The Pig Market - Week Two Waiver Adds
Week Two 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.
QB
(UAB) Jacob Zeno — Who would have expected former QB Trent Dilfer’s protegé to be a CFF relevant player, huh? Well — don’t look now — but Zeno is looking the part. He’s finished with three total TDs each game in back to back weeks, and has 291 and 385 yards passing in his first two games (NCAT and Georgia Southern, respectively). The second game is what stood out to me—if he’s going to be completing 76% of his passes and throwing/running for 3 TDs/game in-conference then count me in.
(CMU) Bert Emmanuel — I remarked last week in The Itis that something notable appeared to have occurred with CMU’s Bert Emmanuel officially being the starter. While the opponent was tough (MSU), Emmanuel showed enough promise to warrant a consideration on your rosters in a deeper league and/or if you’re hurting at QB. We saw a glimpse of what he could potentially do once he reaches MACtion this past Saturday — two TDs each via the ground and air, over 100 yards rushing and just under 200 yards passing.
(ODU) Grant Wilson — I wrote about Wilson as part of a profile on ODU’s offensive makeover this offseason, and it appears that when the Monarchs are not overmatched (such as Week One vs. Virginia Tech), Wilson could be a prolific asset. On Saturday vs. ULLAF, Wilson threw four TD passes and ran in another. While he didn’t rush as much this game compared to last (5 attempts to 19), he seems to offer dual threat ability as well.
Other notable names include: Kaidon Salter (Liberty), Conner Weigmann (A&M), Ben Woolridge (ULLAF), and Garrett Greene (WVU).
RB
(Fresno State) Elijah Gilliam (again) — I’m not usually going to put repeat names each week, but I’ll make an exception here. Here’s exactly what I wrote in last week’s article: While the TDs weren’t there, the volume put me on notice. Gilliam carried the rock 20 times and added a reception to finish the day with 21 total touches. Many speculated that the RB1 of this team might be Malik Sherrod, well, he finished with eight carries for 17 yards (2.1 ypc) but did score a TD. It remains to be seen how involved each will be, but EG looked to be the guy in the backfield on this night. He ended up with 93 yards rushing, so his score won’t top the charts when you filter in Fantrax, but this is someone you’ll want to take a chance on if you need a RB. Let the others in your leagues bid themselves out of pocket on the four names above, we’ll go stealth mode and acquire potential budding volume pig Gilliam. And here’s what I wrote in my latest article on FSU regarding Gilliam: I’m highly interested to see how the usage is distributed this weekend vs. Eastern Washington. This is a player who — if they’re available on your waivers — may not be much longer should he follow up week one with another 20+ touch performance. Something that is important to note, however, is that Malik Sherrod was absent from the Week Two game where Gilliam rushed 20 times, so the distribution isn’t as illuminating as it would appear. Even still, Gilliam has looked good since game one, and without further notice on Sherrod, he’s a guy that is worth a shot if still available.
(Cincinnati) Corey Kiner — Kiner was a popular pick in CFF last season, as he transferred from LSU to the Bearcats late in 2021. The season didn’t go as planned, as he split carries with several of his teammates. This season, the Bearcats welcome in a new coaching regime, and this staff have a decent sized history of feeding volume pigs in the backfield. Week One vs. Eastern Kentucky was a complete blowout, so I won’t fixate much on that performance. However, I will note that Kiner led the backfield with 13 carries. I didn’t think much of it at the time, as his teammate—Ryan Montgomery, also carried the rock seven times. Again, this was a blowout so it was difficult to get a real read on the splits. Week Two vs. Pitt provided clarity on the matter, as Kiner dominated the backfield touches with 20 carries (next leading rusher only had three), on his way to 153 yards and a score. He’ll have to contend with dual threat QB Emory Jones for red zone TDs, but he looks to be one of the few elusive RBs who will see consistent volume without another prominent player in the backfield.
(Miami of Ohio) Rashad Amos — Last year, Ohio’s Sieh Bangura had a rough start to the year in terms of fantasy output, but one thing CFF sickos like myself latched onto was his role in the backfield. With hopes that the touch volume would materialize into more points when the Bobcats played weaker competition, many of us made an early investment in the Bang-man, that — as it turns out — paid off considerably. This year there is another MAC RB with a similar path — Miami of Ohio’s Rashad Amos by way of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Amos had a rough start, playing against an overpowering Miami Hurricanes team. However, in Week Two vs. UMass, he toted the rock 22 times for over 100 yards. The only other runner that received carries was Keyon Mozee with five. Could history repeat itself here? I wrote about Amos this offseason in this article. If you miss out on your top targets this week, Amos looks to be a potential fall back plan as he looks like a budding volume pig once MACtion hits. Next week will be rough vs. Cincinnati, however.
VP Special: There has been no reporting on this, but Kentucky’s Ray Davis — who’s been very good so far — left the game late with a wrist injury vs. EKU. The Wildcats get lowly Akron next week, so if Davis is out, look potentially for a player like JuTahn McClain or Ramon Jefferson to see a lot more work.
Other notable names include: Kyle Monangai (Rutgers) and Tawee Walker (OU).
WR
(Miami of Ohio) Gage Larvadain — I generally won’t include the same player twice, but I’ll make an exception here again since Larvadain probably went under the radar in most leagues last week. Here’s what I wrote in last week’s edition published on Sept. 3rd: Larvadain finished the opener with 8 receptions for 80 yards. The receiver showed good rapport with QB Brett Gabbert, and was actually targeted an eye-brow raising 12 times. The Redhawks were overmatched in this one vs. Miami, but you can imagine what a player like this could do once in MACtion. If he continues to see that kind of volume, he could be a valuable stash that provides dividends later on. Spoiler: he continued to see that kind of volume in Week Two.
(FIU) Kris Mitchell — In the last two games, Mitchell has seen 11 targets in each. In those games, he’s caught a total of 16 passes for 295 yards and three scores. On the other hand, in the opener Mitchell only saw two targets, catching one for two yards. So what changed? Well, freshman QB Keyone Jenkins became the starter in game two. The former Miami Central standout has been decently effective, and seems to have locked onto Mitchell as his go-to guy. FIU plays a fairly easy schedule this year too, so there’s reason to believe Mitchell’s new found dominance can continue well into the season.
(Arkansas) Andrew Armstrong — I actually had a full-blown profile ready to go for Armstrong on Saturday morning, but decided to hold off until the week. It’s too bad, because I would have pulled off some nostradamus sh*t with the way Armstrong sliced through Kent State on Saturday. This is another name that I included on last week’s edition, but it was under the ‘other notables names’ section without explanation. As a shareholder of Armstrong in Nate Marchese’s 24-team—45-man-roster league, I’ve been pleased with what I’ve seen from AA so far. Granted, the opponents have been lacklustre—WCU and Kent State, nonetheless, the target volume is what’s important. Armstrong was targeted seven and six times, respectively, through two weeks. He currently sits at three TDs in two games. Let’s see how things go when the sledding gets tougher, but he appears to be the WR1 of an offence run by former Maryland OC Dan Enos, and operated by veteran QB KJ Jefferson. Those of you who were around in 2021 will recall that Jefferson supported WR Treylon Burks to over 1000 yards receiving from the boundary position.
(NIU) Kacper Rutkiewicz — Last week I remarked on Miami of Ohio’s Gage Larvadain, who — despite not producing a monstrous output — had seen a lot of target volume which raised alarm bells for me. Mr. R, we’ll call him, now has back-to-back weeks of eight and nine targets vs. Boston College and FCS program Southern Illinois. He scored 10.5 FPs (1-ppr) against BC, and 25.9 vs. SIU. Many speculated on how returning WR Trayvon Rudolph would look upon his return this season, and wondered whether he’d return to WR1 status. It appears he has some competition in Mr. R, who continues to see strong target volume. He is a player that could be a high value during in-conference play.
(Oklahoma State) De’Zhaun Stribling — We’ve seen in the past that OSU head coach Gundy’s WR1 can be lucrative in CFF, with names like Tylan Wallace and Tay Martin in recent memory. These players generally share one thing in common: they operate on the boundary and make a lot of their money down field. Stribling, at 6’3” and 205 pounds, perfectly fits that mold. While the passing attack might not be as explosive as in some of the years past, six and ten targets in back-to-back games is nothing to scoff at. DStrib used those opportunities to produce a total of 11 catches for 138 yards and a score (he’s scored 11.3 and 19.5 FPs in 1-ppr formats), the latest game coming vs. eventual B12 opponent Arizona State.
Other notable names include: Jacolby George (Miami), Phillip Brooks (KSU), Jay Maclin (North Texas), (post publication addition) Brian Thomas (LSU), Sam Brown (Houston), dual-eligibility standouts Dakereon Joyner (SCAR) and Jamal Haynes (GT).
TE
(BGSU) Harold Fannin — Fannin has now been targeted five and eight times in his last two games, and when you consider the BGSU staff also likes to hand him the ball near the goal line (he had more rushing TDs than receiving TDs last season four to one), this is an attractive option at an exceptionally dry position in CFF. I wrote about Fannin this past August.
(BYU) Isaac Rex — Rex has been around for awhile, so I suspect the reader already recognizes the name. Like Fannin, he’s been targeted with high frequency in his last two games (six vs. Sam Houston, eight vs. Southern Utah), so he’s a cat I’d take a chance on if you’re hurting at the position (shoot, aren’t we all?).
Other notable names: Aaron Hence (WMU).
Fool’s Gold
A lot of RBs on the list this week. Last week I highlighted Colorado RB Dylan Edwards and TCU RB Trey Sanders, and I have to say—neither disappointed. So who’s in the dog house this week?
UNC RB Omarion Hampton — One of the main takeaways from this weekend was the emergence of true sophomore RB Omarion Hampton. In their game vs. App State, the Tarheels fed Hampton 26 carries, while the next leading rusher received only six. However, the player Hampton split carries with in the first week — British Brooks, was absent from this game, which explains the carry volume received by Hampton. The track record of the OC and the language from camp this offseason suggests that this will still be a two-man committee going forward. On the other hand, while Brooks remains absent, Hampton is a good asset to have, but that might not be the case much longer.
SJSU RB Kairee Robinson — Robinson split carries with his teammate — Conley, in a blowout vs. Cal Poly. Robinson’s 16 carries are good in isolation, but not as attractive when you consider Conley also received 12. The QB—Cordeiro, also likes to run a lot.
GTech RB Trevion Cooley — Over 150 yards and two scores on 12 total touches is unlikely to repeat itself when GT isn’t playing an overmatched FCS opponent in South Carolina State.
LSU Logan Diggs — 15 carries and over 100 yards—what’s not to like, right? Well, the fact that this came in a game where LSU scored over 70, and worked in backups everywhere they could, as soon as they could. Three different RBs scored in this one. Kaleb Jackson was one of them, who carried the rock 11 times for 62 yards and two scores. This was Diggs’ first game back, so maybe he is the lead carrier, but given our sample size of one vs. (FCS/Div. II?) opponent Grambling State, I wouldn’t bite too hard on Diggs this week.
Other names on the list this week: Hudson Clement (WVU), Easton Messer (WKU), Devin Leary (UK) and JT Daniels (Rice).
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