The Mountain West has consistently turned out high-level fantasy production in recent years, with players like Ashton Jeanty and Nick Nash making their mark in 2024. The conference will look very different next year, with UTEP and Northern Illinois joining while Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State will all depart for the new-look Pac 12. Still, the conference will feature some of the nation's most prolific passing offenses in 2025, headlined by schools like Hawaii and San Jose State, opening the door for another wave of breakout fantasy performers.
Note: The overall positional ranks below are subject to change based on the format of your league and as more information surfaces during fall camp. For up-to-date, customizable rankings, visit College Football Rankings page, which can be tailored to fit your league.
Mountain West All-Conference Teams
First Team (position rank in parentheses)
QB - Micah Alejado, Hawaii 
(3)
RB - Bryson Donelson, Fresno State 
(14)
RB - Sire Gaines, Boise State 
(21)
WR - Pofele Ashlock, Hawaii (8)
WR - Nick Cenacle, Hawaii (16)
TE - John Michael Gyllenborg 
(1)
Second Team
QB - Bryson Barnes, Utah State 
(20)
RB - Dylan Carson, Air Force 
(25)
RB - Jai'Den Thomas, San Diego State 
(58)
WR - Danny Scudero, San Jose State 
(17)
WR - Leland Smith, San Jose State (23)
TE - Matt Lauter, Boise State (3)
Third Team
QB - Walker Eget, San Jose State (53)
RB - Javen Jacobs, Utah State (69)
RB - Malik Sherrod, Boise State (70)
WR - Keagan Johnson, New Mexico 
(56)
WR - Marcus Bellon, Nevada 
(110)
TE - Rocky Beers, Colorado State 
(23)
Mountain West Fantasy Sleepers
QB - Maddux Madsen, Boise State
While the Broncos' offense ran through Ashton Jeanty last season, Madsen quietly put together a strong campaign, completing 62.4 percent of his throws for 3,018 yards, 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions (three of which came in a playoff loss to Penn State). With Jeanty gone, Boise State will likely need to lean more on Madsen's arm to move the ball. Heading into his third year as the starter, Madsen will have some familiar weapons to work with in Latrell Caples and tight end Matt Lauter, both of whom have been with the team since 2022.
QB - Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi , Colorado State
Like Madsen, Fowler-Nicolosi brings experience to the quarterback position, entering his third season as the starter. Fowler-Nicolosi took a slight step back last year, throwing for 2,796 yards in 13 games after logging 3,460 passing yards in 2023, after losing top wideout Tory Horton to an injury for the majority of the season. While Horton is off to the NFL, the Rams' offense is expected to shift back to a more pass-heavy approach again in 2025, and Fowler-Nicolosi has had time to build rapport with returning wideouts Armani Winfield and Jordan Ross, aiding a potential resurgence for BFN. Ohio State transfer Kojo Antwi, a former four-star recruit, could also emerge as a major weapon when he's able to return from an Achilles injury. The tight end room also sports a pair of weapons in Rocky Beers and Jaxxon Warren, giving the Rams a highly formidable passing attack in 2025.
RB - Scottre Humphrey, New Mexico
Humphrey joined the Lobos after a breakout season with FCS Montana State, where he rushed for 1,386 yards and 16 touchdowns. The 5-foot-10 Humphrey should be poised for a big opportunity under first-year coach Jason Eck – New Mexico has major questions at the quarterback position and will likely need to lean heavily on their running game. Humphrey is the favorite to take over the lead-back role in a largely unproven room that features two other FCS transfers in Damon Bankston and Deshaun Buchanan.
RB - Javen Jacobs, Utah State
Jacobs followed head coach Bronco Mendenhall from New Mexico to Utah State, where he's expected to lead the running-back room heading into 2025. Jacobs flashed some potential with the Lobos last year, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, before an injury cut his season short. Under Mendenhall, New Mexico averaged a conference-leading 253.6 rushing yards per game, with lead-back Eli Sanders rushing for 1,063 yards alone. The Aggies are expected to implement a similar run-heavy approach this season, priming Jacobs for a potential breakout campaign, even if he ultimately splits carries with BYU transfer Miles Davis.
WR - Jackson Harris, Hawaii
Harris signed with Hawaii after he was limited to six receptions in two seasons at Stanford. The 6-foot-3 wideout should step into a significantly larger role with the Rainbow Warriors after generating some hype with a strong showing in spring practices. While Harris will start the year behind a pair of proven wideouts in Pofele Ashlock and Nick Cenacle, he should still garner plenty of targets from a promising quarterback in Micah Alejado in Hawaii's throw-first offense. If anything, Harris could take over as Alejado's big-play threat, a role vacated when Dekel Crowdus transferred to Wisconsin.
WR - JoJo Earle, UNLV
Earle is one of many transfers on offense who signed with UNLV after Dan Mullen took the head coaching job. The 5-foot-10 wideout joins the Rebels after stints at Alabama and more recently TCU, where he totaled 23 receptions for 276 yards in two seasons. Earle, who was a four-star recruit out of Texas in 2021, still has the makings of a reliable, high-volume slot receiver with solid hands and impressive speed. UNLV should also feature an experienced quarterback in Anthony Colandrea, who started the two previous seasons at Virginia. Earle has a profile similar to former Virginia wideout Malik Washington, who led the nation with 110 receptions for 1,426 yards with Colandrea in 2023. Troy Omeire, a 6-foot-4 senior, is another transfer (Arizona State) who should make an impact in Vegas, taking over for NFL draftee Ricky White on the outside.
Mountain West Position Battles of Interest
San Jose State Receivers
Last season, former Hawaii quarterback Ken Niumatalolo's first as head coach, the Spartans threw the ball on 64.4 percent of their offensive plays – the highest rate in the nation. Walker Eget will bring some continuity in his second year as the starting quarterback, though there will be a lot of production to replace at receiver, with both Nick Nash and Justin Lockhart off to the NFL – the duo accounted for 157 receptions and 2,365 receiving yards. Matthew Coleman is the top returning option, following a breakout bowl performance where he brought in 12 of 15 targets for 119 yards and a touchdown. Niumatalolo also made some intriguing additions in the portal to replenish the receiving corps. Danny Scudero was brought in from FBS Sacramento State, where he hauled in 53 receptions for 667 yards and five touchdowns last year. While undersized at 5-foot-9, Scudero should see a high volume of targets in the slot. On the outside, the Spartans added the 6-foot-4 Leland Smith, who's the likely favorite to replace Lockhart as a big-play threat. Smith was limited to six receptions for 72 yards with Purdue last season, though he opened eyes with an acrobatic 31-yard touchdown grab in their season opener against Indiana State. Malachi Riley is another name to watch. A one-time highly-regarded recruit, Riley was limited to just five receptions for 97 yards in two seasons with Arizona. While it's highly improbable that any singular option comes close to replicating Nash's output from a year ago, there'll be more than enough opportunity for multiple players to emerge as reliable fantasy options in San Jose.
Boise State Running Backs
Simply put, there's no singular player who can replace Ashton Jeanty after his historic 2025 campaign. That said, the Broncos have several talented backs still on the roster, and could eventually utilize a committee to make up for some of Jeanty's production. Sire Gaines was the early favorite to take over the lead role. He rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown in the first three games of the season as a true freshman, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. However, a lower-body injury sidelined Gaines for Boise State's final 11 contests, and he remains limited early in fall camp. The Broncos also brought in an experienced option via the transfer portal in Malik Sherrod, who ran for 966 yards with Fresno State in 2023 before an injury limited him to just four games last season. Sherrod figures to be heavily utilized early in the season and has reportedly impressed while practicing as the Broncos' lead option in the absence of Gaines. Jambres Dubar is another name that shouldn't be overlooked. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a freshman in 2023 before he was also limited by injuries in 2024. There's a fair amount of injury concern amongst this room, further amplifying the likelihood that Boise State will take a committee approach. However, there'll be room for multiple backs to be productive behind an experienced offensive line, led by tackle Kage Casey.
Colorado State Tight Ends
While this room produced meager results in 2024, there's optimism that 2025 will bring about significant change on the fantasy front. Keep in mind that this is the same team that produced the likes of Trey McBride and Dallin Holker, who are both in the NFL, and there is a duo of promising tight ends who should be on the radar of fantasy managers this fall. Per reports, the team is expected to return closer to its previous pass-heavy approach following a campaign last season that saw the Rams run the ball on 54.5 percent of plays. That was a significant divergence from the year prior, when they threw the ball 60.1 percent of the time. While it seems unlikely they will revert to that level of passing, especially with star wideout Tory Horton gone, it's expected the team will throw the ball at a much greater rate, and the team has two talented tight ends to turn to in returnee Jaxxon Warren and FIU transfer Rocky Beers. The pair is expected to see the field a fair amount together, and if either emerges, there's enough upside in this offense to warrant a look from a fantasy perspective.
