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:
Nick Minicucci, Delaware – I would venture to guess that in most active leagues, Minicucci is probably owned, but we’re including him again just in case at his 24% ownership on Fantrax. A season-high 422 passing yards in the comeback attempts vs. Jacksonville State, now giving him 24+ fantasy points scored in five of six starts. Minicucci’s opponent this week, Middle Tennessee, has the 10th ranked scoring defense in CUSA, allowing close to 30 PPG.
Bear Bachmeier, BYU – The freshman continues to be one of the most consistent fantasy producers at the position, scoring 20+ fantasy points in five straight games and six of seven starts. Bachemeier passed hist most difficult task to date, combining for over 220 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Utah. This will be a tough two game stretch with road matchups against Iowa State and Texas Tech in the next few weeks.
Running Backs:
Rueben Owens, Texas A&M – We probably won’t see Le’Veon Moss in an Aggie uniform again, so I’m surprised Owens’ ownership on Fantrax is still relatively low. Owens started against Arkansas and rushed for a pair of touchdowns on 14 attempts. You might get frustrated with the usage – EJ Smith and Amari Daniels will be used too – but you want the RB1 from the No. 3 team in the country.
Wide Receivers:
Jackson Harris, Hawaii – The Hawaii offense is humming now with all three starting receivers healthy, as well as a healthy quarterback. Harris has now surpassed 100+ receiving yards in three straight games with four TDs in that span. Only downside is a bye week for the Warriors.
Cooper Barkate, Duke – Barkate has scored double digit fantasy points in every game this season (in PPR formats), coming off a season-best 172 yards on 14 targets in the loss to Georgia Tech. He’s been at his best in the last month with touchdowns in three of the last four games, with this past Saturday being the only game in which he did not find the end-zone. Very appealing final five games to close the year for the Blue Devils.
Isaiah Sategna, Oklahoma – Sategna continues to see the vast majority of targets for the Sooners in the slot, now with double-digit targets in three of his last four games with four touchdowns in that span. Majority of Sategna’s targets are within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, so he won’t hold as much value in non-PPR formats.
Chris Dawn Jr., Texas State – 14 of the 15 receptions made my Texas State wide receivers this past week were either by Beau Sparks or Chris Dawn, combining for 248 receiving yards in the loss to Marshall. Dawn has now had consecutive 100-yard receiving performances after his slow start to the year, with 23 of his 35 targets this season coming in the last three games.
Iverson Hooks, UAB – Look at what happens when Trent Dilver is NOT the head coach. Hooks has been productive this season but had his best performance of the year with a backup QB throwing him the ball with 172 yards and three touchdowns, with a perfect 11 receptions on 11 targets. We’d use a significant amount of FAAB on Hooks with the CFF season winding down, as he’s been productive for most of the year already.
Tight Ends:
Sam Roush, Stanford – Roush was a disappointment out of the gates but has also benefitted from Ben Gulbranson’s emergence as a legitimate passer in recent weeks, scoring double-digit fantasy points in four of the last five games (in PPR leagues). 14 of Roush’s 24 receptions this season have come in the last two games alone. May not start him next week against Miami, but will be adequate TE depth for the rest of the season.
Worth A Look
If you have the roster room, these prospects are worth a look.
Quarterbacks:
Joe Fagnano, Connecticut – No quarterback in CFF has had a better two-game stretch than Fagnano, scoring 85 fantasy points in his last two starts, including 362 passing yards and five total touchdowns against Boston College. Next two games for Fagnano consist of the 9th and 14th ranked scoring defenses in the AAC with Rice and UAB upcoming.
Cale Hellums, Army – The Knights didn’t win the game, but Hellums was not the reason why, scoring 32.5 fantasy points in the loss to Tulane. That’s now 27 or more fantasy points scored in each of this last three starts since winning away the job from Dwayne Coleman.
Dequan Finn, Miami (Ohio) – MACtion play cures all. It was a slow start, but Finn is finding his footing (literally) in conference play, scoring a season-best 36 fantasy points in the win over Eastern Michigan. 203 rushing yards for Finn in the last three games, as he’s taken on more of the rushing load with Kenny Tracy out of the lineup. Tough challenge ahead this week against the second-best scoring defense in the conference in Western Michigan.
Running Backs:
Kendrick Raphael, California – Productive week again for the NC State transfer with 81 yards and a touchdown against North Carolina. The volume distribution is what we like most here with Raphael with 18+ rushing attempts in his last two starts. Backup LJ Johnson has had just six combined carries in those two games. The only matchup in Raphael’s five remaining games that you probably wouldn’t start him is against Louisville.
Kevorian Barnes, TCU – This will be as good a week as any to start Barnes, facing a West Virginia team that has packed it in for this season. Against UCF the Mountaineers allowed 255 yards on the ground in the 45-13 blowout. Barnes is healthy and garnering the lion’s share of the carries in the TCU backfield the last three weeks.
Jordan Brunson, Miami (Ohio) – Brunson got the majority of carries again for the RedHawks in the absence of Kenny Tracy but found more running room this time around against EMU with 122 yards and a touchdown on 23 attempts. Tracy is officially out for the season, so Brunson will be handling the RB1 duties from here on out.
Jordan Marshall, Michigan – The Michigan run game didn’t skip a beat with Justice Haynes missing the contest due to injury, as Marshall rumbled for 133 yards in the win over Washington. This is a prime opportunity to get Haynes even more rest because Michigan does not need their star running back against the lowly Spartans. It may be just for a week, but Marshall could be a bye week filler pending Haynes doesn’t play again next Saturday.
Wide Receivers:
Kyri Shoels, San Jose State – Shoels is everything we wanted Leland Smith to be this season. The junior wideout has seven or more receptions in three of the last four games and has scored double-digit fantasy points in six straight weeks. San Jose State is on bye this week, but it might be prime time television for CFF players in two weeks when the Spartans host Hawaii. That game total might be well over 60 points.
Amare Thomas, Houston – Thomas has emerged as the top target in the Houston passing game with 400 of his 510 receiving yards coming in the last four games, scoring 20+ fantasy points in the previous two. The remaining schedule is very appealing for Thomas and the Houston offense, facing West Virginia, UCF and two bad defenses in TCU and Baylor to close the year.
Jordan Hudson, SMU – Hudson has been nothing but productive since returning from injury in Week 4, scoring double-digit fantasy points in four straight games, while finding the end-zone in three of four. SMU’s lack of a rushing attack is contributing to the increased production this season from Hudson and the Mustang receivers.
Jeremiah Koger, South Florida – The freshman has been the best USF receiver the last three weeks with 259 receiving yards and four touchdowns. If Chas Nimrod continues to miss games due to injury, that boosts Koger’s stock even further.
Tight Ends:
Brody Foley, Tulsa – Season-highs for the Indiana transfer with 6-126-1 on seven targets vs. East Carolina. Foley has four touchdowns in seven games played and has surpassed 60+ receiving yards in three of the last four games.
Longshots
Need to see more from these guys before pulling the trigger unless you are in the deepest of leagues.
Quarterbacks:
All-American, Heisman, and One-Week Members can view the full Waiver Wire write-up here: Waiver Wire (Full)
