Start vs. Sit: Who to Play, Who to Bench Week 9

Last week we were treated to some marquee matchups that didn't quite live up to expectations as Penn State and Notre Dame both made quick work of Michigan and USC, respectively. We get another round of big games with potential playoff implications this week with Oklahoma State-West Virginia, NC State-Notre Dame, TCU-Iowa State and Penn State-Ohio State squaring off. Outside of those matchups are several interesting showdowns with plenty of fantasy relevance. Let's dive into the Week 9's Start/Sit.

PLAYERS TO START

AAC

Dontrell Hilliard, RB, Tulane (at Memphis): Hilliard is coming off one of his worst games of the season Saturday against South Florida and will be on a short week playing Thursday, but he's still a top-flight option in Week 9. He plays a Memphis defense that gives up 212.7 yards per game on the ground and has surrendered 16 rushing scores already. Sure, some of those numbers are skewed by virtue of Memphis facing Navy, but allowing seven combined scores to the likes of Connecticut and Houston tells me that the Tigers will have trouble stopping Hilliard. He hasn't run for less than 90 yards and a touchdown since Week 2 and should see plenty of work Thursday as Tulane tries to extend possessions to keep Memphis' high-flying offense off the field. I also couldn't blame anyone for firing up Bryant Shirreffs or Hergy Mayala against Missouri.

ACC

Greg Dortch, WR, Wake Forest (vs. Louisville): The freshman wideout is one of the best stories in the ACC this season. Dortch chose Wake over the likes of Coastal Carolina and Texas State and is now third in the conference in receiving yards per game at 79.3. He's been sure-handed with 43 grabs on 64 targets for 555 yards and his five touchdowns put him third in the ACC. This week Dortch squares off against a Louisville defense that is in the bottom three in the ACC in passer rating allowed (135.4). Furthermore, Louisville might be without its top corner, Jaire Alexander, once again Saturday, which makes an already suspect secondary even more vulnerable. Louisville's about to get Dortch'd.

BIG 12

Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor (vs. Texas): Yes, Baylor's having a bit of an identity crisis at quarterback (and elsewhere I suppose) but Mims remains a constant in the Bears' offense. Baylor will be hosting one of the few respectable Big 12 defenses this week with Texas coming to Waco, but the Horns have actually been getting shredded through the air of late. In three October games, all against Big 12 opponents, Texas has given up 293 YPG through the air. Mims has seen double-digit targets in three of his last four games and averages 20.1 yards per reception. His inefficiency as a pass-catcher (34 grabs on 71 targets) is minimized by his ability to make big plays deep down the field. Furthermore, Mims is basically the last man standing in the Bears' receiving corps with all the injuries, so he stands to be the focal point of the Baylor passing game Saturday and beyond.

BIG TEN

J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State (vs. Penn State): There might not be a hotter team in college football than Penn State after its public thrashing of Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, but it's fair to posit that Michigan was never any better than the third-best team in the East coming into the season. Ohio State, on the other hand, is arguably better than Penn State across the board, and Barrett is a big reason why. In his last four games, Barrett has completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,081 (10.4 YPA) and 16 touchdowns. He's coming off a bye, and in each of his last two years as the full-time starter (not counting 2015) after a bye, Barrett has thrown four touchdowns. Penn State will surely present one of the toughest challenges that Barrett and the Buckeyes will face this year, but I'd bet on the redshirt senior shining on the big stage Saturday. Also, getting any part of the Michigan run game is probably a good idea seeing as the Wolverines are about to take out their frustrations on Rutgers. At home. Avert your eyes if you're squeamish.

CONFERENCE USA

Devin Singletary, RB, Florida Atlantic (at Western Kentucky): The Fightin' Kiffins got off to a shaky start this season but appear to be hitting their stride just in time for the stretch run in conference play. Singletary has been a catalyst for the Owls' recent resurgence as his 14 touchdowns tie him with Auburn's Kerryon Johnson for tops in the FBS, and 12 of those have come in the last four weeks. Singletary isn't just a fill-in RB2 anymore, he's a legit RB1 with multi-touchdown upside every week that he faces a Conference USA opponent. Fire him up with confidence Saturday.

MAC

Caleb Huntley, RB, Ball State (vs. Toledo): There's only three MAC games this weekend, which thins out the player pool for this section, but any game that involves Toledo is going to have some fantasy ramifications one way or the other. In this case, I'll go on the other side and ride with Huntley. The freshman has been one of the best backs in the MAC this season, averaging 4.8 YPC to go with three scores on 97 attempts. He's seen an uptick in volume in recent weeks with 70 carries in his last four outings as well. It'll be a tough matchup and there's some risk here with Toledo potentially jumping out to a big early lead, but if Ball State can keep things respectable against the Rockets, Huntley should be in line for another high-volume outing.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Dylan Collie, WR, Hawaii (vs. San Diego State): This is the week we get a glimpse of what the Hawaii offense looks like without John Ursua, who was lost to a torn ACL before the Warriors' bye week. Collie seems to be the logical next man up thanks to recent production and overall track record. Ursua had 63 targets in what was essentially five games, and while it's fair to wonder if Hawaii will just lean on running back Diocemy Saint Juste and the run game more, those ~12 targets per game need to go somewhere. My bet's on Collie absorbing most of the now-unclaimed targets in what has actually been a respectable Hawaii offense this year. It's a tough matchup Saturday, but Collie could be in for his best game of the season.

PAC-12

Myles Gaskin, RB, Washington (vs. UCLA): UCLA's run defense has been a common theme in this article throughout the year and it's going to be tested once again Saturday when the Bruins head up the coast to face an angry Washington team that's had a week to stew over its upset loss to Arizona State. Washington's game plan was out of whack against the Sun Devils as the Huskies ran just 61 plays from scrimmage and Gaskin saw just 14 carries. That'll change this week with Gaskin and Company facing UCLA's run defense that's allowed 324 rushing yards per game to conference foes. Gaskin, who is seeing 20 carries per game in conference play, is primed to bounce back in a big way Saturday.

SEC

Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia (vs. Florida): The Gators held Georgia to 21 yards on 19 carries last season. In 2015, Florida held the Dawgs to 69 rushing yards on 22 carries. Its defense has been stout again this year, holding opponents to 3.92 yards per carry. However, Georgia's run game is decidedly better this year thanks to an improved offensive line and more dynamic scheme has produced an attack that's averaging 322 yards per game in conference play. Something's gotta give Saturday in Jacksonville, and Chubb will play a key role either way. Despite the tough matchup, Chubb and his bruising run style that's churning out 6.4 yards per carry this season will be able to produce starter-level numbers against the Gators.

SUN BELT

Jalen Virgil, WR, Appalachian State (at Massachusetts): I can't pretend to have been overly familiar with this freshman before Saturday, but I can't ignore what he was able to do, either. Virgil busted out five receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns against Coastal Carolina. Yes, it was Coastal Carolina, but UMass isn't exactly a major step up in competition. The Appalachian State receiving corps has been searching for an identity in Shaedon Meadors' absence, and the 6-2 Virgil could be the answer. You can also feel free to fire up any Troy options you have against Georgia Southern.

PLAYERS TO SIT

AAC

McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF (vs. Austin Peay): This has nothing to do with Milton's ability and everything to do with context. Milton has led the Knights to a 6-0 record and a top-20 ranking, putting up massive numbers every week along the way. However, he tweaked his hamstring last weekend and though he contends that he's fine, it's difficult to imagine coach Scott Frost keeping him in for long Saturday against a pushover FCS foe considering that the Knights' hopes for a New Year's Six bid live and die with Milton. The Knights should be able to put this one away early, which means Milton may not even see a snap in the second half.

ACC

Nyheim Hines, RB, North Carolina State (at Notre Dame): This isn't really going out on a limb after they pants'd USC on national TV on Saturday, but the Irish are kinda scary right now. They just held Ronald Jones to 2.67 yards per carry and looked flat out faster and more athletic than the visitors from Troy. Notre Dame also held Georgia to 4.3 yards per carry and has only allowed one rushing touchdown on the season. Hines has undoubtedly broken out this year, but NC State is going to have to air things out if it wants to pull the upset in South Bend. This might help Hines get more involved in the passing game, but this it's still a tough enough matchup for Hines on the ground that I'd shy away from using him if at all possible.

BIG 12

Justin Crawford, RB, West Virginia (vs. Oklahoma State): I'm not jumping ship on Crawford completely, but I'm willing to admit that he was doing more with less earlier in the season that was sustainable. He was consistently ripping off 6.0 yards per carry and reaching the 100-yard mark on 15-or-less carries. Now that the competition has ramped up and his workload has been scaled back a tad, I'm worried about his trajectory heading into Saturday. OK State's run defense ranks in the top-40 nationally and the game script here might call for quarterback Will Grier to air it out to keep pace with the 'Pokes explosive attack. Crawford could see limited work Saturday and there's reason to doubt he'll be able to produce starter-level numbers in that scenario. He also go held to 30 yards by Baylor. 'Nuff said.

BIG TEN

DaeSean Hamilton, WR, Penn State (at Ohio State): Ohio State's young corners took their lumps early in the season with shaky outings against Indiana and Oklahoma. However, those young corners are starting to come of age and look like what we've come to expect from Buckeye defensive backs. That means that Hamilton will have his hands full trying to get open Saturday. Hamilton is Penn State's leading receiver with 28 catches on 45 targets for 481 yards and four scores, but the Nittany Lions might lean on Saquon Barkley and tight end Mike Gesicki to pick up short and intermediate routes rather that test the Buckeye corners. Hamilton will be hard-pressed to match his normal target volume and efficiency in the Horseshoe on Saturday.

CONFERENCE USA

Alex Gardner, RB, Florida International (at Marshall): Simply put, Marshall doesn't look or play like a Conference USA team. The Thundering Herd recruits at a high level for a C-USA squad, plays defense, and has a balanced offense. And it's tough to beat at home. With that, Florida International has an uphill battle Saturday, and Gardner's production could be the first thing to suffer. Marshall grinds teams down with its run game and long, sustained drives that end up with points more often than not. Florida International may be forced to go to the air early and often to keep pace and avoid having drives stall out. This'll be an Alex Mcgough-Thomas Owens game for FIU while the running game gets left by the wayside.

MAC

Ian Eriksen, RB, Eastern Michigan (at Northern Illinois): Eriksen is near the top in the MAC in terms of rushing this month with 53 carries for 254 yards through three games. He tends to have a nice volume floor, but he'll be facing an NIU defense that has been a brick wall against the run this season. The Huskies see over 40.1 carries per game and yet they're giving up just 107.57 yards on the ground – an average of 2.68 yards. Eastern Michigan could turn to the likes of Shaq Vann or Breck Turner to stress the defense towards the perimeter on outside runs rather than jamming Eriksen up the middle over and over for minimal gains. It's a tough call, but Eriksen's worth fading this week if possible.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Lexington Thomas, RB, UNLV (at Fresno State): Thomas has been nothing short of spectacular this season with 877 yards and 12 scores while tearing off 7.4 YPC. He's coming off his fifth multi-touchdown effort of the season and is fully healthy, but there are some factors working against him for Saturday. For starters, Fresno State's defense is legit. It just held (former) Heisman darkhorse Rashaad Penny to 69 yards and no scores in a bludgeoning of the Aztecs, who are arguably still the best team in the Mountain West. UNLV, on the other hand, is not arguably among the conference's best. And UNLV could be without promising freshman quarterback Armani Rogers for Saturday's matchup. Because Rogers poses a legitimate rushing threat, losing him would allow the Bulldogs to key in on shutting down Thomas with loaded boxes. There are very few scenarios where this all ends well for Thomas on Saturday.

PAC-12

Deontay Burnett, WR, USC (at Arizona State): I don't know what's gotten into the Sun Devil's defense lately, but I do know that I want no part of it right now. No, USC isn't going to struggle to the extent it did against Notre Dame, but this is still a Trojan offense that's a far cry from its 2016 form. I was tempted to say Sam Darnold here, but I'll recommend sitting his top target instead. Burnett has been consistent, seeing double-digit targets in five of eight games and 86 targets overall. He should see plenty of volume again, but going against a secondary that allowed a total of 13 catches on 21 targets for 112 yards to Dante Pettis and Darren Carrington means Burnett is going to be faced with a tough challenge.

SEC

Damarkus Lodge, WR, Mississippi (vs. Arkansas): It's hard to quantify just how big a loss Shea Patterson is for not only the Rebel offense, but the entire team. Jordan Ta'amu will be pressed into action for his first start, and while the opponent could certainly be tougher, it's still going to be difficult for him to keep this offense humming the way Patterson did. A.J. Brown should still be a viable option even without Patterson, but some of Ole Miss' other receivers could suffer in his absence. Lodge, who caught two of eight targets for 18 yards Saturday against LSU, is one of those receivers.

SUN BELT

Larry Rose III, RB, New Mexico State (vs. Arkansas State): The Sun Belt isn't particularly known for its stout defenses, and Arkansas State isn't generally imposing on that side of the ball either, but this matchup worries me if I'm a Rose owner. Rose isn't on the injury report this week, which is a great sign, but the Red Wolves are better defensively than the numbers might suggest. Arkansas State has an extremely fast front seven from what I saw last week when it held Trey Ragas to just 17 yards. Even with Rose returning to the fold, the Aggies may not want to give him his usual workload considering that Jason Huntley is a capable back in his own right. I expect tough sledding for Rose on Saturday in addition to a possible decreased role.