CFF Waiver Wire Targets – Week 14
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 for the best match-ups on this week’s slate. In the free preview below I will review players I feel are honorable mention waiver wire targets that did not make the top lists that are featured for premium subscribers.
Since this is championship week the lists feature less players than normal, and a focus has been put on more reliable waiver wire targets that you can feel comfortable with in your championship line-ups. I will also review info about these players that I usually cover in my Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em articles since we are talking about “plug and play” guys this week.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
QUARTERBACKS
Don’t let Snyder’s PPG from the last three weeks scare you off of him. He had a terrible 6 point performance against Ohio but that was expected with that match-up. In his last five games he has scored at least 25 fantasy points four times, while hitting 29+ fantasy points twice. He has a high workload volume and is a dual-threat QB. Western Michigan is bad against both the run and the pass, and they give up TDs in the red zone 70.7% of the time.
RUNNING BACKS
Even though these two didn’t make my top 5 RB list this week, I think they are solid plays. Lawton missed the cut due to his lower workload volume. His match-up with Purdue looks amazing as Purdue give up 5 yards/carry, 2.73 rushing TDs/game, and have a red zone TD rate of 79%. Young was right on the cusp of making my top 5 RB targets. It was very close! Arkansas State is giving up 5.65 yards/carry, 2.55 rushing TDs/game, and have a red zone TD rate of 78%. I fear that QB Colton Joseph may vulture one or two scoring opportunities and that’s how he landed here on the honorable mention list.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Patterson is another guy that just barley missed the cut for my top 5. He has a high workload volume and an incredible match-up. Middle Tennessee gives up 2.2 passing TDs/game, red zone TDs 70% of the time, and they allowed third down conversions 49% of the time. Its 50/50 if Patterson can find the end zone which is why he fell out of my top 5 WR targets. Hunter has scored 17, 12, and 24 fantasy points in his last three games and he’s carrying a 10 targets/game average into a heated rivalry game with Arizona State. I don’t think Hunter will score a TD in this game, but I see Arizona State jumping out to a lead and Arizona throwing the ball repeatedly while trying to catch-up. Hunter will benefit from “garbage time” PPR points if that happens.
TIGHT ENDS
Conroy has been playing well enough that he should be considered as a potential floor play this week. I do have concerns with this match-up regarding Conroy. Old Dominion has the #100 fantasy pass offense and Arkansas State has the #81 fantasy pass defense that gives up 1.55 passing TDs/game. I see Old Dominion’s ground game doing most of the damage in this contest which would limit Conroy’s fantasy potential.
QUARTERBACKS
Joseph tops my list of top QB waiver wire targets this week. He has scored 31 and 41 fantasy points in his last two games, and he’s scored 30+ fantasy points in four of his last five games. He’s averaging 45 total attempts/game and has a great match-up with Arkansas State that I’ve already discussed in the preview section.
I think you can flip a coin between Navarro and Ogbonna. They each face one of the worst defenses in the MAC at home, both defenses give up third down conversions between 46%-47% of the time, and Vegas is calling for their teams to score between 33.5-37 points. Navarro has the better red zone TD rate match-up, while Ogbonna has the better yards/carry and rushing TDs allowed/game match-ups. I like Navarro’s passing match-up just a little more, to the point where I let that be my deciding factor to rate him over Ogbonna.
RUNNING BACKS
Henderson has been iron hot lately, scoring 22, 26, and 29 fantasy points over his last three games. He also has the highest workload of everyone that made my top 5 RB list. Kent State gives up a mind-blowing 6 yards/carry and 3 rushing TDs per game, to go with their 69% red zone TD rate.
Robichaux has the worst match-up of this group but I have him as my #2 guy mainly for his stability and potential to be an excellent floor play. The BC offense has changed into a run first game plan since Robichaux took over as the work horse back. I see the coaches feeding him 23-26 carries yet again which should provide a decent and stable fantasy performance.
Thomas has scored 19+ fantasy points in two of his last three games, and during those two games had a total of 42 carries. Nevada is a team with a good ranking fantasy pass defense, and that’s because everyone just runs the ball down their throat. Nevada gives up 4.75 yards/carry, 2.42 rushing TDs per game, a 65% red zone TD rate, and allows third down conversions 51.6% of the time.
I’ve been covering Carson for several weeks now and my tune has not changed. He’s a high workload volume guy that can provide consistent levels of above average fantasy point production. He’s now scored a TD in his last three games. I’m not sure if he can hit 20 fantasy points this week so keep him in mind as a safe floor play option.
Harris just makes the cut for the top 5. Navy gives up more rushing TDs than they do passing TDs. The East Carolina offense has been leaning on him more these last two weeks since the WR core has been hit with injuries. In the last two games Harris has received a total of 42 carries and scored 28 & 30 fantasy points. I think his hot streak will continue into this week.
WIDE RECEIVERS
I love Buffalo’s match-up this week and that’s why I have Jenkins at the top of the list even though the rushing game will steal scoring opportunities away from him. In his last two games he’s gone for 120 or more yards and 1 TD in each game. Ball State is a similar match-up to Kent State and he was able to find the end zone in that contest.
Mosley’s PPG over the last three weeks is highly inflated due to his 48.5 fantasy point performance against Louisville. He’s getting targets regularly, with 8+ targets in four of his last five games. His match-up with San Jose State is the worst of this group, but I see Stanford having to throw the ball a lot to keep up with the Spartans’ offense.
Pancol has been up and down over the last month but I think he’s a safe floor play this week against Wake Forest. He had a HUGE game against Virginia Tech last week, but don’t expect those type of number here. I’m hoping he can put up 80 yards and 1 TD in this one.
Lee makes this list with the assumption that Tre Harris is still not 100%. Lee was targeted 7 times in the slot and scored 1 TD last week, and this week he plays in the Egg Bowl. Mississippi State gives up 2 passing TDs per game and TDs in the red zone 62% of the time.
Walker has been a guy I keep mentioning week in and week out as an under the radar fantasy WR. Last week against Washington State he had 15 targets for 136 yards but no TDs. I don’t think he’ll score this week against Boise State, but I am viewing him to be a PPR “garbage time” candidate. Boise State should jump out to a large lead early, forcing Oregon State to keep feeding him passes.
TIGHT ENDS
Flemming had spent two weeks producing a respectable 8 PPG before breaking out big last week against Texas State. In that game he had 8 targets for 88 yards and 3 TDs. I find it hard to believe that he can’t be counted on for 65 yards and 1 TD this week against Coastal Carolina.
Matavao has been one of the bright spots of an improving UCLA offense. In last last four games he has scored 9, 20, 9, and 16 fantasy points. Fresno State provides a competitive match-up for UCLA, and I like Fresno State’s 62% red zone TD rate.