CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 14 (Championship Week)

Welcome back to the college football waiver wire watch. Hopefully, you have clinched a spot in the fantasy championship. Let's go win this thing. As I've done throughout the college football season, I'll pick two players from every conference who either caught my eye in the previous week or who have a favorable matchup shortly. As always, I'll answer any questions or comments in the comments section below.

First, though, here are the guys who came through last week and may still be available in your leagues:

Cale Hellums, QB, Army (39.2 points)
Evan Dickens, RB, Liberty (37.8 points)
Broc Lowry, QB, Western Michigan (31.3 points)
Joe Fagnano,QB, UConn (30.7 points)
Iverson Hooks, WR, UAB (27.6 points)
Lunch Winfield, QB, ULL (25.8 points)
Noah Whittington, RB, Oregon (25.6 points)
Jordan Hudson, WR, SMU (23.6 points)
Jackson Harris, WR, Hawaii (16.9 points)

70+ Club in Upcoming Slate: Here are the college games that have an Over/Under closest to the 70-point mark, which potentially means a plethora of fantasy points. Enjoy these barn burners and roster some players in these games if you can.

67.5 points - East Carolina at FAU
66.5 points - Temple at North Texas
64.5 points - Vanderbilt at Tennessee
63.5 points - Ole Miss at Mississippi State
63.5 points - South Alabama at Texas State
62.5 points - UAB at Tulsa
62.0 points - Georgia Southern at Marshall
61.5 points - Houston at Baylor
60.5 points - Utah at Kansas
60.0 points - Rice at USF
60.0 points - UCLA at USC

*Fantasy Points referenced are in DraftKings format.
**To qualify for recommendations, players must be rostered in fewer than 40 percent of Fantrax Leagues (Adjusted down from 50 percent)

American Conference Waiver Wire Pickups

Cale Hellums, QB, Army (38 Percent Rostered)

Hellums was picked up in many leagues last week, but not enough, as he rumbled for 159 yards and three touchdowns against Tulsa. The run-first quarterback has a rushing score in six straight games and five 100-yard rushing performances on the season. Army will finish the fantasy slate with a game at UTSA, and there's a great chance he eclipses the century mark in the ground game once again. If possible, fill your fantasy roster with quarterbacks that rack up production in the ground game, their ceiling is much higher for a potential championship.

Dominic Richardson, RB, Tulsa (38 Percent Rostered)

The Golden Hurricane pulled off a surprising upset at Army, and it was due to an amazing performance from Richardson. The experienced back had 28 carries for 203 yards and a touchdown. It was his first 200-yard rushing performance of his career. After playing at three different schools over the last six seasons, Richardson has put together his first 1,000-yard rushing season. He's been a good back on a bad team with 16.4 FPPG. He's likely going to further bolster these numbers with a season finale against UAB who have one of the worst defenses in the nation.

Week 13 Rewind: Army QB Cale Hellums (39.2 points - 6/10, 64 YDS, 1 INT, 32 ATT, 159 YDS, 3 TD) & UAB WR Iverson Hooks (27.6 points - 10/15 TAR, 146 YDS, 1 ATT, 0 YDS)

ACC Waiver Wire Pickups

Chris Barnes, WR, Wake Forest (10 Percent Rostered)

Has anyone been watching the Demon Deacons? They are somehow 8-3 (5-2 in ACC) and coming off a 52-14 demolishing of non-conference foe Delaware. Barnes made a return from an undisclosed injury to post 12.7 FP in the blowout. He had a 78-yard rush, and he has received at least one rushing attempt in every game this year. Outside of his work out of the backfield, he's averaging 5.6 targets per game and is the team's top wideout. With a juicy matchup against Duke to finish out the ACC schedule, it could be a big week for Barnes.

Jordan Hudson, WR, SMU (30 Percent Rostered)

Hudson is on a roll with 22.0 Fantasy Points Per Game (FPPG) over his last five. He's received at least eight targets in all five of those games, and he even has double-digit targets on three different occasions. He's the Mustangs' best receiver and he'll have an excellent opportunity to end the regular season with a strong performance at Cal. SMU still has an outside shot at making the College Football Playoff, so look for this team to put up as much points as possible and have a high-flying aerial attack as it looks to rack up the points like it did in a 38-6 win over Louisville this past week.

Week 13 Rewind: SMU WR Jordan Hudson (23.6 points - 8/10 TAR, 96 YDS, 1 TD) & SMU TE Matthew Hibner (9.8 points - 4/5 TAR, 58 YDS)

BIG 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Jeff Sims, QB, Arizona State (13 Percent Rostered)

Sims is a higher risk recommendation as he tends to have some explosive performances (45.9 FP vs. Iowa State) and some just average performances (15.4 FP vs. Colorado last week). This tracks with his history as he was always an up-and-down fantasy play at Georgia Tech too. The Sun Devils are quietly 8-3 and 6-2 in the Big 12 Standings with an intriguing rivalry game with Arizona to end the year. That game has some shootout potential, so it's possible Sims skews more towards an explosive fantasy performance than just an average one this week.

Parker Kingston, WR, BYU (39 Percent Rostered)

Kingston has been arguably the least talked about number one receiver on a great team in the country. He's truly had a great year with 51 catches (on 77 targets) for 678 yards and four touchdowns to go along with 20 rushing attempts for 103 yards and three more scores. The seven total scores have catapulted him to 16.2 FPPG. That's a lot of production and it's surprising that he's available in so many leagues on a high-profile team this late in the year. BYU has all the motivation to put up as many points as possible when they take on UCF this week as they're still in play for an at-large bid in the College Football Playoff.

Week 13 Rewind: BYU QB Bear Bachmeier (15.7 points - 15/25, 127 YDS, 13 ATT, 46 YDS, 1 TD) & UCF RB Jaden Nixon (2.8 points - 7 ATT, 28 YDS)

Big Ten Waiver Wire Pickups

Luke Altmyer, QB, Illinois (33 Percent Rostered)

Although the Fighting Illini were just upset by the Wisconsin Badgers, it doesn't change the fact that Altmyer is having a career year. He's completing 68.1 percent of his passes and has 25 total touchdowns. Outside of a dreadful performance against Northwestern, he's on pace for career-highs in all of the major categories for fantasy football. Illinois is already bowl-eligible, and it would not be a great look to lose to Northwestern in a rivalry game to end the year. Expect Altmyer to show up and play well in the regular season finale which could potentially help someone in their fantasy championship as well.

Lake McRee, TE, USC (9 Percent Rostered)

McRee is putting together a solid year with 27 catches (on 47 targets) for 420 yards and three touchdowns. One of those scores came this last week at Oregon where he had 12.1 fantasy points. McRee has reeled off three straight games with three catches and has become an important part of the Trojans' passing game. There's a good chance that the Trojans will score a bunch of points against rival UCLA, so why not get a piece of this passing game at a position that's tough to predict most weeks.

Week 13 Rewind: Oregon RB Noah Whittington (25.6 points - 19 ATT, 104 YDS, 1 TD, 4/6 TAR, 22 YDS) & UCLA WR Rico Flores (1.3 points - 1/2 TAR, 3 YDS)

C-USA Waiver Wire Pickups

Skyler Locklear, QB, UTEP (7 Percent Rostered)

Locklear has been consistent over his last five games at 27.6 FPPG. He's thrown for two touchdowns in four of those five games and averaged 15.8 rushes for 60.0 yards per game with seven total rushing scores. He's been a true dual-threat quarterback in a conference that doesn't have many capable defenses. With a season finale against FBS-newcomer Delaware, it should be a good spot for Locklear to finish his consistent play for the Miners. There's a high floor with dual-threat quarterbacks in these types of spots.

Shomari Lawrence, RB, Missouri State (10 Percent Rostered)

Lawrence is heating up down the stretch with three 100-yard rushing performances in his last four games. He had his best game of the year last week with 28.2 FP on 20 carries for 173 yards and a touchdown against a good Kennesaw State team. If he can get to 120 rushing yards versus Louisiana Tech this week, he'll post his first 1,000-yard rushing season. The Bears are 7-4 on the season and the senior running back has been a big reason they have surprised everyone in C-USA. There's a lot of decent running back options on the wire this week, so he's also in play for a flex spot because wide receiver is thin.

Week 13 Rewind: Liberty RB Evan Dickens (37.8 points - 30 ATT, 228 YDS, 2 TD) & New Mexico State TE Gavin Harris (2.3 points - 1/4 TAR, 13 YDS)

MAC Waiver Wire Pickups

Broc Lowry, QB, Western Michigan (7 Percent Rostered)

Lowry came in clutch in the last round of the playoffs, so why not stick with the hot hand? He's rushed for at least 82 yards in each of his last six contests and has 12 total rushing scores on the season. The Broncos are also playing great football right now at 7-4, including an impressive 6-1 record in the MAC. Although he hasn't thrown a touchdown pass since Week 10, his rushing production is consistent enough to trust him in a championship roster. Moreover, he's available in a ton of leagues and Western Michigan has a ton to play for in their season finale.

Austyn Dendy, RB, Bowling Green (10 Percent Rostered)

Dendy is coming off his second straight 100-yard rushing performance. The youngster who has played in just four games has at least 18 carries in each game and a combined 51 touches in his last two games. The Falcons will play UMass this week who has one of the worst defenses in all of college football. As long as the volume continues for Dendy, he should be on track for yet another 100-yard rushing performance and a score or two. He's available in most leagues due to not playing at the beginning of the year.

Nik McMillan, WR, Buffalo (33 Percent Rostered) - BONUS PLAY

Because McMillan has been on an absolute tear with five straight 100-yard receiving performances, we're going to make a spot for him in the waiver wire article this week. It's also MACtion, so maybe we should always look for more players from this conference during this part of the schedule. During this crazy stretch of play, he's averaging 12.6 targets per game. It's shocking he has just two touchdowns because the volume has been elite. It's a tough week for projecting wide receivers on the wire this week, so this is surely the top recommendation.

Week 13 Rewind: Western Michigan QB Broc Lowry (31.3 points - 5/9, 32 YDS, 1 INT, 13 ATT, 100 YDS, 3 TD) & Akron RB Jordan Gant (8.6 points - 22 ATT, 86 YDS, 0/1 TAR)

Mountain West Waiver Wire Pickups

Kyri Shoels, WR, San Jose State (25 Percent Rostered)

Going back to Shoels because the volume has been consistent with at least six targets in eight straight games. The production has not matched the elevated opportunities (6.1 FPPG over the last two games), but I would rather go with someone that is getting the looks opposed to lower volume plays. On the season, Shoels has been a useful player at 13.8 FPPG with six different performances over 15.0 FP. The Spartans are going to need to throw the ball against Fresno State this week and that means continued opportunities for Shoels.

Rocky Beers, TE, Colorado State (21 Percent Rostered)

A name like Rocky Beers seems too good to be true, especially somewhere like Colorado State. Beers play has been too good to be true over the last three weeks too with a combined 18 catches (on 24 targets) for 222 yards and three touchdowns. That's resulted in a three-game average of 19.4 FPPG which is elite at the tight end position. The FIU transfer is having a career year out west with six touchdowns on the season. Let's see if he can add one more against Air Force as the top recommendation at the position this week.

Week 13 Rewind: Hawaii WR Jackson Harris (16.9 points - 3/4 TAR, 79 YDS, 1 TD) & New Mexico WR Keagan Johnson (9.5 points - 4/7 TAR, 55 YDS)

SEC Waiver Wire Pickups

Xavier Robinson, RB, Oklahoma (12 Percent Rostered)

Robinson was the most utilized player out of the backfield for the Sooners in their dominating win over Missouri. He had 16 total touches against the Tigers and has double-digit opportunities in five straight games. Although they go up against a tough LSU defense to end the regular season, that's a lot of volume to ignore if your fantasy squad is in need of a running back. Moreover, Robinson has been solid against tough SEC defenses at 15.9 FPPG over his last five games. Oklahoma has a ton of talent on the running back depth chart, so it says a lot that Robinson is getting the bulk of the work.

Seydou Traore, TE, Mississippi State (23 Percent Rostered)

Traore has at least five targets in each of his last four games. With the elevated targets, he's been able to haul in a combined 17 catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs will end the regular season in the Egg Bowl against in-state rival Ole Miss. The senior tight end is having his best year with a career-high five touchdowns. There's a realistic chance he can extend that mark and score his sixth touchdown of the year on national televison while everyone is watching.

Week 13 Rewind: Georgia QB Gunner Stockton (7.9 points - 17/21, 196 YDS, 1 INT, 5 ATT, 11 YDS) & Georgia TE Oscar Delp (0.0 points)

Sun Belt Waiver Wire Pickups

Tre' Brown, WR, Old Dominion (8 Percent Rostered)

Over his last five games, Brown is averaging 6.4 targets per game which is adequate volume if you're in need of a wide receiver for your championship matchup. With that elevated volume, he's produced two 100-yard receiving performances, however, has not scored a touchdown since Week 8 against JMU. The Monarchs are 8-3 on the season and have had a great season. Brown is a candidate for a score versus Georgia State when you consider the volume of opportunities that have recently gone his way.

Jaylen Raynor, QB, Arkansas State (35 Percent Rostered)

Raynor is a known commodity and has been featured in this article many times over the last few years. The reason he's being recommended for the finale is because he's having a career year in the ground game. He's rushed for 408 yards and seven touchdowns on 138 carries which are all career-highs. The Red Wolves will play at Appalachian State and the Mountaineers' defense has struggled against opposing quarterbacks. While Raynor is not my top recommendation at the position, he's still worth consideration if the other guys have already been scooped up.

Week 13 Rewind: ULL QB Lunch Winfield (25.8 points - 18/25, 147 YDS, 20 ATT, 89 YDS, 2 TD, 1 FL) & Georgia Southern RB OJ Arnold (2.8 points - 3 ATT, 1 YDS, 2/2 TAR, 7 YDS)

INDEPENDENTS & PAC-2 Waiver Wire Pickups

Kirby Vorhees, RB, Washington State (9 Percent Rostered)

Vorhees has double-digit touches in each of his last seven games. That volume will bode well when they go up against a mediocre Oregon State defense. He also has a touchdown in four of his last six games and is available in nearly all leagues. This is the final battle for the current PAC-2 before they have their conference expansion for the 2026-27 season. Let's hit on this recommendation before this article expands to two players for the new conference next year.

Week 13 Rewind: UConn QB Joe Fagnano (30.7 points - 33/46, 446 YDS, 3 TD, 5 ATT, -21 YDS) 

DEFENSE & KICKER RECOMMENDATIONS

Defense

Old Dominion (vs. Georgia State) - Double-digit fantasy outputs in three straight games. Available in 67 percent of leagues.

Tulane (vs. Charlotte) - Have a combined 11 sacks and six forced turnovers over last three games. Available in 80 percent of leagues.

USC (vs. UCLA) - The Trojans' defense hasn't been great, but this is a good spot for them. Available in nearly all leagues at a roster percentage of just 17 percent.

Week 13 Rewind: Ohio vs. UMass (9.5 points - 14 PA, 3 SK, 3 TA), Wake Forest vs. Delaware (8.0 points - 14 PA, 2 SK, 2 TA), & Utah vs. Kansas State (2.5 points - 47 PA, 3 SK, 1 TA)

Kicker

Kali Nguma, North Texas - No reason to get cute in the final week and the Mean Green continue to light up the scoreboard. Somehow still available in 68 percent of leagues.

Garrison Smith, FAU - Another high over/under for FAU. Go with their kicker who is available in 76 percent of leagues.

Will Bettridge, Virginia - In an effort to not match exactly as last week, I'll go with Bettridge who had 10 FP in Week 12. The Cavs were on a bye this last week and Bettridge is available in 68 percent of leagues.

Week 13 Rewind: FAU Garrison Smith (9.0 points - 1/2 FG, 6/6 XP), North Texas Kali Nguma (8.0 points - 8/8 XP), Texas State Tyler Robles (7.0 points - 1/1 FG, 4/4 XP)

SUMMARY & TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

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

QB: ARMY Cale Hellums, WMU Broc Lowry, ASU Jeff Sims

RB: Tulsa Dominic Richardson, BGU Austyn Dendy, WSU Kirby Vorhees

WR: Buffalo Nik McMillan, BYU Parker Kingston, WF Chris Barnes

TE: CSU Rocky Beers, USC Lake McRee, MSST Seydou Traore

D/ST: OD (vs. Georgia State), Tulane (vs. Charlotte), USC (vs. UCLA)

K: UNT Kali Nguma, UVA Will Bettridge, FAU Garrison Smith

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.