College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 9

CFB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 9

Welcome back to the waiver wire watch. Throughout the college football season, I'll pick two guys from every conference who either caught my eye in the previous week or who have a favorable match-up in the near future. As always, I'll get to any questions or comments you have in the comments section below.

First though, here are the players who came through last week and may still be available in your leagues;

LSU QB Jayden Daniels (51.0 points) *Week 8 Highest-Scorer
Maryland RB Roman Hemby (42.3 points)
Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt (39.4 points)
Oregon RB Mar'Keise Irving (28.4 points)
East Carolina QB Holton Ahlers (26.0 points)
Kansas QB Jason Bean (21.8 points)
Hawaii RB Dedrick Parson (16.0 points)
Syracuse WR Oronde Gadsden (14.6 points)

70+ Club in Upcoming Slate: Instead of going over the full slate this week, I'm going to point out which college games have opened up with an over/under around the 70 point mark which means a plethora of fantasy points. Enjoy these barnburners and roster some players in these games if you can.

78.5 - USC at Arizona
70.5 - TCU at West Virginia
70.0 - North Texas at Western Kentucky
68.0 - SMU at Tulsa

*Fantasy Points referenced in article are DK format.
**To qualify for recommendations, players must be rostered in less than 50 percent of Fantrax Leagues

AAC Waiver Wire Pickups

Holton Ahlers, QB, East Carolina (37 percent rostered)

Let's stick with Ahlers who's on a roll with 20 or more fantasy points in six of eight games this year. Moreover, he has a two-game streak with a rushing score which is always optimal in fantasy circles. The Pirates will go up against a BYU defense that is giving up 32 points and 422 total yards to opposing offenses. WR C.J. Johnson (59 percent rostered) and RB Keaton Mitchell (99 percent rostered) are also excellent plays, however, not available in nearly as many leagues.

Deneric Prince, RB, Tulsa (15 percent rostered)

Prince had a beautiful 84-yard touchdown on his way to 260 total yards on 22 touches against Temple. Anticipated to be the starting running back to begin the year, Prince didn't play in the first four games for undisclosed reasons. He's now back and is a priority add as Tulsa goes up against a soft set of defenses to end the season (SMU, Memphis, USF and Houston). While he does play a tougher Tulane defense in Week 10, the volume will likely still render him playable in most leagues.
 
Week 8 Rewind; East Carolina QB Holton Ahlers (26.0 points - 30/36, 311 YDS, 1 TD, 5 ATT, 6 YDS, 1 TD) & Memphis TE Caden Prieskorn (9.5 points - 4/6 TAR, 55 YDS)

ACC Waiver Wire Pickups

Antoine Green, WR, North Carolina (39 percent rostered)

Because I want a piece of the North Carolina and Pittsburgh game (highest conference over/under at 64.0 points) and due to me having no trust in the Pitt passing game right now, going with Green who I recommended a couple of weeks ago. Green has done a lot with little when you consider his 20.4 fantasy points on just 5.3 targets per game. He's a true touchdown threat with four scores through four games this season.

Jahmal Banks, WR, Wake Forest (20 percent rostered)

The next best game in the ACC is Wake Forest at Louisville (over/under at 63.0 points), so let's go with Banks who is coming off seven catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns against Boston College. Sam Hartman (96 percent rostered) is plenty talented enough to get both Banks and A.T. Perry (100 percent rostered) involved for the rest of the season. 

Week 8 Rewind; Syracuse WR Oronde Gadsden (14.6 points - 6/9 TAR, 86 YDS) & Wake Forest RB Justice Ellison (3.6 points - 9 ATT, 36 YDS, 0/1 TAR)

BIG 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Hunter Dekkers, QB, Iowa State (22 percent rostered)

The Cyclones are going to want to slow it down versus Oklahoma, but there's a great chance they won't be able to. Dekkers is averaging 37.6 passing attempts per game, so this isn't your father's Iowa State offense by any means. The last time we saw the Iowa State signal caller, he had 31.2 fantasy points at Texas with his first 300-yard passing game of the season.  

Richard Reese, RB, Baylor (38 percent rostered)

After racking up 38.2 fantasy points against Kansas, Reese has entered the conversation of the most impressive true freshman running backs in the country. In his last five games where he's seen double-digit carries, he's averaging 23.8 fantasy points. There's absolutely no reason for Baylor to not keep giving him the ball in heavy volume against Texas Tech and Oklahoma over the next two weeks.

Week 8 Rewind; Kansas QB Jason Bean (21.8 points - 16/27, 232 YDS, 1 TD, 8 ATT, 25 YDS, 1 TD) & West Virginia RB Tony Mathis (3.3 points - 7 ATT, 33 YDS)

Big Ten Waiver Wire Pickups

Sean Clifford, QB, Penn State (29 percent rostered)

If the Nittany Lions are to have any chance against Ohio State's top-ranked offense, Clifford is going to need to bring it. There's no doubt that the environment will be special in Happy Valley and Clifford hasn't been horrible against the Buckeyes the last two years. He had 22.7 fantasy points (three TDs) in 2020 and 18.3 fantasy points (one TD) in 2021. Vegas thinks Penn State can score 20+ against Ohio State, so we should be okay with Clifford on fantasy rosters this week.

Julian Fleming, WR, Ohio State (41 percent rostered)

Fleming is pretty much the only premier Buckeye playmaker who's still available in over 50 percent of leagues. He has a touchdown in five straight on just 3.4 catches and 4.2 targets per game. This suggests that this is the floor and it's possible he has a big breakout game coming. While Ohio State has four legitimate studs at wide receiver, they do have the best offense in the nation which can support production for all four on a weekly basis.

Week 8 Rewind; Maryland RB Roman Hemby (42.3 points - 24 ATT, 179 YDS, 3 TD, 2/2 TAR, 14 YDS) & Rutgers QB/TE Johnny Langan (7.6 points - 5/9 TAR, 24 YDS, 1 ATT, 2 YDS)

C-USA Waiver Wire Pickups

Luke McCaffrey, QB/WR, Rice (30 percent rostered)

With everyone talking about his older brother Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers, young Luke went out and had 51.2 fantasy points at Louisiana Tech. The former quarterback has transitioned to wide receiver this year with a ton of success including three 100-yard receiving games and six total scores. These McCaffrey boys can really do it all, must be in the genes! He's my priority add at WR as they play Charlotte who we now know is the worst team in college football after being handled by FIU this past week. QB TJ McMahon (2 percent rostered) is also available in most leagues.

Tre Harris, WR, Louisiana Tech (22 percent rostered)

While Smoke Harris (19 percent rostered) is technically listed as the number one receiver for the Bulldogs, the other Harris has been the most targeted. In his last three games, Tre has 19 catches for 347 yards and five touchdowns on 31 targets. Meanwhile, Smoke has 20 catches for 260 yards and two touchdowns on 28 targets over that same span. I like them both going forward because Louisiana Tech has to throw the ball a ton due to their horrible defense.

Week 8 Rewind; Charlotte QB Chris Reynolds (10.2 points - 23/38, 244 YDS, 3 INT, 1 TD RUSHING) & North Texas WR Jyaire Shorter (6.8 points - 1/6 TAR, 58 YDS)

MAC Waiver Wire Pickups

DJ Irons, QB, Akron (8 percent rostered)

I'm not necessarily in love with the match-up against Miami of Ohio (over/under of 47) this week, but Irons has been money in conference play. In four MAC games, he's averaging 29.0 fantasy points with 364.3 total yards and 2.3 total touchdowns per game. WR Alex Adams (1 percent rostered) is also worth a look after catching all nine of his targets for 199 yards and a touchdown at Kent State. In a week with a ton of solid quarterbacks on a bye, you could do a lot worse than Irons who at the very least is going to have some running volume (13.8 rushing attempts per game).

Jamal Turner, TE, Toledo (6 percent rostered)

Where did this senior tight end come from? Despite having just eight catches for 87 yards and a touchdown on 22 targets during his junior season in 2021, Turner has reeled off a touchdown in five straight games. Although he has not exceeded four targets in a game, he's the Rockets' best bet for a red-zone look which is plenty good enough at the tough tight end position.

Week 8 Rewind; Ohio RB Sieh Bangura (12.4 points - 10 ATT, 62 YDS, 3/5 TAR, 32 YDS) & Central Michigan RB Marion Lukes (1.6 points - 7 ATT, 16 YDS *Injured)

Mountain West Waiver Wire Pickups

Dedrick Parson, RB, Hawaii (38 percent rostered)

There's no reason to go away from Parson if he's still available in over 50 percent of leagues. He's coming off a season-high seven targets at Colorado State and has double-digit carries in all eight games. Fantasy points have been hard to come by in the Mountain West this year which is another reason for this recommendation as Hawaii's game with Wyoming has the highest over/under at 50 points. Parson is extremely underrated as he ranks seventh in the entire conference in fantasy points per game.

Elijah Cooks, WR, San Jose State (21 percent rostered)

I'm not confident with much in this conference these days, but I do feel that San Jose State should be able to put up some points on Nevada this week. Their best playmaker has been Cooks who has a touchdown in three of his last four games. The production during conference play has been fantastic at 23.9 fantasy points per game. His 6.0 catches for 119.3 yards on 9.7 targets has him as the best receiver in the conference. The Spartans will make a push for a conference title during the last month of the season.

Week 8 Rewind; Hawaii RB Dedrick Parson (16.0 points - 15 ATT, 71 YDS, 6/7 TAR, 29 YDS) & Boise State QB Taylen Green (8.9 points - 16/24, 207 YDS, 1 INT, 5 ATT, 16 YDS)

PAC-12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Jayden de Laura, QB, Arizona (39 percent rostered)

An over/under of 78.5 points against USC has fantasy managers licking their lips for this one. I doubt any of the USC studs are available, so go get de Laura who will be slinging the ball around in an attempt to keep up with the Trojans. There's some slight hesitation here as Oregon was able to shut him down (8.6 fantasy points), yet on the flip side, there was Colorado (51.3 fantasy points) and Washington (39.1 points). It will likely be somewhere in between which is just fine for the waiver wire at this point of the season.

Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon (33 percent rostered)

Mar'Keise Irving (16 percent rostered) came through as a recommendation last week with the Ducks demolishing the Bruins in impressive fashion. Franklin was even better while reeling in eight of nine targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He's the Ducks' top receiver and QB Bo Nix (76 percent rostered) is playing the best football of his career. I would start all three of these guys against any Pac-12 opponent moving forward. This is not the same Oregon team that was dominated by Georgia in their season-opener.

Week 8 Rewind; UCLA WR Kazmeir Allen (12.5 points - 8/9 TAR, 45 YDS) & Oregon RB Mar'Keise Irving (28.4 points - 19 ATT, 107 YDS, 3/3 TAR, 57 YDS, 1 TD)

SEC Waiver Wire Pickups

Jadon Haselwood, WR, Arkansas (48 percent rostered)

The Oklahoma transfer leads the team in target share at 23 percent, yet has not recorded a touchdown since Week 3. Fantasy managers do not have a lot of patience for players who do not reach the end-zone, but it's really only a matter of time for Haselwood who is seeing plenty of volume in targets. With upcoming games against Auburn, Liberty, LSU, Ole Miss and Missouri, he should have a strong finish to the year. 

Robby Ashford, QB, Auburn (5 percent rostered)

On the other side of that Arkansas Auburn game (over/under at 62.5 points) is freshman quarterback Ashford who loves to run the ball. This lines up as a good match-up for him because Arkansas is giving up 33 points and 457 total yards per game. I'm not expecting him to light it up in the passing game, but he is averaging 12.2 rushing attempts per game which could mean a rushing score or two.

Week 8 Rewind; LSU QB Jayden Daniels (51.0 points - 21/28, 248 YDS, 2 TD, 23 ATT, 121 YDS, 3 TD) & Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt (39.4 points - 7/7 TAR, 174 YDS, 2 TD)

Sun Belt Waiver Wire Pickups

Carter Bradley, QB, South Alabama (11 percent rostered)

Bradley is coming off his worst performance of the year with just 7.2 fantasy points against Troy. Going up against much softer defenses in Arkansas State and Georgia Southern over the next two weeks are the cure he needs to that hiccup in the schedule. Prior to the disappointing performance at home, he was averaging 23.0 fantasy points per game, so I entirely expect some regression back to the mean here.

Seydou Traore, TE, Arkansas State (36 percent rostered)

Traore has double-digit fantasy points in six straight games. He's Arkansas State's top receiver with a target share at 16 percent. It's not often that you can find a tight end that leads the team in target share, so this is a great spot to fill a need. They'll be throwing the ball early and often against South Alabama this week.

Week 8 Rewind; Georgia Southern QB Kyle Vantrease (12.0 points - 22/27, 192 YDS, 1 TD, 4 ATT, 3 YDS) & UL-Monroe WR Tyrone Howell (7.4 points - 5/8 TAR, 24 YDS)

INDEPENDENTS

Drew Pyne, QB, Notre Dame (5 percent rostered)

The pool of independent players is not pretty this season, so taking a bit of a chance on Pyne against Syracuse on the road. Clemson was very physical with the Orange this past week while racking up 293 rushing yards on 60 carries. This is an potential letdown spot for Syracuse and I think Pyne will be ready to go after cruising against UNLV with 18.2 fantasy points in Week 8.

Week 8 Rewind; BYU WR Kody Epps (8.8 points - 5/6 TAR, 36 YDS, 1 ATT, 2 YDS)

DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS

San Jose State (vs. Nevada) - The Spartans' D/ST are averaging 9.0 fantasy points per game and Nevada has been held under 300 offensive yards in six of eight games. Rostered in 17 percent of leagues.

South Carolina (vs. Missouri) - South Carolina's defense has been sneaky good with two or more turnovers in four straight games. Rostered in just 11 percent of leagues.

Appalachian State (vs. Robert Morris) - Here's the FBS vs. FCS special of the week and this is a doozy as the Colonials are 0-6 while averaging nine points and only 224 yards of offense per game. App State rostered in 22 percent of leagues.

Week 8 Rewind; James Madison vs. Marshall (4.5 points - 26 PA, 3 SK, 3 TA), Penn State vs. Minnesota (6.5 points - 17 PA, 1 SK, 1 TA) & San Jose State at New Mexico State (*Postponed)

SUMMARY & TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

Utilizing the two players for each conference above, here are my top recommendations for the week by position:

QB: Arizona Jayden de Laura, Akron DJ Irons, Auburn Robby Ashford

RB: Tulsa Deneric Prince, Baylor Richard Reese, Hawaii Dedrick Parson

WR: Rice Luke McCaffrey, LA Tech Tre Harris, Arkansas Jadon Haselwood

TE:  Arkansas State Seydou Traore, Toldeo Jamal Turner

D/ST: Appalachian State (vs. Robert Morris), San Jose State (vs. Nevada), South Carolina (vs. Missouri)

Be sure to check out our college football custom rankings and our player rankings cheat sheet for up-to-date season-long rankings, as well as our college football weekly rankings to help guide your lineup decisions. During the season, our college football DFS optimizer and value report are powerful tools to help build DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.