CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 4

CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 4

This article is part of our CFB Waiver Wire series.

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 have an upcoming favorable matchup. 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:

Henry Parrish, RB, Ole Miss (35.9 points)
Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa (34.3 points)
Behren Morton, QB, Texas Tech (32.8 points)
Tyler Huff, QB, Jacksonville State (31.4 points)
Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas (27.0 points)
Billy Edwards, QB, Maryland (25.7 points)
Mac Dalena, WR, Fresno State (22.2 points)
CJ Donaldson, RB, West Virginia (21.9 points)
Coleman Owen, WR, Ohio (20.2 points)
Tennessee D/ST (17.0 points)
Illinois D/ST (12.5 points)
Nebraska D/ST (11.5 points)
Colin Weber, TE, Charlotte (11.3 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 barn burners and roster some players in these games if you can.

65.0 points - Miami at South Florida
64.5 points - South Alabama at Appalachian State (Thursday Night)
64.5 points - Georgia Southern at Ole Miss
61.5 points - Fresno State at New Mexico
60.5 points - Southern Miss at Jacksonville State
60.0 points - Arizona State at Texas Tech

*Fantasy Points referenced

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 have an upcoming favorable matchup. 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:

Henry Parrish, RB, Ole Miss (35.9 points)
Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa (34.3 points)
Behren Morton, QB, Texas Tech (32.8 points)
Tyler Huff, QB, Jacksonville State (31.4 points)
Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas (27.0 points)
Billy Edwards, QB, Maryland (25.7 points)
Mac Dalena, WR, Fresno State (22.2 points)
CJ Donaldson, RB, West Virginia (21.9 points)
Coleman Owen, WR, Ohio (20.2 points)
Tennessee D/ST (17.0 points)
Illinois D/ST (12.5 points)
Nebraska D/ST (11.5 points)
Colin Weber, TE, Charlotte (11.3 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 barn burners and roster some players in these games if you can.

65.0 points - Miami at South Florida
64.5 points - South Alabama at Appalachian State (Thursday Night)
64.5 points - Georgia Southern at Ole Miss
61.5 points - Fresno State at New Mexico
60.5 points - Southern Miss at Jacksonville State
60.0 points - Arizona State at Texas Tech

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

AAC Waiver Wire Pickups

Kanye Udoh, RB, Army (5 Percent Rostered)

The Black Knights are coming off a Week 3 bye, so it's possible you can scoop up Udoh without utilizing the waiver wire. Udoh has double-digit carries in each of Army's first two games and already has three touchdowns. With upcoming games against Rice, Temple and Tulsa, Udoh should be able to match that scoring total and be useful for fantasy rosters over that time.

Dante Wright, WR, Temple (7 Percent Rostered)

Wright has at least six targets in each of the first three games and has been money with those opportunities. He's averaging 20.3 fantasy points per game and collectively has 23 catches (on 29 targets) for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Take away an opening game against a tough Oklahoma defense and he's averaging 10.0 catches for 100.0 yards and a touchdown per game against Navy and Coastal Carolina. He could do the same against Utah State this week.

Week 3 Rewind: Charlotte TE Colin Weber (11.3 points - 5/5 TAR, 63 YDS) & North Texas WR DT Sheffield (0.0 points - No Targets - Returning Duties Only)

ACC Waiver Wire Pickups

Eli Holstein, QB, Pittsburgh (32 Percent Rostered)

The redshirt freshman is the real deal with three straight games with 300+ passing yards and three touchdown passes. Even better, he's added 29 carries for 96 yards including double-digit rushing attempts in each of his last two games. Yes, they have an FCS opponent this week, but I would go out and get him while you can because he will be an excellent play once the ACC season comes around.

Tyler Neville, TE, Virginia (9 Percent Rostered)

Neville's targets have been on an upward trajectory in his first three games with two against Richmond, four at Wake Forest and a season-high seven opportunities against Maryland last week. Virginia should be able to move the ball at Coastal Carolina, so Neville will have a great chance to keep that trend alive. 

Week 3 Rewind: Virginia QB Anthony Colandrea (14.6 points - 21/37, 247 YDS, 2 INT, 8 ATT, 17 YDS, 1 INT, 1 FL) & Pittsburgh WR Konata Mumpfield (13.6 points - 6/8 TAR, 76 YDS)

BIG 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Josh Hoover, QB, TCU (42 Percent Rostered)

Despite losing the game, Hoover was fantastic against UCF with 36.1 fantasy points. He threw for a season-high 402 yards and four touchdowns. He has some extremely talented receivers and head coach Sonny Dykes knows how to draw up a creative offense. Dykes will be extra motivated this week as the Horned Frogs head to SMU for what should be a great game with fantasy fireworks.

De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, Oklahoma State (15 Percent Rostered)

Stribling had a breakout game at Tulsa with seven catches (on eight targets) for 174 yards and two touchdowns. He's been pretty consistent all year with at least eight targets in each of the first three games. Oklahoma State looks like it could be one of the best teams in the Big 12 Conference and Stribling has a capable signal-caller in Alan Bowman (19 percent rostered). Teammate Brennan Presley (99 percent rostered) leads the team in targets; however, this team can support more than one player for fantasy relevance. 

Week 3 Rewind: Texas Tech QB Behren Morton (32.8 points - 15/19, 273 YDS, 4 TD, 2 ATT, -1 YDS, 1 TD) & West Virginia RB CJ Donaldson (21.9 points - 19 ATT, 79 YDS, 1 TD, 1/3 TAR, 10 YDS, 1 TD)

Big Ten Waiver Wire Pickups

Billy Edwards, QB, Maryland (9 Percent Rostered)

No reason to get off Edwards yet as he's been one of the biggest fantasy surprises in the Big Ten this year, scoring 25.4 fantasy points per game. He's completing 71.2 percent of his passes, has six passing touchdowns and a rushing score in each of his last two games. The Terrapins have a couple of fantasy-friendly matchups with Villanova and Indiana the next two weeks as well. The best part is that Edwards is available in 91 percent of leagues.

Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois (19 Percent Rostered)

Bryant is averaging 21.8 fantasy points per game as the lead wideout for the Fighting Illini. They have a couple of tough road games at Nebraska and at Penn State on the docket. There's a good chance Illinois is going to need to lean a bit more on the passing game to have an edge in those games. That's why I like picking up Bryant now before it gets cold in Big Ten country.

Week 3 Rewind: Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson (34.3 points - 25 ATT, 173 YDS, 2 TD, 1/1 TAR, 10 YDS) & Maryland QB Billy Edwards (25.7 points - 28/43, 263 YDS, 2 TD, 9 ATT, 12 YDS, 1 TD)

C-USA Waiver Wire Pickups

Tyler Huff, QB, Jacksonville State (2 Percent Rostered)

Huff has seemingly come out of nowhere and now is the highest-performing fantasy player in the entire Conference USA. He's averaging 23.3 fantasy points per game, including 31.4 fantasy points at Eastern Michigan in Week 3. The surprising part of his last game was that he did most of his damage through the air with 311 passing yards and two touchdowns. If the Gamecocks stick with Huff as their starter for the rest of the year, he has the potential to be a league winner.

Billy Lucas, RB, Liberty (3 Percent Rostered)

Lucas exploded for 104 rushing yards and three touchdowns against UTEP on his way to 31.4 fantasy points. This mostly occurred because Quinton Cooley (99 percent rostered) left the game with a leg injury and was not able to return. Lucas is an experienced back with nine career 100-yard rushing performances scattered over four years of play. If he's the next man up, he'll do just fine for Liberty.

Week 3 Rewind: Jacksonville State QB Tyler Huff (31.4 points - 24/34, 311 YDS, 2 TD, 14 ATT, 80 YDS) & New Mexico State RB Seth McGowan (5.1 points - 11 ATT, 47 YDS, 1/3 TAR, -6 YDS)

MAC Waiver Wire Pickups

Tucker Gleason, QB, Toledo (21 Percent Rostered)

People need to start talking about the Rockets as they dominated the SEC's Mississippi State with a 41-17 win. Gleason has been as consistent as they come with three touchdown passes in each of the first three games for Toledo. With an upcoming game at Western Kentucky, there's a great chance Gleason goes for at least three scores yet again.

Cade McDonald, WR, Miami of Ohio (5 Percent Rostered)

Despite a tough matchup with Notre Dame, McDonald needs to be on the waiver wire radar because of his sheer volume in his first two games. He has 16 catches (on 20 targets) for 240 yards and a touchdown. This is in only two games as the Redhawks were on a rare bye in Week 2. This wasn't against soft non-power competition either as it was at Northwestern and home against Cincinnati. If he can have a productive outing at Notre Dame, he's in for a huge season.

Week 3 Rewind: Ball State TE Tanner Koziol (8.9 points - 5/7 TAR, 39 YDS) & Ohio WR Coleman Owen (20.2 points - 6/7 TAR, 112 YDS)

Mountain West Waiver Wire Pickups

Luke Wysong, WR, New Mexico (37 Percent Rostered)

Wysong has been New Mexico's most-targeted receiver at 10.7 looks per game. He's taken full advantage of those opportunities with 20 catches for 281 yards and a touchdown, which equates to 19.8 fantasy points per game. The Lobos will need to continue throwing the ball against Fresno State and New Mexico State over the next two weeks, so go ahead and deploy Wysong in your fantasy lineups.

Bryson Barnes, QB, Utah State (3 Percent Rostered)

This is the recommendation if Spencer Petras (4 percent rostered) remains out with an ankle injury. If Petras is healthy, I would avoid Barnes because both signal-callers may play at Temple. Temple is one of the worst teams in all of FBS, so if you can get a full game of Barnes, it could be a productive week. He has a rushing touchdown in two of his three games this year. I wouldn't hold his 2.3 fantasy points at USC against him because the Trojans are the opposite of what Temple is as a college football team.

Week 3 Rewind: Hawaii QB Brayden Schager (15.3 points - 21/42, 252 YDS, 1 TD, INT, 12 ATT, 22 YDS) & Fresno State WR Mac Dalena (22.2 points - 2/3 TAR, 82 YDS, 2 TD)

SEC Waiver Wire Pickups

Arch Manning, QB, Texas (35 Percent Rostered)

Similar to Utah State's Barnes above, this is a recommendation if Quinn Ewers (86 percent) is ruled out with an injury. Manning looked better than his uncles with 36.3 fantasy points against UTSA. He racked up a long rushing touchdown and threw four touchdown passes on just 12 attempts. Five total touchdowns on 12 passing attempts and three rushing attempts is nuts. Upcoming games against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State could be a perfect time for Ewers to rest up his injury.

Kevin Coleman, WR, Mississippi State (38 Percent Rostered)

Mississippi State was embarrassed in a loss at home to Toledo, but it wasn't because of Coleman. He's been the team's best player with a touchdown in each of their first three games. He has 16 catches (on 19 targets) for 268 yards and three touchdowns. With the Bulldogs struggling early in the season, Coleman is going to be busy this season. The Louisville transfer is averaging 21.6 fantasy points per game.

Week 3 Rewind: Arkansas QB Taylen Green (27.0 points - 11/26, 161 YDS, 1 INT, 17 ATT, 96 YDS, 2 TD) & Ole Miss RB Henry Parrish Jr. (35.9 points - 23 ATT, 148 YDS, 2 TD, 4/5 TAR, 21 YDS)

Sun Belt Waiver Wire Pickups

Fluff Bothwell, RB, South Alabama (7 Percent Rostered)

First of all, let's put Fluff on the all-name team for the 2024 season. After that, let's admire his game as the true freshman has been amazing with 23 carries for 243 yards (10.6 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. Bothwell only needed seven carries to rack up 29.3 fantasy points in Week 3. I can only imagine what he would do with a full workload. The Jaguars have a national television tilt with Appalachian State on Thursday Night, so check that out on ESPN.

Eli Wilson, TE, Appalachian State (8 Percent Rostered)

On the flip side of that Thursday Night game is the Mountaineers' tight end who is averaging 11.4 fantasy points per game. He's seen an increase in targets each week and has 10 catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns through three games. This is the most competitive game on the Sun Belt slate this week and there's no reason to look at any of the other matchups.

Week 3 Rewind: Georgia Southern QB JC French (18.3 points - 17/23, 211 YDS, 2 TD, 8 ATT, 19 YDS) & Arkansas State WR Corey Rucker (6.6 points - 4/7 TAR, 26 YDS)

INDEPENDENTS & PAC-12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Anthony Hankerson, RB, Oregon State (47 Percent Rostered)

Both Hankerson and Jam Griffin (55 percent rostered) have been awesome this year. Hankerson has been a bit better at 24.4 fantasy points per game. It helps that Hankerson has five touchdowns on the season while Griffin has three touchdowns. With Purdue this week, Colorado State in Week 6 and Nevada in Week 7, both backs should be in starting lineups.

Week 3 Rewind: UMass QB Taisun Phommachanh (4.0 points - 14/29, 121 YDS, 1 INT, 9 ATT, 2 YDS)

DEFENSE & KICKER RECOMMENDATIONS

Defense

Indiana (vs. Charlotte) - The Hoosiers already have 12 sacks and six forced turnovers in just three games. They're still available in 66 percent of leagues, but I have a feeling they won't qualify for this list after this week.

South Carolina (vs. Akron) - Currently averaging 11.67 fantasy points per game and available in 92 percent of leagues. This is an easy mismatch. 

Army (vs. Rice) - Rice could only come up with seven points against Houston and the Black Knights are comparable to Houston from a defensive perspective. Available in 98 percent of leagues.

Week 3 Rewind: Tennessee vs. Kent State (17.0 points - 0 PA, 1 SFT), Illinois vs. Central Michigan (12.5 points - 9 PA, 3 SK, 1 TA) & Nebraska vs. Northern Iowa (11.5 points - 3 PA, 1 SK, 1 TA)

Kicker

Blake Craig, Missouri - Has at least one field goal in all three games this year. Available in 71 percent of leagues.

Mitch Jeter, Notre Dame - Double-digit fantasy points in two out of three games this year. Rostered in just 18 percent of leagues.

Collin Rogers, SMU - Already has eight made field goals during the 2024 season. Available in 57 percent of leagues and has an upcoming shootout with TCU.

Week 3 Rewind: Coastal Carolina Kade Hensley (4 points - 4/4 XP), Arizona State Ian Hershey (7 points - 1/2 FG, 4/4 XP) & Oklahoma State Logan Ward (9 points - 1/1 FG, 6/6 XP)

SUMMARY & TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

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

QB: JKST Tyler Huff, TOL Tucker Gleason, TCU Josh Hoover

RB: USA Fluff Bothwell, LIB Billy Lucas, ORST Anthony Hankerson

WR: NM Luke Wysong, OKST De'Zhaun Stribling, MIA(OH) Cade McDonald

TE: APPST Eli Wilson, UVA Tyler Neville

D/ST: South Carolina (vs. Akron), Indiana (vs. Charlotte), Army (vs. Rice)

K: MIZZ Blake Craig, ND Mitch Jeter, SMU Collin Rogers

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. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nick Grays
Grays covers college football for RotoWire by night and is a Financial Analyst by day.
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