College Fantasy Football: You may not be familiar with Week 0 — here's how it could affect the way you draft
One of the many ways in which college football differs from the NFL is a pseudo-preseason set of games that is collectively known as "Week 0," which is a select group of eight FBS games that take place on Saturday, Aug. 29. While these games are considered part of the college regular season, for fantasy purposes they do not generate any statistics and are, in essence, preseason games from which we can gain valuable perspective into each team's rotation heading into Week 1.
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Every year, a few players receive significant boosts to their fantasy stock from these early contests, as questions concerning backfield workload and target shares are answered. For example, last season Hawaii WR Jackson Harris caught six passes for 59 yards and a touchdown in a thrilling 23-20 Week 0 upset of Stanford. Harris' opening game explosion was a harbinger of success, as he gained 963 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns and a transfer up to the SEC, where he will serve as a key weapon in new LSU HC Lane Kiffin's high-octane passing offense. Had the Rainbow Warriors not played in Week 0 last year, Harris would have remained almost universally undrafted in FBS leagues.
When it comes to this year, seven of the 68 Power Four teams that comprise the Yahoo Sports College Fantasy Football universe will be in action Week 0. Two games exclusively feature Power Four programs:
North Carolina vs. TCU
NC State at Virginia
While three other games include a Power Four team playing a "Group of 6" opponent:
San Jose State at USC
Hawaii at Stanford
New Mexico State at Florida State
Here are a few storylines you should be aware of in Week 0 that will affect any CFF drafts that occur leading into Week 1:
USC's young wide receiver rotation
Passing-game guru HC Lincoln Riley's Trojans graduated two star wideouts to the NFL in Makai Lemon (Eagles) and Ja'Kobi Lane (Ravens). A young, unproven receiving group remains, one that needs to quickly develop a rapport with veteran QB Jayden Maiava if USC wants to make a run in the hyper-competitive Big Ten. Tanook Hines was the starting WR3 last year and is the early favorite to lead USC in receiving this year. However, the Men of Troy brought in NC State transfer Terrell Anderson and a sensational freshman WR class that features three highly touted recruits in Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Ethan "Boobie" Feaster and Trent Mosley who are expected to compete for snaps immediately. The Trojans also bring in star Mater Dei TE Mark Bowman, who is being groomed to replace departed starter Lake McRee, which could happen as soon as Week 0 depending on how he navigates fall camp. In college, heavy roster turnover in traditionally potent offenses can present very profitable value-play opportunities later in drafts. Week 0 could offer an important glimpse into how the USC passing game will operate moving forward.
Virginia's entire backfield is unsettled
Departed Virginia RB J'Mari Taylor was one of the best values of the 2025 CFF draft cycle after transferring in from North Carolina Central, and now the room is wide open once again with a fresh set of transfers in Peyton Lewis from Tennessee, Jekail Middlebrook from Middle Tennessee and Solomon Beebe from UAB.
I'm throwing my support behind the physical freak Lewis, who is a bonafide track star and won the Virginia state 55-meter and 100-meter dashes titles as a sophomore and a junior. Toss in his rocked-up 6'1"/212-pound frame and seven rushing touchdowns last year for the Vols, and Lewis has the tools to take the starting job and run with it. Virginia plays the 68th-ranked schedule in the country and benefits from a line that suffered multiple injuries last year but now returns 165 line starts, including transfers. Lewis is almost free in drafts and could have a major impact if you can wait on his Week 1 bye.
Harvard transfer QB making first P4 start for TCU
With 2025 starting QB Josh Hoover moving onto Indiana, HC Sonny Dykes brings in Harvard's all-time passing leader in Jaden Craig, who has thrown for 6,074 passing yards and 52 touchdowns over his career with the Crimson. He'll have a tough initial test against a Bill Belichick-led UNC defense that was drastically better than the Tar Heels' punchless 19 PPG offense. How Hoover performs against North Carolina will give us our first glimpse into whether or not Craig can be a viable CFF quarterback at the P4 level.
Does Florida State go with Wisner or Kromah as RB1?
In 2024 Tre Wisner was Texas' high-volume RB1 with 226 rushes for 1,064 yards, 4.7 YPC and five TDs to go with a fantastic 44 receptions for 311 yards and a touchdown through 15 games. However, injuries and middling per-carry production led to an infusion of two star running backs in Raleek Brown and Daylan Smothers that made it clear Wisner's services were no longer needed in Austin.
Wisner transferred into Florida State, where HC Mike Norvell has a penchant for sharing the rushing load. Last year was no exception, with the departed Gavin Sawchuck having led the group with a mere 109 carries, and four rushers logging at least 27 totes. Highly-touted 6'1"/225-pound sophomore Ousmane Kromah drew rave reviews heading into fall camp and is expected to take the lead role, but how much work he and Wisner receive against New Mexico State will help late drafters decide how to approach this splintered backfield.
Extra bye week For all Week 0 teams
There is a consequence to selecting Week 0 teams as well, namely that each program who takes part in Week 0 has an extra bye week added to their CFF schedule. Pay close attention to how these games affect Week 1, and plan ahead and roster someone with a favorable Week 1 matchup at the position where you take a Week 0 player, since most Week 0 teams have byes on Week 1 and an extra bye week later in the year that counts as their formal bye.
