CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 4

Welcome to another installment of the waiver wire watch. Throughout the college football season, I'll pick two guys from every conference who either caught my eye in the previous week or who have a favorable match-up in the near future. As always, I'll get to any questions or comments you have in the comments section below.

AAC

Anthony Russo, QB, Temple
With Russo throwing for 277 yards and three touchdowns against a hot Maryland squad, it was enough for me to conclude that this Temple offense is no longer one centered around the run game. The Owls' starting quarterback should be a trendy start versus Buffalo, Georgia Tech and East Carolina over the next three weeks. This is one of my top recommendations this week as he's available in almost all leagues.

Darius Bradwell, RB, Tulane
Bradwell has been dropped in leagues most recently because he was understandably bottled up by Auburn in Week 2 and saw limited touches in a blowout of Missouri State in Week 3. He should return to a bigger role when the Green Wave take on the Houston Cougars on national television on Thursday Night. Houston has trouble stopping any position, so I also like quarterback Justin McMillan if you can still scoop him up in your league.

Last Week; Navy RB Nelson Smith (14 rushes for 52 yards) & SMU RB Xavier Jones (20 carries for 108 yards, 1 TD)

ACC

Chatarius Atwell, WR, Louisville
The speedy freshman has made a great first impression with 11 catches for 241 yards and four touchdowns in his first three games. He was one of the best players on the field versus Western Kentucky with three touchdowns and his first 100-yard receiving game. Louisville gets Florida State, Boston College and Wake Forest over the next three weeks which could mean a bunch of targets for Atwell.

DeeJay Dallas, RB, Miami
A true freshman quarterback's best friend can be a dependable running back and that's exactly what Dallas has been for Jarren Williams. Dallas has recorded three straight games with over 100 total yards, including a 108 yards and three touchdowns this past Saturday. Dallas should continue that streak versus Central Michigan in Week 4.

Last Week; Wake Forest WR Scotty Washington (two catches for 31 years on seven targets) & NC State QB Matt McKay (23/48, 207 yards, 1 TD)

BIG 12

Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State
Purdy came in with high expectations and the Cyclones have struggled in games with Northern Iowa and Iowa to start the season. Despite the struggles, Purdy hasn't been a bad fantasy option as he's completing over 70 percent of his passes and has thrown three touchdowns and no interceptions. His numbers will get much better over the next two weeks when he plays Louisiana-Monroe and Baylor. If he was dropped in your fantasy league, he's worth picking up.

Darius Anderson, RB, TCU
Time to get back on the Anderson train as he exploded for 179 yards and two touchdowns as TCU racked up an astonishing 346 rushing yards against Purdue. The Horned Frogs continue to have struggles at quarterback with Max Duggan and Alex Delton, so it makes sense that Gary Patterson would shape the offense around the run game. Anderson should be able to have another productive week against SMU.

Last Week; Texas WR Devin Duvernay (Six catches for 60 yards on seven targets) & Texas Tech RB Ta'Zhawn Henry (Four carries for 21 yards and one catch)

BIG TEN

Peyton Ramsey, QB or Michael Penix Jr., QB, Indiana
Ramsey received the start versus the Buckeyes and wasn't very productive, but not many are productive against Ohio State. Penix Jr. was ruled out with an undisclosed injury after starting the first two games for Indiana. Whichever QB gets the nod this week should be started against a bad Connecticut team, so keep an eye on the news to see which one of these guys should be picked up off the waiver wire.

Maurice Washington, RB, Nebraska
Washington was somewhat avoided in fantasy drafts due to an off-the-field issue which caused Nebraska to suspend the running back for the first half of the season opener. In his last two games, he has 19 rushes for 140 yards and a touchdown as well as seven catches for 136 yards and two more touchdowns. He's not due in court until October and gets to play Illinois this week. He should be started in all formats.

Last Week; Purdue QB Elijah Sindelar (DNP - Concussion) & Iowa WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette (3 catches for 46 yards)

C-USA

John Mitchell, WR, Florida Atlantic
Perhaps Mitchell's slow start over the first two weeks (three catches for 27 yards) had to do with the shoulder injury he was in the midst of shaking off against Ohio State and UCF. He looked great in Week 3 with eight catches for 124 yards and three touchdowns versus Ball State. With those kind of numbers, he's worth owning in most fantasy leagues, especially considering the Owls play Wagner, Charlotte and Middle Tennessee State over the next month.

Xavier Gaines, TE, Marshall
The best part about researching Gaines is recognizing that this tight end has increased his rushing attempts each week. That's right, this tight end rushes the ball. In addition to eight catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns, Gaines has six rushing attempts for 76 yards and another score. With how shallow the tight end position is across the college football landscape, Gaines is worth an add just for the fact that he receives the ball in different ways.

Last Week; Charlotte QB Chris Reynolds (10/12, 155 yards, 2 TD, 34 yards rushing) & Marshall RB Brenden Knox (16 carries for 133 yards, 1 TD)

MAC

Mike Glass III, QB, Eastern Michigan
Glass has thrown for more than 300 yards in back-to-back games against Power 5 opponents and has a total of eight passing touchdowns to go along with a rushing score this year. If he can do that against the likes of Illinois and Kentucky, he'll have no problem producing against Central Connecticut, Central Michigan and Ball State over his next three games.

Drew Rosi, TE, Toledo
Rosi showed up against Murray State with a team-leading five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. He splits the tight end reps with Reggie Gilliam, however, has been much more productive in the Rockets' first two games. Toledo has one of the best offenses in the MAC and has an upcoming matchup with Colorado State that is likely to be shootout. Rosi is at the very least good for a few targets and the upside of more than that.

Last Week; Ball State QB Drew Plitt (26/38, 303 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 36 yards rushing) & Western Michigan TE Giovanni Ricci (1 catch for 30 yards)

MWC

Marvin Kinsey Jr., RB, Colorado State
Now that WR Dante Wright is owned in pretty much all leagues, it's time to go out and get Kinsey who rushed for 180 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries (9.0 yards per carry) versus Arkansas. He had two receiving touchdowns the week before. Buyer beware though as he does have three lost fumbles in three games. I wouldn't worry much about that though as Colorado State should be in shootouts with pretty much all of their opponents. That should be the case versus Toledo this week.

Jorge Reyna, QB, Fresno State
We last saw Reyna when the Bulldogs nearly pulled off an overtime upset of Minnesota. The quarterback went 24-for-35 with 288 yards and three touchdowns as well as a rushing score despite also throwing two interceptions. With fringe dual-threat ability, he should be snatched up now as he has these opponents over the next month-and-a-half; Sacramento State, New Mexico State, Air Force, UNLV an, Colorado State and Hawaii. He's can be locked in for almost all of those games.

Last Week; Wyoming QB Sean Chambers (4/12, 50 yards, 26 yards rushing) & Nevada RB Toa Taua (16 rushes for 85 yards, three catches for nine yards)

PAC-12

Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State
Back to the Aiyuk well as the Sun Devils have an upcoming matchup with Colorado who hasn't had a lot of luck stopping opposing offenses this year. The young receiver has at least four catches in every game this season which isn't a bad floor for a starting receiver in fantasy lineups. While he has just one touchdown so far, I think there's a good chance he gets his second this week.

Chase Garbers, QB, California
This may be the only week of the year where I recommend a Cal player for the waiver wire. The reason I'm doing that is because I think Garbers lines up well to take advantage of an underwhelming Ole Miss defense. He's not an accurate passer at all, but he does typically receive double-digit carries.

Last Week; Washington State WR Dezmon Patmon (two catches for 52 yards, 1 TD on two targets) & USC QB Kedon Slovis (24/34, 281 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT)

SEC

Nick Starkel, QB, Arkansas
The Texas A&M transfer took the job from Ben Hicks and was fairly productive versus Colorado State with 305 yards and three touchdowns through the air.  While it was a Colorado State that is among the worst defenses in college football, the Razorbacks get San Jose State this week which is more of the same in regard to their defense. Starkel should have another good game before revving up for his revenge game against the Aggies.

DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
Is there any reason to not believe that Alabama will blow out all of their opponents this year? Yeah, I didn't think so, thus that's exactly the reason Smith should be owned across pretty much all fantasy leagues. Through the first three games, Smith has at least five catches in all of his games. He also has three touchdowns and is averaging a silly 13.2 yards per catch.

Last Week; LSU WR Justin Jefferson (Five catches for 124 yards) & Tennessee WR Jauan Jennings (1 catch for 12 yards, 1 TD)

SUN BELT

Kaleb Barker, QB, Troy
We should all forget about Barker's ACL tear from last season as the senior went out and threw for 504 yards and four touchdowns against Southern Miss. That was his second multi-touchdown game of the season. I would expect him to have yet another high volume passing performance at Akron in Week 4.

Corey Sutton, WR, Appalachian State
Sutton was supposed to return in Week 2 against Charlotte, but the team decided to suspend the star receiver for another game due to his off-the-field issues during the offseason. It's not currently known whether he will be back for sure against North Carolina, but if he is, he should be owned in close to 100% of leagues. The Mountaineers are already a good college football team and could be even better with Sutton. Look to see if he'll be reinstated and grab him off the wire if he is.

Last Week; Coastal Carolina RB CJ Marable (19 rushes for 101 yards, 1 TD, two catches for 12 yards) & Louisiana QB Levi Lewis (10/13, 181 yards, 2 TD)

INDEPENDENTS

Stephen Calvert, QB, Liberty
Liberty's offense finally woke up as Calvert tossed four touchdowns and threw for 325 yards in a 35-17 win over Buffalo on Saturday. The Flames have a desirable schedule coming up with Hampton, New Mexico and New Mexico State. I wouldn't be surprised if Calvert can throw multiple touchdowns in each of those games. His upside is limited by the fact that he's strictly a pocket passer.

Last Week; Army QB Kelvin Hopkins Jr. (DNP – Leg Injury)

DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS

Virginia (vs. Old Dominion) – The Cavs are 3-0 and their nasty defensive front has 14 sacks on the season. Old Dominion is going to have some trouble here.

Iowa State (vs. Louisiana-Monroe) – If the Cyclones can slow it down and play with Iowa, I don't see them getting in to a shootout with UL-Monroe.

Boise State (vs. Air Force) – The Broncos have only given up 17 total points on the blue field over the last two weeks. They also have 12 sacks and four turnovers on the season.

Last Week; Oregon (vs. Montana – 3 points allowed, 3 Sacks, 1 Turnover), Missouri (vs. SE Missouri St – Shutout, 3 Sacks, 2 TDs), NC State (at West Virginia – 44 points allowed, 1 INT)

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: Anthony Russo – Temple, Brock Purdy – Iowa State, Jorge Reyna – Fresno State
RB: Maurice Washington – Nebraska, DeeJay Dallas – Miami, Darius Anderson - TCU
WR: Corey Sutton – Appalachian State (*Confirm Return), John Mitchell – Florida Atlantic, DeVonta Smith – Alabama, Brandon Aiyuk – Arizona State
TE: Xavier Gaines – Marshall, Drew Rosi – Toledo
D/ST: Virginia (vs. Old Dominion)