POWER CONFERENCES
One week after his All-World performance, TCU WR Eric McAlister left Friday’s game against Arizona State early due to an unspecified injury…the unmerciful pains of College Fantasy Football.
Rutgers RB Antwan Raymond has scored in all five games this season and has scored 2 TDs in four straight games.
Minnesota RB Fame Ijeboi got the start against Rutgers and finished with 37 rushing yards and a TD on 12 attempts. With a matchup against Ohio State next week, I do not see any waiver appeal.
Kansas State RB Dylan Edwards ran for 166 yards and a TD in the Wildcats’ 34-20 win against Central Florida. The question now is whether or not he can give his fantasy owners consistent production throughout the second half of the season.
Cincinnati WR Cyrus Allen has caught 5 TD passes in the last three games and has emerged as the Bearcats’ top wideout.
Maybe there was something to the Isaac Brown injury reports, as he finished with only 20 rushing yards on 14 attempts in Louisville’s 34-27 win at Pitt.
Notre Dame likely needs to run the table, and that means a lot of utilization for Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price in the weeks ahead.
Before the weekend I felt pretty good about Georgia Tech, but after their struggle against Wake Forest, I feel they will find themselves in a tough spot every week. QB Haynes King will have to carry the offense—they sink or swim with his production.
If looking for RB help over the next three weeks, Northwestern hosts Louisiana Monroe in Week 5 and Purdue in Week 7. Caleb Komolafe ran for 119 yards and a TD in the Wildcats’ 17-14 win over UCLA, so expect him to get similar utilization in those upcoming matchups.
Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson has thrown three or more TD passes in all five games this season.
Utah WR Ryan Davis has caught six or more passes in four straight games, while TE Dallen Bentley has caught a TD pass in three of five games. QB Devin Dampier has thrown 11 TD passes and only 3 INTs this year after 12 TD and 12 INT last year at New Mexico, but he is not nearly as productive as a runner compared to 2024. Last year he ran for 1,166 yards and 19 TDs, but this season has just 258 yards and 2 TDs through five games.
With QB Mark Gronowski vulturing rushing TDs, Iowa RB Kamari Moulton currently has moderate fantasy appeal, at best.
How much potential does Auburn QB Deuce Knight have? Maybe it’s time to find out. I’ve seen enough to recognize that Jackson Arnold is bad. Auburn’s defense had the Tigers in position to win at Oklahoma and at Texas A&M, but Arnold’s pocket awareness and decision-making has been terrible. Even though Auburn has a bye this week, I cannot see Knight starting against Georgia in Week 6, but that may be Arnold’s last chance to prove he can be a starting QB at the Power-Conference level.
Texas A&M RB Le’Veon Moss has gotten at least 20 rush attempts in each of the Aggies’ last two games.
Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss left no doubt about his QB1 status with the Rebels after Saturday’s win against LSU. However, WR Harrison Wallace has totaled only two receptions for 22 yards in the last two games, while teammate Cayden Lee has recorded at least 60 yards in three straight games.
It amazes me that in all the early-season Heisman talk, Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith hasn’t been mentioned. He is clearly one of the best players in the country. If you jumped on the Bo Jackson train early, good for you. After carrying the ball 17 times for 80 yards at Washington, it seems Jackson will be a fantasy factor throughout the second half of 2025.
There was a Chase Sowell sighting on Saturday, as the Iowa State WR caught 4 passes for 146 yards in the Cyclones’ 39-14 win against Arizona. Sowell’s four receptions matched his season total going into the weekend. I am not ready to re-commit to him being a fantasy factor, and I can say the same for RB Carson Hanson, who scored his first 2 TDs of the season on Saturday.
I have not been a fan of the Stanford offense or an advocate for RB Micah Ford. For those that started him against San Jose State, the play made sense, but now the Cardinal have a brutal four-week stretch (Bye, at SMU, Florida State, at Miami) and I do not see the appeal.
Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy = money! 💰
What a treat with the Penn State-Oregon and Alabama-Georgia games. Alabama RB Jam Miller is back and will likely be a fantasy factor depending on league depth. WR Ryan Williams would be living up to his preseason ranking had he not dropped 2-3 potential TDs this year. Germie Bernard is Alabama’s most versatile weapon and QB Ty Simpson has been very good. Nate Frazier’s fumble likely cost him the RB1 spot, as Chauncey Bowens just looks better and will be a hot waiver add. Georgia looks like it has moved away from TE utilization in the passing game. Penn State QB Drew Allar has not shown improvement in two seasons. The Nittany Lions’ offense is built to outmuscle opponents but struggles against teams that can match their size. My eyes tell me Allar is just a game-managing QB. Oregon QB Dante Moore has thrown three or more TDs in four of five games this year, using WR Dakorien Moore and TE Kenyon Sadiq well while leading the Ducks to a 5-of-7 mark on fourth downs.
South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers had more rushing yards against Kentucky (81) than in the first four games combined (17). He still did not account for a single TD and is not a fantasy option with the Gamecocks’ next six weeks (Bye, at LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama, at Ole Miss, Bye).
Kentucky RB Seth McGowan has scored at least one rushing TD in all four games this season.
NON-POWER CONFERENCES
The East Carolina WR combo of Yannick Smith and Anthony Smith were projected to be solid fantasy options this season, but the pair have a combined 3 TD receptions through five games. Last year, ECU QB Katin Houser attempted 216 passes which resulted in 18 TD passes. This year, he has attempted 180 passes, resulting in just 7 TDs.
Not only is North Texas a better team than most thought, but their success is making them a more balanced offense, which isn’t what fantasy managers wanted. RBs Caleb Hawkins (8) and Makenzie McGill (4) have combined for 12 TDs, while QB Drew Mestemaker has thrown only 11 TD passes in 5 games and has not passed for more than 250 yards against an FBS opponent this season.
Ohio WR Chase Hendricks has caught a TD pass in four straight games, but finishing with just one reception for 25 yards against Bowling Green was disappointing for fantasy owners. Ohio RB Sieh Bangura has fantasy momentum after posting back-to-back 100-yard rushing games.
Utah State QB Bryson Barnes produced for fantasy managers that trusted him at Vanderbilt and should remain a top option if he continues this pace.
With George Pettaway and Ayo Adeyi unavailable, James Madison RB Wayne Knight ran for 151 yards and a TD in the Dukes’ 35-10 win over Georgia Southern. Knight has rushed for at least 80 yards and a TD in three of four games this season.
UConn RB Cam Edwards has now scored at least one rushing TD in four of five games this season.
In Saturday’s 20-17 loss to UConn, Buffalo RB Al-Jay Henderson ran the ball 24 times for 63 yards, averaging 2.6 yards per attempt. Through five games, Henderson leads the team with 337 rushing yards on 96 attempts (3.5 YPC), down from 1,078 yards and 5.3 YPC last season. If Henderson is banged up, that October 11 bye week cannot come soon enough.
Toledo WR Junior Vandeross III has caught at least one TD pass in four of five games this season.
Miami (OH) RB Kenny Tracy will enter next week’s matchup at Northern Illinois with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games. WR Kam Perry has three 100-yard receiving games this season and is averaging 29.3 yards per catch.
Aside from the Washington State game, the San Diego State defense has allowed only 3 points in three other contests. They host Colorado State in Week 5 and should be ranked in the Top 25.
It’s worth noting that Telly Johnson had more rush attempts than Chavon Wright in Northern Illinois’ 6-3 loss to San Diego State. Wright did not have a rushing attempt after the 9:20 mark of the third quarter.
Add Tulane freshman RB Javin Gordon to your watchlist after his 15-78-3 performance against Tulsa.
If you have Air Force RB Dylan Carson on your roster, it may be time to move on. His 16-109-1 performance against Boise State was followed by an 11-yard game against Hawaii, showing consistency will be a major issue.
While Old Dominion QB Colton Joseph gets much attention, note that WR Ja’Cory Thomas has finished three straight games with 80+ yards receiving and RB Trequan Jones has rushed for at least 89 yards in three straight.
Western Michigan RB Jalen Buckley was questionable and did not play against Rhode Island after being expected to break out. Fantasy owners must decide whether to risk starting him next week at UMass or wait for clarity.
Memphis RB Greg Desrosiers had a monster game (19-204-3) against FAU, while Sutton Smith carried the ball seven times for 26 yards after back-to-back 100-yard games. Best ball managers can relax, but weekly lineup players face a tough decision against Tulsa next week.
Western Kentucky RB La’Vell Wright has scored 2 rushing TDs in back-to-back games, while QB Maverick McIvor has thrown just one TD pass in the last two weeks. The Hilltoppers’ passing game has cooled significantly.
Last week, I mentioned Missouri State QB Jacob Clark as a legit fantasy option, but he was injured against Western Kentucky and later returned to the sideline on crutches with a knee brace.
Appalachian State WR Jaden Barnes entered Saturday’s game at Boise State with 24 receptions in three games, but finished without a catch on three targets in the 47-14 loss.
One week after his big game at Air Force, Boise State RB Dylan Riley managed just 46 yards against Appalachian State. Sire Gaines led the Broncos with 69 rushing yards, but Riley had a team-high 16 carries.
In the last two games, Marshall RB Michael Allen has totaled 40 rush attempts for 218 yards and 3 TDs.
Louisiana QB Lunch Winfield accounted for 5 TDs (3 rushing) in the win over Marshall, throwing for 125 yards and rushing for 129 yards. The sophomore may have locked down the starting job.
If you stream DST, here are some Week 6 options to consider:
- South Florida v Charlotte
- BYU v West Virginia
- San Diego St. v Colorado St.
- Louisiana Tech at UTEP
- Virginia Tech v Wake Forest
- NC State v Campbell
- Northwestern v LA Monroe
