Welcome in for Week 1 of our Devy Player of the Week series! You know the drill from last year – this series highlights the top performances from each fantasy position in college football every week, focusing primarily on those Devy assets we think can hit our Dynasty rosters in the future.
Quick reminder: We still have one game left on the Week 1 slate, with North Carolina hosting TCU on ESPN tonight. Some Devy players to watch in tonight’s matchup include TCU’s Josh Hoover and Eric McAlister.
Alright, let’s take a look at who made my list in Week 1!
Quarterback
John Mateer (QB – Oklahoma)
- 30-37, 392 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
- 7 att, 24 yards, 1 TD
The Oklahoma Sooners were too much to handle for FCS opponent Illinois State in Week 1, winning by a score of 35-3. Mateer was dominant in his debut with the Sooners, throwing for nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns, adding another score on the ground.
Mateer still has plenty to prove before we lock him in as a future NFL starter. At Washington State last season, he struggled as a passer against tougher defenses. SEC play should show us just how much Mateer has developed since 2024. With his rushing upside, he would be someone with QB1 upside in Dynasty if he gets his shot.
Sam Leavitt (QB – Arizona State)
- 25-39, 257 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
- 7 att, 73 yards, 2 TDs
Sam Leavitt is one of my favorite Devy players heading into the 2025 season, ranked as my QB6 and my 12th overall prospect. Arizona State had an in-state battle for their Week 1 matchup, taking down Northern Arizona 38-19. Leavitt had a decent day throwing the football, but his rushing performance led him to make the cut this week, finding the endzone twice on the ground and running for 73 yards.
If I can nitpick, I’d like to see a little better than a 64% completion rate against an FCS opponent for Leavitt. There’s no doubt he has the athleticism and raw arm talent to be a superstar. He just needs to tighten up his mechanics, as he can get careless at times and rely solely on his physical traits. I kind of view Leavitt as a better version of John Mateer, and believe he has league-winning upside if he hits his full potential.
True Freshmen Standouts
I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out the excellent true freshman quarterback performances in Week 1. Bryce Underwood, Malik Washington, and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele all came out of their college debut with a win and played tremendously. Husan Longstreet also came in for USC in the second half and played nearly perfectly, going 9-9 passing with three total touchdowns. The 2028 NFL Draft class appears to be in good hands at the quarterback position.
Running Back
Justice Haynes (RB – Michigan)
- 16 att, 159 yards, 3 TDs
- 2 targets, 2 rec, 6 yards
Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for: Justice Haynes unleashed. After two seasons of limited work at Alabama, it appears Haynes is now stepping into a workhorse role, or at least a 60-40 split with Jordan Marshall in favor of Haynes.
Haynes is off to an ideal start for the Wolverines, rushing for 159 yards and three touchdowns against New Mexico in Week 1. There’s no Ashton Jeanty in the 2026 RB class; RB1 overall honors are still up for the taking. Could Haynes emerge as the best running back in the draft class? I wouldn’t count him out.
Jonah Coleman (RB – Washington)
- 24 att, 177 yards, 2 TDs
- 2 targets, 1 rec, 22 yards
Another week, another elite performance from Jonah Coleman. It’s like clockwork at this point in Coleman’s career, yet many people still consider him no more than a C2C or CFF play. Washington defeated Colorado State 38-21 in Week 1, led by their bruising back, who had nearly 200 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on the night. You can pencil Coleman in to rush for another 1200+ yards this season, 10+ touchdowns, and go Day 2 in the 2026 NFL Draft. He may not have the breakaway speed of a Nicholas Singleton or a Jeremiyah Love, but Coleman does the dirty work and gets the job done year after year.
Wide Receiver
Jayce Brown (WR – Kansas State)
- 16 targets, 12 rec, 109 yards, 1 TD
If you haven’t jumped on the Jayce Brown hype train yet, you’d better do it quickly before you get left in the dust. Brown is coming off a productive sophomore campaign for the Wildcats, where he led the team in receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns. He now enters Year 3 as the clear top receiving option and has not disappointed to start the season.
Kansas State won a shootout against North Dakota, largely due to Brown’s contributions on the offensive end. He posted 12 receptions, 109 yards, and a touchdown, making the cut in my DPOTW series two weeks in a row now. Through two games, Brown is rocking a target rate of 34.3% and 2.67 YPRR. He’s a talented slot receiver who should provide a ton of Dynasty value in PPR formats.
Jordyn Tyson (WR – Arizona State)
- 16 targets, 12 rec, 141 yards, 2 TDs
Jordyn Tyson reminded us this weekend why he’s the WR1 of the 2026 class, and quite frankly, in a tier of his own. Tyson finished with a ridiculous 16 targets, good for a 39% target rate on the evening. He had 3.44 yards per route run (YPRR), hauling in 12 receptions, including two touchdown grabs. Tyson can play the X, slot, or Z, is an excellent separator, and has the athleticism and ball skills to win in contested-catch situations. There really isn’t anything this kid can’t do, and I don’t see any reason why he can’t be valued as the same level prospect Tetairoa McMillan was entering the NFL. He’ll be a first-round selection and should make an immediate impact on our Dynasty rosters.
Tight End
Michael Trigg (TE – Baylor)
- 16 targets, 7 rec, 99 yards, 1 TD
Is Michael Trigg set up for a breakout season in Year 5? Trigg was once a highly-touted high school prospect, but has failed to hit lofty expectations since entering the college ranks in 2021. With the tight end landscape being such a question mark in 2025, there’s a real chance Trigg establishes himself as one of the top tight ends in the country and becomes a legitimate NFL prospect.
Trigg has himself a busy Friday afternoon against Auburn, hauling in seven receptions for 99 yards and a score. He had an absurd 16 targets on the day; it’s nice to see that kind of target volume, but not so nice to finish under a 50% reception rate. Trigg had two drops in Week 1, so this was far from a perfect outing. But if he can continue to be one of Sawyer Robertson’s top options, we may need to monitor Trigg more closely as the season progresses.
Benjamin Brahmer (TE – Iowa State)
- 7 targets, 7 rec, 47 yards, 2 TDs
After a promising freshman season in 2023, I thought Brahmer was destined for Devy greatness. However, an injury-riddled sophomore campaign set him back a bit, as he basically fell off the Devy radar entirely. Fast forward to 2025, and Brahmer is off to a quick start, seeing two touchdown receptions in Week 1 against South Dakota. At 6’7” and 250-255 lbs, Brahmer now has the size to play in line and block on Sundays. He’s a lanky, versatile receiving weapon who should play a fantasy-friendly role in the future.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
