College fantasy football analyst Eric Froton sets the table for Week 2 of the CFF season.
RISERS
WR Gavin Freeman, Baylor
WR Gavin Freeman immediately established himself as DJ Lagway's preferred option in Baylor's 17-16 loss to Auburn, erupting for 12 receptions, 154 yards and a touchdown in his Bears debut. Freeman accounted for 45.6% of Lagway's 333 passing yards, while no other Baylor player caught more than five passes, and he repeatedly delivered in money situations with two third-down conversions and two fourth-down grabs on Baylor's final possession. His five-yard touchdown with nine seconds remaining nearly forced overtime before Baylor failed on the ensuing 2-point conversion.The Oklahoma State transfer entered the year well behind Louis Brown IV in CFF drafts, making this one of Week 1's most actionable usage developments. Baylor threw 54 times against Auburn, so that volume obviously won't be replicated every week, but Freeman demonstrated that he's more than a gadget/slot complement in Jake Spavital's offense. Lagway repeatedly looked his way with the game hanging in the balance, which is considerably more meaningful than piling up receptions in garbage time. With Freeman rostered in only 4% of Yahoo leagues immediately following the game, he profiles as an aggressive waiver add whose target ceiling suddenly looks much higher than anticipated.RB Jamal Rule, Nebraska
True freshman RB Jamal Rule announced his arrival by shredding Ohio for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, while catching both of his targets for another 47 yards and a score. That's 169 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns on 17 touches, with Rule averaging 8.1 YPC and notably out-carrying fellow RB Mekhi Nelson, 15-to-10. His 122 rushing yards were Nebraska's first 100-yard performance by a freshman running back since 2004, earning Rule Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.Rule's performance is particularly intriguing because the coaching staff had been talking him up well before the opener, suggesting this wasn't simply a small-sample eruption. Ohio HC John Houser said Rule ran more physically than expected, an important observation for a 215-pound back whose explosiveness was already evident on film. Rule still has to contend with Nelson and Isaiah Mozee in a crowded room, but 17 touches in his collegiate debut is a powerful CFF signal. Rule immediately goes from speculative freshman stash to one of the more compelling Power Four waiver additions of Week 1.
WR Legend Glasker, BYU
Few freshmen made a louder opening statement than WR Legend Glasker, who turned four touches into three touchdowns during BYU's 63-7 destruction of Utah Tech. Glasker caught three passes for a team-high 65 yards and two touchdowns while adding a nine-yard rushing score, displaying the explosive open-field ability that propelled him up BYU's depth chart during camp. His 21.7 yards per reception and absurd 75% touchdown rate obviously aren't sustainable, but the explosiveness absolutely translates.The important CFF takeaway is that Glasker's emergence didn't come out of nowhere. WR coach Fesi Sitake said during camp that Glasker had worked his way into the first-team offense and openly wondered why more Power Four programs hadn't recruited him after seeing his athletic profile. Glasker reportedly ran a 4.42 40-yard dash as a prep prospect and believes he's now in the 4.3 range, giving BYU a vertical/YAC weapon that its reconstructed receiving corps badly needed. Arizona represents a dramatically tougher test, but Glasker has already forced his way onto the CFF radar and could become one of Bear Bachmeier's highest-upside targets.
WR Koby Howard, Penn State
WR Koby Howard's breakout against Marshall looks even better under the advanced-data microscope. Howard was targeted on a staggering 44.4% of his routes and generated 9.47 yards per route run, while his 16.6-yard aDOT shows Penn State wasn't simply feeding him manufactured underneath touches. On intermediate throws alone, Howard caught all three targets for 107 yards and a touchdown, earning a 99.0 PFF receiving grade on those opportunities.HC Matt Campbell's postgame comments further reinforce the idea that Howard has legitimately earned a larger role. Campbell praised Howard for routinely being in the facility around 5:15 a.m. catching balls off the JUGS machine, adding that "the sky is the limit" after watching him capitalize on his opportunity. That's significant for a sophomore who caught only seven passes for 133 yards last season but flashed 19.1 yards per reception. Howard's route participation needs to expand before he's treated as a weekly CFF starter, but the combination of downfield deployment, target rate and coach endorsement makes him a priority speculative add.
WR Vernell Brown III, Florida
WR Vernell Brown III looks ready to make the sophomore leap after torching Florida's opener for six receptions, 117 yards and a touchdown, while also taking his lone carry for 14 yards. Brown's 49-yard catch-and-run touchdown was particularly encouraging, as QB Aaron Philo recognized pressure, quickly got Brown the ball in space and let him manufacture the explosive play. After leading Florida with 40 receptions and 512 yards as a freshman without scoring a touchdown, Brown found paydirt on his seventh offensive snap of 2026.HC Jon Sumrall called Brown an "unbelievable worker" and one of the best young leaders he's been around, while Philo's comments were equally relevant for CFF managers: get Brown the football in space and allow him to create. Florida lost three of its top four receivers from 2025 and returned only about 36% of last year's WR snaps, leaving a significant opportunity vacuum despite the additions around him. Brown already owned the strongest returning production profile, and Week 1 provided evidence that Florida intends to feature him rather than merely make him part of a broad rotation. He's trending toward legitimate weekly CFF relevance.FALLERS
RB Mark Fletcher, Miami
RB Mark Fletcher's final line wasn't disastrous, but his usage in Miami's 45-6 demolition of Stanford was disappointing relative to the game environment. Fletcher handled 13 carries for just 40 yards and caught both targets for 10 yards, finishing with 50 scrimmage yards and no touchdowns despite Miami producing six touchdowns. He still led the Hurricanes in rushing attempts, but Miami spread the backfield work around once the game got out of hand and generated only 121 rushing yards as a team.There's no reason to panic about Fletcher's standing atop the depth chart, but this was precisely the type of matchup in which CFF managers expected a big rushing line and multiple scoring opportunities. Instead, Miami's passing game produced more than 400 yards and five touchdowns while Fletcher was largely left out of the fantasy bonanza. His workload should increase in competitive games, so this is more yellow flag than red flag, but Fletcher's ceiling becomes considerably shakier if Miami is comfortable emptying the bench in blowouts. He's a hold, though his Week 1 usage doesn't support treating him as an unquestioned high-end CFF RB1.RB Cameron Dickey, Texas Tech
RB Cameron Dickey's concern isn't talent; it's the suddenly undeniable three-way committee in Lubbock. Dickey received 14 carries for 48 yards and caught two of three targets for eight yards against Abilene Christian, but J'Koby Williams turned 13 attempts into 71 yards and a touchdown while Quinten Joyner received 10 carries for 43 yards and another score. Texas Tech therefore distributed 37 RB carries almost evenly among its top three backs.That's an uncomfortable development for a player coming off 1,138 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns on 211 carries in 2025. Dickey remains capable of explosive performances — his 263-yard eruption against Kansas last year is proof — but Williams is too dangerous to marginalize and a healthy Joyner gives the staff another legitimate Power Four back.
Dickey can remain fantasy relevant in Texas Tech's productive offense, but expecting another 200-carry season is difficult unless this rotation contracts. Until that happens, all three backs cannibalize one another's weekly CFF ceiling.
Oklahoma State Offense
The Eric Morris era couldn't have started much worse offensively, with Oklahoma State generating only 10 points in a 24-10 loss to Tulsa. The Cowboys committed four turnovers, failed on three additional fourth downs and struggled to generate explosive plays, while LT Jacob Sexton's injury on the fifth offensive snap contributed to persistent pressure on QB Drew Mestemaker. The result was especially concerning because Mestemaker, RB Caleb Hawkins and WR Wyatt Young were supposed to bring schematic continuity from Morris' North Texas system.Morris didn't sugarcoat it afterward, saying he was "utterly embarrassed" and acknowledging that an offense expected to be explosive "played awful. " He also accepted responsibility as the play caller and said the staff needs to determine which players it can build around after an offseason in which Oklahoma State imported more than 90 newcomers. That's the CFF problem: we don't yet know whether volume will concentrate around Mestemaker/Hawkins/Young or whether Morris will start shuffling personnel in search of answers. The system remains attractive, but until Oklahoma State proves it can efficiently sustain drives, every Cowboys skill player deserves a downgrade.
INJURIES
RB Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
RB Kewan Lacy's highly anticipated 2026 debut was cut short when he suffered a leg bruise late in the third quarter of Ole Miss' 41-38 win over Louisville. Lacy had already handled 17 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 19 yards, putting him at 21 touches before leaving. He briefly returned for one play as a decoy before shutting it down, with Makhi Frazier assuming the primary backfield responsibilities afterward.The encouraging news is that HC Pete Golding indicated Ole Miss escaped the Louisville game without any serious injuries, reducing concern that Lacy is facing a lengthy absence. That's crucial for a player coming off 1,567 rushing yards and an SEC-record 24 rushing touchdowns in 2025, and his 21-touch workload through less than three quarters reinforces his elite CFF volume profile.
Frazier immediately becomes the backup to roster, but there's no reason yet to substantially downgrade Lacy absent a negative practice update. If active, he's still an upper-tier CFF RB1.
RBs Quaid Carr and Jayden Limar, Washington
Washington's backfield was decimated in one afternoon, as starting RB Quaid Carr suffered a hand injury requiring surgery while Jayden Limar injured his elbow during the Huskies' 24-10 win over Washington State. Carr exited after five carries for 28 yards, while Limar subsequently assumed the lead role and recorded a team-high 12 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown before going down himself. HC Jedd Fisch said neither back will be back "for a while," although he stopped short of declaring either injury season-ending.That immediately elevates RB Trey Cooley and freshman RB Brian Bonner into one of the more interesting CFF backfield situations to monitor. Cooley received four carries against Washington State and Fisch specifically identified Cooley and Bonner as the players who will lead the RB room during Carr and Limar's absence. QB Demond Williams Jr. complicates the rushing projection after leading Washington with 61 yards and a touchdown, but somebody still has to absorb the vacated RB touches. Cooley is the immediate waiver target, while Bonner is the higher-variance stash in deeper formats.
RB Duke Scott, NC State
RB Duke Scott entered 2026 positioned for a substantial role but was dinged up in NC State's opener against Virginia, leaving his status uncertain heading into Friday's matchup with Richmond. Scott managed only seven carries for 20 yards before the undisclosed issue became a concern, and the latest public injury designation still lists him as questionable. No definitive return timetable has been announced beyond the possibility of returning against Richmond.That's frustrating for CFF managers who drafted Scott expecting him to build upon the upside he displayed in 2025, including a career-high 196-yard rushing performance against Georgia Tech. For now, this is a situation where availability matters more than trying to interpret the disappointing Week 1 stat line; seven carries isn't enough volume to make a meaningful judgment about his role. If Scott practices fully and is cleared, Richmond offers an obvious rebound opportunity, but managers should have an alternative ready until NC State provides something definitive.
Schedule Note
Last year's Texas-Ohio State opener was a CFF wasteland, with the Buckeyes grinding out a 14-7 victory in a game that produced just 21 combined points and 296 passing yards. QB Arch Manning completed 17-of-30 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and an interception, while QB Julian Sayin was even more restrained at 13-of-20 for 126 yards and one score. WR Jeremiah Smith was held to six catches for 43 yards, while neither team produced a 100-yard rusher or receiver. Texas actually rushed for 166 yards but went 1-of-5 on fourth down and 0-for-2 in the red zone, while Ohio State managed only 77 rushing yards and 2.3 YPC. The combination of elite defensive personnel, conservative quarterback deployment and an inability to finish drives completely suppressed what would normally be premium CFF assets.Manning and Sayin both have a full season under their belts and should be afforded greater freedom, so another 14-7 rock fight isn't the expectation. However, last year's game demonstrates how dramatically the CFF ceiling can collapse when these two defenses dictate terms. That makes Manning, Sayin and even WR Jeremiah Smith less automatic than their résumés suggest, while secondary options such as WR Ryan Wingo and Devin McCuin carry considerable risk if possessions and explosive plays are again limited.
The talent says shootout potential, but last year's 21-point slog provides enough evidence to temper CFF projections across the board.
