The College Fantasy Football regular season is practically over, folks, and if you aren’t locking down your waiver wire pickups right now, you are already behind. Thomas Castellanos, Texas Tech’s quarterback, exploded for 44.68 points last Saturday, a performance that tops all P4 signal callers, and he was barely on anyone’s radar a few weeks ago. The byes are finally done, which means it is full steam ahead, and these guys are the difference-makers as we sprint towards the fantasy playoffs.
Quarterback Goldmines Just Dropped Huge Numbers
Let’s talk Castellanos for a second. This guy was primarily a “gadget” package player, right? Then he gets his first start against Arizona, pulls off a 34-26 win, rushes for 117 yards, and clocks in with 31.5 fantasy points. Wild. But last Saturday, facing West Virginia’s defense, which ranks a dismal 121st, he went absolutely nuclear. Five touchdown passes, 362 passing yards, *and* 102 rushing yards for that insane 44.68 points. His 63.3% rushing success rate and 0.28 EPA/play show this dude is electric. You wanna talk about a third consecutive 30+ point game? He should get it against Oklahoma State’s secondary, which is 131st in allowing completions of 20+ yards, giving up 22.1% of them. This is not a drill.
Then you got Isaiah Marshall from Kansas, barely rostered at 2%, who missed the TCU game but was putting up 20+ points in his four games before last Saturday. He didn’t just meet expectations against UCF, he blew past them, rushing for 125 yards and two touchdowns for 34.9 points. That was the fifth-highest QB score of Week 10! The man ranks fifth among all P4 quarterbacks in rushing yards, and next weekend against West Virginia, he is absolutely a startable option. And don’t sleep on JC French IV from Cincinnati. The Georgia Southern transfer has been a total shot in the arm for the UC offense. He’s hit at least 23 points in six games and cleared 25 points in three of his last four, even going up against Big 12 powerhouses like Houston, Utah, and Texas Tech. He should have another excellent game this weekend against Iowa State’s struggling secondary, which is 130th with 7.5 yards per dropback allowed.
Running Backs Making Season-Saving Moves
If you’re looking for a workhorse, Bo MacCormack III from Boston College is your guy. With Evan Dickey out for the season, MacCormack has stepped up big time, with two 100-yard performances in just three starts. He accounted for 71% of the Eagles’ rushing production against FSU, basically carrying the offense when they only managed 320 total yards in a tough 31-24 defeat. His dad is a former Golden Gloves champion, and you can see that grinder mentality in him. This week against Notre Dame will be tough, no doubt, but mark it down: he’s a wheels-up starter in Week 12 versus Syracuse.
And L.J. Phillips Jr., Iowa’s hidden gem, is only 2% rostered. This guy torched South Dakota last year for 1,921 yards, 6.5 YPC, and 19 touchdowns! He generated serious buzz in fall camp, looking to challenge Kamari Moulton for carries. Moulton went down with a season-ending injury a few weeks ago, and Phillips’ opportunity has arrived. While he was behind Xavier Williams in a 30-0 drubbing of Wisconsin, he then out-carried the rest of the Hawkeyes’ backfield 21-to-5 against Northwestern, racking up 128 yards and 15.2 points in a 24-10 victory. He looked dynamic with 4.5 yards after contact, even without finding the end zone. He’s got a prime-time matchup this weekend against Purdue’s dismal 103rd-ranked defense, which is allowing a whopping 5.6 YPC, ranking 127th in FBS. Finally, keep an eye out for Amari Thomas from Florida State, currently 0% rostered.
The fantasy playoffs are right around the corner. Every move you make on the waiver wire now could be the difference between hoisting that trophy or watching from the sidelines. Keep an eye on these guys this weekend; their upcoming matchups could cement them as season-savers.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply