February College Fantasy Early Draft Takeaways (2025)

Chris Battistel
February College Fantasy Early Draft Takeaways (2025) | Fantasy In Frames

March is right around the corner, and for most of the sports world, they are amping up to lose a fist full of dollars during the madness of March. They are donning their luckiest sweat-induced underwear as their hockey or basketball team approaches the season-ending tournament, or they are escaping the grasp of the bitter winter and heading down south to catch early-season baseball.

For me, though, and other die-hards alike, we are developing early draft ADP, honing our positional rankings, and seeing just how far back we can push our favorite values.

Yes, we are drafting College Fantasy Football best ball leagues in February, not because we have nothing better to do, but because we love it. College Fantasy Football is a different breed; the changeover and constant retooling are like no other fantasy sports game. You need to have your ear to the beat of the writers and your finger on the pulse of the forums. Information is the key to success, and these early drafts are nothing more than information gathering.

In this article, I’m going to lay out a player at each position who, at this moment in time, is one of the best values in February/March drafts.

Quarterback

Diego Pavia | Vanderbilt

“Together we’re unstoppable” – Diego Marquez

Current Draft Value (4 Drafts): QB26 | Overall 107.5 | ADP 11th Round 9th Overall

Best Value Drafted: QB37 | Overall 173 | Draft Position 15th Round 5th Overall 

Diego Pavia outplayed expectations last season when he moved on from his stellar year at New Mexico to take on the big boys in the SEC. He was a huge part of the field-storming at The Dud when Vandy took down Alabama in Week 6. Some thought the jump in competition would hurt his production, but he proved them wrong.

Against SEC opponents, Pavia averaged 20.6 fantasy points per game, a solid floor for a quarterback’s first season against some of the toughest defenses in college football. Another reason he’s a great value in drafts is his rushing ability. While his passing production at Vandy didn’t match what he put up as a Lobo, his rushing numbers stayed strong. His total yardage dropped by nearly 100 yards, but he still scored six rushing touchdowns, and his attempts jumped from 146 in 2023 to a career-high 175 in 2024.

That’s 175 rush attempts from the quarterback position, which is service academy-level volume. He ranked third among all quarterbacks in total rush attempts and had just two games where he didn’t log double-digit carries. Pavia averaged 14.6 rush attempts per game, and that number isn’t going to change in 2025.

This is why you don’t need to invest in early quarterbacks right now. The market might eventually catch up, but if you’re drafting early, this is the kind of edge that wins championships in December. The only downside to his best ball profile is his Week 1 playoff bye. If you’re drafting now, you need to be aware of these situations and avoid stacking too many quarterbacks with the same bye week.

Running Back 

Jaden Nixon | UCF (Transfer)

“I don’t know anything that builds the will to win better than competitive sports.” – Richard Nixon

Current Draft Value (3 Drafts): QB58 | Overall 150.6 | ADP 13th Round 4th Overall

Best Value Drafted: RB73 | Overall 206 | Draft Position 18th Round 2nd Overall

From Week 3 to Week 11, Jaden Nixon was RB13 overall in total fantasy points and points per game, averaging just over 22 FPPG. Yet, he likely went undrafted in most early and late drafts last season.

His production fell off in the final three weeks, likely due to the return of projected starter Jalen Buckley. But even then, Nixon led the team in rushing touchdowns during that stretch. When he was the lead back, he was dominant, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, racking up 847 yards, and scoring 12 touchdowns. He was an explosive play machine, breaking off 27 runs of 10-plus yards and 14 of 15-plus yards, forcing missed tackles, and posting 100 or more all-purpose yards in all but one game.

Now, Nixon goes from Bronco to Knight, as he takes his talents to the heart of Swap and Sprawl transferring to UCF, a program committed to running the football. Last season, the Knights ranked 12th in rush attempts per game with 42. In 2023, they were 26th with 39.6, but the difference between 26th and 13th was just one carry per game. In 2022, they were 11th with 43.5. The ground game is their identity.

But big changes are coming in 2025. Gus Malzahn is out and Scott Frost is back. More importantly, Steve Cooper is taking over as offensive coordinator. Cooper spent last season with Boise State, helping craft an offense that earned a first-round bye and, more importantly, turned Ashton Jeanty into a fantasy monster, so their identity should stay intact.

With RJ Harvey off to the NFL, no major running back transfers coming in, and no serious competition on the depth chart, Jaden Nixon is a must draft wherever you can get him.

Wide Receiver

Kaedin Robinson | UCLA (Transfer)

“I’m just basically excited, really” – DeShaun Foster

Current Draft Value Average (5 Drafts): WR45 | Overall 129.4 | ADP 11th Round 6th Overall

Best Value Drafted: WR50 | Overall 146 | Draft Position 13th Round 2nd Overall

Kaedin Robinson followed his quarterback, Joey Aguilar, from App State to UCLA, where Aguilar is projected to be the day-one starter as of right now. Last season, UCLA’s leading wide receiver ended with 345 yards on 48 targets, but it wasn’t pretty. With Aguilar last season, the 6’2” 205lb Robinson averaged 13.76 FPPG, a number that slightly bumped to 14.6 over his final five games. He saw double-digit targets in five games and thrived as a high-volume option in the passing game. Robinson is a WR3 with some potential to produce as a WR2, and that’s precisely where I would like to take him. The goal is simple, chase target potential with significant game opportunities, and Robinson checks those boxes. 

In 2024 their offense was horrendous under Eric Bienemy, the Bruins ranked 117th in total offense and were the 126th scoring team nationally. Insert UCLA’s new offensive coordinator, Tino Sunseri, an OC who has been part of some of the highest scoring offenses the past decade. Spending time with JMU under Curt Cignetti and Alabama under Nick Saban before his time at Indiana, the expectation is that he is installing an aggressive, downfield passing attack like that of 2024 Indiana. 

UCLA will have some games where they won’t be able to get it done through the air, such as week 12 against Ohio State, the first week of the fantasy playoffs, and week 6 against Penn State. These are the ONLY two matchups that have me hitting the hesi when it comes to having Kaedin as a weekly starter. Robinson is coming off his best yardage season at App State, and with his skill set, Aguilar’s familiarity, and a pass-heavy scheme, the setup for 2025 couldn’t be better. Expectations are high.

Tight End

Hogan Hansen | Michigan

“This is where the power lies!” – Hulk Hogan

Current Draft Value Average (2 Drafts): WR28 | Overall 251 | ADP 21tst Round 11th Overall

Best Value Drafted: Undrafted to Waivers

With Chip Lindsey coming in as the new playcaller for the Wolverines, there is concern in the potential production for the tight ends in Michigan. The difference between when Sherrone Moore, now Head Coach, was calling plays and Chip Lindsey for fantasy tight ends is around 42 points. That amount of missed production is massive for the position. We need to keep an eye on spring practice and game reports to solidify what we might know with the new play callers. 

Last season, Hansen played in 10 games, catching 7 of his 13 targets for 78 yards and one touchdown. While his numbers weren’t overwhelming, he showed enough athleticism and a solid build to make some noise. I think Hansen fits well into Loveland’s spot as Michigan’s TE1, but don’t get cute and think you can position him in as your Tight End 1. Take a couple of high-valued guys and sneak Hansen in there late with the potential that he turns out to be Michigan’s WR1. He’s a great athlete with impressive strides in the open field, and he’s an effective blocker.

We expect Mikey Keene to be under center, but if Bryce Underwood becomes the starting QB, my confidence in Hansen rises. A higher passing volume offense would increase his upside. Michigan has funneled production through the tight end position in recent seasons, which makes Hansen an intriguing late-round option.

Thanks for reading this February College Fantasy Early Draft Takeaways (2025).

Enjoy drafting, let me know where you were able to draft some of these cats and as always you can hit me up @FFChrisB on X. Have fun out there!

*Stats pulled from PFF.com and Fantrax.com

*Schedule Information Pulled From FBSchedules.com

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