Risers & Flyers: Running Backs
After reviewing teams from across the country Purple Reign has identified players that look 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**
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HONORABLE MENTIONS
RISERS
Jo'Nathan Silver – Delaware
96.0 Fantasy Points In 2024
Silver spent 2024 as the team’s #2 running back and is poised to move into the starting role for 2025. Last year’s starter Marcus Yarns scored 188 fantasy points, with a large chunk of that production coming from receiving touch downs. This offense doesn’t hammer the ball on the ground which is evident in the combined carries for Yarns and Silver being 203 rushing attempts. The two did combine for nearly 30 receptions. Delaware may be playing from behind this season and increased passing production could help with Silver’s PPR value. I don’t foresee him being a top 40 fantasy back but he could still be someone worth taking a shot on at the very end of best ball drafts.
Omari Arnold – Georgia Southern
92.6 Fantasy Points In 2024
Arnold has spent the last two seasons as the RB2 in the Georgia Southern offense. The fantasy points he produced during those two years lines up with what the RB2’s did in 2022 and 2019 for head coach Clay Helton. Jalen White was the starter for the last three seasons and averaged 176 fantasy points per season. Without any real competition to challenge for the starting job, Arnold looks poised to take the mantle. He is likely to see carries in the 160 range like White did, but Arnold is a better pass catcher and brings better PPR value than White did. I wouldn’t be surprised if Arnold hits 1000 yards and 10 TDs on the ground with 200 yards and 2 TDs through the air.
Jalen Buckley – Western Michigan
141.0 Fantasy Points In 2024
Over the past two seasons Buckley has been slowly ascending the depth chart. As the RB3 in 2023, he rose to the RB2 role in 2024. Last year’s RB1 Jaden Nixon transferred leaving Buckley to take over the RB1 job. Just like I mentioned with Robert Henry, Buckley must find a way to break precedent to command a workload large enough to live up to his status as a Riser for 2025. Offensive coordinator Walt Bell has always utilized a two back philosophy going all the way back to 2018. The 2021 season at UMass is the only time where Bell’s RB1 had more than 170 carries. That year Ellis Merriweather had 218 carries while producing 177 fantasy points. Jaden Nixon last season produced 176 fantasy points on just 143 carries. If Buckley can increase his workload to 160 carries he could hit the 200 fantasy point threshold if he is as productive as Nixon was last year. He does have to contend with Zahir Abdus-Salaam in the RB2 role who has a talent level that is not that far off from Buckley.
FLYERS
Hayden Reed – Army
42.0 Fantasy Points In 2024
Reed has spent his career as a back-up for the Black Knights, but has logged 32 career game appearances over three seasons. In the team’s bowl game last season he was placed into the starting line-up and racked up 20 carries for 114 yards and 1 TD against Louisiana Tech. While he wasn’t named the starter in spring camp, he played that role with the #1 offense. His play also showed that he was the most consistent producer at fullback on the roster. Last season starting fullback Kanye Udoh ran the ball 179 times for 1117 yards and 10 TDs, showing that there is the opportunity for good fantasy production from the fullback in offensive coordinator Cody Worley’s system.
Nolan Ray – Maryland
62.5 Fantasy Points In 2024
The coaching staff at Maryland knew that Ray had talent and last season used him as a rotation back to give him game time experience. He played in 12 games and carried the ball 75 times. The coaches knew that starting running back Roman Hemby might leave for the NFL or the portal in the offseason which he eventually did. With no real competition in sight, Ray moves up into the starting line-up for 2025. Ray is probably a hit or miss Flyer option. Head coach Mike Locksley has only had one running back carry the ball for more than 145+ carries one time going all the way back to 2018. Hemby logged 188 carries in 2022 and scored 211 fantasy points. Two other backs have scored 170+ fantasy points in Locksley’s history but they did that with 128 and 120 carries. Ray should command a large percentage of the carry distribution, but can this Maryland team stay competitive enough in games where the running game can remain in the play calling game script? That question will end up determining Ray’s fantasy outlook this season.
Trevion Cooley – Troy
3.5 Fantasy Points In 2024
The spring transfer portal was not kind to the Troy ground game, losing star running back Damien Taylor. The coaches needed to find a replacement and they found Trevion Cooley from Georgia Tech. In four seasons at Tech and Louisville he holds a career average of 4.7 yards per carry which should only increase at the Group Of 5 level of competition. Head coach Gerad Parker has a history of splitting carries and using a workhorse back. Jordan Lovett is the closest competition on this roster, but I feel like Cooley’s talent level is higher and he has a decent shot of getting the lions share of carries.
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