College Fantasy Football Start vs. Sit: Players to Start, Players to Bench for Week 8

The college football season is cooking now! Week 7 gave us some great games and season-shaping results, and Week 8 should be no different. There are the matchups I'm excited to watch but don't necessarily want to be relying on for fantasy purposes. Then, there are the games, maybe not atop my viewing priorities, but the fantasy possibilities are enticing. Here are my players to start and to sit for Week 8 of the college football campaign.

AAC Starts and Sits

START

Nay'Quan Wright, RB, South Florida vs. UAB

The Bulls have not made it easy to figure out what running back will have the biggest role. Wright, for example, has only gotten 48 carries, but he's averaged 5.0 yards per carry, and he's added 10 catches on the season. Last year, the former Florida back had 180 carries for 797 yards and eight scores under this same coaching staff. I will grant you the Blazers have faced both Army and Navy. Even so, they've allowed 258.2 rushing yards and 38.0 points per game. Tulsa dropped 71 points on them. Tulsa!

SIT

Rahjai Harris, RB, East Carolina at Army

Harris gets a ton of carries for the Pirates, but he is also a bit of a plodder. His 100 carries through six games have yielded 397 yards, and in his collegiate career he's averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Army has only allowed 9.8 points and 78.3 rushing yards per contest. The Black Knights are undefeated and ranked, and their offensive style inherently limits the number of drives the opposition gets in a given game.

ACC Starts and Sits

START

Nyziah Hunter, WR, Cal vs. NC State

Redshirt freshman Hunter started the season strong, with three games in a row with four catches for over 40 yards with a touchdown. The last few weeks have been less impressive, but the competition has gotten a bit tougher. North Carolina State is taking the long trip to face its storied ACC rival, and its defense has had some issues this year. The Wolf Pack have given up 32.3 points per game, and both Tennessee and Clemson have dropped 50 points on them.

SIT

Malik Rutherford, WR, Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame

Rutherford is the clear focal point of the Georgia Tech offense. He has 40 catches for 509 yards, but only two touchdowns. My concern for Rutherford is twofold. First, his quarterback Haynes King is banged up and may not be able to play in Week 8. Second, the Notre Dame defense is formidable. The Fighting Irish have only given up over 20 points once, but has held opponents to single-digit points on three occasions.

Big Ten Starts and Sits

START

Dymere Miller, WR, Rutgers vs. UCLA

Miller was a star at Monmouth last season, tallying 90 catches for 1,293 yards and nine touchdowns. Now in the Big Ten, he has 21 catches for 279 yards and a touchdown, but he's been targeted 35 times. The Bruins lost their coaching staff from last season, including their vaunted defensive coordinator. It's been a tricky transition, as they have allowed 265.7 passing yards per game, most in the Big Ten. They've also allowed 28.5 points per contest for good measure.

SIT

Justice Ellison, RB, Indiana vs. Nebraska

Will this be a bit of a reality check for the Hoosiers, one of the best stories of 2024? Ellison, a Wake transfer, has 409 yards and six touchdowns, but 117 of those yards and two of those scores came against Western Illinois. He hasn't topped 70 yards against an FBS team, and Nebraska's defense has emerged under Matt Rhule's tutelage in 2024. Illinois is the only team to score over 10 points against the Cornhuskers, who have also held opponents to 84.2 rushing yards per game.

Big 12 Starts and Sits

START

Jake Retzlaff, QB, BYU vs. Oklahoma State

Retzlaff impressed enough in limited action last year to be named the starter heading into this season. He's completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 1,424 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions through six games. Plus, he's added 184 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Mike Gundy's Oklahoma State defense seems in need of a revamp. They have allowed over 235 yards per game, both through the air and on the ground.

SIT

Kobe Hudson, WR, UCF at Iowa State

Hudson rebounded from a couple poor games last week by reeling in seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. The Golden Knights lost again, though, and it seems like the wheels may be coming off. A trip to Iowa State, a team vying for the Big 12 title, could see Hudson struggle again. The Cyclones are first in the conference in passing yards and points allowed per game.

Conference USA Starts and Sits

START

Kejon Owens, RB, FIU at UTEP

 In 80 carries last season, Owens averaged 5.7 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns. That's earned him the lead role for the Panthers this season, and he's had double-digit touches in each of the last three games. The winless Miners have given up 235.5 rushing yards per contest, and even Southern Utah's top back ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns against them.

SIT

Easton Messer, WR, Western Kentucky at Sam Houston State

Messer had six catches for 106 yards last week, but that was only six targets, which is not a level of conversion you can necessarily rely on. Also, it was against UTEP, which is one of the worst teams in the FBS. Messer will be on the road against the Bearkats, who have only allowed 208.8 passing yards and 23.8 points per game. While Western Kentucky passes the ball a ton, Kisean Johnson is the number-one target, so Messer is reliant on the team having a particularly good game through the air.

MAC Starts and Sits

START

Terion Stewart, RB, Bowling Green vs. Kent State

Stewart has missed a couple of games this season, and he did the bulk of his damage against Fordham, but over his last two outings, he has 33 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown. Fortunately for Stewart, he is healthy at the right time because he won't miss out on Bowling Green's game with Kent State. The Golden Flashes have allowed a staggering 272.8 rushing yards and 49.0 points per game.

SIT

Braedon Sloan, RB, Ball State at Vanderbilt

Last week it was Sloan who got to face Kent State, and he rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns, though that did take 22 carries. While Ball State's MAC brethren face off against one another, it has to pay a visit to an SEC team. Sure, the Commodores aren't traditionally, say, the Crimson Tide, but they have now pulled a couple of huge upsets this year. A MAC running back on the road against even a decent SEC team is usually not a recipe for success.

Mountain West Starts and Sits

START

Devon Dampier, QB, New Mexico at Utah State

The two worst defenses in the Mountain West face off! While Dampier has thrown six picks against seven interceptions, four of those picks came on the road against Arizona and Auburn. Furthermore, in addition to his passing production, Dampier has rushed for 368 yards and eight touchdowns already. Utah State has given up 261.0 passing yards per game but also a whopping 232.7 rushing yards per contest. Both of these defenses have allowed over 42 points per contest. Expect plenty of production from Dampier.

SIT

Armani Winfield, WR, Colorado State at Air Force

Winfield is coming off a 100-yard game, and he is in line for a larger role. Tory Horton is out for the season with an injury, so Winfield might be the number-one receiver for Colorado State. However, Winfield has never been a lead receiver, and he's only had one game in his career with over 40 yards receiving. Air Force can be run on, but passing on it has proven tricky. The Falcons have only allowed 185.7 passing yards per game, and as with Army, their offense helps limit the number of drives they have to face.

SEC Starts and Sits

START

Le'Veon Moss, RB, Texas A&M at Mississippi State

Moss is coming off tearing through Mizzou for 138 yards and three touchdowns. That was the third time in four games that he notched over 100 yards on the ground. Mississippi State is pretty clearly the worst SEC defense. The Bulldogs have given up over 30 points per game and also over 200 rushing yards per contest. That's rare for a defense in this conference.

SIT

Carson Beck, QB, Georgia at Texas

Two times Beck has thrown for over 400 yards in a game, but he also has five interceptions total in those two games. Also, while he has 15 passing scores, five of them came against Tennessee Tech. Beck has faced some formidable defenses already, but Texas may be the toughest of the bunch. The Longhorns may have the best defense in college football, frankly. Texas has only given up 126.0 passing yards and 6.3 points per game.

Sun Belt Starts and Sits

START

Kenyon Clay, RB, Southern Miss vs. Arkansas State

Clay has been dynamic on limited touches. He's averaged 6.3 yards per carry and scored four touchdowns on the ground. Clay has also added 85 yards and a score through the air. Arkansas State has given up 32.0 points per contest, in large part because it has allowed 228.0 rushing yards per game.

SIT

Jalen White, RB, Georgia Southern vs. James Madison

White has already tallied seven touchdowns through six games, but he's also only averaged 3.8 yards per carry. He's also only managed 100 rushing yards once, and in fact, he has only managed over 50 rushing yards once. Even with Curt Cignetti in Indiana, James Madison remains a tough defense. The Dukes have held teams to 16.3 points and 107.8 rushing yards per game.