CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 7

Waiver Wire Watch: Players to Pick Up Week 7

Welcome back App State's Jalin Moore, who rumbled for 241 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries this past week! Also nice to see Tre'Quan Smith, Kurt Benkert, Nate Stanley, Peyton Ramsey and Kerryon Johnson combine for 16 touchdowns in Week 6. While I wasn't perfect (sorry about Cameron Batson and Matt Linehan), it's clear there were some impact players available on the wire last week. As a friendly reminder, make sure to keep up with injury news as this article is posted early in the week. As always, I'll get to any questions or comments you have in the comments section below.

AAC

Logan Marchi, QB, Temple: Marchi threw his first career 300-yard game in a 34-10 win over East Carolina this past Saturday. The field will open up even more for the sophomore when the Owls host UCONN's NCAA-worst pass defense, which is giving up 399.8 passing yards per game. The Owls top receiver is Isaiah Wright, who will also be worth considering for a spot start in Week 7.

Duke Catalon, RB, Houston: Owned in only 17 percent of leagues, Catalon had an impressive week with 186 yards and two touchdowns on 23 total touches versus SMU. The Cougars opponent this week, Tulsa, has the worst rush defense in all of college football, giving up 347.8 rushing yards per game. Tulane embarrassed Tulsa by running up 488 rushing yards on them. After not eclipsing 100 yards in any of his first four games, Catalon should make it two in a row when facing off with Tulsa.
*Navy (at Memphis), UCF (vs. East Carolina) and Tulane (at FIU) have soft matchups so if any of their starters are available, they should be considered for this week.

ACC

Ryan Finley, QB, NC State: Still owned in under 50 percent of leagues, Finley has emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation while completing nearly 71 percent of his passes for 1,770 yards, 10 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Not only should he be owned in all leagues, he should be started across the board versus Pittsburgh. WR Kevin Harmon also has some potential in deeper leagues as the second receiving option behind Jaylen Samuels.

KirVonte Benson, RB, Georgia Tech: Coming off a bye week and owned in only 20 percent of leagues, Benson is a player worth targeting on the waiver wire. While the Yellow Jackets have some tough matchups with Miami, Wake Forest and Clemson looming, Benson's volume is worth considering for any game. He's averaging 21 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown per game this season.
*Clemson (at Syracuse), Florida State (at Duke) and Virginia (at North Carolina) have soft matchups so if any of their starters are available, they should be considered for this week.

BIG 12

Kyle Kempt, QB, Iowa State: Who knew that a guy who had only thrown two passes in his career could orchestrate this year's biggest upset of the season? Kempt was near perfect while completing 18 of 24 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns in a stunning upset of the third-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Kempt won't be at it alone as he has a solid supporting cast with RB David Montgomery and WR Allen Lazard. This week, the Cyclones get a Kansas defense giving up over 500 yards of offense a game.

Collin Johnson, WR, Texas: Johnson has yet to have that breakout game with the Texas Longhorns spending the first portion of the season searching for their identity. Against a stout Kansas State defense, Johnson caught seven passes for 92 yards as Texas racked up 380 passing yards compared to 166 rushing yards. They'll have the same opportunity versus Oklahoma, which can't seem to limit opposing quarterbacks (see Kyle Kempt above). If Texas commits to its passing game, Johnson should be the top target for the rest of the season.
*West Virginia (vs. Texas Tech) and Oklahoma State (vs. Baylor) have soft matchups so if any of their starters are available, they should be considered for this week.

BIG TEN

Ty Johnson, RB, Maryland: With the Terps having to cycle through quarterbacks due to injuries, Johnson is the only constant in the offense with 468 yards and four touchdowns on 58 carries for 8.1 yards per carry. He's also explosive in the return game as he took a kickoff 100 yards to the house in the first quarter of the blowout loss to the Buckeyes. The competition eases up quite a bit over the next four weeks with Northwestern, Wisconsin, Indiana and Rutgers.

Quintez Cephus, WR, Wisconsin: If defenses ever figure out how to stop the Badgers' RB Jonathan Taylor, Cephus should have some breakout fantasy performances. He's gotten stronger and stronger with each game and has 18 catches for 301 yards and four touchdowns. While his potential is limited by QB Alex Hornibrook's play, he appears to be the best bet for a receiving score each and every week as he excels in the intermediate passing game.
*Ohio State (at Nebraska) have a soft matchup so if any of their starters are available, they should be considered for this week.

CONFERENCE USA

Keion Davis, RB, Marshall: Davis has seen his workload drastically increased the past two weeks with 43 carries for 215 yards and a touchdown to go along with six catches for 49 yards. He's available in pretty much all leagues and gets an Old Dominion defense that gave up 453 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in Week 6. That's an opportunity worth taking a chance on in my opinion.

Josh Stewart, WR, UTSA: Stewart has caught a touchdown in three of four games this year and has an above average QB in Dalton Sturm. While I don't mind the matchup with North Texas this week, it's upcoming games with Rice, UTEP, FIU and UAB which should have Stewart and Sturm snatched up in all leagues.
*Western Kentucky (vs. Charlotte) and UAB (vs. Middle Tennessee) have soft matchups so if any of their starters are available, they should be considered for this week.

MAC

Jarvion Franklin, RB, Western Michigan: Setting aside the craziness related to a seven-overtime game and how it inflates fantasy stats, Franklin looked like the Broncos best back with 37 carries for 176 yards and three touchdowns. In his last three games, Franklin has established himself as the Western Michigan RB to own and is owned in only 37 percent of leagues. LeVante Bellamy and Jamauri Bogan will command carries, but Franklin appears to be the primary back.

James Gardner, WR, Miami of Ohio: A repeat recommendation from last week as Gardner is somehow still owned in under 50 percent of leagues. The Redhawks' top receiver has four 100 yard games and five touchdowns in five games. Even though QB Gus Ragland is dealing with an injury, Gardner is worth owning in each and every league while averaging north of 15 fantasy points per game. Oh yeah, the team has Kent State who is one of the worst teams in America this week.
*Northern Illinois (at Buffalo) and Ohio (at Bowling Green) have soft matchups so if any of their starters are available, they should be considered for this week.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Arion Worthman, QB, Air Force: Owned in just 21 percent of leagues, Worthman is a true dual-threat quarterback. Versus Navy, he amassed 396 total yards and four touchdowns in a 48-45 loss. It should be another high-scoring game when the Falcons take on the UNLV Rebels, who are giving up 486 yards of offense per week.

Dalton Fackrell, TE, Colorado State: Fackrell has caught a touchdown in two straight games, despite having only nine catches on the season. While I don't recommend using Fackrell each and every week, he's worth a spot-start this week when the Rams take on a Nevada defense giving up 316.5 passing yards per game. Colorado State's QB Nick Stevens should have a huge game, meaning Fackrell could get a score in his third straight game.
*Hawaii (vs. San Jose State) has a soft matchup so if any of their starters are available, they should be considered for this week.

PAC-12

Khalil Tate, QB, Arizona: Starter Brandon Dawkins went out with an injury in the first quarter and the rest is history as Tate exploded for a NCAA-record 327 yards on the ground from the QB position. He also accounted for five touchdowns en route to a 45-42 win at Colorado. The matchup gets even better this week when Arizona takes on a UCLA team giving up 284.2 rushing yards per game, which ranks second-worst in the nation.

Hunter Bryant, TE, Washington: The Huskies are quietly destructing a lot of Pac-12 teams after everyone goes to sleep across the nation. If you haven't stayed up and watched, you have likely missed their talented freshman Bryant. who has improved with each game. In a 38-7 win over Cal, Bryant hauled in a season-high nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. He's available in most leagues and should have another opportunity to shine versus Arizona State this week.
*Washington State (at Cal), Colorado (at Oregon State) and Stanford (vs. Oregon) have soft matchups so if any of their starters are available, they should be considered for this week.

SEC

Sony Michel, RB, Georgia: RB Nick Chubb is owned universally across all leagues as he should be, but that doesn't mean fantasy rosters shouldn't have room for Michel. Georgia is running all over the opposition and Michel has a touchdown in four of the five games he's played. Even if Chubb goes off against Missouri, Michel should see a handful of carries in the second half. Moreover, he becomes a valuable piece if anything ever happens to the starter.

Aeris Williams, RB, Mississippi State: The Bulldogs are coming off a bye and will play a dreadful BYU team that can't score any points. That means Mississippi State will likely jump out a large lead and ride Williams for the rest of the game. The junior has only one touchdown on the season but should see the end-zone this week as long as QB Nick Fitzgerald doesn't hog all of the fantasy points.
*Alabama (vs. Arkansas) have a soft matchup so if any of their starters are available, they should be considered for this week.

SUN BELT

Caleb Evans, QB, UL-Monroe: Evans was a recommendation a few weeks ago; however, he is still owned in just 19 percent of leagues. The dual-threat quarterback was a force to be reckoned with once again versus Texas State with 433 yards and three touchdowns through the air to go with a touchdown on the ground. With upcoming matchups against Georgia State, South Alabama and Idaho, the fantasy points should keep pouring in.

Trey Ragas, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette: Owned in just 15 percent of leagues, Ragas has been consistent as they come with double-digit fantasy points in all five of the Ragin' Cajuns games. The freshman has rushed for 453 yards and five touchdowns on just 63 carries for a healthy 7.2 yards per attempt. That type of production should continue against lowly defenses in the Sun Belt Conference.
*Troy (vs. South Alabama), Appalachian State (vs. Idaho) and Arkansas State (vs. Coastal Carolina) have soft matchups so if any of their starters are available, they should be considered for this week.

NEW THIS WEEK – DEFENSES TO STREAM for Week 7

Southern Miss (vs. UTEP) – The Miners are averaging only 14.3 points per game and are a large road underdog. The Golden Eagles should be available in most leagues.

Mississippi State (vs. BYU) – The Bulldogs are not considered one of the vaunted SEC defenses and are coming off a bye, so snatch them up against the Cougars who are averaging a paltry 11.7 points per game.
Western Kentucky (vs. Charlotte) – The 49ers are averaging just 11.7 points per game and open up as 16.5 point underdogs to Western Kentucky.
Marshall (vs. Old Dominion) – The Monarchs are one of the worst teams in the nation and Marshall just shut down Charlotte, so why not again?