CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 8

After a mediocre Week 6, it was a great bounce-back in Week 7 as we saw these standout performances from some of my recommendations (continue to go after these guys if you can):

SMU WR Danny Gray – 5 catches for 133 yards and 1 TD, 32-yard rushing TD
SMU WR Rashee Rice – 7 catches for 139 yards and 1 TD
Wake Forest RB Kenneth Walker – 23 carries for 128 yards, 3 TD
West Virginia RB Leddie Brown – 18 carries for 195 yards, 1 TD & 5 catches for 36 yards, 1 TD
Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall – 17/24 for 202 yards, 2 TD and 11 carries for 45 yards, 1 TD
BYU WR Dax Milne – 9 catches for 184 yards, 3 TD

Don't worry, I'll also acknowledge that Ole Miss TE Kenny Yeboah had zero catches as Ole Miss shockingly lost on the road at Arkansas and UNT's QB Austin Aune was benched before Jason Bean unleashed the Mean Green's offense in a 52-35 win (31 points scored in the second half). On to a new week!

Slate Background: I reside in Madison, WI and I'm a Badgers alum so you can imagine that I'm beyond jacked for the Week 8 slate as we get Big Ten Football back!!!! With that said, I'm staying away from the Wisconsin offense on Friday Night until we see what their new pieces can do. Not only is the Midwest getting back in to the fun, the Mountain West also has six games scheduled which means we'll have late night football again too! Here are my favorite games of the week for entertainment purposes; Iowa State at Oklahoma State, Michigan at Minnesota and Cincinnati at SMU.

AAC

Anthony Russo, QB, Temple
Since not many of the Memphis Tigers will be available on the wire for this week, I'll hit the other side of that game and start with Russo who is available in a ton of leagues. Not only do I like his receivers in Jadan Blue, Branden Mack and Randle Jones, but we were able to see Russo's arm in action this past week as he surprisingly had 42 passing attempts in a comeback win against South Florida. I'm not sure Temple can compete with Memphis, however, I see there being a ton of volume here no matter how out of hand the game gets in favor of the Tigers.

Jaylon Robinson, WR, UCF
I'm sure Tre Nixon will be back at some point, yet I don't even care as Robinson is a special player. He has four straight 100-yard receiving performances and has elite speed in perhaps the most explosive offense in the country. His 28 catches for 539 yards and four touchdowns is crazy production through four games. How is this guy still available in over 50 percent of Fantrax leagues right now (this is my second time recommending him)? Nixon's return from an undisclosed injury will have a bigger effect on Marlon Williams' presence than on Robinson's production in my opinion. It's an even bigger bonus that UCF's defense has been so bad in back-to-back losses as they will need to continue chucking the ball.

Week 7 Rewind; Temple WR Branden Mack (3 catches for 29 yards, 1 TD), SMU WR Rashee Rice (7 catches for 139 yards, 1 TD) & SMU WR Danny Gray (5 catches for 133 yards, 1 TD and 32-yard rushing TD)

ACC

Hendon Hooker, QB, Virginia Tech
Hooker showed exactly what makes him so dangerous as a dual-threat quarterback with over 100 yards rushing and multiple touchdowns on the ground against Boston College on Saturday. He was also efficient through the air although with little volume. Fantasy owners of running back Khalil Herbert won't love it, but Hooker should be a solid play against Wake Forest, Louisville and Liberty over the next few weeks. At this point, I would think that Justin Fuente will stick with Hooker over Braxton Burmeister.

Davis Allen, TE, Clemson
Time to nibble at the edges with the astonishing Clemson offense as Trevor Lawrence is now the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. Allen has recorded a touchdown in two straight games and has a catch in every game this season, although it's just a single catch in four of the five games. I've said it many times, but the tight end position is a tough nut to crack in fantasy when it comes to the wire, so you just have to delve in and take a chance sometimes. I'll take that chance with a team that's going to eclipse 40 points each and every week, they could go for 100 against Syracuse if they wanted to.

Week 7 Rewind; NC State QB Devin Leary (14/24, 194 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT – Left w/ Injury) & Wake Forest RB Kenneth Walker (23 carries for 128 yards, 3 TD)

BIG 12

Bryce Ford-Wheaton, WR, West Virginia
With a disappointing start to the season for wide receivers T.J. Simmons and Sam James, Ford-Wheaton is emerging as the top target for quarterback Jarret Doege in the West Virginia offense. The redshirt sophomore has 13 catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns in four games. While the Mountaineers prefer to hand the ball off to their stud running back Leddie Brown, they may get into a shootout with Texas Tech this week and Ford-Wheaton appears to be the most likely receiver to find the end-zone.

T.J. Pledger, RB, Oklahoma
Prior to their bye week, Pledger received a heavy workload with Seth McGowan (concussion) unable to go and he took full advantage in the win over Texas with 131 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Even if McGowan comes back, I like Pledger to continue to see a ton of touches in a high-tempo offense. Moreover, it may be smart for Lincoln Riley to take some pressure off quarterback Spencer Rattler and lean on their strong offensive line.

Week 7 Rewind; West Virginia RB Leddie Brown (18 carries for 195 yards, 1 TD and 5 catches for 36 yards, 1 TD) & Oklahoma State WR Dillon Stoner (Game was Postponed)

BIG TEN

Peyton Hendershot, TE, Indiana
You may be wondering why I'm starting off with an Indiana player, but trust me, this team and particularly their offense is going to be fun this year. QB Michael Penix, RB Stevie Scott and WR Whop Philyor should be owned in the majority of leagues and it appears they are owned across most leagues. That leaves Hendershot who caught 52 passes for 622 yards and four touchdowns on 67 targets in 2019. Those are reliable numbers for a starting tight end and the Big Ten conference loves their tight ends. He did run into some trouble this summer with an offseason arrest but is slated to play again this year.

Ronnie Bell, WR, Michigan
Bell projects to be the Wolverines' top receiving target after Nico Collins opted out of the 2020 season to prepare for the NFL Draft. The junior was productive in 12 games last season with 48 catches for 758 yards and a touchdown on 84 targets. Michigan has important games in the first month of the season with Minnesota, Michigan State, Indiana and Wisconsin, thus I expect the Wolverines to have their passing game going.

C-USA

Adrian Hardy, WR, Louisiana Tech
This name should sound familiar as I've recommended him a couple of times already this year. He was the only bright spot against a tough Marshall defense with nine catches for 102 yards and a touchdown this past Saturday. His defensive competition will ease up quite a bit in Week 8 when Louisiana Tech travels to play a UTSA team that does not have a very good pass defense. The Marshall defense was able to shut down RB Justin Henderson, so maybe UTSA will attempt to do the same thing which opens up the field for Hardy once again.

Juma Otoviano, RB, Rice
I'm getting creative here as Rice is set to play their first game of the season this upcoming week. They'll play Middle Tennessee who is giving up over 200 rushing yards per game and has one of the worst rush defenses in the country. I also like that Rice is going with a new transfer quarterback in Mike Collins, so I could see Otoviano getting a good amount of touches in this one. The redshirt sophomore flashed an ability to break tackles during his true freshman season and saw action in only three games due to injury last year.

*Old Dominion is not playing in Fall 2020

Week 7 Rewind; North Texas QB Austin Aune (6/11, 125 yards, 2 INT – Benched) & Middle Tennessee WR Jarrin Pierce (4 catches for 23 yards, 1 TD)

MAC

Currently Postponed (*Coming Back in Week 10)

MWC

Nate Craig-Myers, WR, Colorado State
Everything's going right for Craig-Myers as he received a bump in the depth chart when Warren Jackson decided to forego his senior season to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft and the Rams open the season with the terrible New Mexico defense. Craig-Myers was particularly special against the Lobos in 2019 as he had his best game of the year; nine catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns. He was pretty good outside of that game as well with 77 catches for 1,119 yards and eight touchdowns on 127 targets. I also like Dante Wright, however, Craig-Myers is available in more leagues right now.

Patrick O'Brien, QB, Colorado State OR Hank Bachmeier, QB, Boise State
It was close, but I've decided to go with O'Brien with a slight edge over Boise State's Hank Bachmeier because the Rams' offensive line is expected to be a little better. Either way, both O'Brien and Bachmeier are elite fantasy quarterbacks and the Mountain West has some soft defenses in it. This is a chance to turn around your fantasy line-ups if other players aren't on these Mountain West players.

PAC-12

Currently Postponed (*Coming Back in Week 10)

SEC

Tank Bigsby, RB, Auburn
If you haven't taken notice of Bigsby off back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances against Arkansas and South Carolina, get ready as he should have a monster performance against Ole Miss. The Rebels haven't been able to stop anyone this season and could have the worst defense in the nation, so Bigsby should continue his strong run. I would expect that Auburn wants to improve Bo Nix's confidence right now, but I believe in Bigsby more as Auburn's run-game appears to be the smarter option if they want to win right now. Additionally, his name is just awesome.

Collin Hill, QB, South Carolina
I'm not in love with Hill as a passer as he's completing around 60 percent of his passes and has just four touchdowns against two interceptions. What I do like is that he has four rushing touchdowns and goes up against an LSU defense that is yielding 380.7 passing yards per game. He also has an uber-talented pass-cater in Shi Smith, so he should be able to do some damage against this LSU defense that has been really struggling. I wouldn't depend on Hill long-term, but he's a good option this week at the very least.

Week 7 Rewind; Missouri QB Connor Bazelak (Game was postponed) & Ole Miss TE Kenny Yeboah (No catches in loss to Arkansas)

SUN BELT

Daetrich Harrington, RB, Appalachian State
The Mountaineers have been on an extended break, but if you go all the way back to Week 4, Harrington exploded for 211 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries against Campbell. He's had double digit carries in all three of App State's games this season and is available in a ton of leagues, most likely due to their absence on the schedule. I'll be watching when Harrington goes up against Arkansas State on Thursday Night in primetime.

Carlos Davis, RB, South Alabama
Davis has been sneaky good with not many watching with back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances against UAB and Texas State. He's received at least 15 carries in all four of his appearances, including a career-high 32 totes against the Bobcats. With the Jaguars winning that game, why not continue to pound the ball versus UL-Monroe who has one of the worst rush defenses in the nation. If you're having a tough time finding a RB this week, go out and get Davis who should get his third straight 100-yard rushing game.

Week 7 Rewind; Troy WR Kaylon Geiger (7 catches for 100 yards) & Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall (17/24, 202 yards, 2 TD and 11 carries for 45 yards, 1 TD)

INDEPENDENTS

Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
I'm going back to Willis as I expect the Flames to be ranked in the Top 25 with an undefeated 5-0 record, even though they really haven't played anyone that good. Their starting quarterback is the real deal as he has five rushing scores and at least 58 rushing yards in all four games he's played in this season. He should be able to run wild versus Southern Mississippi who is giving up over 200 yards rushing per game this year. After this contest, I shouldn't be able to recommend the Liberty dual-threat quarterback for the rest of the year as I would expect him to be owned at a much higher rate than he is right now.

*New Mexico State and UConn are not playing in Fall 2020

Week 7 Rewind; BYU WR Dax Milne (9 catches for 184 yards, 3 TD)

DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS

Michigan State (vs. Rutgers) – Neither of these offenses are any good, so I see this being your typical Big Ten game, really ugly!

Kansas State (vs. Kansas) – The Wildcats have not been great on defense, however, a match-up with Kansas will always cure that.

Tulsa (at South Florida) – I'm still not sure how South Florida put up 37 points on Temple because they're just not that good. Tulsa should be able to hold them down on Friday Night.

Week 7 Rewind; West Virginia vs. Kansas (17 PA, 5 Sacks, 2 TAs), Missouri vs. Vanderbilt (Game was Postponed) & Temple vs South Florida (37 PA, 4 Sacks, 3 TAs, 1 TD)

SUMMARY & TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

Utilizing the two players for each conference, I'll list out who my top recommendations are on a weekly basis by position:

QB: Colorado State Patrick O'Brien, Virginia Tech Hendon Hooker, Boise State Hank Bachmeier, Liberty Malik Willis
RB: Appalachian State Daetrich Harrington, Auburn Tank Bigsby, Oklahoma T.J. Pledger
WR: Colorado State Nate Craig-Myers, UCF Jaylon Robinson, Michigan Ronnie Bell
TE: Indiana Peyton Hendershot, Clemson Davis Allen
D/ST: Michigan State (vs. Rutgers)