CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 9

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:

Terion Stewart, RB, Bowling Green (34.1 points)
Cody Schrader, RB, Missouri (34.0 points)
Quinton Cooley, RB, Liberty (33.4 points)
Haynes King, QB, Georgia Tech (33.2 points)
Garrett Greene, QB, West Virginia (31.7 points)
Kairee Robinson, RB, San Jose State (30.4 points)
Jaylen Raynor, QB, Arkansas State (26.4 points)
Kadarius Calloway, RB, Old Dominion (24.4 points)
Nebraska D/ST (15.0 points)
South Alabama D/ST (13.5 points)
Miles Cross, WR, Ohio (12.3 points)
Chamon Metayer, TE, Cincinnati (10.0 points)

70+ Club in Upcoming Slate: Here are the college games that have opened up with an over/under closest to the 70-point mark, which means a plethora of fantasy points. Enjoy these barnburners and roster some players in these games if you can.

68.0 points - Memphis at North Texas
63.5 points - Oklahoma at Kansas
63.5 points - Colorado at UCLA
63.5 points - North Carolina at Georgia Tech

*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

Seth Henigan, QB, Memphis (48 Percent Rostered)

Although Henigan had a season-low 18.0 fantasy points at UAB this past week, I'm sticking with him as the volume was still positive with two touchdown passes and 11 rushing attempts. Three of the Tigers' touchdowns came from their running backs as they beat UAB 45-21, so the performance could have been much better if the game script was a little different. The upcoming game at North Texas should have a ton of offensive yards in it (highest over-under on the board!), so I have no problem going with Henigan in this article one more time.

Lawrence Keys, WR, Tulane (19 Percent Rostered)

Keys has at least one touchdown in four straight games and is the No. 1 receiver for a good Green Wave team. He's been a solid contributor all season long at 16.4 fantasy points per game. He's received six or more targets in five of his team's seven games. He should have no problem running open at Rice as their defense hasn't been been able to stop opposing pass games. Keys is viable for the rest of the season as well.

Week 8 Rewind: Memphis QB Seth Henigan (18.0 points - 19/28, 159 YDS, 2 TD, 11 ATT, 36 YDS) & FAU RB Larry McCammon (10.3 points - 15 ATT, 30 YDS, 4/4 TAR, 33 YDS)

ACC Waiver Wire Pickups

Kye Robichaux, RB, Boston College (3 Percent Rostered)

Hello Mr. Robichaux, your 39.9 fantasy points at Georgia Tech were super nice! How can the Eagles not stick with him moving forward after 21 carries for 165 yards and two touchdowns to go along with three catches (on five targets) for 54 yards. Almost everyone knows about QB Thomas Castellanos (60 percent rostered), but please get to know Robichaux, who is averaging 5.0 yard per carry. The Western Kentucky transfer will have an opportunity to be the lead back as Pat Garwo (10 percent rostered) is dealing with a leg injury. The best part of all of this is that the Eagles play UConn this week.

Kyron Drones, QB, Virginia Tech (8 Percent Rostered)

Drones is in play for Thursday Night if Grant Wells (11 percent rostered) is held out once again. The Hokies are slight favorites over Syracuse and Drones has at least 14 carries in each of his last five games. He's not the best quarterback through the air, but he does plenty with his legs to be worthy of a plug and play for fantasy. Stay updated on the news because if Wells makes the start, I would fade this game.

Week 8 Rewind: Georgia Tech QB Haynes King (33.2 points - 14/32, 204 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INT, 10 ATT, 150 YDS, 1 TD) & Miami WR Xavier Restrepo (9.6 points - 7/7 TAR, 26 YDS)

BIG 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Garrett Greene, QB, West Virginia (19 Percent Rostered)

Absolutely no reason to get off Greene at this point after he recorded a 100-yard rushing performance and 31.7 fantasy points in the loss against Oklahoma State. With a soft Big 12 schedule the rest of the way, fantasy rosters can really utilize the upside that Greene provides on a weekly basis. Although accuracy is not his strength, he's still averaging 29.7 passing attempts over his last three games, which provides the opportunity for a monster fantasy performance with his rushing abilities. 

Drake Stoops, WR, Oklahoma (6 Percent Rostered)

Stoops has been the most consistent receiver for the Sooners with six or more targets in five straight games. Nic Anderson (14 percent rostered) has been the talk of the town with eight touchdowns and Jalil Farooq (97 percent rostered) profiles as the true No. 1 receiver, yet I'm most confident in Stoops delivering for your fantasy squad long term. The senior is a hard-working player who is quietly averaging 14.2 fantasy points per game. Oklahoma-Kansas will be one of the most fun matchups of the week.

Week 8 Rewind: West Virginia QB Garrett Greene (31.7 points - 15/30, 249 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT, 16 ATT, 117 YDS) & Cincinnati TE Chamon Metayer (10.0 points - 5/6 TAR, 50 YDS)

Big Ten Waiver Wire Pickups

Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State (34 Percent Rostered)

I'm going to give Warren a pass for having just 2.1 fantasy points at Ohio State because the Buckeyes may have the best defense in the nation. I thought the game could open up offensively, but that's not how it went down. I'm fully confident Penn State will get the offense going against Indiana, which means that Warren will get back to his usual targets at 3.6 opportunities per game. He'll likely be available in even more leagues as well as most squads will not be happy with the limited production at Ohio State.

Kaden Prather, WR, Maryland (20 Percent Rostered)

Wowzers, the Big Ten is starting to become a place that doesn't care much about fantasy football. The top-heavy conference has some dominant defenses which makes it hard to find players on the waiver wire. This week, I'll go with Prather, who has double-digit fantasy points in four straight games. He's gotten better and better with each game. Moreover, he has Taulia Tagovailoa (63 percent rostered) at quarterback, and he's been the conference's top fantasy performer. That should continue at Northwestern this week.

Week 8 Rewind: Iowa RB Leshon Williams (1.3 points - 11 ATT, 13 YDS, 0/1 TAR) & Penn State TE Tyler Warren (2.1 points - 1/1 TAR, 11 YDS)

C-USA Waiver Wire Pickups

Diego Pavia, QB, New Mexico State (37 Percent Rostered)

Not only has Pavia been one of the best in the conference, but he's also been one of the best fantasy players in the nation at 26.5 fantasy points per game. Over his last three games, he's averaging 34.9 fantasy points with 10 total touchdowns. Although he didn't have any rushing touchdowns in his first five games, he has four rushing touchdowns over his last three which is what is expected of this dual-threat talent. He's my top recommendation at quarterback for the rest of the season. Go get him while you still can.

Quinton Cooley, RB, Liberty (22 Percent Rostered)

I'm not sure how I feel about college football games on Tuesday nights, but I do know that I like watching Cooley rush for over 100 yards in prime time. He's reeled off four straight 100-yard rushing games and is averaging 32.4 fantasy points in his last two conference tilts. He has six rushing scores in his last three games, and I don't really see this Liberty offense slowing down anytime soon. It's going to be a lot of fun watching Liberty at Western Kentucky in this upcoming Tuesday Night showdown. 

Week 8 Rewind: UTEP WR Kelly Akharaiyi (1.6 points - 1/7 TAR, 6 YDS) & Liberty RB Quinton Cooley (33.4 points - 24 ATT, 134 YDS, 3 TD, 0/1 TAR)

MAC Waiver Wire Pickups

Hayden Wolff, QB, Western Michigan (2 Percent Rostered)

We have just two games in the MAC this week with Western Michigan (-1.5) at Eastern Michigan and Miami of Ohio at Ohio (-7).  Wolff is probably the second-best QB available in that slate, so my hands are tied as Kurtis Rourke (83 percent rostered) is not available to most teams. Wolff had 22.9 fantasy points at Ohio in Week 8. Over his last three games, he has six total touchdowns (rushing scores in back-to-back games) with just two turnovers. You could do a lot worse than Wolff this week. I also like RB Zahir Abdus-Salaam (1 percent rostered) in this game.

Miles Cross, WR, Ohio (2 Percent Rostered)

For our second recommendation, I'll move over to the other MAC team favored this week. Cross and his 12.3 fantasy points against Western Michigan were plenty to keep him on the radar for the waiver wire. He has at least four targets in four straight games, so I like him to have a relatively high floor this week.

Week 8 Rewind: Bowling Green RB Terion Stewart (34.1 points - 19 ATT, 131 YDS, 3 TD) & Ohio WR Miles Cross (12.3 points - 6/9 TAR, 63 YDS)

Mountain West Waiver Wire Pickups

Zac Larrier, QB/RB, Air Force (46 Percent Rostered)

I love that Larrier has eligibility as either a QB or RB in Fantrax leagues because the fact that he averages 13.9 rushing attempts per game is the reason why I'm recommending him this week. It doesn't hurt that he's thrown four touchdown passes over his last three games, though. Upcoming opponents include Colorado State, Army, Hawaii, UNLV and Boise State which is a dream stretch to end the year. RB Emmanuel Michel (49 percent rostered) is also worth a consideration due to workhorse volume. Oh yeah, did I mention that the Falcons are 7-0 and will start getting national attention very soon?

Malik Sherrod, RB, Fresno State (23 Percent Rostered)

Sherrod was one of the top fantasy performers in the nation in Week 7 with 40.6 fantasy points at Utah State. With the Bulldogs on a bye in Week 8, there's a ton of people who have long forgotten that, so go ahead and take advantage of him being available in a lot of leagues. Fresno State will be battling for a conference title this season, so I like Sherrod the rest of the way, especially against UNLV this week.

Week 8 Rewind: San Jose State RB Kairee Robinson (30.4 points - 21 ATT, 102 YDS, 1 TD, 4/5 TAR, 22 YDS, 1 TD) & Utah State QB Cooper Legas (0.0 points - *DNP - McCae Hillstead received the start)

PAC-12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Jack Velling, TE, Oregon State (32 Percent Rostered)

Prior to the Beavers' bye week in Week 8, Velling totaled an insane 49.1 fantasy points against Cal and UCLA in back-to-back wins for Oregon State. Let's hope that the bye week is the reason he's rostered in less than 50 percent of leagues as he's been one of the nation's top performers at the position at 11.5 fantasy points per game. He's not really hit or miss either as he's received at least three targets in all seven games this year. 

Ethan Garbers OR Dante Moore, QB, UCLA (5 OR 31 Percent Rostered)

It's possible Chip Kelly goes back to Moore, but in case he doesn't you may want to keep Garbers on your radar. The Bruins will go up against Colorado, which is likely the worst defense in all of college football. The last time we saw the Colorado defense, it made Stanford look like a decent team. That same Stanford team lost 42-7 to UCLA last week and Garbers had 22.7 fantasy points. I would start whatever UCLA signal caller gets the nod this week.

Week 8 Rewind: Washington RB Dillon Johnson (3.5 points - 8 ATT, 6 YDS, 2/2 TAR, 9 YDS) & Arizona State QB Trenton Bourguet (9.0 points - 26/47, 196 YDS, 1 INT, 5 ATT, 22 YDS)

SEC Waiver Wire Pickups

Jordan Watkins, WR, Ole Miss (33 Percent Rostered)

Watkins is still available in more than 50 percent of leagues because he's currently dealing with a hand injury. He saw just nine snaps at Auburn in Week 8, but this means that he should be close to being game-ready. When healthy, he was spectacular with 36 grabs (on 47 targets) for 536 yards and two touchdowns. With the Rebels trying to get to the SEC Championship Game, I think Watkins will be a big part of their offensive plan down the final stretch of the season. 

Kendall Milton, RB, Georgia (36 Percent Rostered)

Milton is coming off back-to-back performances with double-digit fantasy points. He has a touchdown in three of five games this year and Georgia is just starting to get rolling. While Daijun Edwards (58 percent rostered) is purely the better play as the top player in the backfield, I think Milton will have plenty of work in their upcoming game at Florida. The Bulldogs should be able to do whatever they want to do against the Gators.

Week 8 Rewind: South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler (6.2 points - 23/40, 217 YDS, 1 INT) & Missouri RB Cody Schrader (34.0 points - 26 ATT, 159 YDS, 2 TD, 2/3 TAR, 11 YDS)

Sun Belt Waiver Wire Pickups

Jaylen Raynor, QB, Arkansas State (42 Percent Rostered)

Raynor had that bounce-back performance that we predicted with 306 passing yards and two touchdowns to go along with 52 rushing yards on the ground. He should have no problem repeating that kind of production at Louisiana-Monroe this next week before heading into a more difficult stretch that includes Louisiana-Lafayette and South Alabama. I'll be watching Raynor closely this next week to see if he's worth playing against tougher competition down the road.

Elijah Sarratt, WR, James Madison (6 Percent Rostered)

In his last five games, Sarratt is averaging 17.1 fantasy points behind 5.4 receptions (on 6.8 targets) for 74.8 yards and 0.6 touchdowns per game. The Dukes are undefeated and have the biggest chip on their shoulder in the nation as they are still ineligible for a bowl game due to making the move to FBS within the last two years. I love both Sarratt and Reggie Brown (20 percent rostered) as Old Dominion has not been great against the pass. Moreover, Jordan McCloud (18 percent rostered) is a qualified dual-threat quarterback who should also be considered. Let's petition the NCAA to get James Madison into a bowl game!

Week 8 Rewind: Arkansas QB Jaylen Raynor (26.4 points - 19/35, 306 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT, 11 ATT, 52 YDS) & Old Dominion RB Kadarius Calloway (24.4 points - 13 ATT, 104 YDS, 3/4 TAR, 20 YDS, 1 TD)

INDEPENDENTS

Chris Tyree, WR, Notre Dame (18 Percent Rostered)

With Jayden Thomas (34 percent rostered) currently dealing with an undisclosed injury that kept him out of most of the USC game, I like taking a chance on Tyree this week. Tyree had one of his best games against USC with two catches for 62 yards and a touchdown. The Fighting Irish have Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Clemson and Stanford to finish the season, so I do think they will throw the ball a bit more.

Week 8 Rewind: UConn QB Ta'Quan Roberson (17.3 points - 19/34, 175 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT, 5 ATT, 24 YDS, 1 TD, 1 FL)

DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS

SMU (vs. Tulsa) - The Mustangs' D/ST is available in 86 percent of leagues and have a touchdown in each of their last two games. Believe it or not, they rank third nationally at 15.21 fantasy points per game.

Texas (vs. BYU) - I'm taking somewhat of a chance here after a lackluster performance against Houston (just 3.5 fantasy points), but they really should be in a different class than BYU. Available in 71 percent of leagues.

NC State (vs. Clemson) - This is the sneaky play of the week as Clemson's offense has been hard to watch. The Wolfpack are coming off a bye and are available in 86 percent of leagues.

Week 8 Rewind: Liberty vs. Middle Tennessee State (4.0 points - 35 PA, 2 SK, 3 TA), South Alabama vs. Southern Miss (13.5 points - 3 PA, 3 SK, 2 TA) & Nebraska vs. Northwestern (15.0 points - 9 PA, 8 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: NMST Diego Pavia, West Virginia Garrett Greene, Arkansas State Jaylen Raynor

RB: Liberty Quinton Cooley, Boston College Kye Robichaux, Fresno State Malik Sherrod

WR: JMU Elijah Sarratt, Oklahoma Drake Stoops, Tulane Lawrence Keys

TE: Oregon State Jack Velling, Penn State Tyler Warren

D/ST: SMU (vs. Tulsa), Texas (vs. BYU), NC State (vs. Clemson)

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.