College Football Start vs. Sit: Players to Start, Player to Bench for Week 7

UCLA's massive upset of Penn State in Week 6 is a reminder of how big the surprises can be in the world of college football. Of course, those instances are surprises because most of the time things that are unexpected don't occur. That's why, when it comes to fantasy decisions, it makes sense to look at the numbers, look at what has happened, and then act upon the likeliest outcome given what we know. We have some notable games on the slate in Week 7, but which games ultimately yield the notable results will remain to be seen. The massive matchups aren't always the ones to turn to for fantasy-related purposes. Here are my players to start and sit for Week 7 of the college football season.

AAC Starts and Sits

START

Xavier Terrell, RB, Florida Atlantic vs. UAB

The Owls have had some issues running the ball, and Terrell has only averaged 3.0 yards per carry. However, he got 20 carries last week against Rice, and if he gets 20 carries against UAB, it should turn out quite well. The Blazers are, once again, a defensive disaster. Trent Dilfer's team has allowed 227.6 rushing yards and 39.0 points per game. I will grant you that UAB has played both Navy and Army, but any defense giving up over 200 rushing yards per contest at this point in the season is bad against the run.

SIT

Keshaun Singleton, WR, South Florida at North Texas

The team that wins this game will have the inside track on being the Group of Five team in the playoff right next to Memphis. Singleton started the season hot in those games against Boise State and Florida that put the Bulls on the national stage. Since then, though, he has seven catches for 72 yards over three games. The Mean Green have an impressive passing game, but also an impressive passing defense. North Texas has only given up 135.8 passing yards per contest.

ACC Starts and Sits

START

Romello Brinson, WR, SMU vs. Stanford

Brinson, like Singleton, started red hot. He had over 100 yards and a touchdown in each of the first two games of the season. He's cooled down since then, but unlike Singleton, his numbers are still respectable. Over his last three games, Brinson has 15 catches for 189 yards. Additionally, Stanford isn't as strong defensively as North Texas. The Cardinal have given up 315.0 passing yards per contest.

SIT

 Gavin Sawchuk, RB, Florida State vs. Pittsburgh

After a couple of losses, the Seminoles need a bounce-back win. There's a good chance that'll happen, but Sawchuk could also be in for a rough day. He's averaged 5.3 yards per carry overall, but the 8.8 yards per carry he had against lowly Kent State has helped there. In every other game Sawchuk has been under five yards per carry, though I grant you he's been over four yards per carry in all of those games as well. It's just likely that Sawchuk will be on the lower end of things in this one. Pitt's schedule has been fairly easy, but nevertheless, it has only allowed 66.2 rushing yards per game.

Big Ten Starts and Sits

START

 Makhi Frazier, RB, Michigan State vs. UCLA

Yes, UCLA upset Penn State, but UCLA also allowed 37 points and gave up 5.1 yards per carry. The Bruins didn't win because their defense turned things around. Frazier, weirdly, had his worst game against Youngstown State, but all in all he's run for 325 yards and two touchdowns through five outings. What's key is that he is clearly the lead back for the Spartans, and he gets the porous UCLA run defense at home.

SIT

 Luke Altmyer, QB, Illinois vs. Ohio State

Altmyer is having a fine season, and he's totaled 14 touchdowns without a single interception or fumble. However, the Big Ten is laden with tough defense. When Altmyer faced Indiana, he was held to 146 yards and a touchdown. Not terrible, but not exciting for fantasy purposes. Well, while Altmyer gets to face the Buckeyes at home, the Buckeyes have an even better defense than the Hoosiers. Ohio State ranks first in defensive SP+ and has allowed 5.0 points per game. No, seriously, that would be five points per game.

Big 12 Starts and Sits

START

 Amare Thomas, WR, Houston at Oklahoma State

Unfortunately, Connor Weigman is banged up with an undisclosed injury, and his status for Week 7 is murky. It would be great to start him against the Cowboys' atrocious defense. Oklahoma State has allowed 294.6 passing yards and a robust 36.2 points per game. Whoever is under center for the Cougars, though, Thomas has a fine opportunity to thrive. The UAB transfer (way to escape a sinking ship, Amare!) has 16 catches for 284 yards and two touchdowns on the season, but what pops for me is that he has 18 targets over the last two games. That kind of attention should pay dividends in this matchup.

SIT

 Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona vs. BYU

Fifita is a case wherein diving into the details tells a different story. He has thrown for 13 touchdowns over his games, but 10 of them came against either Weber State or Oklahoma State. I grant you that his three rushing scores have come in his other three starts, but in those games, he has thrown three passing touchdowns against two interceptions. The Cougars let things get a little dicey against West Virginia, which I did not expect, but they have still only allowed 239.6 total yards and 12.2 points per game.

Conference USA Starts and Sits

START

 Brock Rechsteiner, WR, Jacksonville State at Sam Houston

Conference USA's schedule has crept fully into the middle of the week. There are two games Wednesday and two games Thursday, and this is a Thursday game. The Gamecocks are a run-heavy team, but when the ball is thrown, it usually goes to Rechsteiner. He's turned 24 targets into 17 catches for 215 yards and three scores. Why do I want a piece of a passing game that is secondary to the offense? Because Sam Houston's pass defense is terrible. The Bearkats have allowed 308.4 passing yards per contest, but also a whopping 41.6 points per game.

SIT

 Coleman Bennett, RB, Kennesaw State vs. Louisiana Tech

The Owls' second season in FBS football has already gone much better than their inaugural foray. Bennett, a Rice transfer who didn't really play at Rice, has been key to that. He scored a touchdown against Wake Forest in the opener, and he just had his first 100-yard game as an FBS back (prior to Rice he was at Bucknell). Louisiana Tech has the toughest defense in the conference, though. The Bulldogs have held opponents to 105.6 rushing yards and 13.6 points per game, and it had to visit LSU earlier this season.

MAC Starts and Sits

START

 Dequan Finn, QB, Miami (OH) at Akron

Finn was a MAC star with Toledo before a year at Baylor, which didn't go well. He had two seasons with over 20 passing touchdowns and over 550 rushing yards. Finn caught a tough break to start this season with Miami, playing on the road against two Big Ten opponents and then missing the Lindenwood game with an injury. Last week, he threw for 170 yards and a touchdown and ran for 90 yards against Northern Illinois. Akron is one of the three horrendous defenses housed in the MAC. The Zips have given up 262.7 passing yards, 191.3 rushing yards, and 30.5 points per game.

SIT

 Drew Pyne, QB, Bowling Green vs. Toledo

Yes, the same Drew Pyne who was a starter at Notre Dame. He had stops with Arizona State and Missouri after that. There appears to be a reason why he has fallen into the starting lineup for Bowling Green. A guy who once threw for 22 touchdowns for the Fighting Irish has been bad. He's thrown four touchdowns against five picks, and he offers nothing on the ground. The Rockets are clearly the top defense in the MAC, having given up only 131.8 passing yards per game.

Mountain West Starts and Sits

START

 Anthony Colandrea, QB, UNLV vs. Air Force

Air Force has played Bucknell and Navy. It has also given up 312.4 passing yards per game. Colandrea, a former Virginia quarterback, is working well with Dan Mullen at the helm. He's completed 69.5 percent of his passes with 1,042 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions through the air. Colandrea has also rushed for 261 yards and a score, and the Falcons have given up 164.2 rushing yards per contest as well.

SIT

 Kyri Shoels, WR, San Jose State at Wyoming

The Spartans love to air it out. To that end, Shoels has 30 catches for 350 yards and two touchdowns and is the number-two receiver for the team. However, there might not be enough success to go around for multiple receivers in this one. Laramie is usually a tough place to play, and the Cowboys have held opponents to 177.2 passing yards per game.

SEC Starts and Sits

START

 Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss vs. Washington State

Missouri doesn't miss Lacy thanks to Ahmad Hardy, but Ole Miss is also happy to have him. He's totaled 445 yards and a whopping eight touchdowns, scoring in every single game thus far. Washington State isn't as bad as Oregon State, but it has given up 150.4 rushing yards and 28.8 points per contest, which isn't exactly concerning.

SIT

 Jam Miller, RB, Alabama at Missouri

Miller was hurt to start the season, he had some issues against Georgia in his first game back, and then in his second game he had 136 yards and a touchdown against Vanderbilt. That's impressive, but Mizzou is more like Georgia than Vandy defensively. The Tigers have only allowed 62.4 rushing yards per game, so Miller may have to wait for his second good game of the season. Probably only one week. Alabama plays Tennessee in Week 8.

Sun Belt Starts and Sits

START

 Wayne Knight, RB, James Madison vs. Louisiana

Yes, the Dukes have a running back named Wayne Knight, like the guy who played Newman on Seinfeld. He's been good, too, as Knight has averaged 7.0 yards per carry and scored four touchdowns. Not Newman has also added 115 yards through the air. There are a few bad run defenses in the Sun Belt, and Louisiana is one of those defenses. The Ragin' Cajuns have given up 221.6 rushing yards per contest.

SIT

 Demarcus Lacey, WR, Marshall vs. Old Dominion

Lacey is coming off two games in a row with over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown. However, while we have grown accustomed to James Madison being excellent defensively, Old Dominion has joined it this year. Well, at least against the pass. The Monarchs have held the opposition to 14.6 points per game, but also 149.0 passing yards per game.