CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 1

Welcome back to the college football 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.

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 barn burners and roster some players in these games if you can.

65.5 points - North Texas at South Alabama
63.5 points - Idaho at Oregon
63.5 points - USC at LSU

*Fantasy Points referenced are in DraftKings format.
**To qualify for recommendations in the Week 1 article, players must be drafted in fewer than 50 percent of Fantrax Leagues

AAC Waiver Wire Pickups

Damon Ward, WR, North Texas (31 Percent Drafted)

This senior receiver was overlooked in a lot of college fantasy football (CFF) drafts and is the number one receiver in perhaps the most productive offense in the conference. He'll benefit from TCU transfer QB Chandler Morris (84 percent drafted) and is the best candidate to replace Ja'Mori Maclin's 1,004 yards and 11 touchdown receptions from a season ago. Maclin (10 percent drafted) transferred to Kentucky which paves the way for Ward to have a huge open to the season against South Alabama in a game that has the highest over/under of any tilt on the slate.

Rahjai Harris, RB, East Carolina (1 Percent Drafted)

Harris, a senior, returns to the Pirates as one of their most experienced players and is set up to have his best season yet. East Carolina legend Keaton Mitchell left for the NFL before last season, which led to Harris receiving double-digit carries in seven out of 12 games. He had his best game of the year in the finale with 21 carries for 145 yards and a touchdown on his way to 24.7 fantasy points. With Norfolk State and Old Dominion to open the season, Harris could be an easy plug-and-play at the running back position as he's available in most leagues.

ACC Waiver Wire Pickups

Ja'Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville (10 Percent Drafted)

Brooks' fantasy stock received a big boost after teammate Caullin Lacy (94 percent drafted) broke his collarbone in practice. That leaves Brooks, an Alabama transfer, and Chris Bell (62 percent drafted) vying for the top wideout spot for the next 6-8 weeks. Louisville's offense is expected to be dynamic, so this could be a great spot to take advantage of the waiver wire early in the season.

Bryson Nesbit, TE, North Carolina (37 Percent Drafted)

Nesbit recorded six games with double-digit fantasy points in 2023 on his way to averaging 10.8 fantasy points per game. With that kind of consistent production at tight end, it's hard to believe he qualifies for this list. With a new signal-caller this season, it will be interesting to see if the UNC offense leans on their playmaking tight end a bit more in primetime at Minnesota on Thursday Night. 

BIG 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Josh Hoover, QB, TCU (25 Percent Drafted)

Hoover's final two games of the 2023 season were spectacular with eight total touchdowns and 36.8 fantasy points per game. The final game came at Oklahoma in Week 13, so that was against legit competition, too. He has a legit number one receiver in Savion Williams (10 percent rostered) and I can see him having a bounce-back year for the Horned Frogs. TCU should roll in their first game at Stanford and it's a great spot for fantasy investors.

Joseph Manjack, WR, Houston (13 Percent Drafted)

The Cougars open up the season in a competitive match-up with UNLV. Due to that game projecting to be close, I like Manjack to push double-digit targets. His season-high last year was nine targets versus Texas, however, he wasn't the number one receiver either, so this 2024 season could be a lot different for his production. Houston could struggle in the conference this year, which would suggest they will lean more on the passing game.

Big Ten Waiver Wire Pickups

Drew Allar, QB, Penn State (19 Percent Drafted)

Allar was not drafted to the level I anticipated, which means the general public is sleeping on this junior prospect. In what was perceived as a down year in 2023, he averaged 19.4 fantasy points per game, including 28.1 fantasy points to open the season against West Virginia. He plays that same Mountaineers team this week and I expect an even better and improved prospect, so there's not a lot of downside here. Number one receiving option Julian Fleming (10 percent drafted) is also in play as he's a highly regarded transfer from Ohio State.

Terrance Ferguson, TE, Oregon (37 Percent Drafted)

Ferguson is likely the only option left in your league if you want to get a piece of the Ducks' offense. If that is the case, I would pounce on this opportunity because this offense is going to be electric. It's going to be a lot of fun watching them change the pace of play for a lot of the methodical Big 10 teams. Ferguson should be a big part of the passing game plans as he's improved in each of his first three years in the collegiate game.

C-USA Waiver Wire Pickups

Ron Wiggins, RB, Jacksonville State (1 Percent Drafted)

If you want to get a piece of the action on Thursday Night, I recommend Wiggins, who is available in nearly all leagues and he's the starting running back for the Gamecocks. He ended the season last year on a high note with 26.3 fantasy points at Louisiana-Lafayette. He'll have the opportunity on the national stage against Coastal Carolina to kick off the season. With Eastern Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, the next two weeks, he's a play if you need help at the position.

Kordell David, WR, New Mexico State (0 Percent Drafted)

The Aggies were heavily dependent on their dual-threat quarterback a year ago and that's no longer the case as Diego Pavia (13 percent drafted) transferred to Vanderbilt. This means that David, the team's number one receiver, should have far more than the 48 targets he had during the 2023 season. I'll be watching the target trends closely when New Mexico opens the season against Southeast Missouri, Liberty and Fresno State.

MAC Waiver Wire Pickups

Connor Bazelak, QB, Bowling Green (0 Percent Drafted)

Bazelak is entering his second season with the Falcons after one-year stints at Indiana (2022) and Missouri (2021). This could be the year that it all comes together as Bowling Green is a dark horse to compete in the MAC in 2024. Bazelak has one of the best receiving units in the conference and they open the season up at home against Fordham. The senior had one of his best games of the 2023 season against an FCS opponent when he put up 28.5 fantasy points against Eastern Illinois in Week 2.

Jerjuan Newton, WR, Toledo (19 Percent Drafted)

It's kind of crazy to see that Newton wasn't drafted in over 50 percent of leagues, considering he opened the 2023 season with nine touchdowns in his first six games. This guy was an absolute stud during the non-conference portion of the season and ended up averaging 12.8 fantasy points on the year. With at least 85 targets in each of his last two seasons and perhaps a status as the best receiver in the entire conference, he should be rostered more.

Mountain West Waiver Wire Pickups

Jai'Den Thomas, RB, UNLV (35 Percent Drafted)

Thomas flashed as a true freshman in 2023 with 503 yards and 12 touchdowns on 108 carries (4.7 yards per carry), including a monstrous 40.4-fantasy point performance at UTEP in Week 4. With superstar WR Ricky White (100 percent drafted) drawing away defensive gameplans, Thomas will have some more performances like that this year. The Rebels will be in a competitive match-up with Houston in Week 1, an excellent spot to see Thomas shine.

Nick Nash, WR, San Jose State (25 Percent Drafted)

Nash was a solid contributor in 2023 with 48 grabs (on 80 targets) for 728 yards and eight touchdowns. He opened the season with three touchdowns in Week 0 against USC last year. Maybe he'll do something similar against Sacramento State on national television on Thursday Night. Regardless of exactly what that output will be, he's a good player to rely on for the rest of the year in a competitive Mountain West Conference in 2024.

SEC Waiver Wire Pickups

Graham Mertz, QB, Florida (7 Percent Drafted)

The Gators have one of the toughest schedules in all of college football, so it makes sense to rely on some of their fantasy plays when they have a competitive match-up that could go either way. They play Miami in the season opener, and it should be one of the best games on the Saturday Slate. Mertz improved dramatically by the end of the 2023 season and was averaging 22.2 fantasy points per game over his last six contests against SEC competition. 

Dillon Bell, WR, Georgia (6 Percent Drafted)

The historical bias against Georgia receivers for fantasy purposes should be utilized to your advantage because they now have one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football. Carson Beck (65 percent drafted) is a legit NFL prospect, and I have a feeling it's going to be a huge year for the youngster. Dominic Lovett (33 percent drafted) is somehow also a recommendation, but I went with Bell because he's available in an abundance of leagues yet.

Sun Belt Waiver Wire Pickups

Devin Voisin, WR, South Alabama (13 Percent Drafted)

Jamaal Pritchett (99 percent drafted) was snatched up in pretty much all leagues, so go out and get the next best thing in Voisin if you want a piece of that North Texas & South Alabama game in Week 1. Voisin is coming off a torn ACL, however, was impressive in 2022 with 64 catches for 871 yards and five touchdowns on 93 targets. The Jaguars are going to be in some shootouts this year, so they'll have no problem supporting two receivers for fantasy purposes.

Ayo Adeyi, RB, James Madison (34 Percent Drafted)

With North Texas, Adeyi racked up seven 100-yard rushing performances during the 2023 season. The Dukes are 7-point favorites on the road at Charlotte, so their new running back has a good chance at double-digit carries against a defense that hasn't been historically good. While this is a great play in the short term, he'll be recommended later in the year against conference opponents as well.

INDEPENDENTS & PAC-12 Waiver Wire Pickups

John Mateer, QB, Washington State (29 Percent Drafted)

The two lone teams in the Pac-12 have been a bit of an afterthought for CFF drafts. It's understandable with Oregon State, who's breaking in a first-time head coach. It doesn't make as much sense with the Cougars because Jake Dickert has a proven track record as a coach and they still have some talented players. Mateer, a dual-threat QB, recently won the starting job and has a stud WR in Kyle Williams (96 percent drafted). Moreover, Washington State will play a Mountain West schedule which is likely easier than the Pac-12 gauntlet they played in last year.

DEFENSE & KICKER RECOMMENDATIONS

Defense

Navy (vs. Bucknell) - The Midshipmen led the nation in shutouts (tied with Penn State) with three in 2023. They should have been drafted in far more than one percent of leagues.

Tennessee (vs. Chattanooga) - The Vols have a top-10 defensive line in all of college football and should rack up all kinds of sacks this year. They were drafted in just 28 percent of leagues.

Marshall (vs. Stony Brook) - Marshall has one of the best defenses in the Group of Five and was drafted in just one percent of leagues.

Kicker

Cole Becker, K, Utah - Becker was drafted in zero percent of leagues because he's a new face at Utah, coming over from Colorado where he was successful across two seasons. With the Utes being one of the best teams in the nation and in a competitive division, he's a good add.

Dragan Kesich, K, Minnesota - Available in roughly 97 percent of leagues, Kesich is a great option against UNC this week and for the rest of the season as he connected on 23-of-27 field goals in 2023. He's got a big leg as he went 3-for-4 on kicks of 50+ yards.

Trey Smack, K, Florida - As I alluded to before, the Gators are going to be in a ton of close games and those are the kickers you want to target for fantasy rosters. Smack is available in 96 percent of leagues after drafts have been completed.

SUMMARY & TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

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

QB: TCU Josh Hoover, WSU John Mateer, FL Graham Mertz

RB: UNLV Jai'Den Thomas, JMU Ayo Adeyi, JXST Ron Wiggins

WR: UNT Damon Ward, USA Devin Voisin, Toledo Jerjuan Newton

TE: Oregon Terrance Ferguson, UNC Bryson Nesbit

D/ST: Tennessee (vs. Chattanooga), Navy (vs. Bucknell), Marshall (vs. Stony Brook)

K: FL Trey Smack, MN Dragan Kesich, Utah Cole Becker

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.