Start vs. Sit: Who to Play, Who to Bench Week 3

Start vs. Sit: Who to Play, Who to Bench Week 3

This article is part of our Start vs. Sit series.

PLAYERS TO START

Seth Doege, QB, Texas Tech (vs. New Mexico)

Mike Leach is gone, but the Red Raiders can still throw the ball fairly well, even if it isn't the fireworks show of days of yore. Their offense has been good so far, albeit against poor competition, but it's not like the New Mexico Lobos are a major step up. So far, Doege has thrown for 518 yards, six touchdowns and one interception even while ceding playing time in blowouts. He might not have to play a full game again this week, but his numbers should impress nonetheless.

Colby Cameron, QB, Louisiana Tech (vs. Rice)

The Bulldogs finally played their first game of the season in week 2, and they put up 56 points on the Houston Cougars. In that game, Cameron went 34-for-52 for 353 yards and three touchdowns, adding 21 yards rushing for good measure. Rice hasn't provided much competition defensively, and Cameron should throw all over the Owls, which seems like something coach Sonny Dykes and company want to do.

Alfred Blue, RB, LSU (vs. Idaho)

The Tigers prefer to run, and they do so quite well, but the issue is figuring out which LSU running back to use. Kenny Hilliard has four touchdowns, but Blue is still the pick this week. Blue has more carries, more yards, a better per carry average and one touchdown. Plus, he's caught four passes for 23 yards, while Hilliard does not have a reception. Projecting touchdowns

PLAYERS TO START

Seth Doege, QB, Texas Tech (vs. New Mexico)

Mike Leach is gone, but the Red Raiders can still throw the ball fairly well, even if it isn't the fireworks show of days of yore. Their offense has been good so far, albeit against poor competition, but it's not like the New Mexico Lobos are a major step up. So far, Doege has thrown for 518 yards, six touchdowns and one interception even while ceding playing time in blowouts. He might not have to play a full game again this week, but his numbers should impress nonetheless.

Colby Cameron, QB, Louisiana Tech (vs. Rice)

The Bulldogs finally played their first game of the season in week 2, and they put up 56 points on the Houston Cougars. In that game, Cameron went 34-for-52 for 353 yards and three touchdowns, adding 21 yards rushing for good measure. Rice hasn't provided much competition defensively, and Cameron should throw all over the Owls, which seems like something coach Sonny Dykes and company want to do.

Alfred Blue, RB, LSU (vs. Idaho)

The Tigers prefer to run, and they do so quite well, but the issue is figuring out which LSU running back to use. Kenny Hilliard has four touchdowns, but Blue is still the pick this week. Blue has more carries, more yards, a better per carry average and one touchdown. Plus, he's caught four passes for 23 yards, while Hilliard does not have a reception. Projecting touchdowns can be tricky, particularly with this limited sample size, so Blue seems like the better bet. Also, it is entirely possible that multiple running backs have big days against the lowly Vandals, so there is a good chance you'd be fine either way.

Robbie Rouse, RB, Fresno State (vs. Colorado)

It seems like Rouse has been in college forever. Or it would, if anybody really paid attention to Fresno State. Nevertheless, Rouse has been a reliable running back, and he's started strongly this season. While all the attention was on Oregon's offense last week, Rouse still managed 115 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries against the Ducks, and he had five receptions for 27 yards as well. Now, Rouse gets to go up against Colorado, who just lost to FCS Sacramento State. That's a bit more palatable matchup.

Tracy Moore, WR, Oklahoma State (vs. Louisiana-Lafayette)

We all had a good laugh when the Cowboys put up 84 points against Savannah State. Then, last week Arizona Man Rich Rodriguez led the Wildcats to an upset of the Cowboys. Now, Oklahoma State gets to lick its wounds against Louisiana-Lafayette. Even in their loss, the offense wasn't the problem for the Cowboys, as they scored 38 points. Moore has eight receptions for 106 yards and four touchdowns so far. While he won't continue to get in the end zone with every other reception, he doesn't need to to have a big game in this high-powered offense.

Noel Grigsby, WR, San Jose State (vs. Colorado State)

The Spartans have actually, all things considered, looked pretty strong in the passing game. Grigsby is particularly worth noting, as he already has 13 receptions for 169 yards and a touchdown. Last season, he had 89 receptions for 886 yards, so he's a bit of a proven commodity. Colorado State just lost to North Dakota State, an FCS team, so this looks like a good matchup for Grigsby, especially if he finds the end zone, the one thing that has eluded him throughout his college career.

Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska (vs. Arkansas State)

The knock on Martinez entering the season was his passing ability, but thus far he's completed 66.2 percent of his passes and has thrown for 533 yards, five touchdowns and only one interception. He also still has his legs, as his 92-yard rushing touchdown against UCLA showed. The last time most people saw Arkansas State, Oregon was running all over it. The Cornhuskers offense isn't as impressive as the Ducks, but it's scored plenty, and Martinez has been the key to that.

PLAYERS TO SIT

Bryn Renner, QB, North Carolina (at Louisville)

Renner and the Tar Heels opened the season with an easy rout over Elon, but last week they lost to Wake Forest while Renner only went 23-for-39 for 271 yards, one touchdown and one interception. This week, North Carolina travels to Louisville to take on perhaps the only Big East team worth noting. It's a fairly tough matchup, and Renner could be in for an even worse game than he had versus the Demon Deacons.

Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee (vs. Florida)

Bray found himself in the "Sit" section of this article for Week 1, as well. That didn't turn out to be particularly astute, as Bray threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns. However, that was against North Carolina State. This week, he squares off with the Florida Gators. Granted, the Volunteers are at home, and the Gators had some issues with Johnny Manziel early last week. However, they eventually clamped down on the Aggies en route to victory, and Bray doesn't have the mobility and running ability to be a dual threat like Manziel.

Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas (vs. Alabama)

It's a rough time for the Razorbacks. Last week, Tyler Wilson went out with an injury, and then a surprising home loss to Louisiana-Monroe dropped them out of the Top 25. Now, Arkansas has to pick itself up, dust itself off and then play Alabama, perhaps the nation's best team. Running against the Crimson Tide is nigh impossible in the best of circumstances, and if the Razorbacks don't have Wilson, the Tide will focus on Davis, which could lead to a miserable game.

John White, RB, Utah (vs. BYU)

The Utes already lost to one intrastate rival, Utah State last week. It could happen again this week, as Utah plays the Cougars, who earned a spot in the Top 25 after two blowouts. White gets a ton of carries - 51 so far - but he didn't crack 100 yards against the Aggies, managing 96 yards on a whopping 27 carries (3.5 YPC). BYU has a tougher defense than Utah State, and Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn has quit the team after a shoulder injury. White will get his carries, but that's not enough to ensure fantasy viability.

Michael Campanaro, WR, Wake Forest (at Florida State)

Wake Forest doesn't get a ton of coverage, and Campanaro isn't a big name, but from the fantasy perspective he is fairly valuable. Last week against North Carolina he caught 13 passes for 169 yards, both career highs. This week, however, Campanaro and company head down to Tallahassee to take on Florida State. The Seminoles have not been tested yet, having played two FCS teams, even if they have held those two opponents to three points total. That said, this defense is expected to be quite good, which should mean a long day for Campanaro.

Keenan Allen, WR, California (at Ohio State)

Allen has started slowly this season as is. He only has 11 catches for 136 yards and a touchdown through two games, including a matchup against Southern Utah. Admittedly, he also rushed for 35 yards and a score against Nevada, but even taken that into account Allen hasn't quite met expectations. California visits Columbus this week, and the game kicks off at noon Eastern, a rather early start for a team from the Pacific time zone. Throw in a tough Ohio State team, and Allen's sluggish opening to the year likely will continue.

Cierre Wood, RB, Notre Dame (at Michigan State)

Wood has yet to play this season, suspended for the first two games of the year. That's reason enough to be bearish on him considering he will have to get his feet under him and worry about Theo Riddic continuing to get carries. On top of that, this week the Fighting Irish face Michigan State. The Spartans have a tough defense that, in Week 1, shut down D.J. Harper of Boise State. Be it Wood or Reddick, don't expect any Notre Dame running back to fare much better.

Follow ChrisXMorgan on Twitter.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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