College Fantasy Football Start vs. Sit: Players to Start, Players to Bench for Week 14

Here we are. It's Thanksgiving Week. It's Rivalry Week. It's Week 14 of the college football season. You've been making lineup decisions for over three months. Each week is a new set of matchups, though, and so here are my players to start and to sit for college football's biggest regular-season weekend (and not just because there are a ton of games on Friday).

AAC Starts and Sits

START

Shane Porter, RB, North Texas at Temple

North Texas is a pass-first team, and it doesn't have a clear "lead back" on the roster. Porter, though, has averaged 7.2 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns in nine games. He's rushed for over 100 yards twice. The Mean Green need a win to become bowl-eligible, and focusing on the run game could help in a big way. Temple, who has fired its head coach already, has given up 224.4 rushing yards and 36.5 points per game.

SIT

Sean Atkins, WR, South Florida at Rice

Atkins gets the ball a lot, and seeing that he has 62 catches in 11 games may feel enticing. However, he is the type of receiver whose role does not necessarily lend itself to fantasy success. On those 62 receptions, Atkins has 585 yards and a touchdown. Rice has also fired a head coach (all four Owls teams in the FBS axed a coach in 2024), but it has given up 160.5 passing yards per game, the fewest in the conference.

ACC Starts and Sits

START

Eli Pancol, WR, Duke at Wake Forest

At some point during the season, Pancol swapped spots with Jordan Moore as Duke's top receiver. Last week, he reeled in five catches for 188 yards and three touchdowns. Maybe he won't do that again, but also, maybe he will because Wake Forest has a bad defense. The Demon Deacons have given up 281.7 passing yards and 33.4 points per contest.

SIT

Jaydn Ott, RB, California at SMU

Ott has name recognition, but this season, he has not been "Jaydn Ott" such as it is. Last year, he had 1,302 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. This year, in an injury-marred campaign, he's averaged a mere 2.9 yards per carry. The Mustangs have held opponents under 100 rushing yards per game, and they have playoff hopes, so they aren't going to be messing around. Ott's lost season will continue.

Big Ten Starts and Sits

START

Ty Son Lawton, RB, Indiana vs. Purdue

Last week was tough for the Hoosiers, and maybe trouncing Purdue won't do a ton for their playoff resume. On the other hand, it can't hurt. The Boilermakers have allowed 197.0 rushing yards and 37.5 points per game. Lawton and Justice Ellison have shared the running back load fairly evenly, but Lawton is the one who has racked up 11 touchdowns, including two against Ohio State. If he can do that against the Buckeyes, he can do it against the Boilermakers.

SIT

Devin Mockobee, RB, Purdue at Indiana

Mockobee has been a bright spot for Purdue, having rushed 124 times for 666 yards and four touchdowns. Unfortunately, Mockobee's matchup is as tough as Lawton's is easy. The run defense was not the problem for Indiana last week (special teams were). Indiana has allowed a mere 76.1 rushing yards per contest.

Big 12 Starts and Sits

START

Behren Morton, QB, Texas Tech vs. West Virginia

Last week, Morton threw for 366 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. He has some turnover issues, but he's thrown 25 touchdowns against seven picks and has three games with at least four touchdowns. I expect the ball to be flying around the field in this one. Texas Tech has the worst pass defense in the Big 12, but West Virginia has allowed 260.7 passing yards and 29.2 points per game. The Mountaineers will be a long way from home and probably playing in a track meet, much to Morton's benefit.

SIT

Avery Johnson, QB, Kansas State at Iowa State

This game will likely be the inverse of the Red Raiders and the Mountaineers shooting it out down in Lubbock. The Cyclones and Wildcats have tougher defense and less robust offenses. Johnson is a dual-threat quarterback, but a trip to Iowa State means a matchup with a difficult defensive opponent. Though the Cyclones haven't been great against the run, they've only allowed 151.2 passing yards per game, the third-fewest in the FBS. They've also only given up 19.5 points per contest.

Conference USA Starts and Sits

START

Eric Rivers, WR, FIU vs. MTSU

You may not know Rivers' name, which is understandable. He plays for Florida International, after all. However, Rivers has been targeted 91 times and tallied 55 catches for 1,055 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Blue Raiders have given up 34.2 points per game, and while they are worse against the run than the pass, there's plenty of space for Rivers to succeed in this matchup. He's been targeted at least 10 times in each of his last three games. That many opportunities would probably pay off to some degree.

SIT

Kaidon Salter, QB, Liberty at Sam Houston State

Salter was a breakthrough star last season and helped propel the Flames to an undefeated record. He started slow this year, but there was still hope he'd turn things around. By this point, though, it's clear that the regression was very real. Salter was still fine running the ball for a quarterback, tallying 564 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Sam Houston has only allowed 138.1 rushing yards per game, though. It's passing the ball where Salter isn't cutting it. He hasn't even hit 200 passing yards in any of his last four outings.

MAC Starts and Sits

START

Coleman Owen, WR, Ohio vs. Ball State

There's a bit of MACtion Tuesday, and unfortunately, for recommendation purposes, Kent State is one of those teams. Fret not, though. Ball State is here, Ball State plays Friday, and that gives you plenty of time for your turnaround on your rosters. Owen's been up-and-down in his first season as an FBS receiver, but he's had over 100 yards five times, including against Syracuse. The Cardinals have allowed 286.4 passing yards and, crucially, 39.9 points per contest.

SIT

Marion Lukes, RB, Central Michigan at Northern Illinois

Lukes missed the chance to pad his stats against Central Connecticut, but he's still rushed for 710 yards and five touchdowns through 10 games. However, Northern Illinois made a splash by keeping Notre Dame's offense in check, and it kept the quality going all season long. The Huskies have limited the opposition to 111.7 rushing yards and 18.6 points per game.

Mountain West Starts and Sits

START

Avery Morrow, RB, Colorado State vs. Utah State

Morrow was a game-time decision for Colorado State last week due to an undisclosed injury. He got on the field but only managed two carries. Winning against Fresno State was important, so maybe Morrow gave it a shot before he was ready. Beating Utah State is imperative to the Rams having hopes of playing in the conference title game, and Morrow will likely give it another shot as a result. Utah State has given up 226.4 rushing yards per contest, which is bottom five in the FBS. Morrow has averaged 6.0 yards per carry. If he's able to even manage a dozen carries, he should be able to deliver good numbers.

SIT

Savion Red, RB, Nevada at UNLV

Like Morrow, Red eased back into the lineup after an injury, getting four carries against Air Force. The difference in Week 14 is the matchup. Nevada is visiting UNLV for an intrastate rivalry game. UNLV is best in the conference in terms of rushing yards allowed and points allowed.

SEC Starts and Sits

START

Montrell Johnson, RB, Florida at Florida State

Jaden Baugh's play while Johnson was dealing with an injury evidently did not shake Billy Napier's faith too much. Last week, Johnson got 18 carries, and he took those for 107 yards and a touchdown. That was against Mississippi. Now, Johnson gets to face Florida's wayward rival, the Seminoles. Florida State has allowed 180.1 rushing yards per game and has allowed at least 35 points to each of its last three FBS opponents.

SIT

Noah Thomas, WR, Texas A&M vs. Texas

Thomas is coming off a game with 124 yards and two touchdowns, but that was in a game that went into quadruple overtime. All told he has more games with a single reception than games with over 100 yards receiving. As this rivalry is reignited, the Longhorns will want to secure a big win with playoff implications. Texas has allowed a mere 143.4 passing yards and 12.1 points per game, even while playing a tough schedule.

Sun Belt Starts and Sits

START

Colton Joseph, QB, Old Dominion at Arkansas State

Redshirt freshman Joseph has taken to the starting gig with aplomb since taking over. In seven games as the quarterback for the Monarchs he has thrown for 1,585 yards with 11 touchdowns against five picks, but also added 581 yards and 10 scores on the ground. That dual-threat capability is why I like him in this matchup. Arkansas State has given up 243.2 passing yards per game but also 209.5 rushing yards per contest.

SIT

Ismail Mahdi, RB, Texas State at South Alabama

South Alabama is poor against the pass but very good against the run. As such, why would the Bobcats even bother to try and get the run game established when they can just wing it around the field? Mahdi has rushed for 844 yards, but South Alabama has only allowed 131.6 rushing yards per game. Additionally, Mahdi has five total touchdowns, only three on the ground, so he's not likely to balance out low yardage with a score or two.