Start vs. Sit: Players to Start, Players to Bench for Week 10

The gang's all here! With the MAC and Pac-12 kicking off their seasons this week, every FBS conference is in action now. It's really happening, and it only took until the first week of November. You have more options for all your various fantasy college football needs. I also have more work to do, but you won't hear me complaining. I'm excited to dig into the Pac-12, and into the Week 10 slate. Yes, it's already Week 10. Let's get to the starts and the sits!

AAC

START

Cameron Carroll, RB, Tulane at East Carolina

Tulane is a Willie Fritz team, and Fritz's teams run the ball with gusto. Carroll is second on the Green Wave in terms of yards (he has 404 yards to Stephon Huderson's 432), but Carroll has the most carries, and also eight rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, East Carolina has allowed 205.2 yards per game on the ground. Tulane, and Carroll, will be running all over the Pirates.

SIT

Kyle Porter, RB, Houston  at Cincinnati

The Bearcats are clearly the top defense in the American, but they also have one of the top defenses in the FBS full stop. Cincy has allowed a mere 12 points per game, and it has also allowed under 100 yards per game rushing. Porter, a transfer from Texas, has a touchdown in three of his four games this season. The Bearcats seem likely to keep him out of the end zone, though.

ACC

START

D.J. Uiagalelei, QB, Clemson  at Notre Dame

You may have heard that Trevor Lawrence is out right now, leaving Uiagalelei, his heir apparent, to step into the starting role. Yes, the Fighting Irish have one of the better defenses in college football. Call this a belief in the arm and physical skills of the true freshman. Uiagalelei threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns in his first start against Boston College while also rushing for a score. He's surrounded by talent and great coaching. Don't shy away from Uiagalelei. I'm expecting good things Saturday.

SIT

Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State   vs. Pittsburgh

For starters, Terry is dealing with a knee injury, and that could limit him. Also, should we really be fully believing in Jordan Travis at quarterback just yet? Also, while Pitt has been better against the run than the pass, they've only given up 228.3 yards passing yards per game, and the Panthers have a strong pass rush as well.

BIG 12

START

T.J. Pledger, RB, Oklahoma   vs. Kansas

I didn't even really need to look at the numbers. I just saw that the Sooners were at home against the Jayhawks and knew I wanted to recommend an Oklahoma player. Then I did see the numbers and they say Kansas has allowed 46.2 points per game and 216 yards per contest on the ground. Pledger is leading the Sooners in rushing yards and he has four touchdowns, a number that will likely increase Saturday.

SIT

Joshua Moore, WR, Texas   vs. West Virginia

Moore has seven receiving touchdowns, but he's done that on only 22 catches. That's a level of efficiency that is hard to sustain. Plus, Texas has already played six overtimes, which tends to pad stats. West Virginia is also not messing around on defense this year and ranks fourth in yards allowed per game.

BIG TEN

START

Mike Epstein, RB, Illinois   vs. Minnesota

Illinois has some serious issues at quarterback, so I am thinking it might rely on Epstein and the running game. This is mostly about how truly terrible the Golden Gophers have been on defense thus far. They allowed 45 points to Maryland. They've allowed 578 yards per game. Minnesota might be the worst defense in college football, so fingers crossed for Epstein.

SIT

Adrian Martinez, QB, Nebraska   at Northwestern

The Cornhuskers have only played in one game after the matchup with Wisconsin got canceled, but I don't think that rest will mean a ton for Martinez. He didn't do a ton against Ohio State, but you might consider that totally fair. Well, Northwestern has only allowed 11.5 points and 250 yards per game. Martinez may be a dual-threat quarterback, but the Wildcats have been good against threats both on the ground and in the air.

CONFERENCE USA

START

Mike Collins, QB, Rice   vs. UTSA

The start to Rice's season was delayed – it has only played in two games – and also it's fair if you don't pay much attention to this program. As such, you might not be aware of the fact that the TCU transfer Collins has impressed at quarterback thus far. He's thrown for four touchdowns in each of his starts with only one interception. UTSA hasn't been particularly terrible defensively, but it hasn't been good either, and I am riding the Collins wave until I see him falter.

SIT

Gaej Walker, RB, Western Kentucky   at Florida Atlantic

The one excellent defense in Conference USA is Marshall, but Marshall is playing UMass so the other Conference USA teams are avoiding the Thundering Herd this week. Florida Atlantic, though, has allowed a mere 13.3 points through three starts. Last season, Walker was a workhorse, rushing 241 times for 1,208 yards and eight touchdowns. This season, though, he has 274 yards and a touchdown through seven contests.

MAC

The MAC is back! However, the MAC is also playing every single one of its games on Wednesday. That's right, we're going right into a classic MACtion schedule. Of course, that's tricky for fantasy players, and for our purposes. You may not be reading this by the time the MAC schedule has kicked off. Also, we haven't seen a single one of these teams take the field. Thus, while we want you to know the MAC is back, I don't have any recommendations in this section.

MOUNTAIN WEST

START

Chevan Cordeiro, QB, Hawaii   vs. New Mexico

Cordeiro is definitely off to a slow start, but he's had to play both of his games on the road so far. Struggling against Wyoming in Wyoming is understandable. Finally, Cordeiro will get to play at home. Also, he will be facing a New Mexico team that allowed 481 yards passing to San Jose State in its first game. This should be the game Cordeiro finally finds his footing.

SIT

Khalil Shakir, WR, Boise State   vs. BYU

This is a fun matchup outside of the Power Five conferences. Shakir will be on the blue turf of Boise, but BYU is bringing a defense that has allowed 13.4 points per game through seven contests. Additionally, Hank Bachmeier missed Boise State's last start with an undisclosed reason, and he may miss this game as well. That will leave Shakir catching passes from backup Jack Sears.

PAC-12

START

Jermar Jefferson, RB, Oregon State  vs. Washington State

It's a whole new season for the Pac-12, which means a lot of mystery and intrigue. Here's something I do know: Jefferson rushed for 685 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games last year, even though he was splitting carries with Artavis Pierce. The job could solely be Jefferson's now. On top of that, Washington State gave up 460.6 yards per game in 2019.

SIT

Jayden Daniels, QB, Arizona State   at USC

Daniels showed a ton of potential as a true freshman starting quarterback last season. Could he be primed to improve? Perhaps, but he also no longer has Eno Benjamin or Brandon Aiyuk to rely on. He's also starting the season on the road. Oh yeah, there's also the fact this game is starting at 9:00 a.m. local time. How will that work? I'm fascinated, but I'm also not looking to get involved in this game from a fantasy perspective.

SEC

START

Osirus Mitchell, WR, Mississippi State   vs. Vanderbilt

Yes, Mike Leach's Air Raid hasn't quite taken to Mississippi State yet. The team just got blanked by Alabama. On the other hand, in Vanderbilt's last three games it's allowed 41, 41, and 54 points. The Bulldogs did manage to score 44 against LSU. There is potential in this passing game, and Mitchell is the team's top receiver. Mississippi State has, in spite of everything, averaged 318.6 passing yards per contest.

SIT

Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida   at Georgia

The Bulldogs did get roughed up a bit by Alabama, but even so they've allowed 16.2 points per game. They have as much defensive talent as any team, and this will be easier than facing the Tide in Tuscaloosa. That's not to say the Florida offense can be shut down entirely. I did not recommend sitting Kyle Pitts because, let's face it, a tight end like that is pretty much matchup proof. On the other hand, Toney has managed six touchdowns on only 22 catches, which is probably not a sustainable rate. He's also not the top target in this passing game.

SUN BELT

START

Levi Lewis, QB, Louisiana   vs. Arkansas State

It would be nice if Lewis didn't turn the ball over so much, as he has five picks through six games. However, he's also thrown for nine touchdowns while also rushing for two scores for good measure. Last season he threw all of four picks in 14 games, so his turnovers may be a bit of a run of bad luck as well. Arkansas State were recently the jewel of the Sun Belt, but this season its allowed 40.3 points and 309.6 passing yards per contest. The Red Wolves have also given up 178.6 yards per game on the ground, and Lewis does do a bit with his legs.

SIT

Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama   at Coastal Carolina

You would be forgiven for not knowing that Tolbert has 32 catches for 524 yards and five touchdowns through six games. Granted, 169 of those yards and two of those scores came in the opener against Southern Miss, whose head coach resigned soon thereafter. This game will likely go differently. Coastal Carolina isn't just undefeated, its ranked 15th in the AP poll and ranks 11th in yards allowed per game. The Chanticleers also just pitched a shutout against Georgia State.