College Fantasy Football Stars to Start, Sit in Week 1 From Each Power 4 League

We evaluate the Week 1 matchups for 24 major players across college football’s power conferences.

Bryce Underwood’s development will make or break the Michigan season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The long wait is over. Last weekend’s amuse-bouche—a handful of Week Zero matchups—has come and gone. Week 1 is finally upon us.

With the return of college football comes the return of college fantasy football. While it is not quite as ubiquitous as the NFL version of the game, college fantasy has grown in popularity over the years, with some mainstream fantasy purveyors starting to offer the game.

Your standard college fantasy league makes players available from the Power 4 conferences: the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. This extended slate of games, which runs from Thursday through Monday with the NFL still off for another week, isn’t the greatest we’ve ever seen, with a ton of powerhouses facing FCS and Group of 6 also-rans. Still, we’re thrilled to have it all back.

Ahead of the first full week of college football, let’s take a look at quarterbacks, running backs and pass catchers to both insert into your lineups and to avoid from each of the Power 4 conferences this week.

ACC (plus Notre Dame)

Start: QB Kevin Jennings, SMU (at Florida State)

Jennings has been one of the most reliable quarterbacks in college football over the last two seasons and enters 2026 as a third-year starter, with over 3,200 passing yards and at least 23 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. He was not a huge threat on the ground last season, but did have 354 rushing yards in ’24, and has nine rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons. He threw for 254 yards and three scores against Mike Norvell’s horrendous ’24 Seminoles squad in a 42–16 win.

Florida State probably won’t be that bad this year, but a 34–17 Week Zero win against New Mexico State wasn’t overly encouraging. Aggies quarterback Trey Hedden—a Furman transfer making his first FBS appearance against the Noles—threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns along with an interception and looked pretty comfortable against the FSU defense. NMSU should’ve had a third touchdown through the air, but a halfback pass from TJ Washington Jr. was dropped in the end zone by a wide open AJ Williams III, a play that halted the Aggies’ momentum in their upset bid.

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings is entering his third year as Mustangs starter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sit: QB Christopher Vizzina, Clemson (at LSU)

In the limited playing time that Vizzina has had with the Tigers, he’s been pretty impressive. The Birmingham native thew for 317 yards and three touchdowns without a pick in his most significant playing time last season, a loss to SMU. Now stepping in as starter, he may be tremendous for Clemson ... but Week 1 at LSU in front of a raucous crowd for Lane Kiffin’s first game is probably not the time to test it out.

There is also the chance that Dabo Swinney opts to give Tait Reynolds, who competed with Vizzina for the starting spot, some run on Saturday, another factor that should have fantasy players leary of plugging Vizzina into their lineups for Week 1.

Start: RB Justice Haynes, Georgia Tech (vs. Colorado)

These two squads opened the 2025 season in Boulder, Colo., and it immediately put the Buffaloes’ biggest weakness on display. The Yellow Jackets rushed for 320 yards as a team en route to a 30–27 victory. Both teams look very different than they did a year ago; Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner is now at Florida (replaced by longtime NFL assistant George Godsey) and quarterback Haynes King—a battering ram who ran for 156 yards in this game last year—is a Carolina Panther. Deion Sanders’s ever-changing program has also turned over significant parts of the roster once again, and has a new defensive coordinator in Chris Marve.

And yet, the Buffs still have a Haynes to worry about: former Michigan and Alabama running back Justice Haynes, who will be the focal point of the offense as QB Alberto Mendoza eases into the starting role in Alabama. Unless Marve has worked some serious magic, Haynes should find plenty of room to run.

Justice Haynes will be the focal point of Georgia Tech’s offense after stops at Michigan and Alabama. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sit: RB Micah Ford, Stanford (vs. Miami)

Ford got off to an excellent start for the Cardinal in Week Zero, rushing for 99 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries to help lead Stanford to a win against Hawaii. The good: It certainly looks like the volume will be there for Ford this year in new coach Tavita Pritchard’s offense, as backup Sedrick Irvin (who was effective) only carried the rock eight times. The bad: Miami’s defense is a bit more talented than the Rainbow Warriors’.

Start: WR Cooper Barkate, Miami (at Stanford)

You certainly don’t need me to tell you to start Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney, one of the most electric players in all of college football, against an overmatched Cardinal squad. But give a look to Miami’s WR2 Barkate, a transfer in from Duke alongside QB Darian Mensah, who caught 72 passes for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago. The Stanford defense will do all it can to limit Toney (and given the fact that they’re coming off of a shootout with Hawaii, whether that is realistic is up in the air). Barkate should have plenty of room to work this weekend and all season.

Cooper Barkate joins Darian Mensah at Miami after a breakout season at Duke. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sit: WR Jaden Greathouse, Notre Dame (vs. Wisconsin in Green Bay)

After missing most of the 2025 season due to a string of injuries, Jaden Greathouse is set to make a big leap this fall as one of CJ Carr’s top targets after a strong run in the ’24 College Football Playoff. The Fighting Irish are also a sizable three-touchdown favorite against the Badgers, but this might not be the best breakout spot for the wideout. Wisconsin’s defense was fairly competitive in the back half of last season and enters the year projected as the 20th best unit in the nation, per ESPN’s SP+. The defensive backfield has seen a total overhaul, with transfers like Javan Robinson (Arizona State), Marvin Burks Jr. (Missouri) and Bryce West (Ohio State) set to play significant roles for Luke Fickell’s defense.

Big Ten

Start: QB Demond Williams, Washington (vs. Washington State)

Of the nation’s top returning quarterbacks, none may need to get on the good graces of his team and fan base like Williams. One surefire way to do that: opening the year with a dominant performance in the Apple Cup. He was nearly perfect against the Cougars last year, going 16 for 19 through the air for 298 yards and four touchdowns and adding 88 yards and a score on the ground.

Washington quarterback Demond Williams had a field day in last season’s Apple Cup game against Washington State. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sit: QB Bryce Underwood, Michigan (vs. Western Michigan)

On paper, the Wolverines’ hire of former Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck should unlock Underwood—and it should be great for fantasy players. See: the dual-threat exploits of Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin for the Utes a year ago. We’re taking a wait-and-see approach, however. Underwood has reportedly taken strides since a rough spring game, but Western Michigan is no slouch after winning the MAC title. Even if Underwood and the Michigan offense clicks, coach Kyle Whittingham may not want to show off everything in the arsenal a week before facing Oklahoma.

Start: RB Wayne Knight, UCLA (at Cal)

New Bruins coach Bob Chesney imported a fair chunk of players from his last stop, James Madison, including his bellcow back Knight, who ran for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago. Chesney and offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy know what they have in Knight, and he should have plenty of opportunities—especially early in the season—after logging 247 touches a year ago.

Wayne Knight helped lead James Madison to the College Football Playoff last season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sit: RB Abu Sama III, Wisconsin (vs. Notre Dame in Green Bay)

Sama, an Iowa State transfer, is an impressive athlete and should have an opportunity to put together some big days for the Badgers. Sunday against Notre Dame likely won’t be one of them, as the Fighting Irish field one of the nastiest defenses in the country, and if the CJ Carr-led offense jumps on Wisconsin, the game script won’t be in his favor. Sama only broke 100 yards once last season and received under 12 carries per game for the Cyclones; he isn’t the kind of bellcow that will grind out tough yards no matter the opponent.

Start: WR Nick Marsh, Indiana (vs. North Texas)

Marsh, one of the Hoosiers’ top imports, was on the wrong side of one of the most famous Curt Cignetti anecdotes of the offseason, when he was chewed out for wearing gold cleats to practice. The word on Marsh in the months since that tough practice moment has been extremely positive, and he has received some serious NFL draft buzz before taking his first regular season snap in Bloomington.

North Texas is in full rebuild mode, and is historically not much of a defensive juggernaut as it is; Marsh and his new QB Josh Hoover should have an opportunity to jump out of the gates in Week 1 and put up some big numbers early. A touchdown or two in his Indiana debut would be a good way to make people forget about the gold cleats.

Receiver Nick Marsh is among the major transfers set to take the reins of the high-powered Indiana offense. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Sit: WR Griffin Wilde, Northwestern (vs. South Dakota State)

Wilde was a bright spot for the Wildcats offense a year ago, leading the team with 71 receptions for 880 yards and eight touchdowns. He returns for another year with Northwestern, and will look to help quarterback Aidan Chiles—a Michigan State transfer who began his career at Oregon State—get his feet under him and capitalize on his talent with his third college football program.

This won’t be a cakewalk against an FCS opponent though. The Jackrabbits regularly field defenses at the top of the FCS and will look to limit offensive possessions and control the ball when they have possession. Will new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, then, rely more on returning star running back Caleb Komolafe? It’s certainly a possibility. If any FCS squad knows Wilde inside and out, it is SDSU—he played his first two seasons there before transferring to the Wildcats.

Big 12

Start: QB Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State (at Tulsa)

Those playing college fantasy football in Power 4-only leagues last year didn’t get the chance to play Mestemaker, one of the season’s breakout stars at American squad North Texas. That changes this year, as he headlines the 92-player transfer class remaking the Cowboys’ roster under his former Mean Green coach Eric Morris. Mestemaker threw for 4,379 yards, 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions a year ago, as a little-known former high school backup.

He’ll need to adjust to a higher level of competition in the Big 12, but Oklahoma State opens with a squad from the American (albeit, one that UNT missed last season) in the Golden Hurricane. While Tulsa went just 4–8 a year ago, one of those four wins effectively ended Mike Gundy’s impressive run in Stillwater; he was fired days after the Pokes dropped a game to their in-state rival from the Group of 6. Mestemaker, Morris & Co. certainly don’t have to answer for the issues that befell the late-stage Gundy program, but lighting up the Golden Hurricane to open 2026 would be an effective signal that the page has been turned.

Drew Mestemaker tossed for over 4,300 yards in his first year as starter at North Texas before joining Eric Morris at Oklahoma State. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Sit: QB DJ Lagway, Baylor (vs. Auburn in Atlanta)

Mestemaker was probably the highest-profile transfer into the Big 12 during the offseason, a stunning statement given the profile that new Bears quarterback Lagway had while at Florida, where he often flashed his five-star talent but never quite put it all together. Now, coach Dave Aranda and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital hope to unlock it, and if they do, they will have one of the most talented signal callers in the entire country.

That is a big if, though, and while he’s been lagely positive about Lagway’s progress this offseason, even Spavital has admitted that his quarterback occasionally reverts to the bad habits that plagued him last season with the Gators. The Tigers have their own questions with new coach Alex Golesh in town, but they bring back a solid level of defensive talent, and should have a decisive crowd edge at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This is a very difficult assignment for Lagway.

Start: RB Makhi Hughes, Houston (vs. Oregon State)

Hughes was one of the centerpieces of Oregon’s transfer class a year ago, but went his tenure in Eugene came and went with virtually no impact: 17 carries and 70 yards in six games. With the Cougars, Hughes reunites with the former Tulane braintrust under whom he thrived in the American Conference, running for 2,779 yards and 23 touchdowns in two seasons.

There’s no guarantee that he returns to his all-conference form of two years ago with Houston, but he’ll be incredibly motivated to prove himself, and the Cougars—20.5-point favorites against the Beavers—should have plenty of opportunity to run the ball.

Makhi Hughes will face Oregon State for the second year in a row, this time with Houston to open the season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Sit: RB DeKalon Taylor, Colorado (at Georgia Tech)

Is this the year that Coach Prime’s team finally establishes the run? We’re not going to risk plugging any Buffaloes into our running back spots to find out.

This will likely be a backfield-by-committee, as has been the case throughout Deion Sanders’s time in Boulder. The results, to this point, have not been good. Colorado’s leading rusher for two straight seasons—including the successful, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter-led 2024 campaign—has finished with 384 rushing yards. The program’s average yards per carry over the last three seasons: 2.3, 2.6 and 3.6.

Taylor, a standout at Incarnate Word in 2024 before injuries cost him most of last season, is probably the most intriguing of the Buffaloes bunch, but it is impossible to trust this running game, especially against a solid opponent like the Yellow Jackets.

Start: TE Terrance Carter Jr., Texas Tech (vs. Abilene Christian)

Given the opponent and Carter’s importance to the Red Raiders offense, this is a bit of a layup, but even against an overmatched opponent, we should find out a lot about Texas Tech in Week 1. All eyes have been on the quarterback situation entering the season, with the Brendan Sorsby situation playing out in the spring, and giving way to Will Hammond stepping into the starting role. He is less than a year removed from a torn ACL, and it would be no surprise to see him pepper the Red Raiders’ big 245-pound security blanket with targets as he gets comfortable back on the field.

Terrance Carter Jr. was a significant piece of Texas Tech’s offense as the Red Raiders ran to the 2025 Big 12 championship. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sit: WR Danny Scudero, Colorado (at Georgia Tech)

At full health, Scudero is in line to put up huge numbers in the Buffaloes’ “Go-Go offense” under new OC Brennan Marion. He is familiar with the offensive coordinator from his redshirt year at Sacramento State, where Marion was previously head coach, and put up huge numbers after transferring to San José State in 2025. Scudero has not been healthy over the last few weeks, however, and has reportedly been spotted on crutches and in a walking boot in recent weeks.

While Sanders has expressed confidence that Scudero will be active for Week 1, even if that is the case, it doesn’t sound like he’s anywhere near 100%—making a big game on the road at the Yellow Jackets a tough ask for the shifty slot receiver.

NEXT: Forde-Yard Dash—Gauging College Football’s 10 Biggest 2026 Pressure Points

SEC

Start: QB Byrum Brown, Auburn (vs. Baylor in Atlanta)

One of the Group of 5’s most exciting quarterbacks last season gets the call-up to the big leagues, as Brown joins Golesh with the Tigers. Brown has played a lot of football in four years at South Florida, with 950 career pass attempts and 477 rushes, lending hope that he’ll adapt well to the SEC. We’ll find out a few weeks into the season when Auburn takes on Florida. Week 1’s date with the Bears should definitely be Brown’s speed, as the Baylor defense has been extremely leaky, despite coach Dave Aranda’s bona fides on that side of the ball.

Brown threw for 3,158 yards, ran for 1,008 and totaled 42 touchdowns for the Bulls in 2025. If all goes right, he’ll be a fantasy monster this fall.

Auburn QB Byrum Brown should find room to work against a Baylor defense that has struggled in recent years. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Sit: QB Gunner Stockton, Georgia (vs. Tennessee State)

Stockton should play precisely how well—and how long—he needs to against the FCS’s Tigers on Saturday, no more, no less. We’ve seen the Bulldogs’ star dial it up for big games before. This won’t be that. In three games against non-Power 4 opponents last season, Stockton averaged 204 yards while throwing for a pair of touchdowns and an interception. Georgia won those games by an average of 30.7 points per game. Kirby Smart doesn’t often care about style points, and will be happy to run the ball as much as possible Saturday.

Start: RB Hollywood Smothers, Texas (vs. Texas State)

After dealing with numerous injuries at running back a year ago, the Longhorns made a point of focusing on the position in the transfer portal, landing Raleek Brown from Arizona State and Smothers from NC State, a pair of highly productive players a year ago who can beat teams on the ground and through the air. Texas shouldn’t need a huge effort to overcome the Bobcats, but GJ Kinne’s teams can put up points, so we may see Arch Manning and the Longhorns starters get some decent run in this one. Coach Steve Sarkisian should look for his offense to impose its will on Texas State, and Smothers is the more patient, north-south runner of the two imports—and a talented offensive line should give him a lot of space to operate.

New Texas running back Hollywood Smothers comes to Austin after an impressive season at NC State. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sit: RB Dilin Jones, LSU (vs. Clemson)

There are high, high hopes for Lane Kiffin’s first year with the Tigers, and with Sam Leavitt under center, there’s reason to believe he can field a vintage passing attack right out of the gate. The running game, critical to Kiffin’s success at Ole Miss, however, is a serious question mark. There’s no Kewan Lacy here, after the Rebels star opted to stay in Oxford. Instead, Kiffin fields a three-headed backfield including Jones (300 yards, two touchdowns at Wisconsin in 2025), Harlem Berry (491 yards, two touchdowns) and Caden Durham (505 yards, three touchdowns).

All three will likely play, but Jones appears to be in the front of the line entering Week 1. Clemson may not be the program that dominated the ACC and won a pair of national championships last decade, but they still field a tough run defense that should test this relatively unproven group.

Start: WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama (vs. ECU)

Two years ago, Coleman-Williams was being discussed as a 1A to Jeremiah Smith among the best young wide receivers in the country. An underwhelming sophomore season (689 yards, four touchdowns) plagued with drops sapped a ton of hype from the electric wideout, but he’s drawn extremely strong reviews from the coaching staff entering 2026.

Coleman-Williams, still just 19 years old, will be catching passes from another dynamic youngster in Keelon Russell, a pair that seeks to reinvigorate an Alabama program that hasn’t quite lived up to lofty expectations since Nick Saban’s retirement.

The 2025 season was difficult for Ryan Williams after an electric freshman campaign at Alabama. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Sit: WR Dallas Wilson, Florida (vs. FAU)

Wide receiver could be a strength for the Gators in Jon Sumrall’s first year, with the intriguing triplets of Wilson, Vernell Brown III and Eric Singleton Jr. atop the depth chart. Wilson was limited to four games as a freshman, but showed off his game-breaking talent in Florida’s upset of Texas, with 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 29–21 win. He’ll get plenty of opportunity to flash that brilliance this season, but with the Gators breaking in a new quarterback in Aaron Philo, this should be a game for running back Jadan Baugh and the rushing attack.

The Owls fielded one of the FBS’s worst rushing defenses a year ago, allowing over 201 yards per game on the ground. Sumrall and OC Buster Faulkner would probably prefer to avoid showing too much before a big Week 3 matchup against Auburn.

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