If you can believe it, the 2026 college football season will begin in less than 50 days, and Syracuse Orange nation plus the rest of the fanbases out there are getting ready for the new campaign. That includes football fans doing more homework than before because now, you can have both a professional and a college fantasy league.
Recently, Yahoo Fantasy Sports announced it is offering fantasy football for the college game. Football fanatics can already create or join a league, with drafts opening
up on August 3, according to Yahoo.
Of note, there are some differences between what Yahoo is offering and your standard NFL fantasy league.
There’s now a “Team Offense” category, meaning picking an entire offense will be just as important as nailing the right star quarterback or star receiver. The entire fantasy season will take place during the duration of the actual college football regular season. Weeks 1 through 11 are the fantasy regular season; Weeks 12 and 13 will be the four-team fantasy football playoffs.
And of course, there are 68 different 53-man, Power Four rosters to pick players from, including your Syracuse Orange.
So, who among the Orange could be one of the players you’re counting on to earn fantasy bragging rights and potentially win the pool?
A few days ago, Yahoo released its top-300 board for the 2026 fantasy season, with four Syracuse players cracking the list:
- WR Cole Weaver (No. 172)
- WR Umari Hatcher (No. 185)
- RB Ahmad Miller (No. 193)
- QB Steve Angeli (No. 272)
One thing you’ll quickly notice with college football fantasy: getting a premium running back is key. While Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Miami’s Malachi Toney are the top two players in the rankings, the next 13 names are all running backs. If Miller can pick up where he left off production-wise in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, maybe he could be an under-the-radar/waiver selection.
Many Orange fans will notably be focusing on the passing game after last year’s poor showing, mainly once Angeli went down with an Achillies injury. Angeli had over 1,000 passing yards after three games. Forget selecting a QB: maybe just get Angeli in one of the later rounds or even right after your draft concludes.
And if Angeli can air the ball like he briefly did in 2025, someone will have to catch it, and both Hatcher and Weaver will be primed for major roles on the 2026 offense.
Defensively, can the Orange defense limit opponents from scoring, force turnovers, and fully reset after being inconsistent last year? Syracuse does play some notable opponents like Notre Dame, Clemson, Louisville, and SMU. Picking based on the team schedule matters, and Syracuse’s schedule is sneakily tough.
But keep in mind: Syracuse has new transfers on the defensive line, the coverage duo of Chris Peal and Demetres Samuel Jr., Antoine Deslauriers in the middle, and new leadership on the sidelines.
If you believe in the vision under incoming defensive coordinator Vince Kehres and his past success at Toledo, feel bold and go with the ‘Cuse.
Now it’s your turn: which Orange players and units are you picking in college fantasy this year?
