2015 College Fantasy Football Awards

The First Annual

College Fantasy Football Awards

(2015)

By the CollegeFootballGeek.com and FootballDiehards.com

We assembled four of the foremost CFB enthusiasts—Todd DeVries, John Laub, Joe Arpasi and Mike Bainbridge—and each voted on their top three players in four categories. 

The results were totaled, and the elite fantasy performers are listed below for the 2015 college fantasy football season.

The Cam Newton Award: The Preeminent Fantasy Quarterback

1. Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech

2. Matt Johnson, Bowling Green

3. Deshaun Watson, Clemson

Through the month of October, Seth Russell, Trevone Boykin, Greg Ward and Luke Falk were all no-brainer MVP-worthy fantasy quarterbacks. Then, all of them went down to injury during the critical fantasy playoff push. So I’m throwing them all out the window. While those guys were making their fantasy owners pull their hair out when it mattered most, one guy seemed to get stronger with each passing week: Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. This classic dual threat was merely average in September (averaging 21 FPPG) but he picked up the pace in October (28 FPPG) and peaked during the money month of November (36 FPPG, third best in the nation). In this year of injury-riddled QBs, Watson built momentum and was absolutely clutch at the end. He gets my vote.

-- Todd DeVries

RB Derrick Henry, Alabama

The Barry Sanders Award: The Fantastic Fantasy Running Back

1. Derrick Henry, Alabama

2. Jeremy McNichols, Boise State

3. D. Cook, R. Freeman, E. Elliot and T. Ervin

Alabama’s Derrick Henry was undisputedly the top running back in all of college football and seems like a near lock—pending his SEC Championship performance—to become the Heisman Trophy recipient this season. With no proven backup behind him, Henry was forced to carry the rushing load for the Tide in 2015, finishing second in the country in carries with 295. That said, Henry got better as the campaign went along with three 200-yard rushing performances in the last month of the season, and four in the last six games. Even if Henry didn’t top 100 yards in a game, he was still able to manage finding the end zone at least once in all 12 games he played—22 total rushing TDs to lead the country. Henry is nothing like Barry Sanders in terms of running style, but is more than deserving of this award. 

-- Mike Bainbridge

WR Corey Coleman, Baylor

The Desmond Howard Award: The Finest Fantasy Wide Receiver

1. Corey Coleman, Baylor

2. Roger Lewis, Bowling Green

3. Josh Doctson, TCU

Baylor's Corey Coleman literally exploded out of the gates this season by hitting a season-high 45.2 fantasy points in the opener. The speedster continued the campaign by feasting on opposing defenses in a showcase that proved he was the most dominating receiver in college football. The combination of Coleman and quarterback Seth Russell were an unstoppable combo, racking up fantasy numbers that would make PlayStation statistics jealous. Even with the injury to Russell late in the season, Coleman's presence dominated opposing team's game plans, and allowed for other Bear receivers to gain the spotlight. Despite his production slump in weeks 11 & 12, Coleman had showcased so much fantasy prowess that he was an overwhelming choice for this selection committee. 

-- Joe Arpasi

The Red Grange Award: The College Fantasy Football MVP

1a. Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech

1b. Corey Coleman, Baylor

3. Derrick Henry, Alabama

As the close vote indicates, the CFB experts all preferred a different competitor for the Red Grange Award. Nonetheless, Texas Tech signal caller Patrick Mahomes received my support. In 2014, the Red Raider field general suffered a broken wrist, playing in only seven games. During the past summer, Mahomes competed with Davis Webb for the starting position and did not earn the endorsement of coach Kliff Kingsbury until right before the season kicked off. By the end of the campaign, the 6’3” and 219 lb. sophomore tossed 32 aerial strikes and scored 10 times. An underrated dual-threat, he also passed for 4,283 and rushed for 495 yards, averaging over 35 FPPG. In four games, he scored over 40 points and failed to eclipse 30 in only three contests. While WR Corey Coleman tied for first among the panelists with eight points, Mahomes successful final weeks during the fantasy playoffs propelled him over the Baylor speedster. 

-- John Laub