PFN’s Top 5 Must-Draft College Fantasy Football Players: Tranfer Portal Rockstars Highlight the Group

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All five players on Oli Hodgkinson’s must-draft college fantasy football board for 2026 will put up their numbers in a new offense, a new conference, or both. Three of them will play in the Big 12. That’s not a coincidence, and it’s the most useful thing to know before you sit down for a draft.

Cam Cook and Caleb Hawkins Make the Big 12 College Fantasy Football’s Best Room

Cook led all of FBS with 1,659 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns at Jacksonville State last season, then followed the scheme to Morgantown. Rich Rodriguez built that offense in Jacksonville, Alabama, before taking the West Virginia job, and when he went portal shopping he also rehired Cook’s Gamecocks offensive line coach, Rick Trickett, and imported linemen Amare Grayson and Cam Griffin. Cook isn’t learning a system. He’s rejoining one.

“In addition to being a first-class, dynamic running back, he’s also a dynamic receiving weapon, who tallied over 1,900 total yards for Jacksonville State last year,” Hodgkinson said. The receiving work is the part managers undervalue: 30 catches for 286 yards pushed Cook to 1,945 scrimmage yards and 291.2 points in PFN’s college scoring. “Cam Cook is a guy that you must grab this draft season.”

Hawkins arrives in Stillwater with a stranger resume. As a true freshman at North Texas he ran for 1,434 yards and an FBS-best 25 touchdowns, added 32 catches for 370 yards and four scores, and finished with 29 total touchdowns, a freshman record. He followed head coach Eric Morris, coordinator Sean Brophy and quarterback Drew Mestemaker from Denton to Oklahoma State, which means the American Conference production and the system that produced it moved together.

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Hodgkinson isn’t worried about the jump. “The Big 12 has been historically not the best conference when it comes to stopping running backs,” he said. “His elite after contact performance should easily translate to the Big 12 level.” Hawkins was PFSN’s college fantasy RB1 last season with more than 350 points.

Trinidad Chambliss and Devon Dampier Give College Fantasy Managers Turnover-Proof Quarterbacks

Chambliss sits atop the list, and he needed the Mississippi Supreme Court to get there. After a state judge granted him an injunction in February for a sixth season, the NCAA’s appeal was denied in March, clearing him to play. He then posted 3,937 passing yards, most in the SEC, with 22 touchdowns against three interceptions, plus 527 rushing yards and eight scores. PFN had him as the QB7 with 341 points.

Ole Miss turned over almost everything else, including the head coach, with Pete Golding replacing Lane Kiffin. What returns matters more. Kewan Lacy led FBS with 306 carries for 1,567 yards and an SEC-best 24 touchdowns, and Hodgkinson sees that as a feature rather than competition for touches. “All that does for SEC defenses is draw the eyes,” he said. “Trinidad Chambliss is going to take advantage with his dual-threat ability.”

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Dampier is the value play. He finished as PFSN’s QB12 with more than 320 points while battling injuries through 2025, throwing for 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns against five interceptions and rushing for 835 yards and 10 scores. He had a sports hernia cleaned up in January and has 2,329 career rushing yards with 33 touchdowns, including a 1,166-yard ground season at New Mexico in 2024.

“If you’ve got a quarterback throwing interceptions left, right and center, he’s going to reduce your fantasy points,” Hodgkinson said. Dampier’s 1.5% interception rate last season is the tell. New Utah coach Morgan Scalley and coordinator Kevin McGiven inherit a healthy version of a top-15 fantasy quarterback nobody is paying for.

Which leaves Jeremiah Smith at No. 4, the only name here staying in the same conference. Even he isn’t untouched. Brian Hartline left for the South Florida job, Arthur Smith calls the plays in Columbus now, and Carnell Tate went to Tennessee at No. 4 overall in April. Fewer mouths, new voice, same target hog. The 87 catches, 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns should only concentrate.

“He’s a man amongst boys in every single season that he’s played,” Hodgkinson said. Everyone else on this board is a projection. Smith is just a purchase.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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