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 from Joe Arpasi’s top selections. In the free preview below I will review players I feel are honorable mention waiver wire targets that did not make Joe’s top selections lists that are featured for premium subscribers.
Now the we are in the playoffs your strategy around the waiver wire changes a little. You’ll still need to look for players that can help your roster. I highly recommend using my CFF Schedule Matcher spreadsheet to help ensure that a player helps fill in weeks where you need more help.
A new wrinkle that comes with playoff waiver wire moves is making defensive plays. If you have room on your roster you can pick up players that might be good even if they don’t help lift your line up. The idea is to prevent other owners from getting someone that your opponent can use against you. I will refer to this as a “defensive play” in the breakdowns below.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
QUARTERBACKS
Broc Lowry (WestMi) 7% Rostered
Volume Workload Target
Lowry is coming off of a bye week. After a poor game on 10/25 against Miami (OH) he bounced back with a 23.7 fantasy point performance against Central Michigan. He’s now scored 22+ fantasy points in four of his last five games. He’s the only QB on this list with a stable track record which is why he’s listed above the other options despite a poor upcoming schedule.
Rodney Tisdale (W Ky) 3% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
Tisdale is filling in the injured starting QB Maverick McIvor. In his two starts he has scored 22.65 and 31.85 fantasy points. McIvor was struggling before his injury and its uncertain if Tisdale will keep the job once McIvor is healthy. Until then Tisdale can be a plug and play starter this week if you are in desperate need for a QB2.
Jeff Sims (AzSt) 4% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Sims is coming off of a bye week. We’ve only got one look at him since it was announced that starting QB Sam Leavitt was lost for the season. Against Iowa State Sims scored 41.65 fantasy points in a game where he ran for more yards than he threw for. He could be used in the next two weeks if you really need help at QB, or you could pick him up as a defensive play if you have spare room on your roster.
RUNNING BACKS
Austyn Dendy (BGSU) 4% Rostered
Volume Workload Target
After splitting carries between multiple backs this season the coaches decided to lean on Denby. Over the last three games he has had between 18-21 carries each game. His fantasy production has been up and down though (15.3, 6.2, & 26.9 fantasy points). He could get passed over on this week’s waiver wire since he’s on a bye. I like his final two games with Akron and UMass but it might take a leap of faith to put him in your line up. Picking him up could be a good defensive play though.
Diore Hubbard (WVU) 7% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
We’ve now been able to see Hubbert for two weeks now with this new increased workload and he’s sowing that he can be a viable fantasy option. Over the last two games he’s received 29 and 16 carries, and scored 18.3 and 18.8 fantasy points. The only reason he’s not in my Top 5 is that he only has one playable game left with this week’s match up against Arizona State.
Steve Chavez-Soto (SJSU) 15% Rostered
Freshman Chavez-Soto has been generating more fantasy value from the RB position in this offensive system then we normally see. His workload is small and his fantasy value is heavily tied to TD production. He’s scored 18+ fantasy points in three of the last five games. Last week against a poor Air Force defense he could only muster up 10.9 fantasy points on 9 carries. You’ll have to deal with these ups and downs. His schedule isn’t pretty with Weeks 13-14 looking grim.
Clay Thevenin (LT) 6% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
Thevenin has had two monster weeks now scoring 32.3 and 24.1 fantasy points. His workload is low, receiving between 10-12 carries over the last four games. His last two games had rushing match up grades of an A and A-. The upcoming schedule is a little tougher which means you could expect to see his fantasy production take a dip. It might be too hard to trust him in your fantasy playoff line up but you could stay him as a defensive play.
Jordan Gant (Akr) 21% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
What I like about Gant is that he has been receiving 19+ carries for three straight games. He only turned last week’s game into a fantasy worthy performance (27.3 fantasy points). The issue with Gant is that the Akron offense just isn’t that good and they typically fall behind in games forcing the gamescript to flip to the pass.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Kyle Duplessis (UD) 26% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
I want to say that Duplessis was a hair’s length away from making the Top 5. He’s had 8+ targets in four of his last five games, he’s scored a TD in two of his last three games, and he’s scored 15+ fantasy points in his last three games. Of everyone on this list I would trust him the most in my line up this week. The upcoming schedule is good and he has a reliable QB throwing him the ball.
Jayshon Platt (FlAtl) 11% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
Platt has now scored 20.6 and 19.9 fantasy points over his last two games, and he’s scored 15+ fantasy points in three of the last four games. The Florida Atlantic offense has been a bit unpredictable this season which is the main reason he slide to this spot on my list. He is my second favorite match up for this week and has the best schedule for the full playoffs on this list.
Nick Devereaux (E Mi) 1% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
This is the third straight week that Devereaux has been The Man in the Eastern Michigan receiver room. He’s scored 19.8, 26.6, and 15.9 fantasy points against Miami (OH), Ohio, and Bowling Green. The passing match up grades for those games were C+, B-, & C. Those grades are right in line for his remaining schedule which makes me think he should be able to maintain a similar level of fantasy production.
Nik McMillan (Buff) 15% Rostered
Volume Workload Target
McMillan is coming off of a bye week. He has been mentioned for several weeks in my articles and he’s been living up to expectations as he’s scored 18.9, 21.7, & 14.5 fantasy points over the last three games. The match ups during that time frame were much easier than what he has coming his way though. He could still be a good floor play due to the workload he’s receiving but these match ups will likely lower his ceiling.
Kenny Johnson (Pitt) 21% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
Johnson is coming off of a bye week. He was playing banged up in October but was fully healthy over his last two games where he scored 20.7 and 15.1 fantasy points. Those games were against NC State and Stanford, not the strongest pass defenses. While my passing match up grades look good for his upcoming schedule my gut thinks the Notre Dame and Miami (FL) games will be tougher than my grades show.
TIGHT ENDS
Josh Cuevas (Bama) 25% Rostered
Current Week Match-Up Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
The tight end position has never held much fantasy value in this offensive system but Cuevas has produced 11.1 and 8.5 fantasy points over the last two games. His workload doesn’t really change, sticking between 3-4 targets/game. There’s a very good chance he reverts back to scoring 3-5 fantasy points a game which is something to worry about here.
Tyler Fortenberry (ArkSt) 0% Rostered
Fortenberry has come out of nowhere the last two weeks and seen a large uptick in his workload volume. Before then he was averaging 2.3 targets/game but over the last two games he’s received 5 and 7 targets enroute to scoring 12.5 and 9.1 fantasy points. I think you could grab him for free after waivers run this week, and stash him for the last two games if your main TE has a bye during either of those weeks.
QUARTERBACKS
Skyler Locklear (UTEP) 3% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
I might sound crazy listing Locklear as my top QB this week but there’s merit here. Over the last three weeks he’s scored 34.6, 21.7, & 38.4 fantasy points. While his pass attempts/game have been between 26-32, his rushing workload has jump to 13-27 attempts/game and he’s scored 2 rushing TDs in two of the last three games. He’s ran for 56.1% of his season total of rushing yards just in the last three games. Even if you don’t need him as a starter in your line up I’m going to highly recommend grabbing him as a defensive play.
Cameran Brown (GaSt) 18% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Current Week Match-Up Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
Before last week Brown had scored 27.2, 36, & 34.75 fantasy points. Last week he had a favorable fantasy match up with Coastal Carolina but ended the day with 15.8 fantasy points on 12 pass attempts before leaving the game and TJ Finley took over. I can’t find any news about why the QB change occurred but I can see that Brown was playing well (75% completion rate and 9.7 yards/attempt). There’s definetely risk involved in picking him up instead of a different QB and he sits out this week (his best remaining match up).
Samari Collier (CoCar) 8% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Collier will likely be the most sought after QB this week on the waiver wire. Over the last three games he’s ignited a previously dormant offense (scoring 40+ points in each game) and he’s produced 28.5, 35.3, & 36.3 fantasy points. His upcoming schedule is the reason I have him pushed down to #3 on my list. There’s no way you can play him against South Carolina. While the Georgia Southern game has a C passing match up grade, his last two games had passing match up grades of C+ and C. Collier is a great runner and the Georgia Southern match up has an A rushing match up grade. His final match up is against James Madison and I don’t think I could trust him in my line up that week.
JC French (GaSo) 16% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
French now extends his streak of 28+ fantasy point games to four in a row. The change to include him in the rushing game the last three weeks has been fruitful with French scoring a rushing TD in each of those games. He’s not the flashiest name you could grab this week but he is showing consistency and that’s what you want to find in a QB that will go in your playoff line up. He could also be a good defensive play this week if your opponent doesn’t have good QB match ups.
Bishop Davenport (SoAl) 12% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Current Week Match-Up Target
Davenport has felt like he’s been inconsistent this season. Looking over his last five games he’s scored 24+ fantasy points four times. He never cracked 30 fantasy points which means that he will be a high floor, low ceiling option as a spot starter. He could fill in as a safe plug and play option in Weeks 12 and 14 if your current crop of QBs don;t have great match ups in either of those weeks.
RUNNING BACKS
London Montgomery (ECU) 12% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Current Week Match-Up Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
It is now two weeks in a row that I have placed Montgomery on the top of my RB list. In a blow out win against Charlotte last week he scored 17.3 fantasy points on just 11 carries (7.7 yards/carry). In the two games prior he received 16 and 14 carries and scored 21 and 16.3 fantasy points. He is the only RB in this entire article that has a decent sized workload, has been producing for 3 weeks, and has good match ups for the entirety of the playoffs. I think he is a must have for offensive purposes on your roster or as a defensive play.
Keyjuan Brown (Lou) 24% Rostered
Top 5 Target
When it comes to fantasy ceiling upside, Brown is the best guy on this list. He has scored 19.8, 22.1, & 14.6 fantasy points over his last three games. He was thrust into the spotlight due to the RBs above him on the depth chart missing time due to injury. Duke Watson returned to action last week and Isaac Brown could return in Week 13. The possibility of a diminished workload is one reason I knocked Brown below Montgomery and the schedule is the other. Brown’s good fantasy performances came against teams where the rushing match up grades were A-, A-, & B+. Even if Brown’s workload stays the same, the competition is about to get a whole lot tougher.
Antwan Roberts (Marsh) 2% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
Injuries have created a changing landscape in the Marshall backfield this season. Since October Roberts has taken the lead and been quietly producing modest but dependable fantasy numbers. In his last four games he has scored 12.7, 13.6, 14.9, & 18.5 fantasy points. Michael Allen could return from injury and Roberts reverts to RB2 which means you have some risk here. I still think Roberts could be a good pick up if you’re not deep at RB and need RBs to play in the Flex. The upcoming schedule is good and Roberts gives you a safe floor play guy that could be used every week that he remains the RB1.
Caleb Komolafe (NW) 12% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Volume Workload Target
Komolafe has been the centerpiece of the Northwestern offense since he took over the starting job. The last two weeks he has exceeded my expectations scoring 24.5 and 24.3 fantasy points against Nebraska and USC. Those teams have a C and C- rushing match up grade with Northwestern. I bring that up because I think the Week 13-14 match ups with Minnesota and Illinois are better than they appear at surface level.
Xavier Robinson (Okla) 9% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Robinson is coming off of a bye week. In Robinson’s last two games he scored 26.6 and 15.5 fantasy points in games that had rushing match up grades of C and B-. When you see Alabama, Missouri, and LSU left on the schedule it could scare you off but those are all C grade match ups. Robinson’s ceiling potential definitely goes down but I don’t think he should be completely avoided. Remember he ran for 100+ yards and reached the end zone in both of his last two games.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Shelton Sampson (ULLaf) 16% Rostered
Top 5 Target
I am sold on the Sampson train. He has scored 1 TD and 15+ fantasy points three weeks in a row, and scored 2 TDs and 22+ fantasy points two weeks in a row. The biggest reason I’m sold from the poor match ups he had during those games (D, D+, & C+ passing match up grades). This tells me that Sampson is just flat out more talented than the guys he’s lining up against. Considering he’s been producing like this with two D grade match ups, it means we should see continued success with his two remaining C grad match up games.
Parker Kingston (BYU) 22% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
Last week BYU ran into the Texas Tech buzzsaw and by no surprise Kingston had a poor day with only 5.4 fantasy points. If you remember he scored 20+ fantasy points in three of the four games prior to last week. He’s my favorite WR on this list for match ups over the next two weeks. While other players have better match up grades I don’t think they have as high of a floor as Kingston does.
Javen Nicholas (UNCC) 6% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Current Week Match-Up Target
Volume Workload Target
If you watched the submitted questions show last week in the Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em article you would have seen me bring up Nicholas. I admitted dropped the ball calling him a one week flash in the pan. Nicholas plays the slot in this offensive system which has a history of fantasy value. Over the last two games he has scored 36.2 and 23.5 fantasy points from a total of 16 targets for 10 receptions, 277 yards and 4 TDs. There’s risk that his TD production regresses and he costs you a playoff match up. You need to decide how much risk you want to take on since his only playable weeks are this week and Week 14 (or pick him up as a defensive play).
Keshaun Singleton (SoFL) 26% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Current Week Match-Up Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
Last week Singleton scored 2 TDs on 4 receptions to create a 26.2 fantasy point performance. This is the first time he has cracked 14 fantasy points since 9/6. What I like here is that he has big play potential in an offense that is on fire, and it doesn’t get better than his remaining schedule. But I’ll caution that Singleton should be treated as a risky flyer here. A guy that could go off for 20+ fantasy points, or fart out 8 fantasy points and get you eliminated from the playoffs.
Jacob De Jesus (Cal) 27% Rostered
Top 5 Target
Volume Workload Target
De Jesus went nuclear last week against Louisville. He saw 23 passes thrown his way that game which fueled his 31.25 fantasy point performance. Realize that he has only scored 20+ fantasy points twice on games where he received 23 and 19 targets. The rest of his games have a max of 11 targets in a game. This means that De Jesus is just like Singleton, a guy that will be boom or bust in your fantasy line up.
TIGHT ENDS
Juice Vereen (UConn) 11% Rostered
Top 4 Target
Current Week Match-Up Target
Its now four weeks in a row where the Juice has been loose. Vereen’s fantasy point production over the last four games has been 22.2, 10.8, 9.9, and 12.6. He has two great match ups left. Strap him in your line up and look for a one week spot starter for Week 14 to back him up.
Jyrin Johnson (BGSU) 9% Rostered
Top 4 Target
Volume Workload Target
I was rather surprised when I cam across Johnson this week. He’s the only TE in this article that qualifies as a volume workload target. After putting up two 6 point performance in late October he has scored 9.4 and 11.6 fantasy points. Last week he finally reached the end zone as well. I see Johnson as a floor play option that might score some week if you’re lucky. He’s on a bye but he could be a great person to get for free after waivers run and make him your Week 14 spot starter to pair with Vereen.
Joel Hasley (Duke) 2% Rostered
Top 4 Target
Current Week Match-Up Target
Playoff Match-Up Target
I think its hard to rely on TEs in Duke’s offensive system but I feel like Hasley’s recent play deserves mentioning. Over the last two games he has produced 9.8 and 14.1 fantasy points and seen his targets increase from 4 to 7. He hasn’t done anything of note until two weeks ago and I have no clue why he is being involved more in the offense.
Hunter Tipton (MidTN) 9% Rostered
Top 4 Target
I am still holding on to faith in Tipton despite last week’s pathetic 3.4 fantasy point performance. For some reason he was held to 2 targets when he was getting 6, 6, & 11 targets in the three games prior to that. I am pushing him down my list due to that poor performance and the lack of any potential injury news right now.