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 Joe Arpasi’s Top 5 selections, the best match-ups on this week’s slate, high volume workload players, and players with the most favorable playoff match-ups.
In the free preview below I will review players I feel are honorable mention waiver wire targets that did not make any of the specified target lists that are featured for premium subscribers.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
QUARTERBACKS
BEAR BACHMEIER (BYU): Bachmeier looked great on the ground in his first start but you won’t be able to rely on this type of performance on a regular basis. He only account for 6.8% of BYU’s rushing yards but managed to score 40% of the rushing TDs which is not normal. His 18 pass attempts should improve moving forward.
EVAN SIMON (Tem): Simon is very tempting to pick-up with his 6 passing TDs, but this feat wont happen again. His overall workload volume is low, with just 29 pass attempts and 4 carries. I do see his rushing workload improving and he should be forced to throw the ball more once FBS competition comes knocking.
NICK MINICUCCI (UD): Minicucci was a nice surprise this week, albeit against an FCS foe. I love his 44 pass attempts and he is accounting for 34.6% of the team’s rushing attempting. Concerns are that Delaware will struggle once C-USA play gets going and you may not be able to count on 30 fantasy point performances.
DARIAN MENSAH (Duke): I love the Duke offensive system and Mensah was adequate in an easy win. I feel like I want to see a little more from the Duke passing game before I raise Mensah up my waiver wire target list. He brings no rushing upside so you have to completely rely on the pass for his fantasy value.
CEDRIC BAILEY (NCSt): Bailey looks great at times against East Carolina, but the offensive line didn’t. While this will affect Bailey’s pass protection, he has the athletic ability to make guys miss. While I don’t see him maintaining 50% of all rushing TDs I do like what he brings with his legs in the red zone.
RUNNING BACKS
ROCKO GRIFFIN JR. (UMass): Griffin showed us that he is the bellcow of the UMass running game. Don’t let the 10 carries scare you off. He had 45.5% of all rushing attempts and accounted for 91.3% of all rushing yards and 100% of all rushing TDs. Despite the fact UMass threw the ball a lot last weekend he had zero targets which does limit his fantasy value.
HAYDEN REED (Army): Reed wasn’t flashy last week but I liked the workload he received. He got 19 carries and accounted for 31.4% of all rushing attempts. He’s another player that has no receiving upside but he will break of several 100 yard, 1 TD games this season as a good floor play spot starter.
DOMINIC RICHARDSON (Tuls): Richardson’s 20 carries for 142 yards and 1 TD was a pleasant sight to see. This was probably the best rushing match-up of the season for Tulsa and Its still too early to tell if this new offense will generate this type of rushing production later this year.
QUINTON JACKSON (Rice): Jackson is a flyer that I’ve had my eye on since the summer. The new Rice offense is a run heavy system that does utilize two RBs. He was still able to rack up 22 carries and produced 57.8% of the team’s rushing yards. I also like that they played Louisiana Lafayette which gives us a realistic look at how this Rice rushing attack can perform this season.
WIDE RECEIVERS
KD HUTCHINSON (W Ky): While Hutchinson had a huge game against an FCS opponent, his two game average for targets is just 5 targets. I do like how he is averaging 73 yards and 1.5 TDs per game. This Western Kentucky offense will have a fantasy viable WR2 and he is looking like the guy for that role.
KESHAUN SINGLETON (SoFL): While Singleton only had 5 targets in the season opener he showed explosive playmaking ability. This South Florida offense looks very dangerous with Byrum Brown 100% healthy again. Through one game Singleton has accounted for 36.5% of all receiving yards and 100% of all receiving TDs.
KENNY JOHNSON (Pitt): Johnson did not looks exceptionally explosive against an FCS foe but I like his 6 targets and 1 TD. The ball was spread all around the field but as the competition gets harder we will see Johnson’s percentage of passing yards increase.
VICTOR SNOW (Buff): Snow is a know fantasy committee and hands down the best receiver for Buffalo. Last week he produced 41% of the team’s receptions and 62.6% of all receiving yards. His efficiency stats will increase compared to what we saw from him against Minnesota.
DT SHEFFIELD (Rut): Sheffield showed that he is capable of making the move from the Group of 5 to the Big Ten. While the leaned on Ian Strong down the stretch of a competitive game, Sheffield has what it takes to be the WR2 of this offense. The schedule is harder this year so this offense will likely pass more than we’re used to.
MICHAEL JACKSON (Pur): Jackson showed explosive playmaking against Ball State, but the issue I have right now with the Purdue offense is that our only look is against a MAC school. Purdue will have to throw a ton once conference play starts and I want to see how efficient this passing game later this year. Consider Jackson a name to tuck away for the future.
WESLEY GRIMES (NCSt): Grimes looked like the WR1 for the Wolfpack offense. I wish I would have seen more than 5 targets. He was efficient with those targets, accounting for 38.1% of all receiving yards and 100% of all receiving TDs.
TIGHT ENDS
IZAYAH CUMMINGS (App): Cumming appears to be the next good tight end in this App State offense. I like how much App State is throwing the ball, and I like Cummings’ 6 targets. He may not score each week but this type of workload is promising.
PETER CLARKE (UCF): Clarke put up some good fantasy points this weekend but I have my concerns. He only had 4 targets and scored TDs on half of those. You can’t count on that level of efficiency each week. He’s still worth mentioning for deeper leagues but realize that you won’t see last weekend’s performance on a regular basis.
JEREMIAH FRANKLIN (BC): Franklin is a name that we’ve known for a long time in the CFF world. The improved passing game from BC this season benefitted him as he got 6 targets in a blowout win. I can see this offense leaning on him in tougher games which means this might be just a taste of things to come.
LUKE LINDENMEYER (Neb): Lindenmeyer is intriguing but I’m not sure if he’s anything more than a name to monitor right now. his five targets in a competitive game is promising but this might be near his target ceiling.
QUARTERBACKS
TOP 5 TARGETS
BEAU PRIBULA (Mizzou): Pribula showed the CFF world that he is a complete quarterback in his Missouri debut. His passing efficiency is a result of playing an FCS school, but his throwing velocity and accuracy is for real. He coaches utilized him in the ground game as he accounted for 26.3% of all rushing attempts while scoring 2 TDs. His ground usage in the red zone is also very promising for his fantasy value.
ETHAN VASKO (Lib): I had my doubts about Vasko this summer. His 34 fantasy points last week came against an FCS school but he looked much more confident behind center compared to last year. He’s only one of two players in my Top 5 that threw the ball 30+ times, but he also had the highest rushing workload. I also love his next three games where he can continue to do fantasy damage.
BRAD JACKSON (TxSt): Jackson was a name to monitor before Week 1 played out. His pass attempts were held down due to the game script, but his yardage production was great for just 18 completions. Its good to see him receiving 25.6% of all rushing attempts but he needs to get more efficient as he only accounted for 12.2% of all rushing yards.
BRENDON LEWIS (Mem): I’ve been a Lewis believer since the start of the 2025 fantasy draft season. Against an FCS opponent Lewis wasn’t able to fully let the passing game loose, but I love what he did on the ground. his 10 carries were 30.3% of all rushing attempts and he produced 34.8% of all rushing yards. I would have him ranked higher if we knew more about the weapons in this receiver core.
AJ SWANN (App): When it comes to looking at Swann its all about volume. 46 pass attempts against Charlotte gives a good insight of how this offense will look throughout the season. He only received 4 carries but he averaged 6.25 yards/carry which might make the coaches increase his rushing workload.
CURRENT WEEK MATCH-UP TARGETS
It’s always a good thing when my Top 5 selections make the current week match-up list. Jackson’s match-up with UTSA could be fantasy gold as long as the Texas State offensive line can hold up to the UTSA defensive front. While I have a difference in grades I like Vasko and Pribula’s match-ups pretty similarly. Lewis stands out over Swann at the bottom of this list as I’m not sure if a blowout win for Swann against a FCS school might result in less pass attempts and getting pulled from the game early.
VOLUME WORKLOAD TARGETS
I mentioned early that Swann’s fantasy value is tied to his volume and he tops this list. Vasko actually edges out Minicucci’s workload by one attempt (graphic error) and both guys are dual-threat QBs. Retzlaff and Bailey round out this group, but if there were more competitive games these two might have had more players ahead of them.
PLAYOFF MATCH-UP TARGETS
Retzlaff and Vasko look to have the best slate of playoff games at this early point in the season. Pribula isn’t very far behind, while Mensah and Jackson are in a tier below Pribula. Yes its early to be talking about playoff schedule matching but having a good playoff slate only adds value to a waiver wire option.
RUNNING BACKS
TOP 5 TARGETS
RASHOD DUBINION (App): Dubinion flashed what an SEC transfer can do after transferring down to the Group of 5. In a competitive games with Charlotte we saw some extremely nice rushing utilization. He accounted for 57.9% of all rushing attempts, 61% of all rushing yards, and 100% of all rushing TDs. The single thing that made me put him at the top of the list is his receiving usage, getting 6 targets and 15.2% of all targets in the passing.
TAE MEADOWS (Troy): Meadows benefited from a season ending knee injury to starting running back Trey Cooley. Meadows stepped up and earned the right to be the new bellcow of the Troy offense. His lack of receiving in the offense and the match-ups over the next few weeks are the things keeping me from placing him #1 on this list.
JALEN DUPREE (ColSt): I stayed up late and watched Dupree be featured as the primary RB1 last weekend. The Colorado State rushing game looked good against Washington and Dupree would have had an even better day if the game script stayed more balanced in the second half. He will have no problem rumbling through Mountain West defenses this year.
LUCKY SUTTON (SDSU): Sutton left no doubt that he was going to be San Diego State’s workhorse back this fall. His 22 carries was good enough to be 40.7% of all rushing attempts, his 100 yards good enough to be 43.9% of all rushing yards, and he scored 50% of all rushing TDs. He did play an FCS team and there’s a chance his efficiency stats could go down.
MYLES MONTGOMERY (UCF): You have to love the way Montgomery is being featured in the UCF offense. He accounted for 56.8% of all rushing attempts and 73.1% of all rushing yards. The biggest knock on Montgomery right now is that UCF could only score 17 points against Jacksonville State. This new UCF offense will continue to improve as the year goes on though.
CURRENT WEEK MATCH-UP TARGETS
There’s not many options to tap into if you need immediate help at running back. All three options above have FCS opponents and all three made my Top 5 list. You can’t go wrong with any of these dudes even though Dupree’s match-up is a bit further down compared to Montgomery and Dubinion.
VOLUME WORKLOAD TARGETS
By no surprise, four of the top five players on this list made my Top 5 selections. Scott has the biggest workload on this chart but there are concerns. If Wyoming could only score 17 points against an awful Akron defense (and Scott kept out of the end zone) will this trend continue? Dubinion and Montgomery are the only players here that bring PPR value to the table. You can split hairs between the bottom three of this list. Jackson and Ducker have faced competitive games for a more accurate insight to how they could play for the rest of the year unlike Richardson who beat up on an FCS school.
PLAYOFF MATCH-UP TARGETS
This is not a great batch of playoff match-up options. Scott and Meadows are head and shoulders better than everyone else with all three games getting a b- or better match-up grade. All of these other guys only have one B- match-up each. Yes its early to be talking about playoff schedule matching but having a good playoff slate only adds value to a waiver wire option.
WIDE RECEIVERS
TOP 5 TARGETS
CHASE HENDRICKS (Ohio): I was shocked to see that Hendricks was still under 30% rostered on Fantrax. The offense leaned on him with 12 targets in a competitive game against Rutgers last week. Those weren’t just garbage targets either. He accounted for 42.9% of all receptions and 48.1% of all receiving yards. He won’t start to pay fantasy dividends until Week 4 but you need to stash him away this week.
JOHNTAY COOK (Syr): We weren’t sure how the offense would utilize Cook heading into Week 1, but by the time the game was over there was no doubt. Syracuse was playing from behind for most the day which helped Cook get 11 targets. His 58 yards and 1 TD shouldn’t be frowned upon as the Tennessee defense was just too much for Syracuse to handle.
BEAU SPARKS (TxSt): Please understand that Sparks isn’t going to have another 4 TD game this season. Sparks and Dawn looked to be interchangeable as WR1/WR2 coming into the season. It just doesn’t make sense that Sparks would have 4 TDs compared to Dawn’s zero, while Sparks only had 2 targets and 28 yards more than Dawn. This makes me think that the receiver TD production could change from week to week like last season.
KEONTEZ LEWIS (Okla): Lewis was a surprise name to me this weekend as his name flew under the radar from most fall camp reports. He appears to have stepped in the shoes of the outside receiver that compliments Deion Burks in the slot. Most of Lewis’ routes are short in nature but he still managed 13.2 yards/reception against an FCS team.
MARQUIS JOHNSON (Mizzou): Johnson appears to have forged a bond with quarterback Beau Pribula. Johnson’s 6 targets only accounted for 19.2% of all team receptions but he was explosive, racking up 39.3% of all receiving yards. Since this was against an FCS school I want to see if Johnson can continue to maintain the WR1 role in the offense moving forward.
CURRENT WEEK MATCH-UP TARGETS
Sparks and Blake look to be the safest options out of this group. Craver and Hunter should be good again but there a chance these teams run the ball more compared to Week 1. Chester was my favorite wide receiver flyer this summer and he looked like the real deal WR1 for Southern Miss last week. Don’t let his 7.7 fantasy points against Mississippi State deter you from taking shots at picking him up.
VOLUME WORKLOAD TARGETS
Wow there’s a bunch of guys here, too many to say someone about all of them. If you can get one of my Top 5 guys or someone with a good match-up for this week, then I would work your way through this list and take shots on this phenomenal list of players that bring high volume upside.
PLAYOFF MATCH-UP TARGETS
This again is a long list with plenty of options to choose from. I like Chester, Johnson, and Bradley the most of this group. I do want to see Beatty be the WR1 again before I’m willing to take a shot on him on the waiver wire. The concerns I brought up about RB Sam Scott also applies here to Durr when it comes to ability to score TDs. Wilson was the WR1 for the season opener but I have a feeling he’s going to be a productive WR2 at best for Baylor. Yes its early to be talking about playoff schedule matching but having a good playoff slate only adds value to a waiver wire option.
TIGHT ENDS
TOP 5 TARGETS
JAXXON WARREN (ColSt): Warren made it clear as day that he is going to be the target magnet of this offense. The coaches look to use his 6’7” frame to create mismatches against the defense. His utilization numbers from last week would be great for a wide receiver, let alone a tight end. He accounted for 35.3% of all receptions, 43.9% of all receiving yards, and 100% of all receiving TDs.
DORIAN THOMAS (NM): Thomas is another play how has some crazy utilization numbers. Against Michigan he had 14 targets, produced 31.3% of all receptions, 32.7% of all receiving yards, and 100% of all receiving TDs. Will New Mexico still need to lean on him this hard once conference play comes around? Maybe not, but the coaches are showing us that when they need a play in the passing game that Thomas is one of the guys they’re going to lean on.
MARLIN KLEIN (Mich): Klein made the most of his opportunity to be “the man” at tight end. His 9 targets is a great number, and he accounted for 37.1% of all receiving yards. Backup tight end Hogan Hansen sat out of the game and will eventually return. It’s unknown how much Hansen will eat into Klein’s workload and we’ll have to wait a while to find out.
DAEQUAN WRIGHT (Miss): Wright was elevated to the TE1 after Luke Hasz went down with an injury in fall camp. The coaching staff schemed Wright into the early gameplan on a day where the ball was spread around a good amount. Still racking up 6 targets on such a day is pretty good and something you can build fantasy value from.
SEYDOU TRAORE (MissSt): During the summer I was down on Traore’s fantasy value and I must admit I got that one wrong. He was used early in a blowout win with 6 targets, produced 27.8% of the team receiving yards and 100% of the teams receiving TDs. From watching the type of routes he was running you can tell that this was not a gimmick but instead a design to feature him in the passing game.
CURRENT WEEK MATCH-UP TARGETS
There’s far too many FCS opponents on this list for my liking. These type of games can produce variable fantasy success for tight ends. I would bet on Warren’s match-up over every other guy here easily. The top three guys should get receptions and yards, but I’m not sure if you can count on any TDs. The bottom two are similar, except that the running game might get emphasized more and limit their target opportunities.
VOLUME WORKLOAD TARGETS
Three of the top four here are guys from my Top 5 selections. Trigg was left out of my Top 5 because I have a feeling his utilization had more to do with the way that game played out and its not an accurate indicator of what you could expect throughout the season. Villari was #6 on my TE list and his workload compared to other receivers is very promising for him moving forward. Geers should improve as the year goes on (50% reception rate) and we need to see if Riles will be targeted as much when ECU isn’t playing a Power 4 school.
PLAYOFF MATCH-UP TARGETS
This is a pretty good crop of playoff match-ups. Warren and Klein would be the guys I like most, followed by Bentley and Trigg. Yes its early to be talking about playoff schedule matching but having a good playoff slate only adds value to a waiver wire option.
Excellent write up, Joe!
Great work, Joe! Thanks for all of your time and effort!