CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 1

Welcome to this year's first installment of 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.

AAC

Joey Magnifico, TE, Memphis
Magnifico is likely the last available player from Memphis is season-long formats and there's reason to believe he has legitimate breakout potential. The senior's targets increased late in the season and he had two or more catches in four of the Tigers' last six games. With opening games against Ole Miss, Southern and South Alabama, you could do a lot worse at the tight end position.

Patrick Carr, RB, Houston
I realize that quarterback D'Eriq King is going to eat up most of the team's rushing yards, but I'm a bit shocked that Carr hasn't been rostered in deeper leagues. Houston has absolutely no defense and they will attempt to run up and down the field each week. Carr rushed for 873 yards and five touchdowns last season which means that his floor is most likely worth a reserve spot. He's at the very least worth a temporary plug and play during a bye week for a fantasy starter.

ACC

Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami
Jordan was the most impressive of the offensive 'Canes in Week 0 while hauling in five of eight targets for 88 yards and a touchdown. The eight targets and 17.6 YPC led the team on the night and the large-framed tight end appeared to be the favorite target for Miami's freshman quarterback, Jarren Williams. Although Miami is on a bye this week, Jordan is worth nabbing in most leagues as the tight end position can be very difficult to predict.

Cade Carney, RB, Wake Forest
Carney is available in far too many leagues when you consider that he rushed for 1,005 yards and eight touchdowns as the Demon Deacons' lead back last season. He was avoided in some leagues because he's recovering from shoulder surgery in the spring. The good news is that he has been taking full contact in practice and should be ready for a full workload against Utah State in a game that will include more points than you think. In following weeks, Wake Forest will play Rice and North Carolina in games that will similarly be scoring fests.

BIG 12

Charleston Rambo, WR, Oklahoma
Rambo projects to start opposite of CeeDee Lamb in one of college football's premier offensive systems and yet is still available in far too many leagues. The potency of Oklahoma's offense should be on full display in their first game as the Sooners take on Houston in a game that Vegas opened with an over/under of 80 points (highest on the slate). Expect Rambo to exceed the three catches for 74 yards and a score he posted versus Alabama in the College Football Playoff last year.

Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas
Duvernay has transitioned to the slot this season for a Texas team which should be much improved and is a dark horse candidate for the College Football Playoff. Lil' Jordan Humphrey had a breakout year in 2018 from the slot position before leaving for the NFL. Coach Tom Herman will find ways to get Duvernay the ball and he should be an asset for quarterback Sam Ehlinger down in Austin. It doesn't hurt that Texas plays Louisiana Tech, Rice and Oklahoma State in three of the next four weeks.

BIG TEN

Nico Ragaini, WR, Iowa
Virtually un-owned in fantasy leagues, Ragaini has received rave reviews in fall camp and is set to take over the slot roll in an offense which is desperate for pass-catchers. I wouldn't advocate relying heavily on the Iowa passing game, but the slot is a position that can be taken advantage of in almost any scheme. The Hawkeyes lost their top three receivers from a year ago and quarterback Nate Stanley is back for his senior season. Keep an eye on the targets gained versus Miami (OH), Rutgers and Iowa State in the first three weeks.

Sean Clifford, QB, Penn State
The Nittany Lions' offense will probably take a step back after losing Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley over the past two seasons, but I don't expect that to be evident until the conference portion of the schedule. The sophomore, Clifford, should be able to settle in nicely against the likes of Idaho, Buffalo and Pittsburgh to begin the season. Penn State has the future in mind with Clifford, so James Franklin will want his young signal caller to look good.

C-USA

James Morgan, QB, FIU
If you're in a pinch at quarterback in Week 1, Morgan is an intriguing option as the Panthers head to Tulane as just a two-point underdog. The short spread is important because it means that the game will be competitive which isn't easy to find with C-USA teams in the non-conference schedule. Morgan set school records in 2018 while leading FIU's offense to 34.6 points and 422 yards per game. With eight offensive starters returning, those numbers could look very similar in 2019.

Victor Tucker, WR, Charlotte
The offense will undoubtedly revolve around running back, Benny Lemay, but that doesn't mean their lead receiver can't be rostered. Tucker led the team with 54 catches for 712 yards and two touchdowns a season ago and it's not like Charlotte will be running the tempo in most of their games. When the 49ers are trailing, expect Tucker to garner a bunch of targets. During his freshman season, Tucker saw double-digit targets in five different games.

MAC

Keith Mixon, WR, Western Michigan
Mixon transferred in from Mississippi State and has instantly inserted himself in to contention for the starting slot position. The Broncos could have one of the best offenses in the conference behind senior quarterback Jon Wassink. I absolutely hate their Week 2 matchup against Michigan State, but that could give fantasy owners more time to consider Mixon for their season-long formats.

Matt Myers, QB, Buffalo
The freshman signal caller will receive the nod in the Bulls' opener against Robert Morris on Thursday Night. If needed, he can be started as he'll need as much experience as possible with new receivers after the team lost Anthony Johnson to graduation and K.J. Osborn to the University of Miami. I wouldn't start him versus Penn State in Week 2, but he'll be viable against Liberty in the following week.

MWC

Hank Bachmeier, QB, Boise State
I'm jumping on the Bachmeier train a bit early as the Broncos have a tough match up with Florida State in their opening game. Nonetheless, Bachmeier is a true talent and will be Boise's first freshman starter at quarterback since Brett Rypien took over in 2015 and that ended up working well as Rypien threw for 3,358 yards and 20 touchdowns that season on his way to a successful campaign in Boise. Despite losing many of their offensive weapons this past year, the Broncos have one of the conference's best offensive lines which will help Bachmeier become acclimated to the college game.

Jordan Nathan, WR, Utah State
Everyone is buzzing about junior quarterback Jordan Love, however, no one is talking about who he will be throwing to outside of running back Gerold Bright. Nathan is the top returning receiver after catching 28 balls for 297 yards and three touchdowns in 2018. Gary Andersen returns as the Aggies coach and despite returning just two starters on the offensive side, Love will give him the opportunity to have a productive offense which will bode well for Nathan.

PAC-12

Anthony Gordon, QB, Washington State
Gordon edged out anticipated starter Gage Gubrud to take over an offense which has averaged over 30 points per game in each of the last six years. The Cougars open the season with New Mexico St, Northern Colorado, Houston and UCLA, thus the points will be aplenty over the next month. There's no reason that Gordon shouldn't be owned in 100% of fantasy leagues.

Jake Luton, QB, Oregon State
This is more of a situational play as the Beavers will take on Oklahoma State in Week 1 in a game that has an opening Vegas over/under of 72 points. With that said, I don't mind the upcoming match ups with Hawaii or Cal Poly either as Oregon State's defense can't really stop anyone. Luton doesn't run the ball, but he should be able to build upon the 1,664 yards and 10 touchdowns through eight games to end the 2018 season.

SEC

Tommy Stevens, QB, Mississippi State
Some thought Keytaon Thompson would win this job, however he has already entered the transfer portal, so the job is secure with Stevens who will command an offense he already knows from his days at Penn State. The Bulldogs return seven offensive starters and will have more success in the non-conference portion of their schedule than when they transition to a tough SEC schedule. Utilize Stevens now against Louisiana-Lafayette, Southern Miss and Kansas State while you can.

Octavious Cooley & Jason Pellerin, TE, Mississippi
Some of the high-profile tight ends are dealing with injuries in the first week of the season, so these two guys are potential replacements as they will take part in one of the highest scoring games of Week 1. Ole Miss is the underdog against Memphis, so utilizing their large tight ends could provide an advantage for them. Cooley is the more proven player and could be a breakout player long-term in Rich Rod's offense.

SUN BELT

Corey Sutton, WR, Appalachian State
The star receiver won't play in week one due to a suspension, but he'll be back for the second game against Charlotte. This is big news as his status was up in the air during most college fantasy drafts. He's been snatched up in many leagues and should be owned in all leagues as the Mountaineers will have one of the best offenses in the Sun Belt in 2019. Quarterback Zac Thomas is a rising star as well and connected with Sutton for 10 touchdowns a season ago.

J.D. King, RB, Georgia Southern
King was recently ruled eligible for the 2019 season after transferring from Oklahoma State. The Eagles boast one of the better defenses in the conference, so they will look to lean on their run game to shorten the game by running the clock and King should be leading the way. King will be a perfect player for the option offense out of the shotgun under OC Bob DeBesse.

INDEPENDENTS

Kelvin Hopkins, QB, Army
I also have no idea why Hopkins is not owned in nearly 100% leagues, especially when you consider that the Black Knights open the season with Rice. Hopkins will lead an offense with seven returning starters after averaging 32.7 points and 393 yards per game. Outside of a Week 2 game at Michigan, the schedule is fairly reasonable which means Hopkins will be fantasy viable in most weeks.

DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS

Army (vs. Rice) – Speaking of those Black Knights, when these two teams last met in 2017, Army won 49-12. Not much has changed with Rice as they project to be one of the worst teams in college football once again.

Stanford (vs. Northwestern) – This game has one of the lowest Vegas over/under lines in college football's Week 1. Stanford opens up as the favorite (just under a touchdown) meaning that the Wildcats have one of the lower implied lines for a major conference team.

Virginia (at Pittsburgh) – This game is going to be a mess as both Virginia and Pittsburgh have two of the least productive offenses in the nation. Both defenses should be viable for fantasy purposes.

*There are many FBS schools playing FCS schools, thus their defenses are also viable, but remember that major college programs will also look to play some of their back-ups for experience in these games.