Start 'Em
Tyler Tettleton, QB, Ohio (at Akron): Tettleton started the season somewhat slowly, opening against Louisville will do that for you when you are a MAC team, but in recent weeks he has been better, and he has thrown four touchdowns to zero interceptions in his last two outings. This week's matchup against Akron, even on the road, bodes well for Tettleton. Don't buy too much into Akron's near upset of Michigan. This is still one of the perennially worst teams in the FBS.
Corey Robinson, QB, Troy (vs. South Alabama): Troy likes to throw, and it has a tendency to play in shootouts thanks to a porous defense. Robinson has had a couple poor games, and he has five interceptions in his last three games. However, those are his only five picks on the season, and he has thrown 10 touchdowns in a top-20 passing offense. South Alabama looks pretty good for a team that is new to the FBS, but Robinson should be able to put up big numbers this week.
Jamiell Showers, QB, UTEP (vs. Louisiana Tech): Showers started the year off mediocrely, but he exploded last week on the road against Colorado State. He threw for 365 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for a score as well, and he has rushed for three touchdowns total. He likely won't do that again, but Louisiana Tech has fallen apart without Sonny Dykes and with a major roster overhaul, so even if Showers isn't amazing he should be quite good this week.
Darrin Reaves, RB, UAB (vs. FAU): Reaves averages 6.1 yards per carry and has rushed for 411 yards in four games, even though he has had to go up against LSU and Vanderbilt on the road. Those are tough opponents, which is not the case with this week's opponent, Florida Atlantic. Reaves gets the chance to go up against some easier competition, and he should take advantage of it to have a big fantasy game.
Ralph Abernathy, RB, Cincinnati (at South Florida): Abernathy is having a good year, though he shares carries with Hosey Williams. Williams has been better, but Abernathy has gotten more touches, and the issue for Abernathy is that he has only found the end zone a couple times. Playing South Florida, a team that seems to let opponents score at will, provides a nice opportunity for Abernathy to boost his scoring numbers. Williams will get his carries too, but there should be plenty of fantasy numbers to go around for the Bearcats in this game.
Mike Davis, RB, South Carolina (vs. Kentucky): Connor Shaw got hurt against UCF and will miss this week's game against Kentucky, but that won't hurt Davis. He has been outstanding thus far, and it has been going on long enough, against strong enough competition, not to be considered a fluke. He averages more than seven yards per carry, and he already has six touchdowns. Kentucky is one of the rare easy weeks in conference for an SEC team, and Davis should take advantage.
Davante Adams, WR, Fresno State (at Idaho): Adams does not have the most yards, or the most touchdowns, among Fresno State's receivers. What he does have is the most receptions, and his 311 yards and four touchdowns is plenty good. The Bulldogs have one of the nation's best passing offenses, and their opponent this week, Idaho, is not likely to put up a challenge. The only thing that should stop Fresno State, and Adams, from having a huge game is if they take their foot off the pedal.
Jace Amaro, WR, Texas Tech (at Kansas): While the quarterback situation for the Red Raiders may be slightly up in the air, the fact remains they are third in the FBS in passing yards. Amaro, a big target, leads the team in receptions and yardage even though he missed the first half of their first game for disciplinary reasons. He has caught at least eight passes in his last three games, gaining at least 86 yards in all those contests. The only issue is that he has only one touchdown, but that likely will change. It is a good bet that will happen against Charlie Weis' poor Kansas squad.
Alex Amidon, WR, Boston College (vs. Army): Amidon got off to a hot start to the season, but his last couple of games have not been anything to get enthused about. However, it is important to look at the opponents in those games, and those opponents were USC, which looked good on defense until Arizona State tore it apart, and Florida State. Army is not up to that level. Expect Amidon to return to his early season form in this game.
Sit 'Em
Bryn Renner, QB, North Carolina (at Virginia Tech): Renner is coming off his best game of the season, an outing wherein he threw for 366 yards, three touchdownsand one interception. However, those numbers came against East Carolina in a game in which the Tar Heels had to throw to keep pace before eventually losing, 55-31. His other three games are less impressive, and now Renner has to face Virginia Tech on the road. It isn't likely he will repeat last week's performance.
Vad Lee, QB, Georgia Tech (at Miami (FL): Lee made some noise when he threw for four touchdowns against Duke, a rarity in Georgia Tech's triple option offense. He has thrown for seven touchdowns to three interceptions while rushing for three scores as well. That said, visiting the Hurricanes isn't like visiting the Blue Devils. Expect Lee's numbers to be closer to what he did last week against Virginia Tech, when he was held to 35 yards rushing and threw two interceptions.
Keith Price, QB, Washington (at Stanford): Washington has gotten off to a resurgent start to this season, and the parallel resurgence of Price is a big part of that. He struggled last year, but this season he has completed 72.3 percent of his passes for 1,044 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He's also thrown in a rushing touchdown for good measure. However, so far the opponents haven't been that tough, and the tougher games have been at home. A road game at Stanford is a very different proposition. Price's comeback year is going to hit a roadblock.
Alex Collins, RB, Arkansas (at Florida): Collins has been one of the better freshmen in college football this year, as he has rushed for more than 100 yards in four out of Arkansas' five games so far. On the other hand, the one time he played anything resembling a good defense, and the one time he played on the road, he was held to 63 yards on 16 carries. That was against Rutgers. Playing at Florida is much tougher than playing at Rutgers, with all due respect to the Scarlet Knights.
Mark Weisman, RB, Iowa (vs. Michigan State): Weisman has carried the bulk of the load for the Hawkeyes. He has 119 carries and is the only Iowa running back with more than one touchdown. Even so, getting a ton of carries against a very tough Michigan State defense isn't necessarily going to lead to much fantasy wise, and he has exactly zero receptions so far. If the Spartans slow Weisman down on the ground, and there is a good chance of that, his effectiveness will be next to nil.
Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington (at Stanford): Washington happens to be the one team with multiple notable fantasy players going against a particularly tough opponent this week. Sankey has been even better than his quarterback, and it is hard to imagine him being completely shut down, but Stanford is likely to limit his impact. With so many other options having much better matchups, you can probably replace Sankey in your lineup pretty easily.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Maryland (at Florida State): Diggs is a big play receiver. He only has 18 receptions, but on those 18 catches he has 400 yards and three touchdowns. Diggs is always a threat to break a big play, but it is also hard to predict said big plays. Maryland also plays on the road against a tough Florida State team, further hurting the probability of Diggs having a good game.
Willie Snead, WR, Ball State (at Virginia): Ball State is actually a top-10 passing offense in the FBS, but its opposition has been a who's-who of mediocre competition. Snead has been quite good against those middling opponents, but Virginia is the most formidable competition yet. They have done well on defense aside from their matchup with Oregon, which can be forgiven. Expect Snead to finally face a true challenge this week.
Cody Hoffman, WR, BYU (at Utah State): At this point, BYU seems pretty dedicated to running the ball. Perhaps that's because Taysom Hill doesn't seem to be all that good at throwing, but he is quite good on the ground. This has rendered Hoffman almost a forgotten part of this offense. He is the Cougars' top receiver but only has 10 receptions for 171 yards. A road game against Utah State just adds another reason to disregard Hoffman this week.