CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 9

CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 9

This article is part of our CFB Waiver Wire series.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC

Mike White, QB, South Florida

White showed signs of life the last two weeks, throwing for 257 and 272 yards, respectively, and is fresh off of a three-touchdown performance Saturday while leading the Bulls to a 20-point comeback win. White and the Bulls get a Cincinnati defense in Week 9 that ranks 113 against the pass, allowing 281.7 yards weekly despite stuffing SMU for 178 last week.

Markeith Ambles, WR, Houston

Writing this column throughout the year, it never fails that a player will open eyes for a few weeks, then head into a bye just when he needs to be added. Ambles is no different, and thus, won't provide returns until Week 10. He caught his first touchdown pass of the year in Week 7 and followed it last week by leading the team with 97 yards on six catches. Those two games were the first two quarterbacked by wide receiver-turned-quarterback Greg Ward, and it's clear the two have chemistry. Houston's schedule down the stretch includes struggling defenses like Tulane, Tulsa, SMU and Cincinnati, putting Ambles in place for a solid finish.

ATLANTIC COAST

DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville

Apparently bye weeks are a mandate to appear here. Parker made his season debut in Week 8 after missing the first seven games due to a toe injury suffered in August. He promptly caught nine of the team's 21 passes for 132 yards and will use the bye week to maintain his health before facing Florida State in Week 10. If forward-thinking managers in your league did not add Parker previously, don't wait until the Cardinals play again. He's the type of talent who can change your fate over the season's final weeks.

Travis Rudolph, WR, Florida State

Batting .750 now with regard to bye-week additions. Rudolph has started his collegiate career slowly while recovering from offseason foot surgery, but his talent is starting t come full circle. He's caught six passes in consecutive weeks and has two scores in his last three outings. Rudolph could be one of the best dynasty league receivers in the country and looks to be emerging as a solid compliment to Rashad Greene down the stretch.

BIG 12

Wendell Smallwood, RB, West Virginia

Coming off of a 15-carry, 123-yard outing in Week 7 at Texas Tech, Smallwood followed that with a 20-carry, 66-yard outing Saturday against Baylor. While the yards per carry aren't terrific, Smallwood seems to be the trusted option in a four-headed backfield. Russel Shell is apparently day-to-day with a foot injury, and while the Mountaineers will play the hot hand, Smallwood seems more likely than Andrew Buie and Dreamius Smith to carry the load.

Ian Sadler, WR, Texas Tech

This is a speculative add, or a name to monitor rather than a must add, but Sadler has burned his redshirt and looks to be getting a bit more comfortable in a passing attack. He didn't play in the first four games and didn't record a catch against West Virginia either, but in the two games he's appeared in the box score, Sadler has tallied seven grabs, 89 yards and a touchdown. Sadler could be auditioning to slide into Bradley Marquez's role a year from now, making him a deep dynasty stash, and someone to watch over the season's final month.

BIG TEN

Akeel Lynch, RB, Penn State

Lynch is one of many that could be featured here as a dynasty league stash, but for now, remains blocked by his team's stubbornness. The fact of the matter is the Nittany Lions average 2.8 yards per rush, and that includes Lynch's 6.5 yards per carry. He's the team's best back and could provide his team and yours with some firepower. The only downside is he's seen 23 carries this year compared to Bill Belton's 63 and Zach Zwinak's 40. The hope is head coach James Franklin unleashes his talented sophomore.

Akeem Hunt, RB, Purdue

Hunt is available in the two leagues I compete in with all FBS schools, and that seems odd at this point. He has almost 200 more yards rushing this year than last on 19 less carries and has four more touchdowns (Hunt is at 104-640-5). The insertion of Austin Appleby at quarterback has ignited the Boilermaker offense, having scored 105 points in their last three games. Hunt has at least 96 yards in that span, including against Michigan State, suggesting he's not just feasting on lesser opponents.

CONFERENCE USA

Jaquez Johnson, QB, Florida Atlantic

Johnson is finally getting things cranked up now that league play is in full effect. He's thrown at least 34 passes in his last three games, topping 290 yards twice, and has two games with three touchdowns. He also ran a season-high 17 times Saturday, finishing with 95 yards and two more touchdowns.

Greg Howell, RB, Florida Atlantic

Howell had his redshirt yanked as the team emerged from a Week 8 bye and ran 21 times for 118 yards and a touchdown Saturday against Western Kentucky. The team's previous top back, Jay Warren, did not receive a touch after fumbling twice two weeks ago and may not see another touch moving forward thanks to Howell's success.

Alex Gardner, RB, Florida International

Gardner offers little in terms of upside, but he's rushed at least 19 times in four straight games and 25 or more times in two straight. He's topped 100 yards in two of the last three and is another CUSA option who simply needed league play to get his stats.

Carlos Harris, WR, North Texas

Harris has posted lines of 11-120-1 and 15-216-0 in two of his last three outings. The Mean Green average just 183.3 yards through the air, but with Harris seeing such a high volume of late, he's a decent bye week gamble.

Independents

Mitch Mathews, WR, BYU

Mathews has two 100-yard games in his last three outings and three total touchdowns. He's coming off of a monster 16-catch, 182-outing against Nevada and is the clear top receiver for quarterback Christian Stewart.

Christian Stewart, QB, BYU

Speaking of Stewart, he is doing his damnedest to replace Taysom Hill, and despite the three straight losses, he's starting to produce fantasy stats like that of Hill. Stewart is coming off of a game in which he threw a whopping 63 passes, completing 39 for 408 yards and four touchdowns. He had three touchdowns in the previous contest and has 29 rushes for 97 yards the last two weeks.

MID-AMERICAN

DaRon Brown, WR, Northern Illinois

Brown is likely to be available following a two-week slump in late September and early October. He opened the season with three games of at least six catches, 91 yards and a score before having just 66 yards in that two week slump, while not scoring in three straight games. He looks like he busted out of that streak last Saturday, going for 128 yards and a score, and should remain a solid choice against MAC defenses.

Jahwan Edwards, RB, Ball State

Edwards is coming off of back-to-back seasons of at least 1,110 yards and consecutive 14-score seasons, so he's not a new name in fantasy circles. But it's possible those who drafted him didn't wait through a non-conference schedule that saw plenty of yards, but little trips to paydirt. Edwards has scored five times in the last three weeks, and has 58 carries in the last two weeks, which coincides with Jack Milas' insertion as the team's starting quarterback. While Milas has tossed 80 passes in those two starts, Edwards is seeing an uptick in usage as the team eases Milas into his new role, making Edwards a weekly starting choice in conference.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Jhurell Pressley, RB, New Mexico

Pressley continues to get the job done despite limited carries. He's averaging a stout 8.5 yards per carry but has more than 10 carries just four times to date, and has not carried more than 14 times in any game. He's scored six times to date, including twice last Saturday, and continue to see opportunities with Crusoe Gongbay likely lost for the year due to a foot injury.

Joe Gray, QB, San Jose State

Since being inserted into the starting role, Gray has completed 85-of-121 passes for 863 yards and three touchdowns. The lack of scores is somewhat concerning, but it's not from a lack of opportunity, as Gray is pitching it around often. He's worth a gamble if you're in need under center.

PAC-12

JuJu Smith, WR, USC

Smith is coming off of his second career 100-yard game, the first of which came in the first game of his career, in Week 1 against Fresno State. He's feasted on bad competition, enjoying being a part of USC's seven touchdown passes last Saturday against Colorado, but he's quietly provided the team with a second receiving threat outside of Nelson Agholor. He's likely going to be the next big receiver for the Trojans, making him a great stash, but also someone who should flash once or twice more this season.

Terron Ward, RB, Oregon State

Ward has shown availability in some national leagues largely due to the fact that he's shared carries with Storm Woods weekly. With Woods availability in doubt due to a knee injury, Ward could be in line for a big workload moving forward. He had 23 carries after Woods' exit last week, and more of that can be expected if Woods is confirmed out for a while.

SEC

Brandon Allen, QB, Arkansas

Don't look now, but Allen has thrown 85 passes in the last two weeks after throwing 97 in the first outings of 2014. Losing and conference play will make you do crazy things I suppose. The team is likely to find more success running in a Week 9 contest out of conference against UAB, but Allen is showing as a capable passer, which could offer the Razorbacks some offensive diversity.

Pharoh Cooper, WR, South Carolina

Cooper continues to produce, and has solidified himself as more than just a gadget option. His Week 8 outing was nothing special, a four catch, 51 yard outing, but he continues to lead the team in receiving with 34 catches and 430 yards, scoring four times. He's added 10 rushes and 96 yards, while remaining a threat in the return game. Cooper has become one of those players where you don't fully trust the stats you see, but come year end, there those numbers are.

Sun Belt

Taylor Lamb, QB, Appalachian State

Lamb has had his share of ups and downs as a freshman and is coming off of one of those downs in Week 8, where he had just 110 yards and a touchdown on 9-of-16 passing. He paired that with a career-high 98 yards rushing, however, and appears to be getting more comfortable using his legs as the season progresses. Truth be told, there aren't many bad quarterback options in the Sun Belt, and Lamb had yet to be featured in this column.

Larry Rose III, RB, New Mexico State

Rose has 33 carries, 240 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games. He's done so by breaking runs of 53 and 79 yards, so he'll be a bit feast or famine moving forward however.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bennett
Bennett covers baseball, college football and college basketball for RotoWire. Before turning to fantasy writing, he worked in scouting/player development for the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos. He's also a fan of the ACC.
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