victor Tucker. Unfortunately, few CFF diehards considered starting the Charlotte playmaker, garnering only 4% of the vote.
Tucker enjoyed one of the top performances of the week: He pulled down 10 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown, scoring 25 fantasy points. With 18 seconds remaining, Tucker recorded the game-winning touchdown when he hauled in Chris Reynolds’ 34-yard pass as the 49ers squeezed by the Mean Green 39-38.
In three of the past four games, the redshirt sophomore has paced the team in receiving yards (140, 113 and 115) and scored twice on 22 receptions. For the season, Tucker has totaled 33 catches for 499 yards and four touchdowns.
At 5-foot-11 and 177 pounds, the 49ers’ game-breaker impressed the coaching staff in the spring of 2018. “He’s been one of our most consistent players. He’s not the fastest guy out there, but he knows how to run good routes and how to use his body and his hands. He’s a very savvy receiver for as young as he is…He’s very coachable. He learns from his mistakes and then keeps them at a minimum,” former offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery stated in the charlotteobserver.com by David Scott in the spring of 2018. After the season, he was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team and was the third-leading receiver among freshmen in the FBS with 54 catches for 712 yards and two touchdowns.
With Reynolds throwing the pigskin, Tucker will continue to produce fantasy points in abundance. The 49ers have favorable matchups on the remaining docket this season: Middle Tennessee, UTEP, Marshall and Old Dominion. — John
Jauan Jennings, Tennessee
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 39%
After the Volunteers lost consecutive games to Florida and Georgia and fell to 1-4, I stopped looking at the Tennessee roster for CFF assistance. Maybe I should not have given up so hastily.
Jauan Jennings did not quit playing, and he has become a reliable CFF weapon. In the month of October, the redshirt senior has a seat among the top dozen wide receivers, scoring 70.7 points in four games. He has snatched 23 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns. Tennessee has won two of its last three games, and Jennings leads the receiving corps in every major category. With 42 catches for 652 yards and seven touchdowns, he is the twentieth-rated wideout in college fantasy football.
At 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, Jennings completely subdued the Gamecocks on Saturday. He caught seven passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. “Man, Jauan went crazy, man. He went crazy, man…I was excited for him. I know, they asked me on the radio show, like ‘What’d you think about the touchdown he scored when he broke like four tackles?’ I was like, ‘Man, after he broke the second tackle, I knew he was going to score,’” teammate Darrell Taylor said after the game on 247Sports.com by Patrick Brown.
The Volunteers’ schedule is soft down the stretch with UAB, Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt. If Tennessee wins all four games, the program is eligible for a bowl bid. Now, is the time to invest in Jennings with the CFF playoffs ahead. — John
Stephon Robinson, Kansas
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 5%
Kansas isn’t exactly contending for the Big 12 title this year, but they have improved so much offensively in year one of the Les Miles Era. Quarterback Carter Stanley has a 19:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, Pooka Williams is 300 yards away from 1,000 despite missing multiple games, and Stephon Robinson, Jr. has emerged as the top dog in the receiving game after scoring six times in three games.
Andrew Parchment looked to be the Jayhawks top option, but after multiple dominating games from Robinson, the junior is now Carter Stanley’s favorite topic. I for one was surprised that Robinson was available in 95% of leagues, and as of now, is expected to jump to 91% available. — Justin
Tight Ends
Armani Levias, Marshall
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 7%
Tight Ends are hard players to evaluate but it’s easier when they play consistently. Armani Levias leads the Marshall Thundering Herd in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Levias has caught three touchdown passes in the last four games and even caught ten passes last week. If you’re still in the mix for a championship run and still don’t have a tight end, then you should target Levias today. — Justin
Kylen Granson, SMU
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 10%
Another bonus selection at tight end for our readers. The Mustangs are undefeated on the back (and hoofs) of a Top Ten offense in the nation. SMU averages over 500 yards and scores 43 points per game.
Kylen Grayson has become an integral component of the aerial assault. In the last two games, the junior has snatched nine passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Any pass-catcher employed on one of the best offensive units in the nation deserves to be rostered in CFF leagues. — John
Twitterverse on Fire!
Which team is most likely to earn a College Football Playoff (CFP) invite?
- Oregon 7-1: 15%
- Penn State 8-0: 42%
- Oklahoma 7-1: 37%
- Florida 7-1: 7%
John’s Vote: Oregon
“As long as Penn State goes undefeated, they should get it. I say even if the one loss is to Ohio State, they deserve it.” @LJJordan8
“If the Sooners lay waste to the rest of their schedule, I can see them sneaking in the back door and getting the fourth and last playoff spot.” @JustinNottingh6
“Of course, Penn State because they still have zero losses. Only team on the list that still has a direct path. All others need help.” @aceholesrule
“Hard pass on all.” @markrlindquist
“The road seems too tough for Penn State to stay undefeated. But I could see Oregon winning the PAC-12 at 12-1, with twelve straight wins, and just enough chaos elsewhere for the Ducks to get in.” @CFBWinningEdge
Honorable Mention CFF Gemstones
- QB Garrett Shrader, Mississippi State
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 6% - QB Carter Stanley, Kansas
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 9% - RB Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 12% - RB Ahmari Davis, New Mexico
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 23% - WR Kyle Philips, UCLA
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 9% - WR Brandon Arconado, Washington State
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 14%
The CFF All-Americans: Week 9
- QB: Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma: 47.4 points
- QB: Chris Reynolds, Charlotte: 41 points
- RB: CJ Verdell, Oregon: 53 points
- RB: Kevin Mensah, UConn: 46 points
- WR: Jauan Jennings, Tennessee: 38.2 points
- WR: Marquez Stevenson, Houston: 37.1 points
- TE: Pat Freiermuth, Penn State: 29 points
- FLEX: Jamale Carothers, Navy: 43 points
Got some more names for the Week 9 College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire? Let John and Justin hear about it in the comments below.
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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