For a fifth year, I asked three of the foremost CFF experts—Mike Bainbridge, Justin Heisey, and Zac Hall—to join me and vote on their top three players in four categories. The results were totaled and the elite fantasy performers in college football for the 2019 campaign are listed below.
The Cam Newton Award: The Preeminent Fantasy QB
- Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma (18 points)
- Joe Burrow, LSU (14 points)
- Anthony Gordon, Washington State (3 points)
Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma: Can you believe that there were some who didn’t think Jalen Hurts was worthy of being a first-round draft pick in College Fantasy Football this season? A dual-threat quarterback with big-game experience coming into one of the most high-powered offensive systems in all of college football. I had Hurts ranked at No. 2 overall and turns out that was even too low.
4,500 total yards and 49 touchdowns later, the Oklahoma quarterback lapped the field in CFB in 2019, averaging 41 fantasy points per game and scored over 100 points more than the next closest player in all of college football. In four-point passing TD leagues, Hurts topped 30 fantasy points scored in all but one week this season. That’s Lamar Jackson-esque–a comparison I didn’t think we would see again for quite some time. There is no other choice for the Cam Newton Award this season than Jalen Hurts.
— Mike Bainbridge, @MBainbridgeCFF, patreon.com/mbainbridgeCFF & AthlonSports.com
The Barry Sanders Award: The Fantastic Fantasy RB
- Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State (16 points)
- Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin (12 points)
- Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis (6 points)
Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis: The Barry Sanders Award has always gone to the most impactful fantasy running back in all of College Fantasy Football. Although Chuba Hubbard has the most fantasy points of any running back, it was Kenneth Gainwell who ascended to the top of the depth chart for the Memphis Tigers and became a weekly CFF stud off the waiver wire. He finished second nationally in all-purpose yards, third in receptions for a running back, and ended among the top five in fantasy points at the position. Gainwell was the dynasty addition of the year, and is undoubtedly, my Barry Sanders Award winner for 2019.
— Justin Heisey, @JustinHeisey, Fantrax.com
The Desmond Howard Award: The Finest Fantasy WR
- Ja’Marr Chase, LSU (16 points)
- Omar Bayless, Arkansas State (16 points)
- James Proche, SMU (3 points)
Ja’Marr Chase, LSU: There were a handful of receivers I looked at for this award but I’m giving the slightest of edges to Ja’Marr Chase over Omar Bayless (for the record I had Bayless penciled in two weeks ago). The biggest difference for me was the playoff performances. Chase did not let us down; he had at least 30 the last three weeks in PPR leagues. He had five weeks where he scored over 30 points and three more weeks with at least 20 points. He had a touchdown in all but two games. He concluded the year with 70 receptions for 1,457 yards receiving and 17 TDs. In eight games, he went over 100 yards receiving, and in five games, he had two-plus touchdowns. And he came through in playoff time. He also finished the season with six top 20 weekly finishes—hard to keep Bayless out with his nine top 30 weeks though!
—Zach Hall, @CFFChamps, cffchamps.com
The Red Grange Award: The CFF MVP
- Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma (18 points)
- Joe Burrow, LSU (14 points)
- C. Hubbard, J. Taylor and J. Chase (1 point)
My esteemed colleague Mike Bainbridge made a stupendous case that Jalen Hurts is the CFF MVP. And the panel agreed with him. Nonetheless, Joe Burrow earned my vote at the top of the ballot, and I offer a dissenting opinion.
When casting my vote, I consider draft capital. Over the summer, Jalen Hurts had an ADP of around nine on Fantrax and was selected in 100% of leagues. However, Joe Burrow possessed an ADP of 169 and remained on the waiver wire in 27% of leagues when the season kicked off. Clearly, the former Buckeye did not earn enough praise in the CFF community and exceeded expectations. In theory, CFF diehards could have selected Hurts in the first round, and easily, acquired Burrow in the eleventh round. Therefore, based on draft cost, I select Burrow for the Red Grange Award.
Burrow led the Tigers to a historic undefeated season and likely, captured the Heisman Trophy after a story-book campaign. The senior completed an all-time FBS record 78.3% of his passes for 4,366 yards and tied the SEC mark with 44 touchdown passes. Stupendous! He passed for over 300 yards in 10 of 12 games and exceeded 400 yards twice. The senior produced over 30 fantasy points 11 times and over 40 points in three contests.
In drafts, Burrow was likely selected as a CFF manager’s third quarterback and ascended to the top of the depth chart by the third week of the season while leading many teams to the post-season. Without question, Burrow provided the best return on investment in college fantasy football and deserves the CFF MVP nomination in my humble opinion.
—John Laub, @Gridironschol91, Fantrax.com
Scoring:
First Place = 5 points
Second Place = 3 points
Third Place = 1 point
The Gridiron Scholar’s 2019 All-CFF Team
- QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
- QB Joe Burrow, LSU
- RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
- RB Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State
- WR Omar Bayless, Arkansas State
- WR JaMarr Chase, LSU
- WR James Proche, SMU
- TE Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic
- K Cade York, LSU
- Flex J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
The Heisey Honors:
Breakout Player of the Year: The One Few Saw Coming
- Joe Burrow, LSU
- Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis
- Anthony Gordon, Washington State
Samaje Perine Award: The Most Phenomenal Freshman
- Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis
- Sam Howell, North Carolina
- Dante Wright, Colorado State
Comeback Player of the Year: The One Who Changed The Narrative
- Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
- Jonathan Ward, Central Michigan
- Cam Akers, Florida State
Khalil Tate Award: The One Who Busted Harder Than Anyone Else
- D’Eriq King, Houston
- Gage Gubrud, Washington State
- Patrick Taylor Jr., Memphis
Historical CFF Awards
The Cam Newton Award
2015 – Patrick Mahomes, II
2016 – Lamar Jackson
2017 – Lamar Jackson
2018 – Kyler Murray
2019 – Jalen Hurts
The Barry Sanders Award
2015 – Derrick Henry
2016 – Jeremy McNichols
2017 – Rashaad Penny
2018 – Darrell Henderson
2019 – Chuba Hubbard
The Desmond Howard Award
2015 – Corey Coleman
2016 – Zay Jones
2017 – T. Quinn & A. Johnson
2018 – Andy Isabella
2019 – J. Chase & O. Bayless
The Red Grange Award
2015 – P. Mahomes & C. Coleman
2016 – Lamar Jackson
2017 – Lamar Jackson
2018 – Kyler Murray
2019 – Jalen Hurts
Also, be sure to check out Justin Heisey, The Gridiron Scholar John Laub, and InThisLeague’s Scott Bogman’s podcast CFF: On Campus for weekly College Fantasy Football news and analysis on Apple Podcasts or Spreaker.
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