The Review of 2022's College Fantasy Season - What We Learned

It’s the start of a new year, and that means it’s time for us to look back at what we learned in the last one.

We’re excited about 2023, but first let’s take a look back at what we learned in 2022 and break it down.

Best 2022 CFF Performers

QB

  1. Caleb Williams USC 520.08 fpts (37.15 fppg)
  2. Drake Maye UNC 490.64 fpts (35.05 fppg)
  3. Austin Reed W KY 479.76 fpts (34.27 fppg)
  4. Clayton Tune HOU 465.66 fpts (35.82 fppg)
  5. Bo Nix ORE 452.56 fpts (34.81 fppg)
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RB

  1. Bijan Robinson TEX 316.9 fpts (26.41 fppg)
  2. Tyjae Spears TUL 316.7 fpts (22.62 fppg)
  3. Mohamed Ibrahim MIN 291 fpts (24.25 fppg)
  4. Israel Abanikanda PIT 290.2 fpts (26.38 fppg)
  5. Deuce Vaughn KST 284.6 fpts (20.33 fppg)
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WR

  1. Nathaniel Dell HOU 303.2 fpts (23.32 fppg)
  2. Charlie Jones PUR 261.4 fpts (20.11 fppg)
  3. Malachi Corley W KY 254.6 fpts (18.19 fppg)
  4. Zakhari Franklin UTSA 252.6 fpts (18.04 fppg)
  5. Marvin Harrison OHST 252 fpts (19.38 fppg)
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TE

  1. Dalton Kincaid UTAH 247.95 fpts (20.66 fppg)
  2. Michael Mayer ND 242.35 fpts (20.2 fppg)
  3. Brock Bowers UGA 237.9 fpts (16.99 fppg)
  4. Payne Durham PUR 188.4 fpts (14.49 fppg)
  5. Caden Prieskorn MEM 178.3 fpts (13.72 fppg)
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K

  1. Jake Moody MICH 156 fpts (11.14 fppg)
  2. Jack Podlesny UGA 141 fpts (10.07 fppg)
  3. Will Reichard ALA 138 fpts (10.62 fppg)
  4. Jared Sackett UTSA 128 fpts (9.14 fppg)
  5. Christopher Dunn NCST 126.1 fpts (9.7 fppg)
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DST

  1. Michigan 382 fpts (27.29 fppg)
  2. Georgia 348 fpts (24.86 fppg)
  3. Iowa 344 fpts (26.46 fppg)
  4. Alabama 335 fpts (25.77 fppg)
  5. Illinois 335 fpts (25.77 fppg)
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Best Fantasy Starters Breakdown by Position by Conference

What conferences produced the best fantasy QB or RB? We break it down by position to spot where top performers per position. 

We took the top 24 QB, 36 RB, 36 WR, 24 TE, 24 K, and 24 DST (24 so that we could have a little more data than standard fantasy league starters). 

QB

The SEC and PAC-12 together had almost 45% of the top 24 college fantasy QB in 2022 (which kinda makes the WR data perplexing when we see that!).  You probably immediately think of Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, Bryce Young, and DTR. But Hendon Hooker (even w/ the injury), Stetson Bennett, Michael Penix Jr, Cam Rising and a couple others ALSO make this list from the SEC/PAC-12. The majority of these guys are back in the PAC-12 in 2023!

RB

Two running backs really stood out in 2022. Bijan Robinson was incredible all season, a staple of fantasy lineups – until that brutal fantasy playoff game where he scored less than 6 points. Tajae Spears was good all season too, but crushed it in the fantasy playoffs. 

Running backs are the only position that is dominated by a class other than seniors, juniors holding 46% of the top 36. So & Sr have an almost equal share and then freshman only hold 7.7%. 

WR

The dispersion of top wide receivers from a conference point of view was a bit surprising. The best two were the AAC and Conference USA! The PAC-12 isn’t a shock, tied w/ the Big 10 for 3rd. The Big 12 and SEC barely made the list. 

Not a single freshman made the top 36 fantasy wide receivers. The rest of the classes equally share ~33%. 

TE

Clearly, if your fantasy team owned Kincaid, Bowers, or Mayer – you had a solid advantage over competitors. Gaining that type of advantage is worthy of an early round selection. In most mock drafts last year, you saw them come off the board quickly after the first was taken in rounds 2-4. 

K

Ok so just draft a senior, especially if they’re on a high-scoring offense. 

DST

The gap between the #1 defense of Michigan and the #24 defense is over 100 points! 

In conclusion, as you all begin preparation for 2023 drafts, it’s always great to look back at what made a successful 2022 college fantasy season.

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