CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 7

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 have a favorable matchup 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 guys who came through last week and may still be available in your leagues:

UAB QB Jacob Zeno (32.0 points)
Texas State RB Ismail Mahdi (29.7 points)
Baylor WR Monaray Baldwin (26.6 points)
Texas Tech RB Tahj Brooks (26.4 points)
Missouri QB Brady Cook (25.7 points)
New Mexico State QB Diego Pavia (23.9 points)
San Jose State RB Kairee Robinson (22.4 points)
Toledo WR Jerjuan Newton (20.3 points)
North Texas WR Ja'Mori Maclin (19.6 points)

70+ Club in Upcoming Slate: Here are the college games that 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.

70.5 points - Temple at North Texas
67.5 points - Oregon at Washington
64.5 points - UAB at UTSA
63.5 points - Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State

*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

Jacob Zeno, QB, UAB (26 Percent Rostered)

New HC Trent Dilfer is doing an excellent job with Zeno as he's on pace for a career year with the Blazers. Zeno is completing 75.5 percent of his passes for an average of 299.2 passing yards per game and has 15 total touchdowns versus seven total turnovers. If he can continue to develop by cutting down on the turnovers, he's going to have an excellent finish to the season. He'll have great opportunities against UTSA and Memphis the next two weeks. He definitely should be rostered in more leagues than he is right now.

David Martin-Robinson, TE, Temple (21 Percent Rostered)

Martin-Robinson exploded for 34.2 fantasy points in a career performance against UTSA in Week 6. He had eight catches (on 10 targets) for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Going back to last season, Martin-Robinson has at least seven targets in six of his last nine games. Sure, he's going to have an off-game here or there (just one target in Week 3-4), but not all tight ends can be Georgia's Brock Bowers (100 percent rostered) each week. Temple will need to throw the ball each and every week, so here's great smash spot for your fantasy team.

Week 6 Rewind: UAB QB Jacob Zeno (32.0 points - 19/25, 353 YDS, 4 TD, 1 INT) & North Texas WR Ja'Mori Maclin (19.6 points - 6/9 TAR, 76 YDS, 1 TD) 

ACC Waiver Wire Pickups

Jack Plummer, QB, Louisville (29 Percent Rostered)

Pretty much all of the bad defenses for the ACC are on a bye, so we need to get creative here this week. Let's go to the undefeated Cardinals, who recently pulled off a massive upset of Notre Dame. Plummer's 8.6 fantasy points against the Fighting Irish is nothing to get excited about, however, there's some hidden upside here. Plummer is averaging 26.0 passing attempts per game and has at least one touchdown pass in every game. He's going to throw the ball enough against Pittsburgh to make himself viable in super deep leagues.

Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech (19 Percent Rostered)

Tuten has double-digit fantasy points in five straight games. He's coming off a season-high eight targets at Florida State and has four or more targets in four different games this year. This is all a bonus to what he also does in the run-game at 55.0 rushing yards per game. The amount of touches he's racking up suggests that he should have more than four touchdowns, so we'll play the regression game with Tuten this week. 

Week 6 Rewind: Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke (13.6 points - 24/36, 288 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INT) & Miami WR Jacolby George (5.5 points - 2/7 TAR, 45 YDS *Left game w/ injury) 

BIG 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Emani Bailey, RB, TCU (46 Percent Rostered)

In six games, Bailey has already racked up four 100-yard rushing performances. TCU is reeling a bit after a demoralizing loss at Iowa State, so I expect them to come back motivated and prepared for BYU this week. BYU's defense has been middle of the road so far, so look for Bailey to make it back-to-back 100-yard rushing games. Bailey is also a decent back in the passing game with 11 catches on 12 targets in 2023.

Rocco Becht, QB, Iowa State (4 Percent Rostered)

It's possible the Cyclones have figured something out as they were impressive in a 27-14 win over TCU. They also beat an Oklahoma State team in Week 4 which most recently toppled Kansas State. Becht, a redshirt freshman, now has a half a season of experience under his belt and a great coach in Matt Campbell. With a road trip to Cincinnati, I think Becht can put up a performance similar to the 28.9 fantasy points he had in Week 4.

Week 6 Rewind: Texas Tech RB Tahj Brooks (26.4 points - 31 ATT, 170 YDS, 1 TD, 1/1 TAR, 4 YDS, 1 FL) & Baylor WR Monaray Baldwin (26.6 points - 5/8 TAR, 126 YDS, 1 TD) 

Big Ten Waiver Wire Pickups

Drew Allar, QB, Penn State (43 Percent Rostered)

Coming back to Allar this week as Penn State welcomes in UMass, which has one of the worst defenses in the nation. This is an excellent opportunity for him to elevate his Heisman campaign as Penn State is a sneaky top five team in the nation and will head to Ohio State next week. He's averaging 20.5 fantasy points per game and has some rushing upside, even though I wouldn't consider him to be a true dual-threat quarterback. The sophomore has yet to commit a turnover this year and I don't see it coming this weekend.

Deion Burks, WR, Purdue (41 Percent Rostered)

The Boilermakers will need to throw the ball a ton if they are going to compete with Ohio State at home on Saturday. Burks has been their most consistent receiver at 15.3 fantasy points per game while averaging 4.0 catches (on 8.2 targets) per game. He's had at least eight targets in each of his last four games, and I think it's extremely realistic that he gets double-digit targets against the Buckeyes. 

Week 6 Rewind: Illinois WR Isaiah Williams (13.7 points - 8/12 TAR, 57 YDS) & Rutgers QB Gavin Wimsatt (14.5 points - 16/35, 181 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT, 9 ATT, 43 YDS) 

C-USA Waiver Wire Pickups

Diego Pavia, QB, New Mexico State (20 Percent Rostered)

Most leagues are sleeping on Pavia. Do they realize that the Aggies are no longer independent? Those that have taken notice are reaping the benefits, as he's averaging 25.8 fantasy points in his last three games. There are not many teams in Conference USA that are going to be able to slow down the dual-threat quarterback. In fact, he could be one of the top-scoring quarterbacks for the rest of the season. With that in mind, he's one of my top recommendations for the week and he'll stay on this list until people take notice.

Holden Willis, TE/WR, Middle Tennessee State (18 Percent Rostered)

This is cheating a little bit because Willis has both TE and WR eligibility in Fantrax leagues, but with the TE position being so tough to peg, why not go with it? Willis would be an excellent plug and play at the TE spot as he is averaging 6.3 catches (on 8.0 targets) in his last three games. He's been able to rack up a combined 19 catches for 285 yards and a touchdown on that increased opportunity. There's not much defense happening in C-USA this year, so get all of the offensive weapons in this conference that you can get.

Week 6 Rewind: NMST QB Diego Pavia (27.8 points - 20/31, 256 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT, 11 ATT, 46 YDS, 1 TD) & Liberty TE Bentley Hanshaw (1.5 points - 1/1 TAR, 5 YDS) 

MAC Waiver Wire Pickups

Ron Cook, RB, Buffalo (7 Percent Rostered)

The MAC is a tough conference for fantasy points this year as most of the best players have been rostered in more than 50 percent of leagues. It's not like the old days where this conference went well under the radar. Speaking of under the radar, that is where Cook has been at 18.1 fantasy points per game in his last four. With upcoming games against Bowling Green and Kent State, he should be able to keep that strong average alive.

Jase Bauer OR Bert Emanuel, QB, Central Michigan (5 OR 23 Percent Rostered)

Bauer has been up and down over the last month, but I keep going back to the four rushing touchdowns he had at South Alabama in Week 4. This last week at Buffalo was the first time in four weeks he did not record at least one rushing score. It's possible Emanuel comes back from a shoulder injury, so stay tuned on who gets the start on Saturday afternoon.

Week 6 Rewind: Toledo WR Jerjuan Newton (20.3 points - 4/5 TAR, 43 YDS, 2 TD) & Bowling Green RB Terion Stewart (6.3 points - 8 ATT, 63 YDS) 

Mountain West Waiver Wire Pickups

Kairee Robinson, RB, San Jose State (42 Percent Rostered)

No reason to move off Robinson here since he's rostered in less than 50 percent of leagues. He's already racked up seven touchdowns this season and is well on pace to surpass the 10 scores he had in the 2022 season. In five games, he's averaging 19.8 fantasy points and I'm only expecting that number to go up with an easy schedule over the next three weeks. There's no reason he shouldn't be in starting lineups against New Mexico, Utah State and Hawaii, who all have beatable defenses. 

Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State (28 Percent Rostered)

Royals has had the best two weeks of any receiver in the country with a combined 13 catches (on 15 targets) for 325 yards and five touchdowns against Connecticut and Colorado State. Utah State is not going to be able to stop throwing the ball against Fresno State in Week 7 or San Jose State in Week 8, so you might as well take advantage of picking up this breakout receiver while you can. This guy could be the difference maker in your league.

Week 6 Rewind: Colorado State QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (4.7 points - 26/57, 225 YDS, 3 INT, 1 FL) & San Jose State QB Kairee Robinson (22.4 points - 12 ATT, 61 YDS, 1 TD, 3/3 TAR, 73 YDS) 

PAC-12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Dillon Johnson, RB, Washington (30 Percent Rostered)

Are you ready for the fireworks between Washington and Oregon? Johnson could be the key in this game as the Ducks are going to undoubtedly focus in on their three-headed attack at wide receiver. This is where the Huskies could really zag as Johnson has shown quite a bit of production in his last two games. He also has quite a bit of experience playing in front of crazy crowds from his days in the SEC at Mississippi State. 

Logan Loya, WR, UCLA (0 Percent Rostered)

Loya is coming off back-to-back games with double-digit targets against Utah (11 targets) and Washington State (10 targets). It's J. MIchael Sturdivant (82 percent rostered) who is popular in fantasy circles, but it may be Loya who is the true No. 1 receiver on this really solid Bruins team. After a tough game at Oregon State, the schedule lines up well with Stanford, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and USC, which is a dream run for bad defenses.

Week 6 Rewind: Arizona State RB Cameron Skattebo (14.6 points - 13 ATT, 49 YDS, 1 TD, 2/2 TAR, 17 YDS) & Washington State WR Josh Kelly (9.0 points - 5/9 TAR, 40 YDS) 

SEC Waiver Wire Pickups

Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama (41 Percent Rostered)

Welcome back Burton, as the star receiver was dealing with an undisclosed injury which caused him to see only eight snaps at Mississippi State in Week 5. He was unleashed against Texas A&M with nine catches (on 13 targets) for 197 yards and two touchdowns for 42.7 fantasy points. Maybe he and QB Jalen Milroe (63 percent rostered) just needed some time to incubate and now we're going to see the real Crimson Tide offense. I'm willing to take that chance with upcoming games against Arkansas and Tennessee before a bye.

Logan Diggs, RB, LSU (41 Percent Rostered)

Diggs has two straight 100-yard performances and is well on pace for his first 1,000-yard rushing season. The Notre Dame transfer is fitting in well at 19.2 fantasy points per game and also has three scores in his last two games. LSU's defense didn't look much better at Missouri, so Diggs is going to need to keep scoring touchdowns against Auburn this week.

Week 6 Rewind: Missouri QB Brady Cook (25.7 points - 30/47, 395 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT, 5 ATT, 9 YDS) & Alabama TE Amari Niblack (2.2 points - 1/3 TAR, 12 YDS) 

Sun Belt Waiver Wire Pickups

Davis Brin, QB, Georgia Southern (47 Percent Rostered)

The Eagles are coming off a bye and Brin is one of the highest-volume passers in the nation. He's averaging 47.6 passing attempts per game. On that elite volume, he's played relatively well with a 69.7 percent completion rate and 12 touchdowns versus seven interceptions. The key is to look at what teams he's played against, and three of his five opponents have been UAB, Wisconsin and Coastal Carolina, who all are better than average. Brin will have more opportunity to feast against James Madison and Louisiana-Monroe over the next two weeks. 

Joey Hobert, WR, Texas State (23 Percent Rostered)

Now that RB Ismail Mahdi (72 percent rostered) has been picked up in a ton of leagues, it's time to move on to Hobert, who has been balling out the last three weeks as well. I typically try to avoid recommending two players from the same team on the same week, so I'll gladly pivot over to Hobert, who has been averaging 28.6 fantasy points over his last three games. The Utah Tech transfer has a track record of success as he had 1,258 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2022. He started his career at Washington State, so this is a big-time player.

Week 6 Rewind: Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor (6.7 points - 15/27, 156 YDS, 14 ATT, 5 YDS) & Texas State RB Ismail Mahdi (29.7 points - 34 ATT, 188 YDS, 1 TD, 1/2 TAR, 9 YDS) 

INDEPENDENTS

Mitchell Evans, TE, Notre Dame (38 Percent Rostered)

Evans is doing a fine job at replacing the all-world Michael Mayer (now with the Oakland Raiders) with an average of 18.0 fantasy points over his last three games. He has at least seven targets in each game over that span and it looks like QB Sam Hartman (95 percent rostered) has a lot of trust in the junior tight end. I didn't see this coming into the year, as Evans had just five career catches in eight games, but no need to worry about that anymore. Go out and get this tight end for your roster as they play USC this week.

Week 6 Rewind: Army QB Bryson Daily (18.1 points - 10/13, 105 YDS, 1 TD, 14 ATT, 99 YDS)

DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS

Duke (vs. NC State) - Available in 80 percent of leagues. They're coming off a bye and have double-digit fantasy points in three of five games this season.

Air Force (vs. Wyoming) - The Falcons already have 12 sacks and six forced turnovers on the season. They should have success against Wyoming and are available in 59 percent of leagues.

Maryland (vs. Illinois) - These Terps were sneaky good against Ohio State and Illinois' offense has been brutal. Take advantage of this Big Ten matchup, which should be a slog. Available in 79 percent of leagues.

Week 6 Rewind: FAU vs. Tulsa (8.0 points - 17 PA, 2 SK, 2 TA), Mississippi State vs. Western Michigan (2.0 points - 28 PA, 2 SK, 1 TA) & Virginia vs. William & Mary (6.0 points - 13 PA, 0 SK, 1 TA)

SUMMARY & TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

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

QB: New Mexico State Diego Pavia, UAB Jacob Zeno, Georgia Southern Davis Brin

RB: San Jose State Kairee Robinson, LSU Logan Diggs, TCU Emani Bailey

WR: Alabama Jermaine Burton, Utah State Jalen Royals, Texas State Joey Hobert

TE: Temple David Martin-Robinson, Middle Tennessee State Holden Willis, Notre Dame Mitchell Evans

D/ST: Duke (vs. NC State), Maryland (vs. Illinois), Air Force (vs. Wyoming)

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.