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:
Anthony Richardson, Florida – I wonder if Dan Mullen saw what Caleb Williams did for Oklahoma on Saturday evening? The Florida head coach finds himself in a similar situation with his quarterbacks, and refused to name a starter for next week. We all know the answer. After the four-touchdown performance against LSU, it’s time to hand over the reins to the better QB for the rest of the season. Perfect time for the changeover with the bye week.
Garrett Shrader, Syracuse – We knew last week when suggesting Garrett Shrader on the wire that it was going to be a struggle against Clemson. And it was for the most part as he was held to just six yards on the ground and had a brutal interception in the narrow loss. Still managed to top 20 fantasy points despite being largely ineffective, and has favorable matchups upcoming with Virginia Tech and Boston College who have not been impressive of late.
Running Backs:
Travis Dye, Oregon – Dye sits above the 30 percent threshold on Fantrax that we use for the purposes of this article but wanted to hit on him as he looks to still be out there in the majority of leagues. There was no rotation in the Ducks backfield as we’ve seen previously with Dye/CJ Verdell as backup Byron Cardwell had just two attempts vs. Cal. Dye had 148 rushing yards and one score to go along with eight receptions on nine targets in the passing game. Tough matchup next week against a Top 10 rush defense in UCLA on the road, but Dye’s dual-threat scoring ability makes him a must add, particularly if we continue to see this volume as we did on Friday.
Tyrion Davis-Price, LSU – Did anyone see this one coming? Three weeks ago, Tyrion Davis-Price was averaging just three yards a carry and looked on the verge of being replaced in the LSU backfield entirely. Now he’s setting school records with 311 rushing yards on 36 carries against a good Florida run defense, and has five rushing scores in the last two games alone. No reason this shouldn’t continue next week against Mississipp who is 13th in the SEC at defending the run.
Jaylan Knighton, Miami – Cam’Ron Harris injured his knee vs. North Carolina and sounds as though it will be a multi-week injury based on the observation of the team beat reporter. Knighton was exceptional in Harris’ place, rushing for 92 yards and two TDs, while adding 73 receiving yards and another score coming out of the backfield. Matchups aren’t great the next two weeks against two of the best rush defenses in the ACC, but Knighton will see ALL of the carries now in the backfield.
Wide Receivers:
Konata Mumpfield, Akron – Is there a more disrespected player in CFF than Konata Mumpfield who still sits at just 17 percent ownership despite scoring double-digit fantasy points in six of his seven games played this season? Consecutive 100-yard receiving performances the last two weeks. Mumpfield and slot receiver Michael Mathison are dominating the target share for the Zips (53 percent). As is the case with many G5 players, consistency with fantasy production can be an issue, but that doesn’t appear to be the case here with Mumpfield as the last six weeks have indicated.
Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky – Just gunna leave this here still as Corley and the secondary WKU receivers continue to produce and remains severely under owned. Malachi Corley has seen double-digit targets and one receiving score in three of the last four games.
Tight Ends:
Ben Yurosek, Stanford – Injuries have contributed here with the WR corps for Stanford being decimated right now, but Yurosek was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school and its showing 11 receptions and over 200 receiving yards in the last two weeks.
Worth A Look
If you have the roster room, these prospects are worth a look.
Quarterbacks:
Jayden de Laura, Washington State – That 4-star talent is finally starting to show as de Laura now has three-straight games of at least three TD passes, and averaging 30 FPPG in that span. Upcoming schedule is tough, which is why de Laura isn’t higher on this list, with BYU, Arizona State and Oregon in coming weeks, but this entire Washington State team is on the rise now with how their sophomore quarterback is playing.
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.
Armani Rogers, Ohio – I guess we should’ve had Rogers higher on our WW list last week as the senior quarterback had 33 fantasy points against Buffalo, including a 99-yard TD run. Rogers did little as a passer, but the rushing volume was promising with 20 attempts for 190 yards and two scores. Think Garrett Shrader but in the MAC, that’s what we might get from Rogers the rest of the season.
Cam Rising, Utah – The Utes are finding their stride in 2021, both offensively and in the W/L column now on a three-game win streak. Rising at QB1 has had much to do with that, topping 30 fantasy points in each of the last two games. Loving the next four games for Rising too with Oregon State, UCLA, Stanford and Arizona in the next month.
Running Backs:
Raheim Sanders, Arkansas – I’ll be double-checking this week to make sure there wasn’t an injury of any kind, but I think we are seeing a changing of the guard in the Arkansas backfield with Sanders having the edge over Trelon Smith in both attempts and snaps vs. Auburn. That’s the second-straight week this has occurred so if you want to get ahead of your league mates, nab him now.
Rahmir Johnson, Nebraska – Johnson suffered an injury vs. Minnesota on Saturday, leading to just 11 attempts, but Scott Frost said in the postgame that it wasn’t serious. Johnson had a productive day with 83 yards and two scores, and now has topped 20 fantasy points in each of the last three games.
Bryce Williams, Minnesota – It’s clear that PJ Fleck will rotate more than we saw with both Mo Ibrahim and Trey Potts, but there was still a distinct advantage for Bryce Williams in terms of the carries (17) and snaps (37) which were more than double what any other Gopher running back saw on Saturday.
Jaren Mangham, South Florida – All the man does is score touchdowns. 10 TDs in the last five games, and an appealing upcoming schedule with Temple and East Carolina in the next two weeks.
Braelon Allen, Wisconsin – Only a matter of time here until the Badgers turn over the backfield to the true freshman who rushed for 108 yards and a TD vs. Army. I’m not going to discount Chez Mellusi just yet because he ran for 100 yards the last time we said that, but both players had 16 carries and were nearly equal in terms of snaps on Saturday, with Allen being far more effective. Tough sledding the next few weeks with a surprisingly stout Purdue defense and Iowa upcoming.
Wide Receivers:
Josh Johnson, Tulsa – Our hesitation with Tulsa receivers was always the depth, but Johnson has really emerged as the alpha of the group with double digit targets and 20+ fantasy points in four of the last five games. Favorable matchup one would think against Navy in two weeks following the bye, but our concern there would be Tulsa running it all game as Memphis did this past Friday.
Jadon Haselwood, Oklahoma – Call this the Caleb Williams effect. Haselwood had been ineffective for most of the season, but came up big on Saturday with three receiving TDs against TCU and continues to lead all Sooner receivers in both snaps and targets.
Longshots
Need to see more from these guys before pulling the trigger, unless you are in the deepest of leagues.
Quarterbacks:
Jake Bentley, South Alabama – Five of Bentley’s seven passing touchdowns on the season have come in the last two games and is completing 70 percent of his passes in that span. Gets Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State in the next two games – both sitting at the bottom of the Sun Belt in scoring defense.
Chase Garbers, California – Garbers certainly isn’t lighting the world on fire with his play, but has scored at least 24 fantasy points in four of the last five games, and the schedule upcoming is very manageable with Colorado, Oregon State and Arizona.
Dequan Finn, Toledo – We called this one last week as Toledo gave 100 percent of the snaps to Finn at quarterback after he’d been splitting time previously with Carter Bradley. Work to do as a passer, completing just 45 percent of his throws against Central Michigan but his value comes with his legs, rushing for 95 yards and two TDs on 11 carries.
Running Backs:
Dylan McDuffie, Buffalo – Kevin Marks was in street clothes vs. Ohio, leading to the big day for Dylan McDuffie who rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown. Don’t have an update on Marks yet to know the extent of the injury, but McDuffie has seen consistent carries over the last five games or so with four rushing TDs in that span while rotating with Marks. Should Marks be out, it was promising to see McDuffie’s healthy advantage in attempts (23) over backup Ron Cook Jr. (10).
Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh – We aren’t playing Abanikanda next week against Clemson, but there aren’t any threatening defenses that Pitt faces in the final five games of the year. The talented sophomore is starting to figure things out, averaging five yards a carry over the last three weeks, and had a season-high 140 yards on 21 carries against Virginia Tech.
Jeyvon Ducker, Northern Illinois – Is NIU the new RBU? Don’t expect Harrison Waylee back anytime soon as he was seen with a sling on the sidelines against Bowling Green. Antario Brown had a fumble and I thought that was the cause for just four carries, but he also has a red flag next to his name on Fantrax so I’m not entirely sure just yet. RB3 Jeyvon Ducker stepped in seamlessly, rushing for 210 yards on 33 carries. We want whoever is the starter here with how effectively NIU is running the football this season.
Blake Watson, Old Dominion – Consecutive 100-yard rushing performances for Watson, and has seemingly taken over the backfield now with 20+ carries in both games.
Tavion Thomas, Utah – What a winding road it’s been this season for the Utah backfield. First it was Thomas. Then Micah Bernard. Last week it was T.J. Pledger. Now its Thomas again who rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. I’m tentative to rank him any higher because of how fluid its been this season, and the matchups are tough the next two weeks with Oregon State and UCLA who have the top two rush defenses in the Pac-12.
Wide Receivers:
Jalen Wayne, South Alabama – Same reasons here as we stated with Bentley above now that South Alabama is hitting the heart of the Sun Belt schedule. Wayne had a season-high 142 receiving yards, converting on all eight of his targets. At least six targets in each of the last five games.
Jaray Jenkins, LSU – All the focus on the LSU freshman and it was Jaray Jenkins who had the massive day with four receptions for 50 yards and three scores vs. the Gators. His playing time was decreasing with every passing week, and Jenkins did benefit from Deion Smith not playing, explaining why he isn’t higher on this list.
Ali Jennings, Old Dominion – Breakout game for the former West Virginia transfer with 13-172-0 on 19 targets (!). Three straight games now with double-digit fantasy points for Jennings has he found the end-zone in Week 5 and 6.
Will Sheppard, Vanderbilt – Regardless of who starts at QB for Vandy, Will Sheppard continues to perform with 3-120-1 on six targets against South Carolina. Volume should be there next week against a Mississippi State defense that will force the Dores to throw it. Team leader with 29 percent of the target share.
Dynasty:
Stefan Cobbs, Boise State – This is the second time I’ve mentioned Cobbs in this section this season, and wanted to bump it again because I’d be attempting to trade for him now in my dynasty leagues if you haven’t already. We mentioned repeatedly this offseason that the WR1 in Tim Plough’s offensive system is typically profitable and while Khalil Shakir hasn’t popped this season the way we expected, he’s still averaging 19 FPPG. Cobbs has shown to a playmaker with four touchdowns in his last four games, and has a 88.5 conversion rate this season on his 26 targets with just one drop.