This article is part of our College Basketball Waiver Wire series.
Feast Week provided a lot of awesome matchups and a chance for players to prove over multiple games they are going to be a force this season. This week we continue to zero in on players who should be available in most leagues that have the potential to make a difference for your team over the long haul.
Power Conferences
Jamir Watkins, F/C, Florida State
Watkins had some nice moments in two seasons at VCU, but nothing like we have seen early this season at Florida State. The 6-7 forward has been filling up the stat sheet averaging 14.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 three-pointers. Watkins is also shooting over 52 percent from the field. He will continue to be leaned on with matchups against Georgia and North Carolina this week.
Jayden Epps, G, Georgetown
Epps flashed potential as a freshman at Illinois but was never utilized properly with the Illini. Now in his first season for coach Ed Cooley, Epps is being asked to handle a lot of the offensive load. He put up a career-high 11 assists in the opener and has gone for 31 and 34 points in his last two games. Epps is also 13 for his last 22 from behind the arc and has games against Merrimack and TCU this week.
Andrej Jakimovski, F/C, Washington State
Jakimovski made 45 starts over his first three seasons, but he is reaching new levels as a senior. He has topped 20
Feast Week provided a lot of awesome matchups and a chance for players to prove over multiple games they are going to be a force this season. This week we continue to zero in on players who should be available in most leagues that have the potential to make a difference for your team over the long haul.
Power Conferences
Jamir Watkins, F/C, Florida State
Watkins had some nice moments in two seasons at VCU, but nothing like we have seen early this season at Florida State. The 6-7 forward has been filling up the stat sheet averaging 14.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 three-pointers. Watkins is also shooting over 52 percent from the field. He will continue to be leaned on with matchups against Georgia and North Carolina this week.
Jayden Epps, G, Georgetown
Epps flashed potential as a freshman at Illinois but was never utilized properly with the Illini. Now in his first season for coach Ed Cooley, Epps is being asked to handle a lot of the offensive load. He put up a career-high 11 assists in the opener and has gone for 31 and 34 points in his last two games. Epps is also 13 for his last 22 from behind the arc and has games against Merrimack and TCU this week.
Andrej Jakimovski, F/C, Washington State
Jakimovski made 45 starts over his first three seasons, but he is reaching new levels as a senior. He has topped 20 points twice in five games and has recorded at least one block and one three-pointer in every game. Jakimovski's averages are up to 13.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 three-pointers, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per contest. WSU has local games against Eastern Washington and Portland State this week.
Noah Carter, F/C, Missouri
Missouri was counting on 7-5 transfer Connor Vanover to handle a lot of the work on the interior this season, but it has been a struggle. Thankfully, the Tigers have gotten the best out of Carter, who has scored in double figures in six out of seven games and logged six boards in all but one game. The veteran forward is averaging 13.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.7 three-pointers and 1.0 steals per contest. He'll get Pittsburgh and Wichita State this week.
Roddy Gayle, G, Ohio State
Gayle started 11 games as a freshman last season, but never got the chance to make the kind of impact he is early in the 2023-24 campaign. While Gayle hasn't really proven to be great for the defensive stats, he is averaging 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 three-pointers per contest. His efficiency is also of note shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from behind the arc. Ohio State has games against Central Michigan and Minnesota this week.
Sebastian Mack, G, UCLA
Mack has been one of the top freshman in the country over the first few weeks of the season and is leading the Bruins at 15.8 PPG. He was one of the most impressive players at the Maui Invitational, going for a season-high 25 points against a tough Marquette defense and then racking up five steals against Chaminade. Mack is not yet a great outside shooter, but he competes on the defensive end of the floor at 2.2 SPG and can get to the free-throw line. UCLA has just one game this week, but this is a strong long-term investment.
Chico Carter, G, DePaul
Not much has gone right this season for DePaul, but the one positive has been the play of the South Carolina transfer. Carter is coming off a career-high 10 assists against NIU. The fifth-year senior is now putting up 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 three-pointers per contest. Guard Jalen Terry (ankle) is not expected back anytime soon and that should allow Carter to continue to handle the ball quite a bit going forward.
Aundre Hyatt, G/F, Rutgers
Rutgers needed someone to step up to offset the losses of Cam Spencer, Caleb McConnell and Paul Mulcahy. The man up to the challenge has been Hyatt, who is leading the team in scoring at 12.8 PPG, and that's with a four-point stinker in the opener. The opportunity is clearly there for the fifth-year senior, and he is also putting up 5.6 RPG and 1.8 3PM. Hyatt has both guard and forward eligibility on most sites which only improves his value.
Other Conferences
Jonathan Mogbo, F/C, San Francisco
Mogbo impressed in one season with Missouri State, but he is off to an incredible start for the Dons. He has scored in double figures in every game and put up one of the best single-game performances this season last week against Purdue Fort Wayne when he went for 15 points, 18 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Keep riding Mogbo, as he is contributing in multiple categories and shooting over 70 percent from the field this season.
Donovan Dent, G, New Mexico
With Jaelen House (hip) and Jamal Mashburn (lower body) dealing with injuries, Dent is having to carry the load and then some for the Lobos early in the season. It's been incredibly impressive from a player who only averaged 18.5 MPG last season. He has turned that up to 18.5 points, 6.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest this season. New Mexico is playing like one of the fastest teams in the country, and that is excellent for Dent to continue to put up big numbers.
Joel Scott, F/C, Colorado State
Scott was the Division II Player of the Year last season at Black Hills State, where he averaged 23.0 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. The 6-7 forward has made a really nice transition to Division I and helped the Rams to a 6-0 record. Scott is averaging 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds through the first six games this season and has recorded at least two steals+blocks in every contest. He'll get a chance to show out against power conference competition next week with Colorado and Washington on deck.
Maximus Edwards, G/F, George Washington
Edwards has been cooking to start the season for George Washington which ranks third in tempo. The redshirt sophomore is averaging 16.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per contest this season. What's rare is to get a player who contributes so much on the glass and from beyond the arc like Edwards does. He is knocking down 2.9 triples per game and hitting at a 48.8-percent clip. It's always nice to have a really good point guard like James Bishop IV to set up Edwards for a lot of open looks.
