Week five wasn’t as dramatic as many anticipated it would be, but there were some developments. For starters, Bobby Petrino and James Franklin make poor play calling decisions when it comes down to the wire. Another thing we learned was that Clemson can win games with their third-string quarterback while Texas Tech can at least make it interesting with theirs. Finally, Oregon State and Arizona State may have been the only game in history to have two 250-plus yard rushing performances. With injuries and bye weeks adding some stresses to your lineups, here are this weeks CFF waiver wire pickups and best matchups.
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CFF Waiver Wire
Quarterbacks
David Blough, Purdue
Ownership: 8%
One of the most interesting players in the past several weeks has been Purdue’s David Blough. Blough began the year as the backup to Elijah Sindelar and an injury to Sindelar forced Blough into action against Eastern Michigan. In the past three weeks, Blough has torn apart opposing secondaries with 1,196 passing yards and seven touchdowns. He’s also added a handful of rushing yards in that time period with two scores on the ground. The Boilermakers benefit from having a stud receiver in Rondale Moore running things and all Blough has to do to remain fantasy relevant is give him the ball.
John Wassink, Western Michigan
Ownership: 19%
John Wassink has quietly been one of the more productive fantasy options in all of college fantasy football this season. In games against equal or lesser competition, Wassink averages 29.5 fantasy points per game with an average of 334.5 passing yards and three touchdowns. The one game that he struggled in this season was against Michigan who has one of the better defense in all of college football and has a legitimate chance to win the Big 10. Wassink’s ownership is incredibly low for a player that is outscoring Drew Lock, Manny Wilkins, Caleb Evans, and Zac Thomas.
Others to Consider
Charlie Brewer Baylor, 21%; Desmond Ridder Cincinnati, 10%; Ian Book Notre Dame 25%
Running Backs
Ryquell Armstead, Temple
Ownership: 28%
The problem with Ryquell Armstead for years has been his touches. Many CFF Experts have drafted the Temple running back and finished the year having dropped him or facing large amounts of disappointment. But Temple went into Boston College this week and looked to Armstead to be the guy to win the game for them. Armstead didn’t disappoint with 24 carries for 171 yards and four touchdowns against a relatively talented Boston College defense. The Senior back is finally the go-to guy for this Temple offense and looks to be the main scoring option going forward. Expect 100-plus yards and at least one score from the Owls back moving forward.
Loren Easly, North Texas
Ownership: 31%
Call me late to the party with Easly, but I just had to be sure. The North Texas backfield has been a jumble all season long with Nic Smith and DeAndre Torrey splitting reps for most of the season. Easly has had his number called 49 times in the past two weeks for a combined 50 fantasy points and is now listed on the North Texas depth chart as the No. 1 rushing option with no If’s, and’s, and most importantly Or’s. If Easly is still available in your league you must pick him up before his ownership reached at least 80% over the next week.
Others to Consider
Maleek Irons Ohio, 3%; Tyrone Owens New Mexico 15%
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Jayden Reed, Western Michigan
Ownership: 16%
Given that his quarterback made this list it should come as little surprise that Jayden Reed enters in as well. Wassink has looked to the Freshman in the absence of D’Wayne Eskridge and has found him often as Reed has had seven receptions, 100+ yards, and at least one score over the past two games. With Eskridge back, the Broncos offense is about to blow up as one of the better passing offenses in the Group of Five and there will be plenty of passes for Eskridge and Reed to both remain relevant.
Marcus Simms, West Virginia
Ownership: 27%
West Virginia has the best assortment of wide receivers in college football, there’s very little debating that. David Sills V was likely a first or second round pick in most leagues while Gary Jennings Jr. followed close behind in the third or fourth rounds. Neither of those receivers are leading in yardage or receptions for the Mountaineers. Oh no, those honors belong to Marcus Simms. Simms currently leads the Mountaineers in both stat categories, with 24 receptions and 411 receiving yards. He’s gone over 100 yards in every game he’s played in this season and has recorded two touchdowns. Simms is a deep ball threat and has his advantages in PPR leagues as well as big play leagues.
Mik’Quan Deane, Western Kentucky
Ownership: 19%
I don’t usually feature tight ends on this list and that’s mainly because they are so unpredictable. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers had tremendous success last year from tight end Deon Yelder and many drafted Mik’Quan Deane hoping that he would fall in line. In the last two weeks, Deane has found the end zone on three separate occasions and looks to be one of the go-to guys in scoring situations for the Hilltoppers. If you’ve been swapping out Tight ends all season long, this might be your chance at consistency.
Others to Consider
Dillon Mitchell Oregon, 17%; Riley Miller Ball State, 3%
Top Week 6 CFF Matchups
Best Matchups
Quarterbacks
- Nathan Rourke (Ohio) vs Woody Barrett (Kent State)
- Brady White vs UConn
- Desmond Ridder vs Tulane
- Trevor Lawrence vs Wake Forest
- Jarrett Doege (BGSU) vs Toledo
Running Backs
- James Williams vs Oregon State
- Darrell Henderson vs UConn
- Jordan Cronkrite (USF) vs Marquis Young (UMass)
- Patrick Laird vs Arizona
- Loren Easly vs UTEP
Wide Receivers
- Toledo Wide Receivers vs Bowling Green
- Bailey Gaither vs Colorado State
- Jovon Durante vs Old Dominion
- Hakeem Butler vs Oklahoma State
- Emmanuel Hall vs South Carolina
Worst CFF Matchups
Quarterbacks
- Sam Hartman vs Clemson
- J’Mar Smith vs UAB
- Kellen Mond vs Kentucky
- KJ Costello vs Utah
- Khalil Tate vs California
Running Backs
- Alexander Mattison vs San Diego State
- Bryce Williams vs Iowa
- Trey Sermon vs Texas
- Rico Dowdle vs Missouri
- Ty Johnson vs Michigan
Wide Receivers
- Greg Dortch vs Clemson
- Nyqwan Murray vs Miami
- Kalija Lipscomb vs Georgia
- Stanley Morgan Jr. vs Wisconsin
All Week 6 Team
QB1: Kyler Murray, Oklahoma 51
QB2: McKenzie Milton, UCF 46
RB1: Eno Benjamin, Arizona State 57
RB2: Ryquell Armstead, Temple 42
WR1: Greg Dortch, Wake Forest 40
WR2: Andy Isabella, UMass 37
WR3: Jayden Reed, Western Michigan 36
TE: Josh Oliver, SJSU 21
K: Bailey Hale, Louisiana Tech 17
DST: Miami FL 46