The Risers article today is a bit longer as it has some notes from the last two weeks that were neglected due to the 2025 Rankings, which can be found on the previous two posts/episodes.
I wanted to take this space up front to mention that previously I had made a show Twitter/X account, but had not started using it yet. I am not using that account for some key numbers, and would very much appreciate a follow @ FFBForReal. Even if you do not actively use the service, I would greatly appreciate adding a few more legitimate followers to my account. But particularly if you do use Twitter/X, I would recommend following @ FFBForReal as it will contain some key tidbits and statistics from my analysis, as well as updates on the show from time-to-time. I have already started using the account, so a few examples are now available on the feed.
WEEKS 5 & 6 CFB RISERS
RISERS
Riser of the Week(s): Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
This two week Risers period started with the explosion of Jalen Milroe against Georgia. This has been discussed a bit already in the 2025 QB Rankings as well as the associated episodes of Fantasy for Real, but Milroe did not just play well, he specifically made improvements that were unexpected based on his 2023 performance. Milroe completed passes over the middle, worked well within the system, and had a career-best 2.56 second time-to-throw. Milroe has always been an explosive rusher, and he’s even had a consistent deep ball, but everything else has been slow developing. So far in 2024, we’re seeing clear signs of that development.
Alabama may have had a massive let down against Vanderbilt with Milroe at QB, and Milroe did have two turnovers against Vanderbilt, but the result of the game will mask the fact that Milroe played as an elite QB overall. The Alabama defense allowed 4 TDs (not including the Pick Six), 2 FGs, a 7-play-54-yard game sealing drive, and only forced 2 Punts. To Milroe’s credit, or at least lack of blame, while the Pick Six was probably a bit late, it was an unfortunate bounce, deflecting straight into the air.
Not only has Milroe been flashing at an elite level, and not only does he have elite stats and traits, but he is developing the kind of rare consistency that creates elite charting and grading. Outside of a lone blemish against USF, Milroe is an 80+ Graded PFF Passer in each of his other 4 FBS games with at least an 89+ Grade in 3 of 5.
As the 2025 QB Rankings tried to stress, in my eyes, who your QB1 is right now comes down to what you're weighing and valuing. I don’t have a ton of confidence in anyone, and so in a field like that, it is hard to not gravitate towards the highest upside, which is Jalen Milroe.
2nd Riser of the Week(s): Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green
This is Fannin’s second major appearance on top of this list, but Harold Fannin Jr. deserves considerably more buzz than he is getting. At this point, he could have some similarities to Ashton Jeanty only at the TE position. Aside from a game against the FCS which likely came with a limited playbook and managed workload, Fannin Jr. has receiving lines of 11/137/1, 8/145/1, 12/191/2, and 9/135. Fannin has a 4.57 Yards per Route Run against the FBS in 2024. For the negatives, Fannin is between an undersized and outright small TE, and it will take the combine likely to tell us which. This will likely work against Fannin as an NFL prospect, though if he does find a team to utilize his skill-sets, his likely translation as a pure-pass-catcher would be enticing for fantasy.
Week 5-6 RB/WR Risers
RBs
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa ; Jordan James, Oregon ; Jonah Coleman, Washington via Arizona ; Trevor Etienne, Georgia via Florida ; Dylan Sampson, Tennessee ; Desmond “Dez” Reid, Pittsburgh via Western Carolina
Yes, this is a huge list of RB names. But this RB class which was reported to be very deep has continued to deliver. ALL of these players are potential early declares, which at least from an analytical perspective adds to the potential upside. Kaleb Johnson and Jordan James were the first two I listed in Tier 2 on my 2025 Rankings, and in Weeks 5-6 they answered as to why they should be considered in the top 5 RBs for this class. In this two week stretch, Kaleb Johnson has played in two road games against Minnesota, who just beat USC, and Ohio State. In these games, he has combined for 36 Carries, 292 Yards (8.1 YPC), and 4 TDs. Some of the production and particularly efficiency did come late against Ohio State, but he had some solid carries when given a bit of running room. My bigger concern would be the lack of pass catching involvement (2 for 5) in a blowout loss. Jordan James meanwhile was a man possessed against Michigan State on Friday night, particularly in the first half where he had 5 carries of 15+ yards. James is a tenacious runner with solid size and translatable burst, though I have been beginning to think throughout the season that James is fairly undersized. Not debilitating by any means, but now that he is not standing next to Bucky Irving where he is considered the “bigger back,” I do question what the maximum workload may be for James at the next level.
Jonah Coleman had two excellent games this week, including contributing to defeat Michigan. Coleman had 34 for 228 (6.7 YPA) and 1 TD the last two weeks and showcases an excellent, thick build for a shorter RB, which he shares in common with Trevor Etienne. Coleman has a higher spot on the Risers, but I’m not sure he has quite surpassed Trevor Etienne quite yet. Etienne was the highest graded rusher this Week in PFF Rushing Grade, and so perhaps he is finally coming into form after having a slow start to the season. Tennessee may have had a poor performance against Arkansas, but Dylan Sampson was once again heavily involved and very effective. Sampson had 22 Carries for 140 Yards and 2 TDs in the loss.
Finally, Dez Reid is listed last because I have significant concerns about his translation to the NFL level. Reid makes De’Von Achane look big. There are different kinds of “pass catching backs” as someone like Rachaad White can attest to, but Reid is a true “scat back.” His upside at the next level is probably more akin to a good version of Tarik Cohen or James White, but he has been a fascinating and dynamic player for Pittsburgh so far in 2024, his first year playing above the FCS, and his 3rd year overall still making him a true junior. In his last three games as a receiver, Reid has 6/106/1, 4/50/2, and 11/155/1 for a grand total of 21 Receptions, 311 Yards, and 4 TDs in Pitt’s 3 competitive games where he was healthy. It is hard to foresee the NFL drafting Reid highly, but he will be an intriguing piece to keep an eye on moving forward.
WRs
Tre Harris, Ole Miss ; Ricky White, UNLV ; Elijah Sarratt, Indiana via James Madison
Tre Harris (and Ole Miss as a whole) prior to this two week stretch hadn’t yet played anybody of significance, and so that has kept them away from the Risers, but against tougher competition in Kentucky and South Carolina, Tre Harris put up some very solid numbers overall with outstanding numbers against Kentucky. While that is very encouraging, it is worth pointing out that Harris still runs a very high percentage of hitches and screens, and as an older receiver, any limitations to his game are going to be scrutinized. For UNLV, a QB change occurred two weeks ago, and in those two weeks, Ricky White has been phenomenal. White not only has 20 Receptions, 262 Yards, and 3 TDs, but these numbers also represent 62% of his team’s receiving yards and 50% of his team’s receiving TDs in this two week span. Finally, Elijah Sarratt started his second straight year off a bit slow, but he has been excellent in the last two games. Sarratt has excellent size (6’ 2” / 209 listed), some contested catch ability, and would be an early declare if he came out this cycle. In the last two weeks, Elijah Sarratt has 14 Receptions, 263 Yards, and 1 TD.
Dead-Cat-Bounce or Signs of Life?
Donovan Edwards, RB, Michigan ; Ja’Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville via Alabama
Edwards looked like he would be a partial role player for the rest of his college career, but he outplayed Kalel Mullings this weekend. Brooks is excelling on a few big plays, and he is very likely a Day 3 WR at best, but he is showcasing some of the reasons he was a top prospect once.
Other Names to Watch
Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas via Boise St. ; Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse via Ohio State ; Lev’eon Moss, RB, Texas A&M ; LeQuint Allen, RB, Syracuse ; Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State ; Noah Thomas, WR, Texas A&M ; Isaiah Horton, WR, Miami(FL) ; Keandre Lambert-Smith, WR, Penn State ; Tory Horton, WR, Colorado St. ; Dorian Singer, WR, Utah via USC ; Xzavier Henderson, WR, Cincinnati ; R.J. Maryland, TE, SMU ; Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Syracuse
Holding Stock
Carson Beck, QB, Georgia ; Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL) ; Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Beck put up more ugly film than he ever has these past two weeks, but the ugly play seemed to also wake him up a bit. The last six quarters of football are some of the best Beck has played in his career, even with the final INT against Alabama. Cam Ward is still making awful decisions, but the rate compared to his rate of great plays is continuing to resemble a player that the NFL will finally give a chance to start, whether it’s at the top of the draft or nearer to the Will Levis capital range. Luther Burden struggled to produce early against A&M, but he still had good numbers overall particularly in respect to his QB, Brady Cook, who is struggling quite a bit.
Potential FALLERS
Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon via Texas A&M ; Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State ; Kalel Mullings, RB, Michigan
There is a massive difference between what is happening with Luther Burden III and what is happening with Evan Stewart. At least with Burden, throughout the game every time a successful Missouri play happened, there was at least a decent chance it was being done by Luther Burden. Evan Stewart this past weekend was not only behind Tez Johnson, but was clearly behind Treashon Holden in the pecking order. Holden and Stewart ran the exact same number of routes, but Holden had 5 Targets to Stewart’s 3. TE Terrance Ferguson also had 4. Stewart may be entering “should stay somewhere and work towards 2026” territory, particularly if he’s taking a stock hit in the NIL era.
Allen & Mullings are probably a bit extreme to list here, but I felt there were some significant negatives to note this week. With no Singleton, Allen had a huge opportunity to make an impact, and he was okay. But against UCLA, “okay” isn’t all that strong. Allen wasn’t involved as a pass catcher, and his efficiency was mild. Mullings just had one bad game, but Edwards had a good game, and that contrast could hurt his role. The role is very important as he’s a 5th year former-LB without a pass catching profile.
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Part 2
Week 5 & 6 WEEKLY NOTES
Big Name Notes
RB: Ashton Jeanty, Boise St. ; Quinshon Judkins & TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State ; Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
WR: Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona ; Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State ; Antonio Williams, Clemson ; Elic Ayomanor, Stanford ; Xavier Restrepo, Miami (FL)
Jeanty was phenomenal once again. While Henderson is the more tested pass catcher, in our first dose of seeing both Ohio State RBs together, Judkins was clearly the better back in my eyes, though this is a small sample. Singleton missed one game due to injury, though as mentioned on the show(s) last week, he showcased some excellent abilities against Illinois in a tough match-up.
McMillan put up another huge game, and while a fumble is worth mentioning, he once again broke 5 tackles on 8 receptions, which is just an incredible ability to have for someone who has the 6’ 5” extra-long catch radius ability and sure hands of Tetairoa McMillan. Egbuka was heavily featured and looked crisp early against Iowa. Antonio Williams has looked crisp as well, though he has missed a few catches he should have. Stanford starting QB, Ashton Daniels, missed this last game, and regardless of who starts, the volume for Ayomanor might be in a similar situation to Michigan TE Colston Loveland. Xavier Restrepo was massive in Ward and Miami’s come-from-behind victory.
RB Pass Catching Notes
Jaydn Ott, California ; Damien Martinez, Miami (FL) via Oregon State ; Devin Neal, Kansas
Ott probably should have also been included in my 2025 Rankings more seriously. He has grown into his frame a bit, and as he showcased against Miami, he has some pass catching ability as well. Martinez is a player where the tape has never looked as bad as the numbers in my eyes, but the numbers have been pretty atrocious. In the last few games, the numbers are starting to look good. 10 Targets, 8 Receptions, 115 Yards, and Martinez is even grading out better as a pass blocker. Less of note, but Neal had a very highly graded and efficient 4/4 for 45 Yards, and building out this profile is crucial for his potential upside as well.
2026 QBs and Potential 2026 QBs
Drew Allar, Penn State ; Conner Weigman, Texas A&M ; Cade Klubnik, Clemson ; Miller Moss, USC ; Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee ; Arch Manning, Texas ; Aidan Chiles, Michigan State
Since this is a long list, I’ll probably talk about them a bit on Fantasy for Real, but coverage of players who are involved in the huge games this week (Drew Allar & Miller Moss) I’ll save for next article.
Conner Weigman was superb on Saturday. Weigman completed 18 of 22 passes, had excellent efficiency, avoided sacks, and even managed to add a few big time throws despite the 0 TDs. On the very earliest show I’ve done on the 2025 class recorded in March, I said Weigman should target 2026 due to his lack of play, which is an assessment I doubled down on after the Notre Dame game even before the injury issues. But it is important to remember that Weigman could still very well be a good QB prospect in that 2026 draft, and he showcased why on Saturday. He could still enter in 2025, though I doubt he builds his stock fast enough even looking at this game with Missouri. Cade Klubnik on the other hand continues to look poised, confident, and matured from last year, but his accuracy in particular drew some questions on Saturday. While the confidence is great, he may also need to reign it in a bit, but of the former top prospects of the 2025 Early Declare cycle (Allar, Weigman, and Klubnik), Klubnik is still showcasing the most mobility by far.
There is no reason to panic on this, and that is why I have not discussed it, but at this point it does need to be made clear that Nico Iamaleava has all the tools in the world and likely still is on the trajectory to be an elite top 5 pick at the NFL level, but the performance has not quite been there yet. Iamaleava has now played in 4 games against FBS games, and has between 158 and 211 Passing Yards in all of them. His PFF Grades have been between 50 and 65. His BTT:TWP ratio is 6:5. So again, I’ll repeat– I still believe he’s on that upper tier trajectory, but he has not yet turned any kind of significant corner that certain prospects like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Bryce Young, and C.J. Stroud had by this point.
If it weren’t for Quinn Ewers, another prospect we may be able to add to that list is Arch Manning, because he was phenomenal against Mississippi State in Week 5, a game we missed covering entirely due to 2025 rankings, but Manning against Mississippi State had a higher PFF Passing Grade than Ewers has in his entire career. Now that doesn’t make it the most impressive game, as I’ll take a 90 against Alabama over a 93 against Mississippi State, but it still showcases the upside here. Devy and HS prospect people will likely remember the discourse around Arch Manning and the questions whether in a tough QB class, Manning would truly be the #1 without the name “Manning,” and at this point, despite having someone else starting in front of him, Arch Manning is the only one who in my eyes has showcased on the Collegiate field that he deserved that 5* Grade overall. Obviously players like Iamaleava deserve it on potential and talent, but right now it is Manning who seems to be the best player of the bunch to bet on.
Finally, I’m not giving up on Aidan Chiles despite the heavy turnover worthy performances. This could probably be said about the other two as well, but these potential early declare 2026 QBs are showcasing a few signs of being more on a 2027 1st Round Trajectory. He did have an awful goal line fumble against Oregon, but the flashes are definitely there, and his pocket movement has been naturally good since the first time he took the field for Oregon State.
Other 2026
Darius Taylor, RB, Minnesota ; USC WRs ; Justice Haynes, RB, Alabama
Taylor is getting very involved in the passing game (15 Receptions / 107 Yards last 2 Games), and the USC WR room (Zachariah Branch, Duce Robinson, Ja’Kobi Lane) give me some hope for some more upside in that WR class. Hayens’ numbers won’t appear significant, but he did get the first carry, played a few more snaps, and looked pretty solid for a guy who was once the highest or tied for highest regarded RB prospect in this class.
2027 Notes
Caden Durham, RB, LSU ; Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama ; Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio St.
Against South Alabama, Durham had a 70+ Yard Receiving TD and an 80+ Yard Rush (tackled at the 1) on LSU’s first two plays from scrimmage. In a room that included talented sophomore Kaleb Jackson and multiple 6th-year players, it is clearly Caden Durham leading the pack, and he is a massive unheralded star for this 2027 class where Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams, and even Dylan Raiola are taking all that heat. Speaking of Smith and Williams, we could talk about them every week. They are absurd. Smith’s size would make him my slightly preferred Devy asset (and I have Williams in my Devy, but not Smith), but these are two of the most spectacular true freshman performers I’ve ever seen.
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Part 3
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
I do not have enough time to record a show after MNF, but I’ve been thinking recently I may start adding a small portion towards the end of the written post as I’m usually watching MNF as I prepare to post. Today, I want to make sure we fully highlight Rashid Shaheed. Shaheed has been mentioned on the podcast a few times, including as one of my 3 candidates (Demario Douglas + Dontayvion Wicks) from early in the off-season that represented some of the breakout criteria that I saw in Nico Collins. More likely, Shaheed’s true talent is closer to Darnell Mooney than Nico Collins, but Shaheed may be in a near-ideal situation, and don’t just dismiss him as a “boom/bust dime-a-dozen player.” Shaheed’s 2024 is nothing like his 2023, which was similarly hyped in the off-season. In 15 Games in 2023, Shaheed surpassed a 20% Target Share only 2 times. He has done that in each of the 5 games this season, including going over 25% 3 times, something he had not done once in 2023. Shaheed’s existence as a deep target does continuously create at least some questions regarding his role, but the Week 3 Zero in context of his target share is more of an anomaly that can happen to any WR. If that Week 3 Zero opens up a buying opportunity, particularly in a short term league, I would strongly recommend you try and take it.
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That’s all I have for today.
Once again, PLEASE even if you do not use Twitter/X, I would very much encourage anyone to follow the @FFRForReal account. If you have an account but do not use it, I would still encourage you to log on simply to follow for the sheer fact that giving me a higher % of followers who are not OnlyFans models would be greatly appreciated, and potentially help the visibility of the show.
Thanks,
C.J.
(#53) Big Review Show #5: Jalen Milroe, Bigsby is a Tank, Still Selling Sam (Darnold), & more