CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 10

Throughout the college football season, I'll pick two guys from every active 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.

First though, here are the guys who made me look good last week;

Auburn QB Bo Nix (30.0 points)
Buffalo RB Dylan McDuffie (28.9 points)
Oregon QB Anthony Brown (28.1 points)
USC RB Keaontay Ingram (27.4 points)
Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa (24.8 points)
South Alabama QB Jake Bentley (24.7 points)
Miami RB Jaylan Knighton (23.6 points)
East Carolina QB Holton Ahlers (20.6 points)
Wisconsin D/ST (16.0 points)
Oklahoma State D/ST (13.0 points)
San Jose State TE Derrick Deese (10.6 points)

Slate Background: This week marks the return of national MACtion with three games on Tuesday and two games on Wednesday. We will then be treated to Georgia State at Louisiana on Thursday and Virginia Tech at Boston College & Utah at Stanford on Friday Night. All of those games featuring unranked teams will warm us up for Saturday which is highlighted by LSU at Alabama, Wake Forest at North Carolina, SMU at Memphis, Auburn at Texas A&M and Tennessee at Kentucky.

*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

Clayton Tune & Nathaniel Dell, QB/WR, Houston (31/30 percent rostered)

I was a little early on my recommendation of Tune a couple of weeks ago as he had just 11.0 fantasy points against East Carolina in Week 8. He turned it on in Week 9 with 412 yards and four touchdowns passing on his way to 33.4 fantasy points in an exciting win over SMU. He should be a priority add as the schedule includes USF (allowing 32.0 ppg), Temple (allowing 36.0 ppg), Memphis (allowing 30.0 ppg) and Connecticut (allowing 36.0 ppg) to end the season. Dell is also available who has been his best receiver while averaging 20.5 fantasy points on 6.0 catches for 84.4 yards and 0.9 touchdowns per game.

Isaiah Bowser, RB, UCF (48 percent rostered)

Bowser is somehow still rostered in less than 50 percent of leagues despite averaging 14.2 fantasy points on 19.3 rushing attempts and 1.0 receptions per game over his last three. He's far too good of a player to not be in starting line-ups and should finish the season strong against Tulane, SMU, Connecticut and USF. Tulane is allowing 185 rushing yards per game, so I think there's a great chance Bowser eclipses the century mark on the ground this week.

Week 9 Rewind; East Carolina QB Holton Ahlers (20.6 points - 21/35, 220 YDS, 1 TD, 11 ATT, 78 YDS) & Tulsa RB Shamari Brooks (2.7 points - 10 ATT, 27 YDS)

ACC

Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami (8 percent rostered)

Van Dyke started slow while averaging just 16.9 fantasy points against Virginia and North Carolina after replacing an injured D'Eriq King. He's figured something out since then while averaging 30.9 fantasy points against NC State and Pittsburgh. The best part is that those four teams were the stiffest competition he'll face with Georgia Tech, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Duke the rest of the way. Paired with RB Jaylan Knighton (34 percent rostered), Van Dyke and the Hurricanes could be a crucial piece in helping your team in a successful playoff run

Will Shipley, RB, Clemson (27 percent rostered)

Shipley was fantastic against Florida State while rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries while also reeling in four of six targets for another 24 yards. While it helped that Kobe Pace (13 percent rostered) is in the COVID-19 protocol, Shipley is a special talent and helps unlock Clemson's offense in my opinion. I anticipate him being one of the better running backs the rest of the way against Louisville, Connecticut, Wake Forest and South Carolina.

Week 9 Rewind; Georgia Tech QB Jeff Sims (18.3 points - 15/26, 183 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT, 11 ATT, 60 YDS) & Miami RB Jaylan Knighton (23.6 points - 17 ATT, 80 YDS, 2 TD, 5 REC, 11 YDS)

BIG 12

Skylar Thompson, QB, Kansas State (6 percent rostered)

The Wildcats were in full control against TCU when Thompson racked up 20.5 fantasy points on a passing touchdown and rushing score. In fact, Thompson has four rushing scores in six games and is always a threat to score near the end-zone. He'll have his shot at his best performance of the year when Kansas State plays at Kansas this week.

Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor (30 percent rostered)

Thornton has been playing so well lately that Baylor even gave him the opportunity to record a passing touchdown in their impressive win over Texas. Over the last three weeks, Thornton has 18 catches for 325 yards and two touchdowns on 30 targets. That volume screams upside with upcoming games against TCU, Oklahoma, Kansas State and Texas Tech. I also like R.J. Sneed (2 percent rostered), but like Thornton a bit more as Sneed only has 17 targets over his last three games.

Week 9 Rewind; Baylor QB Gerry Bohanon (15.6 points - 18/31, 222 YDS, 2 INT, 5 ATT, 27 YDS, 1 TD) & Iowa State WR Xavier Hutchinson (8.9 points - 6 REC, 51 YDS, 1 ATT, 8 YDS)

BIG TEN

Peyton Hendershot, TE, Indiana (23 percent rostered)

Hendershot has reached double-digit fantasy points in five of his last six games. He's coming off his best game of the year while hauling in all six of his targets for 106 yards and two touchdowns at Maryland. Indiana's defense has been disappointing in 2021 while giving up 32 points and 380 yards per game. This means that Hendershot will remain a trendy target as the Hoosiers will need to score to keep up with Michigan this week.

Sean Clifford, QB, Penn State (28 percent rostered)

Clifford finally started to look like his normal self in a hard-fought 33-24 loss at Ohio State. He went 35-for-52 passing for 361 yards and a touchdown with an interception which is the kind of volume that should perk up some fantasy interest. If he throws that many passes against Maryland this week, he's going to score much more than the 14.3 fantasy points he had against the Buckeyes. Prior to the injury in the Iowa game, Clifford was a solid fantasy option while averaging 23.6 fantasy points per game.

Week 9 Rewind; Purdue TE Payne Durham (4.0 points - 4 REC, 20 YDS) & Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa (24.8 points - 26/40, 419 YDS, 2 TD)

C-USA

Gerrit Prince, TE, UAB (44 percent rostered)

Prince and the Blazers were on a bye this past week which makes him available in more than 50 percent of leagues. He's been the fourth most productive tight end in all of fantasy while averaging 14.4 fantasy points per game on 2.6 catches and 4.3 targets per game. UAB is likely to be throwing the ball quite a bit against Louisiana Tech, Marshall, UTSA and UTEP, so you can feel comfortable locking him in for the rest of the season.

Johnny Ford, RB, Florida Atlantic (9 percent rostered)

Ford has been a legitimate fantasy threat over his last four games while averaging 22.9 fantasy points with three rushing scores and two touchdown receptions. The Owls will go up against a Marshall defense that hasn't been very good in 2021 while giving up 380 yards per game, including 209 on the ground. If Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion and North Texas can rack up over 200 rushing yards against the Thundering Herd, why can't Ford and FAU?

Week 9 Rewind; Marshall QB Grant Wells (14.3 points - 20/25, 184 YDS, 2 ATT, 9 YDS, 1 TD), Charlotte WR Victor Tucker (1.6 points - 3 REC, 16 YDS, 2 ATT, 5 YDS, 1 FL) & Charlotte WR Grant DuBose (4.0 points - 2 REC, 25 YDS)

MAC

Drew Plitt, QB, Ball State (15 percent rostered)

If you want to rack up some fantasy points right away on Tuesday night, go with Plitt who averages roughly 30 passing attempts per game and has 11 touchdowns versus four interceptions. Akron's defense is one of the worst in the nation while giving up 39 points and 448 yards per game. Plitt has a couple of uber-talented receivers in Justin Hall (94 percent rostered) and Yo'Heinz Tyler (44 percent rostered) which will keep the signal-caller's floor relatively high for the week.

JaCorey Sullivan, WR, Central Michigan (35 percent rostered)

Wednesday's match-up between Central Michigan and Western Michigan is my favorite on the MAC slate for fantasy purposes. Sullivan was able to make his return from an undisclosed injury in Week 8 when he caught six of eight targets for 63 yards and a touchdown. Sullivan has at least one touchdown in all six of his games this season and averages 7.8 targets per contest. This should be one of the most competitive conference games this week, so look for it to be a possible shoot-out.

Week 9 Rewind; Buffalo QB Kyle Vantrease (0.3 points - 5/10, 38 YDS, 1 INT *Left with Injury) & Buffalo RB Dylan McDuffie (28.9 points - 34 ATT, 166 YDS, 2 TD, 1 REC, -2 YDS)

MOUNTAIN WEST

Logan Bonner, QB, Utah State (6 percent rostered)

Bonner only trails Nevada's Carson Strong (87 percent rostered) and Fresno State's Jake Haener (94 percent rostered) in the conference at 19.2 fantasy points per game which just goes to show you how silly his current roster percentage is. Bonner was explosive against Hawaii with 361 passing yards and four touchdowns. I'm betting he can do much of the same this week against New Mexico State who is giving up 39 points and 464 yards per game. Moreover, he has Deven Thompkins (85 percent rostered) who is the best non-quarterback fantasy play in the entire conference.

Isaiah Neyor, WR, Wyoming (5 percent rostered)

Neyor is having a nice year out west with 23 catches for 417 yards and six touchdowns on 56 targets. This has resulted in 13.4 fantasy points per game and performances that were as high as 32.0 points at Northern Illinois in Week 2 and 23.0 points at San Jose State in Week 9. He's set to have a great final stretch against Colorado State, Boise State, Utah State and Hawaii.

Week 9 Rewind; San Jose State TE Derrick Deese (10.6 points - 5 REC, 81 YDS) & UNLV RB Charles Williams (11.1 points - 17 ATT, 30 YDS, 1 TD, 1 REC, 16 YDS)

PAC-12

Chase Garbers, QB, Cal (20 percent rostered)

Last time I recommended Garbers for Week 5 against Washington State, he had an underwhelming 6.5 fantasy points with an interception and no touchdowns. In his three games since then, he's averaged 27.3 fantasy points with eight total touchdowns and no turnovers. He now goes up against an Arizona squad that just recently allowed 517 yards and 41 points at USC. This may be the last time you can get Garbers on the waiver wire in your league, so make sure to snatch him up.

Trevon Bradford, WR, Oregon State (2 percent rostered)

Bradford has had a two-game stretch that will rival any receiver in the country with 61.3 fantasy points on 12 catches for 198 yards and four total touchdowns. The Beavers defense struggled in those games with Utah and Cal, so there's a realistic chance that a ton of points are involved against Colorado this week. Oregon State will also need to throw the ball when the play Stanford, Arizona State and Oregon to finish the regular season.

Week 9 Rewind; Oregon QB Anthony Brown (28.1 points - 25/31, 307 YDS, 3 TD, 7 ATT, 38 YDS) & USC RB Keaontay Ingram (27.4 points - 26 ATT, 186 YDS, 1 TD, 2 ATT, 18 YDS)

SEC

Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M (39 percent rostered)

Even when not receiving a full backfield workload, Achane has been money in 2021 while averaging 17.8 fantasy points per game. In A&M's last two games against Missouri and South Carolina, Achane did receive a full workload while averaging 18 rushing attempts for 139 yards and 1.5 touchdowns. While Isaiah Spiller (97 percent rostered) is not going anywhere, Achane is far too efficient with the ball to not earn playing time against Auburn and Mississippi over the next two games.

Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida (20 percent rostered)

With the Gators needing to go back and forth between Emory Jones (59 percent rostered) and Anthony Richardson (27 percent rostered) at quarterback, I'm going with the running back Pierce at South Carolina. I'm not worried about him having just 6.9 fantasy points against Georgia because the Bulldogs do that against everyone. Outside of that Georgia game, Pierce is averaging 16.7 fantasy points per game and has 10 total touchdowns on the year.

Week 9 Rewind; Auburn QB Bo Nix (30.0 points - 22/30, 276 YDS, 1 TD, 8 ATT, 30 YDS, 2 TD) & Kentucky WR Josh Ali (1.9 points - 2 REC, 9 YDS - punt return TD)

SUN BELT

Chase Brice, QB, Appalachian State (9 percent rostered)

Everything is coming together for Brice at Appalachian State as he has completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 603 yards and six touchdowns in back-to-back wins against Coastal Carolina and Louisiana-Monroe. The Clemson and Duke transfer will have yet another week to shine when he goes up against Arkansas State who have one of the worst defenses in the nation. I also love his following games against South Alabama, Troy and Georgia Southern.

Shermari Jones, RB, Coastal Carolina (13 percent rostered)

Jones has become the running back to own with the Chanticleers while averaging 19.3 fantasy points with five touchdowns in his last three games. Meanwhile, Reese White (52 percent rostered), has just 8.7 fantasy points and one touchdown in those three games. Coastal Carolina should have no problems running up the score against Georgia Southern this week, so make sure to pick up the hot hand.

Week 9 Rewind; South Alabama QB Jake Bentley (24.7 points - 29/39, 251 YDS, 4 TD, 1 INT, 5 ATT, -3 YDS) & Georgia State QB Darren Grainger (8.7 points - 16/27, 141 YDS, 10 ATT, 31 YDS)

INDEPENDENTS

Jonah Johnson, QB, New Mexico State (3 percent rostered)

The Aggies may be 1-7, but they do know how to put up some fantasy production while averaging 24 points and 383 yards of offense. Johnson has managed most of that production while averaging 27.6 fantasy points with seven passing touchdowns and four rushing scores in his last four games against FBS opponents. Utah State should beat them by double digits this week, but it won't be without some back-and-forth as the Mountain West's Aggies do give up 29 points and 435 yards per game. 

Week 9 Rewind; Liberty WR CJ Daniels (5.9 points - 3 REC, 44 YDS)

DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS

Wisconsin (at Rutgers) - Don't usually like going with teams on the road, but Wisconsin has the best defense outside of Georgia. Rostered in just 32 percent of leagues.

Nevada (vs. San Jose State) - Double-digit performances in three of their last four games which goes under the radar because of their awesome offense. Rostered in seven percent of leagues.

Kansas State (at Kansas) - The Wildcats were cooking against TCU with 14 fantasy points. I'm fairly confident they can shut down the Jayhawks and are available in 99 percent of leagues.

Week 9 Rewind; Wisconsin vs. Iowa (16 points - 7 PA, 6 Sacks, 3 TAs), Oklahoma State vs. Kansas (13 points - 3 PA, 3 TAs) & Arizona State (1 point - 34 PA, 1 TA)

SUMMARY & TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

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

QB: Ball State Drew Plitt, Houston Clayton Tune, Miami Tyler Van Dyke

RB: Clemson Will Shipley, UCF Isaiah Bowser, Coastal Carolina Shermari Jones

WR: Central Michigan JaCorey Sullivan, Houston Nathaniel Dell, Baylor Tyquan Thornton

TE: UAB Gerrit Prince, Indiana Peyton Hendershot

D/ST: Wisconsin (at Rutgers), Nevada (vs. San Jose State), Kansas State (at Kansas)