Risers & Flyers: Quarterbacks
After reviewing teams from across the country Purple Reign has identified players that will take a leap in their fantasy value for the 2025 College Fantasy Football season. These players are divided into two groups:
RISERS
These are players that have some form of past statistic production. These players have a high fantasy floor, presenting less risk when drafting them. The lower risk associated with these players makes them worth drafting in the first two thirds of your fantasy drafts.
FLYERS
These are players that have limited to no past statistical production. These players have a low fantasy floor, presenting more risk when drafting them. The higher risk associated with these players makes them worth drafting in the final third of your fantasy drafts.
**This article will be updated as position battles sort themselves out through the summer**
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HONORABLE MENTIONS
RISERS
Jackson Arnold – Auburn
174.0 Fantasy Points In 2024
When the 2024 season kicked off Jackson Arnold was the starting quarterback for Oklahoma. The offense was disastrous and Arnold saw himself get benched and get put back in as the year wore on. The turmoil of that season was enough to force Arnold to move on, where he signed with Auburn in the winter transfer portal. He entered spring camp as the QB1 and solidified the starting job as his. Head coach Hugh Freeze has only had one big-time fantasy quarterback, and that was Malik Willis at Liberty in 2021. Don’t expect those same numbers from Arnold this season, but he has a chance to crack 300 fantasy points as he has a loaded receiver core on this year’s team.
DJ Lagway – Florida
135.8 Fantasy Points In 2024
In mid-October the starting quarterback job was handed to Lagway with high hopes for a turnaround from the fan base. Lagway played admirably but failed to reach any real fantasy success. In six games as the starter he never cracked 20 fantasy points in a game and battled injuries during that time. He only had one interception in his first three starts, but threw five interceptions over the last three starts. Lagway has been recovering from a shoulder injury during the offseason and didn’t get much work done in the spring. There is still optimism for 2025. Head coach Billy Napier’s starting quarterbacks from 2019-2022 averaged 288 fantasy points per season. There’s a lot of room for growth between those numbers and Lagway’s fantasy numbers from 2024. Just don’t get your expectations up too high.
Hunter Watson – Sam Houston State
239.2 Fantasy Points In 2024
Hunter Watson was the starting quarterback last season for the Bearkats in a year where the offense struggled to produce. Phil Longo was hired as the team’s new head coach in the offseason, giving fantasy owners new hope for the Sam Houston offense. Watson is the best quarterback on this roster, and Longo is going to have to help Watson improve on his 12/8 TD to INT ratio from 2024. The key to the fantasy success of a Longo quarterback is rushing production. Watson ran the ball 168 times for 647 yards and 9 TDs last season, making him a perfect fit to run this new offense.
FLYERS
Dewayne Coleman – Army
29.6 Fantasy Points In 2024
Dewayne Coleman has grinded away in the Army football program, just waiting for his time to shine. This spring saw the quarterback position opened up for a competition. Coleman was the QB2 in 2024 and entered this spring as the favorite. The coaches rotated all the quarterbacks through the first team offense during spring practice, giving all challengers an equal chance to show what they’re made of. Coleman was consistently the top producer throughout the spring and while he hasn’t been named the official starter you can bank on him as the QB1. After Bryson Daily scored 435 fantasy points last season, the potential for another strong showing out of the Army offense is too enticing to not take a chance on in your fantasy drafts.
Conner Harrell – Charlotte
31.6 Fantasy Points in 2024
Over the last two seasons Conner Harrell has played in limited action, throwing a total of 70 passes for 552 yards, 4 TDs and 3 INTs. A coaching change was made this offseason and Tim Albin was hired as the new head coach. Harrell entered the spring with redemption in mind, and by the time spring camp ended he was viewed as the hands-down favorite to be the starting quarterback. Albin has a rich history of producing fantasy relevant quarterbacks from his time at Ohio. His preference for a dual-threat signal caller should grab the attention of fantasy owners. While Harrell’s playing time has been limited, he does hold a 3.4 yards per carry career average which shows he can be featured as a rushing threat.
Tayven Jackson – UCF
56.7 Fantasy Points In 2024
In two years at Indiana the best statistical performance that Jackson had in the air was 914 yards, 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Former head coach Scott Frost was hired back to UCF and that helped convince Jackson that UCF could be a place where he could play. He had a good spring, and while not being named the starter he outshined all other quarterbacks in spring camp. From 2018-2021 Adrian Martinez was a fantasy worthy quarterback while playing within Frost’s offensive scheme. His best season was 2021 where Martinez scored 309 fantasy points. 300 fantasy points might be too high of a bar for Jackson to reach in 2025 but his talents fit this system well.
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