CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 12

When you have Wisconsin beating Michigan by the score of 49-11 on the nationally televised ABC game in primetime, it's a tell-tale sign of it not being a very competitive college football weekend. For entertainment purposes, there were not a lot of buzz-worthy games, however, that didn't stop the fantasy points from pouring in. Here were the guys that particularly made me look good this past weekend:

Nevada WR Romeo Doubs (43.2 points) – Four straight 100-yard receiving performances with 8 TDs!
Oregon QB Tyler Shough (38.6 points) – Dual-threat volume in a conference full of soft defenses!
Georgia Southern QB Shai Werts (33.0 points) – 21 rushing attempts for 120 yards & 3 TDs!
San Diego State RB Greg Bell (32.9 points) – Four straight 100-yard rushing performances with 6 TDs!
Iowa RB Tyler Goodson (31.4 points) – Double-digit fantasy points in all four games this year!
Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong (29.1 points) – Two rushing scores and soft schedule the rest of the way!

COVID-19 also did not go away as it claimed a season-high 15 games and wreaked some havoc on fantasy line-ups across the nation. My hope is that my two recommendations for all of the conferences helps bring you some comfort and some more ideas to fill those late holes each and every week.

Slate Background: Keeping our fingers crossed for a full slate, Week 12 appears to be one of the best weeks yet as we have college football every day from Tuesday through Saturday. Following our random MAC, C-USA and MWC games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we get fantasy-friendly games with Purdue/Minnesota and Syracuse/ Louisville on Friday Night. Saturday has some blockbuster games in Indiana at Ohio State, Cincinnati at UCF, Wisconsin at Northwestern, Tennessee at Auburn and Oklahoma State at Oklahoma.

*Fantasy Points referenced in article are DK (full PPR) format.
**To qualify for recommendations, players must be owned in less than 50 percent of Fantrax Leagues

AAC

Clayton Tune, QB, Houston
Tune has added a dual-threat ability to his game as he has double-digit carries in four contests, including four rushing scores scattered across those games. When he pairs that ability with two or three touchdowns through the air, it ends up being a monster fantasy performance. This is exactly what happened against South Florida as the junior had 47.7 fantasy points. If you haven't rostered him after my previous recommendations, this may be your last chance as he should be lined up to have an excellent finish to the season with SMU, Tulsa and Memphis which will all be competitive games.

Rahjai Harris, RB, East Carolina
Harris has been one of the more productive true freshman in the country as he ranks fourth in the American conference with 559 rushing yards. He's averaging 4.90 yards per carry and is coming off a season-high 23 carries against a tough Cincinnati defense. If he can put up 14.9 fantasy points against the Bearcats, I trust Harris to have a decent performance against Temple who is currently giving up 209.6 rushing yards per game. If you like his performance against Temple, he's also worth considering as a play against SMU the following week.

Week 11 Rewind; Temple QB Anthony Russo OR Re-al Mitchell (2.4 points – 10/23, 107 yards, 2 INT, 11 yards rushing – Banged up early in the game vs. UCF) & Cincinnati RB Gerrid Doaks (5.2 points – 13 carries for 52 yards)

ACC

Brennan Armstrong, QB, Virginia
No reason to get off Armstrong as he appeared to move on from his lower leg injury with a gutty performance against Louisville with three total touchdowns, including two on the ground. Take away the game against NC State where Armstrong was knocked out of the game early and the sophomore has not scored less than 23.7 fantasy points in any game. That's a wonderful floor with upcoming games against Abilene Christian, Florida State, Boston College and Virginia Tech.

Jaquarii Roberson, WR, Wake Forest
Roberson had a career game against North Carolina this past weekend while converting 12-of-16 targets for 167 yards and two touchdowns which was good for a cool 43.7 fantasy points. After that masterful performance, Roberson ranks third in the ACC conference with 12.8 fantasy points per game and 657 receiving yards. While he has only four touchdowns on the season, that number is likely to increase with upcoming games against Duke and Louisville over the next few weeks.

Week 11 Rewind; Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong (29.1 points – 15/23, 203 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 60 yards rushing, 2 TD) & Boston College WR Zay Flowers (11.0 points – 3/12 targets, 25 yards, 1 TD, -5 yards rushing – Dealing with a shoulder injury)

BIG 12

Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
Starter Keaontay Ingram is dealing with a high ankle sprain that could keep him out against Kansas. Even if Ingram does make his way back, Robinson is likely to get his fourth straight game with double-digit touches as the Longhorns should rout the Jayhawks. Robinson was particularly impressive while racking up 20.1 fantasy points and a 100-yard rushing performance against a tough West Virginia rush defense in Week 10. While Roschon Johnson should also receive carries, Robinson feels like the more talented option.

Xavier Hutchinson, WR, Iowa State
I'm not sure Bedlam will be your typical high-scoring game, so I'm going to go Ames for the Cyclones bout with Kansas State for my other recommendation. The Wildcats don't have the greatest defense this year and I think they will try to limit superstar Breece Hall which will open up the field for Hutchinson to bounce back from his season-low two catches and two targets versus Baylor in Week 10. Prior to that game with the Bears, Hutchinson was averaging 7.8 targets per game, so I think he'll get his chances for a productive outing this week.

Week 11 Rewind; Baylor WR R.J. Sneed (9.8 points – 4/5 targets, 58 yards) & Texas Tech TE Travis Koontz (3.1 points – 1/2 targets, 21 yards)

BIG TEN

Zander Horvath, RB, Purdue
Horvath has been the ultimate utility man for the Boilermakers as he opened up the season with back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances against Iowa and Illinois followed by a 100-yard receiving game against Northwestern. Through just three games, he's averaging 17.7 carries and 6.0 targets per game which is plenty of volume for fantasy purposes. Those numbers look even better when you consider that Purdue plays an awful Minnesota rush defense which is giving up 238.3 yards per game. Purdue and Horvath should be able to feast out of the backfield in Week 12.

Graham Mertz, QB, Wisconsin
Now that we know the Badgers are back from the COVID-19 protocol, it's time to go all-in with Mertz. Yes, he only had 13.5 fantasy points against Michigan, but if you watched that game, it was out of hand early and Mertz didn't even need to play the entire game. This isn't your typical Wisconsin team as I would say that their receivers are more talented than their current crop of running backs. That means a smart coaching staff for Northwestern will likely force the freshman to beat them through the air instead of allowing the Badgers to eat up the clock on the ground. The schedule is also great the rest of the way with Minnesota, Indiana and Iowa.

Week 11 Rewind; Iowa RB Tyler Goodson (31.4 points – 20 carries for 142 yards, 2 TD, 1/1 target, 12 yards) & Rutgers RB Isaih Pacheco (17.2 points – 21 carries for 138 yards)

C-USA

Austin Trammell, WR, Rice
Rice hasn't seen the field since Week 9 due to COVID-19 concerns, but I'm going to stick with Trammell as he has an excellent match-up with North Texas who gives up over 300 passing yards per game. Trammell leads the conference with 18.25 yards per target in his two games in the 2020 season. He and quarterback Mike Collins have had a special connection with 10 catches for 219 yards and five touchdowns on 12 targets. He's the best player for the Owls and should go off against the Mean Green if Rice can see the field.

Grant Wells, QB, Marshall
The Thundering Herd finally unleashed Wells and it was glorious as he had a season-high 336 passing yards and five touchdowns for 40.3 fantasy points against Middle Tennessee this past Saturday. I have predicted this in the past and it just feels good to see it come to fruition. He may not string together eight touchdowns in a two-week span as he did against UMass and Middle Tennessee, as the team still has workhorse Brenden Knox, but at least we know it can happen now. Marshall is legit and should stampede over Charlotte, Rice and FIU to end the season. I would completely feel comfortable with starting Wells in all three of those games to end the season.

*Old Dominion is not playing in Fall 2020

Week 11 Rewind; Florida Atlantic QB Nick Tronti (Benched for Javion Posey – 37.4 points vs. FIU) & Rice WR Austin Trammell (Postponed due to COVID-19)

MAC

Preston Hutchinson, QB, Eastern Michigan
We're just two weeks into the MAC season and Hutchinson is the highest-scoring fantasy player in all of the conference with 20.0 points at Kent State and 45.4 points at Ball State. Those two performances suggest a nice floor for the junior when the Eagles take on Toledo in Week 12. Looking past that game with the Rockets, Hutchinson has a couple of dream match-ups with Bowling Green and Miami of Ohio, who have shown that they may have two of the worst defenses in the nation. It's also a bonus to own Hutchinson as Eastern Michigan's defense isn't very good either.

Antonio Nunn, WR, Buffalo
Running backs Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks will get all the hype going into the Tuesday matchup at Bowling Green, however, Nunn and Kyle Vantrease have flashed a productive connection in their first two games. Nunn has 11 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns on 16 targets. That production was spread evenly as well with 25.2 fantasy points at Northern Illinois and 27.7 fantasy points against Miami of Ohio. Through two games, Bowling Green has the worst defense in the nation as they have given up 100 total points and 1,191 total yards.

Week 11 Rewind; Ohio QB Kurtis Rourke (3.0 points – 8/14, 92 yards – splitting time with Armani Rogers) & Ball State WR Justin Hall (19.5 points – 7/11 targets, 55 yards, 70 rushing yards on four attempts)

MWC

Cole Turner, TE, Nevada
Turner has been one of the most consistent tight ends in the country while scoring double-digit fantasy points in all four of his games this year. Even with Romeo Doubs dominating box scores and making his case as the best fantasy receiver in all of college football, Carson Strong has been able to find his junior tight end often in the first month of the season. Turner has at least four catches in all four games en route to 21 catches for 329 yards and two touchdowns on 29 targets.

Greg Bell, San Diego State, RB
My two MWC darlings go up against one another this week when Nevada and San Diego State play in the desert. After reeling off four straight 100-yard performances and racking up six total touchdowns, Bell is still owned in just 30 percent of Fantrax leagues. That makes no sense as Bell ranks seventh in the conference at 24.2 fantasy points per game which is higher than Wyoming's Xazavian Valladay (21.8 fantasy points) who is owned in 76 percent of leagues as a comparison. Bell should be a focal point against Nevada as San Diego State will look to slow down the game while Nevada will want to speed it up.

Week 11 Rewind; Nevada WR Romeo Doubs (43.2 points – 5/10 targets, 172 yards, 3 TD), Nevada QB Carson Strong (26.3 points – 24/38, 336 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT) & San Diego State RB Greg Bell (32.9 points – 160 rushing yards, 2 TD, 1/1 targets, nine yards)

PAC-12

Tyler Shough, QB, Oregon
Absolutely no reason to get off this sophomore as he had an elite performance at Washington State while completing 70 percent of his passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns to go along with 81 rushing yards. Oregon should be favored by a lot against UCLA and Oregon State over the next two weeks and everyone will know Shough's name by that time. His fantasy floor should be at the very least around 25 points if he continues to run the ball like he has. Get him while you can as he's still available in a ton of leagues after just two weeks of Pac 12 play.

Jarek Broussard, RB, Colorado
Assuming the Buffaloes will be able to play Arizona State, which was forced to postpone its last game due to COVID-19 issues, Broussard is worth a serious look. Even if the Sun Devils need to cancel their second consecutive game, I like what the Pac 12 have done to allow teams to still potentially play. Broussard has seen heavy volume to begin the season with 31 carries against UCLA and 27 carries at Stanford this past weekend. All things considered, Broussard has been extremely efficient by averaging 5.31 yards on those 58 carries which are 14 more carries than any other running back in the conference.  Jermar Jefferson and CJ Verdell may be better running backs by talent level, but Broussard is seeing elite volume which is good enough for your fantasy team.

Week 11 Rewind; USC WR Drake London (10.8 points – 4/6 targets, 68 yards) & Oregon QB Tyler Shough (38.6 points – 21/30, 312 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, 81 rushing yards)

SEC

Feleipe Franks, QB, Arkansas
I'm not sure anyone could have predicted that Franks would average 23.8 fantasy points per game and rank seventh in the SEC in fantasy scoring for quarterbacks. Building on that notion, who knew that Arkansas would be so much improved and enter the game with LSU as arguably the better team. LSU is giving up 478.6 total offensive yards per game, including 301.4 passing yards. The Tigers will have all they can handle with Franks and the Razorbacks. Franks has been crisp with the ball in 2020 while compiling 16 touchdowns versus just three interceptions. He has a legitimate offensive weapon in WR Treylon Burks and I expect Arkansas to put up some points this week.

Chris Rodriguez, RB, Kentucky
Kentucky's offense woke up this past week in a 38-35 win over Vanderbilt and it was Rodriguez who notched his second straight 100-yard game. He was particularly impressive in that game while averaging 11.5 yards per carry and has been hard to tackle all season with 562 yards on 88 carries for a 6.39 yard per carry average which is tops in the SEC for running backs with more than 50 attempts on the season. I also wouldn't be too afraid of the upcoming match-up with Alabama as their defense isn't as dominant as in the past as they are currently giving up 389.2 yards per game, including 128.8 rushing yards per game. Even if he has a mediocre week against the Tide, upcoming games with Florida and South Carolina after that are well worth the wait.

Week 11 Rewind; Vanderbilt RB Keyon Henry-Brooks (17.9 points – 121 yards rushing, 2/2 targets, eight yards receiving – Left game with injury) & South Carolina TE Nick Muse (2.9 points – 1/3 targets, 19 yards)

SUN BELT

Lincoln Pare, RB, Arkansas State
As long as Marcel Murray remains out with an undisclosed injury, Pare is worth picking up as he has double-digit fantasy performances in his last four games. The true freshman is coming off his best game when he had 22 carries for 121 yards and two catches for 12 yards at Louisiana in Week 10. Arkansas State and Texas State clash this week in a battle of the two worst defenses in the Sun Belt Conference. The Bobcats are giving up 475.1 offensive yards per game, including 190.0 rushing yards which means that Pare will have a chance to make an impact in this game.

Tyler Vitt or Brady McBride, QB, Texas State
Sticking with that game between the Red Wolves and Bobcats, it's worth considering the starting quarterback for Texas State. Arkansas State is giving up 482.1 yards of offense per game, including 301.4 yards through the air which means that either Vitt or McBride could have a breakout week. Pay attention to injury news as Vitt was forced out of the Georgia Southern game with an apparent left-hand injury. Both quarterbacks have had serious playing time this season, so you can have confidence in whichever signal-caller gets the nod.

Week 11 Rewind; Coastal Carolina WR Jaivon Heiligh (Postponed due to COVID-19) & Georgia Southern QB Shai Werts (33.0 points - 6/9, 51 yards, 1 INT, 21 rushes for 120 yards, 3 TD)

INDEPENDENTS

Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU
While Zach Wilson and the BYU passing game have received all the publicity in their undefeated season, Allgeier has been their unsung hero with nine touchdowns, including a score in seven of their eight games. No matter who the opponent has been, Allgeier has received double-digit carries and is somehow available in more than 50 percent of fantasy leagues. With BYU fighting to get the best bowl bid possible, they should have their minds on putting up as many points as possible on North Alabama this week. It's crazy to think that the Cougars are just two games away from a perfect regular season.

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

Week 11 Rewind; Liberty RB Joshua Mack (12.8 points – 15 carries for 68 yards, 1 TD)

DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS

BYU (vs. North Alabama) – While the Cougars have given up more points lately, they have all the incentive to make this margin of victory as high as possible.

Wyoming (vs. Utah State) – Utah State has already fired their head coach and Wyoming is a terribly difficult place to play for even good teams.

Texas (at Kansas) – The one and only time I'm recommending the Texas defense this season.

Week 11 Rewind; West Virginia vs. TCU (6 PA, 1 Sack, 2 TAs), Liberty vs. Western Carolina (14 PA, 4 Sacks, 3 TAs) & Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt (35 PA, 1 Sack)

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: Oregon Tyler Shough, Houston Clayton Tune, Wisconsin Graham Mertz
RB: San Diego State Greg Bell, Colorado Jarek Broussard, Purdue Zander Horvath
WR: Rice Austin Trammell, Wake Forest Jaquarii Roberson, Buffalo Antonio Nunn
TE: Nevada Cole Turner
D/ST: Wyoming (vs. Utah State)