College Fantasy Football championships are won and lost on the waiver wire. Purple Reign has identified the players you need to target on this week’s waiver wire that will help give your fantasy team a champion’s edge.
Premium subscribers will have access to hand chosen waiver wire targets from Joe Arpasi’s top selections. In the free preview below I will review players I feel are honorable mention waiver wire targets that did not make Joe’s top selections lists that are featured for premium subscribers.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
QUARTERBACKS
Conner Weigman (Hou) 28% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Over the last three weeks Weignman has scored 29, 36, and 37.15 fantasy points. His rushing production has increased over the last two games with a total of 35 carries for 209 yards and 3 TDs. In the six games prior he’s only rushed for 80+ yards once so there’s a chance that his current rushing production could drop back down again. He does have the least amount of good fantasy match ups of this group of QBs.
Alonza Barnett (JMU) 27% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
Barnett is coming off a bye week. Over his last five games he averaged 25 fantasy points in three games, had a stinker of 9.8 fantasy points in one game, and two weeks ago he exploded for 62.05 fantasy points. I think that 25 fantasy point range is what you could reliably expect from him moving forward. He also only has half of his remaining games a good fantasy match ups but they’re positioned to help you reach the playoffs.
JC French (GaSo) 14% Rostered
Volume Workload Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
French has now put together three good fantasy games in a row. During that time he’s scored 29.45, 37, & 28.3 fantasy points. Over the last two games he has rushed for a total of 30 carries for 124 yards and 2 TDs. French is the only QB in this group that has good playoff schedule match ups. His last two games with Old Dominion and Marshall should find Georgia Southern trailing and providing French with “playing from behind” game scripts.
Baylor Hayes (Tuls) 1% Rostered
Volume Workload Target
It seems like something has clicked in Hayes’ head lately as he has scored 22.85 and 26.6 fantasy points in his last two games. He has had good workload volume all season but in these last two games he’s now scoring 2+ TDs/game and last week he increased his yards/pass attempt out of the 6 yardage range to 9.5 yards/pass attempt. While his fantasy production is lower than any other QB in this group his schedule was good enough to include him. Two of those three games had his highest passing yardage totals (267 and 345 passing yards).
Evan Simon (Tem) 13% Rostered
Simon appears to have refound his fantasy footing as he has scored 27.25, 29.3, & 35.05 fantasy points. I worry about TD regression here though. Before three weeks ago Simon had not scored a rushing TD. In the last three weeks he has scored a rushing TD in two games. If you remove those rushing TDs then his fantasy points against Navy and Charlotte would drop down to 21.25 and 23.3 points (not good enough to count on). Last week he scored 5 passing TDs which is not the norm as it would have taken the three games prior for Simon to total 5 passing TDs.
RUNNING BACKS
Rodney Fields (OkSt) 21% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
Fields sat out last week with an injury. I’m going to be honest here, I don’t have much faith in the Oklahoma State offense. But I have noticed that when Fields gets more than 10 carries in a game he scores at least 17 fantasy points. He’s done that for two games in a row now getting 14 and 21 carries in route to scoring 17.7 and 26.5 fantasy points in those games. His remaining schedule is average at best but it’s still better than the RBs who made my honorable mention section.
Evan Dickens (Lib) 10% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Dickens is coming off a bye week. He was playing hurt at the end of September. Two weeks ago he had a 17 fantasy point performance off of a 13 carry for 50 yards and 2 TD performance. In Weeks 2-3 he scored 18.7 and 17.8 fantasy points. His low volume workload does add volatility where his fantasy production could sway easily. But his next two games are good fantasy match ups giving you an option to help propel your team into the playoffs.
Caleb Komolafe (NW) 9% Rostered
Komolafe comes up just shy of qualifying as a volume workload target. Over the past six games he has received 16+ carries four times, and he has scored 14.6+ fantasy points in four of his last five games. He has a bye for Week 10, then he faces a series of average fantasy match ups for the rest of the season. Of all those games the Week 14 game against Illinois is the game you’d probably play him most but I’m not sure if I would trust him in my championship week line up.
Jekail Middlebrook (MidTN) 29% Rostered
Volume Workload Target
In three of Middlebrook’s last four games he has scored 15+ fantasy points, ran for 85+ yards, and received 5+ targets. He is the best PPR RB of this group, averaging 6 targets/game over the last three weeks. The biggest knock on Middlebrook is his remaining schedule where the best remaining fantasy match up grade is a C+ grade against Sam Houston State.
Jordan Lovett (Troy) 1% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
After receiving 10 carries in Week 1 Lovett had failed to hit double digit carries for the next five games. Last week starting RB Tae Meadows sat out with an injury and Lovett took off with 21 carries for 113 yards and 2 TDs. His play was better than how Meadows was playing previously and he could keep the starting job when Meadows returns but there is no guarantee. I’m looking at Lovett as a “name to monitor” right now as the remaining schedule looks very good.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Jacob De Jesus (Cal) 19% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
While I like the fact that De Jesus has received 8+ targets in his last seven games, what I like more is that he has received 11+ targets in three of his last four games. He’s also accumulated 85+ receiving yards and 1 TD in half of his last four games. But his yardage and TD scoring has been week for most of the season. He does have several good fantasy match ups remaining making his a decent spot start fantasy player.
Nik McMillan (Buff) 5% Rostered
Volume Workload Target
McMillan has been on fire the last two games as he has totaled 27 targets for 18 receptions, 298 yards but no TDs. He’s only had one other game like that back in Week 3 against Kent State. His schedule makes me believe he likely will regress back to something like we’ve seen earlier this season. Outside of Week 14 his remaining fantasy match ups are average.
Cortez Braham (Mem) 26% Rostered
Volume Workload Target
Braham has been a solid fantasy WR this season and I’m surprised he is still under 30% rostered on Fantrax. He is far more reliable than someone like Nik McMillan, and like him Braham’s remaining schedule is the reason why I’ve dropped him down my WR waiver wire options list. He could still be a decent Flex option moving forward but there are other players out there who could serve in your fantasy line up more.
CJ Williams (Stan) 25% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
After four straight games of producing between 14-20 fantasy points he came back down to Earth last week. Against Florida State he had 5 targets with just 1 reception for 11 yards. We’ve also seen his targets drop recently going from a high of 18 targets five weeks ago, to getting 5 and 6 targets the last two weeks. This is concerning to me, as is the quality of his fantasy match ups for the remaining schedule.
Gabriel Benyard (KennSt) 24% Rostered
Volume Workload Target
Another week, another recommendation to pick up Benyard. He has scored 12+ fantasy points in all but one game this season, making him a safe floor option as a Flex player. His yardage totals aren’t high but he has scored in five of his seven games. Weeks 11-13 proven good fantasy match ups where he can help fill in any weak spots in your line up.
TIGHT ENDS
Peter Clarke (Tem) 20% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
You can’t deny Clarke’s fantasy production the last four weeks as he’s scored 16.2, 7.2, 10.6, & 8.6 fantasy points. The reason why I couldn’t put Clarke in my Top 5 TE targets is that he’s only averaging 3.7 targets/game over the last three weeks. This means he’s been very efficient when the ball comes his way but it also means that his fantasy production could plummet very easily if he doesn’t score a TD or get at least 10 yards/reception.
Cole Rusk (Ill) 1% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Illinois’ offensive history is one that hasn’t produced fantasy worthy TEs. Surprisingly Rusk has put together two nice weeks in a row with 9.3 and 9.6 fantasy points. He’s only reached the end zone one time this season and that was back in Week 2. I don’t trust him to keep this production going based on the offensive system but the next three fantasy match ups do present opportunities for him to make me eat my words.
Sam Roush (Stan) 25% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
Roush was regularly featured in my Top 5 TE targets for several weeks but now takes a hard tumble. Last week he only scored 4.8 fantasy points but in the three games before that he scored 11.8, 12.9, & 9.3 fantasy points. SO why such a big tumble? The schedule. He can be a good option this week and a decent option the week after but that’s as good as its going to get.
Rohan Jones (Ark) 12% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
I’ve been surprised as Jones’ recent fantasy production as he has produced 7+ fantasy points in four of his last five games, with two of those games scoring 14+ fantasy points. The ugly truth about Jones is that during that five game span he has a total of 11 targets and 9 receptions. He’s a feast or famine TE folks. None of his remaining games are bad fantasy match ups but you’ll need to have a lot of faith to put him in your line ups.
Chamon Metayer (AzSt) 27% Rostered
After having two poor fantasy performances Metayer has bounced back the last two weeks scoring 8.6 and 13.5 fantasy points. He’s been very up and down this season so its hard to trust him enough to add him to your team. I do think his next three games could provide above average chances for him to continue to be fantasy relevant.
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