Week 9 Waiver Wire (Preview)

Tommy Castellanos

Texas Tech

Early report came out Saturday that we’d see a bit more of Castellanos this week against Arizona. About 30 min later, word came out that Will Hammond was officially benched and it was Castellanos’ gig on Saturday. That move proved to be correct, as Castellanos led the Red Raiders to a win over the Wildcats while scoring 35 fantasy points in the process. Next up – the worst scoring defense in the Big 12 against West Virginia in should be a high-scoring affair.

Owen Eshelman

Washington State

Eshelman is the Washington State offense since taking over the QB1 job, throwing another 40 pass attempts with double-digit carries, scoring 27 fantasy points in the loss to San Diego State. Wazzu is on bye this week but look at that closing schedule. Colorado State and Texas State in the final two games – both likely to be high-scoring affairs.

Damon Ferguson

Pittsburgh

HC Pat Narduzzi made some interesting comments this week regarding Ja’Kyrian Turner, seemingly questioning his continued absence. In the meantime, Ferguson has taken full advantage, rushing for a career-high 185 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries against Georgia Tech. Turner was in full uniform during pregame warmups Saturday, but after a performance like that, we’re expecting Ferguson to remain the RB1 moving forward. The schedule only adds to his appeal, with Florida State and Louisville up next, both ranking in the bottom half of the ACC in rushing yards allowed per game.

Chris Lawson

Washington

At one point in the year, this was a three-way split essentially for target distribution between Lawson, Dezmen Roebuck and Rashid Williams. The latter has fallen off a cliff. Roebuck continues to see steady targets, but averages just 9.5 yards per carry. It’s Lawson that has emerged as the true WR1 for the Huskies with consecutive 100-yard receiving performances, including a season-high 12 receptions for 155 yards on 16 targets vs. Nebraska on Saturday. Indiana and Oregon to close out the year is brutal, but Lawson is playable the next two weeks at home against Penn State and then at East Lansing.

Rasean Jones

Boise State

The star freshman delivered his best performance of the season with 117 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the win over Texas State. Jones has now topped 60 receiving yards in all but one game and recorded at least five receptions in all but two. The real appeal is the remaining schedule, with Colorado State, Oregon State and San Diego State on deck. Jones has the makings of a fantasy difference-maker down the stretch. Points, points and more points against opponents that can score with the Broncos.

Kemper Hodges

Air Force

The planes keep flying at Air Force, now down to its third quarterback of the season with Liam Szarka and Evan Medders sidelined by injuries. Hodges stepped in to rush for 181 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the win over UConn. Despite the monster performance, we’re holding off on calling Hodges a must-add until Medders’ status becomes clearer. A matchup with Army next week also limits the appeal, as service academy showdowns tend to be low-scoring affairs.

Brandon Smith

Oregon

Jordon Davison is on crutches, and Dierre Hill also left the game against Northwestern due to injury…though he was able to walk to the lockeroom postgame with no visible ailments. The 4-star freshman impressed in spot relief with 82 yards and a touchdown on just eight attempts. Speculative add with Davison potentially out for an extended period and Dierre Hill being one of the biggest busts in CFF this season.