Barry Sanders Award
Fantastic Fantasy Running Back
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Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (2024)
Fantasy Points: 431 (35.9 FPPG)
2. RJ Harvey, UCF
3. Cameron Skattebo, Arizona State
It’s no surprise to see Ashton Jeanty win the Barry Sanders Award as the top running back in College Fantasy Football. Jeanty was widely regarded as the No. 1 overall CFF player in preseason drafts following his stellar performance as a sophomore in 2023. He delivered with 2,288 rushing yards, an average of 190.7 per game, and scored 28 rushing touchdowns during the regular season, all of which led the nation. Though not nearly as productive as a receiver as he was last season, Jeanty also contributed 102 yards and one touchdown on 18 catches, boosting his final point total to 416 in half-point PPR leagues and 431 in full-point PPR, both best for a running back since former Boise State Bronco Jeremy McNichols in 2016. Jeanty was incredibly consistent as well, reaching at least 20 points in 11 of 12 games, hitting 30 or more eight times, and twice surpassing the 50-point mark in September, including a 64.6-point performance in Week 1 against Georgia Southern. Simply put, Jeanty was the best running back in the country from start to finish. Our panel made it a unanimous decision.
There was a healthy debate in the CFF community about RJ Harvey’s preseason value with the transfer portal additions of fellow running back Peny Boone and run-heavy quarterback KJ Jefferson joining the Knights. Harvey drafters and owners need not worry as the senior started strong with three consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards and multiple touchdowns. Though held under the century mark in three games mid-season, Harvey carried a heavy workload to six-straight 100-yard games, all with at least one score, to finish. Harvey was even more productive than Jeanty in the playoffs, hitting 27.9 points or more in each of his final three games. He finished the season with 1,577 rushing yards and 22 scores on 232 attempts, an average of 6.8 yards per carry (ypc.). He also chipped in with 20 receptions for 267 yards and three scores.
Depending on your overall-scoring method, and because he missed the game against Harvey’s UCF squad due to injury, Skattebo may have finished behind other super-productive running backs like Kaleb Johnson from Iowa and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton in total fantasy points (FPs). But with an average of 28.5 points per game in half-point PPR scoring, and 34.4 points or more in three of his final four contests, Skattebo helped many teams make a late push for the playoffs, and thanks to back-to-back three-TD performances in the semifinals and finals, potentially land a championship. One of the most important pieces on one of the most improved teams in the country, Skattebo ran for 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Sun Devils and added 468 yards and two scores on 35 receptions. All three ball carriers posted memorable CFF campaigns in 2024.
by Nicholas Ian Allen
Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State (2023)
Fantasy Points: 377 (26.9 FPPG)
2. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
3. RJ Harvey, UCF
Hailing from Barry Sanders’ alma mater, Oklahoma State All-American Ollie Gordon was the unanimous selection for this year’s award. Gordon amassed 1,580 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, highlighted by a 51.6-point, five-TD performance against BYU in college fantasy football’s championship week. Due to the consistent level of production from the position under head coach Mike Gundy and play-caller Kasey Dunn, the CFF community had high hopes for Gordon entering 2023. However, after totaling 19 carries for 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns in three non-conference games to open the campaign, the sophomore looked like a bust. Patient owners were rewarded with one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent memory.
Gordon ran for at least 136 yards in eight of his final nine regular-season games, including a pair of epic October rushing performances of 282 yards and four touchdowns against West Virginia and 271 yards and two scores against Cincinnati. A productive pass-catcher as well, Gordon totaled 33 receptions for 272 yards and one score, which came in a six-catch, 116-yard game against Kansas in which he also ran for 168 with a rushing touchdown. In all, Gordon finished with 344.1 FPs, hitting 41.0 or more five times, including twice during the CFF playoffs.
Had Ashton Jeanty not been sidelined by injury in November, he might have surpassed Gordon on the leaderboard. The Boise State sophomore opened the season with five consecutive 30-point games in September, hitting 40 points or more twice in that span, and then reached a high point with 48.4 against Colorado State on Oct. 14. Healthy again in time for championship week, Jeanty posted 39.5 FPs in the regular season finale against Air Force. In 10 games, Jeanty ran for 1,109 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also proved to be one of the most productive receiving running backs in the country with 37 catches for 537 yards and five scores. Jeanty finished with 310 fantasy points, second only to Gordon.
RJ Harvey finished the 2023 season sixth among running backs in overall points with 277.7, and though he never reached the highest weekly point totals of Gordon or Jeanty, consistency was key. The senior ran for 1,296 yards and 16 touchdowns and added 17 receptions for 231 yards and another score. He never failed to reach double-digit fantasy points and was at his best in the pivotal Week 10-11 stretch—posting 36.1 and 38.6 FPs respectively—in which many CFF teams were making a final push for a playoff spot or making a run to the semifinals.
by Nicholas Ian Allen
Bijan Robinson, Texas (2022)
Fantasy Points: 328 (27.3 FPPG)
2. Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
2. DeWayne McBride, UAB
3. Chase Brown, Illinois
A surefire first-rounder in preseason drafts, Texas running back Bijan Robinson lived up to expectations with the best all-around season of any player at the position in 2022. In full-PPR leagues, Robinson finished as the FBS leader among running backs with 328.4 FPs, more than 30 ahead of No. 2 Israel Abanikanda from Pitt. His 326.4 points also led half-point PPR scoring. Robinson finished his junior season with 1,580 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging 6.1 ypc. He also caught 19 passes for 314 yards and two scores.
Robinson scored 31.1 points against Oklahoma State on Oct. 22 and 32.3 versus Kansas State on Nov. 5, likely propelling many CFF teams into the playoffs or a first-round bye. Though he was held to a paltry 2.9 FPs against TCU on Nov. 12, which may have negatively impacted some first-round playoff matchups, he bounced back with an incredible 48.3 FPs against Kansas in the semifinals week and followed with 29.9 FPs against Baylor in the CFF final.
Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim and UAB’s DeWayne McBride shared the runner-up spot in our voting. Ibrahim returned from a significant 2021 injury to run for 1,594 yards and 19 touchdowns in the regular season. He surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in each of the first 10 games he played and twice ran for more than 200, including a career-high 263 yards against Iowa in the Week 12 semifinal.
McBride led the nation with 155.7 RYPG and averaged an eye-popping 7.35 ypc. that ranked No. 7 on the FBS leaderboard among players with at least 40 attempts. Like Ibrahim, he missed a game–but unlike the Golden Gophers’ top running back, McBride saved his best for last: 272 rushing yards and one touchdown in the final week of the season (his third 200-yard performance of the year) that surely helped lead many CFF owners to championships. Though McBride was an early-round pick in preseason drafts and bestballs, owners may have found some value in Ibrahim given his injury history.
Another value pick, Illinois junior Chase Brown was slowed by injury late in the season but managed to run for 1,643 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns in a breakthrough campaign. Brown ran for at least 100 yards in each of his first nine games and gutted out 140 yards and two touchdowns on Nov. 19 against Michigan, likely benefitting CFF owners brave enough to start him in semifinal matchups against the stingy Wolverines’ defense. Brown was also a weapon as a receiver, logging 27 receptions (at least one in each game) for 240 yards and three scores.
by Nicholas Ian Allen
photo courtesy of University of Texas
Breece Hall, Iowa State (2021)
Fantasy Points: 351 (29.3 FPPG)
2. Tyler Badie, Missouri
3. Lew Nichols, III, Central Michigan
The illustrious Barry Sanders Award was given to the rightful winner: Iowa State’s Breece Hall. The Cyclones’ game-breaker narrowly lost the award in 2020, coming up only two points shy of Alabama’s Najee Harris. Rather than wallow in sorrow at his second-place finish, Hall put forth yet another fantastic stat line in 2021, finishing with 1,774 total yards and 23 touchdowns.
Hall was a model of consistency, scoring over 16 FPs in every game of the season. That’s the floor that he established, but he routinely went over that mark—he accumulated greater than 25 FPs in over half his games. If you made it to the championship game and had Hall on your roster, there’s a good chance you came away victorious after he erupted for 281 total yards and four scores. Great players come through when it matters most, and Hall certainly aced that test. It’s been par for the course for Breece, who would go down as a first-ballot CFF Hall of Famer if there was such a thing.
Missouri’s Tyler Badie finished closely behind in second place after narrowly edging Hall in total FPs and points per game. He burst onto the scene in a much-needed way for the Tigers, accumulating over 1,900 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns as the sole creator on the offense. He was especially valuable in ppr-formats with 54 receptions on the season. Not bad for someone who wasn’t drafted anywhere near the first couple of rounds of CFF drafts!
Lew Nichols of Central Michigan finished third with 15 voting points. He was likely on a very high percentage of championship rosters after finishing the season on a hot stretch of epic proportions. From October 9 on, Nichols racked up 1,497 total yards and 14 touchdowns over his last seven games of the season—averaging a blistering 213.9 yards and two touchdowns per game. The fewest fantasy points he scored in the last half of the season was 28.3—it’s a hot streak that will go down in CFF history.
by JD Yonke
Najee Harris, Alabama (2020)
Fantasy Points: 412 (31.6 FPPG)
2. Breece Hall, Iowa State
3. Javonte Williams, UNC and Jaret Patterson, Buffalo
The Barry Sanders Award for this season goes to a player, who not only carried fantasy teams to titles, but also his Cyclones to the Big 12 Title Game. Breece Hall finished the regular season with the most rushing yards nationally and finished in the top three in FPs, FPPG and rushing touchdowns. Hall narrowly edges out Najee Harris, who also finished the year among the nation’s best statistical running backs; nevertheless, based on preseason ADP and the comparison of talent around the two, it is Hall who gets the edge over Harris in my analysis.
by Justin Heisey
Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State (2019)
Fantasy Points: 376 (28.9 FPPG)
2. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
3. 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 FPs at the position. Gainwell was the dynasty addition of the year, and is undoubtedly, my Barry Sanders Award winner for 2019.
by Justin Heisey
Darrell Henderson, Memphis (2018)
Fantasy Points: 389 (29.9 FPPG)
2. Eno Benjamin, Arizona State
3. John Taylor, Wisconsin
The Barry Sanders Award for the best fantasy running back certainly gives a huge name for the winner to live up to. The great Barry Sanders still holds single-season records for average rushing yards per game, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. The person that I have selected to win this prestigious award is none other than Memphis’ Darrell Henderson.
Henderson blew up this season after being drafted later than the fourth round in most leagues. Henderson racked up the second-most all-purpose yards (1,915), fifth-most yards per carry (8.74), and second most rushing touchdowns (17) this season. What is incredible about this is that Henderson’s touches were far less than other prominent backs like Jonathan Taylor and Eno Benjamin who had well over 250 carries while Henderson only received 174.
by Justin Heisey
Rashaad Penny, San Diego State (2017)
Fantasy Points: 411 (31.6 FPPG)
2. Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic
3. Kerryon Johnson, Auburn
Devin Singletary comes in at number one for the Barry Sanders Award for top fantasy running back by finishing No. 1 overall in FPs on top of averaging out as a seventh-round draft pick. A fantasy owner who took the 1,632-yard and 26-touchdown rusher anywhere outside of the first three rounds struck gold in the Owls' ball carrier and at 333 FPs (non-PPR), he even put most quarterbacks to shame.
Auburn is probably the hottest team in the nation going into the conference championships and their 1,200-yard rusher Kerryon Johnson is a huge reason for it. Most people got Johnson incredibly late in their drafts and rarely does a late round back become the fifth-highest, scoring runner in fantasy. Outside of the Clemson and Arkansas games, he never scored under 20 FPs including the Iron Bowl in which he ran for over 100 yards and even passed for a touchdown.
There was only one man to top 2,000 rushing yards during the regular season in 2017 and that man is Rashaad Penny. Most fantasy owners knew what kind of upside the San Diego State ball carrier had after past performances by Donnel Pumphrey in the same system, and he is looking to break both of Pumphrey's single-season school records with one last ride on the schedule. His second round draft average was certainly earned in his lone season as the feature back for the Aztecs.
by Justin Heisey
Jeremy McNichols, Boise State (2016)
Fantasy Points: 479 (36.8 FPPG)
2. D’Onta Foreman, Texas
3. Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State
After rushing for over 1,500 yards in each of the last two seasons, Donnell Pumphrey finished second in the FBS in rushing this fall, and nearly eclipsed the fabled 2,000-yard mark. The 5-9 senior has been a model of consistency for the Aztecs, going for over 100 yards in nine of twelve games and highlighted by 300 total yards and three touchdowns vs. California in September. He finished the season second in the FBS with 1,908 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns: Pumphrey earned my vote as the top CFB ball carrier in 2016.
by Jim Weber
Derrick Henry, Alabama (2015)
Fantasy Points: 410 (FPPG 27.3)
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. 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 touchdowns to lead the country. Henry is nothing like Barry Sanders in terms of running style, but is more than deserving of this award.
by Mike Bainbridge
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