I have not utilized this space yet, and like with a lot of things I’m not sure if this is the correct way to do it yet. When possible, I will try to include my write-ups along with my Thursday releases, and potentially my Risers write-ups with my Tuesday releases.
If you have never read this before, this is actually my 3rd year writing pre-game reports for College Football that focus on the games and players within those games that might matter the most in the future for Dynasty Managers. Obviously all early scouting is fickle with a lot changing between now and April/May, but the goal of this piece has always been more to offer someone a guide to a lazy Saturday of watching football when they might not be College Football die-hards themselves.
Times are in Eastern. Players without years are eligible for the NFL Draft. Years are when players are first eligible.
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Thursday
North Carolina (-2) @ Minnesota on FOX at 8:00 PM
Key Players: Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina & Darius Taylor**, RB, Minnesota (2026)
North Carolina begins the post-Drake Maye era in Minnesota, and returning true junior RB Omarion Hampton will likely be the focal point for the Tarheels. Compiling over 1,700 total yards in 2023 as a true sophomore, Hampton has NFL size and explosive ability, but likely needs to add a bit more pacing and nuance to his rushing ability. For Minnesota, Darius Taylor had an explosive five games as a true Freshman in the Big Ten, but has constantly dealt with injury so far in his early career. Taylor suffered a hamstring injury two weeks ago, and with spotty information, I do not know if he will play on Thursday. Aside from the running backs, each team has at least one potential intriguing pass catcher in North Carolina TE Bryson Nesbit and Minnesota WR Daniel Jackson.
North Dakota State @ Colorado (-10) on ESPN at 8:00 PM
Key Players: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado & Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
I don’t believe I’ve ever written up a game against an FCS opponent, but North Dakota State is a top-notch lower-division program, and for a Thursday evening, QB Shedeur Sanders and CB/WR Travis Hunter will at least likely have to perform if they want to be able to put NDSU away. Sanders was a top-notch QB earlier in the season last year, but struggled as the season went on, particularly when it came to handling pressure. For Travis Hunter, the talent is apparent. The only question is will he play a viable fantasy position. Colorado has a lot of talent aside from Hunter among their skilled positions, but it is hard to know right now which RB or WR will emerge. WRs Will Sheppard and LaJohntay Wester were the best collegiate WRs on their respective teams in 2023, but both players are a bit older, and unlikely to be top-tier draft assets. I do not research the FCS, but I will say that NDSU is replacing a lot at RB/WR, so they may also similarly be trying to establish their #1 in Week 1.
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Friday
TCU (-9) @ Stanford on ESPN at 10:30 PM
Key Players: Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford & Cam Cook, RB, TCU (2026)
One of my personal favorite players against the Devy consensus in this early process, WR Elic Ayomanor of Stanford was incredible down the stretch in 2023, starting with his explosive and dominant performance over Travis Hunter and Colorado. While Ayomanor didn’t continue on this pace, his proportion of team passing statistics even after the Colorado game were very impressive for a true sophomore. Ayomanor is listed at 6’ 2”, 210 lbs, and on a recent PFF podcast, Ayomanor indicated that he was flirting with sub-4.4 speeds. Meanwhile, despite not doing much as a freshman in part due to injury, RB Cam Cook (2026) seems to be the guy TCU is most focused on as a potential high-volume high-upside offensive weapon. There isn’t much to say because there isn’t much tape, but the buzz around Cam Cook suggests he is the player to watch for TCU.
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Saturday
[GAME OF THE WEEK] Clemson @ Georgia (-13.5) on ABC at NOON
Key Players: Carson Beck, QB, Georgia ; Trevor Etienne**, RB, Georgia via Florida ; Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson
(Etienne may be facing suspension for an off-season DUI)
The growing consensus among “too-early” rankers seems to be that Carson Beck is the early QB1 for the 2025 class. From a recent draft perspective, Beck reminds me of a bigger, more toolsy version of Bo Nix. Part of this is Beck’s time-to-throw, which was the lowest in the entire FBS in 2023. RB Trevor Etienne exits Florida hoping to both get a bigger workload at Georgia and be a part of a national championship. Despite being brothers, Trevor’s running style is significantly different than Travis Etienne, working more as a low center of gravity, bowling ball type of RB. Etienne is not alone and will also have players like Roderick Robinson II (2026) to potentially offer some high-NFL-upside himself, if Robinson is healthy. Both teams feature a depth of pass-catchers that could be NFL players, but the biggest upside talents are with Clemson. WR Antonio Williams missed most of 2023 after a strong 2022 Freshman season, and Williams profiles similarly to a WR like Emeka Egbuka working inside & outside. While unlikely they play a significant role in week 1, Clemson brings in an elite freshman tandem at WR in T.J. Moore (2027) and Bryant Wesco (2027).
Penn State (-8.5) @ West Virginia on FOX at NOON
Key Players: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State ; Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State ; Kayton Allen, RB, Penn State ; Jahiem White, RB, West Virginia (2026)
Penn State is not the team to watch for 2025, but they could become that team. Not for College Football most likely, but physically Penn State might feature the most talented QB and RB in the FBS. Drew Allar was supposed to be the guy we were penciling in at the #1 overall pick, but Allar has done little to impress in his career outside of simply avoiding turnovers and sacks. These are good skills to build on, but at some point, he needs to start hitting bigger plays. If RB Nicholas Singleton had his two seasons reversed, we would be very excited about Singleton right now, but after an extremely impressive freshman season, Singleton was very disappointing in 2023. Still, he is easily the most physically talented RB in CFB by my estimation. The trouble is that teammate Kaytron Allen has been getting more carries throughout their respective careers. TE Tyler Warren has also emerged as a name to watch for the TE class. On the West Virginia side, Jahiem White (2026) broke out down the stretch in 2023 as a true freshman, putting up 657 Rushing Yards in his final 6 Games.
Miami (FL) (-2.5) @ Florida on ABC at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Cameron Ward, QB, Miami (FL) via Washington State ; Damien Martinez, RB, Miami (FL) via Oregon State ; Eugene Wilson III, WR, Florida (2026) ; Mark Fletcher, RB, Miami (FL) (2026) ; (Unlikely to Play – D.J. Lagway, QB, Florida (2027))
Miami (FL) transfer QB Cameron Ward has the tools and traits to be a top tier NFL draft pick, but unfortunately his career has been plagued with far too many negative plays between picks, fumbles, and sacks. On a better team, with a better OL, and with potentially 2 NFL RBs, Cam Ward needs to prove he can manage without creating those problems. RB Damien Martinez is a favorite of mine from Oregon State, and Martinez could very well be the best 2-Down RB in this class. I do have some fantasy concerns with his pass-catching ability. RB Mark Fletcher Jr. (2026) performed well as a true freshman in 2023. The biggest possible name for Florida would be D.J. Lagway (2027), who also has a case to be considered the most physically talented QB in CFB, but is unlikely to be the starting QB. WR Eugene Wilson III (2026) made some incredible plays as a true freshman, but his role has been as a gadget player so far in his career.
Notre Dame @ Texas A&M (-3) on ABC at 7:30 PM
Key Players: Connor Weigman, QB, Texas A&M ; Mitchell Evans, TE, Notre Dame
While the other highly touted QBs of the 2025 class have failed to built hype through their own performances, Connor Weigman was injured at the beginning of 2023, which kept him from being able to establish himself. Perhaps Weigman would be a forgotten prospect like Clemson’s Klubnik at this point if he had played, but as of now he simply has a more viable excuse, and this is the kind of test against a top-tier collegiate defense that you want to see someone like Weigman ace. Outside of Weigman, there are intriguing players on both sides, but identifying the players you need to watch will be a bit difficult in this one. TE Mitchell Evans flashed in 2023, but TE is a very tricky position to project. An emerging WR from Notre Dame or Texas A&M could be a riser for next week, but I don’t have anyone to single out here.
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Sunday
USC @ LSU (-4.5) on ABC at 7:30 PM
Key Players: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU ; Zachariah Branch, WR, USC (2026) ; Kaleb Jackson, RB LSU (2026) ; Kyren Lacy, WR, LSU
Last year, the FSU / LSU game on Sunday Night was the biggest College Football talking point game possibly of the entire regular season. Taking place in Primetime before the NFL, the players in this game are poised to be your first big risers from a media and social media perspective. The player who is most capable of generating that leap will be QB Garrett Nussmeier. Held back behind Jayden Daniels the previous two seasons, Nussmeier has every tool as a passer NFL scouts look for, and despite a lack of production for someone who is a Senior, Nussmeier is perhaps the most common dark horse among analysts for the 2025 QB class. WR Kyren Lacy and TE Mason Taylor seem to be the first names that come up as players who could take some of the volume left behind by Malik Nabers & Brian Thomas Jr., but like Nussmeier, Lacy in particular does not have the numbers you expect for this stage of his career. RB Kaleb Jackson (2026) on the other hand is a very young player entering his true sophomore season who has the physical talent to be a buzzworthy player by this time next year. For USC, WR Zachariah Branch (2026) was considered a player in the mold of Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle and looks to build on a solid freshman campaign. Behind Branch, WRs Ja’Kobi Lane (2026) and Duce Robinson (2026) also possess tools that could make them Day 2 picks or better in the NFL Draft.
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Monday
Boston College @ Florida State on ESPN at 7:30 PM
(This game is listed because it is a standalone on Primetime. I'll do a write-up for it with the later games, but I do not consider any participant to hit the "Key Players" threshold.)
This game would normally not make this list, but standing alone on a Monday I wanted to add a bit of context for our game. QB Thomas Castellanos for Boston College is very fun to watch, but given his size and arm talent, he’s probably at his perfect level right now in the ACC. The #1 player I wanted to see breakout for Florida State last weekend was WR Malik Benson, but he had simply a fine game. Benson and RB Roydell Williams will continue to be the two players from FSU I am likely monitoring the most for Fantasy Football.
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C.J.
(#42) College Football Week 1 Preview -- Biggest (Fantasy) Players in the Biggest Games