Kam’s Top 30 CFF Wide Receivers

There are two general thoughts about CFF receivers I want you to keep in mind as you embark on draft season.

One, building with quarterbacks and running backs is a much better idea because of the consistent volume at their positions at this level.

Two, there will be a plethora of quality receivers on waivers throughout the season. It tends to be a fluid and volatile position, which creates depth chart changes, which creates opportunities to improve your team.

Bottom line: I would much rather have a stack of workhorse backs than #1 receivers in CFF.

 

1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State: Easily the best wideout in the country after an incredible Freshman season that saw him catch 76 balls for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. Smith would have been a first-round pick this season! Despite losing Will Howard to the NFL, there is no downside here. Likely starting quarterback Julian Sayin is a former five-star recruit and I like his chances of succeeding in Ryan Day’s QB-friendly offense.

 

2. Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State: Tyson is one of the safest picks in CFF because of his talent and his rock-star quarterback, Sam Leavitt. Last season, Tyson caught 75 calls for 1,101 yards and 10 scores in 12 games. Entering his senior season, and second with Leavitt, Tyson’s floor is 80-1200-12.

 

3. Denzel Boston, Washington: Boston is virtually guaranteed of a monster season and he is one of my absolute favorite players in CFF. He has a dynamic QB in Demond Williams, he is entering his fourth season with the program, and he posted a receiving line of 63-834-9 a season ago. Giddy up.

 

4. Antonio Williams, Clemson: Williams is being underrated in the CFF ranking/draft process and I don’t understand what is driving down his value. I literally see only upside here. He enters his fourth season with Cade Klubnik, which anchors him to a floor of 1,000 and 10. Last season, Williams broke out with a receiving line of 75-904-11.

 

5. Deion Burks, Oklahoma: The upside with Burks is absolutely huge because of the acquisition of John Mateer at quarterback. Burks enters his fifth season in CFB and comes off a promising-yet-truncated season with OU in which he had 31 catches for 245 yards and three scores in 5 games. Burks is locked in as the go-to-guy in the Sooner’s passing game and I will be getting as many shares as I can.

 

6. Elijah Sarratt, Indiana: Sarratt is entering his senior season as one of the best wide receivers in the country after two amazing seasons (82-1191-8 as a sophomore and 53-957-8 as a junior). Fernando Mendoza is the Hoosiers’ new quarterback after a promising sophomore season at Cal, so Sarratt is locked and loaded for another big-time season.

 

7. Corey Rucker, Arkansas State: I don’t understand why Rucker is not being drafted higher than he currently is because of his experience and his returning QB Jaylen Raynor. Rucker is entering his sixth season (!) in CFB and fifth with the program, and he comes off a receiving line of 69-1,053-7 in 13 games.

 

8. Pofele Ashlock, Hawaii: Ashlock is primed for a monster season entering his junior season. He racked up 83 balls for 832 yards and nine scores as a freshman and then had a receiving line of 61-629-6 in 11 games as a sophomore. I love the volume, the system and his QB. You can’t go wrong here.

 

9. Junior Vandeross, Toledo: Maybe the most important angle for a CFF wide receiver is playing with the same quarterback as the year before. That is the case here, as Tucker Gleason is returning under center for Toledo and Vandeross is returning as his #1 receiver. That is worth it’s weight in gold given the turbulent climate of CFB. Vandeross is a volume receiver, posting a receiving line of 85-957-5 in 2024.

 

10. Caleb Douglas, Texas Tech: Douglas checks a ton of boxes for me. He enters the season as the Red Raiders undisputed #1 receiver, he has an experienced QB in Behren Morton and exiting #1 receiver Josh Kelly leaves a receiving line of 89-1023-5 on the table. Douglas had 60 catches for 877 yards and six scores last season and all of those numbers will rise.

 

11. Ryan Williams, Alabama: Every time I watched Alabama last season, this dude was jumping through the TV into my living room with OMG plays. He is an electric player with quick-twitch ability that NFL scouts are going to go wild about. Williams posted a receiving line of 48-865-8 as a true freshman in 2024 and the sky’s the limit as he enters his sophomore season.

 

12. Kevin Coleman, Missouri: Coleman’s nickname is Mr. Portal because he started at Louisville for a season, then transferred to Mississippi State for a season and now has transferred again to Missouri to be the replacement for departing #1 receiver Luther Burden. Coleman comes in with Penn State transfer QB Beau Pribula and they have a good chance to form a stat-friendly hookup in the SEC. Last season at MSU, Coleman had a receiving line of 74-932-6 in 12 games.

 

13. Ted Hurst, Georgia State: Hurst is a 6-3, 185-pound stud who is the undisputed #1 receiver for the Panthers. His role and returning quarterback virtually guarantee him of a difference-making fantasy season after posting a receiving line of 56-961-9 in 12 games a season ago.

 

14. Eric McAlister, TCU: I like McAlister this season for several reasons. One, his quarterback is Josh Hoover, who was a rock star last season. Two, he is talented, posting a receiving line of 39-762-5 last season with a career yards-per-catch of 19.5! Three, he is entering his senior season. Finally, TCU’s top three receivers from 2024 are all now in the NFL.

 

15. Chase Sowell, Iowa State: What has me excited about Sowell is the confluence of talent and opportunity. He gave us a glimpse of his talent a year ago at East Carolina with a receiving line of 34-678-3. He has averaged 19.9 yards-per-catch in his collegiate career. The opportunity comes with the transfer to help fill the shoes of now-NFLers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who combined for 167 catches, 2,372 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024.

 

16. Trent Walker, Oregon State: Yall are sleeping on Walker this season. I love slots. Slots lead to volume which leads to consistent goodies week in and week out. Last season, Walker had a receiving line of 81-901-2 with garbage at QB. With the transfer of Maalik Murphy, who had a breakout season a Duke in 2024, Walker brings a high floor and big upside to the table.

 

17. Chris Bell, Louisville: Bell is one of my favorite CFF sleepers. I am a big fan of his incoming quarterback, Miller Moss, who is going to have a breakout season in his own right. Bell is the undisputed #1 receiver in this offense after a receiving line of 43-737-4 as the #2 receiver for now-NFL player Ja’Corey Brooks.

 

18. Eugene Wilson, Florida: Remember me?? Wilson opened eyes as a freshman at UF with 61 grabs for 538 yards and six scores in 10 games. He played only four games last season because of a hip injury that required surgery, but he is fully expected to play this season. DJ Lagway brings upside to the QB position so I could see a healthy Wilson posting a line of 80-800-8.

 

19. Cayden Lee, Mississippi: Lee is in a sweetspot of talent meets opportunity with the departure of last year’s #1 receiver Tre Harris to the NFL after posting a receiving line of 60-1030-7. Lee was the #2 receiver last season with a line of 57-874-2 and he entering his third season in Lane Kiffin’s offense. There is a breakout season loading here.

 

20. Carnell Tate, Ohio State: After operating as the #3 receiver on last year’s national championship team, Tate enters this season as the #2 receiver with the departure of Emeka Egbuka to the NFL. Tate had a receiving line of 52-733-4 last season and those numbers are going way up because someone needs to replace the 81-1011-10 posted by Egbuka.

 

21. Kevin Concepcion, Texas A&M: This talented volume slot left North Carolina State after racking up a receiving line of 124-1298-16 in his first two college seasons. He will be Marcel Reed’s #1 receiver and he will be a very consistent performer.

 

22. Josh Cameron, Baylor: He enters his fifth season in the program as the undisputed #1 receiver after posting a line of 52-754-10 a year ago. It’s safe to expect upticks across the board due to his experience and returning quarterback, Sawyer Robertson.

 

23. Ryan Wingo, Texas: Wingo is likely to emerge as Arch Manning’s #1 receiver as he makes a Heisman run. This is going to be fun. The Longhorns lost their top three wide receivers from last season and Wingo is first in line. Wingo showed promise as a Freshman with 29-472-2 as a part-time player.

 

23. DeAndre Moore, Texas: Moore is top returning receiver for the Longhorns based on his 39-456-7 stat line. It’s debatable if he will be the #1 receiver, but big-time numbers should be posted even as the #2 receiver with Arch Manning.

 

24. Cam Coleman, Auburn: I see the upside here because Coleman is a 6-3 dynamo who had a receiving line of 37-598-8 as a true freshman last season with quarterback Peyton Thorne. Coleman is getting a lot of love heading into his sophomore season because Auburn coach Hugh Freeze brought in former Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold through the portal. I am not as sold as many others on Arnold after so-so numbers at OU, which is keeping me from going all-in on Coleman.

 

25. Kyron Ware-Hudson, Penn State: After four years of part-time work at USC, Kyron has a great chance to be the top dog in a fully rebuilt Penn State WR room. He is 6-2, 215 with the ability to separate and elevate for tough contested catches. Drew Allar is going to feed this man the rock.

 

26. TJ Moore, Clemson: The 6-3 Moore is another Tee Higgins-type of Clemson go-getter on the outside who comes off a strong freshman season when he caught 45 balls for 651 yards and five scores. He is the clear #2 receiver behind Antonio Williams, but there is big upside here because Cade Klubnik has a chance to make a Heisman run.

 

27. Makai Lemon, USC: Lemon is the undisputed #1 receiver heading into his third season with the program, which is clutch, but his upside is limited because I am not sold on projected starting quarterback Jayden Maiava. Lemon had a receiving line of 52-764-3 in 12 games a year ago and I see an uptick on those numbers but it won’t be anything to write home about.

 

28. Nick Cenacle, Hawaii: He is one of the best #2 receiver in CFF after posting a receiving line of 63-721-6 as a junior a year ago. He enters his senior season with the chance to post a fat line of 80-800-8 on the island.

 

29. Easton Messer, Florida Atlantic: Messer is being overrated because he is transferring from Western Kentucky with his QB from last season, Caden Veltkamp. That is an important connection, but Messer had 55 grabs for 793 yards and four scores a season ago. Solid pick, but I feel like he is being overdrafted.

 

1. 30. De’Zhaun Stribling, Mississippi: It seems like a breakout season has been percolating for Stribling for the last four years, two with Washington State and two more with Oklahoma State. He has posted solid numbers, but injuries have kept him from really popping. Stribling has smartly transferred to a Lane Kiffin offense that needs his field-stretching ability and he is positioned for his put-it-all together season before making a run at the NFL

 

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