College Football Start vs. Sit: Week 0

Welcome to Week 0! Before college football season kicks off proper, we get a Saturday in August with five games on the slate. Nine of the 10 teams in action are FBS squads, so you have options and opportunities from a fantasy college football standpoint. Now, once we get to Week 1, and beyond, the Start vs. Sit articles I write are going to look different than this. Each week I will highlight one player from each conference to start, and one player from each conference to sit. For Week 0, though, I am going to look at all five games and highlight one or two players you might want to start. No sits for this week. Let's kick off the season with positivity. Or, you know, maybe there weren't players for every game I felt deserve the "sit" designation.

Nebraska at Illinois, 1:00 p.m. ET

Chase Brown, RB, Illinois

Bret Bielema is in charge at Illinois now and you could call it a generalization if you would like but the dude likes to run the ball. He likes old-school, smashmouth football. I expect the Fighting Illini to rely on the running game this year, and that begins with Brown. In eight games last season he rushed 104 times for 540 yards and three touchdowns, but he's the lead back now. Also, 110 of those yards and two of those touchdowns came against these same Cornhuskers.

Markese Stepp, RB, Nebraska

Stepp makes the move from USC to Nebraska for this season, and he steps into a matchup that might really help him out. It's not exactly a great time for the Cornhuskers, but there's one thing worth noting here. Illinois allowed 230.1 rushing yards per game in 2020, which was 117th in the FBS. I doubt Bielema is going to turn things all the way around so quickly.

Connecticut at Fresno State, 2:00 p.m. ET

Jake Haener, QB, Fresno State

I think Haener is the quarterback you want for Week 0. In six games starting for the Bulldogs last season he threw for 2,021 yards, 14 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Three of those picks came in his first career start as well, so it is understandable if he was a bit shaky. Connecticut did not play at all in 2020, but in 2019 it went 2-10 with one of those wins coming against Wagner. The Huskies were one of the worst teams in the country, and there's no indication that won't be the case again in 2021.

Jalen Cropper, WR, Fresno State

Who will be Haener's top target? My guess is Cropper. It took him a little while to get going, but over the last three games of the season, the receiver caught fire. Over that trio of outings, Cropper had 29 catches for 443 yards and three scores. Could that be a harbinger of what's to come? Against UConn, quite likely.

Hawaii at UCLA, 3:30 p.m. ET

Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA

In spite of a reputation for high-flying, high-scoring football, Hawaii's defense was not bad last year. In fact, the Rainbow Warriors ranked 23rd in passing yards allowed per game. On the other hand, Hawaii ranked 104th in rushing yards allowed per contest. That's why I've recommended Charbonnet. He's new to the Bruins having come over from Michigan, but he's already on top of the depth chart.

UTEP at New Mexico State, 9:30 p.m. ET

Deion Hankins, RB, UTEP

You might not expect it, but this could be a matchup to really target. I think the Miners have a few really talented players on their offense. As a redshirt freshman in 2020, Hankins rushed 121 times for 592 yards and nine touchdowns in only seven games. Was he perhaps a little lucky on the touchdown front? Maybe, but maybe not. We don't really know just yet. Hankins has definitely earned a big role in this offense, though. New Mexico State, like UConn, did not play in 2020, but I expect them to be pretty awful in 2021.

Jacob Cowing, WR, UTEP

As a true freshman in 2019, Cowing started to get worked into the offense late and finished with 550 yards and three touchdowns. I expected him to really take a jump in 2020 and he sort of did, finishing with 41 catches for 491 yards and three scores in eight games. He was held up 50 yards only once, and that was against Texas. New Mexico State, needless to say, isn't as talented defensively as the Longhorns.

Southern Utah at San Jose State, 10:00 p.m. ET

Nick Starkel, QB, San Jose State

Starkel couldn't find footing at Texas A&M or Arkansas, but he did for San Jose State last season. In eight games he completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 2,174 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. I feel like there's a chance that Starkel doesn't look as good in 2021 as he did in 2020. However, this is a matchup with Southern Utah. Starkel starts the year with an FCS team, and that's an easy way to start the campaign.

Kairee Robinson, RB, San Jose State

Robinson actually had more touches than Tyler Nevens last season, even though Nevens is generally considered the top back on the team. Nevens did provide more bang for your buck in terms of yards per carry, but Robinson also had 19 catches for 156 yards. In a matchup with an FCS squad, it's worth seeing if Robinson actually outperforms Nevens. Hey, it could end up that both guys have a good game against Southern Utah.