Start vs. Sit: Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of our Start/Sit for 2019 where we look at an interesting slate that features quality non-conference matchups like LSU at Texas and Texas A&M at Clemson, along with some solid conference games like California at Washington and Stanford at USC. We even have a potential rivalry being renewed in Boulder with Nebraska seeking revenge for last season's game against Colorado.

With a slate this good this early in the season, let's just go ahead and dive right into the meat of the article.

AAC

START

Shane Buechele, QB, SMU vs. North Texas

Vegas has this matchup as the second-highest scoring game of the weekend behind only the Hawaii-Oregon State score-athon. The Mustangs are led by Buechele, a transfer from Texas who seems to have taken to the Sonny Dykes Air Raid like Bret Bielema to a buffet or open bar.A natural fit.

 Buechele threw for 360 yards on 49 attempts in Week 1, but was surprisingly held without a touchdown pass, which is almost hard to do. That should change this week going against North Texas, which allowed a 7.8 YPA and a 68.6 completion percentage to checks notes Abilene Christian. Even if Buechele is a replacement-level talent, the scheme coupled with the supporting cast of Reggie Roberson and James Proche should end in fantasy starter-worthy production from the graduate transfer quarterback.

I also wouldn't be opposed to using Johnny Ford against Georgia Tech in his 2019 debut, nor would I be shy about deploying my Central Florida guys against an FAU team that looks like it could fall apart this season.

SIT

Michael Warren II, RB, Cincinnati at Ohio State (-17)

The spread implies this will be a moderately competitive game, at least by Ohio State versus a non-conference opponent standards. It also stands to reason that Cincinnati will want to take a possession-based approach on offense to keep Justin Fields and company on the sidelines as much as possible. With that, Warren should challenge to repeat his workload of nearly 30 total touches from Week 1. 

The issue is he only averaged 4.1 yards per touch and 3.5 yards per carry against UCLA. This is a completely different level of defense he'll be facing in Week 2. Benching Warren might not be as obvious a move as one might expect, but it's still a necessary move as he ranks outside our top 30 at his position this week.

ACC

START

Jordan Mason, RB, Georgia Tech vs. South Florida

Mason is a sneaky-good streaming option as a flex this week, especially if you're in a league that penalizes players going against FCS teams (there are a lot of those in the ACC this week). The Yellow Jackets are obviously not as run-heavy as they used to be but it's going to take a while for their passing game to catch up. Mason is the No.1 option in the backfield and actually had success against Clemson in the opener, averaging 5.5 yards per carry over 13 attempts and adding one touchdown. 

This week he gets to go against a South Florida defense that was laughably bad against Wisconsin in Week 1, allowing four touchdowns and 5.4 YPC. You won't confuse Mason for Jonathan Taylor after this game, but he'll be useful thanks to his role and soft matchup. 

Also, bench your Clemson guys at your own peril. 

SIT

Tommy DeVito, QB, Syracuse at Maryland

I don't want to overreact but DeVito's shaky outing against Liberty in Week 1 has me thinking twice about keeping him in my lineups for Saturday. He completed just 48 percent of his passes with a 5.0 YPA and two interceptions while adding no touchdowns and next to nothing on the ground. 

Maryland's Week 1 demolishing of Howard means nothing for this week, especially defensively. But the Terrapins are a Big 10 team playing at home going against a Syracuse squad playing its second road game in as many weeks. For as much as we like Dino Babers' offense, the DeVito sample of a 50 percent completion rate, a 5.7 YPA, four touchdowns and five picks over eight games is starting to get to a point where we might have to question whether he will live up to his immense recruiting hype. A road game against Maryland would be a good spot for DeVito to start changing that narrative. But for fantasy purposes, he's really only startable in three-quarterback leagues at this moment.

BIG 12

START

Erik Ezukanma, WR, Texas Tech vs. UTEP

Ezukanma had a muted Week 1 with just four catches for 29 yards on four targets. Context is important, though. Texas Tech was playing Montana State and breezed by with a 45-10 victory without needing to lean heavily on any receiver not named T.J. Vasher (12 targets).

Ezukanma is in another favorable spot this week, and though UTEP is among the worst FBS teams, it should put up enough of a fight to make Texas Tech keep its starters on the field for most of the game. Look for Ezukanma to be more involved this time around as the No.2 receiver in this offense. His size (6-3, 210) and athleticism will be too much for UTEP to contend with over the course of 60 minutes. 
 

SIT

Keontay Ingram, RB, Texas vs. LSU

Ingram won't have to worry about anyone cutting into his carries this weekend. Jordan Whittington had sports hernia surgery, Daniel Young and Kirk Johnson are both out, and now Texas' former third-string quarterback is Ingram's direct backup. Their pets' heads are falling off! 

So even if Ingram doesn't have much depth chart competition, this could still be a sub-par performance for him. For starters, LSU is terrifying on defense. Georgia Southern is far from a juggernaut (unless you're Florida) but LSU holding the Eagles to 1.9 yards per carry is remarkable. For reference, Georgia Southern averaged 5.38 yards per carry -- good for 17th in the nation -- last season. There's also the matter of Sam Ehlinger being a major rushing threat once the Longhorns get inside the red zone. So the issue is two-fold here. 1) Ingram might have trouble moving the ball on this LSU defense and 2.) He's at major risk of getting vultured if Texas gets into the red zone. I'd start Ehlinger this week, for what it's worth, but Ingram is a definite bench candidate.

BIG TEN

Start

Josh Jackson, QB, Maryland (vs. Syracuse)

Jackson looked like his 2017 self in Maryland's thrashing of Howard in the opener, completing 15 of 24 passes for 245 yards and four scores. This week he gets a far tougher test against Syracuse, which is coming off a shutout at Liberty but is also playing on the road for the second straight week. That said, concerns about Maryland's receiving corps without Jeshaun Jones may have been overstated as it looks like players like Dontay Demus and Brian Cobbs could be legitimate threats in the passing game. Syracuse will also have to be cognizant of Maryland's rushing attack led by Anthony McFarland and Javon Leake, which could put Jackson in favorable situations. 

For context, it's in the realm of possibility that Jackson outscores Michigan's Shea Patterson this week with Michigan hosting Army. 

SIT

Isaih Pacheco, RB, Rutgers (at Iowa)

I know, I know. This makes me a buzz kill. Sorry, I'm just not buying it. 

Pacheco will always be part of the 2019 College DFS Mythos because of what he did in Week 1 against Massachusetts with 156 yards and four touchdowns. No one can take that away from him. But Rutgers traveling to Iowa City in a game where it's a 20-point underdog instead of a 17-point favorite is not a good setup for Pacheco and this run game. Toss in the fact that Iowa held Miami of Ohio to 2.3 yards per carry last week and 3.27 YPC in all of 2018 and this could get messy for the Scarlet Knights. 

C-USA

START

Rico Bussey, WR, North Texas at SMU

Jaelon Darden was actually quarterback Mason Fine's top target in the first game, but Bussey was the clear big play threat as he caught four of six targets for 156 yards and a touchdown against Abilene Christian. Now, SMU figures to present a much tougher challenge for the North Texas passing game, but Bussey is entering matchup-proof status against Group of 5 competition. Bussey only had less than six targets twice all of last season, and his volume was likely capped this past weekend due to the game flow. He should be in line for a slight bump in targets, which will lead to legitimate production against a middling SMU secondary. 

SIT

Spencer Brown, RB, UAB at Akron

If Week 1 was any indication, this UAB offense will be a work in progress after narrowly holding off Alabama State by a score of 24-19 and mustering just 290 yards of total offense. Brown was responsible for 77 of those yards, but it took him 23 rushes to get there. That's an alarming 3.35 yards per carry against an FCS opponent.

Now, Akron is no powerhouse, having let Illinois run over the place for 207 yards and three touchdowns, but I'm willing to bet the Zips have a better run defense than Alabama State. UAB is a significant road favorite here at -9.5 but there's a chance that the Blazers' growing pains aren't completely sorted out by this Saturday. Brown's role is secure enough to where starting him likely won't burn you, but there very well may be better RB2 options on your bench this week. 

MAC

START

Nathan Rourke, QB, Ohio at Pittsburgh

Rourke leads the Bobcats on the road against a Power 5 opponent and yet he's still a must-start this week at Pittsburgh. The Panthers gave up 19.6 fantasy points to Bryce Perkins in Week 1, which shows that Pittsburgh is no slouch defensively. Rourke, meanwhile, is coming off a strong opener in which he completed 72 percent of his passes with two touchdowns while also leading the Bobcats in rushing. Albeit those numbers came against Rhode Island.

The main reason to start Rourke here is share of the offense. Not only is Rourke an improving passer, he might also be Ohio's best rushing threat. Even with Ohio punching up a weight class this week, there's no reason to overthink your lineup decision when it comes to Rourke. 

SIT

Jon Wassink, QB, Western Michigan (at Michigan State)

Wassink lit it up in Week 1 with five touchdowns and 368 yards in the opener, showing that his strong start to 2018 was no fluke. Those numbers from Week 1 came against Monmouth, however, so there's a bit of an asterisk there. Wassink has a true test coming on the road this week against Michigan State's defense , which shut down Tulsa's offense to the tune of a 5.7 YPA and a completion rate under 60. And, for the record, Tulsa has talent on its offense, so getting shut down like that was a statement by Sparty. 

I like Wassink's season-long outlook, it's just hard to imagine him having any modicum of success this week in East Lansing.

MOUNTAIN WEST

START

Charles Williams, RB, UNLV vs. Arkansas State

Suddenly I'm upset that I won't be able to (legally) watch this game as my late matchup of choice as it looks like both UNLV and Arkansas State will be plenty entertaining this season, and this particular matchup has a nice over/under at 63.5. 

Armani Rogers is the straw that stirs the drink for UNLV, but Williams is no slouch. He's coming off a massive outing against Southern Utah, and while we take that with a grain of salt given the level of competition, we can be encouraged by the usage pattern. No other UNLV running back had more than five carries while Williams had 15. Rogers will get his rushing production, too, but there will be enough running plays for both he and Williams to put up numbers against an Arkansas State defense that coughed up three rushing scores to a middling SMU rushing attack. 

SIT

Juwan Washington, RB, San Diego State vs. UCLA

If this were last year, I'd be sounding the alarms to get Washington into your lineups at all costs. It's not, though, and I have some concerns with Washington heading into this weekend. 

This isn't to knock Washington whatsoever. The problem lies with the team context. San Diego State has been able to get by with a non-existent passing game for years with a punishing rushing attack, and Washington has been a strong part of that. But what happens when teams can fully commit to selling out against the run because the passing game is somehow worse? 

Weber State (!) held Washington to 55 yards on 22 carries this past weekend.  Quarterback Ryan Agnew isn't doing the offense any favors either, because completing 53 percent of your passes with a 3.6 YPA against Weber State (!) is enough to tank this offense.

A seal here and a seal here isn't going to help Washington if UCLA, which held Cincinnati's Michael Warren II to 3.5 yards per carry in Week 1, can load the box and force San Diego State to beat the Bruins through the air. We don't have time to wait around in college fantasy football, and it looks like this San Diego State offense could be a sinking ship.

PAC-12

Start

Jacob Eason, QB, Washington vs. California

Eason's Washington debut was surely a shock to the Husky faithful, who saw saw the ball go more than 20 yards downfield on a line over and over again for the first time in years. The former Georgia Bulldog's stats against Eastern Washington are largely immaterial, though. What matters is how sharp he looked and how comfortable he looked in the offense and with his wideouts. 

A matchup against California will be a true test for Eason, and luckily this test comes at home. California ranked 13th in S&P+ defensively last season and returned 78 percent of its production from that side of the ball. Still, Eason is a top level talent with a supporting cast that may have been unfairly maligned this offseason. Eason can carry this offense to new heights and he'll start his reign in earnest this weekend.

Elsewhere in PAC-12 country, go ahead and fire up all of your Oregon State players this weekend and enjoy watching the stream on your phone at the bar late Saturday night.

Sit

Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC vs. Stanford

It's an unfortunate reality that this USC offense won't reach its potential without JT Daniels, and the fantasy ripple effects of his absence will be felt starting this weekend if they haven't been already.

Kedon Slovis could end up being fine in this Graham Harrell offense -- he is a USC quarterback recruit, after all. But asking him to get this passing game in gear in his first start is a tall order, especially when it comes against a Cardinal defense that allowed the third-fewest yards to any Power 5 school in Week 1.

Back to the USC offense for a minute -- the receivers are the biggest casualties here. And when it comes to Pittman, who plays on the outside where his routes require throws with higher degrees of difficulty, his production stands to suffer more than the likes of Amon-Ra St. Brown or Tyler Vaughns. Pittman saw eight targets in Week 1 but got just 3.5 yards per target out of those looks. Facing Stanford with a raw quarterback makes Pittman a sit candidate.

SEC

Start

Ke'Shawn Vaughn, RB, Vanderbilt at Purdue

Think of last week as a mulligan for Vaughn as Vanderbilt fell behind by several scores and had to gear the offense towards the pass. Even so, Vaughn managed nearly 5.0 yards per carry and added three receptions for 24 yards. Now that he gets to go up against Purdue's leaky run defense that's missing defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal, Vaughn is set up to run all over the Boilermakers. 

Sit

Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M (at Clemson)

I still stand by Mond as a top-10 fantasy quarterback this season thanks to his talent, experience in the system, and supporting cast. Having him as one of your starters on the road against Clemson is a different story, though. Clemson lost a lot off its defensive line from a season ago, of course, and maybe that will make the Tigers somewhat vulnerable against the run Saturday. But the Clemson secondary is still extremely tough, having allowed a 38 percent completion rate against an overmatched Georgia Tech passing game in Week 1. 

There's also the matter of location. Clemson is well-known for being one of the toughest places to play, and that could prove problematic Saturday given Mond's history on the road. Mond had a 5:7 TD:INT on the road and in neutral settings last season while his YPA dropped from 8.2 to 6.7 and his completion rate dropped from 59.1 at home to 55.5 away from Kyle Field. Mond has the talent to make this pick look foolish, but the odds of him turning in a top-24 fantasy performance are still slim overall. 

SUN BELT

START

Logan Bonner, QB, Arkansas State (at UNLV)

This is an appealing matchup on both sides for the reasons mentioned in the Mountain West section of this article. When it comes to Arkansas State, though, the passing game is the area to target. Kirk Merritt got dinged up, unfortunately, but the Red Wolves showed impressive depth at receiver behind him with Omar Bayless and Brandon Bowling turning in 22 catches for 224 yards and four touchdowns with Bayless reeling in all of those scores. 

Essentially, Bonner has a talented receiving corps and plays in an offense that skews heavily towards the pass. Even if the YPA is below average (6.5 in Week 1), the volume that Bonner projects for makes him a strong starting candidate against a UNLV defense that ranked 109th in passer rating allowed in 2018.

SIT

Josh Johnson, RB, UL-Monroe (at Florida State)

Johnson made some waves in Week 1 by turning his 10 carries into 173 yards and two touchdowns against Grambling. Looking ahead to his Week 2 opponent,he faces Florida State's defense that got gassed and then shredded in the second half by Boise State in the Tallahassee heat in the opener. Maybe if the 'Noles followed the Tom Herman Hydration Pyramid of Success, things would've turned out differently. 

To be clear, Boise State's Alex Mahone (5-10, 218) has the same dense build and punishing running style as Johnson (5-9, 215), which should worry FSU fans. Still, I expect Florida State to rehydrate and regroup this week and slow down Johnson and the ULM rushing attack.