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.
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.
**This article will be updated as position battles sort themselves out through the summer**
HONORABLE MENTION: 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.
HONORABLE MENTION: 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.
RISERS
Darian Mensah – Duke
229.3 Fantasy Points In 2024
Mensah played the 2024 season at Tulane and put up pretty good numbers, throwing for 2723 yards, 22 TDs, and 6 INT. Tulane’s offense is not known for fantasy quarterbacks, making his play that much more impressive. Duke was in need of a new starting quarterback for it’s pass heavy, spread concept. Duke threw the ball 421 times last season compared to the 287 pass attempts Mensah had in 2024. The sheer volume increase makes me optimistic about Mensah’s fantasy future. The wide receiver core is all brand new so he’ll need some playmakers to develop out of that group.
Katin Houser – East Carolina
192.7 Fantasy Points In 2024
Houser began the 2024 season as the back-up quarterback for the Pirates but by October 19th took over the starting job and never let go. He scored 33, 31, and 48 fantasy points in his first three starts but cooled off after numerous top receivers dealt with injuries. Houser had a decent spring and his top competition entered the transfer portal. With the starting job firmly secured for 2025, Houser will look for more consistency in his play as he tries to become a top 20 fantasy quarterback. With young but talented receivers and an offensive system that will throw the ball 350+ times, he has a pretty good chance of becoming a top 20 fantasy quarterback.
Thomas Castellanos – Florida State
149.7 Fantasy Points In 2024
The coaching change that occurred at Boston College last season was not the right fit for Castellanos. The offense wanted to transition into a pocket passing style of quarterback play, and he makes his fantasy living off of his legs. This last offseason Florida State hired Gus Malzahn as the new offensive coordinator, which definitely enticed Castellanos to transfer to Tallahassee. Malzahn’s offense revolves around a dual-threat quarterback, and Castellanos is likely to receive 100+ carries this season. I foresee a wide range of outcomes for his 2025 performance, making him a riskier Riser option to draft. If you believe in rushing quarterbacks for your fantasy teams, Castellanos is someone you should target.
Miller Moss – Louisville
187.9 Fantasy Points In 2024
Moss spent the 2024 season playing at USC. He began the year as the starting quarterback but was benched in his nineth game of the season. Moss scored 25+ fantasy points in only 33% of his starts. His play was plagued by interceptions as he averaged two or more INTs in 66% of his starts. Moss saw the writing on the wall after being benched and transferred to Louisville. He spent the entire spring camp as the first team signal caller and looks to be a better fit inside head coach Jeff Brohm’s offense. Brohm is known as a passing coach but going back to 2018 none of his quarterbacks have scored 300 fantasy points. This offense will definitely help Moss raise his fantasy performance from the 188 fantasy points he scored last year.
Brendon Lewis – Memphis
292.3 Fantasy Points In 2024
Lewis had floundered in his college career at Colorado and Nevada until the 2024 season when broke-out in a big way making plays with his arm and his legs. He carried the ball 157 times, averaging 4.9 yards per carry, and scoring 8 TDs on the ground. When he transferred to Memphis in the offseason many college fantasy analysts scratched their head about the system fit for Lewis. Offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey is know for high volume passing, but when you dig into the numbers he also lets his QB run the ball. Over the last three seasons the Cramsey QB1 has averaged 106 rushing attempts per season. Lewis may not throw for 3500 yards like we’re used to from Memphis’ offense, but his ability as a rusher might make him the best fantasy quarterback that Cramsey has ever had.
LaNorris Sellers – South Carolina
282.7 Fantasy Points In 2024
An ankle injury and an undisclosed injury held Sellers’ production in check at the beginning of the 2024 season. It wasn’t until the month of November that he was healthy and we could see what he could do as a fantasy star. He wrapped up the 2024 campaign with 30+ fantasy point performances in four of his last six games, all while flashing an athletic ability that might be the best in college football at the quarterback position. There are huge expectations for Sellers in 2025 as he has consistently been the #1 fantasy quarterback taken in fantasy drafts this offseason. Questions remain about what direction the offense will take under new offensive coordinator Mike Shula, but as long as Sellers is still allowed to run his fantasy ceiling will remain extremely high.
Arch Manning – Texas
111.7 Fantasy Points In 2024
Manning was the back-up quarterback last season but he did receive two starts when Quinn Ewers was injured. His first start was against UL-Monroe and Texas blew them out in a fashion where Manning didn’t put up big fantasy numbers. The next week against Mississippi State he exploded with 33 fantasy points, scoring 2 TDs in the air and one on the ground. Manning showed he is a dual-threat quarterback, averaging 4.3 yards per carry last year. He enters 2025 as the unquestioned starter but will be breaking in a brand new receiving core. There will be no breaking in period for Manning this fall as he played in ten games last season. If he is allowed to run the ball 65+ times Manning could put up huge numbers.
Marcel Reed – Texas A&M
233.9 Fantasy Points In 2024
Reed is another player who started 2024 as the back-up but worked his way into the starting role. His play was very up and down, typically relying on his ability as a rusher more than his passing ability. He did register five games with 25+ fantasy points, but struggled with interceptions in his last five games of the season. The hopes are that his decision making will improve in 2025, and the offense has been upgraded with a crop of new talented receivers to throw to. In 2023 offensive coordinator Collin Klein guided Will Howard to a 304 fantasy point season at Kansas State, giving us an idea that a 300 fantasy point season is not unheard in this offense.
Jayden Maiava – USC
102.7 Fantasy Points In 2024
Last season Maiava had to bide his time on the bench until mid-November when he took over the starting quarterback job. He came out firing in his first start scoring nearly 29 fantasy points. He would only reach 25+ fantasy points once more that year. You could see that Maiava was talented but still raw in his four games as the starter, and having an offseason to polish his game will definitely help. He can run the ball when he needs to, but he isn’t the scrambling quarterback that fantasy owners have come to love in head coach Lincoln Riley's offense. He did score rushing TDs in two games last year, but with five rushing attempts or less each game. If he is allowed to run the ball with more frequency he could have tremendous fantasy value in 2025.
FLYERS
Ty Simpson – Alabama
18.7 Fantasy Points In 2024
Simpson spent his first three years at Alabama watching from the sidelines. With only 16 games of mop-up duty under his belt, he entered spring camp fighting for the starting quarterback job. Throughout the spring Simpson consistently ran reps with the first team offense, and he started the “spring game” as the #1 quarterback. It appears that the QB1 job is Simpson’s entering fall camp. The quarterback position in head coach Kalen DeBoer’s offense has been a strong fantasy asset. Since 2018 DeBoer’s QB1 averages 342 fantasy points per season. The offense will shift away from the run focused play calling of 2024 and into a more traditional play calling approach for DeBoer’s system. This will benefit Simpson’s fantasy outlook in 2025 as its likely he should see 425+ pass attempts.
Austin Simmons – Mississippi
23.5 Fantasy Points In 2024
When Simmons signed with Mississippi out of high school he knew that he would be groomed to become the eventual successor to Jaxson Dart. Last season Simmons saw action in nine games but only had 32 pass attempts and 5 carries. From the start of spring camp Simmons was treated as the QB1 despite the fact the coaches did not make an official announcement on the starting job. As spring practice played out it was apparent that Simmons is the man to run the offense in 2025. There’s a chance that Simmons comes up short of 300 fantasy points just as Jaxson Dart did in his first season as a starter. But Simmons has more talent across the offense to support him, giving him a chance that he could exceed that 300 fantasy point mark.
Beau Pribula – Missouri
79.9 Fantasy Points In 2024
The last two seasons at Penn State saw Pribula in the role of QB2. After the team was eliminated from college football playoffs, starting quarterback Drew Allar announced he would return in 2025 so Pribula entered the transfer portal. He signed with Missouri and spring camp showed a two-man competition playing out between him and Sam Horn. While Pribula is the more talented of these two he wasn’t able to create separation from Horn. Pribula looks to be a perfect fit for offensive coordinator Kirby Moore’s offense which has featured an average of 100 quarterback rushing attempts over the past two seasons. Until we hear definitive word that the quarterback job is Pribula’s, you should make him the last quarterback you select in your fantasy drafts.
Reese Poffenbarger – North Texas
2.2 Fantasy Points In 2024
To call Poffenbarger a “journeyman” would be an understatement. He spent one year at Old Dominion, two years at Albany, and one year at Miami, Florida before making his way to North Texas this winter. Drew Mestemaker started the team’s bowl game and both came into spring camp battling for the starting job. Both have split reps with the #1 offense but it has been Poffenbarger that would come out first with the #1 offense in all the scrimmages. Fantasy owners know that you should target the QB1 for head coach Eric Morris as they’ve averaged 327 fantasy points over the last two seasons.
Dante Moore – Oregon
3.0 Fantasy Points In 2024
Moore started his collegiate career at UCLA and started as a true freshman. The offense that season was awful and Moore looked like he was rushed into the starting role too early in his college career. After that season he transferred to Oregon and spent 2024 learning behind Dillon Gabriel. Head coach Dan Lanning has been tight lipped on how the quarterback competition has been going through spring practice, so I’m working off the assumption that Moore becomes the starter. Last season was a down year for the quarterback position under offensive coordinator Will Stein. It was the first time that he fielded a quarterback that failed to score 400 fantasy points. Even if Moore can hit 325 fantasy points, he will be a valuable fantasy quarterback. Until we hear concrete information on him being the starter, wait longer than you think you should before taking Moore in your fantasy drafts.
