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Mike's top Week 1 team offense and defense streamers - college fantasy football OFF, DEF pickups, streamers and starts for 2026. Target these fantasy CFB streaming options with strong matchups.
We not only get a full week of college football games, but we get five straight days of high-quality college football. We have 91 college football games between Thursday and Monday this week.
There aren't many teams with "bad" matchups in Week 1, but considering some teams have a ridiculously easy FCS opponent or a bottom-tier FBS opponent (UMass), you can pick up a few extra points on your league-mates by taking advantage of these easier matchups.
Like most of us, your drafts are done, and waivers for Week 1 are ready to be processed. It can be difficult to drop a player that you drafted before most have even played a game, but this is what the back of your bench is for. We'll highlight some team offense and team defense adds for Week 1 in college fantasy football. Teams featured are 25% rostered or lower on Yahoo! leagues.
Waiver Wire Adds Week 1 - Team Offense
Arizona State OFF
7% rostered
The new-look Arizona State offense will get a soft landing this week against Morgan State. The Bears finished 4-8 in 2025, including a 60-0 loss against Toledo.
This Arizona State offense is unproven, but it's also better than Toledo. Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley will start at quarterback. He struggled with turnovers last year as a freshman, but we have seen what Kenny Dillingham and his staff can get out of quarterbacks.
Cutter Boley (@cutterBoley) COMPLETE 2025 Kentucky Highlights.
- 191/301 CMP/ATT
- 65.8 CMP%
- 2,160 YDS
- 15 TD
- 12 INT
- 63.3 QBRhttps://t.co/2eRLDXta9b pic.twitter.com/Wk19CR1aY5— Daniel Hager (@DanielHagerOn3) November 30, 2025
Sam Leavitt is a great example, but look what they got out of journeyman Jeff Sims when Leavitt went down last October. This team is potent in the backfield with Kyson Brown and Demarius Robinson.
The new WR corps of Reed Harris (673 yards at Boston College in 2025), Omarion Miller (808 yards at Colorado in 2025), and Raiden Vines-Bright (238 yards as a freshman at Washington) brings a lot to the table. This offense could put up a lot of touchdowns in Week 1.
Kansas State OFF
6% rostered
A lot is expected of the Kansas State offense with former Wildcat QB Collin Klein coming back to Manhattan as the head coach. QB Avery Johnson has played his entire career there and is a similar QB to Klein.
There are some questions after the loss of star receiver Jayce Brown to LSU, but RB Joe Jackson is finally healthy this year, and star TE Garrett Oakley returns. The Wildcats picked up Josh Manning from Missouri and Izaiah Williams from Texas A&M to replace Brown.
Nicholls State was 4-8 last year, with the worst loss being a 35-3 loss against Texas State. Kansas State has the potential to put up 50 points here. Can your current offense do that?
Oklahoma OFF
6% rostered
I understand why the Oklahoma offense isn't on more rosters. The schedule is brutal, even early in the season. Not in Week 1. Oklahoma faces a UTEP team that went 2-10 last year and allowed at least 30 points in each of the last five games of the season.
The Oklahoma offense struggled with an injured John Mateer last year. The run game was mostly ineffective behind a questionable line. This is a good matchup for Oklahoma, and reports out of camp have been promising. There is upside here.
Arizona OFF
4% rostered
I really like this Arizona offense. Noah Fifita is entering Year 4 as the starter in Tucson. All of them are in the same system. Fifita threw for 29 touchdowns last year with just six interceptions. As we've seen from Yahoo scoring, it favors teams that take care of the ball.
Northern Arizona went 7-5 in 2025, but they also allowed at least 30 points in seven of 12 games. Arizona returns Tre Spivey with Fifita. The RB room of Kedrick Reescano and Ismail Mahdi is reportedly still intact.
Arizona just got a whole lot better ?
Their RB1 from last year, Ismail Mahdi, is returning to the program. The fifth-year RB has ran for 3,640 yards and 19 touchdowns with 839 yards receiving and 6 receiving touchdowns in his career. pic.twitter.com/HS17ZPfzIP
— College Football Alerts (@CFBAlerts_) August 10, 2026
Mahdi is involved in one of the many class action suits for the 2022 recruiting class requesting a fifth season. Unlike the negative impact of LSU in this respect, Mahdi was not in NFL camps. He will likely be allowed to play in the Week 1 game.
This is a potent Arizona offense that averaged 407.6 yards per game and 31.5 points per game in 2025. They have a lot of upside in this one, even if Arizona waits to play Mahdi until the court case is complete.
Maryland OFF
0% rostered
QB Malik Washington looked good as a true freshman last year. RB DeJuan Williams returns to the backfield. This isn't an offense that can go toe-to-toe with the best defenses in the Big Ten (18), but they can sure put up points on Hampton.
The Hawks finished 2-10 last season, despite not playing an FBS team. They allowed more than 50 points twice. Those were against upper-tier FCS competition (William and Mary and Villanova), but we have no reason to believe that Maryland's offense isn't at least that good.
Other offenses to consider: Missouri vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Vanderbilt vs. Austin Peay, Minnesota vs. Eastern Illinois
Waiver Wire Adds Week 1 - Team Defense
Tennessee DEF
13% rostered
Tennessee draws a Furman team that went 6-6 in FCS last year. Their only game against an FBS opponent was against Clemson. The Paladins scored 10 points.
The Volunteers allowed 17 points to East Tennessee State last year in a blowout win, but this defense got better as the season went on. The Vols only allowed nine points to New Mexico State and 11 points to Florida last November.
Points allowed for defenses, especially in college fantasy, don't tell the whole story. Sacks and interceptions are where you make your points. Tennessee should get plenty of those in Week 1.
Arizona DEF
3% rostered
Arizona played a similar opponent to Northern Arizona last year in Weber State. Arizona held the Wildcats to just three points. They picked up two sacks and two interceptions, returning one of those for a touchdown.
If the Arizona defense is anywhere near that in Week 1 this year, it will be one of the highest-scoring defensive units in college fantasy.
Maryland DEF
2% rostered
It's fair to worry about defenses that aren't traditionally strong, but matchups matter. Hampton was a bad team last year.
It's not like Maryland's defense was awful last season. The Terrapins compiled 27 sacks and 19 interceptions in the 2025 season. Sack leaders Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis both return this season.
Jamare Glasker tied for the team lead with four interceptions last year. He returns along with Lavain Scruggs in the secondary. The Maryland defense can make some noise with an inferior opponent in Week 1.
Minnesota DEF
2% rostered
Anthony Smith (#0) has the potential to be a killer using speed to power due to his size and explosiveness. It still needs refinement, but the flashes are there. pic.twitter.com/U3VamF5N30
— Brian Maafi (@BmaafiNFL) October 23, 2025
The Gophers didn't pick off a lot of passes last year (nine), but they racked up 39 sacks. Anthony Smith picked up 12.5 of them. He is back to lead the defensive line. Minnesota returns 28.5 of those 39 sacks this year.
They'll be able to get after Eastern Illinois in this one. John Nestor had six of Minnesota's nine interceptions last year. He also returns to lead an underrated unit, at least in Week 1.
Virginia Tech DEF
1% rostered
The Hokies may have the best defensive matchup of Week 1. VMI only won one game last year, and it was against a Division II opponent. The Keydets only scored more than 14 points in three games last season.
Virginia Tech should have its way in this one. We saw James Franklin put together some good defenses at Penn State. His first one at Virginia Tech should at least be solid.
Other defenses to consider: Arizona State vs. Morgan State, Rutgers vs. Massachusetts, Kentucky vs. Youngstown State
