Start vs. Sit: Who to Play, Who to Bench Week 11

I can't believe we're looking at the Week 11 slate already, but here we are with just three more weeks of the regular season to go and plenty to be decided.

For starters, it looks like the Pac-12 South could have a cluster of historic proportions the way things are going as all six teams are in contention for the division crown with no clear favorite. There might not be much clarity added to that situation this week with just one interdivisional matchup on tap (UCLA at Arizona State). Looking elsewhere we have plenty of matchups with major implications, like Fresno State at Boise State, Ohio State at Michigan State and even Northwestern at Iowa. Buckle up because things are going to get absolutely crazy from here in the college football landscape.

PLAYERS TO START

AAC

Ben Hicks, QB, SMU (at Connecticut)

I'm generally not a Hicks fan, but a matchup against UConn can change my opinion on just about anybody. The Huskies are dead last in defensive S&P+ overall, last against the pass in S&P+ and 129th against the run. They have also given up an FBS-high 26 passing touchdowns. Now, Hicks has actually settled in nicely to the new offense under Sonny Dykes after a slow start to the year. In his last three games – all of which were against respectable competition – Hicks is completing 56.3 percent of his passes for 937 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions.

ACC

Reggie Gallaspy II, RB, North Carolina State (vs. Wake Forest)

Like Hicks, I'm not usually a huge Gallaspy guy. However, I can't 1) argue against his touchdown production and 2) can't argue against him when we have a home matchup against Wake Forest on tap. North Carolina State would be heavily favored in this spot regardless, but with Wake losing its starting quarterback, the spread is sitting at 17.0. Wake Forest has given up 26 rushing touchdowns, the sixth-most in the nation. Gallaspy is fourth in the ACC in carries at 138 and fourth in touchdowns with nine. In a game where the Wolf Pack likely will lean on Gallaspy to run out the clock, the volume and production could challenge for his best of the season. Also, start all of your Syracuse with all of your might. Louisville is quitting on this year in impressive fashion.

BIG 12

Pooka Williams, RB, Kansas (at Kansas State)

Williams has been held in check on the ground in back-to-back weeks (28 total carries, 91 rushing yards) but a matchup against the Wildcats should get him back on track. In fairness, those two lackluster games were against Iowa State and TCU, respectively, and those are two of the best run defenses in the Big 12. Kansas State, meanwhile, ranks 105th against the run in S&P+. With that, this sets up for Williams to have success on the ground and his recent uptick in passing game usage (13 catches, 144 yards and two touchdowns over the last two weeks) only adds to his viability this week.

BIG TEN

Reggie Corbin, RB, Illinois (vs. Nebraska)

Illini faithful, I have not forgotten about you. Although, this might be the first time any of your players have been mentioned on either side of this article. Still, let's focus on the now, and Corbin is *Mugatu from Zoolander voice* so hot right now. Corbin has rushed for 468 yards over his last three games, including 213 yards and two scores on just 13 carries against Minnesota. A showdown with a Nebraska run defense that ranks 92nd against the run bodes well for Corbin to keep things going in Week 11.

CONFERENCE USA

Jovon Durante, WR, Florida Atlantic (vs. Western Kentucky)

Few teams are on a worse downswing than the Hilltoppers, who are 1-8 and are a bottom-20 team overall in S&P+. That doesn't bode well for them going down to Boca this weekend. Durante, meanwhile, is averaging 8.25 targets over the last four games and is posting nearly 10.0 YPT. A talent like Durante, with the implied volume, makes for a solid WR3 play this weekend.

MAC

Jack Sorenson, WR, Miami (OH) vs. Ohio

Looking into some Wednesday night #MACtion, we have a player in Sorenson who isn't getting the recognition he deserves. With James Gardner going down with an injury early in the season, Sorenson has kept the Miami passing game afloat with 593 yards on 57 targets. No other Miami receiver has more than 39 targets, so it's clear that this is Sorenson's show. He's particularly valuable in PPR formats with 39 catches himself. The lack of touchdowns (2) do hurt the overall bottom line, but a matchup against Ohio's 114th-ranked pass defense should help matters for Sorenson.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Marcus McMaryion, QB, Fresno State (at Fresno State)

Arguably the marquee matchup in the Mountain West, Fresno State is heading up to Boise State on Friday with a lot on the line. McMaryion has the Bulldog offense rolling, averaging 40.4 points per game (13th in FBS). It's a road game against the team that knocked off Fresno State in the Mountain West title game in 2017. These teams are plenty different this time around, however. Boise State isn't getting by on defense (51st in S&P+) the way it was a year ago, and that bodes well for the Bulldog offense. McMaryion is 15th in the nation in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks with at least eight games played and deserves a starting spot despite the perceived tough road matchup this weekend.

PAC-12

Jermar Jefferson, RB, Oregon State (at Stanford)

One bad week isn't enough to make me jump ship on one of this season's most pleasant surprises. Jefferson was held to just 58 yards on 18 carries against USC in Week 10 and was held out of the end zone for the third straight game (he ran for 135 against Colorado the previous week). A road game against Stanford looked scarier on the schedule in August than it does now. The Cardinal rank 63rd against the run in S&P+ and have given up the fifth most rushing touchdowns (10) in conference play. It's not an easy matchup, but Jefferson is still worth the start.

SEC

D'Andre Swift, Georgia (vs. Auburn)

It seemingly took forever, but Swift looks to be his 2017 self. He looked explosive and elusive en route to running for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kentucky's stout run defense in Week 10. Swift gets another tough test with Auburn coming to town Saturday, but Swift truly seems to have turned a corner and looks like the matchup-proof back many expected him heading into the season. Auburn, for what it's worth, has been very stout against the run, ranking 21st in that category and 10th overall in S&P+. It's a strength-on-strength matchup that will be one of the best in-game showdowns of any SEC game this weekend.

SUN BELT

Jamarius Way, WR, South Alabama

Way is an excellent talent that can occasionally throw in a clunker. He has four games with less than 35 receiving yards and hasn't been over 100 yards since Week 4 against Memphis. This week projects well for Way with a matchup catching a 61.5 implied total. He'll be going against the Sun Belt's worst pass defense in terms of passing yards per game, and with a 29 percent target share, Way will be a constant problem for the Warhawks this weekend.

PLAYERS TO SIT

AAC

Jordan Cronkrite, RB, South Florida (at Cincinnati)

Well, we'll always have that 302-yard game against UMass, right? Since Cronkrite's destruction of the Minutemen, the Florida transfer's production has taken a nosedive. It bottomed out last weekend with a six-carry, 13-yard outing against Tulane. Teammate Johnny Ford has seemingly surpassed Cronkrite for the No. 1 role in the South Florida backfield. While Cronkrite should still push for strong volume this weekend, it'll be coming against a Cincinnati defense that ranks seventh against the run in S&P+. Diminished role plus brutal matchup is enough for me to avoid Cronkrite this week.

ACC

AJ Dillon, RB, Boston College (vs. Clemson)

This comes with the "Health Permitting" caveat, but if Dillon is ready to go Saturday against Clemson, this is still a brutal spot for the sophomore. Dillon tweaked his ankle against Virginia Tech and finished the day with 24 carries for 96 yards and a score. He has posted good numbers against respectable defenses like Miami and Temple this season, but Clemson is a different animal overall. The Tigers boast the top-ranked run defense in S&P+. Clemson even held Georgia Tech to 2.6 yards per carry! This defense is just too much for Dillon to overcome even if healthy.

BIG 12

Kennedy McKoy, RB, West Virginia (vs. TCU)

Yes, McCoy is the team leader in carries and is coming off his best game of the season. Yes, TCU is mired in its worst season in recent memory. However, TCU's defense is still as solid as ever, ranking in the top 25 overall in S&P+ on that side of the ball. Circling back to McKoy's usage: it has been erratic. Some weeks Leddie Brown is the leading rusher, other weeks Martell Pettaway gets plenty of work. The West Virginia running back rotation is so fluid that it's tough to trust even an established player like McKoy when it's a tough matchup like this.

BIG TEN

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State (at Michigan State)

So, Dobbins finally looked like the running back we were all expecting coming into the season last weekend. What's the commonality between that outing and my Reggie Corbin tout? That's right, Nebraska's terrible run defense. Not that Dobbins isn't extremely talented, but the matchup definitely greased the skids there. This week he gets a road matchup against Michigan State's run defense that checks in as the second best team against the run in S&P+. There's also the issue of Michigan State playing keepaway, averaging more than 33 minutes of time of possession (9th in FBS), which could result in limited possessions for the Buckeyes. And, finally, Michigan State can be beaten through the air (29th in S&P+), so it wouldn't be surprising to see the Buckeyes lean on Dwayne Haskins to provide the offense Saturday.

CONFERENCE USA

Benny LeMay, RB, Charlotte (at Marshall)

If the Thundering Herd can hold FAU's Devin Singletary to just 39 yards, they can hold LeMay in check. But you, the reader, expect more than just some reductive reasoning, so I'll lay a few more things out there. Marshall ranks 16th in the nation against the run in S&P+. The Herd have given up just nine rushing scores in eight games (also 16th in the nation). LeMay can certainly hold his own and even rushed for 81 yards on Tennessee. He's also the focal point of the offense now that starting quarterback Chris Reynolds done for the season. Marshall can simply focus on loading the box and limiting LeMay, which should be a winning formula against the 49ers.

MAC

Shakif Seymour, RB, Toledo (at Northern Illinois)

Seymour may lead the Rockets in carries, but Bryant Koback has established himself as the Toledo running back to roster. Koback has nine touchdowns and averages a strong 5.75 yards per carry while Seymour checks in with just three touchdowns and a 4.64 YPC mark. When facing a defense as stout as Northern Illinois is against the run (10th vs. the run in S&P+), it's best to look at options beyond Seymour among MAC running backs.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Alexander Mattison, RB, Boise State (vs. Fresno State)

On the flipside of this big time Mountain West matchup we have Mattison, who lands in SIT territory against the third-ranked run defense in S&P+. It is tough to leave a guy like Mattison with the 10th-most carries (175) in the country on the bench, but the volume isn't converting into starter-worthy production. Mattison is 42nd in the nation in rushing yards and ranks just 27th in fantasy points per game among running backs with at least eight games. He has a poor track record against the tough defenses he's faced, too. He was held to 56 yards on 14 carries against Troy and just 66 yards on 25 carries when facing San Diego State. This projects to be one of Mattison's worst outings of the season.

PAC-12

Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon (at Utah)

It's tough to take anything away from what Herbert has done this season, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes for 2,333 yards, 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions and adding a pair of rushing touchdowns. He showed he's healthy last weekend with a workman-like 264 yards and two scores over UCLA. The setup this weekend is brutal, however. Utah holds quarterbacks to a 47.8 completion rate and a 4.7 YPA at home this year. Herbert has concerning road splits of his own, averaging just 6.0 YPA away from Autzen. He's outside my top 30 this week and is only worth starting in deep three-quarterback leagues.

SEC

Damien Harris, RB, Alabama (vs. Mississippi State)

Harris was obviously impressive last weekend, running for 107 yards and a score in the win over LSU. I won't argue that Mississippi State's defense is better than LSU's, certainly not an LSU defense with the Tiger Stadium crowd behind it. That said, Mississippi State's defensive performance has been lights out. The Bulldogs are second in PPG allowed (12.3) and allow 16.4 points per game in conference play – 10th in the nation. Harris' workload has been uneven to begin with, and a second-straight tough matchup may result in a less-than-stellar bottom line Saturday.

SUN BELT

B.J. Smith, RB, Troy (at Georgia Southern)

Just glossing over this matchup, you'd assume Troy is the favorite, right? Wrong. Those Georgia Southern Eagles are hell to deal with and are the home side in this one. Smith is the Sun Belt's leading rusher, but the Eagles have been especially tough against running backs in conference play, holding them to 3.99 YPC. There's also the matter of Georgia Southern playing a run-first offense that will limit Troy's possessions. Smith may see less carries than usual as a result, and there's a chance Troy leans on the pass more than usual if it's playing from behind.