The changing of the guard officially kicked off in Arizona, and if you weren’t watching, you missed a freshman phenom erupting for a monstrous 26 carries, 159 yards, and *four* touchdowns in Arizona State’s 28-17 upset over Kansas State. That’s right, Cardae Mack didn’t just have a good game; he had a fantasy-altering performance, and he is still only 1% rostered on Yahoo. You gotta move fast, folks, because that’s not gonna last.
The Ground Game Dominators Taking Over
This isn’t just about one guy, though. With Week 9 slamming us with 10 teams on bye, including six SEC heavyweights, the waiver wire is where championships are made. Boston College, for example, is full-on embracing a run-first identity, and it paid off huge in their 49-27 victory over Georgia Tech, racking up 399 yards on the ground.
Leading that charge was quarterback Mason McKenzie. Remember when I was hyping him up last week against Georgia Tech? He delivered, big time! McKenzie churned out 16 rushes for 170 yards and two touchdowns himself, tallying 37.04 points. That ranked him third among all Power Four signal-callers last scoring period. Look, his passing might be a work in progress, completing just 57.8% of his attempts with a 4.2% interception rate that’s 128th nationally, but this dude is a special athlete. He’s converting 23.3% of his rush attempts into gains of 10+ yards, and he’s averaging a stellar 26.0 PPG. With Duke this weekend and Florida State in Week 10, McKenzie is a serious plug-and-play if your QB has been inconsistent.
And it’s not just McKenzie carrying the load for BC. Opportunity knocked for running back Bo MacCormack III when starter Evan Dickens went down in Week 7, and MacCormack answered, joining the Georgia Tech beatdown with 155 yards on 20 carries. That’s a whole lot of rushing production coming out of Chestnut Hill right now.
Freshman Firepower and Quarterback Surges
But let’s get back to Mack. This isn’t his first rodeo either; he dropped 154 yards and two scores back in Week 6 against Hawaii. I even heard from the father of a starting ASU lineman in the offseason who *raved* about Mack eventually taking over the job. Talk about prophetic! Mack is a high-priority addition and should be good for at least two starts down the stretch for a surging ASU squad. Seriously, if you need a running back, this is your guy.
Don’t sleep on the quarterbacks, though. Aidan Chiles from Northwestern is another name you need to know. He leads a Chip Kelly offense that ranks eighth nationally in adjusted net yards per pass attempt and seventh in first down completions. Chiles led all Week 8 quarterbacks with a whopping 40.06 points, slinging three passing touchdowns and scrambling for two more. He’s been money, scoring 25+ points in four of six games. He’s an interesting start at Oregon this week, but his real value is gonna shine in the CFF playoffs with Minnesota and Illinois on deck for the final two weeks.
And then there’s Jaden Craig, the Harvard transfer quarterback for TCU. This dude has been throwing for at least 290+ yards in five of his last six games, with the only stumble coming against a tough BYU secondary. He’s a solid pickup, especially when he’s facing a Kansas secondary that ranks 105th in allowing 20+ yard completions.
Look, bye weeks are brutal, but they also open up massive opportunities to grab game-changers. Cardae Mack is the headline here, but McKenzie, Chiles, and Craig are all ready to step up and deliver huge points. Don’t wait, because your league mates definitely won’t.
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.
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