College Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates for 2019

Everyone wants the first overall pick but it’s the breakout players in college fantasy football that really change a team. Everyone has a fond memory of a breakout player. I for one landed Christian McCaffrey and John Ross after round 10 one season and it was glorious. There’s always going to be a player that comes from nowhere but here are some names that have circulated around as guys who could break out in 2019.

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College Fantasy Football Breakouts for 2019

To avoid wasting time, I intentionally left off the names listed below…

Justin Fields, Ohio State
Gage Gubrud, Washington State
Max Borghi, Washington State
Najee Harris, Alabama
Jafar Armstrong, Notre Dame
Warren Jackson, Colorado State
Jojo Ward, Hawaii
CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma

I will mention Holton Ahlers just because I want to talk about him.

Quarterbacks

Holton Ahlers, East Carolina

I absolutely love Holton Ahlers. Four of his last five games consisted of more than 50 yards rushing and he scored in all five of them. He also had three games with more than 350 yards passing. Mike Houston’s offense is very favorable for the dynamic sophomore and I for one am taking as many shares of him as I possibly can.

Sam Howell, North Carolina

I was incredibly uninterested in North Carolina when they hired Mack Brown but my ears perked when I heard Phil Longo mentioned as the new OC. Longo made stars out of Shea Patterson and Jordan Ta’Amu at Ole Miss while also revitalizing the ground game. Sam Howell enters in as the most talented quarterback in the Tarheel’s locker room and his mobility will catch the eyes of many fantasy owners against a weak ACC Coastal division.

Mike Glass III, Eastern Michigan

Eastern Michigan really couldn’t land on a starter between Mike Glass III and Tyler Weigers which is insane given how productive Glass was. Glass had multiple 100+ yard rushing games and had a rushing touchdown in four straight contests. Glass capped off the season with a three-touchdown contest against Georgia Southern and should go off this season in a down season for the MAC.

Tommy DeVito, Syracuse

It’s not hard to talk up Tommy DeVito. After all, he did almost unseat Eric Dungey who was himself an incredible talent. DeVito isn’t Dungey. He’s not going to run like Dungey. But with an arm like his under Dino Babers, he will score as Dungey did. DeVito comes at a cheap price tag this season and the only time you’ll have to worry about starting him all season is against Clemson. I expect 30+ passing touchdowns and 3,500+ yards.

Running Backs

Dedrick Mills, Nebraska

Nebraska’s running back position began as a deep strength and now they are just praying no one else gets arrested. With Maurice Washington and Wan’Dale Robinson, Dedrick Mills has earned the spotlight as the feature back for the Huskers this season. He produced big in JUCO and now Frost will rely heavily on him all season long. Expect no less than 1,000+ yards on the ground this season.

O’Shaan Allison, Ohio

Ohio is well known for Nathan Rourke and what he can do on his legs but don’t overlook what the other runners have done in that system. AJ Oulette was the Bobcats most recent success at back with 1,306 yards and 12 scores last season. O’Shaan Allison is the guy I’ve seen pop up the most for the Bobcats this season and is who everyone should hitch their wagons to.

Andrew Clair, Bowling Green

Andrew Clair and Jonathan Ward were both players that CFF Experts had their eyes on last season that disappointed. I’m optimistic for him this season given the departure of Jarret Doege and new coach Scot Loeffler. Loeffler loved to run the ball at Boston College and he’s mentioned Clair’s talent multiple times in the offseason. Late round gem?

Torrance (CJ) Marable, Coastal Carolina

A guy who is flying far under the radar this season is CJ Marable. Marable came over from Arkansas State and lead the Chanticleers in yards per carry (6.1) and rushing yards (719). With Marcus Outlow out of the picture and a change in coach, I expect Marable to be a low value/high upside kind of player in 2019.

Salvon Ahmed, Washington

Myles Gaskin leaves Washington as the all-time stat leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. While Gaskin was a workhorse back over the past several seasons, Salvon Ahmed was a name that flashed last year as the second option. Ahmed is a great runner at almost 200-pounds and finished with 5.8 yards per carry last season as well as 608 yards. He also made the most of his opportunities through the air with 21 receptions for 170 yards. Ahmed’s pass-catching abilities are often overlooked even though Jacob Eason is expected to be a better passer than Jake Browning.

Wide Receivers

Deondre Farrier, East Carolina

Naturally, if I’m high on a quarterback I should also like his top target. Deondre Farrier is just that for Holton Ahlers and I expect him to carry on the mantle of stud ECU receivers before him. Farrier is a guy that the Pirates coaching staff admired in the Spring and expect to take the next step in 2019.

Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan

Welcome to the 21st Century Michigan’s offense. The days of the “three yards and a pile of dust” offense are done and the days of spreading the field have begun for Michigan. On top of Shea Patterson’s stock increase, Donovan Peoples-Jones should be the biggest benefactor of this. He was considered an excellent talent coming out of high school but Harbaugh’s offensive system just wasn’t ever favorable for a breakout. Perhaps this change will spark DPJ in his NFL Draft season.

Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan

I expect a lot from the Chippewa offense this season. They bring in Quinten Dormady from Houston to pick up the slack at quarterback and Virginia Tech-transfer Kalil Pimpleton is an athletic nightmare for MAC defenders. Pimpleton drew much praise from new coach Jim McIlwain who produced fantasy studs in his time at Colorado State.

Connor Wedington, Stanford

I’ve seen many backing the third St. Brown brother for this spot but I’ve had my eye on Wedington for a while. Stanford needs a dynamic playmaker in the passing game and Wedington is the man for the job. Wedington is a former running back who makes plays in space. Watching him play reminds me of Ty Montgomery and I expect him to complement Simi Fehoko.

Keylon Stokes, Tulsa

Tulsa’s abysmal offensive production last season came largely in part to the unfortunate quarterback play of Seth Boomer and Luke Skipper. Things are much different for the Hurricanes in 2019 with Baylor-transfer Zach Smith leading the way. Smith showed out in the Spring game and his favorite target was Keylon Stokes who finished last season with 14 yards per reception. Expect Stokes to spread the field a lot against weaker AAC defenses.

Khalil Shakir, Boise State

If you asked me about the Boise State receiving group a month ago I would’ve told you to pick up John Hightower. But then I read into how he was one of the highest-ranked players Boise had ever signed and how he also picks up yards on the ground and had to go with Khalil Shakir. He already proved his role in the Spring, now we just need to see who is throwing the ball to him.

For more from Justin and all of our CFF writers check out our full archive of awesome College Fantasy Football content!

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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