The Pig Market - Week Six Waiver Adds
The Pig Market - Week Six Waiver Adds
Week Six is officially in the books! Here are some names that caught my eye this weekend...
The art of trading lies in timing and opportunity…
- Leonardo Fibonacci, mathematician
Welcome, my friends, to the Pig Market. Here, CFF manager frantically scour the streets—inspecting each and every merchant carefully in hopes of unearthing a hidden volume pig, or engaging in hellacious bidding for the fattest pigs at auction. A place where savvy buyers prove their mettle with extreme cunning, and first-timers unload their entire wallets on the latest cochon-du-jour.
I promised in my offseason content that I’d have you covered for waiver wire information each week and I plan to make good on that promise with yet another series (how many is it now? I’ve lost count…). Here, I will highlight players that I think are notable and that are also not highly rostered in standard leagues; or are not known commodities already. I’ll try to provide at least a few names at each position group per week.
This edition is initially being released as a paid product, but the full post will be made free and fully available to all on Tuesday morning (Oct. 10) 7am EST.
QB
(Mizzou) Brady Cook — Missouri’s Brady Cook has been quietly productive thus far; his FPG average on the whole sits at a solid 27.6 FPG, and he has games of 32, 26.75, 36.35, and 26.65 points in his last four outings. His latest performance coming against SEC opponent LSU. He had immense rushing upside last season, which had him teetering on the edge of CFF relevancy; ironically, though, he has not been used that way at all this season. New OC Kirby Moore, who was the OC at Fresno State last season, appears to have turned Cook into a very efficient pocket passer. I should note that Cook still has three rushing TDs in six games, so there’s still that. They’ve got a tough matchup vs. Kentucky this week, but that matchup doesn’t scare me enough to not start him if I needed to.
(App State) Joey Aguilar — App State’s gunslinger has been solid this season, with the only low point really being vs. Wyoming (8 points). Even with that dud on record, Aguilar is averaging ~23 FPG on the season. He’s scored three or more TDs in a game three times out of his five opportunities so far, and with a game vs. a vulnerable Coastal Carolina coming up next, I expect him to be in for a solid showing this weekend. He’s a solid plug-and-play option for the desperate this week.
(Temple) EJ Warner — Warner is on here simply because Temple attempts so many passes per game. Being the son of an NFL legend doesn’t hurt either. He is currently averaging 45 pass attempts per game, and actually attempted a spine-tingling 65(!) last weekend vs. UTSA (41.3 points). They should be in for another shootout this weekend vs. North Texas, so hopefully he can maintain some of the same efficiency he showed last weekend. I’m also glad someone finally got the message to him that he’s got some pretty good TEs at his disposal (more on this later). This is a play for the truly risk-loving individuals who read these articles (you know who you are…).
(NMS) Diego Pavia — New Mexico State’s Diego Pavia is a name that is well known amongst the CFF community already, but I doubt that he is rostered in my re-draft leagues. What makes Pavia worthy of this list this week is twofold: 1) the options at QB are not good currently, so the bar is low and 2) his rushing upside is very good. In the last four games, he’s rushed for 65, 96, 97 and 46 (plus a score) yards. Additionally, over the last three games Pavia has scored 27.75, 25.45 and 29.4 points in four-point passing TD formats. He currently averages 23 FPG on the season, but that average is pulled down by a tough game vs. Liberty. They play a tough defence this week in Sam Houston, so maybe Pavia isn’t an immediate plug and play option, but there’s some value here for the rest of the season.
(Arizona) Noah Fifita — This is a play as long as starting QB Jayden De Laura remains out. Fifita showed himself well on Saturday night vs. a dubious USC defence. He completed 25 of his 35 pass attempts for five(!) TDs (36.35 points). I will note, however, that this game went to triple OT, which always inflates the numbers of the players involved. Still, Fifita completed three of those TDs in regulation, and the system in place at Arizona is very QB friendly. In his first start in De Laura’s absence, Fifita scored a decent 23.5 points vs. Washington. They have a solid matchup vs. Washington State this week. If you’re in desperate need of a QB this week, he’s a player I’d keep in mind. But you’ll have to watch for the latest on De Laura’s status.
Other: Carson Beck (UGA)
RB
We’re reaching a point in the season where the options week-to-week are drying up significantly. The names I’ve included below are probably not the best options on your wire, but I don’t like to feature the same players twice on these articles. So I’d advise referencing past weeks’ Pig Market articles and see if some of those players are still available.
(FAU) Larry McCammon — FAU’s RB Larry McCammon (5’11, 204 pounds) is currently averaging a solid 19.1 FPG over his first four games. He’s dealt with health issues early in the season, but appeared to be back to form on Saturday taking 26 carries for 130 yards and two scores (30.5 points). He also saw five targets, catching four of those for 15 yards. The pass usage is not an anomaly, FAU uses McCammon a lot in this regard (he has 15 targets in four games) and have done so consistently all season. They’ve got a great matchup vs. USF this weekend incoming, and as long as McCammon is healthy it feels like he should be in for a good day again. McCammon would be my #1 choice of the names on this week’s edition if I needed a plug-and-play RB in a week where BYEs are piling up. I feel less confident in prescribing him as a season-long answer, we’ve seen in the past that McCammon’s production and volume can be volatile, though that was under a different staff last season. I remain skeptical, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
(WMU) Zahir Abdus Salim — Western Michigan’s ‘other’ RB Zahir Abdus Salim looked solid in Jalen Buckey’s absence on Saturday. He toted the rock 18 times for 60 yards and a score. Notably, he was also targeted six times, catching four of those for seven yards (16.7 points). He isn’t really used as a pass-catcher, typically, as his next season high was two catches for 11 yards on three targets. If Buckley continues to miss time this week, Salim is a decent plug-and-play option vs. Miami of Ohio, which admittedly is one of the better MAC defences, but options are dry right now.
(Arizona) Jonah Coleman — Similar to Salim, Coleman has become a relevant CFF asset in wake of another’s injury. While Michael Wiley sat out with a banged-up ankle, Coleman amassed 143 yards on 22 carries. He was also targeted four times, catching all of those for 37 yards (22 points). Coleman is a big kid (5’9, 225) but has been used a lot as pass-catcher for the Wildcats this season, making him an intriguing plug-and-play guy in Wiley’s absence. They play Washington State this week. I will note as a word of caution that in Wiley’s absence last week, Coleman split carries with DJ Williams (12 to 10), and again the week before (12 to 11), so he’s a high risk but potentially high reward player this week.
(Mizzou) Cody Schrader — Missouri RB Cody Schrader is in a timeshare, but he’s still been decently productive this season. Despite Nathaniel Peat’s persistent presence, Schrader is averaging over 16 touches per game. They have what figures to be a physical matchup vs. Kentucky incoming this weekend, but Schrader’s a guy you could potentially look to if you’re truly desperate this week with BYEs piling up.
WR
(Kent State) Chrishon McCray — Don’t look now, but Kent State has found a pulse on offence. At least, they seem to have a budding volume pig in sophomore WR Chrishon McCray (5’10”, 163 pounds), who now has back-to-back weeks of 14 and 10 targets. What has he done with the increase in volume? He has scored 21.6 and 27.3 points in his last two games. Against Miami of Ohio, McCray caught 10 of his 14 targets for 105 yards and also rushed once for 11 yards. This past weekend, he followed up that monster performance with another—reeling in six of his 10 targets for 93 yards and two TDs vs. Ohio in 17 to 42 loss. I mention the final scoreboard there because it is noteworthy that he scored the team’s only two TDs on the day. He seems to be ascending into a newfound role in the offence, and with MACtion now in full effect, there’s no telling where the sky is for McCray the rest of the season. He’s worth a shot if you need a WR this week, we’ll have to wait and see if this recent dominance is here to stay. What we do know is that Kent State is a bad team, and a big part of that is the QB play. They hardly even attempted any passes in Saturday’s game despite being down for most of the afternoon (only 20 total pass attempts between the two QBs). I suppose that makes it even more noteworthy that McCray was targeted 10 times—he was literally targeted half the time they passed.
(Memphis) Roc Taylor — It may be easy to forget about him since he was on BYE this weekend, but Taylor (6’3”, 215) has come on very strong lately, finishing his last two games with over 20 points in each. He is averaging 7.6 targets per game, which is pretty good if you ask me. His best game of the season actually came against what has likely been Memphis’ best opponent in Missouri—Taylor caught seven of his 10 targets for 143 yards (21.3 points). He’s only gone under 10 points once in five games (4.2 vs. Arkansas State in a blowout victory), so his consistency is speaking to me this week, at a time where BYEs are piling up and answers are needed to keep CFF dreams alive.
(SMHU) Noah Smith — I featured Smith last week on the Fool’s Gold section, and — I must admit — Smith absolutely proved me wrong. I think logically speaking, the reasoning I outlined was sound given the information at our disposal at the time. However, with more information, comes shifting perspectives. Last week we had a flash in the pan. Now, we have a pattern of usage. Smith has now seen a monstrous 31(!!) targets in his last two games. Say it with me now “31 targets in his last two games”. My brother in Christ, if the shoemaker (otherwise known as SMHU’s starting QB) is going to continue to pump Smith with targets like that, count me all the way in. And, the audience is going to hate me when I admit this, but I actually picked up a share of Smith last week in the 24-team league I’m in (so when you see that ‘1%’ owned on Fantrax, you know who to blame). The parameters for who is and isn’t CFF-relevant in that environment are very different than the leagues most people play in, so I stand by what I said about Smith on last week’s edition, but as I said, the information has changed. Last week we had a player — who had a total of 13 targets coming into that game — see 15 targets in one game out of the blue. This week, we have a budding volume pig on our hands. Smith is worth a dart throw in regular leagues now—I mean, have you seen the rest of that schedule?
(UAB) Amare Thomas — UAB’s freshman WR has now scored 21, 18.5 and 18 points in his last three games vs. UGA, Tulane, and USF, respectively. UGA and Tulane are good defences, so putting up numbers versus them is definitely noteworthy. Far be it for me to the deny the track record of production, though his volume teetered off a little this week. In Week’s Four and Five he saw 13 and 10 targets; this past weekend he saw only four. He still put those targets to good use—scoring a TD and accumulating 53 yards. He also took a carry for 33 yards. Overall, over 90 yards total and a score is nothing to complain about. QB Jacob Zeno continues to impress me slinging the rock, and Thomas seems to be a benefactor of that.
(Rice) Rawson MacNeil — A tall, white WR popping off for the Rice football program? I’ve never seen that before… Seriously, where do they keep finding these guys? Luke McCaffrey, Bradley Rozner, and now it appears Rawson MacNeil will be the next pale-skinned torch bearer once McCaffrey departs this offseason. MacNeil has now seen seven, six, and 15(!) targets in his last three outings. He has scored 19.3 and 15.1 points back-to-back over that timespan. We saw Rice support two WRs last year in the aforementioned McCaffrey and Rozner, I don’t see why they wouldn’t this season with JT ‘young god’ Daniels slinging it like his life depends on it (Daniels attempted 49 passes last game, just an FYI). Unfortunately, they’re on BYE this week, so MacNeil isn’t a plug-and-play option. This is more of a name you’ll want to keep an eye on going forward.
TE
(Purdue) Garrett Miller — In the absence of sophomore breakout player Max Klare, Miller is proving to be pretty effective. He caught a TD last week vs. Illinois (11.1 points) on only three targets, but saw his role increase dramatically this weekend, reeling in all eight of his targets for 71 yards (15.1 points). As long as Klare remains out, Miller’s not a bad name to take a chance on. They play Ohio State this weekend, so they should be trailing most of the game.
(Temple) David Martin-Robinson — I was surprised to see the ownership #s on DMR when I checked, I just assumed he was drafted in most leagues. Turns out that’s not the case. If you need a TE this week, DMR now has back-to-back weeks of seven and ten targets, and in each game he scored 10.8 and 31.2 points, respectively. Prior to that, his season had not been going great, though he did see seven targets already in Week One. This is an offence — as mentioned before in the QB section — that passes the ball a lot. DMR is not a bad punt play for the truly desperate this week.
(Oregon State) Jack Velling — Velling hasn’t been killing it this season, but he did put together a massive performance this weekend with four catches (on four targets) for 38 yards and three scores (25.8 points). The only reason I spotted this was because I roster him in one of my leagues (it’s a very deep league) and his performance made up for Dallin Holker’s —albeit rare — pedestrian output this week. This Oregon State staff featured TE Luke Musgrave heavily last season before he went down with injury (I believe this was after like two games), so we’ve seen that they are not adverse to utilizing the TE position. Velling, a true sophomore, will likely continue to see a solid role in the offence this season.
Fool’s Gold
(Alabama) WR Jermain Burton — I promise this isn’t just sour grapes because he transferred from UGA. I’m going to invoke a similar line of reasoning from the section on Noah Smith last week (and we saw how that turned out…), so as usual, take this with a grain of salt. Burton has played in six games this season (albeit he has been banged up), and prior to last Saturday’s contest had 11 targets to his name. He saw 12 vs. Texas A&M. Do I believe that he will continue to be the go-to guy on this team? Not exactly. I do think he’ll be a solid contributor going forward as he returns to form off injury. However, the QB play is still dubious (though I also expect this to improve throughout the season), and there are a lot of other talented players in that WR room who want to go to the NFL too. Is Burton so far and away better than the other options at Saban’s disposal to warrant him getting #Pigged every week from here on out like he did on Saturday? I don’t believe so. But I could be wrong.
DST
An apology is in order to the subscribers. After promising to make this section a mainstay in this article, I completely forgot to include it in last week’s edition. There are some decent options for the DST streamers out there this week. But as usual, strange things do happen in CFB (like SMHU finding their offensive form in Week Five vs. a vaunted Jacksonville State defence, yikes).
Wisconsin (vs. Iowa) — Wisconsin is starting to bolster their defence week by week, and Iowa has not been great on offence so far (shocker, I know). This feels like a game where only TEs, RB, and FBs will score. At least, that would have been the case with the previous Wiscy staff. Wisconsin will probably try to get the advantage early and force Iowa to have to pass. If that becomes a reality, it could turn into a party at the QB where everyone’s invited, feel me?
Iowa (vs. Wisconsin) — Wait, what? I know, I know, this looks strange. But I wouldn’t completely rule out the idea of working in Iowa’s defence if you’re desperate this week. We just saw last week with Texas A&M vs. Alabama that both teams can finish with a good defensive score despite both finding the end zone multiple times. I believe both hovered around 10 points by the end, so who’s to say something similar can’t happen here? (Braelon Allen, probably).
JMU (vs. GaSo) — This matchup may not appear ideal, we know GaSo liked to throw the ball around a lot. But, I feel more decently confident in prescribing JMU’s defence this week for two reasons: 1) they’ve yet to score less than 11 points thus far, and 2) we saw them play against another explosive pass attack in Utah State and score 11 points. I like JMU to be able to force some turnovers in this one, GaSo’s QB Davis Brin has showed himself to be quite prone to passing to the other team.
Other long shot options: Texas A&M (vs. Tennessee), UNLV (vs. Nevada), Rutgers vs. (MSU), Texas State (vs. ULM) and Miami of Ohio (vs. WMU).
If you enjoyed this content, I encourage you to join the Pig Pen (subscribing), and follow me on twitter.
Have questions? Find out what people are saying about VolumePigs here.
