CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 7

The last week was a tough one as only six of my recommendations recorded a touchdown and there were no standout performances from any of those guys. To make matters worse, there were a couple of games postponed due to Hurricane Delta and there were some bad luck injuries that creeped up from emerging players. No excuses though as we move on to a new week. How about this new SEC as nine of their teams eclipsed 30 points in Week 6, including Alabama who put up 63 points on Ole Miss and Missouri with 45 points in their shocking upset of LSU. Considering the bizarre circumstances of the 2020 college football season, it's only fitting that the SEC has become the center of offensive innovation and the Big 12 has been rather underwhelming from a fantasy standpoint.  

Slate Background: One final week before we see the return of the Big 10 and Mountain West conferences. It's a slow week for the Big 12 as they have only two games, however, one of those games potentially includes Kansas (Hello West Virginia players!), although the Jayhawks' coach does have COVID-19 which could have an effect on whether that game is played or not. We do have full weeks from the ACC and SEC who have had consistent offensive production on the season so far. The smaller conferences have been tougher to predict, but I'll take another shot at their slates.

AAC

Branden Mack, WR, Temple
Temple made their return in Week 6 and had a hard-fought 31-29 loss at Navy. With the Owls playing in just their second game of the year, Mack is available in many leagues as is QB Anthony Russo. I wish RB Re'Mahn Davis was still available, but he's been snatched up in the majority of leagues. After the opening loss, they'll be able to turn their frown upside down when they take on Southern Florida who have perhaps the worst defense in the nation. Mack was active versus Navy with a team-high seven catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in addition to a 35-yard pass on a trick play. I also like this passing game against other American opponents for the rest of the season as they'll need to throw versus the likes of Memphis, SMU and UCF.

Rashee Rice & Danny Gray, WR, SMU
Both Rice and Gray are worth playing next week against Tulane on Friday Night as number one receiver Reggie Roberson went down with a significant knee injury in the Week 5 win over Memphis. Rice has 17 catches for 272 yards on 26 targets while Gray has 14 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 18 targets. Quarterback Shane Buechele is more than capable at getting both of these young receivers the ball and I would expect SMU to continue slinging the ball around as they attempt to stay undefeated as long as possible.

Week 6 Rewind; Houston QB Clayton Tune (20/33 for 319 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 15 rushing yards & 1 TD) & Tulane RB Cameron Carroll (18 carries for 34 yards)

ACC

Devin Leary, QB, NC State
Since there's no chance at getting any of the offensive firepower at North Carolina (they finally woke up against Virginia Tech with 56 points last week), we'll go to the next best thing in Leary at NC State. I wanted to make sure the Pitt game wasn't a fluke and Leary came through with a pair of touchdowns in an upset of Virginia. He wasn't very accurate while going 11-for-25 passing, but I'm not expecting Duke's defense to give him much trouble either. He's good for at least a spot-start this week.

Kenneth Walker, RB, Wake Forest
Staying in the state of North Carolina, I'll go with the Demon Deacons' primary rusher Walker who is coming in to their matchup with Virginia off two straight 100-yard rushing performances. He's still available in a bunch of leagues as Wake Forest was idle last week. He has a ton of upside, just look at the 131 yards and three touchdowns he racked up on the ground at NC State in Week 3. Looking past this week, he has Virginia Tech and Syracuse which are extremely favorable for your fantasy team.

 Week 6 Rewind; Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong (6/9 for 57 yards, 2 INT – Left early w/ Injury) & Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer (2 catches for 25 yards, 1 TD)

BIG 12

Leddie Brown, RB, West Virginia
The Mountaineers have been surprisingly competitive this season and a big reason why has been Brown who has 320 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 63 carries. As an added bonus he has seven catches for 55 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets through three games. West Virginia has Kansas this week and we all know that the Jayhawks sport one of the worst defenses in all of college football. Brown should have no problem recording his third 100-yard rushing performance of the season.

Dillon Stoner, WR, Oklahoma State
I'll preface this recommendation by saying keep a close eye on the status of their upcoming game as Baylor has reportedly been dealing with an increase in COVID-19 issues. It doesn't help that there's only two games on the Big 12 slate this week. With the anticipated return of quarterback Spencer Sanders, I would expect Stoner's target share to increase as he's only averaging around four targets per contest through three games with back-up quarterback Shane Illingworth. Sanders is much more familiar with the senior receiver and will look his way more often.

Week 6 Rewind; Texas Tech WR KeSean Carter (Held out w/ wrist injury) & Oklahoma TE Austin Stogner (Six catches for 56 yards, 1 TD)

BIG TEN

Currently Postponed (*Coming Back in Week 8)

C-USA

Austin Aune, QB, North Texas
Aune received the starting nod against Charlotte in Week 6 and while they did not win the game, he was effective while completing 23 of 43 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. He was particularly successful when targeting Jaelon Darden who had 13 catches for 244 yards and three touchdowns. Aune and Darden should be able to have another huge game against Middle Tennessee as it should be one of the higher scoring games in the conference in Week 7.

Jarrin Pierce, WR, Middle Tennessee
Sticking with that game between North Texas and Middle Tennessee as these are two of the worst defenses in college football. Pierce has been a surprise in 2020 as he's averaging over ten targets per game and was able to grab his first touchdown in their shocking win at Florida International in Week 6. The senior receiver has 36 catches in five games which is elite volume for a receiver. Since you likely can't grab QB Asher O'Hara, go with Pierce who has been his top target this season.

*Old Dominion is not playing in Fall 2020

Week 6 Rewind; FIU RB D'Vonte Price (13 carries for 112 yards, 1 TD, 1 catch for two yards) & Florida Atlantic QB Nick Tronti (Game Postponed)

MAC

Currently Postponed (*Coming Back in Week 10)

MWC

Currently Postponed (*Coming Back in Week 8)

PAC-12

Currently Postponed (*Coming Back in Week 10)

SEC

Connor Bazelak, QB, Missouri
Bazelak came out of nowhere with 29-of-34 passing for 406 yards and four touchdowns in the 45-41 upset of LSU in Week 6. Sure, LSU has one of the worst pass defenses in all of college football, but the redshirt freshman should be safe for yet another week against Vanderbilt who also has a bad pass defense. Since the SEC has turned in to an offensive conference in 2020, Bazelak should definitely be picked up and started in all formats, it's even possible he can be played for the rest of the season. It's not like Florida (their Week 8 opponent) has been stopping opposing quarterbacks this season.

Kenny Yeboah, TE, Ole Miss
Prior to the Rebels' track-meet with Alabama, Yeboah was already sneaky good with eight catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns in two games. He exploded against the Crimson Tide with seven catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns. The big guy has scary speed for his size. With Florida's Kyle Pitts going down with a foot injury, Yeboah could be a perfect replacement as he has similar upside and has scored a touchdown in every game he's played in so far this season.

Week 6 Rewind; South Carolina WR Shi Smith (Four catches for 46 yards, two rushing yards) & Texas A&M RB/WR Ainias Smith (Four catches for 53 yards and five rushes for 23 yards)

SUN BELT

Kaylon Geiger, WR, Troy
Went with the running game for the Trojans with B.J. Smith last week and it turns out they preferred the passing game with 338 yards through the air, including seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown for Geiger. QB Gunnar Watson and fellow wide receiver Reggie Todd are also worth a look this season as Troy will likely end up in high-scoring affairs in most weeks. They have Eastern Kentucky this week, so I anticipate that they should be able to score in a similar fashion to their 37 points versus Texas State in Week 6 and their 47 points versus Middle Tennessee in Week 3.

Grayson McCall, QB, Coastal Carolina
I'm doubling down on McCall who came through in the clutch with four touchdowns and a 300-yard passing performance against Arkansas State. While the Chanticleers do not get to play on their teal field this week, they're playing an interesting team in Louisiana-Lafayette. Moreover, I'm just giving myself more reasons to tune in to the game with two 3-0 teams as you don't ever get to see that in the Sun Belt conference at this point in the season. This was a previous recommendation as Hurricane Delta postponed last Saturday's game to this Wednesday.

Week 6 Rewind; Troy RB B.J. Smith (Seven carries for 13 yards, 1 TD and two catches for 12 yards) & Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall (Postponed due to Hurricane Delta)

INDEPENDENTS

Dax Milne, WR, BYU
Since most fantasy owners have caught on to QB Zach Wilson and WR Gunner Romney had a slight scare with a head injury versus UTSA (three 100-yard receiving performances this season), I believe Milne is the receiver to own in the short-term. Milne is on a heater with at least seven catches in three straight games and hasn't been too far behind Romney with two 100-yard receiving performances of his own. BYU's next game with Houston could be a fun one if it ends up being a high-paced game which is a real possibility. 

*New Mexico State, UConn & UMass are not playing in Fall 2020

Week 6 Rewind; Liberty QB Malik Willis (11/29 for 177 yards, 1 INT, 13 carries for 87 yards, 1 TD)

DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS

West Virginia (vs. Kansas) – Always confident with a defense against the Jayhawks, however, the Mountaineers have been solid anyways through their first three games.

Missouri (vs. Vanderbilt) – The Commodores have one of the worst offenses in the nation and haven't been able to score on any of their SEC opponents as they had just seven points against LSU who we now know is a horrible defense.

Temple (vs. South Florida) – The Bulls had a tough time moving the ball against East Carolina, so I like Temple's defense this week.

Week 6 Rewind; BYU vs. UTSA (20 PA, 1 Sack, 1 TA), South Carolina at Vanderbilt (7 PA, 3 Sacks, 2 TA) & Marshall at Western Kentucky (14 PA, 1 Sack, 3 TA, 1 TD)

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: Missouri Connor Bazelak, Coastal Carolina Grayson McCall, North Texas Austin Aune
RB: West Virginia Leddie Brown, Wake Forest Kenneth Walker
WR: Middle Tennessee Jarrin Pierce, BYU Dax Milne, Temple Branden Mack
TE: Ole Miss Kenny Yeboah
D/ST: West Virginia (vs. Kansas) with Temple (vs. South Florida) close behind