Snatch ‘Em Up Now
f they weren’t already drafted in your league, these guys will be hot commodities on the wire this week.
Quarterbacks:
Caleb Williams, Oklahoma – Benching a 5-star for a 5-star? Precarious position that Lincoln Riley is in right now, but everyone saw it how the Oklahoma offense took off once Williams entered the lineup in the second half vs. Texas. Worst-case scenario for CFF is that Riley starts Rattler and gets Williams involved situationally next week against TCU. Rattler owners need to dispose of their entire FAAB to acquire Williams this week if they haven’t already.
Jordan Travis, Florida State – Great weekend if you’re in desperate need of quarterback on your CFF roster. Travis now has a stranglehold on the QB1 job for Florida State after his 48-point performance against North Carolina with five total touchdowns. That’s back-to-back weeks with 100 yards rushing, and gets our favorite CFF defense next week in UMass.
Hendon Hooker, Tennessee – Game of the Week for CFF/DFS next week between Tennessee and Ole Miss where Hendon Hooker should be one of the top QB options in both formats, taking on a Rebels’ defense that is allowing over 30 FPPG to opposing quarterbacks and just gave up a 50-burger to KJ Jefferson. Schedule really ramps up after next weekend with three-straight ranked opponents, two of which on the road, but you’ll also want Hooker for the end of the season with South Alabama and Vanderbilt to close.
Garrett Shrader, Syracuse – Hopefully you picked up Shrader like we advised last week as he put up his second-straight 40-point performance on Saturday vs. Wake Forest. We aren’t starting him against Clemson next week, but should be free in the clear following that with no games on the schedule that are threatening to his fantasy output.
KJ Jefferson, Arkansas – Not just the 50-point performance but Jefferson has gotten it done for much of the season – exception being the Georgia game – averaging 27 FPPG and topping 25 fantasy points in four of six games. The 20 carries against Ole Miss is a bit of an outlier for what to expect the rest of the season, but his 10 attempts per game this season is right on par with what Kendal Briles’ QBs have done in the past and a clear indicator that Jefferson is healthy.
Gerry Bohanon, Baylor – Already four performances this season of 29 fantasy points or more for Bohanon, and two 40-point efforts following Saturday’s blowout of West Virginia. The two games in which Bohanon did struggle were both on the road, and Baylor is at home the next two weeks against a BYU team that is average in every sense of the word on defense and a Texas team that just gave up 55 points to Oklahoma.
Running Backs:
Marquez Cooper, Kent State – So much for a RBBC. That was the concern with Cooper coming into the season and was the case through the first month, but has now 52 carries in the last two games alone with back-to-back 100-yard performances. Insane value if he is getting this kind of workload through MAC play.
Sa’Rodorick Thompson, Texas Tech – Product of the situation and why Joe had Thompson high in the rankings. Tahj Brooks was likely not playing and taking on a terrible TCU run defense. The results were plentiful. Next up? Kansas. For at least one more week, we are starting Thompson.
Wide Receivers:
Xavier Worthy, Texas – Listed here because he sits under our 30 percent threshold and was dropped on a good chunk of rosters last week. If it wasn’t evident in recent weeks, it is now – Worthy is WR1 for the Longhorns.
Elijah Higgins, Stanford – Perfect combination for current/future volume for Elijah Higgins with the WR corps decimated with injuries and Stanford’s inability to run the football. Scored a touchdown in each of the last three games with 29 targets in the span. Michael Wilson coming back at some point might change the dynamic, but Higgins should remain the WR1 here.
A.T. Perry, Wake Forest – Ownership sitting at 8 percent is interesting for a guy with a receiving touchdown in five of six games this season, including three vs. Syracuse on Saturday. Target share is evenly split, for the most part, between Perry, Roberson and Morin, so you do run the risk of some thin weeks, but Perry continues to find the end-zone. Bye week upcoming for Wake.
Quian Williams, Buffalo – Another 14 targets for Williams on Saturday, and is the far-and-away established leader with 31 percent of the target share. We saw Buffalo run the ball a bit more effectively Saturday, but Buffalo is averaging over five more attempts per game this season under the new staff.
Dante Cephas, Kent State – Huge day for Dante Cephas with over 200 receiving yards and three touchdowns. 29 of his 36 total receptions have been in the last three games alone, and it looks to be clear that the early non-conference schedule truly was the reasoning for the Flashes’ slow start. I was initially thinking I preferred Williams over Cephas due to target share, but Cephas is seeing the ball just as much (34% on 54 targets).
Tight Ends:
Derrick Deese, San Jose State – This isn’t the same San Jose State offense that we saw a year ago, particularly at receiver where nobody is stepping up at this point. Deese has been the No. 1 option the last two weeks with 11 receptions on 16 targets with a pair of touchdowns.
Worth A Look
If you have the roster room, these prospects are worth a look.
Quarterbacks:
Jonah Johnson, New Mexico State – I’ll be honest, I think Doug Martin deserves some credit here this season after pulling NMSU out of the dumps following that “spring season” the Aggies had back in March, looking lifeless against two Division III teams. Results are the same in the w/l column, but they’re back to the old ways of just chucking the football repeatedly like a few years ago. Jonah Johnson now has consecutive 30-point performances, averaging over 50 passing attempts per game. I expect him to do the same against Hawaii and Utah State in the coming weeks. Alabama and Kentucky after that which we’ll sit Johnson, but then gets UMass in the finale which, if you’re in the CFF playoffs, you want him on the roster, hoping he makes it out healthy after facing two SEC opponents.
Gunner Holmberg, Duke – Not always pretty, but Holmberg has topped 23 fantasy points in four of the last five games and gets a Virginia defense next week that allows north of 30 FPPG to opposing QBs on the season.
Jayden de Laura, Washington State – The Cougars and de Laura starting to hit their stride? Consecutive wins against Oregon State and Cal, with the sophomore quarterback throwing for three touchdowns in both games. Averaging 29 fantasy points over the last month, and gets two mediocre defenses in the next two weeks vs. Stanford and BYU. Trust the process!
Cameron Rising, Utah – I want to see Rising one more week before fully committing despite his four-touchdown performance against a lifeless USC defense. He’ll get a test against the No. 21 pass defense in the country in Arizona State. After that, though, it’ll be the No. 113 pass defense in Oregon State.
Tyler Van Dyke, Miami – D’Eriq King is out for the season, and TVD steps into a QB1 role for a Miami offense that is averaging 36 attempts per game. Will be a rotational piece on your roster at the QB position, given the matchup for that specific week.
Running Backs:
Antario Brown, Northern Illinois – Still in the dark right now about Harrison Waylee’s injury and will look more this week to see an official diagnosis, but NIU doesn’t need to rush him back with Antario Brown performing the way he is. Tougher sledding this week against a pretty good run D in Toledo on the road, but managed 93 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Waylee’s early season performance was really impressive, but he needs to hurry back if he wants his RB1 job again.
Nate Carter, Connecticut – Don’t laugh at a Connecticut player being on this list – Ok, maybe its acceptable to laugh after losing to UMass. BUT, Carter now has rushed for 100+ yards in back to back games, and has a very favorable schedule upcoming with Yale and then the 100th ranked rush defense in the country in Middle Tennessee.
Rahmir Johnson, Nebraska – Brutal last three games of the season for Nebraska with OSU, Iowa and Wisconsin, but take advantage of Rahmir Johnson in the next two matchups with Minnesota and Purdue forthcoming. Johnson wasn’t on anyone’s radar in August, but has taken hold of the Nebraska backfield with consecutive 20+ point performances, including 172 total yards and a receiving TD against Michigan.
Wide Receivers:
Alec Pierce, Cincinnati – Led Cincinnati with eight targets in each of his last three games. aDOT of 16.1 so always a threat of the big play. Has always been a talented player, but healthy has held him back from being a reliable option in our CFF lineups. He’s healthy now.
Roderic Burns, North Texas – Burns is back on our radar after the North Texas offense showed some life with Austin Aune back at quarterback. Still not trusting UNT 100 percent here, but I’d be looking to add Burns back to my roster if you have a shot as he led the Mean Green with 5-71-1 on seven targets vs. Missouri.
Demario Douglas, Liberty – Back to back 100-yard receiving performances for Douglas as he leads the team in targets with 42. Biggest plus about Douglas’ value moving forward is that DJ Stubbs is back in the lineup and looks to have lost his starting spot due to injury.
Jalen Nailor, Michigan State – Ownership percentage on Fantrax: Jayden Reed, 80 percent. Jalen Nailor, 8 percent. Target Share: Jayden Reed, 22 percent. Jalen Nailor, 32 percent. Production may flip flop depending on the week between the two players, but there shouldn’t be that discrepancy in ownership percentage. Tough upcoming schedule for MSU going on the road to Indiana and then coming home to face Michigan in the next two games.
Velus Jones, Tennessee – Jones has emerged the last month after a slow start to the season with three touchdowns in the last four weeks, and leads the team with 21 targets in the last three games. Could reasonably include both JaVonta Payton and Cedric Tillman here too as we’ll be firing up all Tennessee players next weekend in our lineups.
Tyquan Thornton, Baylor – Season-high for Thornton against WV with 8-187-2 on 13 targets, and now accounts for 32 percent of the team target share. Still some inconsistencies in his game that we’ve seen in the past with three drops in the last two weeks, but as long as Gerry Bohanon continues to perform the way that he is, Thornton is a viable option at receiver.
Konata Mumpfield, Akron – Is Mumpfield a must-start at this point? At least one touchdown in each of the last five games. Mumpfield and Michael Mathison account for 50 percent of Akron’s target share.
Jalon Calhoun / Jake Bobo – Have a feeling the o/u will be around 69.5 next week when the Blue Devils take on Virginia. Calhoun has at least five receptions in every game this season with back-to-back games of over 100 receiving yards. Bobo has topped double-digit fantasy points every week.
Ra’Shaun Henry, Virginia – Henry definitely benefitted from the Dontayvian Wicks injury which we’ll monitor this week, but does have double-digit targets in two of the last three games. We’re firing up Virginia players next week against a Duke defense that is 13th in the ACC in yards allowed per game.
Tight Ends:
Jack Bech, LSU – If Kayshon Boutte is out long-term, that’ll open up more targets for all LSU pass-catchers, including Bech who now has 10 receptions on 19 targets in the last two games alone.
Longshots
Need to see more from these guys before pulling the trigger, unless you are in the deepest of leagues.
Quarterbacks:
Austin Aune, North Texas – Are we trusting this UNT offense now in a second go-round with Aune at the helm? Four touchdowns against Missouri are nice, but this is the same QB that threw for 79 yards against Louisiana Tech and lost his job. A depth piece at the quarterback position but I’m not relying on Aune as a staple in my lineup if adding him.
Darren Grainger, Georgia State – Talk about things you just never envisioned at all this offseason. Grainger overtaking Cornelious Brown at QB. Destin Coates now the third option in the Panthers backfield. And Sam Pinckney barely producing any noteworthy stats this season. Grainger had a career day with 230 passing yards, four touchdowns, and completed 72 percent of his passes. Texas State and Georgia Southern on the horizon – two defenses in the bottom half of the Sun Belt in yards allowed per game in 2021.
Armani Rogers, Ohio – The Bobcats coaching staff made the correct decision to give Rogers a shot at starter, and the offense continues to show more life in recent weeks as he threw for tallied 200+ total yards and a touchdown vs. Central Michigan. That’s now 28 carries in the last two games for Rogers which will be the baseline of his fantasy production moving forward.
Tai Lavatai, Navy – This still isn’t the Navy offense of old, but promising to see that Tai Lavatai saw 100 percent of the team’s offensive snaps for the second-straight week on Saturday and could come in handy on a roster as he’s the clear-cut QB1 now. Minimal yards on the ground but did have 20 carries which led the team, and a passing touchdown.
Dequan Finn, Toledo – Longshot play here, but with Toledo’s season turning for the worst, I might get out ahead of the news and add Dequan Finn. I don’t know the plan here, but Finn has been the better QB between he and Carter Bradley, accounting for 17 or more fantasy points in the last three games. He gives the offense a different dynamic with his running ability, and its sorely needed right now.
Running Backs:
Hassan Hall, Louisville – I’ll give Hall mention here after rushing for 162 yards and a TD on 14 carries, but this will be an interesting situation to following during Louisville’s bye week. Jalen Mitchell was right on the verge of losing his job as it is. The staff loves freshman Trevion Cooley. And Syracuse transfer Jahwar Jordan will be available the next time UL hits the field.
Blake Hester, Akron – I have no idea who this player is, but he rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries against Bowling Green. Gets the 79th and 95th ranked rush defenses in the next two games. Hester has seen a steady diet of carries the last three weeks.
Blake Watson, Old Dominion – Watson has seen a steady diet of carries through the first three games, but took over the volume in the ODU backfield against Marshall with 168 yards on 26 carries. Gets the 118th ranked rush defense in the country next week in Western Kentucky, in a game where ODU will likely attempt to control the clock.
Wide Receivers:
Will Sheppard, Vanderbilt – Only for full-point PPR formats because Vanderbilt doesn’t score enough points to make Sheppard worthwhile with any other scoring settings. 11 or more targets in four of the six games played this season.
Jarrin Pierce, Middle Tennessee – Change at quarterback has benefitted Pierce tremendously as he now has a receiving touchdown in each of the last four games. Middle Tennessee won’t be able to run the ball all season, so we should be seeing 40+ passing attempts from Chase Cunningham weekly.
Mac Hippenhammer, Miami (OH) – The RedHawks can’t run the football, so expect some higher-volume performances from both WR1 Jack Sorenson and Hippenhammer who now has 264 receiving yards on 24 total targets in the last two weeks.
Ja’Cyais Credle, Georgia State – Credle’s snap counts have risen each of the last three weeks, and it paid off on Saturday with 7-130-2. Comes against a terrible defense in Louisiana-Monroe, but guess what Credle faces the next two weeks? You guessed it. Terrible defenses.
Justin Lockhart, Nevada – Romeo Doubs was out against New Mexico State and Tory Horton just returned from injury, but the staff has raved about Lockhart in recent weeks, and his performances show why with over 200 receiving yards and 12 receptions on 13 targets. Doubs and Horton fully back in the lineup could muddy the target distribution here in future weeks which is why he isn’t higher on this list.
New Mexico State receivers – see above on Jonah Johnson. Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda is averaging 10 targets a game over the last five games. Jared Wyatt is averaging 10 targets a game over the last three weeks.
Dynasty:
Garrett Greene, West Virginia – Calls are growing louder for Neal Brown to turn to the redshirt freshman in place of an ineffective Jarret Doege, and a blowout loss to Baylor won’t silence those critics. Greene would provide a different dynamic to this WV offense as a dual-threat, and showed off that athleticism in garbage time with 66 yards and a TD on six carries. With Doege being a senior, Greene was already the favorite to start in 2022, and that move could be happening sooner rather than later.
Braelon Allen, Wisconsin – We’ll put Allen here for now as RB1 Chez Mellusi also had a bounce-back performance against Illinois and should retain his starting job as of this moment. The 3-star freshman certainly looks the part as a future RB1 for Wisconsin at 238 pounds, rushing for 126 yards and a TD on 17 carries. Not to mention, Jalen Berger has been dismissed from the program, so it seems Allen is here to stay.