2024 Mountain West Conference Preview: Sleepers, Busts and All-Conference Teams

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Published on August 3, 2024

While the Mountain West may not enter the spotlight consistently like the power conferences, the conference routinely produces college fantasy contributors at a variety of positions, and that's the case again in 2024. The conference is slated to boast four of the top 20 fantasy wide receivers and a running back in Ashton Jeanty who could prove to be the cream of the crop at that position. We have plenty of tools to help you form your own opinions listed below, but let's get into the conference breakdown.

2024 College Fantasy Football Draft Kit

Mountain West All-Conference Fantasy Teams

First-Team All-Mountain West (overall position rank)

QB: Brayden Schager, Hawaii Hawaii (40)

RB: Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (2)

RB: Malik Sherrod - Fresno State (21)

WR: Ricky White, UNLV UNLV (3)

WR: Tory Horton, Colorado State (6)

Second-Team All-Mountain West

QB: Malachi Nelson, Boise State (42)

RB: Harrison Waylee, Wyoming Wyoming (41)

RB: Jai'Den Thomas, UNLV UNLV (62)

WR: Jalen Royals, Utah State (4)

WR: Pofele Ashlock, Hawaii Hawaii (14)

Third-Team All-Mountain West

QB: Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, Colorado State (54)

RB: Justin Marshall, Colorado State (76)

RB: Rahsul Faison, Utah State (79)

WR: Jalen Moss, Fresno State (53)

WR: Cam Camper, Boise State (79)

2024 Mountain West Fantasy Sleepers

QB: AJ Duffy, San Diego State

Duffy is expected to open as the Aztecs' starter in 2024 after transferring from Florida State in December. Under new head coach Sean Lewis, San Diego State's offense should look very different from the ground-and-pound style they've deployed in past seasons. Lewis, the former head coach at Kent State and offensive coordinator at Colorado, is often credited for the emergence of Shedeur Sanders early in 2023. Duffy, a four-star recruit, offers an intriguing blend of arm strength and pocket mobility that should allow him to succeed in a similar fast-paced offense. While the Aztecs' receiving room lacks depth, they've brought in some intriguing weapons via the transfer portal in Ja'Shaun Poke and Louis Brown.

QB: Matthew Sluka, UNLV UNLV

Sluka joined the Rebels in the offseason after throwing for 5,729 yards, 57 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions in three seasons at Holy Cross. The senior will likely be tasked with replacing Jayden Maiava under center, who led UNLV to the conference championship game as a freshman before transferring to USC. While there'll likely be a learning curve for Sluka at the FCS level, he'll be well-positioned for success with Ricky White, the Mountain West's leading receiver in 2023, and a reliable slot option in Jacob De Jesus returning to Las Vegas.

RB: Eli Sanders, New Mexico

It'll be an interesting year for New Mexico under new coach Bronco Mendenhall. While the Lobo's roster has a few question marks, Sanders, an Iowa State transfer, looks to be locked in as the top backfield option. The 6-foot, 200-pound Sanders averaged 4.7 yards per carry while rushing for four touchdowns last year with the Cyclones. Joining Mendenhall in New Mexico will be new offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who held the same role the past two seasons at Syracuse, where he coached multiple thousand-yard rushers in Sean Tucker and LeQuint Allen. I'd expect the Lobos to deploy a run-heavy scheme in 2024, which should afford Sanders the chance for a huge season.

RB: Jambres Dubar, Boise State

Ashton Jeanty is clearly the number-one option in Boise as one of the nation's top running backs. However, Dubar flashed some explosive ability last year as a freshman, averaging 5.4 yards per carry in limited action. With George Holani graduating, the 6-foot, 211-pound Dubar should step in as the Bronco's clear change-of-pace option. Jeanty also comes into the season with some durability concerns -- he missed two games in 2023 with a knee injury and only recorded more than twenty carries once in Boise State's final four games. Jeanty also dealt with a hamstring injury in spring practices -- the Broncos may want to limit his reps in the early going, offering Dubar an expanded role.

WR: Louis Brown, San Diego State

Brown committed to San Diego State in January after hauling in 47 passes for 481 yards and five touchdowns last year at Colorado State. The 6-foot-2 Brown will step into a receiving room that lacks high-end depth behind fellow transfer Ja'Shaun Poke. Brown showcased some explosive potential with the Rams, highlighted by a 10-reception, 131-yard outing against Colorado in Week 3, though he was ultimately overshadowed by Tory Horton and Justus Ross-Simmons on the depth chart. Brown should get a chance to shine with the Aztecs in new head coach Sean Lewis' offense.

WR: Donovan Ollie, Colorado State

Replacing Brown in the slot for the Rams will likely be Ollie, a 6-foot-3 graduate transfer from Cincinnati. While he was limited to just two catches with the Bearcats last season, Ollie previously recorded 69 receptions for 792 yards in two seasons at Washington State. While he'll likely be behind Tory Horton and Dylan Goffney on the depth chart, CSU has proven that multiple receivers can be fantasy-relevant in Jay Norvell's air-raid offense. Given his size, Ollie can also take over as Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi's primary red-zone target, a role that tight end Dallin Holker filled last year before entering the draft. Armani Winfield is another transfer to keep an eye on in Ft. Collins -- the former four-star recruit joined the Rams after totaling 100 yards on eight catches in two seasons with Baylor.

WR: Alex Perry/Tylan Hines, Hawaii Hawaii

Hawaii's propensity for throwing the ball under head coach Timmy Chang seems to be as close to a sure thing as there is in college football today. However, the Rainbow Warriors suddenly face questions in their receiving corps with Steven McBride suspended following an offseason arrest. While it's too soon to speculate on McBride's availability pending legal proceedings, his absence would create a sizable void on the depth chart. While Pofele Ashlock proved to be a reception machine, he lacks the big-play ability that McBride provided. McBride's absence opens the door for Perry, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, and Hines, who switched to receiver after two seasons at running back. Perry showed flashes of explosiveness as a redshirt freshman, including a 38-yard touchdown grab against UNLV. On the other end of the spectrum, Hines is undersized for the position at just 5-foot-7. However, his speed and ability to make people miss in space adds another dimension to Hawaii's offense, prompting the position change. Even if McBride does ultimately suit up this season, Perry's size and Hines' agility add different elements to a Hawaii passing game that should offer more than enough volume for the lot.

2024 Mountain-West Fantasy Busts

QB: Malachi Nelson, Boise State

This may be more of a product of the expectations around Nelson rather than his ability to succeed. Those expectations are understandably high, with the Broncos coming off a conference championship and Nelson, a former top-20 recruit, transferring in from USC. However, Boise State's passing attack struggled for much of the 2023 season. Dirk Koetter, who took over as the interim offensive coordinator and quarterback's coach last year, will return in a full-time role and will likely deploy a similar run-heavy scheme. The Broncos brought in some exciting receivers via the transfer portal in Cam Camper and former five-star recruit Chris Marshall, though there is still some evident uncertainty at the position. While Nelson certainly has the talent to put up big numbers and lead Boise State to another title, the path is not as straightforward as it may seem.

RB: Jai'Den Thomas, UNLV UNLV

I really didn't want to include Thomas here -- the running back burst onto the scene in 2023, rushing for 503 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman, and seemed to have the lead-back role locked up in 2024, following the departures of Vincent Davis and Donavyn Lester. However, the Rebels brought in a couple of other options via the transfer portal in Michael Allen and Kylin James, and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion has shown a proclivity for utilizing a committee in the backfield. While I still think Thomas establishes himself as the top option for UNLV, it may be wise to temper expectations for a massive step forward in his sophomore campaign.

RB: Dylan Carson, Air Force

This is generally a prerequisite for any running back who's listed at the top of the Air Force depth chart. Carson is coming into 2024 with some hype after rushing for 323 yards and two scores in the Falcons' final two regular-season games. However, as we learned last year with John Lee Eldridge and the emergence of Emmanuel Michel, it's foolish to try to predict who'll be Air Force's top rusher as the season progresses. Carson appears to be the best option with both Eldridge and Michel no longer in the picture, though senior Aiden Calvert also saw 20 or more snaps in each of the Falcons' final five games.

WR: Nick Nash, San Jose State

Nash led the Spartans with 48 receptions for 728 yards and eight touchdowns last season after Justin Lockhart was lost for the year with an arm injury. However, the 6-foot-3 Nash could be due for a step back in 2024, with Lockhart returning and San Jose State likely facing a rebuild under first-year coach Ken Niumatalolo. Furthermore, the Spartans could face inconsistent play at quarterback with both Chevan Cordeiro and Jay Butterfield departing. Emmett Brown and Walker Eget, both inexperienced options, will compete for the starting job. While Nash figures to remain atop the SJSU depth chart, this is an offense I'll be staying away from for fantasy purposes.

WR: Cam Camper, Boise State

The intent here isn't to disparage Boise State in any way -- the Broncos are still understandably the favorites to repeat as conference champions in 2024. However, like with Nelson, it may be best to take a wait-and-see approach with Camper this year. The 6-foot-3 wideout joined Boise State in the offseason after tallying 854 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons with Indiana. However, Camper's 2023 campaign was cut short by a knee injury that appears to have lingered into spring practices. Even if Camper's healthy, the Broncos figure to rely on Ashton Jeanty and the running game as the focal point of their offense. Furthermore, I'm not entirely convinced Camper is the clear-cut top receiving option on the depth chart -- Chris Marshall, a JUCO transfer and former five-star recruit, offers immense upside at the position, while Austin Bolt, Prince Strachan, and Latrell Caples all return to Boise with some familiarity with Dirk Koetter's offense.