CFB Fantasy WR Rankings

Tier I

1. A.J. Brown (Mississippi)
2. Anthony Johnson (Buffalo)
3. Trevon Brown (ECU)
4. Ty Lee (Middle Tennessee)
5. N’Keal Harry (Arizona State)
6. T.J. Vasher (Texas Tech)
7. Gary Jennings (West Virginia)
8. David Sills (West Virginia)
9. Devin Butler (Syracuse)

• A.J. Brown was knocked out early in last September’s game at Cal with a leg injury. He didn’t look like himself the next week against Alabama (no Rebel did; the Tide rolled 66-3). In those two weeks, Brown had exactly one catch for six yards. In the other 10 games, he posted a gorgeous 74-1246-11 line— averaging 7.4 catches, 124.6 receiving yards and 1.1 touchdown catches per game. Extrapolate those numbers to a 12-game schedule and you get a 89-1495-13 line. And with Jordan Wilkins and Van Jefferson gone, perhaps a few more targets will come Brown’s way. Brown is the best receiver in college football, the best receiving prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft, and the top fantasy receiver in CFB this fall. It’s a treat when you see an elite talent placed in an ideal offensive system to showcase his gifts. That’s exactly what we have here.

• Last season, Anthony Johnson (76-1356-14) went from unknown JUCO transfer to one of the best receivers in college football. He finished No. 2 in the FBS with an average of 113 receiving yards per game. Here’s the crazy thing: Johnson did all that despite Buffalo’s volatile quarterback situation. Tyree Jackson was mediocre in the pocket out of the gate, completing 55.4% of his passes for 733 yards and a 3/1 TD/INT before going down with an injury in Week 4. QB2 Drew Anderson started the next three before he was knocked out for the year against NIU, forcing the Bulls to start true frosh Kyle Vantrease. By the time Jackson returned for the last four games, he’d strangely become a different (and much better) quarterback, completing 63.4% of his passes for 1,363 yards and a 9/2 TD/INT rate. Guess what happened to Johnson’s numbers down the stretch? After logging a 49-827-6 line through eight games (roughly six catches for 103 yards and three-quarters of a TD per game), Jackson posted a 27-529-8 line in the last four (an average line of 7-132-2 per game). Here’s the best news: I think Good Tyree is here to stay (and likely to keep improving in 2018).

• No matter how bad (or good) ECU is, they always produce star fantasy WRs. Trevon Brown is the newest. He accumulated a 60-1069-7 line in 12 games last year and is in line for an uptick. He’ll be a target hog on a one-dimensional ECU offense.

• Ty Lee posted a 79-955-5 line last year and also kicked in 109 rushing yards and a ground TD. He got his first taste of WR1 duties with Richie James in-and-out of the lineup due to injuries. Now, James is the in the NFL, making Lee the undisputed lead dog. In 2015 and 2016, when he was healthy, James put up absurd lines of 107-1334-8 and 105-1625-12.

• It’s hard to know how Arizona State will look this fall under Herm Edwards. Though I hated that hire, it shouldn’t have any repercussions for N’Keal Harry’s stats in what will almost assuredly be his last season at ASU. Harry posted an 82-1142-8 line last year. He’ll be counted on all the heavier this fall with RBs Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard out the door.

• Since-departed Texas Tech WR1 Keke Coutee posted a 93-1429-10 line in 2017. In HC Kliff Kingsbury’s five seasons, only once has the WR1 not reached 1,000 receiving yards and 10 receiving TD (it was that bizarre year when Vinny Testaverde’s son somehow attempted 26 passes for a team that had Davis Webb and Patrick Mahomes on the roster). I’m expecting a line of around 75-1250-10 out of T.J. Vasher this fall.

• Holy cow was the David Sills story fun last year! (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, google: “Lane Kiffin offers 13-year-old quarterback a scholarship to USC.”). Sills went off for a stupid 60-980-18 line, proving to be one of the nation’s nastiest red zone targets. Sills’ athleticism remains a question, but there’s no question that he’s one of the nation’s best in contested situations. And boy was that surprise for a former quarterback playing his first season of FBS ball at receiver. I have one concern: Sills caught only 60 balls (for 980 yards) last year, and yet he recorded an incredible 18 touchdowns. Exactly three-of-every-10 catches went for six. I don’t need to tell you that that’s not a sustainable touchdown percentage. To not suffer any downturn in fantasy value this fall, Sills is going to need to catch more balls this season. That’s certainly possible, but keep in mind that target-hog Gary Jennings and his 97 catches remain on the roster. Marcus Simms (35 catches last year) is also back, and the Mountaineers imported Alabama transfer WR T.J. Simmons. Sills finished No. 3 on the team in targets last year (101), with the departed Ka’Raun White (107) also sliding in front of him.

• Back to Jennings for a second. I’m more or less out on an island in ranking him above Sills. But in fantasy projections, I trust targets more than touchdowns. In the same way that Sills’ absurdly high touchdown rate is probably unsustainable, Jennings’ absurdly low touchdown rate probably is as well. In 2016, West Virginia’s top three receivers all finished with between five and eight receiving TD (the passing offense was less explosive with Skyler Howard behind center). Look for WVU’s receiving TD numbers to come closer to evening out in 2018. Jennings is an ultra-efficient slot receiver in an offensive system that makes great use of its slots. Last year, Jennings converted 133 targets into a 97-1096-1 line. He’s a PPR monster who will be all the more dangerous if he can find the endzone more often in 2018.

• Devin Butler is the heavy, heavy favorite to emerge as the Orange’s WR1 in 2018. The WR1 in Dino Babers’ offenses is fantasy napalm (105-1347-7, 94-1482-14, 85-1544-16 and 73-1094-7 lines over his four-year coaching career). Butler, Syracuse’s leading-returning receiver after Steve Ishmael and Erv Philips graduated, bulked up to 208 pounds over the offseason (up from 194) to get ready for his increased usage. Speed and athleticism has never been a question. The only lingering concern is whether he’ll actually earn that WR1 role. Earlier this week, syracuse.com Orange beat writer Stephen Bailey tweeted the following: “Babers said WR Devin Butler needs to be more consistent to make the jump to the No. 1 guy in the offense. Nothing specific, but said Butler knows the message he’s sending.” Butler is Babers’ best No. 1 option, and any public messages Babers sends to Butler over the next few weeks should be read as confirmation of that fact.

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Tier II

10. Tyre Brady (Marshall)
11. Teddy Veal (Louisiana Tech)
12. Hakeem Butler (Iowa State)
13. Kelvin Harmon (NC State)
14. McLane Mannix (Nevada)
15. KeeSean Johnson (Fresno State)
16. Penny Hart (Georgia State)
17. Olamide Zaccheaus (Virginia)
18. Damonte Coxie (Memphis)
19. Denzel Mims (Baylor)
20. Andy Isabella (UMass)
21. Juwan Johnson (Penn State)
22. Davontavean Martin (Washington State)
23. Brendan O’Leary Orange (Nevada)
24. Jaylen Smith (Louisville)
25. Antonio Gandy-Golden (Liberty)
26. Scott Miller (Bowling Green)
27. Cody Thompson (Toledo)
28. Justin Hall (Ball State)
29. Stanley Morgan (Nebraska)
30. James Gardner (Miami OH)

• I’m looking for all available opportunities to buy Marshall shares in CFF this summer. Tyre Brady, of course, is the most attractive of the Thundering Herd’s fantasy offerings. New OC Tim Cramsey runs a high-tempo offense (77.1 plays per game at Sam Houston last year) that is both pass-happy and extremely aggressive. His last QB, Jeremiah Briscoe, threw 579 times for 5,003 yards and averaged almost 15 yards per completion in 2017. Brady (6’3/210), a former Miami Hurricane who is an NFL-caliber pass-catcher, is well-suited to play lead dog in this scheme. Expect a jump from his 62-942-8 line last year.

• Kelvin Harmon had 69 catches for 1,017 yards last year. His fantasy value was suppressed by only four TD catches. Expect that TD total to double, and don’t be shocked if it triples. More targets are coming Harmon’s way, too, with Nyheim Hines and Jaylen Samuels out the door.

• Last season, Memphis WR1 Anthony Miller posted a ridiculous 96-1462-18 line on 148 targets. With Miller (and WR2 Phil Mayhue) gone, plenty of receptions are up for grabs. Damonte Coxie is the heavy, heavy favorite to emerge as Memphis’ go-to receiver. At 6’3/200, he bears little physical resemblance to Miller, but that’s not an issue for a Memphis offensive braintrust that tailors its system to the talent on hand. Former QB Riley Ferguson called Coxie “a young A.J. Green.” Poor grades cost Coxie scholarship offers to LSU, Alabama and Florida, among other schools. Coxie has the talent, opportunity and offensive system to be the top-20 CFF receiver I project him to be this fall. The only question will be whether Memphis can find a competent replacement for Ferguson out of the Brady White (ex-Arizona State)/David Moore competition.

• As with all UMass players, scheduling quirks take a small bite out of Andy Isabella’s value (same goes for Sadiq Palmer, a deep sleeper I would otherwise like). Isabella’s “Week 0” opener against Duquesne (on August 25, one week before the rest of college football kicks off) will not be counted by Fantrax. Almost as devastating: Isabella has a bye in Week 13, which some leagues use for the championship (others cut off at Week 12; make sure you know your league’s schedule before investing in Minutemen). The upshot is this: Isabella loses one game of fantasy production, he may or may not be eligible for your league’s championship, and his Week 11 and 12 matchups against BYU and Georgia are brutal, as both will occur during your league’s playoffs. All of that said, Isabella is one of the safest receivers in CFF. He’s posted receiving lines of 62-801-7 (15.8 fantasy ppg) and 60-980-9 (20.1) the past few years. He’s a reliable, high-floor player who will absolutely help you reach the playoffs, but may not help you win in them (though, to be fair, he dropped nearly 30 fantasy points on Mississippi State last November with a 7-158-1 line).

• With Penn State’s offense losing Saquon Barkley, Mike Gesicki, and DaeSean Hamilton, Juwan Johnson is going to be leaned upon heavily.

• Super slot McLane Mannix, a strong athlete, will torch any Mountain West corner in a one-on-one situation. He’s deadly in the Wolf Pack’s Air Raid attack. I prefer him to Brendan O’Leary Orange (but boy would I like to own both).

• Denzel Mims would be ranked a tick higher except for the fact that I think his targets will get cut into by Baylor’s exceptional WR2/WR3 combo of Jalen Hurd and Chris Platt (the Bears are also deep in the backfield).

• As with Mims, I had a few minors concerns that caused me to knock Jaylen Smith a few spots down the board: Smith has to share touches with Dez Fitzpatrick and Seth Dawkins, and we don’t yet know how effective Puma Pass will be in the pocket when bullets are flying around him.

• I think Bowling Green WR Scott Miller is being undervalued in summer drafts. In a Group of 5 industry Best Ball draft that I conducted for Rotoworld in late June, I nabbed him in the middle of the fifth round, No. 65 overall. And that was G5-only! In 2016, as a sophomore, Miller averaged almost 20 fantasy points per game (74-968-10). Last year, amid poor QB play and an inconsistent offense, he dropped off ever so slightly (63-722-4). I think Miller has a decent chance of posting a career-best campaign in 2018. First off, Bowling Green’s offense is assured of being better, now that we’re in Year 3 of Mike Jinks’ Air Raid offense and sophomore QB Jarret Doege has established himself as the starter (Andrew Clair has also emerged as a legitimately dangerous RB). Further, with Datrin Guyton booted off the team in June, Miller accounts for an enormous share of Bowling Green’s returning receiving production. After Miller’s 63 catches, BGU’s next-highest returning receiver (Janarvis Pough) had 11 receptions in 2017. As the undisputed WR1 in an ascending Air Raid offense, Miller is the ever-tantalizing fantasy mix of enormous-ceiling and high-floor. Draft confidently.

• Ball State fended off a handful of teams that included Western Kentucky and Colorado State to land the three-star Justin Hall. As a true freshman, Hall made an extremely compelling argument that he should have garnered P5 offers and been rated higher by recruiting services. He posted 801 receiving yards and was named to the Freshman All-American team.

• I would rank Davontavean Martin even higher were it not for one fact: I don’t trust Washington State’s offense (or quarterback play) this fall. But Wazzu’s WR1 as a rule has an inflated floor, making Martin a top-30 preseason guy with a chance to be more.

Tier III

31. Steve Sims (Kansas)
32. CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma)
33. John Ursua (Hawaii)
34. James Proche (SMU)
35. Marquise Brown (Oklahoma)
36. Nykeim Johnson (Syracuse)
37. De’Quan Bowman (Texas Tech)
38. Tee Higgins (Clemson)
39. Justin Hobbs (Tulsa)
40. Diontae Johnson (Toledo)
41. Ryan Davis (Auburn)
42. Kalija Lipscomb (Vanderbilt)
43. Preston Williams (Colorado State)
44. Jalen Reagor (TCU)
45. Dredrick Snelson (UCF)
46. Marcus Green (UL-Monroe)
47. Anthony Ratliff-Williams (North Carolina)
48. Ahmmon Richards (Miami)
49. Tyler Vaughns (USC)
50. Deebo Samuel (South Carolina)
51. Quez Watkins (Southern Mississippi)
52. Octavius Evans (Boise State)
53. Greg Dortch (Wake Forest)
54. Felton Davis (Michigan State)
55. Collin Johnson (Texas)
56. Jalen Guyton (North Texas)
57. Lucky Jackson (Western Kentucky)
58. Stephen Guidry (Mississippi State)
59. Taivon Jacobs (Maryland)
60. Bryan Edwards (South Carolina)
61. Jerry Jeudy (Alabama)

• Preston Williams, the Tennessee transfer, is a big-time talent who could be stepping into the always-productive Hollywood Higgins/Michael Gallup WR1 role in CSU’s offense. But now that he’s finally on the precipice of an enormous opportunity, can Williams stay out of trouble? The former ballyhooed recruit left the Vols after a rocky stint and then was suspended by CSU in the spring and into the summer. HC Mike Bobo only reinstated him to the team in late-July. For a player with Williams’ history of issues, that news gives pause. But at least for now, he appears to be a full-go for the season. And as long as his head is screwed on straight, he’ll prove impossible for MWC corners to cover. One other note about Williams: Like Isabella above, Williams only has 11 games that will be counted by Fantrax (meaning he’ll have two in-season byes as opposed to one). That’s because CSU opens on “Week 0” against Hawaii.

• Speaking of Hawaii, Ursua owners will get a full 12 games out of him despite the Rainbow Warriors’ Week 0 date in Fort Collins. That’s because Hawaii gets clearance for 13 games from the NCAA for financial reasons related to excess travel costs. While we’re here, I want to say this: I’m sky-high on Ursua this season. The Rainbow Warriors have returned to the run-and-shoot, the system they thrived with under June Jones. Ursua is the clear WR1 on a team that is going to fling it, and he’s already proven that he can put up numbers even when the offense is balanced. Last year, Ursua posted a 47-667-5 line despite playing in only five games and change due to injuries. Extrapolate those numbers to a 12-game slate and you get roughly a 111-1569-12 line. And again: The Warriors are going to be throwing a lot more in 2018 (albeit to more targets).

• I have questions about SMU’s offense in Year 1 of the Sonny Dykes era, and I didn’t like the reports I read about James Proche this spring as he tried to fit into the new scheme. However, there’s only so far you can knock this guy down due to his absurd upside. With Courtland Sutton and Trey Quinn in the NFL, Proche is the undisputed WR1. The last time we saw Dykes on the sideline (I’m erasing last year’s bowl game disaster from my brain), he was turning Chad Hansen into fantasy gold at Cal. The WR1 in Dykes’ system will always be a fantasy priority target.

• I wanted to rank Tee Higgins higher, but the reality of Kelly Bryant starting more games at quarterback for Clemson forced me to cool my jets. If Trevor Lawrence knocks Bryant out of the QB1 perch, Higgins’ fantasy value immediately surges. Prior to Bryant’s accuracy-averse season as starter last year, Clemson’s WR1 had gone under 1,000 receiving yards only once since 2011, and never under 900.

• A 5-foot-8, 167-pounder, Nykeim Johnson worked as a backup slot in Syracuse’s offense last fall. Curiously, the teamed moved him outside during the spring. Entering the summer, Johnson is listed as the starting outside WR across from Devin Butler. Johnson really ought to be playing in the slot, and I expect him to get moved back there this month. He could be the Erv Philips to Devin Butler‘s Steve Ishmael.

• With star D.J. Moore (80-1,033-8) getting plucked by the Panthers in Round 1 of April’s draft, Taivon Jacobs (47-553-5) is easily Maryland’s leading returning receiver. After Jacobs, the next-highest returning receiver is Jahrvis Davenport (13-123-0). More good news: Last year, Maryland had some of the worst quarterback luck you’ll ever see. They had lost their top three QBs for the season to injury by the first quarter of Game 3. That left true freshman Max Bortenschlager — woefully unprepared to see the field — as the starter for the remainder of the year. The results were predictable. Now, QBs Kasim Hill and Tyrrell Pigrome return (so does Bortenschlager). Maryland’s quarterback play is going to be a ton better as a result. And Jacobs, an undersized dynamo, is now stepping into the Moore role (even though I don’t expect him to be targeted with quite the same abandon). I’m buying Jacobs stock, and I’m buying Maryland stock. I think that offense -- and that team as a whole -- will be better than people think.

• Cedrick Wilson is now a Dallas Cowboy, leaving behind an enormous 2017 receiving line of 83-1511-7 on 136 targets. That made for the third straight year that BSU’s WR1 was targeted 125 times or more. The million dollar question for CFF owners: Which Boise State receiver is going to get those touches? My money is on Octavius Evans, who turned down P5 offers from three different conferences to sign with the Broncos. He contributed a bit as a freshman (15-131-2) and may be ready to break out as a star as a true sophomore.

• New Mississippi State HC Joe Moorhead is one of the most innovative offensive coaches in the game. He schemes quarterbacks into completions with an RPO-heavy system heavy on pre-snap reads that manipulates safeties out of plays. Unfortunately for him, the Bulldogs had one of the nation’s worst receiving corps last year. But fortunately, former LSU commit Stephen Guidry, a hyped JUCO import, has arrived. So long as Nick Fitzgerald takes steps forward in the pocket, the numbers should be there for Guidry, easily the best receiver on this roster. I would be more skeptical about Fitzgerald, except that JoeMo converted Trace McSorley from a noodle-armed scrambler into a two-time 3,500-plus yard passer. The man is an alchemist.

Tier IV

62. JJ Arcega-Whiteside (Stanford)
63. Jakobi Meyers (NC State)
64. Willie Wright (Florida Atlantic)
65. Malcolm Williams (Coastal Carolina)
66. Emanuel Hall (Missouri)
67. Michael Lawrence (North Texas)
68. Jhamon Ausbon (Texas A&M)
69. Dillon Mitchell (Oregon)
70. Justin McInnis (Arkansas State)
71. Kahlil Lewis (Cincinnati)
72. Tyler Johnson (Minnesota)
73. Dez Fitzpatrick (Louisville)
74. TJ Rahming (Duke)
75. Juwann Winfree (Colorado)
76. Courtney Lark (Houston)
77. Johnathon Johnson (Missouri)
78. Parris Campbell (Ohio State)
79. Ron’Quavion Tarver (Utah State)
80. Dillon Stoner (Oklahoma State)
81. Theo Howard (UCLA)
82. Tarik Black (Michigan)
83. Kwadarrius Smith (Akron)
84. Isaiah Wright (Temple)
85. Jonathan Nance (Arkansas)
86. Jalen Hurd (Baylor)
87. Marcus Simms (West Virginia)
88. Jamarius Way (South Alabama)
89. JD Spielman (Nebraska)
90. Tyre McCants (USF)
91. DK Metcalf (Ole Miss)
92. Quintez Cephus (Wisconsin)
93. Jackson Anthrop (Purdue)
94. Jonathan Giles (LSU)
95. Nyqwan Murray (Florida State)
96. Laviska Shenault (Colorado)
97. Nick Westbrook (Indiana)
98. A.J. Richardson (Boise State)
99. Terry Godwin (Georgia)

• I have the same issues with Emanuel Hall, Johnathon Johnson and the rest of Missouri’s receiving corps as I do with Tigers QB Drew Lock. Hall finished with a 33-817-8 receiving line last year, and Johnson checked in with a 41-724-6 line. With WR1 J’Mon Moore (65-1082-10) out the door, you’d think I’d be targeting Hall and Johnson. On the contrary, they’re both stay-aways for me. Like their quarterback himself, Hall and Johnson posted the vast majority of their 2017 numbers in Missouri’s eight games against Missouri State, Kentucky, Idaho, Connecticut, Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Arkansas (only 7-6 Kentucky finished with a winning record). With a few exceptions, of course. (Johnson had a nice 10-85-0 line against Auburn and Hall ripped Georgia deep on two long TD receptions en route to a 4-141-2 line). Unfortunately, this year Missouri moves to a pro-style offense after losing OC Josh Heupel and his Air Raid system to UCF and replacing him with Derek Dooley. Dooley’s ball control system is far less conducive to aerial numbers than Heupel’s aggressive spread attack that often threw deep (which was especially conducive to Hall’s game). Not only all that, but the schedule gets considerably harder in 2018, with several of the cupcakes getting swapped out for legitimate opponents. Per Phil Steele’s magazine, only Western Kentucky faces a bigger discrepancy in 2018 schedule quality compared to 2017. This fall, Missouri plays Steele’s No. 27 schedule. Last year it played his No. 71 schedule.

• Duke QB Daniel Jones has little outside talent save for T.J. Rahming (65-795-2 last year, 70-742-1 the year before). Jones is an NFL-caliber talent whose extreme inconsistencies (56.7% completions, 14/11 TD/INT ratio, 5.9 yards per attempt last year) have hurt his best receiver. But I’ll say this: I’m bullish on Jones, and I predict that, at the very least, a mini-breakout is coming. Any gains in Jones’ game will be directly reflected in Rahming’s stat line. Jones simply doesn’t have many other options (last year’s WR2, Johnathan Lloyd, had a 39-367-1 line, and no other receiver had more than 25 catches).

• Let’s return to Boise State for a second. While I’m picking Octavius Evans to step into Cedrick Wilson’s departed WR1 role, A.J. Richardson is maybe a safer return-on-fantasy-investment bet. Richardson is the Broncos’ leading returning receiver (33-494-2 last year), and he’s been around for two years longer than Evans. Richardson doesn’t have Evans’ physical tools, however, so he may just have to settle for heavy WR2 targets.

• Maybe I’m a sucker, but I’m buying into the Jalen Hurd hype. Formerly a 6’4/240 star RB for Tennessee, Hurd transferred while seeking out a team that would play him on the outside. Baylor smartly took him up on this out-of-the-box idea, and I think it’s going to pay off handsomely for both parties this fall. “He’s going to play a long time in the NFL—as a wide receiver,” Baylor head coach Matt Rhule told Bleacher Report in July. “He will be an elite wide receiver.” Hurd has elite-elite athletic testing numbers for his size: a 4.4 forty, a 40-inch vertical, and an absurd 3.8 20-yard shuttle. Rhule held Hurd out of the spring game and played coy about that with reporters, saying “We know what he can do. No need for him to run around out there” and “Maybe it’s best if no one sees him until the season opener.” Hurd is a boom-or-bust fantasy asset. If you want him, don’t wait on draft day. I was distraught last week in my annual 50-team league slow draft when I got sniped on Hurd. I had to take a lap around the room (I ended up taking Ron’Quavion Tarver a few picks later).

• When I make these lists, I always make a point to reach out to national writers and local beat writers over DM to ask them about breakout candidates. One college writer for a national website replied quickly: “Laviska Shenault is the best player I saw in any spring game this year.” This followed a spring in which Shenault drew rave reviews from the coaching staff and local media. After posting only seven receptions as a freshman, Shenault caught two touchdowns in the spring game, including a super nifty catch-juke-and-run 14-yard touchdown reception off an RPO call. At 6’2/220, Shenault offers a nice blend of agility, strength and acceleration. Big-time breakout candidate, for sure.

Tier V


100. Tyron Johnson (Oklahoma State)
101. Kyle Williams (Arizona State)
102. Gabriel Davis (UCF)
103. Cedric Byrd (Hawaii)
104. Brandon Childress (Central Michigan)
105. Shun Brown (Arizona)
106. Andre Wilson (UAB)
107. Papi White (Ohio)
108. Dezmon Patmon (Washington State)
109. Jonathan Duhart (Old Dominion)
110. Chico McClatcher (Washington)
111. Michael Pittman (USC)
112. Spencer Tears (Northern Illinois)
113. Olabisi Johnson (Colorado State)
114. Jalen McCleskey (Oklahoma State)
115. Henry Ruggs (Alabama)
116. Kirk Merritt (Arkansas State)
117. Vic Wharton (Cal)
118. Ventell Bryant (Temple)
119. Ryheem Malone (Louisiana)
120. Keenen Johnson (Tulsa)
121. Thomas Hennigan (Appalachian State)
122. RJ Turner (UL-Monroe)
123. Van Jefferson (Florida)
124. DaMarkus Lodge (Ole Miss)
125. Isaiah Hodgins (Oregon State)
126. Donovan Peoples-Jones (Michigan)
127. Deondre Douglas (Troy)
128. Damon Hazelton (Virginia Tech)
129. Hunter Renfrow (Clemson)

• Tyron Johnson’s upside is considerably higher than where I have him ranked, as the former LSU five-star signee is the closest thing Oklahoma State has to James Washington’s game on the roster. Johnson’s issues with consistency and OSU’s open quarterback derby have me betting against an enormous breakout year, however.

• Brandon Childress is a Group of 5 sleeper I’m targeting. Central Michigan’s pass-catching corps got hollowed out over the winter, with WR1 Mark Chapman, WR2 Corey Willis, WR3 Eric Cooper and TE1 Tyler Conklin all leaving. Only four starters return on offense. Childress is being overlooked after he was knocked out for the season early last September when he tore an ACL while celebrating a touchdown against Kansas (the biggest self-inflicted wound an opponent committed on the Jayhawks’ Memorial Stadium field last year, just ahead of Baker Mayfield’s famous crotch-grabbing, finger-flicking taunt-fest that led to a suspension for the beginning of the West Virginia game the next week after KU hilariously spited him during the pregame handshake). Back to Childress: Heading into the season, he’s the clear WR1 on a team that wants to throw the ball and has little it can rely on in the receiver’s room.

• With Preston Williams’ status no sure thing (as detailed above), Olabisi Johnson represents a fascinating sleeper prospect. If Williams were to get suspended again or kicked off the team, Johnson’s ranking would skyrocket by around 60-70 slots. CSU must replace Michael Gallup, and Johnson would likely ascend to WR1 duties if Williams doesn’t. Another name to elevate if Williams doesn’t stay out of trouble: Warren Jackson, who would assume WR2 duties.

• Kirk Merritt isn’t somebody you’d want your sister to meet. But after off-field transgressions saw him bounce from Oregon to Texas A&M to East Mississippi (JUCO) to Arkansas State, the former four-star recruit is somebody you might want to roster in fantasy leagues this fall. Though we haven’t seen much of him on the field yet, we know that Merritt is one of the Group of 5’s truly elite athletes. He won Nike’s SPARQ (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction & Quickness) National Championship in 2014 as a high schooler.

• Washington State must replace their two leading receivers Tavares Martin and Isaiah Johnson-Mack (a combined 130 receptions and 14 TD last year). Most project Tay Martin to take over the No. 1 receiver in Pullman, and I’m no exception. Identifying Wazzu’s WR2 in advance would be a fantasy boon, as he’ll likely come on a draft day discount. Patmon is a strong candidate. Nobody in Wazzu’s projected 2-deep at receiver has Patmon’s dimensions (6’4/212), and Patmon actually finished with four more receptions than Martin last year.

• Dan Mullen’s first WR1 at Florida just may be Ole Miss transfer Van Jefferson. Jefferson was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA in early August due to the sanctions facing his former program. The 6-foot-2, 192-pound Jefferson, a top-20 WR recruit coming out of high school, posted a 91-999-4 line during his time with the Rebels. A smooth route runner with plus athleticism, Jefferson would rank even high on this list were it not for the projected unevenness of the Gators’ quarterback play (again!).

• If you think of college football like the NFL, then Isaiah Hodgins is one of the biggest free agent acquisitions Oregon State has ever signed. Per top-shelf CFF writer Kyle Francis of College Football Factory, new OSU OC Brian Lindgren’s WR1 has posted the following lines over the past six seasons (at Lindgren’s stops at Northern Arizona, San Jose State and Colorado): 82-1307-9, 83-1343-10, 106-1198-12, 89-1053-4, 56-883-9 and 62-693-5. Hodgins may be the most talented player on Oregon State’s roster. The touches should be there, and he’s going to come at a discount on draft day.

Tier VI

130. Hergy Mayala (UConn)
131. Darrell Stewart (Michigan State)
132. Bryce Singleton (Florida International)
133. Isaac Zico (Purdue)
134. Austin Conway (Wyoming)
135. Tamorrion Terry (Florida State)
136. Jauan Jennings (Tennessee)
137. Rico Bussey (North Texas)
138. DeAndre Thompkins (Penn State)
139. Jovon Durante (Florida Atlantic)
140. KaVontae Turpin (TCU)
141. Terren Encalade (Tulane)
142. OJ Clark (New Mexico State)
143. Aaron Fuller (Washington)
144. Lil’Jordan Humphrey (Texas)
145. Darius Slayton (Auburn)
146. Keith Corbin (Houston)
147. Dorian Baker (Kentucky)
148. Jeff Thomas (Miami)
149. Michael Thompson (Eastern Michigan)
150. Miles Boykin (Notre Dame)
151. Aaron Cephus (Rice)
152. Tyler Watts (Texas State)
153. Jared Cornelius (Arkansas)
154. Marcel Williams (Marshall)
155. Stephen Louis (NC State)
156. Matt Eaton (Iowa State)
157. Chris Platt (Baylor)
158. Ricky Smalling (Illinois)
159. Camron Buckley (Texas A&M)

• I see KaVontae Turpin as a Power 5 sleeper this year. I know what you’re thinking. Hear me out. Turpin, a tiny (5’9/153) burner, had a dynamite freshman year back in 2015 (45-649-8 with 116 rushing yards and a return TD) before greatly underwhelming over the past two seasons (average of 344 receiving yards per campaign). HC Gary Patterson mentioned over the summer that the Horned Frogs had to become conservative throwing the ball with Kenny Hill behind center due to Hill’s lack of arm strength. Patterson mentioned that the aggressive downfield element of TCU’s offense (last seen with Trevone Boykin behind center) should return with QB Shawn Robinson, the highest-rated recruit in TCU history, taking over. That Turpin’s year of offensive success correlated with a quarterback like Boykin is no surprise. Like a 3-and-D NBA wing, Turpin needs space to be effective on offense. When the defense can inch forward because it’s not concerned about getting burnt deep, the swing passes and screens that Turpin lives on lose their utility. If Robinson is the real deal, Turpin will benefit as much as any TCU player from his presence.

• New Mexico State remains a pass-happy bunch, and they need to replace a high-usage WR1 in NFL Draft pick Jaleel Scott. Heading into camp, OJ Clark (the anti-Scott stature-wise at 5’7/163) is the favorite. One small downside: NMSU is another team who loses a fantasy game to a Week 0 contest. Austin Conway, also in this tier, is another guy who plays for a team (Wyoming) that loses a fantasy contest to a Week 0 game.

• I’m as surprised as you are that the first Notre Dame receiver doesn’t check into this list until No. 150. But sorry, Miles Boykin: As long as Brandon Wimbush is the Irish’ quarterback, the statistical ceiling is capped on every pass-catcher on the roster. Last year, Wimbush’s extreme accuracy issues (49.5%) destroyed WR1 Equanimeous St. Brown’s final season (33-515-4).

• As mentioned, I run an intense 50-team college fantasy football league. In a league that deep, it’s hard to find true impact sleepers late in the drafts (a total of 950 players are drafted among the five conference drafts). But last year, my friend Brandon stole Buffalo WR Anthony Johnson in the last round. How did he do it? He looked at teams who had lost big production at a positional group, and then he researched the best JUCO imports those programs had brought in at that position. That search led him to a guy named Anthony Johnson. And quite frankly, I’d never heard of Anthony Johnson at the time — despite the fact that I had published a top-165 fantasy WR column earlier that month. Lesson learned. This year, I’m stealing a page from Brandon’s book to bring you Michael Thompson, a guy Athlon’s Mike Bainbridge has also zeroed in on as a sleeper. Here’s the scoop: Eastern Michigan lost WR1/WR2 Sergio Bailey and Antoine Porter, as well as their WR3 and WR5 (a combined loss of 150 receptions). Leading returning WR Matthew Sexton profiles as no more than a G5 complimentary receiver, which means the WR1 job is there for the taking. Which brings us back to Thompson, who was EMU’s highest-rated JUCO import at the receiver position. Thompson (6’4/189) provides length that no other receiver on the roster possesses.

• Former JUCO transfer Isaac Zico flashed in the spring game after a quiet first season with the black and gold. With Purdue’s passing game likely to be improved in Jeff Brohm’s second season (Brohm routinely churned out monster aerial attacks at WKU), and Purdue’s top-two receivers (Anthony Mahoungou and Gregory Phillips) needing to be replaced, Zico makes for an intriguing P5 sleeper.

Tier VII

160. T.J. Simmons (West Virginia)
161. Trey Harrell (Kent State)
162. Kanawai Noa (Cal)
163. Luke Timian (Indiana)
164. Cody White (Michigan State)
165. Jamire Jordan (Fresno State)
166. Britain Covey (Utah)
167. Joseph Reed (Virginia)
168. Siaosi Mariner (Utah)
169. Bennett Skowronek (Northwestern)
170. Xavier Lane (Western Kentucky)
171. Brandon Benson (SMU)
172. D’Wayne Eskridge (Western Michigan)
173. Omar Bayless (Arkansas State)
174. Tony Ellison (Arizona)
175. Tabari Hines (Oregon)
176. Sadiq Palmer (UMass)
177. Kyle Sweet (Washington State)
178. Damian King (Liberty)
179. Otis Anderson (UCF)
180. Kendal Keys (UNLV)
181. Brandon Presley (UNLV)
182. Rhashid Bonnette (Louisiana Tech)
183. Seth Dawkins (Louisville)
184. Marquez Callaway (Tennessee)
185. Bo Melton (Rutgers)
186. Isaiah Zuber (Kansas State)
187. Mykel Traylor-Bennett (Akron)
188. DeVonta Smith (Alabama)
189. Dazz Newsome (UNC)
190. Renard Bell (Washington State)
191. Mecole Hardman (Georgia)
192. Rafael Araujo-Lopes (Pittsburgh)
193. Demari Simpkins (Utah)
194. Willie Johnson (Marshall)
195. Chase Claypool (Notre Dame)
196. C.J. Sanders (SMU)
197. Tony Pollard (Memphis)
198. Eric Kumah (Virginia Tech)
199. Lynn Bowden (Kentucky)
200. Ty Jones (Washington)

• I’m convinced that an SMU receiver outside of James Proche will emerge as a fantasy difference-maker this fall. The trick becomes identifying the correct guy in your draft. After my homework phase for these rankings, I’ve decided to buy roulette chips on two of them: Brandon Benson and former Notre Dame WR C.J. Sanders. Sanders was super inconsistent with the Irish, but we know he’s deadly with the ball in space. Sanders already has four career return touchdowns.

• New UCF HC Josh Heupel experimented with Otis Anderson out wide in the spring. And since Fantrax lists Anderson as a WR, that’s where I’ve slotted him in my rankings. Anderson played RB as a true freshman during the Knights’ undefeated run last year. Heupel told reporters that he likes the idea of using Anderson as a hybrid RB/WR chess piece because of the formation advantages it would give UCF when they’re playing uptempo. The new coaching staff fawned over the kid this spring. They’ll find a way to get him on the field.

• After making 22 career starts at Wake Forest, Tabari Hines transferred to Oregon as a graduate. He’s got a decent chance at emerging as the WR2 behind Dillon Mitchell in a passing offense that is assured of improving so long as Justin Herbert makes more than the seven starts he made last season.

• Trey Harrell looks like he could be WR1 in Kent State’s brand new old-Baylor/new-Syracuse offense. Unfortunately, that offense is likely to be putrid in 2018. Even so, there’s a little upside here. Remember when we were talking about Dino Babers’ historical WR1 numbers above? Sean Lewis, now Kent State’s HC, was Babers’ OC the past three years (one at Bowling Green, two at Syracuse).

*Note: I saw Demetris Robertson as a borderline top-50 CFF wide receiver for this season at Cal before he announced he’d transfer. He picked Georgia. Robertson has applied for a waiver that would grant him immediate eligibility. If he got it, I would likely rank him in the WR90-WR110 range. That development would obviously bite into Terry Godwin and Mecole Hardman’s value a bit.

*Note: Wyoming WR C.J. Johnson would have made the latter portion of this list — in Tier VII — if he’d been healthy. He’s not. Johnson tore his ACL in December’s bowl game. HC Craig Bohl said in July that Johnson would miss most of the season. It would be surprising if he plays in any regular season game this fall.

**** Deep league watch list ****

Keishawn Watson (Western Michigan)
Pop Williams (Memphis)
Janarvis Pough (Bowling Green)
Austin Mack (Ohio State)
Amari Rodgers (Clemson)
Nick Easley (Iowa)
Brandon Smith (Iowa)
Deondre Farrior (East Carolina)
KJ Osborn (Buffalo)
Jamal Custis (Syracuse)
Tyre Cleveland (Florida)
Johnathan Boone (New Mexico State)
Thomas Geddis (Cincinatti)
Deshaunte Jones (Iowa State)
Ja’Deion High (Texas Tech)
Dalton Schoen (Kansas State)
Danny Davis (Wisconsin)
Keith Mixon (Mississippi State)
DJ Brown (NIU)
Sean Modster (Boise State)
Kumoku Noa (Hawaii)
Flynn Nagel (Northwestern)
Antonio Gibson (Memphis)
Corey Lacanaria (Ball State)
Seth Collins (Texas Tech)
Travis Fulgham (Old Dominion)
Warren Jackson (Colorado State)
Mike Carrigan (Kent State)
James Price (Wyoming)
Donaven Tennyson (Vanderbilt)
Fred Trevillion (San Diego State)
Anthony Muse (New Mexico State)
Darnell Mooney (Tulane)
Matthew Sexton (Eastern Michigan)
AJ Taylor (Wisconsin)
Raelon Singleton (Houston)
Quintin Morris (Bowling Green)
Sean Savoy (Virginia Tech)
Aleva Hifo (BYU)
Dylan Collie (BYU)
Darnell Salomon (USF)
Johnnie Dixon (Ohio State)
KJ Hill (Ohio State)
Binjimen Victor (Ohio State)
Collin Lisa (UAB)
Nate Craig-Myers (Auburn)
Austin Williams (Mississippi State)