CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 2

AAC

Terren Encalade, WR, Tulane

Encalade was arguably the best player on the field in an overtime loss to Wake Forest while grabbing eight receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 38 rushing yards on a single carry. The Green Wave get a cupcake game with Nicholls State and then will be throwing early and often versus UAB and Ohio State.

David Pindell, QB, Connecticut

Despite being pounded by UCF by the score of 56-17, Pindell opened some eyes with 423 total yards and two touchdowns, including a 100-yard rushing performance. While he does have a tough matchup versus Boise State this week, he's likely not going to be available in most fantasy leagues for very long. Once the conference season rolls along, Pindell could be mainstay in your fantasy line-up. It's also worth noting that UConn will be pushing the tempo all year, having ran 87 plays Thursday, so Pindell will be in a spot to produce every week thanks in part to sheer volume.

ACC

Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest

I said arguably for Tulane's Terren Encalade above because Surratt was a pleasant surprise opposite teammate Greg Dortch. Versus the Green Wave, the redshirt freshman pulled down 11 catches for 150 yards. Quarterback Sam Hartman appears to have no problem chucking the ball around to Surratt and Dortch, so the dynamic pair of receivers should both have huge years. I particularly like Surrat because opposing defenses will gameplan against Dortch.

Jordan Ellis, RB, Virginia

Ellis is available in most fantasy leagues after rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns in Virginia's season opener. The senior received 20 carries and appeared to get stronger as the game went on. Opposing defenses will key on receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, so it makes sense that Ellis can continue to receive a heavy workload. New quarterback Bryce Perkins is a dual-threat guy which helps open up the field for Ellis as well.

BIG 12

Taylor Cornelius, QB, Oklahoma State

Cornelius knows better than anyone that he can't be Mason Rudolph as he backed him up for most of his career with the Cowboys. In his first start, he did plenty to still be a top notch fantasy quarterback as the senior had 300 yards passing and five touchdowns. Moreover, his head coach wants him to take more chances and throw the ball even more. There's no reason Cornelius shouldn't be owned in all fantasy leagues as Oklahoma State is going to eclipse 40 points most weeks. WR Jalen McCleskey should also be owned in all leagues.

Shawn Robinson, QB, TCU

Another Big 12 quarterback who should be owned in every fantasy league. TCU's offense was better than anticipated in their season opener as Robinson totaled five touchdowns, including two on the ground. Backup Michael Collins looms and could split snaps in certain situations, but Robinson should remain on the field until he struggles. With their next game against SMU, expect Robinson to have another strong performance. It's the following week versus Ohio State where we'll really learn about Robinson and the TCU offense.

BIG TEN

Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue

This is the last time Moore will make this list as the true freshman was spectacular while racking up a school-record 313 all-purpose yards versus Northwestern. He had 11 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown as well as 79 rushing yards and a touchdown on just two carries. Capping off an electric night was 125 yards on kick returns. Moore should be picked up in all leagues as Purdue should look to revolve its entire offense around this young playmaker. The Boilermakers have upcoming matchups with Eastern Michigan and Missouri.

Jeshaun Jones, WR, Maryland

Similar to Moore, Jones busted on the scene with a rare performance which involved a passing, rushing and receiving score. The freshman started by rushing for a 28-yard touchdown right away and then caught a 65-yard score later in the first quarter. In the very next quarter, Jones threw a 12-yard touchdown to Taivon Jacobs. Next week, the Terps should have a field day versus Bowling Green which means more scoring opportunities for Jones.

CONFERENCE USA

Quez Watkins, WR, Southern Miss

The Golden Eagles lost their top three receivers from a year ago, including Korey Robertson who had over 1,000 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns. It looks like Watkins wants to fill that void with 138 yards receiving and three touchdowns plus a punt return for a score in Week 1. It's not like he's coming out of nowhere either as he had 23 catches for 337 yards and two touchdowns during his freshman season. With upcoming matchups against Louisiana-Monroe, Appalachian State and Rice, Watkins is a must add from the waiver wire.

Jaqwis Dancy, RB, Louisiana Tech

Dancy started this season with a bang while averaging 9.6 yards per carry in a win versus South Alabama. The junior racked up 144 yards and two touchdowns despite quarterback J'mar Smith struggling through the air. It should be expected that he can make it two 100-yard games in a row against a Southern University team who gave up 235 yards on the ground to TCU.

MAC

Woody Barrett, QB, Kent State

Barrett, an Auburn transfer, beat out sophomore Dustin Crum for the starting job and nearly led the Golden Flashes to an upset of Illinois on the road. His 28-for-41 for 270 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions was meh, but it's the team-leading 117 rushing yards and a touchdown which makes him intriguing for fantasy purposes. Barrett and Kent State will go up against a Howard team which went back and forth with Ohio in a game which saw a total of 70 points.

Jonathan Ward, RB, Central Michigan

After an uninspiring 36 yards on 11 carries versus Kentucky, Ward may become available in some fantasy leagues. If that's the case, he should be snatched up as he's the Chippewas best player. Additionally, Central Michigan will have a chance to play a Kansas team who lost to Nicholls State in their season opener. Most of the MAC conference has tough matchups in Week 2.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Sean Modster, WR, Boise State

Modster and the Broncos dominated Troy in their season opener. The senior receiver had a handful of highlight catches and showed nice chemistry with quarterback Brett Rypien. Modster led the team with seven catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Boise State will probably be double-digit favorites in most of their games and will be motivated to run up the score in an effort to move up the rankings. That means big fantasy numbers for Rypien and Modster.

Marcus McMaryion, QB, Fresno State

The Bulldogs put up 79 points in in their season-opening win against Idaho and McMaryion didn't even need to do much. He completed 19 of his 26 passes for 207 yards and Fresno State scored the bulk of their touchdowns on the ground. It's only a matter of time before McMaryion and uber-talented receiver KeeSean Johnson connect for multiple scores. Why not this week versus Minnesota?

PAC-12

Steven Montez, QB, Colorado

Putting aside that the Colorado State defense is really bad, Montez looked like a true quarterback prospect this past week. His efficiency was off the charts while completing 22 of 25 passes for 338 yards and four touchdowns with the lone interception. He also scrambled for a 38-yard touchdown in the nearly perfect game. If the Buffaloes continue to run an up-tempo offense, Montez should be picked up in all fantasy leagues. Sophomore receiver Laviska Shenault should also be snatched up.

Trevon Bradford, WR, Oregon State

Other than running back Artavis Pierce, Bradford was the next best offensive weapon with six catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns versus the Ohio State Buckeyes. I don't love Bradford next week because the Beavers will likely clobber Southern Utah, but I do like him later in the year when Oregon State is forced to throw the ball versus better teams. Noah Togiai's absence makes Bradford the focal point of the Oregon State passing game

SEC

Ty Storey, QB, Arkansas

Storey didn't receive the start versus Eastern Illinois, yet was the more impressive signal caller with four touchdowns compared to Cole Kelley's one score. Arkansas' new coach, Chad Morris, will have the tough call on whether Storey did enough to win the starting job -- which I think he did. If he does receive the nod, he has a sweet matchup with Colorado State's defense which has been very generous to opposing quarterbacks in their first two games.

Scottie Phillips, RB, Ole Miss

If you're sad you couldn't get Jordan Ta'amu, A.J. Brown or DaMarkus Lodge, don't fret anymore as you can still have a piece of the dynamic Ole Miss offense. Phillips ran all over Texas Tech with 16 carries for 204 yards and two touchdowns. He's available in most leagues and should have a strong encore performance versus Southern Illinois this upcoming week.

SUN BELT

Zac Thomas, QB, Appalachian State

Thomas and App State nearly pulled the upset of the week with a close overtime loss at Penn State. The Mountaineers new quarterback was particularly impressive while throwing for 270 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 43 yards and a score. It only gets easier versus a bad Charlotte team in Week 2. App State should be one of the best teams in the Sun Belt this season.

Deondre Douglas, WR, Troy

Douglas was the Trojans' top receiver in 2017 with 48 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns. He continued that role in Troy's 56-20 loss to Boise State by reeling in seven catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Troy should have more scoring opportunities versus Florida A&M, Nebraska and Louisiana-Monroe in their next three games.

INDEPENDENTS

Squally Canada, RB, BYU
Perhaps the best name in college football, Canada was one of the primary reasons the Cougars pulled out the late night upset of Arizona during the first week of action. Squally received the bulk of the carries and reached paydirt three times in a much-improved BYU offense. If you're in need of a running back, Canada is a nice plug and play each week as he's pretty much guaranteed double digit touches.