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. 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
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.
Cartevious Norton – South Florida
96.8 Fantasy Points In 2024
Norton started his career at Iowa State but after two minimal seasons transferred to Charlotte in 2024. During that season he ran the ball 129 times for 525 yards and 7 TDs. He transferred to South Florida during the winter and is the only running back on the roster with a good history of game experience and moderate statistical production. Head coach Alex Golesh has typically had two talented running backs which has created a career history of split production from the backfield. We did see in 2023 that he would feature one running back, giving his RB1 180 carries. That might be a good mark to look at for Norton’s potential workload in 2025. The key to Norton’s fantasy potential this season will be how many rushing touch downs quarterback Byrum Brown syphons away.
Jevon Jackson – UAB
131.3 Fantasy Points In 2024
In 2024 Jevon Jackson made the move from the FCS level to playing at UTEP. As the starting RB he gained 754 yards and 4 TDs on the ground. Finding the endzone in the UTEP offense was difficult for Jackson, and he decided to part ways with the team in the winter and joined the UAB squad. Under head coach Trent Dilfer the offense has had the tendency to utilize two backs, with the RB1 getting a larger share of the workload. Jackson stands out as better than any of back on the roster, and potentially could get a larger share of the workload than we’ve seen the last two years.
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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