This article is part of our Start vs. Sit series.
It's October, and to the college football observer, that has a substance to it. We are into the fall, and it feels like the meat of the season arrives when that calendar change happens. It's time for Week 6 of the 2023 college football campaign, at least on the FBS level. These are my players to target and to avoid for fantasy purposes.
AAC Starts and Sits
START
Nay'Quan Wright, RB, South Florida at UAB
Wright got some playing time at Florida, but he made the move to South Florida for the 2023 season. He's no workhorse back, but he is the lead ball carrier, with a touchdown in each of his last two games. The UAB Blazers made the move to the AAC and took a shot on Trent Dilfer. His regime is not going well so far, and a once-formidable defense has fallen apart. The Blazers have allowed 43.5 points per game and 6.2 rushing yards per carry.
SIT
Devan Williams, WR, Tulsa at Florida Atlantic
The AAC is not fielding much in the way of defensive prowess in 2023. Florida Atlantic is 58th in passing yards allowed per attempt, which is good relative to its conference mates, and Williams and Tulsa are on the road. A redshirt freshman, Williams has 18 catches for 265 and two touchdowns through five games, but obviously, he's an unproven commodity at this point.
ACC Starts and Sits
START
Henry Parrish, RB, Miami (FL) vs. Georgia Tech
As soon
It's October, and to the college football observer, that has a substance to it. We are into the fall, and it feels like the meat of the season arrives when that calendar change happens. It's time for Week 6 of the 2023 college football campaign, at least on the FBS level. These are my players to target and to avoid for fantasy purposes.
AAC Starts and Sits
START
Nay'Quan Wright, RB, South Florida at UAB
Wright got some playing time at Florida, but he made the move to South Florida for the 2023 season. He's no workhorse back, but he is the lead ball carrier, with a touchdown in each of his last two games. The UAB Blazers made the move to the AAC and took a shot on Trent Dilfer. His regime is not going well so far, and a once-formidable defense has fallen apart. The Blazers have allowed 43.5 points per game and 6.2 rushing yards per carry.
SIT
Devan Williams, WR, Tulsa at Florida Atlantic
The AAC is not fielding much in the way of defensive prowess in 2023. Florida Atlantic is 58th in passing yards allowed per attempt, which is good relative to its conference mates, and Williams and Tulsa are on the road. A redshirt freshman, Williams has 18 catches for 265 and two touchdowns through five games, but obviously, he's an unproven commodity at this point.
ACC Starts and Sits
START
Henry Parrish, RB, Miami (FL) vs. Georgia Tech
As soon as the Yellow Jackets allowed 38 points at home to Bowling Green, they became a defense high on my targeting list. Given that they rank 127th in rushing yards allowed per attempt, that also points me in the direction of Parrish. He's coming off rushing for 139 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 carries. Can he come back from the bye and keep the good vibes going? I believe so.
SIT
Jamari Thrash, WR, Louisville vs. Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish have some offensive concerns, but the defense is legit. If Notre Dame can keep Ohio State and Duke in check, Louisville could be in some trouble. Thrash, a transfer from Georgia State, has been successful, but he's coming off his worst game of the season, three catches for 44 yards against NC State. Notre Dame is 14th in passing yards allowed per attempt and will be focused on stopping Thrash.
Big 12 Starts and Sits
START
Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech at Baylor
With Tyler Shough out, the Red Raiders have turned more to the running game, specifically Brooks. Over the last three weeks, he has 66 carries for 413 yards and two touchdowns. Baylor's been worse against the pass than the run, but it also ranks 110th in rushing yards allowed per attempt. Instead of rolling the dice on Texas Tech's passing game, I'll go with Brooks, the cornerstone of the offense.
SIT
Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas vs. Oklahoma
Mitchell's stock is probably at its apex, as he just had 10 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown against Kansas. However, he had three catches in each of his first four games of the season, and he never had more than six targets in any of those contests. Turns out, Brent Venables didn't forget how to coach defense. The Sooners have allowed a mere 10.8 points per game, and they rank 16th in passing yards allowed per attempt.
Big Ten Starts and Sits
START
Bryce Kirtz, WR, Northwestern vs. Howard
Like Mitchell, Kirtz's season is headlined by one big day. Against Minnesota, he had 10 catches for 215 yards and two scores. The difference is Mitchell is playing Oklahoma. Kirtz is playing an FCS team. He has 31 targets in four games played, so clearly, he's the focal point of this passing attack. In this matchup, that could pay off.
SIT
Taulia Tagovailoa, QB, Maryland at Ohio State
He's not Tua, but Taulia is no slouch as a college quarterback. He's thrown 13 touchdowns against three picks, and he's added three rushing scores for good measure. That being said, it has been as easy a schedule as you can find for the Terps so far. Now, they have to go on the road to face the Buckeyes. Ohio State is in the top 22 in points allowed per game, rushing yards allowed per carry, and passing yards allowed per attempt.
Conference USA Starts and Sits
START
Tyre Shelton, RB, Louisiana Tech vs. Western Kentucky
The new-look Conference USA is getting its MAC on in 2023. Every conference game this week is on Wednesday or Thursday. Shelton has missed time with injury, but in each of his last two games, he's rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Western Kentucky, meanwhile, has allowed 5.2 rushing yards per game.
SIT
Noah Smith, WR, Sam Houston State at Liberty
With Ife Adeyi out for the season, Smith was a target magnet last week against Jacksonville State. He got 16 targets and turned them into 10 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Smith may be atop the depth chart now, but he'll be facing a Liberty team that has held opponents to 5.5 yards per pass attempt. It may take 16 targets for Smith to put up viable numbers once again.
MAC Starts and Sits
START
Dequan Finn, QB, Toledo at UMass
Finn has taken his efficiency to a new level, having completed 66.4 percent of his passes. He's thrown 10 touchdowns against four picks, but the dual-threat quarterback has also rushed for 241 yards and three scores. I am particularly enthused about Finn throwing the ball Saturday, as the Minutemen have allowed a whopping 10.5 passing yards per attempt.
SIT
Chrishon McCray, WR, Kent State at Ohio
A redshirt freshman, McCray is coming off his best game so far. He reeled in 10 catches for 105 yards. The Bobcats seem to be the clear gem among MAC defenses, though. They are top six in points allowed per game and passing yards allowed per attempt.
Mountain West Starts and Sits
START
Nick Nash, WR, San Jose State at Boise State
All three of Nash's touchdowns came against USC in the opener, and USC is not exactly an imposing defense, but that's still notable production. He's also been targeted at least eight times aside from San Jose State's game against Cal Poly, an FCS team it went easy on. Boise State is last in passing yards allowed per attempt, so if Nash gets his usual target allotment, it could lead to a big day and his first touchdown since the opener.
SIT
Andrew Peasley, QB, Wyoming vs. Fresno State
Playing in Laramie is tough, but playing Fresno State's defense might be tougher. Peasley has played in four games this year – he missed the Texas tilt – and has six passing touchdowns and three rushing scores. Unfortunately for him, the Bulldogs are in the top 20 in points allowed per game, rushing yards allowed per carry, and passing yards allowed per attempt. This might be a low-scoring affair.
Pac-12 Starts and Sits
START
Cameron Skattebo, RB, Arizona State vs. Colorado
Skattebo was a star at the FCS level at Sacramento State in 2022, rushing for 1,373 yards and seven touchdowns, with three more touchdowns through the air. His move to the FBS level has panned out. Skattebo has run for 318 yards, added 228 yards through the air, and totaled five touchdowns in five games. The Buffaloes, as we know at this point, play bad defense across the board. They've allowed 36.2 points per contest, and that is not a number I see dropping much going forward.
SIT
Jaydn Ott, RB, Cal vs. Oregon State
Ott has built upon his impressive freshman season, but this is a new level of challenge. Oregon State has only allowed 2.6 yards per carry and also only 17.8 points per game. The Beavers held opponents to 19.3 points per contest in 2022, so this is a continuation of stout defense under head coach Jonathan Smith. Also, after being part of the passing game in 2022, Ott only has eight catches for 40 yards this year.
SEC Starts and Sits
START
Lideatrick Griffin, QB, Mississippi State vs. Western Michigan
Griffin gets to face a MAC team, but not any MAC team. The Broncos have allowed 40.5 points per game. Though the Mississippi State offense is quite different, with Mike Leach having gone to that Great Pirate Ship in the Sky, Griffin still has 25 catches for 409 yards and three touchdowns.
SIT
Daijun Edwards, RB, Georgia vs. Kentucky
After missing two games with injury, Edwards has made up for lost time. Although, five touchdowns in three games is not a pace he is likely to keep, especially since he had seven touchdowns in 15 games last year. This has all the makings of a defensive battle. Kentucky has only allowed 14.8 points per game and ranks fifth in rushing yards allowed per carry.
Sun Belt Starts and Sits
START
Caullin Lacy, WR, South Alabama at ULM
Last year, Lacy had 65 catches for 816 yards and six touchdowns. This year, he's taken his game to a new level with a bigger role. The fourth-year receiver has 32 catches for 567 yards and five touchdowns and has gone over 100 yards in each of his last four games. Louisiana-Monroe has allowed 9.2 passing yards per attempt, so this is a matchup where he seems likely to go over 100 yards again.
SIT
Zak Wallace, RB, Arkansas State at Troy
Wallace was an FCS star, but the FBS level has proven tougher for him. Though he has been the top back for Arkansas State, he's only averaged 3.3 yards per carry and only has one touchdown. Troy has only allowed 3.1 yards per rushing attempt, so it's unlikely Wallace will get it going in Week 6.
