CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 10

Markets tend to move towards efficiency and we're starting to see that on the college football waiver wire as my options are beginning to seem thinner each week which is just a testament to the sharp fantasy players out there. As a reminder, I look for players that are owned in less than 50 percent of Fantrax leagues each week for this article. I had a mediocre week by my standards and really only hit on my recommended Mountain West and Sun Belt receivers (still love all four of these guys moving forward):

San Jose State WR Bailey Gaither – 10 catches for 208 yards and 1 TD
San Jose State WR Tre Walker – Nine catches for 107 yards and 2 TD
Troy WR Kaylon Geiger – Eight catches for 126 yards
Coastal Carolina WR Jaivon Heiligh – Five catches for 81 yards and 2 TD

Four of my recommendations were affected by COVID-19 and this is a problem that appears will only get worse as the season progresses. Make sure you stay up to date on the games that have been canceled or postponed. Another aspect to consider moving forward is weather as collegiate games don't usually run in to late November and well in to December like they will this year.

Slate Background: We're locked and loaded for Week 10 as the Pac-12 and MAC make it the first full slate of the year! Be aware that MACTION occurs right away with six games on Wednesday Night. The Mountain West is playing a pair of games on Thursday Night. We get a trio of games on Friday night which is highlighted by BYU at Boise State. Those are just the appetizers for what will be a fun-filled Saturday including Florida at Georgia and Clemson at Notre Dame.

AAC

Calvin Austin, WR, Memphis
Austin has been the primary benefactor from Damonte Coxie's shocking decision to out of the season a few weeks ago. In his last three games, Austin has 22 catches for 456 yards and three touchdowns. Moreover, he was also productive with Coxie in the line-up as he had a touchdown in each of the Tigers' first two games this season as well. Memphis' season is super fantasy-friendly over the next five weeks including bouts with South Florida, Navy, SF Austin, Tulane and Houston who all have below-average defenses. No way will Austin be under 50 percent ownership after this week's waiver wire, so go scoop him up while you can.

Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane
There's some decent true freshman quarterbacks in 2020 and one of them is playing with the Green Wave. Pratt has surpassed 20 fantasy points on three different occasions this year and he can produce with his arm and his legs. In five games, he has 14 total touchdowns, including at least one rushing score in four of those five games. Tulane should be able to put up a ton of points against an East Carolina squad who is known to not play any defense. Plus, Tulane doesn't really like to play defense either, so expect a high-scoring affair on both sides.

Week 9 Rewind; Cincinnati RB Gerrid Doaks (18 carries for 77 yards, one catch for one yard) & Houston QB Clayton Tune (21/41 for 263 yads, 1 TD, 2 INT and 37 rushing yards)

ACC

Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Flowers has been as consistent as they come in 2020 with double-digit fantasy performances in six of the Eagles' seven games this year. That's why it's pretty peculiar that he's owned in just 35 percent of Fantrax leagues. He receives a ton of targets and even in a game against Georgia Tech where he recorded just one catch on four targets, he had three carries for 36 yards and a touchdown. Boston College knows that they need to find ways to get Flowers the ball as he's their most explosive playmaker. He'll have his chances to score against a terrible Syracuse defense and then Boston College will need to throw to compete with Notre Dame the following week.

Hendon Hooker, QB, Virginia Tech
Hooker has one of the highest floors in all of college football as he's a threat to rush for over 100 yards and multiple touchdowns each and every week. In addition to the high upside in the run-game, he's also a decent passer. He had no trouble confusing Louisville while going a perfect 10-for-10 through the air and rushing for 68 yards and three touchdowns on 19 attempts. The Hokies' game with Liberty could be really fun and likely a game that only true college football fans are targeting. Hooker's skill set is very similar to Liberty's Malik Willis who has been mentioned in this article many times throughout the year.

Week 9 Rewind; Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer (Three catches for 15 yards) & Wake Forest RB Christian Beal-Smith (19 carries for 87 yards, one catch for four yards)

BIG 12

Zach Evans, RB, TCU
You only live once, so I guess I'll put my hope in Gary Patterson making the right decision to unleash Evans who looks freaking awesome every time he touches the ball. Heck, I think he looks awesome when just lining up in the backfield. Evans scored his first touchdown this past weekend on a 33-yard rush and has six catches for 66 receiving yards in his past two games. If TCU doesn't play the true freshman, I do think they risk him thinking about the transfer portal which would not be a good look for the Horned Frogs.

Austin Stogner, TE, Oklahoma
Stogner has been a favorite target of quarterback Spencer Rattler all season long, so it wasn't a huge surprise to see him score a touchdown in two of his last three games. As usual with the Sooners, they're not short of offensive weapons, but I do think you can trust in Stogner who has 22 catches for 335 yards and two touchdowns in six games. I would rather go here at tight end for their upcoming game with Kansas than try to figure out who from T.J. Pledger, Seth McGowan or Rhamondre Stevenson will breakout in the run-game.

Week 9 Rewind; Iowa State WR Xavier Hutchinson (Five catches for 87 yards, 1 TD) & Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims (Four catches for 60 yards)

BIG TEN

Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
The Nittany Lions' offense has been devastated by injuries to running backs Journey Brown and Noah Cain, so they've had to turn somewhere for offensive production. The answer has been Dotson with 12 catches for 238 yards and four touchdowns through their first two games, including three scores versus Ohio State this past weekend. While I'm pretty sure he won't sustain this type of production in the long-term, I think Penn State will need to lean on Dotson and QB Sean Clifford to carry them through the next few games.

Michael Penix, QB, Indiana
I'm all-in on this Indiana team and I think they can compete with Michigan, Michigan State and maybe even Ohio State over the next three weeks. The Wolverines looked awful against a Michigan State team who lost to Rutgers in their first game, the same Rutgers team that Penix scored four total touchdowns on. I know that I shouldn't use the transitive property, yet I fully expect this Indiana team to have a shot at beating Michigan at home on Saturday. While Penix has put together some nice running highlights, he has some zip on his throws and some talented receivers in Whop Philyor, Ty Fryfogle and Peyton Hendershot.

Week 9 Rewind; Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz (Game Cancelled due to COVID-19), Wisconsin TE Jake Ferguson (Game Cancelled due to COVID-19) & Rutgers RB Isaih Pacheco (10 carries for 26 yards and four catches for 32 yards)

C-USA

Grant Wells, QB, Marshall
I'm going with Wells here because Marshall should obliterate their next three opponents in UMass, Middle Tennessee and Charlotte. While they could just hand the ball off to Brenden Knox 30 times per game, I think they would be smart to continue to develop the redshirt freshman quarterback. This would involve him potentially completing more than 19 passes in a game which he has not yet done this year. The Thundering Herd are on pace for an undefeated season and will likely get matched up with a decent opponent in their bowl game, so I really want to see what they have with Wells before I pick them in this hypothetical bowl game.

Austin Trammell, WR, Rice
Now that we know that Mike Collins is an above average quarterback at Rice, we can go out and get Trammell as he's going to have an opportunity to score each and every week. That's all he's done through the first two games with the Owls with 10 catches for 119 yards and five touchdowns. With the remaining schedule being UTSA, Louisiana Tech, North Texas and UTEP, this is an easy one. With much worse QB play in 2019, he had 60 catches for 726 yards and four touchdowns on 113 targets, so there's some real talent here.

*Old Dominion is not playing in Fall 2020

Week 9 Rewind; UTEP WR Justin Garrett (Postponed due to COVID-19) & Rice QB Mike Collins (12/17 for 233 yards, 4 TD)

MAC

Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
The Broncos open the season with the Akron Zips which is great news for Moore who was awesome as a true freshman with 51 catches for 802 yards and three touchdowns on 86 targets. In addition to being mesmerized by his first name with the double y's, he's expected to see more action in the slot this year and there should be a ton of targets available for the sophomore since their star tight-end Giovanni Ricci departed in the off-season. If you go out and get Moore, you will be rooting for the right playmaker on a special MACtion Wednesdays!

Bryce Mitchell, WR, Toledo
Since I've recommended enough quarterbacks this week and you can't get running back Bryant Koback, go out and get the Rockets' senior receiver in Mitchell. They go up against the MAC's worst team in Bowling Green in their first game and I think you need to take advantage of these passing games while you can as the weather will get brutal in the Midwest by late November and early December. Most fantasy owners are also aware of this as the league's running backs are owned across the board for the most part.

MWC

Romeo Doubs & Carson Strong, WR & QB, Nevada
Doubs has been sick in his first two games with 18 catches for 328 yards and two touchdowns. He started the year with 18 targets against Wyoming and then went for 35.2 yards per catch at UNLV. I can't wait to see what he does against Utah State and New Mexico. The reason he has been so good is due to his quarterback Strong who has been slinging with 770 passing yards and six touchdowns through his first two games. The Wolf Pack have favored the pass over the run in their first two games, so here's to hoping they continue that strategy moving forward.

Greg Bell, RB, San Diego State
Bell has been a workhorse in the Aztecs first two games with 43 total touches for 297 yards and three touchdowns. While Chance Bell also has three scores, he has only 17 touches, so I'm thinking San Diego State will continue to ride the hot hand with Greg. Early observations suggest that the Mountain West will have a ton of bad defenses, so it will be important to go out and get these playmakers while you can before everyone else catches on.

Week 9 Rewind; Hawaii QB Chevan Corderio (11/26 for 110 yards, 1 INT, 1 yard rushing), San Jose State WR Bailey Gaither (10 catches for 208 yards, 1 TD) & San Jose State WR Tre Walker (Nine catches for 107 yards, 2 TD)

PAC-12

Brady Russell, TE, Colorado
I'm targeting the UCLA and Colorado game to be the most fantasy friendly in the first week of the Pac-12 slate, so I like Russell for those desperate for a tight end at this point in the season. The Buffaloes lost both of their top pass-catchers in Laviska Shenault and Tony Brown, thus there will be a ton of targets to go around. Russell caught 23 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 32 targets in 2019, so he's well-positioned to make a leap this season. He's not as good as Utah's Brant Kuithe, but we can only work with what's available on the wire.

Demetric Felton, RB, UCLA
Felton has even more value in a PPR format as the combo running back caught 55 passes for 594 yards and four touchdowns on 73 targets a year ago. While he's clearly a pass-catching back, he did have 86 carries for 331 yards and a touchdown in 2019 as well. Colorado and UCLA have two of the worst defenses in the conference, so I fully expect these two teams to march up and down the field. Felton will be busy all season long as UCLA has no real running game and they will need to be throwing in all of their games. Felton should be a very popular play in DFS formats this year if the price ends up being right most weeks.

SEC

Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
Burks has been busy in the Razorbacks' last two games with 18 catches for 254 yards and three touchdowns to go along with 47 rushing yards on seven attempts. I fully expect that trend to continue when Arkansas goes up against Tennessee, Florida, LSU and Missouri over the next month of the season. Quarterback Feleipe Franks is also in play against Tennessee this week, but I like Burks better. It appears Burks is the real deal as he had 100-yard receiving performances against Georgia and Texas A&M which are far more impressive than that mammoth performance against Ole Miss.

James Cook, RB, Georgia
A matchup between the Bulldogs and Gators will be an interesting contrast of styles. If Florida has any success on the offensive end which is certainly possible with their playmakers, I like Cook who has been great in the pass-game in his last two contests with eight catches for 163 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. Add in roughly the five carries he gets per game and I think that's enough volume to work with against a bad Florida defense.

Week 9 Rewind; Ole Miss RB Snoop Conner (Five carries for 21 yards, 1 TD, one catch for one yard) & Missouri QB Connor Bazelak (26/40 for 208 yards)

SUN BELT

Grayson McCall, QB, Coastal Carolina
McCall has been my favorite player on the waiver wire list this year and for good reason as he's come through for me so many times. I'm actually thankful for his random upper body injury as it allowed for his ownership to dip under 50 percent, so I could be back on him. He was great in a 51-0 win at Georgia State while accounting for five touchdowns and frustrating an opposing defender to the point where he actually swung a punch at the quarterback. McCall and the Chanticleers should keep rolling against South Alabama and Troy the next couple of weeks.

Kawaan Baker, WR, South Alabama
I generally stick to what I know in the Sun Belt conference and because the two running backs for the Ragin' Cajuns are owned for their juicy match-up against Arkansas State, I'll go back to Baker who holds a monopoly on the Jaguars' target share. He has at least five catches in five straight games and there's no doubt that South Alabama will need to throw the ball versus a very good Coastal Carolina team. I'm not sure if he'll find the end-zone, but I do know he's good for a bunch of targets at the very least.

Week 9 Rewind; Troy WR Kaylon Geiger (Eight catches for 126 yards) & Coastal Carolina WR Jaivon Heiligh (Five catches for 81 yards, 2 TD)

INDEPENDENTS

Dax Milne, WR, BYU
Until he's owned in over 50 percent of leagues, I'm leaving Milne right in this spot as he has a touchdown in three straight games and at least four catches in six straight games. BYU has its toughest test to date at Boise State, so this could be a great week for the junior receiver. Quarterback Zach Wilson is starting to get a ton of NFL Draft buzz, so no reason for him to stop throwing the ball now. There will be a ton of eyes on that game in Boise on Friday Night.

*New Mexico State and UConn are not playing in Fall 2020

Week 9 Rewind; BYU WR Dax Milne (Five catches for 67 yards, 1 TD)

DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS

Marshall (vs. UMass) – We didn't get the Thundering Herd last week as FIU was forced to cancel the game, let's hope they can beat up on UMass this week.

Coastal Carolina (vs. South Alabama) – Should have had the Chanticleers last week as they blanked Georgia State on the road. They're great at forcing turnovers 11 on the season.

Oklahoma (vs. Kansas) – Always safe going against the Jayhawks, even when it's the Oklahoma defense.

Week 9 Rewind; Minnesota at Maryland (45 PA, 1 Sack, 2 TAs), Iowa State at Kansas (22 PA, 5 Sacks, 2 TAs) & Marshall at FIU (Postponed due to COVID-19)

SUMMARY & TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

Utilizing the two players for each conference, I'll list out who my top recommendations are on a weekly basis by position:

QB: Virginia Tech Hendon Hooker, Coastal Carolina Grayson McCall, Nevada Carson Strong
RB: San Diego State Greg Bell, UCLA Demetric Felton, TCU Zach Evans
WR: Memphis Calvin Austin, BYU Dax Milne, Nevada Romeo Doubs, Penn State Jahan Dotson
TE: Oklahoma Austin Stogner, Colorado Brady Russell, 
D/ST: Marshall (vs. UMass), Coastal Carolina (vs. South Alabama)