Fantasy football is basically a lie. We spend all summer staring at Heisman Trophy odds and watching "top 10" highlight reels on YouTube, thinking that's how we win our leagues. It isn't. Winning your 2025 college fantasy football league requires you to stop caring about who is the "best" football player and start caring about who is the most exploited asset in a high-octane system.
Honestly, the gap between a "good" college player and a "fantasy god" is wider than the gap between a mid-tier bowl game and the Playoff. You’ve seen it before. A quarterback throws for 4,000 yards but his coach runs a snail-paced offense, so he finishes as QB15. Meanwhile, some dual-threat kid in the Mountain West is racking up 15 rushing touchdowns because his offensive coordinator treats the QB like a glorified fullback.
That’s what 2025 is about.
The Quarterback Tier: Manning, Sayin, and the "System" Kings
Let's talk about the Arch Manning of it all. Everyone is obsessed. He’s a Manning, he’s at Texas, and he finally has the keys to Steve Sarkisian's Ferrari. In most 2025 college fantasy football rankings, he’s going to be a top-three pick. Is he a great real-life prospect? Obviously. But for fantasy? You’re betting on the system. Sark loves his screens. He loves vertical shots. Manning is going to eat, but don't be shocked if a guy like Fernando Mendoza at Indiana actually outscores him.
Mendoza just won the Heisman. Think about that. Indiana.
He finished 2025 with 33 passing touchdowns and 5 rushing scores, leading the Hoosiers to an undefeated regular season. He’s the prototypical "high floor" fantasy asset. If you’re drafting today, you have to decide: do you want the pedigree of Manning or the proven, boring efficiency of Mendoza?
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Then there’s Julian Sayin at Ohio State. He was neck-and-neck with Mendoza all year until the Big Ten title game. 31 touchdowns against only 6 interceptions. He’s basically a surgeon. But here’s the rub: Ohio State is so talented that sometimes they just stop throwing because they’re up by 40. That's the fantasy killer.
The Dual-Threat Cheat Code
If you want to win, you find the runners.
- LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina): He’s basically a create-a-player. Big, rugged, and runs like a deer. Experts compared his 2025 ceiling to Cam Newton for a reason.
- Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt): The ultimate "ugly" fantasy starter. He might throw two picks, but he’ll run for 160 yards and a score. He finished third in FBS total offense with over 4,000 yards.
- John Mateer (Oklahoma): A transfer portal gem who popped off for 29 passing TDs and 15 rushing scores. That rushing production is gold.
Running Backs: It's a Jeremiyah Love World
Jeremiyah Love is a freak. There’s no other way to put it.
The Notre Dame star carried the Irish to the national title game and finished 2025 with 21 total touchdowns, breaking Jerome Bettis’ school record. In a PPR (points per reception) world, Love is the 1.01. Period. He’s not just a thumper; he’s a legitimate receiving threat who forced missed tackles at a 38% rate.
But behind him, the rankings get weird.
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You have Isaac Brown at Louisville, who basically became the ACC's version of Jahmyr Gibbs. Then you have Nicholas Singleton at Penn State. Singleton is frustrating because he shares carries with Kaytron Allen, but his "big play" potential is so high it almost doesn't matter.
If you miss out on the elite tier, look at Ahmad Hardy at Missouri. He quietly put up 1,649 rushing yards. He doesn't get the TV time of the Notre Dame or Ohio State guys, but the volume is undeniable. Fantasy is a volume game. If a guy is getting 20 touches, you start him.
The "Freshman" Trap and the Jeremiah Smith Exception
Usually, I tell people to avoid true freshmen. They hit a "rookie wall" in November. Their coaches bench them for missed blocks.
Jeremiah Smith is the exception that proves the rule.
He was the best receiver in college football as a teenager. 15 touchdowns. Over 1,300 yards. He’s 6'3", 215 pounds, and he makes DBs look like they’re playing in slow motion. If he’s on the board in the second round, you take him and you don't look back.
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Ryan Williams at Alabama is the only other "youngster" in that stratosphere. He’s a bit smaller but faster, a pure route-running technician who could easily double his freshman production now that he's the Alpha in Tuscaloosa.
Sleepers You’re Probably Ignoring
Everyone knows the big names. You win your league in the 9th round by drafting guys like Harold Fannin Jr., the tight end from Bowling Green who transferred to the big stage. Or Sawyer Robertson at Baylor, who took over for an injured Dequan Finn and never looked back.
And don't sleep on Devon Dampier at Utah. Now that the "Cam Rising Era" is officially over, Dampier is the guy. He’s got that "first cool breeze of fall" energy—dynamic, fast, and playing in a system that finally wants to open things up.
2025 Actionable Strategy
Stop drafting for "talent" and start drafting for "touches."
If you're sitting at the draft table, your priority should be securing a running quarterback early—someone like Sellers or Pavia—because their rushing floor saves you on bad passing weeks. Follow that with a high-volume back like Jeremiyah Love or Ahmad Hardy.
Check the coaching changes too. Ben Johnson taking over an offense or a new OC at a place like Arizona State (keep an eye on Sam Leavitt) can turn a mid-tier player into a top-10 fantasy asset overnight.
Go look at the 2025 stat leaders from the mid-major conferences. Names like John Mateer and Blake Horvath might not be household names on ESPN, but they'll be the ones holding the trophy in your fantasy league. Narrow your focus to the players who stay on the field for 90% of snaps. That's the only ranking that actually matters.