This article is part of our Start vs. Sit series.
Week 7 is the thick of the college football season. We have some good matchups and a bit of weekday football now that conference play is in full flower. Don't let your fantasy form flag. Here are my players to start and sit for Week 7 of the college football campaign.
AAC Starts and Sits
START
Chandler Rogers, QB, North Texas vs. Temple
North Texas' defense has been brutal, but Rogers has taken over under center and given the offense a real boost. He's thrown for eight touchdowns while adding three more on the ground across three starts and some change. Temple's defense has been almost as bad as the Mean Green's. The Owls have allowed 39.0 points per game and rank 127th in passing yards allowed per attempt.
SIT
Blake Watson, RB, Memphis vs. Tulane
Watson transferred over from Old Dominion and has hit the ground running. Although Missouri and Arkansas State have kept him in check in the running game, he contributed through the air against the Tigers. While the Green Wave won't end up in a New Year's Bowl again, they have only allowed 20.0 points per contest and a mere 2.7 rushing yards per attempt.
ACC Starts and Sits
START
Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest at Virginia Tech
Claiborne and Justice Ellison have shared the load for the Demon Deacons, but that hasn't hindered Claiborne much. He's tallied 82 carries for 371 yards and three touchdowns in five games. Ellison got banged up
Week 7 is the thick of the college football season. We have some good matchups and a bit of weekday football now that conference play is in full flower. Don't let your fantasy form flag. Here are my players to start and sit for Week 7 of the college football campaign.
AAC Starts and Sits
START
Chandler Rogers, QB, North Texas vs. Temple
North Texas' defense has been brutal, but Rogers has taken over under center and given the offense a real boost. He's thrown for eight touchdowns while adding three more on the ground across three starts and some change. Temple's defense has been almost as bad as the Mean Green's. The Owls have allowed 39.0 points per game and rank 127th in passing yards allowed per attempt.
SIT
Blake Watson, RB, Memphis vs. Tulane
Watson transferred over from Old Dominion and has hit the ground running. Although Missouri and Arkansas State have kept him in check in the running game, he contributed through the air against the Tigers. While the Green Wave won't end up in a New Year's Bowl again, they have only allowed 20.0 points per contest and a mere 2.7 rushing yards per attempt.
ACC Starts and Sits
START
Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest at Virginia Tech
Claiborne and Justice Ellison have shared the load for the Demon Deacons, but that hasn't hindered Claiborne much. He's tallied 82 carries for 371 yards and three touchdowns in five games. Ellison got banged up against Clemson last week, so Claiborne might be the clear primary back for Wake against Virginia Tech. It's an excellent matchup to shoulder the load in, as the Hokies have allowed 5.3 yards per carry.
SIT
Kevin Concepcion, WR, NC State at Duke
Concepcion connected quite well with new Wolf Pack quarterback MJ Morris last week, tallying eight catches on 14 targets for 102 yards and two touchdowns. However, that was against Marshall at home. Now NC State will be on the road facing Mike Elko's Blue Devils defense. Duke is in the top five in points allowed per game and passing yards allowed per attempt.
Big 12 Starts and Sits
START
Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State at Cincinnati
Noel has been a target machine for the Cyclones, being thrown to 48 times in five games. That has yielded 31 catches for him, though not always for a ton of yardage. Against Cincinnati, that could be different, though. The Bearcats have allowed 8.4 passing yards per attempt.
SIT
Eli Sanders, RB, Iowa State at Cincinnati
This is the rare occasion where I am recommending you start one player from a team but bench another. Sanders missed a couple of games with injury, but he's averaged 4.9 yards per carry and is coming off a game with 99 yards and a touchdown. However, while Cincy has been bad against the pass, it ranks 21st in rushing yards allowed per carry.
Big Ten Starts and Sits
START
Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State vs. UMass
Allen left Penn State's last game with an injury, but coming off a bye week, he's expected to be good to go. Over his first four games, the sophomore ran for 280 yards and two touchdowns. This is a great matchup for Allen to return to. Massachusetts has given up 39.4 points per contest and a robust 5.9 rushing yards per attempt.
SIT
Deion Burks, WR, Purdue vs. Ohio State
The new Purdue offense likes to air it out, and Burks has been at the forefront. He has 24 catches for 396 yards and four touchdowns. The Buckeyes defense could keep him in check, though. They are in the top five in points allowed per game and passing yards allowed per attempt. Ohio State can probably focus on stopping Burks, and unlike, say, Illinois, it has the talent to actually do it.
Conference USA Starts and Sits
START
Torrance Burgess, RB, UTEP at FIU
Conference USA has horned in on MACtion territory. It is playing its games on Tuesday and Wednesday, with no games the rest of the week. On Wednesday, Burgess will be visiting an FIU team that has allowed 5.6 rushing yards per carry. Burgess has kick return speed and shiftiness, which he has used in the run game to average 5.5 yards per attempt and score two touchdowns.
SIT
Quinton Cooley, RB, Liberty at Jacksonville State
Cooley, a Wake Forest transfer, has three 100-yard games. On the other hand, he's a smaller back, and he's only found the end zone once with the Flames. Jacksonville State is new to FBS football, but it has allowed a mere 2.7 rushing yards per carry, which is top 10 in FBS football.
MAC Starts and Sits
START
Terion Stewart, RB, Bowling Green at Buffalo
Since doing nothing against Michigan, totally reasonable, Stewart has picked up his game. Over his last three outings, he's rushed 46 times for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Buffalo, who allowed 5.0 rushing yards per carry last year, has given up a whopping 6.1 yards per attempt in 2023.
SIT
Antario Brown, RB, Northern Illinois vs. Ohio
Brown is coming off a game with 280 yards and four touchdowns, but that was against Akron. This matchup is a major step up, as the Bobcats seem to clearly be the top defense in the MAC. Ohio has allowed only 12.2 points per game and also ranks 21st in rushing yards given up per carry. Brown has never had more than seven touchdowns in a season, so four in one game reeks of a fluke.
Mountain West Starts and Sits
START
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, QB, Colorado State vs. Boise State
With Fowler-Nicolosi, things are always interesting. The redshirt freshman has completed 64.8 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,585 yards with 11 touchdowns but 10 interceptions. However, a couple of turnovers will be acceptable if he, say, throws for 367 yards and three touchdowns, like he did against Colorado. Boise State has the worst pass defense in FBS, ranking last in passing yards allowed per attempt at 10.5.
SIT
Andrew Peasley, QB, Wyoming at Air Force
Air Force is now the favorite to finish as the top Group of Five team, and its defense has played a big role in that. This is a defense that ranks in the top 15 in points allowed per game, rushing yards allowed per carry, and passing yards allowed per attempt. Peasley doesn't have his home-field advantage in Week 7, and he also may not have injured starting running back Harrison Waylee either.
Pac-12 Starts and Sits
START
Josh Kelly, WR, Washington State vs. Arizona
Kelly only had five catches for 40 yards last week, but that was on the road against UCLA, who has one of the best defenses in the conference. One week prior, the Fresno State transfer had eight catches for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Where will Kelly's production land in this one? Well, Arizona has allowed 8.5 passing yards per game, so I imagine it will be more of the latter than the former.
SIT
Damien Martinez, RB, Oregon State vs. UCLA
I mentioned the Bruins' defense, and it's time to get to that. Specifically, UCLA has given up a mere 1.7 rushing yards allowed per carry, not to mention 13.5 points per game. Martinez has yet to have a poor game this season, but he could be in for a mediocre outing in Week 7.
SEC Starts and Sits
START
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama vs. Arkansas
Milroe is an all-or-nothing quarterback, but when he hits, he is a big-play machine. Last week, he threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns with one pick against Texas A&M, while the week prior, he ran for 69 yards and two touchdowns against Mississippi State. This week, Milroe is at home against Arkansas. The Razorbacks have allowed 8.5 passing yards per attempt, which is what they allowed across the 2022 season.
SIT
Will Sheppard, WR, Vanderbilt vs. Georgia
Sheppard has quietly been a fantasy star for a couple of seasons, but some matchups are just too tough, even for top producers. Georgia has allowed a mere 4.9 passing yards per attempt, which is the lowest in the FBS. Sheppard will have more sneakily productive games, but that likely won't happen against the Bulldogs.
Sun Belt Starts and Sits
START
Joey Hobert, WR, Texas State vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Hobert has had a circuitous college career. He didn't do much at Wazzu, then spent 2022 down at the FCS level, where he became a star. The receiver returned to FBS football but is now at Texas State, and he's shown he can get it done at this level as well. Specifically, over his last three games, he has 27 catches for 348 yards and three touchdowns. Louisiana-Monroe has given up a hefty 9.4 passing yards per attempt, so Hobert should stay hot.
SIT
Jalen White, RB, Georgia Southern at James Madison
White returned from injury to tally 11 carries for 77 yards and a score against Coastal Carolina. However, James Madison is the foremost run defense in the Group of Five. Last year, it allowed 2.6 rushing yards per carry, but this year, it is all the way down to 1.2 yards per tote.
