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Snatch ‘Em Up Now
If they weren’t already drafted in your league, these guys will be hot commodities on the wire this week.
Quarterbacks:
Tucker Gleason, Toledo – Solid performance from the Toledo QB1 with 28 fantasy points scored and three touchdowns in the win over Duquesne. The schedule is extremely attractive moving forward for the entire Toledo offense, getting UMass in Week 2. The rest of the non-con features a rebuilding Mississippi State team and Western Kentucky. Far from daunting. And then it’s MAC play.
Devon Dampier, New Mexico – When Bronco Mendenhall has a stud at QB, that player usually flourishes in college fantasy. Through two games, Mendenhall has his program building block in Dampier who scored 51 fantasy points in the loss to Arizona. Helping matters is New Mexico’s defense looking like one of the worst units in the country through two games.
Running Backs:
Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh – News came out this week that Rodney Hammond would be ineligible for the 2024 season. Reid, who came over to Pitt from Western Carolina along with the new offensive coordinator Cade Bell. 147 yards and a touchdown on the ground while also adding a special teams touchdown, showing just how explosive Reid is. Backup Derrick Davis may take away some red zone carries from Reid, but he’ll be THE guy now between the 20s now that Hammond is out of the picture.
Anthony Tyus, Ohio – This is why it was extremely risky to invest in Rickey Hunt this offseason with just one performance on his resume. We asked ourselves was that a one-off and that looks to be the case as Northwestern transfer Anthony Tyus got the bulk of the carries against Syracuse. 12.7 yards per carry with two touchdowns on 16 attempts. If that’s a sign of what’s to come, what is Tyus going to do against MAC defenses?
Wide Receivers:
Nick Nash, San Jose State – He’s just beyond the 30% threshold we look at on Fantrax to include in our WW article, but Week 1 its deserved after his 170-yard performance on 17 targets. Nash converted to wide receiver last season after playing QB earlier in his career, and now looks FULLY acclimated to the position. San Jose State might be playing catch-up in a lot of matchups this season. Teammate Justin Lockhart also deserves consideration, running just as many routes as Nash did and found the end-zone as well.
Damon Ward, North Texas – Like Nash, Ward is just above the threshold of availability on Fantrax we typically include here but deserves a huge shoutout after putting up 230 yards on 15 targets against South Alabama. We’re keeping tabs on DT Sheffield here as well, as he got 10 targets too.
Savion Williams, TCU – Most of the TCU reporting suggested Williams was far and away the best receiver on the roster. That played out on Friday as Williams was targeted 15 times for 85 yards and a score. Williams is the priority, but we’re keeping tabs on JP Richardson also who hit 100+ yards receiving yards on eight targets. Route distribution is very intriguing for TCU after one week as it was condensed between the top three options. That wasn’t the case last year.
Harrison Wallace, Penn State – The drumbeat for Wallace was steadily increasing as the offseason went along. Those reports held true as the senior receiver caught five passes for 117 yards and two scores. Two other factors working in favor of Wallace: (1) Drew Allar looks much improved, and (2) there is no true WR2 right now for the Nittany Lions. Wallace will see a ton of targets.
WR Kris Hutson, Washington State – Where in the world was Josh Meredith? The projected starting slot receiver played just half of the team’s offensive snaps against Portland State with shut out on just two targets. Meanwhile, the Oregon transfer Hutson hit the 100-yard mark with a touchdown. Hutson and Kyle Williams look to be the WRs to own after one week.
Luke Wysong, New Mexico – I personally thought Wysong’s Week 0 performance was an aberration and would not be a sign of things to come. Nope. 8-129-1 on 11 targets in the loss to Arizona. Wysong might be the next Olamide Zaccheaus or Billy Kemp under Mendenhall in this system.
Tight Ends:
Jack Bech, TCU – Dual-eligibility as a WR/TE on Fantrax. That condensed target share we mentioned above holds true with Bech who had 6-139-1 on nine targets. Assuming that keeps up, Bech has TE1 potential in CFF.
Worth A Look
If you have the roster room, these prospects are worth a look.
Quarterbacks:
Ethan Vasko, Coastal Carolina – Because there’s no Coastal Carolina coverage readily available to us, there was slight uncertainty as to who would be the QB1 for the Chants. We have that answer in Vasko who scored 31 fantasy points, getting it done on the ground and through the air, against Jacksonville State. The upcoming schedule is cake for CCU, facing William & Mary, Temple and Virginia before hitting Sun Belt play.
Kirk Francis, Tulsa – Similar to Vasko above, we didn’t know for sure who would trot out with the starters for Tulsa under center. Not only was it Kirk Francis, but no other QB on the roster threw a pass. 299 yards and four touchdowns for Francis who continued to play well after he closed last season with a string of good performances.
JC French, Georgia Southern – If GSU struggles this much defending the run in 2024, French should be in a lot of positive game scripts as he attempted 50 passes against Boise State. Now that the QB competition seems settled, French should be just as valuable as Kyle Vantrease or Davis Brin were last year.
Running Backs:
Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest – Debated as to which section I should put Claiborne under after his 100-yard rushing performance in Week 1 against North Carolina A&T. In competitive matchups, Claiborne will dominate the backfield market share, and the upcoming schedule isn’t that daunting with Virginia and Louisiana in the month of September. That said, do we truly want to invest a ton of our FAAB for a running back on an offense with plenty of unresolved question marks (QB).
Marcus Major, Minnesota – If Darius Taylor didn’t play against North Carolina – though he was on the field for warmups – then he’ll be limited at best this week against Rhode Island. Likely scenario is the staff will ramp him up for the Week 4 matchup with Iowa. Major will handle the bulk of the RB duties while Taylor is out. And that means Rhode Island and Nevada in the next two weeks.
See the additional 36 names on the Full Waiver Wire Report by becoming an All-American or Heisman Member. Upgrade your membership to the All-American (now discounted) or Heisman level by clicking here.
All-American and Heisman Members can view the full Week 1 Waiver Wire Report here(click).