CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 5

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:

USF QB Byrum Brown (42.6 points)
Toledo RB Peny Boone (36.1 points)
South Alabama WR Caullin Lacy (34.2 points)
Fresno State QB Mikey Keene (32.0 points)
Liberty QB Kaidon Salter (31.9 points)
Colorado State TE Dallin Holker (31.2 points)
Missouri QB Brady Cook (26.3 points)
TCU QB Chandler Morris (26.2 points)
Illinois QB Luke Altmyer (24.2 points)
Georgia State QB Darren Grainger (22.3 points)
Georgia Tech QB Haynes King (21.2 points)
Georgia RB Daijun Edwards (20.2 points)
Jacksonville State RB Malik Jackson (19.3 points)
UMass RB Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams (17.4 points)
Duke RB Jordan Waters (16.8 points)
Kansas State TE Ben Sinnott (11.4 points)
Fresno State D/ST (10.0 points)

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

73.5 points - USC at Colorado
69.5 points - Washington at Arizona
63.5 points - South Carolina at Tennessee
63.5 points - Kansas at Texas

*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 (35 Percent Rostered)

Henigan has been a consistent force in the Tigers' offense at 25.3 fantasy points per game. He put up an impressive 316 passing yards and three touchdowns as Memphis surprisingly competed with Missouri on the road this past weekend. Boise State's defense has been one of the worst in the country while yielding 6.8 yards per play (128th in the nation), so I really like Henigan at home against a team that can't really stop anyone right now.

Ja'Mori Maclin, WR, North Texas (31 Percent Rostered)

I forgot that the Eagles are in the American Conference now, but I quickly remembered once I saw that Maclin is one of the best receivers in the conference through his first three games. He's averaging 20.6 fantasy points per game and on just 6.0 targets per game. If those numbers see an uptick once the conference season starts, he's going to have some huge weeks as he did against Cal in Week 1 (four catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns). 

Week 4 Rewind: SMU WR Jake Bailey (1.5 points - 1/1 TAR, 5 YDS) & USF QB Byrum Brown (42.6 points - 22/29, 435 YDS, 2 TD, 14 ATT, 82 YDS, 1 TD)

ACC Waiver Wire Pickups

Thomas Castellanos, QB, Boston College (20 Percent Rostered)

The Boston College Eagles may not be very good, but they are a lot of fun to watch. That can pretty much all be attributed to Castellanos, who is averaging 28.8 fantasy points per game. He's a true dual-threat quarterback with 51 carries for 280 yards and three touchdowns to go along with eight scores through the air in four games. With upcoming games against Virginia and Army, it's a perfect time to jump on his fantasy bandwagon and take advantage of him being available in 80 percent of leagues.

Malik Washington, WR, Virginia (12 Percent Rostered)

Sticking with that game between Boston College and Virginia, people need to tune in to see Washington, who has been unbelievable through four games. The Northwestern transfer has 28 catches (on 37 targets) for 459 yards and three touchdowns. He's averaging an absurd 25.4 fantasy points per game and has three straight 100-yard receiving games. There's a great chance he makes it four in a row at Boston College in Week 5.

Week 4 Rewind: Georgia Tech QB Haynes King (21.2 points - 16/27, 222 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT, 6 ATT, 53 YDS) & Duke RB Jordan Waters (16.8 points - 7 ATT, 18 YDS, 2 TD, 1/2 TAR, 20 YDS)

BIG 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Timmy McClain, QB, UCF (4 Percent Rostered)

McClain has done an adequate job filling in for John Rhys Plumlee (94 percent rostered) over the last two weeks with 25.6 fantasy points per game. This week UCF will play a Baylor team that looks in disarray after a 38-6 loss to Texas at home. This recommendation has less to do with McClain's play and more to do with how bad Baylor has been defensively. The Bears are giving up 6.2 yards per play, which is excellent timing for McClain and the Knights to take advantage in an attempt to win their first Big 12 game.

Emani Bailey, RB, TCU (36 Percent Rostered)

Early on in the season, it looked like it was going to be Bailey and Trey Sanders (46 percent rostered), but after four games it's clear that Bailey is the guy for the Horned Frogs. He has three 100-yard rushing games in four tries and is averaging 6.0 yards per carry on 81 attempts. It's pretty crazy that Sanders is rostered in more leagues than Bailey at this point because Sanders has double-digit carries in just one game. Go out and get Bailey as he'll continue to get a ton of carries for this team.

Week 4 Rewind: Kansas State TE Ben Sinnott (11.4 points - 5/8 TAR, 64 YDS) & TCU QB Chandler Morris (26.2 points - 23/32, 261 YDS, 3 TD, 6 ATT, 38 YDS)

Big Ten Waiver Wire Pickups

Isaiah Williams, WR, Illinois (40 Percent Rostered)

Williams has been quietly having an excellent start to the year with 24 catches (on 41 targets) for 333 yards. However, he has no touchdowns. It's pretty crazy that he's averaging 15.4 fantasy points per game with no scores. Once those touchdowns come, and they will come with the volume Williams is seeing, he's going to be one of the best fantasy receivers in the conference. There's a good chance he can rack up a few scores over the next month with Purdue, Nebraska and Maryland on the schedule.

Drew Allar, QB, Penn State (42 Percent Rostered)

The Nittany Lions are for real as it doesn't get any more impressive than a 31-0 win over Iowa in prime time. Allar shredded one of the best defenses in the nation with four passing touchdowns. I can only imagine what he'll do at Northwestern this next week. While it's possible they rack up a bunch of scores with their running backs, it's also possible that Allar throws for five or six scores. It's also a bonus that Allar is averaging 5.8 rushing attempts per game.

Week 4 Rewind: Nebraska RB Gabe Ervin (DNP - Injury) & Illinois QB Luke Altmyer (24.2 points - 25/36, 303 YDS, 1 TD, 8 ATT, 1 YD, 1 TD, 1 FL)

C-USA Waiver Wire Pickups

Nicholas Vattiato, QB, Middle Tennessee State (3 Percent Rostered)

Coming back to Vattiato since Liberty/Salter are on a bye this week, as are many of the team in C-USA. Nonetheless, Vattiato was fantastic against Colorado State with 28.9 fantasy points, including three total touchdowns. The game with Western Kentucky is destined to be a shootout, so why not get a piece of this game, which will be on CBS Sports Network on Thursday Night. 

Malik Jackson, RB, Jacksonville State (26 Percent Rostered)

If you don't want to watch Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, you can always get a peek at Jackson on ESPNU as the other game featured on Thursday night. Jackson is averaging 17.1 fantasy points per game and is going to be a focal point for the Gamecocks against Sam Houston. Sam Houston's offense has been dreadful this season, so Jacksonville State will have plenty of opportunity to control the clock with running the ball.

Week 4 Rewind: Liberty QB Kaidon Salter (31.9 points - 11/21, 156 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT, 9 ATT, 77 YDS, 2 TD, 1 FL) & Jacksonville State Malik Jackson (19.3 points - 21 ATT, 127 YDS, 3/4 TAR, 6 YDS)

MAC Waiver Wire Pickups

Peny Boone, RB, Toledo (16 Percent Rostered)

No reason to get off Boone after he broke off 211 yards and two touchdowns on 24 touches against Western Michigan. He's averaging 7.7 yards per carry and will have a chance to set a career-high in season yardage against Northern Illinois in his next game (he needs just 42 more yards). Boone has seen an increase in carries in each game this year and there's a great chance that happens again.

Tanner Koziol, TE, Ball State (38 Percent Rostered)

Are you ready for some MACtion? Koziol ranks second among all tight ends with 28 targets, trailing only BYU's Isaac Rex (48 percent Rostered). While he did only have one catch against Georgia Southern this past Saturday, he did have six targets and is a big part of Ball State's offensive plans each week. At 9.9 fantasy points and 4.8 catches on 7.0 targets per game, he's going to have a big year during the conference slate, which begins this week at Western Michigan.

Week 4 Rewind: Miami (OH) QB Brett Gabbert (16.3 points - 15/20, 180 YDS, 2 TD, 2 ATT, 11 YDS) & Toledo RB Peny Boone (36.1 points - 24 ATT, 211 YDS, 2 TD)

Mountain West Waiver Wire Pickups

Mikey Keene, QB, Fresno State (27 Percent Rostered)

Keene came through in the clutch this past week with 32.0 fantasy points for the waiver wire column. Now he gets Nevada, which has the worst defense in FBS, yielding 8.7 yards per play. It has given up at least 298 yards passing in all four of their games this year. Keene should be picked up and started in all leagues this week.

Harrison Waylee, RB, Wyoming (49 Percent Rostered)

Two starts since returning from a knee injury and Waylee has two consecutive 100-yard rushing performances. The Northern Illinois transfer is a name well known to college fantasy circles and he's averaging a career-best 7.6 yards per carry. With upcoming games against New Mexico and Fresno State, Waylee should continue his streak of eclipsing the century mark.

Week 4 Rewind: Colorado State TE Dallin Holker (31.2 points - 11/14 TAR, 112 YDS, 1 TD) & Fresno State QB Mikey Keene (32.0 points - 24/31, 325 YDS, 4 TD)

PAC-12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Cameron Skattebo, RB, Arizona State (31 Percent Rostered)

There's not a lot to choose from in the Pac-12 on the waiver wire because these offenses are so high profile, so let's go out to the desert and grab Skattebo. He was insane against USC with 39.7 fantasy points and has a touchdown in three of four games this year. The running back is a transfer from the Big Sky Conference, where he rushed for 1,373 yards at Sacramento State. He'll have plenty of room to run against Pac-12 defenses this year.

Brenden Rice, WR, USC (28 Percent Rostered)

If you're like me, you're doing anything you can to try to get a fantasy piece of the USC and Colorado game this next week. Rice is that ticket, as he's available in a bunch of leagues still. The senior had a breakout game at Arizona State with seven catches (on nine targets) for 133 yards and two touchdowns. He'll be extra motivated on Saturday as well because Colorado is his old team. There's a great chance he keeps his touchdown streak alive, as he has a score in every game this year.

Week 4 Rewind: Washington State WR Lincoln Victor (0.0 points - Left Game w/ Injury) & California RB Isaiah Ifanse (3.0 points - 6 ATT, 30 YDS) 

SEC Waiver Wire Pickups

Daijun Edwards, RB, Georgia (44 Percent Rostered)

Edwards followed up his strong performance against South Carolina (20.8 fantasy points) with another 20.2 fantasy points against UAB. He was just as effective on less carries and added a pair of scores in the rout of the Blazers. Anytime you can get a starting Georgia running back in over 50 percent of leagues, you have to take it. There's not much of a chance of Edwards being on this list for the rest of the year.

Luke Hasz, TE, Arkansas (15 Percent Rostered)

Hasz came to play at LSU with 32.6 fantasy points. The true freshman is fearless as he ripped off six catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns. We probably should have seen this coming as he was relatively productive in his first three games with nine catches (on 12 targets) for 123 yards and a touchdown. Arkansas' defense is expected to struggle against the SEC West, so look for Hasz to be targeted early and often each week.

Week 4 Rewind: Georgia RB Daijun Edwards (20.2 points - 12 ATT, 66 YDS, 2 TD, 1/1 TAR, 6 YDS) & Missouri QB Brady Cook (26.3 points - 18/25, 341 YDS, 2 TD, 4 ATT, 17 YDS)

Sun Belt Waiver Wire Pickups

Jaylen Raynor, QB, Arkansas State (1 Percent Rostered)

Raynor, a true freshman, received his first start against Southern Miss this past weekend and didn't look back on his way to five total touchdowns and 42.0 fantasy points. The Red Wolves pulled off a thrilling 44-37 lead and may have found their quarterback of the future. They'll take a trip to UMass this weekend and Raynor's dual-threat ability is too good to pass up for your fantasy squad. He's available for pretty much anyone that wants to scoop him up.

Ismail Mahdi, RB, Texas State (5 Percent Rostered)

Anyone that can go over 200 rushing yards in a game should be recognized in this waiver wire column, it doesn't really matter where you go to school. Mahdi rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns while also snagging two catches for 40 yards against Nevada. Yes, they have the worst defense in the nation, but it's still an impressive performance. This same sophomore running back also had a pair of scores when they upset Baylor in Week 1. He should have no problem putting up another score or two at Southern Miss this week.

Week 4 Rewind: South Alabama WR Caullin Lacy (34.2 points - 6/9 TAR, 132 YDS, 2 TD) & Georgia State QB Darren Grainger (22.3 points - 15/26, 191 YDS, 1 TD, 13 ATT, 47 YDS, 1 TD)

INDEPENDENTS

Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams, RB, UMass (28 Percent Rostered)

Lynch-Adams is just a good running back and no one is paying attention. He's averaging 17.8 fantasy points per game on 19.4 rushing attempts per game. That's elite opportunity for a running back and UMass has an upcoming game with Arkansas State where they're going to be able to put up some points. Utilize Lynch-Adams this week and the following week against Toledo. You can then take a break when they play Penn State in Week 7.

Week 4 Rewind: UMass RB Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams (17.4 points - 26 ATT, 97 YDS, 1 TD, 1/1 TAR, 7 YDS)

DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS

Oklahoma (vs. Iowa State) - This Sooners defense is nothing like Lincoln Riley ever had in Norman. They haven't given up more than 17 points per game and rank 18th in the nation while yielding just 4.4 yards per play. Available in 72 percent of leagues.

Jacksonville State (at Sam Houston) - I don't love recommending defenses on the road, but Jacksonville State is the third-best defense in the nation at 4.0 DEF YPP. Meanwhile, Sam Houston has been the worst offense in all of FBS at 3.0 YPP. This could be a tough game to watch. Available in 89 percent of leagues.

Air Force (vs. San Diego State) - The Falcons are averaging 8.88 fantasy points per game from their D/ST and they are rostered in just 38 percent of leagues. This game has one of the lowest over/unders of the week, so you can feel good deploying this defense.

Week 4 Rewind: Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State (2.5 points - 27 PA, 1 SK, 2 TA), Toledo vs. Western Michigan (5.5 points - 31 PA, 3 SK, 4 TA) & Fresno State vs. Kent State (10.0 points - 10 PA, 0 SK, 0 TA)

SUMMARY & TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

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

QB: Boston College Thomas Castellanos, Arkansas State Jaylen Raynor, Memphis Seth Henigan

RB: Toledo Peny Boone, Wyoming Harrison Waylee, Texas State Ismail Mahdi

WR: Virginia Malik Washington, North Texas Ja'Mori Maclin, USC Brenden Rice

TE: Arkansas Luke Hasz, Ball State Tanner Koziol

D/ST: Air Force (vs. San Diego State), Oklahoma (vs. Iowa State), Jacksonville State (at Sam Houston)

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.