Risers & Flyers: Wide Receivers
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 these them.
**This article will be updated as position battles sort themselves out through the summer**
HONORABLE MENTION: RISERS
Josh Dallas – Georgia Southern
126.1 Fantasy Points in 2024
After spending two seasons as a back-up at Georgia Southern, Dallas broke into the starting line-up in 2024 and was the WR1 in the offense. This offense is known for high volume of targets for its WR1 but Dallas only received 66 targets which he turned into 46 receptions for 614 yards and 6 TDs. His fantasy performance improved in the second half of the season while first time starter at quarterback JC French’s play was getting worse. Both Dallas and French are back in 2025 and the hopes that French improves his play should translate into more fantasy success for Dallas. From 2022-2023 the WR1’s for head coach Clay Helton have averaged 166 fantasy points with a ceiling of 177 fantasy points.
Chris Dawn – Texas State
98.3 Fantasy Points in 2024
2024 was the second season for Dawn at Texas State, and the first year of him being in the starting-up. He finished the year as the offense’s WR3, with a modest 37 receptions for 418 yards and 6 TDs. The top two receivers from last season are gone, and Dawn looks to become the top receiver for 2025. The quarterback position is going through a long position battle to find a starter and we don’t know if the eventual winner will hurt or help the passing game. Head coach G.J. Kinne can produce successful fantasy receivers, with his WR1 averaging 179 fantasy points. The targets of his WR1’s has been shrinking from 114 to 99 to 70. This is an area of concern for Dawn if this trend continues.
Junior Vandeross – Toledo
169.2 Fantasy Points in 2024
Vandeross has been a regular on the field during his three seasons at Toledo. His first season saw him play in ten games but only logged one reception. His second season he got 76 targets, and last season he registered 124 targets for 85 receptions for 957 yards and 5 TDs. Last season’s top receiver Jerjuan Newton has moved on and Vandeross is ready for the WR1 spotlight. We saw a glimpse of what we could expect this season during the final two games of 2024. Vandeross had 29 targets for 23 reception, 278 yards and 1 TD over those two games. Starting quarterback Tucker Gleason returns and his stellar play provided the best passing game that head coach Jason Candle has seen going back to 2018. The ceiling for Vandeross might be 200 fantasy points so his room as a Riser is more limited than others on this list.
HONORABLE MENTION: FLYERS
Bryson Graves – Coastal Carolina
60.4 Fantasy Points in 2024
While Jameson Tucker was the leading receiver last season (and he returns for 2025), I’m looking at Graves to be the potential WR1 this year. Last year Graves saw action in 12 games and logged a minimal 38 targets for 27 receptions, 327 yards and 2 TDs. The offense struggled last year and forced a change with new offensive coordinator Drew Hollingshead being hired to right the ship. Hollingshead in two seasons at Western Kentucky feature both a slot and outside receiver as the WR1. While we don’t have a clear trend for WR role, we’ve seen the slot receiver as the more fantasy successful in this offensive system. From a talent standpoint Graves and Tucker are pretty similar. Since Tucker doesn’t hold a talent advantage and he’s an outside receiver, I’m going to place my bet on Graves in the slot.
Sean “JR” Wilson – Florida Atlantic
22.1 Fantasy Points in 2024
Wilson spent three seasons at Virginia where he played in a total of 26 games but only logged 26 receptions. He transfer to Florida Atlantic in the winter hoping to find consistent playing time. Florida Atlantic also hired Zach Kittley as the new head coach this winter and he brings a high volume passing offense with him. We know that slot receiver Easton Messer will be this season’s WR1, but there is fantasy value in the WR2 role. Kittley’s WR2 has a history of up and down fantasy production, but 50% of the time the WR2 hits the 150 fantasy point, 95 target, and 800 yard marks. An outside receiver has been the WR2 75% of the time as well, and that’s where Wilson plays. He stood out during spring camp with his incredible play and his 6’4” frame. Wilson looks to be a lock for the WR2 role in the offense.
PJ Johnson – New Mexico State
54.6 Fantasy Points In 2024
After spending three seasons at New Mexico State with 19 targets, PJ Johnson started to work his way onto the field more in 2024. Last season he was targeted 46 times for 19 receptions, 346 yards and 2 TDs. While these numbers aren’t impressive, Johnson’s 18.2 yards per receptions is. He is the most talented outside receiver on the roster and his explosive downfield playmaking ability matches what new offensive coordinator David Yost looks for in his WR1. Over the last two seasons at FIU, Yost’s top receiver played on the outside and scored 185+ fantasy points. Considering that New Mexico State should be playing from behind for most of the season, the playscript should go in Johnson’s favor to receive plenty of targets.
RISERS
Ryan Williams – Alabama
173.3 Fantasy Points in 2024
At the start of last season Ryan Williams was one of the hottest names in college football. He scored 15+ fantasy points in his first five games, and scored 22+ fantasy points in three of his first five games. The rest of the season didn’t fare so well for Williams as he only scored 10+ fantasy points twice. The likely culprit for Williams’ slump was quarterback Jalen Milroe who struggled in the passing game as he faced conference play. Alabama will be breaking in a new quarterback for 2025 but Ty Simpson looks to be a better passer than Milroe was. If Simpson gets the passing game back on track, we could potentially see Williams match the WR1 numbers from head coach Kalen DeBoer’s coaching history.
Cam Coleman – Auburn
126.3 Fantasy Points in 2024
Cam Coleman was another freshman phenom wide receiver last year. While he started every game in 2024, it wasn’t until the end of the season that Coleman started to be featured in the offense. His last three games of the season saw him get targeted 26 times for 22 receptions, 306 yards and 6 TDs. Coleman enters 2025 as the locked-in WR1 and the quarterback position has been upgraded with the addition of Jackson Arnold. When you look at the 2022 & 2019 seasons from head coach Hugh Freeze’s coaching history you can see that its very possible to crack the 200 fantasy point barrier in this offense.
Que’Sean Brown – Duke
75.1 Fantasy Points In 2024
Que’Sean Brown has gradually been gaining playing time over his two years at Duke. Last season he played in all 13 games with 56 targets and 41 receptions, 445 yards and 2 TDs. This spring Brown was constantly the top producer of the receiver core and looks to be a lock for the top outside receiver in the offense in 2025. Last season the production of the passing game was held in check with the inconsistent play from quarterback Maalik Murphy. The team upgraded the position this offseason by signing Darian Mensah. The numbers shown in the chart below for the top two receivers from 2024 should be below what we see out of the passing game this year.
Yannick Smith – East Carolina
74.3 Fantasy Points in 2024
As a true freshman Yannick Smith was able to work his way onto the field as the East Carolina receivers dealt with rampant injuries. In the last four games of the season Smith totaled 26 targets for 17 receptions, 296 yards and 2 TDs. Considering how much the East Carolina offense was spreading the ball around these numbers are very promising for Smith’s 2025 potential. Offensive coordinator John David Baker doesn’t have a deep history to pull from but he has featured an outside receiver as the WR1 in the offense which does provide more promise for Smith in 2025.
Chase Sowell – Iowa State
104.8 Fantasy Points in 2024
The past two seasons have seen Chase Sowell put up pretty decent numbers in the East Carolina offense. During those two years he averaged 40 receptions for 650 yards and 2 TDs. While his touchdown production was lacking, he logged an eye opening 19.9 yards per reception last season. That caught the eye of head coach Matt Campbell and Sowell was brought into Iowa State this winter. The outside receiver has been very productive in Campbell’s offense, scoring 200+ fantasy points three times since 2018. Sowell brings all the tools to the table to be the next receiver that can haul in 200 fantasy points.
Chris Bell – Louisville
121.5 Fantasy Points in 2024
In 2024 Chris Bell started at one of the outside receiver positions in the Cardinal offense. The top outside receiver Ja’Corey Brooks has moved on and Bell is now the top dog on the outside for 2025. Bell was making plays during spring camp but had a lackluster spring game. Head coach Jeff Brohm’s history out outside WR1’s has a rich history of fantasy success that Bell should be able to tap into. Bell is not as talented as many of the names on the chart below, so it would be safe to have an expectation that Bell’s statistics should end up at the bottom of this spectrum.
De’Zhaun Stribling – Mississippi
151.2 Fantasy Points in 2024
Cayden Lee – Mississippi
129.7 Fantasy Points In 2024
De’Zhaun Stribling has logged two seasons at Washington State and two seasons at Oklahoma State before transferring to Mississippi. In 2024 he hauled in 52 receptions for 882 yards and 6 TDs. He’s a speedy 6’2” outside receiver that has the ability take the top off the secondary. Cayden Lee has spent the last two seasons playing for Mississippi. As the WR3 last year he had 72 receptions for 874 yards and 2 TDs from the slot position. In the 2024 season opener he had 4 receptions for 78 yards and 1 TD. This was the game where this year’s new starting quarterback Austin Simmons played the most. This spring it was reported that Lee and Simmons had a great connection as Lee was targeted regularly. While a slot receiver does not have a strong fantasy history in head coach Lane Kiffin’s offense, 2025 might be a trend breaking year. The outside receiver is the role to target for historical fantasy production, making Stribling the safe bet to target in your drafts. Lee has the potential to be WR1 but a safe expectation to have would be Lee winding up in the WR2 role of the offense.
Dane Key – Nebraska
105.0 Fantasy Points In 2024
Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has a great history of taking a receiver that plays a balanced role on slot and outside, and turning them into great fantasy assets. Jacory Barney played in that role last season and is a name you can’t leave out. He was the best of what Nebraska had for the receiver role last season. The coaches went out in the transfer portal and signed the very talented Dane Key. While he played primarily in an outside role at Kentucky, he can play inside at the slot. Key’s talent is better than Barney’s which has made me a believe that Key will be featured as the WR1 for 2025.
Update 5/28
Chase Hendricks – Ohio
79.8 Fantasy Points in 2024
The last two seasons have seen Chase Hendricks playing as an outside receiver for Ohio. 2024 was his best season with 67 targets for 40 receptions, 467 yards & 1 TD. This spring he was moved to the slot and reports showed that he locked down the starting job. The slot receiver has been the WR1 for head coach Brian Smith’s offense for years and the only receiver role to target from a fantasy perspective. With quarterback Parker Navarro coming back he’s going to need a new top target in the passing game.
Deion Burks – Oklahoma
59.2 Fantasy Points in 2024
After a successful third season at Purdue in 2023, Deion Burks transferred to Oklahoma in 2024 and the fantasy expectations were high. His 2024 season was cut short due to injury, and in five games Burks scored 10+ fantasy points just twice despite being the team’s WR1. The offense was a mess last year and Oklahoma hired Ben Arkbuckle to be the new offensive coordinator. Arbuckle’s offense is a fantasy must-own, and the wide receiver position is one of the most coveted. There’s no real role tendency for the WR1 in Arbuckle’s offense, and since Burks is the most talented guy in the receiver core he’ll be the WR1. Burks only participated in limited action during spring camp but its expected that his foot injury should be fully healed by fall camp.
Update 6/17
Matthew Coleman – San Jose State
67.1 Fantasy Points in 2024
Matthew Coleman spent most of the 2024 season as a back-up receiver. His best fantasy performance was against UNLV when he scored 9.8 fantasy points. Star receiver Nick Nash decided to sit out of the bowl game and offensive coordinator Braig Stutzman moved Coleman into the coveted starting slot receiver role. Coleman had a breakout game scoring 25.9 fantasy points on 15 targets, 12 receptions, 119 yards and 1 TD. There wasn’t much news about Coleman in spring camp but he still looks to be the top receiver on the team.
Ryan Wingo – Texas
83.7 Fantasy Points in 2024
As a freshman Ryan Wingo was able to carve out significant playing time in a crowded receiver room. Last season he was targeted 55 times with 29 receptions, 472 yards and 2 TDs. The receiver room got depleted at the end of the season and Wingo’s role in the offense has skyrocketed. Wingo plays on the outside which has been the receiver role that’s featured as the WR1 in head coach Steve Sarkisian’s history. The team added Emmett Mosley in the spring but Mosley has played a balanced role of slot and outside which lines up more with the WR2 role in this offense.
Devin McCuin – UTSA
97.7 Fantasy Points In 2024
David Amador – UTSA
62.3 Fantasy Points In 2024
For the last two seasons Devin McCuin has been a mid-range fantasy receiver at UTSA. 2024 was expected to be a breakout season, but injury cut his season down to eight games. He only scored 15+ fantasy points in three of those eight games. Toward the end of the season David Amador (technically a Flyer) came on, racking up 36 targets for 31 receptions, 370 yards and 1 TD over the last four games of the year. Amador plays in the slot and McCuin plays a balanced role in the offense. When you look at head coach Jeff Traylor’s history you see that the best WR1 performances tend to lean toward outside receivers, and WR2 tends to lean toward slot receivers. While Amador was the hot hand at the end of the season, history shows that WR2 may be the primary role for him in the offense. McCuin has a chance at being the WR1 since a balanced receiver has been WR1 more than any other role (just not as productive as outside WRs). We’ll have to wait and see news about De'Corian Clark’s health from fall camp to see if he becomes a contender that McCuin has to deal with for becoming the WR1.
FLYERS
Jalil Farooq – Maryland
7.3 Fantasy Points In 2024
2024 was disappointing for Jalil Farooq as he missed most of the season with an undisclosed injury. That injury also held him out of spring camp. From 2023-2022 at Oklahoma Farooq score 100 fantasy points in each season. There’s risk calling out Farooq as a Flyer with no practice time at Maryland, especially since fellow outside receiver Kaleb Webb has similar talent and he had a good spring camp. But the CFF world consensus is leaning toward Farooq being the WR1 in the fall. If he does become the team’s WR1 I don’t expect to see Farooq getting 140 targets like Tai Felton did last year.
Anthony Evans – Mississippi State
18.3 Fantasy Points in 2024
I might be one of the very few voices calling Anthony Evans a Flyer candidate. Evans spent the last two seasons at Georgia where he never racked up 100 receiving yards in either season. So why would I shine a spotlight on Evans with such little past production? The answer is coaching system and lack of competition. Most of the receivers on the Bulldogs roster are outside receivers. Evans played a balanced mix of outside and the slot. He looks to be the most talented player on the roster who could play in the slot, which has been the role of the WR1 for the last two seasons under head coach Jeff Lebby. This is more of a longshot but Mississippi State will be throwing the ball a bunch this season and the slot will be getting a whole bunch of targets.
Marquis Davis – Missouri
53.9 Fantasy Points In 2024
*Note there is a Marquise Davis (with an “E” at the end of the first name) who plays RB at Missouri. Make sure you use the name Marquis Johnson for this WR*
Maquis Johnson has been a back-up receiver the last two seasons at Missouri gaining minimal stats. 2025 is his time to replace Theo Wease as the top outside receiver within the offense. Offensive coordinator Kirby Moore has featured Wease as the WR2 the past two seasons, and peppered Wease with 99 targets last season. I can’t say how high of a fantasy ceiling Davis will have in 2025 but his ADP is very cheap and worth a short as the last receiver or two on a Best Ball roster.
Keagan Johnson – New Mexico
55.2 Fantasy Points in 2024
Through four seasons Keagan Johnson has not been able to produce much in the way of fantasy value, but that might have more to do with the fact he’s played at Iowa and Kansas State (not passing powerhouses). He transferred to New Mexico for his final season of college football and he might have found the perfect landing spot to fantasy production. There are no other receivers on the roster that could challenge him at the outside receiver position from a talent level. New head coach Jason Eck has been know to feed his WR1 with tons of targets while at Idaho. Johnson playing in the role that Eck’s system likes as a WR1, and the potential target share he could receive makes him a name to know.
Update 6/6
Javonnie Gibson – Oklahoma
210.8 Fantasy Points at the FCS level in 2024
Javonnie Gibson was a stud at Arkansas Pine-Bluff last year. He pulled in 70 receptions for 1215 yards and 9 TDs and that production caught the eye of Oklahoma where Gibson transferred to in the winter transfer portal. He was making plays all over the field at the start of spring camp, then underwent surgery for a broken leg. The coaching staff said, “He got rolled up on in practice…if he stays on schedule, he'll be back to start the season.” That statement is not very assuring but I feel like Gibson’s performance early in spring camp can’t be ignored. You need to keep Gibson’s name in mind but not make any moves to draft him until we get an fall camp update about his recovery status.
Jaylen Lloyd – Oklahoma State
32.1 Fantasy Points In 2024
In two seasons at Nebraska Jaylen Lloyd could barely mount any statistical production. Looking for a better chance for playing time he transferred to Oklahoma State which looks to be a perfect fit. Lloyd played a balanced role at Nebraska and Oklahoma State was in desperate need to upgrade it slot receiver position. While Oklahoma State has brought in many receivers through the transfer portal, the vast majority of those players are outside receivers. He appears to be a lock to start in the slot which has been the WR1 the last two seasons. The outside receive tends to be the WR1 more in head coach Mike Gundy’s offense, but even if Llyod is the WR2, that role has scored 150+ fantasy points three times since 2018.
Update 6/7
Dakorien Moore - Oregon
0.0 Fantasy Points in 2024
There were big questions surrounding who would become the WR1 for Oregon this fall. Dakorien Moore is a freshman who enrolled early so he could partake in spring camp. He was a highly recruited prospect and he showed everyone why in the spring. It didn’t matter who was playing quarterback, Moore was also the guy that was getting the ball when the quarterback was in trouble and needed to get the ball away. When the news broke that Evan Stewart tore his knee and would miss the 2025 season, that was the clinching factor to make the case for Moore to be the WR1.
Malik Phillips – Sam Houston State
3.9 Fantasy Points in 2024
Back in 2023 Malik Phillips had 35 targets for 430 yards and 1 TD. Last season he only played in three games. What stands out to me is that Phillips is the best of the slot receivers on the roster. Even though Qua’Vez Humphreys is the most talented receiver on the roster, the slot receiver is the historical favorite to be the WR1 in head coach Phil Longo’s offense. For four years in a row (not counting 2020) Longo’s WR1 has scored 200+ fantasy points. I’m not willing to go far enough to say Phillips is a lock for 200 fantasy points but I like to potential he brings as a late round Flyer.
Update 6/13
Devin Voisin – South Alabama
57.7 Fantasy Points in 2024
Anthony Eager – South Alabama
36.0 Fantasy Points in 2024
Voisin has had an up and down college career. He was viewed as a future star early in his career then a knee injury in 2023 derailed that hype train. He returned in 2024 but was still working to get back to his pre-injury playing ability. He looks to inherit the slot position which typically ends up as the WR1 in this offense. While playing in 13 games last year, Anthony Eager only collected 10 receptions for 133 yards and 2 TDs. Against LSU he flashed what he is capable of by getting four receptions for 91 yards and 1 TD. Eager showed he could be a major playmaker during spring camp as he looks to take over one of the outside starting receiving positions.
Carl Chester – Southern Miss
66.2 Fantasy Points in 2024
Carl Chester is one of my favorite Flyer options for the 2025 season. Blake Anderson was hired as the new offensive coordinator and the WR1 in his offense has the potential to be a game changer for your fantasy team. The outside receiver role is what you want to target for the WR1. There’s been mixed fantasy results from Anderson’s WR1’s, but the players that have high fantasy success tend to be explosive playmakers. Chester is the only outside receiver on the team with a good career yards per reception, coming in at 17.7 yards. The fact there’s no other players that meet this profile for a high value Anderson WR1 makes me very excited for Chester’s fantasy future in 2025.
Rara Thomas – Troy
0.0 Fantasy Points in 2024
Rara Thomas spent two troubled years at Georgia and after multiple off the field arrests, was released from the team in August of 2024. He entered the transfer portal in the winter window but did not find a new home until April when Troy signed him. From a pure talent standpoint, Thomas blows all of the other receivers out of the water. But he hasn’t played in a football game since 2023, and we don’t know if he can keep his nose out of trouble moving forward. Thomas’ talent and the fantasy production we saw from Devonte Ross in 2024 makes it hard to ignore Thomas this draft season. We need to see in fall camp if Roman Mothershed will put up a fight for the top outside receiver position as he did have an impressive spring.
Update 6/11
Micah Mays – Wake Forest
41.8 Fantasy Points in 2024
New offensive coordinator Rob Ezell spent one season as an OC, but he was not the play caller at South Alabama so it is hard to put too much stock into his coaching history. The top name to be the WR1 at Wake Forest before spring camp opened was Washington State transfer Carlos Hernandez. By the time spring camp concluded the name that made the most buzz was Micah Mays. When there’s a steady drumbeat of praise like what we saw from Mays this spring you can’t ignore it. Mays looks dead on to be the WR1 this fall.
Kevin Green – Washington
0.0 Fantasy Points in 2024
Kevin Green followed head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington after spending two seasons at Arizona with little playing time. Green did not play in any games during 2024, and he entered spring camp looking to secure the starting slot receiver job. His closest competition was a pair of early enrollee freshman. Green’s time within Fisch’s offense and his 26 career game appearances give him the edge for this starting position. The slot position is the role you want to target in Fisch’s offense. The slot has always been the WR1 except for 2023 when Tetairoa McMillan’s talent level was too much to not make him the WR1. Denzel Boston is the most secure fantasy receiver on Washington’s team, but Green has a very legitimate chance to challenge Boston for the WR1 role.
Matthew Henry – Western Kentucky
184.7 Fantasy Points at the FCS level in 2024
I’ve decided to classify Henry as a flyer instead of a riser due to the fact he played at Western Illinois last season. He was very productive from a fantasy perspective last season, but since he is moving up a level of competition I’m going to break my rules just a little. Henry signed with Western Kentucky during the winter transfer portal and instantly looked like one of the top options on that roster for outside receivers. The slot receiver is typically where you look in head coach Tyson Helton’s offense for a WR1, but the sheer volume of passing means that a WR2 can have fantasy viability. While I see Henry starting at one outside receiver position and Moussa Barry at the other, I don’t think Barry will challenge defenses the way that Henry can. I foresee the Western Kentucky WR2 being a decent fantasy option, or it will only score somewhere in the neighborhood of 125 fantasy points.
