Week 1 is here and you already know what that means waiver wire time. Kevin and I have been going through these games and there are already a bunch of guys where we are confused on how they are even available.
So that’s really what we’re looking for with this list. We’re not going to give you a bunch of guys who were already drafted in every league. We want the guys who are probably still sitting there on your waiver wire that made us stop and pay attention in Week 1.
Some of these guys absolutely went off. Some guys got way more involved than we expected. And some are just guys where I look at the situation and think, Yeah, we are taking a shot on this dude. Obviously, it’s only Week 1, so we’re not going to act like we know exactly how every single one of these guys is going to turn out. It’s college football, things change FAST but that’s also why I love the waiver wire this early in the season. We went through the games, found the guys we like, and now we’re going to tell you who we’re actually trying to add this week.
Quarterbacks
Matthew: Braden Atkinson (Oregon State)
Roster Percentage: 5%
Atkinson might have been the only bright spot for Oregon State on the day, and honestly, I thought he looked pretty damn good. He was delivering passes on time all game and looked like a legit quarterback. The dude has a cannon for an arm but his receivers didn’t exactly help him out with all the drops, so his numbers honestly could’ve been even better.
He finished with 29 completions for 376 yards and a touchdown, which was good for 23.94 fantasy points. I’ve already written about Atkinson before, and this game was basically everything I wanted to see from him. He’s still young, has the arm talent, makes throws on time, and looks comfortable running the offense. I’m still waiting for conference play before I get too carried away, but I really like where this is going. He’s looking like everything I want in a QB, and the fact that he’s still young makes me want to add him now.
Kevin: Isaiah Marshall (Kansas)
Rostered: 5%
Marshall is one of the easier quarterback adds for me this week, especially in deeper C2C formats. He finished his first start at Kansas completing 14 of 19 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 49 yards on seven carries.
Obviously, we need to acknowledge the opponent here. LIU isn’t going to tell us everything we need to know about Marshall, and things get much tougher against Missouri next week. But the usage is what caught my attention.
Marshall wasn’t just sitting in the pocket and compiling numbers against an overmatched defense. Kansas used him on the ground, he showed the ability to create explosive plays through the air, and this offense still finished with over 600 total yards. That combination gives him a pretty interesting weekly ceiling in CFF.
The return of Andy Kotelnicki also matters. Kansas has historically given its quarterbacks opportunities to produce in multiple ways, and Marshall’s athleticism fits what they want to do offensively.
I’m not ready to call him a locked-in difference maker after one game, but at only 5% rostered, there are definitely worse options sitting on waiver wires right now. The rushing usage raises his floor, and if the passing efficiency carries over against better competition, Marshall could quickly become more than just a matchup-based CFF starter.
For C2C leagues, I’m viewing this much more as a college-production add. Quarterbacks with this type of rushing upside a secure starting job are worth taking a shot on before the rest of your league adjusts.
Matthew: William “Pop” Watson (UMass)
Roster Percentage: 2%
Pop Watson just went off against the big bad Big Ten, and I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t expect this kind of game from him. He went 19-for-22 for 197 yards and 3 TDs against Rutgers and added another 40 yards rushing, finishing with right around 29.88 fantasy points.
The efficiency is what really stood out to me. 19-for-22 against a Big Ten team is pretty damn good, and then you add four total touchdowns on top of it. He looked comfortable, made plays with his legs, and just kept the offense moving. Now the schedule gets easier from here, which is exactly what I want to see after a performance like this.
Running Backs
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