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 – Keeping Richardson on the list here for one more week, still sitting at just 26 percent ownership on Fantrax. Dan Mullen remains mum on the decision to start Richardson or Emory Jones this week against Georgia, but is it really that much of a secret? Which player truly gives Mullen and the Gators the best chance to win this week? Should Richardson start this week, I’d be tentative about having him in my lineup against the best defense in the country, but look at that closing schedule for the Gators. You’ll want him on your roster for the stretch run of the CFF season.
Garrett Shrader, Syracuse – I’m going to assume that Shrader’s 19 percent ownership on Fantrax is a combination of CFF playoff contenders already set at the quarterback position and teams that are out of contention who don’t care about waivers anymore at this point in the season. Dino Babers did say that they’re going to run the ball until opponents can stop them, and so far, only Clemson has been able to with any amount of success. We’ll be firing up Shrader in our lineups in the next two weeks with Boston College and Louisville upcoming.
Running Backs:
Braelon Allen, Wisconsin – Two fumbles limited Allen’s production against Purdue, but the true freshman was still very effective on 11 carries against a very good defense with 132 rushing yards and two scores. That’s now three-straight 100-yard rushing performances. Might not play Allen next week against Iowa, but a very appealing closing month of the season against some of the bottom-tier rush defenses in the Big Ten.
Jaylan Knighton, Miami – As anticipated, Knighton dominated the touches on the Miami backfield with Cam’Ron Harris out for the season, leading the team with 21 attempts for 83 yards. While the rushing numbers don’t necessarily stand out, Knighton continues to be a weapon out of the backfield, catching all six of his targets with a receiving touchdown for the second-straight week.
Wide Receivers:
N/A – WR pool has dried up. Nobody is must-add at this point.
Worth A Look
If you have the roster room, these prospects are worth a look.
Quarterbacks:
Darren Grainger, Georgia State – A combined 78 fantasy points in the last two weeks for the former JUCO transfer, getting it done with both his arm and legs. Superb matchup next week against Georgia Southern – a defense allowing 40 points per game over the last three weeks.
Chase Garbers, California – Garbers is really coming into his own now in the second year of this offensive system, and the fantasy production is there as well, scoring 24 or more fantasy points in five of the last six games. This entire Cal offense is capable of a clunker or two as they showed three weeks ago against Washington State, but there isn’t a single defense on the remaining schedule that should realistically give this offense major troubles.
Cam Rising, Utah – Rising has been exceptional since taking over the starting job, and was again on Saturday, completing 22 of 36 passes for 267 yards and two scores, while adding 73 yards on the ground. After the rocky start against Washington State, Rising now has posted three-straight performances of 29 fantasy points or more. With injury questions in the backfield and facing a tough run defense against UCLA next week, Rising will be counted on the throw quite a bit is my assumption.
Jonah Johnson, New Mexico State – Johnson tossed two interceptions and didn’t throw a passing touchdown, but still managed 29 fantasy points in the loss with over 300+ total yards and two rushing scores. Bye week upcoming for New Mexico State, but gets a suspect Utah State defense the following week.
Running Backs:
Montrell Johnson, Louisiana – The trouble doing the Waiver Wire writeup sometimes is bypassing players that you just assume are on rosters. I can’t check every single player, but I assumed that the ownership would be higher for a player like Johnson who has seen consistent carries in the UL rotation since Week 2. Not the case, but that will change this week as he’s rushed for 100+ yards in each of the last two games with three rushing scores. Not higher on the list because this remains a three-man rotation with Chris Smith, who seems to be finding his stride of late, and Emani Bailey.
Jevyon Ducker, Northern Illinois – So much for head coach Thomas Hammock saying that Antario Brown would be available this week. Didn’t see a single snap, leading to another monster day for Jevyon Ducker who rushed for 183 yards on 31 carries. Identity of this NIU offense is established – feed whoever is the RB1. When Brown comes back, that’ll be a tough decision for the staff that I wouldn’t want to make.
Dylan McDuffie, Buffalo – Three-straight 20+ fantasy point performances for McDuffie in the absence of Kevin Marks. After relying on a committee through the first six weeks, the staff seems to be content with relying on McDuffie the last two games with 20+ carries. We’ll keep tabs on if Marks is available next week against Bowling Green, because if not, McDuffie is a must-start.
Keaontay Ingram, USC – Seems as though Ingram actually likes the cold weather as he had a season-high 138 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries in the loss to Notre Dame. Carries have been consistent for Ingram over the last month, and a favorable matchup next week against Arizona where he should be able to reach double-digit fantasy points with ease if looking for a one-week filler.
Tavion Thomas, Utah – We’ll have to monitor this through the week as Thomas left the contest due to injury, but if healthy, he has a stranglehold on the Utah backfield as long as he holds on to the football. 17+ carries in the last three games with four rushing TDs.
Wide Receivers:
Ryan O’Keefe, UCF – O’Keefe has benefitted from Jaylon Robinson being out of the lineup with 24 receptions on 30 targets in the last three games alone. Everything is close to the line of scrimmage with an aDOT of just 7.3 so we aren’t seeing big yardage totals, but O’Keefe has some value in PPR formats. 100 total rushing yards in the last two games combined as well, as they’re finding success using O’Keefe on jet sweeps.
Cedric Tillman / Velus Jones, Tennessee – Guess it’s time to trust Josh Heupel and this passing offense even in unfavorable matchups such as on the road at Alabama. Tillman has had at least six targets in each of the last four games, finding the end-zone three times in that span. Same logic applies to Jones as these two have separated themselves as the top options for Hendon Hooker in the passing game. Tough matchup against Kentucky next week, where I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wildcats attempt to slow the game down with the Chris Rodriguez and their running game.
Thayer Thomas, NC State – I’ve been tentative to put Thomas on this list as Devin Leary really spreads the ball around to his three top receivers and there isn’t a target hog amongst the group. I can’t ignore the junior slot-man any longer, as he has six receiving touchdowns in the last six games with at least four catches in every week besides the opener. Now that Thomas is on the list, it’ll probably be Emeka Emezie or Devin Carter busting out next week. That’s typically how it works with NC State receivers.
Grant Dubose, Charlotte – 70+ yards receiving in each of the last four games. Teams have been trying to slow the game down against Western Kentucky and their offense – Charlotte’s next opponent – so their might be less opportunities in the passing game for Dubose next week if the 49ers employ a similar strategy. Or, they look to keep pace with the Hilltoppers, meaning Dubose should have another productive outing.
Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda, New Mexico State – Double-digit targets in each of the last four games. Full-point PPR option only.
Longshots
Need to see more from these guys before pulling the trigger, unless you are in the deepest of leagues.
Quarterbacks:
Chandler Rogers, Louisiana-Monroe – I wouldn’t be starting Rogers next week on the road at Appalachian State, but I would’ve advised the same thing this past Saturday against a tough South Alabama defense and he wound up throwing for 355 yards and four scores. All of a sudden, the Warhawks are 4-3 under Terry Bowden and averaging 36 PPG over the last two weeks. Rogers does have a pair of favorable matchups following the App State game, with two bottom-tier defenses in Texas State and Arkansas State.
Jake Bentley, South Alabama – Despite the losing effort, Bentley was productive again from a fantasy standpoint, topping 300 passing yards for the second-straight game with four passing touchdowns. South Alabama has no running game to speak of, so it’s not like they can keep the ball on the ground against Arkansas State next week like Louisiana did last Thursday. Bentley has nine passing touchdowns in the last three games.
Running Backs:
Minnesota backfield – I had zero interest in watching this game, so I’ll have to read up what was said afterwards, but I think we’ll want a piece of this backfield next week facing the worst rush defense in the Big Ten in Northwestern. This week, it was Ky Thomas who led the way with 139 yards on 21 carries, but all three running backs found some semblance of success against the Terps. Snap counts were dead even between Thomas and Bryce Williams. Seems like a situation where Fleck just rides the hot hand here.
Jordan Mims, Fresno State – From what I read, Ronnie Rivers was in a walking boot on the sideline against Nevada after leaving the game in the first half. There wasn’t a noticeable limp, but doesn’t mean he couldn’t miss a game or two. Mims, a former starter and talented player in his own right, came on in relief to rush for 134 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. We aren’t starting any Fresno running back next week against a dominant San Diego State run defense, but we’ll be monitoring Rivers’ status throughout the week.
Dedrick Parson, Hawaii – Parson started in place of the injured Dae Dae Hunter and rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Gets the 118th ranked rush defense in the country next week in Utah State – but we need to make sure Hunter isn’t available for the game if wanting to roster Parson for a week. Added six receptions on six targets coming out of the backfield.
Wide Receivers:
Malik Williams, Appalachian State – You catch 10 passes on 14 targets and score 37 fantasy points, you get a spot on this list. Favorable matchups the next two weeks with Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State for this entire Appalachian State offense which is why Williams doesn’t rank higher. Will the Mountaineers need to put the ball in the air at all against those teams?
Jimmy Marshall, Middle Tennessee – MTSU uses between 5-6 receivers in a constant rotation, but Marshall has been the most consistent of the bunch, scoring double-digit fantasy points in five of the last six games.
Dynasty:
Keelan Marion, Connecticut – The Huskies seem to have at least one building block for the future in Marion who has topped 60 receiving yards with three touchdowns in the last four games. I’d say this is for dynasty leagues with larger rosters as there is some risk involved as we don’t know what the future holds with the UConn coaching staff. But what if they hire an Air Raid coach?
Josh McCray, Illinois – The Illini realized they needed to completely ditch the pass to have any shot against Penn State, and the strategy worked as Chase Brown and Josh McCray rushed for over 350 yards and a touchdown in the upset win. Brown left the game in overtime with what looked to be a concussion so McCray might have some value next week against Rutgers if Brown potentially misses the contest. The 240-pound freshman should be a priority looking towards future seasons in dynasty.