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

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Updated on September 14, 2017 3:13PM EST

Welcome to the third edition of our Start/Sit series for the 2017 season. Week 2 lived up to the hype with a handful of great games between great teams. This week doesn't feature the same amount of marquee matchups as teams get in their final tuneups before conference play, but there are still some showdowns loaded with fantasy upside.

PLAYERS TO START

AAC

ACC

Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville (vs. Clemson): If there's one game on Louisville's schedule you'd consider benching Jackson for, it'd be this one. Clemson is absolutely loaded with speed and talent all across its

PLAYERS TO START

AAC

Darrell Henderson, RB, Memphis (vs. UCLA): This play hinges on whether veteran back Doroland Dorceus (undisclosed) suits up Saturday. If Memphis holds him out, Henderson becomes a viable play. If there's one gripe with UCLA this season, it has to be its run defense. The Bruins have allowed 663 yards on the ground through two games, and while credit is due to Texas A&M's Trayveon Williams (203 yards, 2 TD) and Hawaii's Diocemy Saint Juste (154 yards), this is still a defense that's soft against the run. Henderson, on the other hand, will be well rested having last played Aug. 31 when he ripped ULM for 169 yards and two scores. Again, part of this hinges on Dorceus' status, but I expect Memphis to try to establish the run with Henderson to keep the Bruins' offense off the field. Otherwise, Houston's Duke Catalon has a great matchup this weekend against Rice.

ACC
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville (vs. Clemson): If there's one game on Louisville's schedule you'd consider benching Jackson for, it'd be this one. Clemson is absolutely loaded with speed and talent all across its defense, which is orchestrated by mastermind Brent Venables. However, Jackson really is the definition of matchup proof. This is the 2017 ACC equivalent of last year's Fournette vs. Alabama conundrum, but unlike last year, the offensive player will prevail. Jackson, who looks sharper than ever as a passer, might have one of his lower bottom lines of his season this weekend, but a bad Lamar Jackson game is a great game for almost anyone else.

BIG 12
Jacob Park, QB, Iowa State (at Akron): Looking outside the obvious plays from Texas Tech (vs. Arizona State) and West Virginia (vs. Delaware State), Park is actually an intriguing play against a bad Akron team. Park shredded an Iowa defense that gave big-time NFL prospect Josh Allen fits, throwing for 347 yards and four touchdowns in a narrow loss. Now he plays an inferior secondary that, frankly, isn't ready to handle the Cyclones' tandem of towering receivers in Allen Lazard (6-foot-5, 222) and Hakeem Butler (6-6, 219). The Cyclones should roll Saturday and Park should be in line for a nice output, making him a solid streaming option at the least.

BIG 10

Jackson Anthrop, WR, Purdue (vs. Missouri): A showdown of Power 5 "little brothers" is going down this weekend, and I couldn't be more excited. It's going to be weird, it's going to be ugly, and yet it's also going to be high scoring and highly entertaining. Missouri is defensively challenged and Purdue can sling it (even with the Boilermakers' weird QB rotation), so look for Anthrop to lead the charge on the outside. Anthrop has 11 grabs for 121 yards and three scores and will have an opportunity to be peppered with targets in what should be a back-and-forth matchup.

CONFERENCE USA

Ito Smith, RB, Southern Miss (vs. Louisiana Monroe): It's been a bit of a slow start for Smith this season with just 114 yards and one score through two weeks after averaging 112 yards per game last year. Well, playing against ULM is as good an opportunity as any for Smith to get himself on track. Louisiana Monroe gave up 319 rushing yards to Memphis' backups in Week 1, and while Memphis is working with a better line than Southern Miss, there should be plenty of open running lanes waiting for Smith on Saturday. Jeremy Cox of ODU is also worth some consideration if Ray Lawry is sidelined.

MAC
Mark Chapman, WR, Central Michigan (at Syracuse): The Chips went from needing overtime to score 30 points and hold off those scrappy Rhode Island Rams to blowing the doors off Kansas in Lawrence last week. Chapman led the charge for Central Michigan in that game, terrorizing the Jayhawks' defense for 168 yards and three scores. Will he have a repeat performance this week? No. But this is still a favorable matchup for Chapman in what should be a fast-paced and high-scoring game. Toss in the fact that Corey Willis (wrist) is injured and Chapman becomes Central Michigan's top weapon in the passing game.

MOUNTAIN WEST
Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State (vs. Stanford): Penny has been arguably the best fantasy running back through the early portion of the season, making San Diego State's transition from Donnel Pumphrey a little bit easier to stomach in the process. He has flayed UC Davis and Arizona State for a combined 413 yards and three touchdowns on the ground -- on just 39 carries. It's fair to question whether Stanford's run defense is up to its usual standard after USC had two runners cross the century mark Saturday. However, USC also has a quarterback in Sam Darnold who prevented Stanford from totally selling out on the run. San Diego State doesn't have that same passing game threat, so Penny will draw much of the Cardinal's attention. However, Penny will still see all the carries he can handle, and I'd bet that he'll have starter-worthy production even if his per-carry efficiency takes a hit.

PAC-12
Ross Bowers, QB, California (vs. Mississippi): Admittedly, Bowers was a bit of a dud against Weber State after shredding UNC on the road in his debut. This week, he gets his first taste of #PAC12AfterDark, and I, for one, will be chugging coffee at midnight when this game goes to triple OT after a missed extra point. No, this isn't an ideal matchup for Bowers, but it could be a lot worse in terms of facing an SEC opponent. Ole Miss has allowed 50 points this season ... to South Alabama and Tennessee Martin. At home. Cal's receivers should have a field day Saturday, leading to a bounce back from Bowers.

SEC
J'Mon Moore, WR, Missouri (vs. Purdue): Moore had to be one of the biggest letdowns across the entire fantasy landscape last week with just three grabs for 29 yards against South Carolina after posting 4-187-2 in the opener. This week, he gets Purdue, and, as mentioned, that will be a bizarro game with a lot of scoring. Look for Moore to prove last week was an aberration when he faces the Boilermakers.

SUN BELT
Osharmar Abercrombie, RB, Coastal Carolina (at UAB): Abercrombie was a somewhat trendy name in Devy circles entering the season and he delivered in his FBS debut with 17 carries for 149 yards and two scores against UMass. It'll be a slightly tougher matchup on the road this week against UAB, but Coastal Carolina figures to feed Abercrombie as many carries as he can handle. Abercrombie could end the week as one of the top scorers among Sun Belt backs.

PLAYERS TO SIT

AAC

D'Ernest Johnson, RB, South Florida (vs. Illinois): Something just seems off about this South Florida team to start the year, and part of that has to do with Johnson. The senior back has an almost even split with Darius Tice out of the Bulls' backfield (35 carries for Johnson, 36 for Tice) and yet he's averaging nearly a full yard less per carry than his counterpart (3.26 vs. 4.19). What's more concerning than the average itself is the competition Johnson has faced. Averaging 3.26 per carry is understandable if you open the season against Alabama and LSU. Johnson has averaged that against San Jose State and Stony Brook. Now he faces an Illinois defense that has quietly been stout against the run, holding opponents to 2.64 YPC. I'd sit Johnson and consider cutting him if this continues.

ACC
Travon McMillian, RB, Virginia Tech (at East Carolina): Benching anyone against ECU may seem counterintuitive at first, but McMillian's struggles to produce against average-to-poor defenses this season are concerning. He's averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. Granted, it's a tiny sample size of 14 carries, but mustering nothing against Delaware? C'mon man. What's more, coach Justin Fuente likes to spread the carries around to several backs and the quarterback, which explains why QB Josh Jackson leads the Hokies in rushing by a wide margin. McMillian isn't just bench-worthy for this week, he might be drop-worthy overall.

BIG 12
Chris Warren, RB, Texas (at USC): Texas looked like Texas last week, but part of that has to do with the Longhorns being mad and playing host to San Jose State. Warren played a big role in the bounce back, which came without Week 1 starter Shane Buechele, as he gashed SJSU for 166 yards and two scores on just 16 carries. So, with Buechele's status still in limbo heading into the weekend, why wouldn't Texas lean on Warren against a USC run defense that has underwhelmed to this point? Well, regardless of Buechele's status, Texas won't get by on the run game alone. Look what happened to Stanford on Saturday. Bryce Love ran for 160 yards and the Cardinal still got rocked. Expect USC to jump out to an early lead, which would result in Texas getting into catchup mode early and going with a pass-heavy approach.

BIG 10
J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State (vs. Army): Sure, there's a chance that Barrett uses this game as a bit of a slump buster after a slow start to the season (55.7 completion percentage, three touchdowns, one interception). There's also a chance he doesn't play every snap Saturday if Ohio State manages to build a sizable lead against the Black Knights -- which it should. Maybe this is an overreaction, but Ohio State's offense outside of J.K. Dobbins still looks out of sync even with an excellent offensive coordinator calling the shots now. It'll be difficult to actually bench Barrett in two-quarterback formats, but it has to at least cross owners' minds after his rusty looking start.

CONFERENCE USA
J'Mar Smith, QB, Louisiana Tech (at Western Kentucky): Sadly, this game doesn't have the same type of appeal to hardcore CFB junkies that it has in recent years with both Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky stumbling out of the gate. I'm not downgrading Smith for a down game against Mississippi State, but laying that kind of goose egg after struggling against Northwestern State is the start of a worrisome pattern for the Bulldogs' offense. Western Kentucky's defense isn't anything to write home about, but Smith might not get things turned around on the road against a top-flight Conference-USA team.

MAC
Nick Holley, QB, Kent State (at Marshall): Holley always has some appeal because of his rushing ability, but Marshall is surely aware that stopping Holley on the ground essentially stops the entire Flashes' offense. He accounted for three touchdowns last week, but that was against Howard, and he wasn't overly efficient in reaching that mark. While Holley should see plenty of rushing attempts, Marshall's defense will be difficult to move the ball on, especially in its home stadium.

MOUNTAIN WEST
Michael Gallup, WR, Colorado State (at Alabama): Gallup is absolutely an elite fantasy option, but I can't justify playing him this week. Now, Colorado State presents a much better challenge than what Fresno State was able to muster, but Alabama's main priority will be stopping Gallup. If you're looking for a slightly less obvious "sit" candidate, Boise State's Alexander Mattison makes some sense going against a New Mexico defense that is extremely stout against the run.

PAC-12
Myles Gaskin, RB, Washington (vs. Fresno State): The Huskies are 34.5-point favorites this week, which likely means another low volume week for Gaskin as Washington empties its bench to hand out rushing touchdowns to reserves like Oprah hands out free cars. Gaskin has been solid when he's gotten the opportunities (6.0 YPC over 16 carries), but his ceiling is likely going to be capped by the game flow.

SEC
Georgia's starting running backs (vs. Samford): Whether you have Nick Chubb or Sony Michel, this might be a week to leave them on the bench. Georgia draws an FCS opponent just one week after an absolute rock fight of a game against Notre Dame, and a few Bulldogs emerged with bumps and bruises. Looking ahead, Georgia draws a tough Mississippi State squad on the other side of this weekend, so it wouldn't be surprising if neither Chubb nor Michel see anywhere close their normal workloads Saturday.

SUN BELT
Penny Hart, WR, Georgia State (at Penn State): When Georgia State's offense clicks, Hart is usually a big reason why. The shifty and versatile wideout unfortunately plays in an offense that has seemingly lost its identity and now he gets to go up against a tough Penn State defense.