College football season is approaching fast, making it the perfect time for fantasy players to join a league and start drafting. Although fantasy college football is not as popular and talked about as regular fantasy football, it still offers much of the same excitement and intrigue. Here is a positional breakdown for the upcoming season to help guide both new and seasoned players.
Quarterback
1. Kaidon Salter - Liberty
Salter offers arguably the most well-rounded skill set of any quarterback on the board, making him a likely fantasy darling. Salter finished 2023 with 44 total touchdowns and just shy of 4,000 total yards, which is good enough for him to win Conference USA MVP. Playing in a weaker conference in a system tailored to his skill set gives him the most upside.
2. Dillon Gabriel - Oregon
Gabriel is one of the most high-profile quarterbacks in the country and is listed among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. He threw for 30 touchdowns and 3,660 yards last season, adding 12 more touchdowns on the ground. He’s an elite player on one of college football’s best teams.
3. Byrum Brown - South Florida
Yet another dual-threat QB, Brown had 38 total touchdowns and exceeded 4,000 yards. The 19-year-old Junior’s 11 interceptions last season caused him to fall to the third spot.
4. Jordan McCloud - Texas State
Turning 25 in November, McCloud is one of the oldest starting quarterbacks in the nation. Having previously played at South Florida and Arizona to unspectacular numbers, McCloud exploded last season in his first season with James Madison. He threw for 35 touchdowns and ran for eight more, all while hovering around the 4,000 total-yard mark. Now, at Texas State, all signs are pointing to another stellar season for the fifth-year senior.
5. Jalen Milroe - Alabama
Milroe impressed in his first season as the Alabama starter, collecting 23 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns. It’s highly likely that Milroe’s stats could see a spike in 2024 now that the Crimson Tide have an offensive-minded coach at the helm. Like Dillon Gabriel, Milroe is ranked highly in the Heisman odds.
Running Back
1. Ollie Gordon - Oklahoma State
No surprise here, as Gordon is widely regarded as the best running back in college football. Gordon cemented his elite status last season, rushing for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns. He’s the Christian McCaffrey of college fantasy and should be drafted first overall almost unanimously.
2. Ashton Jeanty - Boise State
Junior Ashton Jeanty is coming off a stellar season in which he made a serious impact in both the running and receiving game for Boise State. Jeanty ran for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023 and added 569 yards and five touchdowns as a pass catcher. He’s the second-best running back option after Ollie Gordon.
3. Devin Neal - Kansas
There’s a large amount of hype surrounding Kansas this season, and a good amount of it is due to their star running back. Neal had 16 rushing touchdowns last season and over 1,200 yards. He’s not as much of a threat in the receiving game as Jeanty, making him a slightly less attractive option (but still an excellent one nonetheless).
4. Omarion Hampton - North Carolina
Hampton rushed for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. His exemplary season was enough for him to be named First-team All-American and First-team All-ACC. He's yet another elite running back option who should be picked very highly.
5. Phil Mafah - Clemson
Mafah’s stats in 2023 were significantly cut into by fellow running back Will Shipley, who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. Even while splitting touches, Mafah was still able to find the endzone 13 times on the ground. Now that Mafah is Clemson’s main guy, his numbers should show a sizable uptick.
Wide Receiver
1. Luther Burden - Missouri
Missouri’s Luther Burden cracks the top ranking among wide receivers. He had 86 receptions for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023, good enough to make First-team All-SEC. Burden also had 100 receiving yards in five consecutive games at one point during the season.
2. Tetairoa McMillan - Arizona
Tetairoa McMillan has produced ever since his freshman season where he averaged 18 yards per catch. Last season, McMillan had 90 catches for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns. As the numbers indicate, there isn’t much to separate Burden and McMillan at the top.
3. Ricky White - UNLV
The only FBS players who had more receiving yards than UNLV’s Ricky White in 2023 were Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers, who were both drafted within the top 10 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. White’s 1,483 receiving yards to go with 88 catches and eight receiving touchdowns make him one of the most dynamic receivers in the country.
4. Tory Horton - Colorado State
Colorado State’s Tory Horton likely has better longevity than any receiver in the country. Coming off consecutive seasons eclipsing 1,100 receiving yards, Horton has been a producer for some time now. He also boasts 239 catches and 26 receiving touchdowns in his college career.
5. Joey Hobert - Texas State
There’s a bit of a drop-off between the 4th and 5th spots. Hobert had 76 receptions for 895 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Those numbers are still quite good, but not at the level of the top four players on this board.
