Week 1 Waiver Wire

Gio Lopez

Wake Forest

What a difference a year makes. Lopez looked completely at ease against Akron, completing 21 of 32 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns in the blowout victory. Reuniting with offensive coordinator Rob Ezell, who coached Lopez during their time together at South Alabama, already appears to be paying major dividends. A matchup with Miami looms in two weeks, but outside of that potential speed bump, Lopez looks like a viable weekly starter.

Lincoln Kienholz

Louisville

After watching the first half vs. Ole Miss, I said to myself Kienholz is getting benched at some point this season for Davin Wydner. Complete 180 in the second half as Kienholz wound up throwing for 307 yards and two scores, while adding 69 yards and a TD on the ground. There’s differing opinions on social media about Kienholz’ performance Sunday, but 37 fantasy points against an SEC opponent is a heck of a way to start a season. We’re always going to be interested in a Jeff Brohm quarterback, especially one that has wheels like Kienholz does.

Luke Weaver

San Jose State

31 fantasy points scored in back-to-back games for Weaver, this time leading the Spartans to an impressive road victory instead of just compiling garbage time stats against backups. SJSU remains pass-happy on offense, but the difference between Weaver and last year’s starter Walker Eget is the ground usage, now with 18 carries in two starts.

Jaylin Carter

Memphis

I guess folks were not convinced on adding Carter after Week 0 as he still sits at just 21% ownership. That’s going to increase drastically after rushing for four touchdowns in the win over Arkansas State. We’re expecting Memphis to continue to ride Carter and this running game moving forward will Marcus Stokes and the passing attack tries to find its footing. Tough matchup this week against Boise State, but it’s smooth sailing the rest of the way.

Jamal Rule

Nebraska

Insert the Vince Carter “it’s over GIF.” We predicted that Nebraska would not have another Emmett Johnson this season and that it’d be more of a committee approach between Rule, Isaiah Mozee and Mekhi Nelson. While that’s still technically a possibility, Rule showed why he should be the starter on Saturday with 100+ yards on the ground and three total TDs in the win over Ohio. Next two games are appealing for Rule with Bowling Green and North Dakota, prior to a soft opening schedule in the B1G with Michigan State and Maryland.

Rodney Fields

Kansas State

Shield your eyes Joe Jackson drafters. Rodney Fields started the opener, and did not disappoint, running for 101 yards and a touchdown vs. Nicholls. Checked a few Kansas State sites to see observations from the team beat writers in case this was just a situation where the box score potentially deceived us. Nope, both On3 and 247 are suggesting that Fields is the starter moving forward.

Gavin Freeman

Baylor

Freeman is likely to be the most added player in CFF this week after reeling in 12 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown on 18 targets in the loss to Baylor. Credit to the 247 Sports Baylor beat writer who predicted last week that Freeman would lead the team in receptions in 2026. Louis Brown IV and Jadon Porter also deserve some waiver wire consideration after combining for 139 yards on 18 targets. It does not appear Dre’Lon Miller will be much of a factor this year.

Adjatay Dabbs

Toledo

Dabbs is just over the 30% roster ownership mark on Fantrax, and likely already on your roster if you’ve been following along this offseason, but we’re giving him a mention here because that’ll skyrocket after his 101-yard, two touchdown performance against Michigan State on Friday. No surprise that Dabbs is off to a fast start given his connection with the coaching staff and playbook coming over from Mercer with head coach Mike Jacobs where he was the leading receiver in 2025 with 856 yards and eight TDs.

Riley Neer

Ohio

Sam Wiglusz, Coleman Owen, Chase Hendricks…. Riley Neer? The 5-foot-11 sophomore was a surprise listing as the starting slot receiver on the game week depth chart, and he was the clear top target for the Ohio offense on Saturday with 104 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. The upside of the starting slot receiver in this Ohio offensive scheme is why Neer is a must-add for this week.

Umari Hatcher

Syracuse

Hatcher arguably had his best performance in six seasons with the Orange, hauling in eight receptions for 147 yards and two scores vs. New Hampshire. With some of the limited Syracuse reporting and multiple injuries to the WR room this offseason, there was the question as to who would be the next WR1 in the pass-happy Syracuse offense and Hatcher might’ve ended that debate already. There’s top 20 CFF potential at the wide receiver position for Hatcher with the frequency at which Syracuse will throw the ball with a healthy Steve Angeli at quarterback.

Ashton Hollins

Georgia Southern

Phil Steele for the win again. Hollins was listed on the 4th-team all-Sun Belt by Steele in his preseason magazine, and the Illinois transfer made good on that prediction for a week with 101 yards and a touchdown on a team-best 11 targets. Georgia Southern’s offense looks in the molds of what it was a few years back with the likes of Kyle Vantrease and Davis Brin that threw the football 450+ times. The Eagles attempted 45 passes on Saturday despite winning 31-0.

Winston Watkins

LSU

No surprise that Watkins was the team leader in all receiving categories on Saturday as he’s the LSU receiver amongst a host of transfers that has the most experience in Lane Kiffin’s offensive system. Notable that Watkins also doesn’t have much competition in the slot, as Jackson Harris, Jayce Brown and Eugene Wilson all played the majority of their reps outside vs. Clemson.

Jeremiah Scoby

Bowling Green

Has Bowling Green unearthed another Harold Fannin? The Falcons were forced to the air more than anticipated against Tarleton State – averaging just 2.6 yards per carry and playing from behind will have that effect – but the increased passing volume worked in Scoby’s favor, as he hauled in 10 of 11 targets for 103 yards. Challenging schedule again with a few P4 opponents coming up, but Scoby is a must-add for those that punted the TE spot in drafts.

Joshua Long

Eastern Michigan

We had Long as a top 25 fantasy tight end in the preseason, so he may be on your roster already, but he’s off to a solid start with 11 receptions on 13 targets in two games. Target volume that high is tough to find at the TE position, but the slight concern is that everything is around the line of scrimmage. Long is averaging just 7.1 yards per catch with an aDOT of only 4.2 yards.

Toby Payne

Marshall

Sadly for me, Adrian Norton was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Payne was targeted a team-high nine times with eight receptions in the loss to Penn State. Easier matchups await as there is not another P4 team remaining on Marshall’s schedule.

Malachi Singleton

Appalachian State

If you’ve been with us since the summer, Singleton has already been on your radar. 28 fantasy points in a win over Maine, but the big surprise as that Singleton did it primarily with his arm, completing 92% of his throws for 291 yards and three touchdowns. The staff didn’t bother using Singleton at all in the run game with just three attempts on the day. Tougher competition awaits, but you love to see the efficiency throwing the football from Singleton on Saturday. We’re still anticipating Singleton running the ball 10-12 times per game this season in more competitive matchups.

Kalieb Osborne

Connecticut

We didn’t find out until game day who would get the starting nod at quarterback for UConn, but it certainly appears the coaching staff made the right call. Osborne impressed in his debut, throwing for 265 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 90 yards and two scores on the ground. Could Osborne be the next Dequan Finn in Jason Candle’s offense? If so, we could be looking at a top 30 fantasy quarterback with legitimate weekly upside, particularly given Candle’s history of featuring his quarterbacks in the run game. A 100-plus carry season is firmly on the table, and that kind of rushing volume would make Osborne a priority addition in CFF leagues.

Deuce Bailey

Coastal Carolina

Neat moment after the game where Rich Rodriguez went up to Bailey and told him he does not want to see him again. First thought was that Rodriguez will absolutely be targeting Bailey in the transfer portal after this season if he continues to perform at this level with over 400 total yards of offense and three touchdowns. Offensive coordinator Nick Petrino has been the architect of some of the top passing offenses in the FCS the last few years and Bailey appears to have several weapons to throw to as well.

JC French

Cincinnati

32 fantasy points scored in the opening win vs. Boston College as French rushed for 55 yards and three scores to go along with one passing touchdown on just 13 attempts. We know Scott Satterfield will involve his quarterback frequently in the run game as he’s done yearly with the likes of Malik Cunningham, Emory Jones and Brendan Sorsby, all of whom had over 100+ rushing attempts in their years as the starting QB. Appealing schedule in the next few games for French with Western Carolina and Miami (Ohio) before starting conference play.

Dawson Pendergrass

Baylor

Pendergrass averaged just 3.5 yards per carry vs. Auburn without finding the end-zone, but you have to like seeing the 25 rushing attempts. We know Baylor will run a ton of plays, which will result in plenty of scoring opportunities against lesser defenses in the Big 12.

Antonio Martin

Middle Tennessee

Martin reunited with his offensive coordinator from Southeastern Louisiana where he rushed for 1,228 yards and 11 TDs back in 2024. There was some debate as to who RB1 for Middle Tennessee would be this year, but it appears Martin has a hold on that job after running the ball 15 times for 93 yards in the opener. Can Martin and his OC replicate the success they had a few years ago?

Gavin Griffin

Troy

Jordan Lovett started as expected, but his RB1 job title was tentative at best. Griffin, a former 1,000-yard back at the JUCO level last season, averaged over five yards a carry vs. Sam Houston with a team-best 16 attempts. This is a system under OC Adam Austin that fed its RB1 340 times back in 2024.

Damari Alston

Tulsa

We thought the Tulsa backfield would be a committee given the coaching staff added four RB transfers in the offseason. If Week 1 was any indication, the staff may intend to use Damari Alston like they did Dom Richardson a year ago who had over 1,000 yards and 212 rushing attempts. Alston’s 15 carries was double the amount of the next closest Tulsa running back, as the Auburn transfer had 73 yards and two scores in the upset of Oklahoma State.

Yasin Willis

Kansas

Comments from the Kansas coaching staff in August stated that it does not matter who is the “starter” between Willis and Dylan Edwards; they’re both going to see a lot of touches. That duo didn’t need to touch that ball much against LIU, but Willis was impressive with 72 yards and two scores on 11 attempts. We’re hopeful that OC Andy Kotelnicki reuniting with Lance Leipold will reignite the run game in 2026. Good start.

Lee Beebe

Indiana

Beebe’s numbers didn’t jump off the page – just 33 rushing yards vs. North Texas – but he’ll be needed more in the coming weeks as Khobie Martin suffered an injury in the first quarter that kept him out the remainder of the game. Curt Cignetti said afterwards that Martin will be out a little bit, so we could be looking at a multi-week injury. Indiana gets two cupcakes in the following weeks with Howard and Western Kentucky.

Gi’Bran Payne

Cincinnati

Good to see Payne finally get some extended action after being stuck behind Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, as he rushed for 108 yards on 14 attempts in the win over lifeless Boston College. He looked exponentially better than some of his backfield mates and this may not be the RBBC that we expected coming into the year.

Kenyon Clay

Arkansas State

Clay’s stock rose this offseason when it was announced that Devin Spencer would miss the season due to injury. That stock is rising again after scoring two touchdowns (1 rushing / 1 receiving) in the loss to Memphis. Clay’s 13 rushing attempts were 10 more than the next closest Arkansas state running back.

Donovan Olugbode

Missouri

We sided with Cayden Lee as Missouri’s WR1 this year given his relationship with current QB Austin Simmons and the fact that the slot receiver has typically been the WR1 in this system. Perhaps that’s not the case as Olugbode led the Tigers with 117 yards and two scores, impressively hauling in all eight of his targets. Remember, Olugbode was featured heavily in the bowl game last year with 10 targets, so this is not just a one-off.

RJ Vick

Colorado State

We didn’t want to project a Colorado State WR too highly this offseason with so many transfers brought in this offseason. But this is a coaching staff that absolutely peppered Skyler Bell with targets the last two years. Is RJ Vick next? The 6-foot-3 senior did not record a catch at Wake Forest last season but was the primary option on Saturday with 79 yards and three touchdowns vs. Wyoming.

Collin Dixon

Illinois

Dixon looked like the top option for the Illini in the opener, catching all six of his targets for 70 yards and two scores. The WR1 for Illinois has been good to us in CFF in recent years with Hank Beatty and Pat Bryant. The reason Dixon isn’t higher on this list is that his involvement in the offense could potentially change once Jayshon Platt is back in the lineup from injury.

Chance Morrow

Buffalo

14 targets and three touchdowns should get you placed higher on this list you would think, right? Morrow averaged just 6.9 yards per reception, converted on only seven of those 14 targets with two drops and had a yards per route run of just 1.07. Fantasy stat-line looks great but those are highly inefficient numbers for Morrow. We love the usage for Morrow, but this offense looks like it could be a bear to watch in 2026.

Jeremiah McClellan

Oregon

McClellan was the star of the Ducks’ offense in the win over Boise State, finishing with 153 receiving yards and a touchdown on a team-high 10 targets. We still view Dakorien Moore as the WR1 in this offense, but McClellan’s performance was far more encouraging than Evan Stewart, who averaged just 9.9 yards per catch while posting a shallow 4.6-yard aDOT. If that usage continues, McClellan could quickly emerge as the more appealing fantasy option alongside Moore.

Jesse Legree

Oregon State

The new Oregon State transfers brought in a host of WRs via the portal, but it was a true freshman that popped against Houston with Legree catching five passes for 136 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown reception. Worth a speculative add in redraft formats, and a must add in dynasty leagues where he’s likely still available as well.

Cataurus Hicks

Pittsburgh

Hicks led the Panthers with 114 yards receiving on eight targets with one of the team’s seven receiving touchdowns on the day. More impressive is that Hicks did all that while being benched to start the game for his offseason misbehavior. Malik Knight and Cencere Lee also impressed, and this could ultimately look like last year with no true target hog at wideout. But will that matter if the Pitt quarterback continues to sling it like he did Saturday?

Grady O’Neill

Sam Houston

History suggests we want the starting slot receiver in the Phil Longo offense. O’Neill closed last year on a high note with eight receptions in each of his final two games. That continued into 2026 with seven catches on nine targets with a touchdown vs. Troy. In PPR formats, O’Neill should be a priority addition.

Cam’Ron Lacy

Middle Tennessee

Lacy was a watch list candidate this offseason after leading the team with 529 receiving yards last season. Looks like he should have been higher on our radar after converting on all eight of his targets for 115 yards and a touchdown on Saturday. The slot receiver for new OC Anthony Scelfo posted 110 targets back in 2024 with SE Louisiana. Lacy lined up in the slot 86% of the time on Saturday.

Kelby Valsin

Florida Atlantic

When FAU throws the ball 40+ times a game, someone else is going to score fantasy points beyond Easton Messer. That was Texas Tech transfer Kelby Valsin against Florida who caught nine passes for 83 yards and a TD, while also leading the team with 14 targets. Caden Veltkamp said that the FAU receiver room is far better than last year’s unit, and so far his comments appear to be spot on.

Benji Blackburn

Stanford

We were intrigued with Blackburn this offseason because of the new coaching staff coming in that emphasized tight end play in their previous stint with Stanford. That is coming to fruition as Blackburn has been targeted 17 times in two games with 12 receptions. Like Joshua Long above, it’s not resulting in a ton of yardage, but you like to see that target volume as a fantasy tight end.

Rickie Collins

Kennesaw State

We’ll learn more about Rickie Collins this week against Georgia State in what potentially could be a high-scoring affair. But it was a good start vs. West Georgia with 29.3 fantasy points, over 210 total yards and three scores. We saw with this coaching staff was able to do with Amari Odom last year, turning him into a top 20 fantasy quarterback in the second half of the season. This week will be telling on Collins’ ROTW outlook.

Pop Watson

Massachusetts

Can’t blame anyone for dismissing UMass players in college fantasy given the team didn’t win a single game last season and was the worst scoring offense in the country. We’re paying attention now, specifically Pop Watson who scored 30 fantasy points in the upset win at Rutgers. It’s a dual-threat quarterback with P4 pedigree having been recruited by Virginia Tech out of high school. There’s a chance Watson is startable for the next three weeks with Sacred Heart, Stonehill and Sacramento State.

Braden Atkinson

Oregon State

We were impressed by Atkinson with his performance on the road, in wet conditions against a potential playoff contender in Houston, throwing for 376 yards and accounting for a pair of scores. Atkinson has legitimate talent coming over from Mercer where he threw for 3,592 yards and 34 touchdowns a season ago. He has some weapons at receiver and a dismal running game if Week 1 was any indication.

Landyn Locke

Sam Houston

Despite the loss, Sam Houston was significantly better offensively on Saturday than at any point last season. The sophomore QB attempted 46 passes vs. Troy with the run game floundering and threw for 335 yards and three scores in the narrow defeat. Longo’s history suggests he can generate strong fantasy quarterback production.

Makhi Frazier / JT Lindsey

Ole Miss

If you have the roster space, Frazier or Lindsey might be worth an add to hold onto this season. Lacy, who was recovering from a shoulder injury in the offseason, was taken out of the game in the second half as the medical staff felt it was the best decision at the time. HC Pete Golding said after the game that this was mostly precautionary, but worth monitoring as we move forward this season. Those 306 rushing attempts from last season might be taking their toll.

Steven Robinson

Southern Miss

Take with a grain of salt as this performance from Robinson came against Alcorn State. That said, Robinson’s name popped up in almost every practice report in spring ball, and he continues to impress, rumbling for 123 yards and three scores on 23 rushing attempts. We’re used to HC Blake Anderson having high-flying passing offense, but is this a year where they rely more on the run with question marks at QB? Robinson is not playable this week vs. Auburn, but that’s the only P4 opponent on the schedule.

Elijah Faulkner

Massachusetts

Faulkner only averaged 3.3 yards per carry against Rutgers but was able to find the end-zone twice with a pair of catches out of the backfield. Usage + schedule is what makes Faulkner a possible add in deeper formats with 19 rushing attempts in Week 1. We have to assume the game script will play out similarly against Sacred Heart and Stonehill in the coming weeks.

Latrelle Murrell

Kennesaw State

We probably should have projected Murrell higher this week considering he was facing his former team. On just nine carries, Murrell looked the part with 88 yards and two scores on nine attempts. Like Collins, this week against FBS competition will tell us how interested we truly are in this offense. We know the Owls will move at a rapid pace like the did a year ago.

Jabari Bates

San Jose State

Had the SJSU / USC game on the big screen in Week 0 and while Bates only ran for 37 yards vs. the Trojans, I thought the senior RB had some juice. My eyes didn’t deceive me as Bates rebounded for 112 yards on 19 attempts in the win over Eastern Michigan. Favorable matchup this coming week against Cal Poly.

Kenji Christian

UConn

Christian came over from Toledo with the current coaching staff and got the Week 1 starting nod against Lafayette. Just nine total touches on the day in the blowout but found the end-zone twice. We’ll be monitoring how this backfield shakes out in the coming weeks with Cyncir Bowers and Trey Cornist both heavily involved last Saturday.

Keveun Mason

Temple

Mason stepped in for starter Sam Brown who was held out against Rhode Island and rushed for 158 yards and a pair of scores on 20 attempts. HC KC Keeler stated after the game that Brown should be available next week, but Mason could be worth an add in deeper formats or in dynasty. It’s not as though Sam Brown has been the model of good health over his career.

James Jones

New Mexico State

Jones has some fans in the CFF community and proved them correct on Saturday with 132 yards and a TD vs. Mercyhurst. If for some reason you’re in dire need of a streaming option at RB next week, James gets a matchup with Hawaii who is already ranked 116th in yards allowed on the ground after two games.

Dominic Kelley

Nevada

Perhaps the game script played a factor with Nevada blowing out Western Kentucky, but we envisioned the Wolf Pack throwing a lot more than 16 times in the opener. Kelley got the starting nod in the backfield and rumbled for 152 yards and two scores in the win and has a favorable matchup with Montana State next week. The only P4 opponent on Nevada’s schedule is UCLA in the last week of October.

Jamill Williams

Jacksonville State

Deondre Johnson owners cover your eyes. 144 yards and four touchdowns for Albany State transfer Jamill Williams in the win over Eastern Kentucky as Jax State was clearly working on the passing game after the Week 0 debacle. For now, we’re viewing this performance from Williams as a one-off against a lesser opponent, but we’re paying attention. This is still a team that threw the ball just 33% of the time last season, so we don’t expect this to be a weekly thing.

Sanfrisco Magee / Zion Ragins

Mississippi State

Not a ton to glean from the blowout over Louisiana-Monroe, but both Ragins and Magee recorded a touchdown reception. There may not be another Brenen Thompson this year, but the outside receiver did have 100+ targets a year ago. Maybe one of Ragins or Magee separates over the course of the year.

Brendan Jenkins

South Alabama

Phil Steele is batting 1.000 this offseason. In his South Alabama writeup in the magazine, Steele called Jenkins the No. 1 target in the spring. Granted, that was with Anthony Eager not participating in spring ball, but Eager also missed the contest on Saturday as well. Jenkins looked the part for one week with 78 yards and a touchdown on a team-best seven targets. We’ll be watching what this looks like with Eager returning.

Kam Shanks / Antonio Meeks

Wake Forest

Carlos Hernandez is the WR1 here, but Shanks and Meeks had excellent debuts with their new school, combining for 148 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. This very easily could be a one-off given the opponent was Akron, but they’re getting listed here because of offensive coordinator Rob Ezell. During his time at South Alabama, they did not rotate WRs much at all and were reliant on their starters. We’ll be looking at the snap counts here in the coming weeks in more competitive matchups to see if that’s still the case with Wake Forest.

Jordan Allen

Georgia Tech

We’re not used to having Georgia Tech wide receivers on our radar but must include Allen after catching eight passes for 100+ yards against a P4 defense in Colorado. Georgia Tech may need to throw the ball more than usual in 2026 if the running game is going to average 2.9 YPC like they did against the Buffs.

Tony Diaz

Iowa

An Iowa receiver on the Waiver Wire report? In this economy? Diaz received a TON of buzz in the offseason and that translated to Saturday, hauling in 84 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets in the blowout victory over NIU. Iowa hasn’t had a top 50 wideout in CFF in over a decade, so we’re not getting ahead of ourselves here, but Diaz is worth an add in deeper formats.

Cooper Hoch

San Jose State

We must include any receiver on the WW report that went for 115 yards and two touchdowns. But it’s evident that this will be a Russian roulette each week in determining who the WR1 to own is for the Spartans. Of note, Hoch is second behind only Jerry McClure in routes run through two games. Carson Clark sits third and was targeted nine times vs. EMU for what it’s worth.

Asaad Waseem

Purdue

The Florida Atlantic transfer didn’t technically start for the Boilermakers, but he will be soon enough with stats like this. 107 yards and a touchdown on eight targets while also leading all Purdue pass-catchers in routes run. We’ll know more about this Purdue offense next week against Wake Forest.

Miami (Ohio) WRs

Miami (Ohio)

Put this group featuring Braylon Isom, Lynel Billups-Williams and Damarion Witten on your watch list with the news that came out over the weekend that projected WR1 Keith Reynolds would miss the regular season. There’s typically at least one RedHawk receiver that holds value in CFF, but that wasn’t firmly established this week.

Koby Howard

Penn State

Three different wide receivers caught touchdowns for the Nittany Lions, but Howard was the one who popped on the stat sheet with 161 yards on six receptions. Howard averaged 19 yards per reception last year as a freshman, and his explosiveness was on display again Saturday, averaging 26.8 YPC with a team best 16.1 aDOT.