College Fantasy Preview - A Look Back

This fall will be my fifth season of college fantasy football. As the Athlon experts begin to prep for our office pool – which is a running draft that takes place on a 4-foot piece of poster board hanging on the wall – I find myself frequently reminiscing about fantasy rosters of yesteryear.

Oh, how I longed for the 1,569-yard, 16 touchdown performance from a freshman version of P.J. Hill. Talk about value in the 8th round.

Or how about a wavier wire pick-up named Matt Forte and his four consecutive 200-yard performances?

Then deeper philosophical questions arose: What if you owned Barry Sanders in 1988? How about the single season NCAA rushing record of 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns? He finished that season with 3,249 yards of total offense and 39 scores. That is a career for most runners.

So I decided that, while on my walk down memory lane, a look back at the top college fantasy players of the last decade would be appropriate.

2000

QB: Bart Hendricks, Boise State: 3,364 yds, 35 TD, 8 INT
Under the tutelage of offensive guru Dirk Koetter, Hendricks led the nation in passing touchdowns. He also added 269 yards rushing and six more scores on the ground.

Chris Weinke, Florida State: 4,167 yds, 33 TD, 11 INT
Drew Brees, Purdue: 3,393 yds, 24 TD, 12 INT, 546 rush yds, 5 TD
Antwaan Randle El, Indiana: 1,783 yds, 10 TD, 14 INT, 1,270 rush yds, 13 TD

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU: 2,158 yds, 22 TD
After leading the nation in rushing as a junior – and setting the NCAA single game rushing record at 405 – Tomlinson was likely the first pick in any draft. He did not disappoint as he led the nation in rushing for a second straight season.

Damien Anderson, Northwestern: 1,914 yds, 22 TD, 15 rec, 120 yds
Lee Suggs, Virginia Tech: 1,207 yds, 27 TD, 3 rec, 44 yds, TD

WR: Tyson Hinshaw, UCF: 89 rec, 1,089 yds, 13 TD
This was a tough one as a number of options could be the top fantasy receiver. Hinshaw had the most complete stat line and subsequently gets the nod as the top option in 2000.

Marvin Minnis, Florida State: 63 rec, 1,340 yds, 11 TD
Lee Mays, UTEP: 70 rec, 1,098 yds, 15 TD
Jabar Gaffney, Florida: 71 rec, 1,184 yds, 14 TD
James Jordan, Louisiana Tech: 109 rec, 1,003 yds, 4 TD

2001

QB: David Carr, Fresno State: 4,299 yds, 42 TD, 7 INT, 5 rush TD
The number one pick in the draft was clearly the number one fantasy option in 2001. He led the nation in passing yards and touchdowns. Carr also added five rushing scores.

Byron Leftwich, Marshall: 4,132 yds, 38 TD, 7 INT, 92 rush yds, 2 TD, rec TD
Rex Grossman, Florida: 3,896 yds, 34 TD, 12 INT, 5 rush TD
Eric Crouch, Nebraska: 1,510 yds, 7 TD, 10 INT, 1,115 rush yds, 18 TD, rec TD

RB: Luke Staley, BYU: 1,585 yds, 24 TD, 32 rec, 334 yds, 4 TD
Staley led the nation in scoring and finished second in rushing as a junior. He led BYU to a 12-2 season as the Cougars led the nation in scoring at 46.7 points per game.

Chester Taylor, Toledo: 1,430 yds, 20 TD, 26 rec, 242 yds, 3 TD
Dwone Hicks, MTSU: 1,144 yds, 20 TD, 18 rec, 230 yds, 4 TD
Chance Kretschmer, Nevada: 1,732 yds, 15 TD, 10 rec, 55 yds

WR: Ashley Lelie, Hawaii: 84 rec, 1,713 yds, 19 TD
Lelie finished the ’01 season with three consecutive 200-yard games. His stats for the final three games: 23 rec, 758 yds, 8 TD. Not a bad finish to the season. 

Darius Watts, Marshall: 91 rec, 1,417 yds, 18 TD
Edell Shepard, San Jose State: 83 rec, 1,500 yds, 14 TD
Josh Reed, LSU: 94 rec, 1,740 yds, 7 TD
Kevin Cutis, Utah State: 100 rec, 1,532, 10 TD

2002

QB: Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech: 5,017 yds, 45 TD, 13 INT,  2 rush TD
The run of Texas Tech QB’s begins here with Kingsbury. He topped the 400-yard mark five times and the 300-yard mark nine times.

Carson Palmer, USC: 3,942 yds, 33 TD, 10 INT, 4 rush TD
Bryon Leftwich, Marshall: 4,268 yds, 30 TD, 10 INT, 3 rush TD
Chance Harridge, Air Force: 1,062 yds, 10 TD, 7 INT, 1,229 rush yds, 22 TD
Cody Pickett, Washington: 4,458 yds, 28 TD, 14 INT, 3 rush TD

RB: Larry Johnson, Penn State: 2,087 yds, 20 TD, 41 rec, 349 yds, 3 TD
In what turned out to be a loaded year for running backs, the other ‘Granmama’ led the nation in rushing yards.

Willis McGahee, Miami: 1,753 yds, 28 TD, 27 rec, 355 yds
Blake Forsey, Boise State: 1,611 yds, 26 TD, 36 rec, 282 yds, 6 TD
Michael Turner, Northern Illinois: 1,915 yds, 19 TD, 10 rec, 100 yds, ret TD
Chris Brown, Colorado: 1,841 yds, 19 TD, 5 rec, 40 yds
Quentin Griffin, Oklahoma: 1,884 yds, 15 TD, 35 rec, 264 yds, 3 TD
Lee Suggs, Virginia Tech: 1,325 yds, 22 TD, 11 rec, 126 yds, 2 TD

WR: Rashuan Woods, Oklahoma State: 107 rec, 1,695 yds, 17 TD
Woods managed nine 100-yard games his junior year including a 12 catch, 226-yard, 3 TD performance in a win over rival Oklahoma. The record seven TD game came the following season against SMU (12-232-7).

Nate Burleson, Nevada: 138 rec, 1,629 yds, 12 TD, 115 rush yds, TD
J.R. Toliver, San Diego State: 128 rec, 1,785 yds, 13 TD, 40 rush yds, TD, 87 pass yds

2003

QB: B.J. Symons, Texas Tech: 5,833 yds, 52 TD, 22 INT, 143 rush yds, 5 TD
Derek Anderson, Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Leinart were all in the top-10 of fantasy ranks. Symons outperformed all of them by leaps and bounds.

Ben Roethlisberger, Miami (OH): 4,486 yds, 37 TD, 10 INT, 111 rush yds, 3 TD
Phillip Rivers, N.C. State: 4,491 yds, 34 TD, 7 INT, 109 rush yds, 3 TD
Josh Harris, Bowling Green: 3,813 yds, 27 TD, 12 INT, 830 rush yds, 13 TD
Jason White, Oklahoma: 3,846 yds, 40 TD, 10 INT, rush TD

RB: Darren Sproles, Kansas State: 1,986 yds, 16 TD, 25 rec, 287 yds, 2 TD, ret TD
The do-everything little back for the Wildcats led the nation in rushing as a junior. Included a 323 total yard, TD performance in a 35-7 shellacking of Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game.

Steven Jackson, Oregon State: 1,545 yds, 19 TD, 44 rec, 470 yds, 3 TD
Chris Perry, Michigan: 1,674 yds, 18 TD, 44 rec, 367 yds, 2 TD
Kevin Jones, Virginia Tech: 1,647 yds, 21 TD, 14 rec, 161 yds

WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh: 92 rec, 1,672 yds, 22 TD
One the most physically dominate wideouts to ever play college football put on a show as a sophomore. It was only a preview of things to come.

Mark Clayton, Oklahoma: 83 rec, 1,425 yds, 15 TD, 62 rush yds
Rashaun Woods, Oklahoma State: 77 rec, 1,369 yds, 15 TD
Mike Williams, USC: 95 rec, 1,314 yds, 16 TD, 38 pass yds, TD, 26 rush yds

2004

QB: Omar Jacobs, Bowling Green: 4,002 yds, 41 TD, 4 INT, 300 rush yds, 4 TD
Jacobs put up what is possibly the single best TD:INT ratio ever with a 41:4 number. He also threw four or more touchdowns in eight of his 12 games.

Sonny Cumbie, Texas Tech: 4,742 yds, 32 TD, 18 INT, 2 rush TD
Timmy Chang, Hawaii: 4,258 yds, 38 TD, 13 INT, 15 rush yds, 2 TD

RB: DeAngelo Williams, Memphis: 1,948 yds, 22 TD, 18 rec, 210 yds, TD
The dynamic Tiger put together four 200-yard performances his junior year. The story of the ’04 season, however, was the emergence of a freshman in Norman named Peterson.

Cedric Benson, Texas: 1,834 yds, 19 TD, 22 rec, 179 yds, TD
J.J. Arrington, Cal: 2,018 yds, 15 TD, 21 rec, 121 yds
Jamario Thomas, North Texas: 1,801 yds 17 TD, 3 rec, 14 yds
Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma: 1,925 yds, 15 TD, 5 rec, 12 yds

WR: Chad Owens, Hawaii: 102 rec, 1,290 yds, 17 TD, 5 ret TD
Owens led the nation in receiving touchdowns in ’04 but the story was his punt return ability. He returned 36 punts for 531 yards and five touchdowns.

Braylon Edwards, Michigan: 97 rec, 1,330 yds, 15 TD
Lance Moore, Toledo: 90 rec, 1,189 yds, 14 TD, ret TD
Eric Deslauriers, Eastern Michigan: 84 rec, 1,257 yds, 13 TD
Taylor Stubblefield, Purdue: 89 rec, 1,095 yds, 16 TD

2005

QB: Vince Young, Texas: 3,036 yds, 26 TD, 10 INT, 1,050 rush yds, 12 TD
The first quarterback in NCAA history to pass for 3000 and rush for 1,000 in a single season led his team to victory in what was possibly the greatest national championship game of all-time.

Colt Brennan, Hawaii: 4,301 yds, 35 TD, 13 INT, 154 rush yds, 2 TD
Cody Hodges, Texas Tech: 4,238 yds, 31 TD, 12 INT, 191 rush yds, 3 TD
Brad Smith, Missouri: 2,304 yds, 13 TD, 9 INT, 1,301 rush yds, 16 TD

RB: Brian Calhoun, Wisconsin: 1,636 yds, 22 TD, 53 rec, 571 yds, 2 TD
Calhoun led the nation in scoring during the regular season and led his Badgers to an upset win over the heavily favored Auburn Tigers in the Capital One Bowl.

DeAngelo Williams, Memphis: 1,964 yds, 18 TD, 12 rec, 78 yds, TD
Michael Bush, Louisville: 1,143 yds, 23 TD, 21 rec, 253 yds, TD
Reggie Bush, USC: 1,740 yds, 16 TD, 37 rec, 478 yds, 2 TD, ret TD
LenDale White, USC: 1,302 yds, 24 TD, 14 rec, 219 yds, 2 TD
Jerome Harrison, Washington State: 1,900 yds, 16 TD, 24 rec, 206 yds, TD

WR: Dwayne Jarrett, USC: 91 rec, 1,274 yds, 16 TD
The long line of big, physical Trojan receivers continued with this sophomore. In the Rose Bowl, he caught 10 passes for 121 yards and a score against Vince Young and the Horns.

Greg Jennings, Western Michigan: 98 rec, 1,259 yds, 14 TD, 50 rush yds, pass TD
Jeff Samardzjia, Notre Dame: 77 rec, 1,249 yds, 15 TD
Mike Hass, Oregon State: 90 rec, 1,532 yds, 6 TD

2006

QB: Colt Brennan, Hawaii: 5,549 yds, 58 TD, 12 INT, 366 rush yds, 5 TD
The single-season NCAA record for passing touchdowns was set by the Mater Dei Monach (Santa Ana, Calif.) during his junior season on the islands.

Graham Harrell, Texas Tech: 4,555 yds, 38 TD, 11 INT, 2 rush TD
Chase Holbrook, New Mexico State: 4,619 yds, 34 TD, 9 INT, 4 rush TD
Pat White, West Virginia: 1,655 yds, 13 TD, 7 INT, 1,219 rush yds, 18 TD

RB: Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois: 1,928 yds, 18 TD, 28 rec, 249 yds, TD
Wolfe averaged 223 yards per game through the first six games of the year. He averaged only 97 yards per game though the second half of the season.

Ian Johnson, Boise State: 1,714 yds, 25 TD, 8 rec, 55 yds
Ray Rice, Rutgers: 1,794 yds, 20 TD, 4 rec, 30 yds
Ahmad Bradshaw, Marshall: 1,523 yds, 19 TD, 17 rec, 129 yds, 2 TD

WR: Jarett Dillard, Rice: 91 rec, 1,247 yds, 21 TD
Major Applewhite and Todd Graham built one the nation’s most explosive offenses and Dillard was the main recipient.

Davone Bess, Hawaii: 96 rec, 1,220 yds, 15 TD
Chris Williams, New Mexico State: 92 rec, 1,415 yds, 12 TD, 53 rush yds

2007

QB: Paul Smith, Tulsa: 5,065 yds, 47 TD, 19 INT, 119 rush yds, 13 rush TD
The senior quarterback outperformed the likes of Dan LeFevour, Tim Tebow and Colt Brennan. The Todd Graham/Gus Mahlzan offense has proven to be very potent.

Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan: 3,652 yds, 27 TD, 13 INT, 1,122 rush yds, 19 TD
Tim Tebow, Florida: 3,286 yds, 32 TD, 6 INT, 895 rush yds, 23 TD
Graham Harrell, Texas Tech: 5,705 yds, 48 TD, 14 INT, 4 rush TD

RB: Kevin Smith, UCF: 2,567 yds, 29 TD, 24 rec, 242 yds, TD
Smith set the NCAA record for rushing attempts and had a chance at the all-time single-season rushing record as well but got shut down by Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl.

Ray Rice, Rutgers: 2,012 yds, 24 TD, 25 rec, 239 yds, TD
Matt Forte, Tulane: 2,127 yds, 23 TD, 32 rec, 282 yds

WR: Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: 134 rec, 1,962 yds, 22 TD
134 receptions = freshman record. 1,962 yards = NCAA record. 22 touchdowns = freshman record. Does anything else need to be said?

Jordy Nelson, Kansas State: 122 rec, 1,606 yds, 11 TD, 2 ret TD
Ryan Grice-Mullen, Hawaii: 106 rec, 1,372 yds, 13 TD
Jeremy Maclin, Missouri: 80 rec, 1,055 yds, 9 TD, 375 rush yds, 4 rush TD, 3 ret TD

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