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:
Eli Holstein, Pittsburgh – Go from Alabama QB3 to one of the better fantasy quarterbacks in CFF in one season, now hitting 30 fantasy points in all three games so far. The transformation for this Pitt offense has been incredible under first year coordinator Kade Bell, averaging over 40 points per game and playing at one of the fastest tempos in the FBS.
Arch Manning, Texas – Did not see the game, nor the injury, but non-contact is never a good description for any injury. And no, you don’t get credit for having Arch Manning on your roster already because you thought Quinn Ewers would get replaced for poor play.
Running Backs:
Kalel Mullings, Michigan – Michigan got back to bully ball vs. Arkansas State with over 300 yards on the ground. Donovan Edwards still led the Wolverines in carries, but it was Mullings who was most effective with 150 yards and two scores. Michigan is likely making the switch this week to Alex Orji as QB1 so expect the Wolverines to lean into the run game even more the rest of the season.
Billy Lucas, Liberty – Cooley was not in pads during the second half of Liberty’s win over UTEP. After the game, HC Jamey Chadwell commented to reporters that the injury sustained did not sound good. So no full update, but we would rush to add Billy Lucas to your rosters with the chance that Cooley misses extended time. Three rushing touchdowns for the senior on Saturday.
Wide Receivers:
Cade McDonald, Miami (Ohio) – Two-game sample size, yes, but we have a multi-year sample size of Miami (Ohio) receivers being CFF producers over the years. McDonald appears to be next in line, now with 20 targets in two games with back-to-back 100-yard performances.
Giles Jackson, Washington – We were so focused on Jeremiah Hunter and Denzel Boston in the offseason that we forgot there is a track record of slot receivers hitting 100 targets in Jedd Fisch’s offenses. 24 targets, 24 receptions this season for Jackson, having his best performance of the year with 152 yards against Washington State. The heart of B1G schedule is upcoming for the Huskies which would be our only trepidation to add Jackson.
Andrew Armstrong, Arkansas – Taylen Green is throwing to Andrew Armstrong and essentially nobody else on offense. 28 targets in just two games since returning from injury. Last chance to add Armstrong on the wire this week.
Kisean Johnson, Western Kentucky – Doesn’t even look like Dalvin Smith is a starter anymore at this point. Johnson is now the team’s WR1, hitting 100+ yards for the second time in as many weeks with a pair of touchdowns against MTSU. WKU is also chucking the ball around plenty still despite the concerns of the new OC in the offseason.
Worth A Look
If you have the roster room, these prospects are worth a look.
Quarterbacks:
Emmett Brown, San Jose State – This Year 1 offense for San Jose State is impressive so far. Brown had a career best 355 yards and four touchdowns vs. Kennesaw State and now has scored 23 or more fantasy points in all three games. Don’t see this slowing down too much when you have receivers like Nick Nash and Justin Lockhart at your disposal.
Caden Veltkamp, Western Kentucky – TJ Finley left the contest due to injury, and may not get the job back. Last year’s bowl game here, Caden Veltkamp, came on to throw for 398 yards and five touchdowns in the blowout win. Regardless of the injury extent to Finley, it’s tough to imagine WKU not starting Veltkamp next time out.
Billy Edwards, Maryland – Crazy (or not so crazy) to think about how Maryland has upgraded at quarterback from the Taulia Tagovailoa days. Edwards has now scored over 28 fantasy points in each of the first three games to begin the year. Villanova next week before heading into the heart of B1G play.
Running Backs:
Rahjai Harris, East Carolina – Call me a Harris hater, but you cannot deny the volume he’s getting right now with over 50% of the backfield market share, rushing for over 200 yards over the last two games. Liberty next week and then all AAC schedule from here on out for the Pirates.
Micah Bernard, Utah – Copy and paste what I wrote about Harris above. Shocked to see Bernard hit 100+ yards for the second time in as many games, but he appears to be the trusted option in the Utah backfield. We see younger players like Mike Mitchell get hyped in the offseason, and sometimes it’s about who the coaches trust most, and usually it’s a senior like Bernard.
Rahsul Faison, Utah State – This might be one to get ahead of your league mates on waivers. The junior running back hit 100 yards for the first time this season against Utah, now averaging over six yards per carry in all three games. Doesn’t appear that Robert Briggs played, which could limit Faison’s volume moving forward if he does return, but Faison is consistently getting good yards each week. Temple is his next opponent, too.
Wide Receivers:
De’Zhaun Stribling, Oklahoma State – Stribling looks like Oklahoma State’s WR2 this season over Rashod Owens, now with a team-high 295 receiving yards after his monster performance vs. Tulsa. Not sure how consistent this will be given Oklahoma State has three high-end receiving options that can be the alpha any given week, but with OSU’s struggles to run the football, these receivers become a little bit more valuable.
Dante Wright, Temple – 200 receiving yards and 25 targets alone in the last two games for Dante Wright who looks to be the team’s only bright spot at this point. Should be valued more in a PPR format.
Coleman Owen, Ohio – Take advantage of the teams that dropped Owen after an average Week 2 performance. Despite a QB change for the Bobcats, Owen still hit 100 receiving yards for the second time this season. Owen leads the team in routes run with 37% of the target share.
Trent Walker, Oregon State – We don’t expect Oregon State to throw the ball a ton this season when it isn’t necessary, but when they do, it’s almost always going in the direction of Walker. His 30 targets in three games is good for 50% (!) of the team’s target share. Those are incredible numbers for a fantasy receiver. PPR only, though, as Walker still hasn’t scored a touchdown and only averages 9.6 yards per catch.
Kam Thomas, UTEP – Thomas is an add, specifically in PPR formats, now with 28 targets in the first three games, hitting 11 targets against both Nebraska and Liberty. The positional versatility is an added bonus, listed as RB and WR on Fantrax.
Omari Kelly, Middle Tennessee – 239 yards and three touchdowns for MTSU’s WR1 in the loss to Western Kentucky. Kelly was quiet the first two games, but targets weren’t really a concern, now with 23 total on the year. Duke and Memphis in the coming weeks.
Tight Ends:
Joe Royer, Cincinnati – Another strong week for the former Ohio State transfer, targeted seven times against Miami (Ohio) and found the end-zone for the second straight week.
Longshots
Need to see more from these guys before pulling the trigger unless you are in the deepest of leagues.
Quarterbacks:
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M – Does the coaching staff go back to Conner Weigman next time out if healthy? At least they can have some patience with any rehab after Marcel Reed’s performance with over 250 total yards and three touchdowns. This is not a one-time deal either. Remember last season when Reed threw for 300+ yards in the bowl game vs. Oklahoma State? Reed can play.
Tyler Huff, Jacksonville State – We mentioned Huff last week here and he went off vs. Eastern Michigan with nearly 400 yards of total offense and a pair of touchdowns. Again, there was no rotation at quarterback and Huff went for almost 100 yards on the ground.
Running Backs:
Fluff Bothwell, South Alabama – Rushing touchdowns in all three games thus far for the true freshman, with his breakout performance coming against lowly Northwestern State with 143 yards and a pair of scores. Bothwell is the future RB1 for South Alabama. Is the future now, though, with Kentrel Bullock and Braylon McReynolds still around?
Caden Durham, LSU – Not convinced just yet personally that LSU is going to just hand the keys full-time to the true freshman and give him 15-20 touches per game with Josh Williams and Kaleb Jackson. He’s clearly performed better in one game than any LSU back has all season, though, with 98 yards and two touchdowns. If he’s somehow available in a dynasty league (probably not), scoop him now. But don’t blow the budget to land Durham in redrafts.
Christian Washington, Coastal Carolina – Competition level has to be considered here facing William & Mary and the worst FBS team in the country in Temple, but Washington has rushed for two scores in each of the last two games. Braydon Bennett also didn’t play, hence why Washington isn’t higher on the list.
Aaron Young, Old Dominion – Times will be better once Old Dominion gets back into conference play. Stats won’t pop because Young has yet to hit 100 yards rushing in a game with only one TD, but the volume is there with 15, 24 and 17 carries in the first three games.
Camdyn Edwards, UConn – Edwards got the bulk of the carries against Duke with 21 attempts and no other UConn running back having more than 4 on the day. Edwards hit 100 yards against an ACC opponent and now has three total touchdowns in the last two games.
Jaden Nixon, Western Michigan – Full disclosure, I don’t know the Jalen Buckley injury situation, but the former Oklahoma State transfer might be a tentative add in case it’s a long-term thing. 189 yards and two scores on 17 carries against Bethune Cookman.
Bryson Washington, Baylor – This is more of a dynasty play here than redraft as we don’t trust any Baylor players right now. But Washington got the start vs. Air Force and rushed for 111 yards on 12 carries. The redshirt freshman has good size at 205 pounds and was praised by Dave Aranda this week for being a standout performer in both spring and fall camps.
Willie Shaw, Toledo – Another play here of looking ahead to when Toledo gets into MAC play. Jacquez Stuart might still be the starter in name, but Shaw is the bigger of the two at 202 pounds and has found the end-zone in each of the first three games. You wonder if he’ll be the preferred option at some point.
Wide Receivers:
Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State – Health was really the only concern here for Tyson, having missed all of last season due to injury. We knew he had the talent, dating back to his freshman year at Colorado with 466 yards and four TDs as a true freshman. 120 and a score against Texas State on Thursday with no other Arizona State wideout making a difference. Tyson has 21 targets on the year. Next closest ASU receiver has just eight.
Chris Dawn, Texas State – Jordan McCloud spread the ball around this week to guys not named Kole Wilson and Joey Hobert. Dawn, a former UTEP transfer, has been the beneficiary the last two weeks with over 170 receiving yards and three scores.
Makai Jackson, Appalachian State – Sneaky low-key add here potentially as we’re not used to a WR2 being all that productive at Appalachian State. 20 targets combined in the last two games, finding the end-zone in both. App State is struggling up front run blocking this season, which is leading to higher passing totals.
Devonte Ross, Troy – Even with a backup quarterback, on the road, against Iowa, Ross hit the century mark in receiving yards for the second time this season. Don’t know how consistent the Troy passing game will be from week to week, but Ross is the clear WR1 at this point.
Adrian Norton, Akron – Yes, it was just Colgate, but we’re starting to see the potential of Norton that was mentioned by onlookers repeatedly in the offseason. 180 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns combined in the last two games. Norton will be more of a factor, one would assume, once Akron gets into MAC play.
Qua’Vez Humphreys, Sam Houston State – This is why we were mostly fading Noah Smith in the offseason. Sam Houston State has multiple weapons at receiver, and Humphreys might be the best of the bunch, now with three touchdowns in two games. Just don’t anticipate high volume targets in this style of offense.
Oran Singleton, Eastern Michigan – The one down game so far that Singleton had was against Washington on the road. Double-digit targets against the other two opponents, both of which have MAC level defenses. Expect Singleton to be valuable in conference play.
