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:
Colton Joseph, Old Dominion – ODU suffered its first loss since October 5th, only scoring 20 points against a bad Appalachian State defense. Yet the freshman QB continued to rack up the fantasy points with over 370 total yards of offense and two touchdowns. The issue now for picking up Joseph is the upcoming schedule as the Monarchs are on a bye, followed by facing the No. 1 scoring defense in the Sun Belt in James Madison.
Sam Leavitt, Arizona State – Leavitt returned from injury and didn’t show any signs of rust, throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns vs. Oklahoma State, scoring 30 fantasy points without being much of a factor at all on the ground. Leavitt has a strong matchup this week with a UCF defense that is allowing 23 FPPG to opposing QBs this season and 109th in pass D success rate.
Running Backs:
Jevon Jackson, UTEP – Third-straight game that Jackson has gotten the bulk of the carries over freshman Ezell Jolly, holding a 22-2 advantage in rushing attempts vs. Middle Tennessee on Saturday. Favorable matchup this week against Kennesaw State that is allowing over 170 yards per game on the ground.
Amari Daniels, Texas A&M – Didn’t get a clear update from HC Mike Elko on the Le’Veon Moss injury saying it didn’t look good on the field but may not be as bad as it looked. The Aggies are on bye this week and then get a home date with New Mexico State and a floundering Auburn team in its next two games. If Moss is out, Daniels is a must-start vs. both teams.
Wide Receivers:
Eric Rivers, Florida International – Historic night for Rivers against New Mexico State, catching 11 passes on 13 targets with 295 yards and three touchdowns, setting the school record for receiving yards in a single game. Rivers has been one of the most consistent fantasy receivers in the country since about Week 3, scoring double digit fantasy points in seven straight weeks. Rivers won’t be of any help to you this week on bye, unfortunately, if looking for immediate receiver help.
Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State – Tyson was targeted 15 times against Oklahoma State, catching nine passes for 81 yards and a score. Most enticing aspect of Tyson’s fantasy value is that Arizona State simply doesn’t throw the ball to anyone else. Tyson accounts for 33% of the team’s target share and nearly 50% of the receiving touchdowns. Tyson’s opponent next week, UCF, gives up a TON of fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.
Worth A Look
If you have the roster room, these prospects are worth a look.
Quarterbacks:
Owen McCown, UTSA – The UTSA run game has been a massive disappointment this season, and McCown is picking up the slack of late with 13 passing touchdowns in the last four games. Making this more impressive is that McCown has done this with excessive injuries at the wide receiver position for the Roadrunners. On Saturday, UTSA was down multiple starters at the receiver spot. After UTSA’s bye week, the schedule is very appealing with a possible shootout with North Texas and then at home vs. Temple.
Running Backs:
Bryson Washington, Baylor – The redshirt freshman might’ve had the best performance he’ll ever have in his collegiate career, rushing for nearly 200 yards and four touchdowns vs. TCU. The long-term outlook is good for Washington, but not sure he’s a must-add at this point in the year. Bye week for Baylor, followed by a West Virginia defense that is top four in the Big 12 in yards allowed on the ground, followed then by Houston that just limited DJ Giddens to under 50 yards on the ground.
Ahmani Marshall, Appalachian State – Just who we thought was going to lead the App State backfield all along right? Marshall came into the year as the RB4 yet emerged as the starter in the last two weeks, hitting 100 yards against both Old Dominion and Georgia State. Marshall faces a Coastal Carolina defense up next that is 12th of 14 teams in the Sun Belt in yards given up on the ground.
Ahmad Hardy, Louisiana-Monroe – I have no clue why Hardy’s ownership on Fantrax still sits at just 31% as he’s been outstanding as a freshman in a system that has consistently produced top-tier fantasy running backs. Best performance of the season against Marshall on Saturday, rumbling for 200+ yards with a touchdown. You’ve likely picked Hardy up already if you’ve read our WW articles, so this shouldn’t be news to you.
Kentrell Bullock, South Alabama – Consecutive 100-yard rushing performances for Bullock as he’s taken the starting job away from freshman Fluff Bothwell. The unfortunate part for Bullock owners this past week was Bothwell wound up getting the two rushing TDs. It was still a 17-6 advantage in rushing attempts for Bullock.
Wide Receivers:
Jordan Watkins, Ole Miss – Didn’t think anyone would outperform Eric Rivers this weekend, but Watkins blew his performance out of the water with 254 yards and five touchdowns. The efficiency was impressive, catching five TDs on just eight receptions, converting on all eight of his targets. Watkins isn’t higher on this list because it definitely appears that Tre Harris is nearing a return as he was suited up in pregame warmups on Saturday. Watkins will take a back seat as the WR2 or WR3 when Harris is back.
Makai Lemon, USC – Lemon continues to ascend as USC’s WR1 with 26 receptions on 32 targets in the last four games, hitting at least 70 receiving yards in all four weeks.
Tru Edwards, Louisiana Tech – For full-point PPR formats, Edwards is a very capable asset at receiver, now with six or more receptions in each of the last five games, and double-digit targets in two of the last three weeks. Louisiana Tech will have to put up some points next week to keep up with Jacksonville State.
Chris Carpenter, UTSA – No Devin McCuin, No Willie McCoy, no problem. Carpenter has picked up the slack in recent weeks, with 29 targets in the last three games and consecutive 100-yard receiving performances.
Kam Shanks, UAB – Shanks has been coming on of late since Jalen Kitna was inserted as the starting QB, now with 20 receptions on 29 targets over the last three weeks and two 100-yard games in that stretch. Shanks posted 153 yards and three scores vs. Tulsa.
Isiah Paige, Old Dominion – The 5-foot-8 slot receiver had a career day vs. Appalachian State with 205 yards receiving with 13 receptions on 16 targets. That’s the third time in the last five games that Paige has posted double-digit targets and is the safety blanket for QB Colton Joseph.
Tight Ends:
Houston Thomas, UTSA – Following a 100-yard receiving performance against Tulsa, Thomas found the end-zone twice in the win over Memphis, converting on all six of his targets. Former TE1 Oscar Cardenas is out for the season, concluding his college career, so Thomas will be the starter for the rest of the year and could be an impact tight end in 2025 in CFF dynasties.
Longshots
Need to see more from these guys before pulling the trigger unless you are in the deepest of leagues.
Quarterbacks:
Jalen Kitna, UAB – Kitna has thrown for nearly 800 yards over the last two games after a six-touchdown performance vs. a terrible UAB defense. Don’t expect that level of production this week against a Connecticut defense that is giving up just 15 FPPG to opposing QBs this season, but UAB has reached a point where it seems like they intend to just chuck it around a bunch.
Jayden Maiava, USC – I saw a retweet come across my feed of Maiava’s uncle posting a picture of his nephew after the loss to Washington. This is a VERY speculative add, but with USC’s season in the dumps and a bye week, it would make some sense to turn the offense over to Maiava. Just trying to get ahead of the curve here if you’re in desperate need of some help at QB.
Running Backs:
Elijah Young, Western Kentucky – Young has rushed for 85 or more yards in three of the last four games, getting the lion’s share of the carries in the WKU backfield. Unlikely to get more than 20 fantasy points from Young, as WKU remains a pass-first offense at its core, but if you need a guaranteed 10-15-point filler at running back or in the flex, Young should be able to reach that against New Mexico State. The Aggies are allowing around 35 fantasy points this season to opposing backfields.
Al-Jay Henderson, Buffalo – Buffalo will be a team to monitor in 2025 as they’ve outperformed expectations in Year 1 under Pete Lembo, now just one win away from bowl eligibility. Henderson has emerged as the team’s RB1 over the last month, now with 80 or more rushing yards in four straight games, and has hit double-digit fantasy points in every single MAC game played this year.
Damien Taylor, Troy – This seems to still be a split backfield between Taylor and Gerald Green, but Taylor has scored twice in as many weeks after rushing for a career-high 185 yards on 28 attempts vs. Coastal Carolina. Taylor will play a Georgia Southern defense next week that is trending downwards.
Eli Sanders, New Mexico – Six rushing touchdowns in the last four games as Sanders rumbled for a career-high 205 yards on 17 attempts against Wyoming on Saturday. Gets a matchup with San Diego State up next that has allowed six running backs this season to score at least 15 fantasy points.
Jamarion Wilcox, Kentucky – Wilcox just rushed for 100+ yards on 17 carries on the road against a top five run defense in the country. Kentucky is on bye this week, but then gets Murray State in the annual cupcake week for the SEC.
Wide Receivers:
Oran Singleton, Eastern Michigan – Back-to-back 19-point fantasy performances from Singleton who was targeted 13 times in each of the last two games. That’s now five occurences in the last seven games Singleton was targeted at least 10 times.
Jordan Napier, San Diego State – This late in the year, I’ll try and mix in some dynasty sleepers that could be snagged now for future use. Napier is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound freshman that has gotten extended looks with Louis Brown IV in the doghouse recently. The freshman had his best performance of the year with 8-78-1 on 11 targets vs. Boise State. It’ll be interesting to see if Napier shifts to the coveted outside position in Sean Lewis’ offense next year because he has the size to do it. This season, Napier has spent 94% of his time in the slot.
Justius Lowe, Oregon – I was surprised to see that Lowe is available in all four of my dynasty leagues as the sophomore receiver has been an integral part of the Oregon offense since Traeshon Holden’s spitting incident vs. Ohio State. I thought it would be back to the bench for Lowe, but that’s not been the case at all, seeing a season-best seven targets vs. Michigan on Saturday. Tez Johnson, Holden and Evan Stewart could all depart for the NFL after this season.
Jacoby Jones, UCF – Why hasn’t Jones received more playing time, while UCF struggled all season to find a decent WR2 opposite Kobe Hudson? Back-to-back 100-yard receiving performances for the Ohio transfer.
Chris Hunter, Arizona – Another long-term option potentially here vs. someone you need to pick up for this season. Arizona finally benched Montana Craig, instituting Hunter into the starting lineup last week vs. West Virginia. Minimal production that week, but 100+ yards on eight targets vs. UCF on Saturday. Tet McMillan is assuredly gone after this season, so maybe Hunter could be the Wildcats WR1 in 2025?
Nick Marsh, Michigan State – The freshman is really starting to come on with touchdowns in back-to-back games and has been targeted 20 times in the last three weeks. MSU is on bye this week, but the Spartans have an easy stretch to close the year against an overrated Illinois team, Purdue, and a defensively challenged Rutgers squad.