I could not be happier about the fact that it is college football draft season and I am back with my 15 “pop players” so gather ‘round the fire, folks. These are the players who will become household names on the CFB landscape like never before in 2025.

Identifying “pop players” is an important exercise in any fantasy sport because this is how we find big-time value. This is how we find players who will out-perform their ADP and become the backbone of our championship winning teams.

If you don’t have any “pop players” on your squad, then you will not win your league and the money and the bragging rights. It’s that simple.

Please reference my articles which rank the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. You will get a detailed breakdown of each ranked player and you will see how these “pop players” measure up with the established elite players of college football.

Check the QB CFF Rankings Here

Check the RB CFF Rankings Here

Check the WR Rankings Here

Check the TE Rankings Here

Quarterbacks

Arch Manning, Texas: If you are in a two-QB CFF league, and if you don’t take Arch with the first overall pick, then that’s like passing on Wemby in a fantasy basketball draft. It makes no sense. I have Arch ranked #1 at his position and #1 overall as well. Arch will win the Heisman Trophy and the Natty, and he’s going to have tremendous dual-threat stats along the way. Here is some of the buzz about Arch from fall camp: he has more muscle than he has ever played with, his arm talent has taken a clear leap from last year and some scouts think he is a more intriguing prospect than Peyton or Eli. Get you some Arch. You’re welcome.

Demond Williams, Washington: Demond had a huge bowl game performance and set the stage for a “pop” season with the Huskies. He is already generating preseason Heisman buzz because of his dynamic dual-threat ability. Williams, who is my sixth ranked QB, is reportedly playing well in fall camp, which comes to the surprise of none of us in the know.

Devon Dampier, Utah: One of the keys to winning your CFF league is having dual-threat quarterbacks because they are like having two players for the price of one. Also, they will have a handful of games where they absolutely freak out for like 4-5-6 touchdowns and single-handedly win your game that week. Dampier has been named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year. The hype has already begun for the #7 QB on my board.

Austin Simmons, Mississippi: Simmons takes over for Jaxson Dart as the point guard of a Lane Kiffin offense. Sold. He reportedly made some “critical errors” at a recent scrimmage, but was playing well before that and his coach said he rebounded well in that session. Simmons is a lefty who throws the rock with a loose arm like Tua, which is a special quality, and he is #13 on my quarterback board.

Marcel Reed, Texas A&M: Reed is a marvel on the ground and needs to prove himself as a passer. He has talked in pressers about the whole “I’m not a passer” narrative and I like this because there is a chip on his shoulder entering this season to prove his doubters wrong. Reed has reportedly been performing well in fall camp and he is #14 on my QB board.

Running Backs

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