Ryan wide receiver Billy Bowman Jr. (2) catches a pass and runs for a big gain, while Newman Smith rushes to tackle him at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex. (Jeff Woo / DRC)

One area that continues to be overlooked in fantasy football scouting are players listed as “athlete” on recruiting sites. Due to ambiguity about their final position, most people won’t put too much time and effort into gathering information for guys who may not ever help a fantasy roster. However, this is a mistake because some hidden gems can be found among this population and their draft cost will almost always be extremely cheap.

Going back to 2018, some “athletes” that turned into college stars are wide receivers Dyami Brown and Tutu Atwell. Both are now heading to the NFL, declaring early after only 3 years. Additionally, Khalil Shakir broke out as a sophomore and just recorded a 40% market share of receptions and yards for Boise State in his 3rd season.

In 2019, Ainias Smith was listed as a 3 star athlete heading to Texas A&M. He has dabbled as both receiver and running back, but is now one of the most explosive players for the Aggies, finishing 2020 second on the team in total yards from scrimmage.  Finally, just this past recruiting cycle both Jordan Addison and Jaden Walley were listed as “athletes” but finished their freshman seasons leading Pittsburgh and Mississippi State in receiving, respectively. True freshman break outs are extremely predictive of future college success as well as NFL upside, so landing these players on your C2C rosters in the late rounds is invaluable.

The difficulty identifying these players of course, lies in the time it takes to scour the internet for news clips or quotes with clues as to their eventual position. This has become slightly easier with so many players enrolling early and getting a position designation on the team website, but it’s still a bit arduous. Well, that’s why this website exists! I’ve done the hard work for you and listed below are the players listed as “athlete” on 247sports.com but who are likely to play on the offensive side of the ball in college.

The order of the list is not my personal preference, but is simply how they are ranked on 247. Under source I have linked to an article or otherwise listed where the position has been documented. Personally, I’d rank “team website” as the strongest indicator a player will play offense and “Rivals listing” the weakest.

Now, with this list in hand, get to the film grinding!

Name Projected position Team 247 star rating Ht Wt Source
Ja’Tavion Sanders TE TEX 5 6’3″ 235 “We’re going to look at him at both [TE and DE]” Sarkisian said
Billy Bowman WR OK 4 5’10” 175 …it would stand to reason that Riley will deploy Bowman on offense
Kaemen Marley RB TENN 4 6’2″ 206 He appears most effective with the ball in his hands as a running back
AJ Green RB ARK 4 5’11” 194 Team website
Raheim Sanders WR ARK 4 6’2″ 210 Team website
Yulkeith Brown WR TAMU 4 5’10” 174 Rivals listing
Titus Mokiao-Atimalala WR UCF 4 6’1″ 170 Team website
Arland Bruce WR IOWA 4 5’10 195 Team website
Keagan Johnson WR IOWA 4 6’1″ 180 Team website
Chamon Metayer TE CIN 3 6’5″ 220 Team website
Jacob Rodriguez QB UVA 3 6’2″ 205 Team website
Tar’Varish Dawson WR AUB 3 5’10” 175 Team website
Roc Taylor WR/TE MEM 3 6’2″ 212 multiple articles call him a WR, Rivals lists as TE
Trinity Bell TE TENN 3 6’7″ 260 Team website
Eli Sanders RB ISU 3 6’0″ 190 SB Nation
Juan Davis TE TEX 3 6’4″ 217 Rivals listing
Isaiah Newcombe WR UCLA 3 6’1″ 185 “Coach was telling me they like deep threats in their offense”
Simeon Price RB MSST 3 6’0″ 204 Team website
Rodney Hammond RB PITT 3 5’10” 170 SB Nation
Kamonte Grimes WR NEB 3 6’2″ 205 Team website
Caleb Hood RB UNC 3 6’1″ 231 Team website
Trenten Howland RB IND 3 6’2″ 218 Team website
Jamal Haynes WR GT 3 5’9″ 175 Team website
Shawn Munnerlyn TE RUT 3 6’5″ 205 247 player page, Rivals article
Myles Alston WR PITT 3 6’2″ 175 Team website
Da’Wain Lofton WR VT 3 5’10” 175 Team website
Jamareeh Jones WR BC 3 6’0″ 182 developmental prospect at the receiver position
Devrin Weathers RB KSU 3 6’1″ 190 Team website
Brye Lighon TE UNLV 3 6’3″ 220 Team website
Devonte Ross WR UK 3 6’0″ 170 Team website
Calvin Johnson II WR NW 3 5’11” 180 SB Nation
Ty Robinson WR COLO 3 6’4″ 190 Team website
Dylan McGill WR MIN 3 6’3″ 210 Team website – greyshirt
Jaquez Moore RB DUKE 3 5’11” 185 Rivals listing
Jordon Vaughn RB WYO 3 6’1″ 210 Team website
Keyonta Lainer WR NM 3 6’0″ 160 wide receiver Keyonta Lanier
Chandler Pittman WR USM 3 5’9″ 165 Team website
Ja’Quez Cross RB PUR 3 5’10” 175 Team website
Malachi Fields WR UVA 3 6’4″ 205 Team website
Jaden Coffen WR TEM 3 6’2″ 195 Rivals listing
T.J. Lockley WR ECU 3 6’0″ 175 Team website

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Our Newsletter

Get notified periodic notifications about our content and future subscription deals.

You May Also Like

College Fantasy Football – Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

Could a #GoCougs receiver be THE MAN in Wazzu? Josh Kelly is one of the waiver adds we recommend in Week 5 as you chase the TITLE in CFF!

College Fantasy Key Takeaways: Week 4

After a week 4 full of action, Austin (@devydeets) breaks down his thoughts on the slate and how it impacts fantasy teams moving forward.

CFF Dynasty – VP’s Dynasty Darlings PT. 2

A #RollTide WR highlight Part 2 of players to TARGET in CFF. Here are six players @VolumePigs has designated as Darlings – potential future TARGET HOGS!