After two full weeks of the CFB season, we’re starting to understand the quality of teams and offenses and the roles players will have moving forward. We can no longer rely solely on what we expected to happen; we have actual games to consider now. So it’s time to adjust our rankings to reflect how this season has gone so far. Below is a list of the new additions to our rankings and some of the most drastic risers and fallers at each position.
QUARTERBACKS
RISERS
Michael Pratt- QB 46
Pratt turned in one of the more memorable QB performances in the early part of the season, putting up 296 yards and 3TDs passing and 54 yards and one TD on the ground in a nail-biter against Oklahoma. With another three total TDs the following week, Pratt is the QB20 to this point in the season which has caused him to climb from the QB56 to the QB46 in our Average Rankings.
Will Levis- QB 63
Levis had a blistering start, throwing for 367 yards and four TDs in week one against Louisiana Monroe. He followed that up with a disappointing performance against Missouri, where he threw for 179 yards and one TD and added another TD on the ground. Levis has risen from 88th to 63rd in our Average Rankings, and if he starts to showcase that rushing ability we saw at Penn State, he may continue to climb.
FALLERS
Hudson Card- QB 29
Despite a solid stat line of 14/21 for 224 yards and two TDs and a 74.9 Passing Grade from PFF in week 1, Card looked like the raw prospect we thought he was. He followed that up with an abysmal performance the following week versus Arkansas that wound up getting him benched. Card will not start this week vs. Rice, which has ultimately contributed to his drop from 22nd to 29th in our rankings.
Joe Milton- QB 92
The starting QB in a Josh Heupel offense has been a productive fantasy asset dating back to Drew Lock at Missouri. Milton, however, has failed to impress in his first two starts for Tennessee this year. After getting injured in week two, his replacement, Hendon Hooker, performed admirably and looks to be on track to start week three. Milton’s subpar performances and injury have opened the door for Hooker and caused Milton to fall from our 82nd ranked QB to our 92nd ranked QB.
RUNNING BACKS
RISERS
Raheim Sanders- RB 47
Raheim “Rocket” Sanders has been drawing rave reviews and flying up rankings and off-season hype machine. With 15 carries for 94 yards and one TD through two games, Sanders has earned a substantial role in this offense as a true freshman and continued to climb from 57th to 47th in our Average Rankings.
Jabari Small- RB 78
While this backfield was somewhat ambiguous this offseason with a new coaching staff in place, Small had the loudest drumbeat all off-season. He’s parlayed the lead back role in this committee into 29 carries for 123 yards and 3 TDs and, more importantly, has almost doubled Tyion Evans carries so far. His production and role have led to Small rising dramatically from 117th to 78th in our ranks.
Reese White- RB 96
Despite a surprising seven carries in week one, White parlayed that into an extremely efficient 62 yards and two TDs in the beat down of the Citadel. Week 2 saw more of the volume we expected from White and has led him to the CFF RB21. White has risen from 106th to 96th in our Average Rankings, and if he starts to see more of the receiving work some expected, he should continue to climb.
FALLERS
Kamarro Edmonds- RB 47
The RB17 by the composite but the RB10 in the class of 2021 according to 24/7 sports, Edmonds put himself behind the other backs on the roster by electing to play his senior football season in the Spring this year. Edmonds has yet to record a snap for this offense through two games, causing him to fall from 38th to 47th in our Average Rankings. And he may be a candidate to make another appearance on this list soon.
Caleb Hood- RB 85
While Edmonds has yet to receive a snap, Hood has worked in rotation as the second back off the bench with DJ Jones behind Ty Chandler so far. He hasn’t seen a ton of volume so far, recording only five carries for 16 yards. However, his off-season hype drove his Average rank to astronomical heights. So far, his meager performances have brought him back down to earth from 40th to 85th in our Average Ranks.
Master Teague- RB 102
The presumed lead back for this Ohio State backfield, Teague has been out-snapped and out-touched by both Miyan Williams and true freshman Treyveon Henderson and has the same number of carries as Marcus Crawley to this point in the season. With this trend likely to continue, Teague has fallen from 88th in our Average Rankings to 102nd.
New to the Rankings
Zander Horvath- RB 140
After a solid week one that saw him put up 81 yards and a TD, Horvath could not build on that momentum in week two due to an injury. Horvath still deserves an addition to our rankings, checking in at 140th in his debut.
Damien Moore- RB 151
Moore played well last year in relief for Christopher Brooks after his injury and then parlayed that into the starting role this year. He has continued his solid play with 29 carries for 150 and three TDs and three catches for 16 yards through two games. Moore can no longer be ignored, debuting at 151st.
D’Vonte Price- RB 92
Price had an insanely efficient week one where he turned five carries into 165 yards and three TDs as FIU routed LIU from the jump. He followed that up with 23 carries for 103 yards and one catch for 20 yards. The volume and efficiency Price has seen so far makes him a weekly flex option and has earned him RB92 spot in our rankings.
Brandon Thomas- RB 36
One of the biggest early surprises this season, Thomas appears to be the next star CFF RB for Memphis. His 34 for 338 yards and three TDs through two games are good for the RB11 so far this year. And given the recent NFL success of Memphis RBs, it’s fair to be bullish on his NFL potential as well. Thomas is the highest player to debut in our rankings at the RB36.
Tayon Davis-Fleet- RB120
While most seemed to expect Pent Boone or Isaiah Jacobs to be the lead RB for Maryland, Fleet-Davis emerged as the starter. He parlayed that role into 38 carries for 263 yards, and two TDs and ten catches for 57 yards, and a TD through three games Fleet-Davis has been the RB34 so far on the year and opens in our rankings at 120.
Tavion Thomas- RB130
The Utah RB room was a four-way OR to start the year, causing all options to be suppressed in value. But Thomas emerged as the best back in week one, compiling 107 yards and TD on 12 carries. The following week Thomas fumbled and proceeded to be outplayed by Michah Bernard. Thomas will likely get a chance to redeem himself at some point, making this a frustrating committee. But Thomas’s production so far warrants inclusion in our rankings, coming in at the RB130.
Isaiah Bowser- RB66
Another big early surprise this year has been the emergence of Isaiah Bowser in the UCF backfield. Bowser has seen a bellcow-like 49 carries and five receptions through two games and turned that into 231 yards, five TDs rushing, and 33 receiving yards. The RB5 on the year so far, Bowser checks in at 66 in our Average Rankings with some room to grow if he can keep these performances coming.
Harrison Waylee- RB141
After a solid true freshman year in 2020 that saw him take over the lead back role at the end of the year, Waylee has been nothing short of spectacular early this season. He’s the focal point of this NIU offense and has managed to turn his 53 carries into 323 yards and three TDs, and two catches for 22 yards. The RB 43 on the year, Waylee debuts as our 141st ranked RB in our Average Rankings and figures to be a regular riser if he continues this production.
Treyson Potts- RB 133
(Williamsport, PA, stand-up)
Potts took over for Mo Ibrahim after his injury in week one against Ohio St and received ten carries. He followed that performance up with a bell-cow like 34 carries and turned that into 178 yards and a pair of TDs. If he continues to get the type of workload we expected from Ibrahim, Potts may continue to put up stat lines similar to what we expected from Ibrahim. The RB133 may only be beginning for Potts.
WIDE RECEIVERS
RISERS
Jalen Cropper- WR 35
With a touchdown and at least five targets in all three games this year, Cropper has seen the volume we all expected from him in this pass-heavy Fresno State offense. And as Fresno State moves away from games against the likes of Oregon and UCLA and into the more friendly Mountain West schedule, we can expect more performances like this from Cropper moving forward. Cropper has risen from 57th to 35th in our Average Ranks.
Corey Rucker- WR66
We had a pretty good idea that Rucker would be the next man up at Arkansas State after his 300 yards and four TD performance in the bowl game last year. Even a new Head Coach in Butch Jones hasn’t been able to slow Rucker down on his way to 15 catches for 224 yards and four TDs. With the role we thought he would have now confirmed, Rucker has risen from 77th to 66th in our Average Ranks.
Jameson Williams- WR82
Williams transferred from one loaded WR room at Ohio State to another room stocked with talent, albeit young talent, in Alabama. His experience has gotten him on the field early, as he’s run 31 and 21 routes and seen six targets in both games thus far. While he will likely be TD-dependent for CFF purposes this year, William’s NFL draft stock is skyrocketing as he continues to out-perform all but our own @Sharpereview’s expectations this year. With top-notch speed and a Bama pedigree, Williams has risen from 90th to 82nd in our Average Ranks and may make another appearance on this list in the future.
Jerreth Sterns- WR87
One of half of the Houston Baptist transfer dream team, Sterns, has picked up where he left off last year and produced back-to-back 100 yard, two TD performances so far this year. Sterns shows no signs of slowing down and is a legitimate threat to be the WR1 on any given week. With top tier CFF value, Sterns has risen from 145th to 87th in our Average Rankings.
FALLERS
Demond Demas- WR65
I don’t know if pictures on milk cartons are still a thing or not. But if they are, you would see Demond Demas’ face on one. Demas has been on the field for seven total snaps and has failed to record a single target. Despite the hype coming into his freshman year last year, the Demond Demas dream is on life-support as he falls from 48th to 65th in our Average Rankings.
Braylon Sanders- WR86
Over the past few years, the number one WR in Ole Miss’ offense has been a fantasy gold mine. However, Sanders has not seized that role, only producing three catches for 45 yards and a TD through two games. As a result, Sanders has fallen from 73rd to 86th in our Average Rankings.
New to the Rankings
Deven Thompkins- WR 98
After coming from an Arkansas State team, he coached to six straight bowl games; the new Utah State Head Coach, Blake Anderson (no, not that Blake Anderson), produced some drool-inducing fantasy WRs. Thompkins appears poised to be next in line to be the top WR in a Blake Anderson offense with 16 catches for 266 yards and two TDs through two games so far.
Jacob Cowing- WR 94
With a TD in all three games so far this season and two 100-yard performances under his belt, Cowing is proving to have more volume for the run-heavy UTEP Miners. He has at least five targets in every game so far and has increased his targets each week.
Samori Toure- WR 166
The transfer from FCS powerhouse Montana (sorry Washington) started the year slowly. But with back to back 100 yard performances, including two catches for 136 yards and two TDs against Buffalo, Toure appears to be the lead WR for Nebraska.
Dontayvion Wicks- WR 196
After the season-ending injury to Lavel Davis Jr, it was unclear who, if anyone, would be the go-to WR for Virginia. After games with four catches for 94 yards and three catches for 63 yards and two TDs, Wicks looks to be that guy. Wicks is worth rostering in deep leagues or if your team is short on startable WRs.
Devin Maddox- WR 136
With an incredible 60% Weighted Dominator Rating through the first two games for Toledo, Devin Maddox has seemingly come out of nowhere this season. But after putting up nine catches for 135 yards against Notre Dame in week 2, Maddox can longer be ignored and is certainly worth adding if available.
Dontario Drummond- WR 127
We knew the slot WR for Ole Miss was a valuable role for CFF. We didn’t know who was going to seize that role. Drummond has taken hold of that role with 95 slot snaps through two games and 17 snaps anywhere else. He’s turned it into 15 catches for 284 yards and three TDs. Drummond is looking like a high-end CFF WR every week moving forward and is a priority add for our own Austin Nace in this week’s Waiver Wire article.
Victor Tucker- WR 178
Tucker came out of the gates hot to start the year, with eight catches for 133 yards against Duke. He came back to Earth the following week with only four catches for 33 yards. Tucker is the WR1 for this Charlotte offense and may put up several more weeks like his week one performance and provide some flex-worthy weeks for your campus side.
TIGHT ENDS
RISERS
Lucas Krull- TE 34
The 6’6” 260lbs transfer from Florida has already made a name for himself in this Pitt passing attack. Krull has recorded a TD in each game and has seen five and four targets through two games. This has led to Krull being a startable option at TE so far this season. That, coupled with his size and athleticism, has caused Krull to climb from 43rd to 34th in our Average Ranks.
FALLERS
Jahleel Billingsley- TE 11
There were reports leading up to the season that Billingsley was not performing to expectations and was in Nick Saban’s doghouse as a result. We are now seeing this play out on the field as Billingsley has two targets and zero catches through two games. Billingsley has dropped from 7th to 11th in our Average Ranks, and I would expect him to make another appearance on this list this season unless the situation changes quickly.
