Hard to believe it’s already Week 10 of the college football season, and with the playoffs looming, here are several players who are less than 50% rostered on Yahoo that you should consider picking up for the stretch run in college fantasy football.
QuarterbackDJ Lagway, Baylor (7% rostered on Yahoo)
Just because HC Dave Aranda was fired doesn’t mean you should avoid all Baylor players, as OC Jake Spavital’s scheme that led the P4 in pass attempts per game last season is still firmly in place.
The Bears are ripping off 80 plays per game (2nd in FBS) and are throwing the ball 80% of the time on passing downs, which is the third-highest rate nationally. For his part, Lagway just tore up UCF’s defense for 319 passing yards, four touchdowns and 31.1 points and has boosted his running contributions with 22 carries for 70 yards over the last two games.
He was hurt early in the season but rebounded to record a 13 touchdowns and four INTs with two 30+ point games over the last four contests.
A 52% completion rate and coaching staff volatility are causes for concern, with Spavital being a lame-duck coach, which could result in backup QB Nate Bennett getting a look if Lagway struggles.
He has a fantastic matchup this weekend against an Iowa State defense that has allowed 323 passing yards and 39+ points in three of its last four appearances.
Tommy Carr, Michigan (1% rostered)
Lloyd Carr’s grandson and CJ Carr’s brother lived up to the family name by completing 22-of-27 passes for 266 yards with 12 carries, 54 rushing yards and three total touchdowns for 32.0 points in a 28-21 victory over Rutgers this weekend. He has another appetizing matchup this weekend against Michigan State’s porous secondary that is allowing 19% of completions to gain 20+ yards (113th) with a 44% passing success rate (101st).
Thomas Castellanos, Texas Tech (0% rostered)
Offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich and the Texas Tech staff finally threw up their hands and inserted Castellanos into the starting role, and it paid off with a huge 34-26 victory over No. 22 Arizona. In typical form, he ran 19 times for 117 yards and a touchdown for 31.5 points, and has a sensational matchup against the worst fantasy defense in the P4, West Virginia, in Week 10.
Running BackNolan James Jr., Notre Dame (42% rostered)
Few rushers have displayed the weekly consistency we’ve seen from James, scoring at least 10.0+ points in every game this season, despite receiving 10 or fewer carries in six of eight games. He has punched in at least one touchdown in every game this season for a hyper-efficient Notre Dame offense that ranks fifth nationally in success rate (51%), but also lacks explosion, ranking 104th in yards per successful rush (8.4).
James has clearly outplayed opening-day starter Aneyas Williams to achieve RB1 status, leading the team with a 59.3% success rate and 3.64 yards after contact. James should be rostered in far more than 42% of leagues and could be a league-winner during a dream playoff schedule against BC, SMU and Syracuse.
Cardae Mack, Arizona State (46% rostered)
Kyson Brown was merely a placeholder until the true freshman Mack got acclimated to the college game. Mack has been an absolute workhorse with 55 touches, 336 total yards and four touchdowns over the last two games. On Saturday, he torched a very formidable BYU run defense for 170 yards, and did so with an aggressive running style and a density that causes tacklers to bounce off him.
Mack should go over 100 yards for a fourth time against Colorado’s middling defense that ranks 113th in plays of 20+ yards allowed and he’s a top waiver wire priority if still available in your league.
Damon Ferguson Jr., Pitt (14% rostered)
A breakout fantasy outing was just a matter of time, as every time Ja’Kyrian Turner misses a game, Ferguson has a productive outing. The freshman phenom had his first explosive fantasy game of his young career, converting a whopping 31 carries for 185 yards and 32.1 points in the 34-11 drubbing of Georgia Tech. Pitt is on bye this week, but Ferguson could be a real factor down the stretch against Florida State, Louisville and Cal if Turner continues to miss time.
Davion Gause, NC State (10% rostered)
Gause has handled 20+ touches in three of the last four games with 12.5+ points in each in relief of injured starter Duke Scott. He is well worth scooping up at his meager 10% roster rate if you need a flex play against Duke this weekend.
Wide ReceiverIsaiah Mizell, Arizona (13% rostered)
Few players in all of college football have caught fire like Mizell has since ‘Zona WR1 Tre Spivey went down for the season with an injury. Mizell has 21 receptions for 499 yards, four touchdowns and 84.4 points over his last three games against Big 12 opponents.
He has undeniable chemistry with QB Noah Fifita, who has the Wildcats averaging 6.7 yards per play (17th) and 8.1 yards per pass attempt (19th) with a 74% completion rate that is the second-highest mark nationally. Mizell should be the No. 1 waiver priority of Week 10 in the 87% of leagues he is a free agent.
Chase Hendricks, Cal (34% rostered)
Hendricks is the most consistently-targeted wideout in the P4 who is still unrostered in about two-thirds of leagues, having drawn 49 targets over the last five games with at least seven receptions in each. He has scored 10+ points in seven of nine contests and is especially effective in PPR formats, where his low 7.0 ADOT extended-handoff target distribution really elevates his weekly floor. Cal is on bye, but has a very attractive playoff stretch versus Virginia, Stanford and Pitt.
Legend Glasker, BYU (19% rostered)
Glasker is another waiver-wire worthy freshman who has established himself as a weekly starting caliber performer. The Cougars’ star has scored in the double digits in all but one game and is so potent he’s commanding a consistent rushing workload, parlaying 17 carries into 109 yards and a touchdown. With Glasker averaging 15.1 PPG and a massive game on tap against Utah this weekend, he should be rostered in the vast majority of leagues.
Kenny Johnson, Texas Tech (19% rostered)
Johnson has proved that he can succeed with both QB Will Hammond and Thomas Castellanos, recording 8+ targets and 11.5+ points in each of the last three games as Texas Tech’s defined WR1. He should keep that streak alive this weekend against West Virginia’s 115th ranked defense.
Tight EndHunter Andrews, Utah (8% rostered)
We are at the point in the season where most of the bankable tight ends are rostered, so we have to dig for gold a bit. Andrews has been sparsely used in the receiving game up until he had five receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns (25.8 FPTS) against Cincinnati in Week 9. Despite just three receptions in his previous four games, Andrews has seen four carries for 30 yards and is being utilized as a short-yardage/goal-line hammer. While this five-reception game feels like an outlier, he’s worth a streaming flier in a must-win affair versus BYU this weekend.
Andrew Rappleyea, Penn State (43% rostered)
A holdover from the James Franklin era, Rappleya was originally expected to work in behind Iowa State transfer TE Benjamin Brahmer. And that’s how it went for the first four games until Rappleyea took over the room with 32 targets, 23 receptions, 358 yards and two touchdowns over the last four games. He is a very strong replacement option against Washington this weekend if you have an underperforming TE or need a bye-week replacement.