This article is part of our Start vs. Sit series.
PLAYERS TO START
Greg Ward Jr., QB, Houston (vs. SMU)
Houston is 21st in passing yards per game and seventh in rushing yards, and Ward is the major reason for both of those facts. While his passing numbers are good, including eight touchdowns to one interception, his rushing totals are what really make him a fantasy star. He's topped 90 yards on the ground in every game this year, and he's added seven rushing scores for good measure. SMU's defense has been porous so far, so Ward should be able to continue his torrid start to the year.
Mike Bercovici, QB, Arizona State (vs. Colorado)
Bercovici impressed last week in leading an upset over UCLA, throwing for two touchdowns and also running in another score. He's had a couple rough starts, but when facing easy competition, he's been excellent. Colorado just gave up 41 points at home to Oregon, who has had some issues, so Bercovici should find the situation conducive to having another big game.
Chad Kelly, QB, Ole Miss (vs. New Mexico State)
The bloom is off Kelly's rose after a couple rough games, including last week's loss to Florida. However, his performance against Alabama showed that he is truly a quarterback with talent, but more importantly this is a matchup with New Mexico State. When Kelly went up against Fresno State, he threw for 346 yards and notched five total touchdowns. He could easily do something like that again.
D.J. Johnson, RB, Air Force (vs. Wyoming)
The last two weeks have not gone well for Johnson, who has only had eight carries in both games. However, overall he has 240 yards and five touchdowns in 2015. This is an offense that is run heavy, and while they spread the ball around, Johnson has been the lead running back. Wyoming is a much easier matchup for Johnson, who should bounce back this week.
Zack Langer, RB, Tulsa (vs. Louisiana-Monroe)
While Tulsa is known for its passing prowess, Langer has 451 yards and eight touchdowns rushing the ball in his own right. Louisiana-Monroe has allowed plenty of yards on the ground, although a game against Georgia Southern has skewed that a bit. Tulsa will throw the ball Saturday, because that's what they do, but Langer will get his as well, and it should be a nice game for him.
Tyler Ervin, RB, San Jose State (at UNLV)
Ervin may have rushed for 300 yards and three touchdowns against Fresno State, but he's not a one-hit wonder. Overall, he's rushed for 801 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he contributes a bit in the passing game as well. San Jose State hasn't played a particularly easy schedule, either, but UNLV is not tough competition. There's been only one game where Ervin hasn't rushed for at least 100 yards, but he's likely to hit that mark in this one.
Carlos Harris, WR, North Texas (vs. Portland State)
Harris has been boom or bust this season. He's had two off games, but he has a game with 193 yards and two touchdowns and a game with 136 yards and a score. North Texas has problems on offense, but Harris has the skills to overcome it. This is a matchup with an FCS team - albeit one that beat Washington State - so this could be another one of Harris' big games.
Jakeem Grant, WR, Texas Tech (vs. Iowa State)
Grant is getting plenty of opportunities. He has 35 receptions for 482 yards through five games, but he only has two touchdowns. Touchdowns can be tricky, though, and when you get the ball this often, you are going to score touchdowns eventually. After games against Arkansas, TCU, and Baylor, Texas Tech finally gets an easy matchup in Iowa State, one of the lesser teams in the Big 12. Grant will get his touches - and his yards - and could easily find himself in the end zone a couple times.
Thomas Owens, WR, Florida International (vs. UTEP)
Owens' yardage totals and receptions are down the last few weeks, but he has a four-game scoring streak going on, and earlier this year he had nine catches, 166 yards, and two touchdowns against Indiana. UTEP is one of the worst teams in the FBS, so if Alex McGough can manage to get the wideout the ball like he did earlier in the season, Owens can return to his early-season yardage totals and perhaps find the end zone again.
PLAYERS TO SIT
Jared Goff, QB, Cal (at Utah)
Goff has been great so far, lifting his draft stock as he has thrown for 1,630 yards, 15 touchdowns, and four interceptions. However, Goff has not exactly faced the stiffest competition so far. The toughest defense he's faced is probably, um, Washington? Utah is a very different beast. The Utes are a formidable foe, and Goff will be on the road. Maybe he's good enough to overcome that, but until he proves it, why risk it?
Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy (at Notre Dame)
Reynolds, who has seemingly been around forever, is one of the more prolific rushers in college football despite being a quarterback. He's torn through the schedule so far, and he's rushed for nine touchdowns in four games. It hasn't been a tough road for Reynolds, so far, though, and Notre Dame is a significant step up in competition. Yes, Deshaun Watson just had a good day against the Fighting Irish, but, with all due respect to Reynolds, Watson is probably more talented, and Notre Dame is a tougher opponent than most of what the top fantasy quarterbacks are playing.
Tommy Armstrong, QB, Nebraska (vs. Wisconsin)
Armstrong is coming off an ignominious outing in which he was held to 105 yards passing and an interception against Illinois. As such, you probably don't need much prompting to bench him. However, just in case, a matchup with Wisconsin, who has a solid defense that just performed well against Iowa, should be even tougher than a game with Illinois.
Justin Jackson, RB, Northwestern (at Michigan)
Jackson has racked up the yards this year, as he has 636 yards on 138 carries. However, he only has one touchdown, and that came against Eastern Illinois. Michigan has shut out their last two opponents, and they don't really need to worry about the Northwestern passing game. It's going to be a tough day for Jackson.
Larry Rose III, RB, New Mexico State (at Ole Miss)
Rose has been excellent the last two weeks, rushing for over 400 yards and four touchdowns in that span. However, those games also came against UTEP and New Mexico. Ole Miss is a different story. When Rose faced Florida, he rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown. Something like that seems like the likely ceiling for him this week.
Alex Collins, RB, Arkansas (at Alabama)
Collins has scored a touchdown all five weeks, and in his last three games he has at least 26 carries and 151 yards. However, the defenses have not been very staunch. A road trip to Alabama is another kettle of fish. Last week, the Crimson Tide kept Nick Chubb in check until the game was out of hand and he scored a garbage-time touchdown. The same thing could happen to Collins, and perhaps without the end-of-game success.
Nelson Spruce, WR, Colorado (at Arizona State)
Spruce was excellent last year, netting 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns. This year has been a step down, as he has only 363 yards and, more notably, only one touchdown through five games against less-than-stellar competition. This is Spruce's toughest matchup of the season, and he has yet to top 90 yards in a game. It's unlikely to get better this week.
Isaiah Jones, WR, East Carolina (at BYU)
In his last two games, Jones has caught eight passes for 131 total yards and one touchdown against Virginia Tech and SMU. He did have a big game against Florida, a tough opponent, but that was one game, and East Carolina's passing game hasn't been quite as prolific as in past seasons. BYU is a pretty tough defense that has allowed only 216.8 yards passing against a schedule featuring three ranked teams.
Geronimo Allison, WR, Illinois (at Iowa)
Allison's two 100-yard games came against Western Illinois and Middle Tennessee State, and he only has 453 yards and two scores on the season. Josh Ferguson is likely to miss the game, hurting Illinois' running game, which could allow Iowa to focus on stopping the pass. Most concerning, from Allison's perspective, is a stout Hawkeyes defense that is allowing 15.4 points per game.
