We are about a month into the college football season so this is a good time to review which five players have performed best from a fantasy perspective at each position and also look at one player who has surprisingly been quiet in the first few weeks.
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1. Jalen Hurts, Alabama
Lincoln Riley is a genius and Hurts is even more proof. After transfer quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray found huge success with the Sooners, Hurts has as well early this season, leading all quarterbacks in fantasy points by a wide margin (130.5 to 101.64 for second place). In three games, Hurt is completing more than 80 percent of his passes for 880 yards and nine touchdowns and he also leads the team in rushing with 373 yards and four scores, averaging 9.8 yards per carry.
2. Sam Ehlinger, Texas
Ehlinger has better passing stats than Hurts and even threw for 401 and four touchdowns and rushed for a score against LSU’s vaunted defense, so he’s having a great season but trails the Oklahoma quarterback in total fantasy points. With 32 carries through three games, Ehlinger is still running the ball a good deal and he’s using his faster slot receivers Devin Duvernay and Jake Smith more than his big receivers on the outside. Ehlinger will keep scoring big and is always in the running for a huge breakout game.
3. Anthony Gordon, Washington State
The Washington State quarterback could be the steal in your fantasy league since he’s owned in only 52 percent of leagues. But Gordon has completed 96 of 122 passes in three games (78 percent) for 1,324 yards with 12 touchdowns and two picks. You’re not going to get a lot of fantasy points from Gordon’s rushing ability, but the Cougars throw the ball on almost every down and Washington State has one of the best receiving corps in the country. Gordon is not a sexy pick, but he’s putting up huge numbers and would be a smart pickup.
4. Joe Burrow, LSU
Do you believe in the LSU offense yet? Fantasy owners should because Burrow is completing more than 83 percent of his passes for 1,122 yards with 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions in three wins. The Tigers are averaging 55 points per game and scored 45 in a win at Texas two weeks ago. LSU is finally utilizing its bevy of talented receivers as three players have double-digit catches and Burrow looks more confident than ever. The schedule does get tougher in the coming weeks, but Burrow is owned in only 59 percent of leagues, so there is still opportunity to get him.
5. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Tanking for Tua? Sure makes sense with the way he’s playing this season, completing 77 percent of his passes for 1,007 yards with 12 touchdowns and no interceptions. What has also helped the lefty quarterback is an unbelievably talented receiving corps led by Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs. Both Smith (136 yards) and Ruggs (122) had huge receiving games in a blowout win at South Carolina this past weekend.
ONE SURPRISING MISS
Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
Lawrence was the No. 1 prospect in the 2018 recruiting class and he led Clemson to a blowout win in the national championship over Alabama last season but he’s off to a slower-than-expected start this season.
Among fantasy quarterbacks, Lawrence is ranked No. 13 overall through three games - all wins over Georgia Tech, Texas A&M and Syracuse. But his stats have not been all that great as Lawrence has completed 59 of 97 passes for 831 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. Clemson’s competition has been tougher than all other QBs on this list, but Lawrence is not delivering the big numbers as expected - at least not yet.
