College Fantasy Football 2022: Flex Player Rankings and Creative Team Names

It's almost that time, football fans. The 2022 college football season is nearly here, with Week 0 set to kick off Aug. 27.

Much of the collective football world is focused on conference races and which teams have a legitimate shot at reaching the College Football Playoff. However, there's a growing subset of fans who will be all about the fantasy action.

While not as popular as traditional NFL fantasy football, the college game is both incredibly fun and challenging. Getting into collegiate fantasy can be a bit intimidating, however, with a deeper player pool and constant turnover.

Here, we'll provide a quick overview of how to approach a college fantasy draft, highlight a few key players to watch and run down our latest flex (RB/WR/TE) rankings for the 2022 season.

All rankings are based on points-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

If you're new to college fantasy, it can be tough to know where to start. Fortunately, the game isn't too different than NFL fantasy, and many of the same rules apply.

Knowing your format is key. There's a big difference between standard scoring and PPR formats, and managers shouldn't approach the two scoring systems the same way.

For example, Texas running back Bijan Robinson and Ohio State wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba are both top-tier players worth targeting highly in drafts. Robinson tallied 1,127 rushing yards, 295 receiving yards, 26 receptions and 15 total touchdowns last season. That's great production, and he should be just as consistent and reliable in 2022.

Smith-Njigba had fewer touchdowns (nine) and only 184 more scrimmage yards (1,606). However, he also caught 95 passes last season and will run it back with quarterback C.J. Stroud in 2022. Smith-Njigba's PPR upside gives him a clear edge, even though both players are relatively "safe" Round 1 targets.

Similarly, Marshall running back Rasheen Ali might not be on a casual fan's radar, but he should definitely be known to fantasy drafters. He caught 45 passes last season while amassing 1,735 total yards and 24 touchdowns. He has both proven production and PPR value.

As in NFL fantasy, running backs and wide receivers are the top producers—which is precisely why we're focused on flex rankings here. However, having a consistent quarterback is paramount to fielding a successful fantasy squad.

Fortunately, there are several statistically productive quarterbacks out there, and they're not all big-school headliners and future first-round picks like Stroud or Alabama's Bryce Young.

Dual-threat Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham, for example, can be the centerpiece of your fantasy offense. He had 2,941 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, 1,031 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns last season and should be just as potent this season.

"I've been told by a lot of head coaches when I see them at media days that they'll be glad when he's gone," Louisville coach Scott Satterfield said, per Andrew Chernoff of WLKY. "They're tired of trying to defend him. A guy that can run it like he can, and he makes some great throws as well, is just hard to defend."

Don't be afraid to target quarterbacks like Cunningham and Mississippi State's Will Rogers highly. You want true stars like Smith-Njigba, Robinson and Central Michigan running back Lew Nichols III to start your draft. However, there are a lot of college programs and dozens of running backs and receivers who log 20-plus carries or 6-7 receptions per game.

Big workloads are what you want to target in the middle rounds. When filling out the rest of your lineup, high-floor players are a must.

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State

2. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

3. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State

4. Rasheen Ali, RB, Marshall

5. Lew Nichols III, RB, Central Michigan

6. Deuce Vaughn, RB, Kansas State

7. Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas

8. Cedric Tillman, WR, Tennessee

9. Jordan Addison, WR, USC

10. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama

11. A.T. Perry, WR, Wake Forest

12. Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama

13. Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin

14. Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA

15. Myles Price, WR, Texas Tech

16. Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina

17. Jordan Mims, RB, Fresno State

18. Tavion Thomas, RB, Utah

19. Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse

20. Jalen Cropper, Fresno State

21. Nathaniel Dell, WR, Houston

22. Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU

23. Marvin Mims, WR, Oklahoma

24. DeWayne McBride, RB, UAB

25. Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU

26. Rashee Rice, WR, SMU

27. Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M

28. Stefan Cobbs, WR, Boise State

29. Will Shipley, RB, Clemson

30. Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

Bryce Young, Wild and Free

Rasheen Her in a Smoky Room

Action Jaxon

I Can See for Myles

I Fought the Lew and the Lew Won

I'm Vaughn One

Dell's Bells

A.T. Liens

Brock Party

Mims the Word