CFF Waiver Wire Gemstones Week 8

     Waiver Wire Gemstones

         College Fantasy Football: Week 8

Quarterbacks

David Pindell, UConn
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 32%
The UConn dual-threat playmaker has decorated the Waiver Wire Gemstones already this season. Nevertheless, Pindell deserves another mention since his ownership is miniscule in the CFF community. On Saturday against the No. 21 ranked Bulls, he rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Averaging over 28 points per game, Pindell is the fifteenth-ranked fantasy quarterback after eight weeks of the season. Not an elite passer, Pindell has completed only nine touchdown strikes and passed for 1,255 yards. However, he earns a living on the ground, rushing for 686 yards and seven touchdowns. “After that bye week I was able to get treatment and just get much better and get back to 100 percent,” Pindell detailed. “My knee feels much better, so I was able to run the ball like I wanted to.” Shrewd CFF diehards are delighted with the news. Over the next two weeks, the Huskies host Massachusetts and travel to Tulsa. Both games should be high scoring, and Pindell will easily post over 25 points in each.

Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 40%
For a freshman on a terrible team, Adrian Martinez is moving up the player rankings despite some ups and downs. He is now ranked #42 among CFF signal callers, producing more than 30 points in three of the last four games. For the season, he has recorded over 30 points four times. The Cornhuskers playmaker has totaled 13 touchdowns, passed for 1,443 yards and scrambled for 415 yards. Nebraska won its first game of the campaign beating Minnesota 53-28 on Saturday behind Martinez who passed for 276 yards and rushed for 125 yards while totaling four touchdowns. “I saw from Martinez exactly what you saw from Martinez," Minnesota Coach PJ Fleck proclaimed after the game. "I think he's one of the better players in the country already. There's a reason why he's ranked so high and the reason why he was a big-time quarterback coming out, and everybody wanted him, and there's a reason why he flipped here." Nebraska hosts the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats this week and plays three of its final five games at home. Pluck Martinez off the waiver wire before your competitors do this week.

Additional Quarterbacks

Tommy DeVito, Syracuse
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 3%

Holton Ahlers, East Carolina
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 3%

Running Backs

D.J. Knox, Purdue
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 20%
Very quietly, the Boilermakers have assembled a terrific offensive trio: QB David Blough, WR Rondale Moore and RB D.J. Knox. Purdue ranks twenty-second in Total Offense (3,061 yards) and scores over 33 points per game. It is time to invest in Coach Jeff Brohm’s offense. “I think we’ve got to continue to be aggressive and mix in the run and set up the run by throwing the ball effectively and taking what they give us…I think our running game can be effective. We've got to make sure we utilize it enough and we mix things in,” Brohm declared. It is clear that D.J. Knox is upholding his end of the bargain in the ground game. In the last three contests, Knox stands among the best runners in the nation: He has rushed for 365 yards on 48 carries, averaging 7.6 yards per tote. The Purdue ball carrier has scored eight touchdowns this season and totaled 668 yards on the ground. He has more value in standard leagues with only ten receptions on the season. Even in ppr-scoring leagues, Knox is too hot to remain as a free agent and must be acquired this week.

Kennedy Brooks, Oklahoma
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 5%
Entering the game against the Sooners, the Horned Frogs employed the best run defense in the Big 12. No longer after Oklahoma’s offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, and Kennedy Brooks established career bests in carries (18) and yards (168). A redshirt freshman, Brooks was one of the top recruits in the nation after rambling for 7,658 yards and 96 touchdowns in high school. In 2016, he was named the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Super Team Offensive Player of the Year. Brooks opened the season third on the depth chart behind Rodney Anderson and Trey Sermon. “He continues to grow and mature and you see some of the explosion he has when he’s on the field. It seems like every other touch with him is a big play and that’s kind of how he is in practice too,” coach Lincoln Riley said. Sermon left the field early and the extent of the injury is not known at press time. At 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, Brooks is a physical runner who packs a punch at contact. He ran so well it will be difficult to keep him on the sideline for the remainder of the crusade. The Sooners’ schedule is very appetizing down the stretch with Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Kansas, and CFF owners cannot allow Brooks to hang on the waiver wire the remainder of the crusade.  

Kesean Strong, Old Dominion
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 8%
A redshirt junior, Kesean Strong entered the season with only 30 career carries and 12 catches while sitting behind Ray Lawry and Jeremy Cox. During the first four games of the 2018 crusade, the coaching staff only gave Strong 12 carries, and he did not appear on the radar of any CFF fans. Against Florida Atlantic three weeks ago, Strong exploded for over 40 fantasy points with 99 rushing yards, six catches and four touchdowns. In the last two weeks, the dynamic runner has 177 rushing yards, seven receptions for 83 yards and three touchdowns. “It’s been kind of a long road,” Strong said. “But this is a process, and you’ve got to enjoy the process.” The Monarchs upcoming opponents do not provide much resistance, and Strong should continue producing yards and fantasy points the remainder of the season.

Additional Running Backs

Toa Taua, Nevada
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 22%

Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 35%

Benny LeMay, Charlotte
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 38%


Wide Receivers

Jaelon Darden, North Texas
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 1%
With quarterback Mason Fine pulling the trigger, North Texas is one of the most dynamic passing games in the country. While Rico Bussey, Jr. and Jaylen Guyton are owned on many CFF teams, Jaelon Darden remains available. Versus UAB on Saturday, Darden exploded for 143 yards and two touchdowns on ten catches. “Darden gave us everything he had,” UNT coach Seth Littrell said. “We felt this game he would have chances to make big-time plays, and he did.” For the season, he is third on the team in receptions (35) and yards (498) and tied for second in touchdowns (4). Mean Green ranks seventh in the FBS with 2,599 passing yards, totaling 324.9 yards per game and recording 19 touchdowns. A 5-foot-9 and 165-pound slot receiver, the sophomore plays an integral role in the North Texas aerial assault and worth a long look for the rest of the campaign.

Jalen Knox, Missouri
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 2%
Ever since Emmanuel Hall went down, Jalen Knox has become a fantasy stud. “Jalen’s been playing his butt off,” quarterback Drew Lock said. “He’s had to grow up really fast on some big stages.” A freshman, Knox is a versatile talent. In high school, he played quarterback, running back and wide receiver. With great quickness and agility, he has tremendous ball skills and ankle-breaking change-of-direction capability. He selected Missouri over other schools because of the offensive system and the opportunity to catch passes from Lock. He clearly made the correct decision. In the past four games, he has snatched 15 passes for 325 yards, scored three times and averaged 21.6 yards per catch. While the next two games (Kentucky and Florida) are difficult matchups for the Tigers, the CFF playoffs appear to be smooth sailing for Missouri and the passing game. The Tigers conclude the season with three consecutive home games against Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Arkansas. Grab Knox this week.

Additional Wide Receivers

Tee Higgins, Clemson
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 47%