This article is part of our CFB Waiver Wire series.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC
Greg Ward, QB/WR, Houston
Ward replaced John O'Korn under center in Thursday's loss to Central Florida, and while the team has not name a starter for Saturday against Memphis, there's little risk involved in adding Ward. He's far from a refined passer, but offers the ability to move the pocket and take off, and will come with wide receiver eligibility. If he starts - you have to starting quarterbacks to play with. If he doesn't - he's a receiver who still figures to see a few snaps under center.
Garrett Krstich, QB, SMU
Krstich showed signs of life over the weekend at East Carolina, tossing a whopping 67 passes (completing 42) for 339 yards and two touchdowns. The Mustangs are off in Week 7, but looking toward Week 8, will take on Cincinnati, which ranks 121st against the pass. SMU plays from behind often, the Bearcats can score at will, and the Mustangs also average just 45 yards per game on the ground. Krstich is set up for some short-term success.
ATLANTIC COAST
Brandon Radcliff, RB, Louisville
Radcliff may have been a popular addition before last Saturday's game against Syracuse, but he is now a must add if still available. He ran 23 times for 110 yards and two scores in Week 6, his second consecutive game with at least that many yards and the third time he's scored twice in a game. He's emerged as the go-to back for the Cardinals thanks to Dominique Brown's fumbling and L.J. Scott's injured ankle, and it's a role he may not relinquish.
Kevin Parks, RB, Virginia
This may be a reach, as Parks was a recognizable name coming into the year after rushing for more than 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago. But a slow start to the 2014 campaign could have landed him on free-agent lists, as he entered last weekend with only 258 yards and two touchdowns. He exited with 427 and three scores, and with the Cavaliers surprisingly sitting at 4-2 heading into a Week 7 bye, the team could trim its rotation as it suddenly finds itself competing for the division. Coming out of the off week, Virginia faces Duke, North Carolina and Georgia Tech. Parks is set up for a solid run over the rest of October.
BIG 12
B.J. Catalon, RB, TCU
Catalon continues to produce, and at some point, it's time to stop questioning it and time to start embracing it. Despite his slender 5-foot-9, 190, frame, Catalon has five touchdowns on 54 touches to date. The Horned Frogs have played only four games thanks to scheduling, and he could be a little further down the list if you're sorting by total points. With Baylor on deck this Saturday, the team will undoubtedly need a few big plays from Catalon.
Corey Avery, RB, Kansas
There aren't many options in the Big 12 this week, so it appears time for Avery to get a little extra coverage. He's a true freshman who has carried at least 16 times in three games, and topped 87 yards twice. There is little going on in Lawrence that is impressive, but Avery looks like a decent building block for a new coach, and likely makes for a real cheap dynast league addition.
BIG TEN
DeVeon Smith, RB, Michigan
Smith would seem to have a large role for the Wolverines following the season-ending injury to Derrick Green. Smith has averaged six yards on his 47 carries this season, scoring four times, and is a solid addition simply based on opportunity. Keep in mind, however, that the Wolverines get Penn State and Michigan State in their next two games, which rank second and fourth against the run, respectively.
Austin Appleby, QB, Purdue
Appleby was sensational in his first career start, throwing for 202 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 76 yards and two scores against Illinois. The schedule does him no favors, however, as he'll make his second start against a fierce Michigan State squad in Week 7. That said, his skill set lends itself to fantasy appeal, and following Week 7, Purdue closes with Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Indiana; not exactly murderer's row.
CONFERENCE USA
George Payne, RB, Southern Miss
Ito Smith started Saturday's game against Middle Tennessee, but has just 15 carries in his last four games (missing one contest,) after opening the year with 45 carries in the team's first two games. Enter the sophomore Payne who has 25 pounds on Smith and is coming off of the best game of his season, a 24-carry, 89-yard game against the Blue Raiders where he scored for the fourth time in three weeks. Payne should continue to provide decent scoring chances for his owners now that conference play is fully under way.
Anthony Wales, RB, Western Kentucky
Wales thrived Saturday while filling in for starter Leon Allen, who left after nine carries with a bruised knee. The Hilltoppers don't play in Week 7, and if the team is being truthful on Allen's injury, he shouldn't be expected to miss significant time. Still, Allen has had more than 90 yards in the first four games, scoring three times and Wales is a near must-own for Allen owners this week, and worth a lottery ticket addition if you're feeling lucky.
MID-AMERICAN
Blake Frohnapfel, QB, Massachusetts
Who cares if the Minutemen are 0-6 to start the year? Frohnapfel has now thrown 121 passes in the last two games, both in conference, totaling 978 yards and nine touchdowns. He has Kent State and Eastern Michigan on tap in the next two weeks, both of whom rank 82nd or lower against the pass. There's little reason to expect a slowdown.
L.T. Smith, WR, Akron
Smith seems to feast on inferior defenses, and there are plenty of those to be found in the MAC. On the year, Smith has 22 catches, 256 yards and two touchdowns. Of that, 125 catches, 191 yards and both scores have come against Eastern Michigan and Howard. With a 103rd-ranked passing defense on tap in Miami (OH), Week 7 is an opportunity for Smith to continue along this trend.
MOUNTAIN WEST
Tyler Ervin, WR/RB, San Jose State
Ervin ran 11 times for 133 yards and a score against UNLV over the weekend. He entered the contest with just 18 carries and 88 yards through the first four games of the season. Normally, this is the kind of performance to overlook until Ervin provides consistency, especially when 83 yards over the weekend came on one carry. What makes Ervin somewhat different is he's listed as a wide receiver on the Spartans' roster. Running backs Brandon Monroe and Jarrod Lawson combined for 20 carries and 101 yards and likely will continue getting more backfield reps, but a wide receiver who can garner 10 touches weekly certainly holds value, making Ervin worth a look.
Lamar Jordan, QB, New Mexico
It's slim pickings across the Mountain West this week, so Jordan gets some ink despite remaining the team's backup heading into Week 7's contest against San Diego State. Cole Gautsche remains the team's starter, and head coach Bob Davie has gone on record saying he likes Jordan to open the game with a headset on as part of the freshman's learning experience. Jordan is coming off of his first 100-yard rushing game and is up to five touchdowns the last four weeks in limited duty. Gautsche, meanwhile, has played an entire game exclusively this year thanks to injury, and missed three games last year. His inability to stay healthy has Jordan trending upward, especially in dynasty formats.
PAC-12
Cameron Smith, WR, Arizona State
Arizona State has gone pass-happy with starting quarterback Taylor Kelly sidelined, and it's resulted in Smith showing signs of good things to come. The sophomore has caught 11 passes for 180 yards and two scores the last two weeks. Kelly is expected back following the team's upcoming bye, but backup Mike Bercovici has shown his worth in Kelly's absence, throwing for 998 yards and eight scores in the past two weeks. Smith, meanwhile, has shown he's capable of complimenting Jaelen Strong, and makes for a great dynasty stash for 2015, when Bercovici figures to start and Strong has moved on as well.
Terris Jones-Grigsby, RB, Arizona
Jones-Grigsby was a surprise starter Thursday at Oregon, after having just five carries in the previous three weeks due to injury, and freshman Nick Wilson's emergence. All he did in his start was rush for 115 yards and add 95 yards receiving. Jones-Grigsby had 124 yards and a score in the season opener before being sidelined, and while it's unclear how the Wildcats' will divide carries, Jones-Grigsby has shown capable when given a chance and should be held onto until his role is clear.
SEC
Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
Coates entered Saturday with five catches and 54 yards over four games after going for 902 yards and seven touchdowns a season ago. That downfall surely led to his release in many circles. Well, now that he's got a breakout game under his belt, it would appear worth a speculative add to see if he can build on this momentum. Coates is too good to be as bad as he was through four weeks.
Jojo Kemp, WR, Kentucky
If you managed to catch any of the USC-UK game Saturday amidst all of the other outstanding matchups, you would have seen the nauseating comparisons between Kemp's performance and a role former Wildcat receiver Randall Cobb played while in school. Kemp ran 17 times for 131 yards and three touchdowns, and the cat is out of the bag at this point, no pun intended. He entered the game with at least eight carries in the first four games, so while the yardage was a breakout, his usage was not. He won't sneak up on anyone, and has only three catches as a "receiver," but Kemp is a budding star in a rising offense, and gets a non-conference matchup with Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.
SUN BELT
Terrence Franks, RB, Texas State
After carrying 17 times for 53 yards in the first three games of the season, Franks has exploded for 35 carries, 355 yards and five scores in the last two weeks. Yes, 284 yards came last Sunday against a now-126th ranked Idaho defense, but Saturday's competition, Louisiana-Lafayette ranks 92nd against the run, suggesting Franks could remain hot.
Terrance Broadway, QB, Louisiana-Lafayette
Broadway rounds out two trends of this week. 1) He's on a bye in Week 7, and 2) he was likely a reasonably high choice that struggled early and could/probably was released during said struggles. Broadway threw for just 216 yards last Saturday, but completed 20-of-26 passes and had two touchdowns. He welcomed his top receiver, Jamal Robinson, back into action, as Robinson caught both scoring passes. Broadway's rushing has always made him a fantasy asset, as he's scored 17 times on the ground in the past two years. He'll need to crank that up to fulfill the promise he started his senior season with, as he has just 231 yards and a score on the ground, but Broadway is trending back toward weekly respectability, and conference matchups certainly won't hurt.
