How wild is collegiate football right now? Conference USA lost a team in Louisiana Tech to the Sun Belt between the spring and fall, slightly changing the conference's outlook heading into 2026. However, it also remains a conference wherein fantasy opportunities abound, especially on the sleeper front. Those who overlook Jacksonville State's running back factory are missing out. Let's dive in.
Note: The position rankings are based on four-point passing touchdowns and a half-point per reception format and may vary depending on the format of your league. Visit our College Football Rankings page to customize the rankings to fit your league's format. The rankings are also subject to change as more information rolls in during fall camp. Keep tabs on the College Football News page for everything from job battles to injuries as the draft season draws closer.
2026 College Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- College Football Projections
- College Football Rankings (linked above)
- College Football Cheat Sheet
- National Championship Odds
- Heisman Odds
- Tadpole Bowl Rankings and Strategy
- Underdog Best Ball Draft Tool
- Quarterback Rankings
- Running Back Rankings
- Wide Receiver Rankings
- Tight End Rankings
- Big Ten Conference Preview
- ACC Conference Preview
- Big 12 Conference Preview
- SEC Conference Preview
Conference USA All-Conference Fantasy Teams
2026 Conference USA Fantasy Sleepers
QB: Roman Gagliano, Middle Tennessee
Head coach Derek Mason may have saved his job by finally cutting bait on Nicholas Vattiato and turning the quarterback role over to redshirt freshman Gagliano. In three starts to end the season, he threw for 911 yards and six touchdowns, and he added 182 yards and two scores on the ground. Notably, I didn't mention any turnovers. Obviously, Gagliano can't do that for a full season, but if last year was any hint of what's to come in 2026, he'll be the best quarterback in the conference.
QB: JJ Kohl, Florida International
Willie Simmons took over FIU last year, with good results for this particular program, but he stuck with extant quarterback Keyone Jenkins. This was, perhaps, a marriage of convenience, particularly given that Jenkins signed on to be a backup at UCF. Simmons has brought in a decidedly different quarterback, the 6'7'' Kohl. At Appalachian State last year, he completed 61.6 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and two picks in eight appearances. It'll be a different style of offense, but I am certainly intrigued.
RB: Khristian Lando, Jacksonville State
Spoiler, but Jacksonville State's running back room will be appearing in the position battles of interest section as well. In 2024, Tre Stewart stepped into the lead role, got 278 carries, and ran for 1,638 yards and 25 touchdowns. He took off, and Cam Cook stepped in. Cook was given 295 carries and tallied 1,659 yards and 16 touchdowns. In short, Jacksonville State loves to run the ball, and it generally loves a lead back. If that trend continues and lands with redshirt sophomore Lando, even if he isn't as good as Stewart and Cook, he's basically a lock for at least 1,200 yards and double-digit touchdowns. The "if" I will get back to shortly.
RB: Landan Brown, Sam Houston
Last season, the first under Phil Longo, was a disaster for Sam Houston. Bright spots were rare. Brown didn't necessarily qualify as a "bright" spot, but he had some luminosity, which was not easy to do on one of the worst offenses in the FBS. Brown averaged 5.8 yards per carry and tallied 487 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, and he also contributed 37 catches for 237 yards through the air. I'm assuming things can't be as bad offensively this year. It may turn out Longo is an incapable head coach, but he's not an incapable offensive mind.
WR: TK King, New Mexico State
New Mexico State has about as dire a football history as any FBS school. It's basically the two years Jerry Kill was in charge and, well, a century of poor campaigns aside from that. However, just because things in the big picture are uninspiring doesn't mean diamonds can't be found in all that rough. King missed the start of last season, but in eight games he had 41 catches for 588 yards and three scores. He ended the season with 10 catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns, hopefully a sign for things to come. If there's even replacement-level quarterback play, far from a given with the Aggies, King could have a strong campaign.
WR: Cameron Flowers, Western Kentucky
During the Tyson Helton era, now entering its eighth season, the Hilltoppers have aired the ball out and seen some impressive passing numbers. This has also led to several notable seasons from wide receivers. However, in the last few years, there has also been a tendency for the wealth to be spread around, and also for preseason expectations to not necessarily match the final product in terms of targets and production. Last year, four players had at least 30 catches for over 350 yards. Flowers wasn't one of them, but he turned 19 catches into 207 yards, and he returned a few kicks. Who is to say he won't step into a bigger role?
Conference USA Position Battles of Interest
Jacksonville State Running Backs
I mentioned earlier that the last two Gamecock lead backs have had huge seasons. Creel, the quarterback, also carried the ball a lot last year. However, the aforementioned Lando was second in touches for running backs with 51. In 2024, the back with the second-most touches had 39. That back, Andrew Paul, is still on the team. Justus Savage also returns after posting seven carries for 42 yards in the bowl game, and Jalen Likely showed well in the spring game and could be a backfield factor as well this fall. Lando could be the favorite to head this backfield, but it's not a lock, and there're a number of options who could fill part of Cook's shoes.
Kennesaw State Quarterbacks
The Owls' first season in FBS football, 2024, was such a disaster it led to the end of the tenure of Brian Bohannon, literally the only head coach the school had ever had. Jerry Mack stepped in…and the Owls won the Conference USA title. Kennesaw State used two quarterbacks, Dexter Williams and Amari Odom, the latter proving to be the real spark for this offense. It's no surprise, then, that Odom is now at Syracuse. However, Williams is also now at Tulsa. Rickie Collins, fittingly enough, transferred in from Syracuse, but he wasn't all that good there. Redshirt freshman Skyler Williams has stuck around, and JUCO transfer Landon Varnes is around as well. Collins is likely to win the proverbial battle, but, fittingly for 2026, this job could be one battle after another.
Delaware Wide Receivers
As you may have noticed, the Rotowire rankings are high on Minicucci under center for the Blue Hens, and I certainly do not quibble with that. Wilson will likely be the top receiver, given that he led the team with 68 catches for 877 yards. However, no other receiver with over 250 yards from last season returned, including Kyle Duplessis, who had 60 catches for 824 yards himself. There are targets to be had. They could go to the receiver with the second-most catches and yards last year, Donovan Lewis, or Coastal Carolina transfer Bryson Graves, or Oklahoma State transfer Da'Wain Lofton, or maybe somebody that totally surprises us and ends up with 600, 700, or even 800 yards receiving.
