College Football Start vs. Sit: Players to Start, Players to Bench for Week 12

We're halfway through November, but nearing the end of the college football regular season, if not already there. It's time for Week 12, which features a few more elimination-type games. Then, of course, there are the games that are exciting, or discouraging, when it comes to fantasy-related matters. Georgia-Texas is for watching, not for investing your fantasy wherewithal. Here are my players to start and bench for Week 12 of this college football campaign.

AAC Starts and Sits

START

Robert Henry, RB, UTSA at Charlotte

Henry is coming off his worst game of the season, as he managed a mere 27 yards on 10 carries. Maybe for one moment, he will slide under the radar, but I'm not letting that happen. Five times this season, he's rushed for over 130 yards and a touchdown. Charlotte has given up 205.0 rushing yards and 38.4 points per game. I'll be surprised if Henry doesn't get over 130 yards and find the end zone in this matchup.

SIT

Greg Desrosiers, RB, Memphis at East Carolina

Desrosier is not a one-game wonder, but his 204 yards and three touchdowns against Florida Atlantic in Week 5 is shouldering a hefty load in terms of his overall numbers. East Carolina is quietly quite good, especially on defense. The Pirates have held opponents to 106.0 rushing yards and 17.3 points per contest, and when the Pirates are good, their stadium tends to be a tough place to play.

ACC Starts and Sits

START

Malachi Toney, WR, Miami (FL) vs. NC State

Like Henry, we find Toney coming off his worst game of the season. He only had two catches for 12 yards, but he also had three carries for 14 yards and was given a chance to return punts, because Miami generally likes the ball in his hands. The true freshman has tallied 54 catches on 68 targets on the campaign. NC State has allowed 292.4 passing yards per contest, and it has routinely allowed over 30 points. Even in a win over Georgia Tech, the Wolf Pack gave up 36 points.

SIT

Jordan Shipp, WR, North Carolina at Wake Forest

Okay, so North Carolina has been better as of late, kind of ruining the fun of dunking on Bill Belichick. Shipp has had at least five catches for at least 63 yards in each of the last three games, and he's scored a touchdown in each of his last two games. However, this trip to Wake Forest will be a tougher matchup than reeling Syracuse or woeful Stanford. The Demon Deacons have only given up 188.2 passing yards and 20.3 points per game.

Big Ten Starts and Sits

START

Bo Jackson, RB, Ohio State vs. UCLA

The Big Ten doesn't have a single bad pass defense, but it has two bad run defenses. Rutgers is off in Week 12, but the Bruins have to visit the Buckeyes. UCLA has ceded a robust 191.1 rushing yards per game. The Buckeyes have a lot of standout players, though none of them are running backs. That being said, the boldly-named true freshman Bo Jackson has shown promise. He hasn't gotten more than 17 carries in a game, but Jackson has averaged 6.5 yards per carry.

SIT

Nico Iamaleava, QB, UCLA at Ohio State

After the coaching changes at UCLA, Iamaleava started to produce much better. He was kept in check by Indiana, but it has a great defense, right? It should do…but Ohio State's defense is even better. The Buckeyes have allowed 211.6 total yards per game, and an incredible 7.2 points per game. Yeah, just leave any and all Bruins on the bench this week.

Big 12 Starts and Sits

START

Avery Johnson, QB, Kansas State at Oklahoma State

The Wildcats racked up a few early losses, and people checked out on them, which is fair. However, Johnson has lived up to expectations as a dual-threat quarterback. He's thrown 16 touchdowns against four picks, and he's added 343 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground. It's well-established by this point just how bad the Oklahoma State defense is. The Cowboys, who got to begin the season by beating UT Martin, have allowed 443.8 total yards and 38.8 points per game. Literally every Power Four team to play Oklahoma State has scored at least 38 points.

SIT

Josh Cameron, WR, Baylor vs. Utah

The Bears love to air it out, and Cameron has benefited. He has 47 catches for 581 yards and five touchdowns. However, while he has a touchdown in each of his last two games, he also totaled 39 receiving yards in those two games. Utah, as was to be expected, has excelled defensively this year. The Utes have been particularly stingy against the pass. Utah has only given up 156.8 passing yards per game, and points have been hard to come by as well, so Cameron can't count on another touchdown to save the day for his numbers.

Conference USA Starts and Sits

START

Jo Silver, RB, Delaware at Sam Houston

The question to ask yourself any given week is: Who is facing Sam Houston? This time around, the answer is Delaware. The Bearkats have given up 211.8 rushing yards and 38.2 points per game. Silver's role in the offense has dipped a bit recently, unfortunately for fantasy-related purposes, but he's still definitively the number-one back for the Blue Hens. It would be wise for Delaware to give Silver the ball more in this matchup. Plus, Silver does also have 26 catches on the season, and Sam Houston has also allowed 268.2 passing yards per game. If you're going to touch the ball double-digit times against the Bearkats, I'm interested.

SIT

Donovan Faupel, WR, New Mexico State at Tennessee

The best defense in Conference USA, Louisiana Tech, is playing Washington State. As such, there are no conference opponents to worry about when it comes to the Bulldogs. Given that, I'll turn to the team that is serving as one of those inexplicable late-season SEC cupcakes in New Mexico State. The Aggies have to visit Tennessee, which will probably take out its frustrations over the fact that it has nothing of value left to play for. Faupel is NMSU's best player, having tallied 43 catches for 503 yards and five touchdowns despite bad quarterback play. The Volunteers have too much talent, though. Visiting an above-average SEC team is always tricky for programs like New Mexico State.

MAC Starts and Sits

START

Kiael Kelly, QB, Ball State vs. Eastern Michigan

Fortunately, in the thick of mid-week MACtion, the one conference game happening Saturday features perhaps the worst run defense in the FBS. Eastern Michigan has given up 234.4 rushing yards per contest against a schedule where the toughest opponent has been Kentucky. Yes, Kelly is a quarterback, but he's rushed for 470 yards and five touchdowns, and one assumes the Ball State staff is smart enough to give Kelly the freedom to use his legs with gusto in this one.

SIT

Dequan Finn, QB, Miami (OH) vs. Toledo

Ball State isn't good at anything defensively, so I had to dip into the middle of the week for a player to sit. On Wednesday, Miami hosts Toledo, clearly the best defense in the MAC. While Finn may have some extra juice to face his former team, I don't know if it will make a difference. The Rockets lead the MAC in rushing yards, passing yards, and points allowed per game, so even though Finn is a dual threat in theory, I doubt he will be in practice.

Mountain West Starts and Sits

START

Miles Davis, RB, Utah State at UNLV

After spending a century (okay, five seasons) as an afterthought at BYU, Davis opted to leave for Utah State. He's stepped into a lead role and tallied 609 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Also, interestingly, all three of his receiving scores came against SEC opponents. UNLV isn't an SEC-quality defense, but I point that out to show he's gotten it done against some notable competition. As to the quality of UNLV, its defense has been bad enough to kill any hopes of a playoff spot. The Rebels have given up 450.2 total yards and 31.6 points per contest.

SIT

Dylan Riley, RB, Boise State at San Diego State

The Aztecs saw their playoff hopes die in the islands with a loss to Hawaii, but their defense remains imposing. San Diego State has only give up 93.1 rushing yards and 13.1 points per game. Riley has averaged 7.2 yards per carry, which is impressive. However, he averaged 20.5 yards per carry against Eastern Washington and 13.4 yards per carry against UNLV. Four opponents this year have held Riley to under 3.0 yards per carry, and the Aztecs are as tough as any run defense he has faced.

SEC Starts and Sits

START

Chris Brazzell, WR, Tennessee vs. New Mexico State

Hey, the players on Tennessee didn't do the scheduling. If the powers that be wanted the Volunteers to score an easy win over a Conference USA team before they go and lose to Florida and Vanderbilt, such is life. Brazzell should take advantage of the opportunity. While much of his 808 yards and eight touchdowns came early in the season, he's had at least four catches and at least 66 yards in each of his last three games. New Mexico State has allowed 245.8 passing yards per game, which isn't bad, but the best pass offense it has played to date is either New Mexico or Western Kentucky.

SIT

Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama vs. Oklahoma

Simpson is in the Heisman conversation, and he's thrown 21 touchdowns against one pick. However, he's put up a turnover in five straight games because he's lost a fumble four games in a row. He's also "only" thrown five touchdowns over his last three games, but that's not super impressive even if it isn't alarming. The Sooners have an excellent defense, and they don't have to worry about the Alabama run game. That means Oklahoma, a team that has only allowed 181.8 passing yards and 14.1 points per game, can focus on stopping Simpson.

Sun Belt Starts and Sits

START

Antwan Roberts, RB, Marshall at Georgia State

I am running back heavy this week, but to be fair, there are some bad run defenses out there. Georgia State hasn't just allowed 218.2 rushing yards per game. It has given up 40.7 points per game! Over 40 points per game! Roberts wasn't involved early in the season, but he's been more involved in the last four games and has done nothing but earn more trust from the staff. He's been over 100 yards in each of his last two outings, including putting up 121 against James Madison's conference-best defense.

SIT

Rashod Dubinion, RB, Appalachian State at James Madison

I just mentioned James Madison's defense, and even after Roberts' good game, it has held opponents to 98.9 rushing yards per contest. The Dukes also have only allowed 16.9 points per game for good measure. Dubinion rushed for at least 95 yards in each of his first five games, but since then, he hasn't managed more than 58 yards in a game.