Welcome back! It's time for another season of college football, and thus another season of all things fantasy related when it comes to college football. Sure, Week 0 has come and gone, but Week 1 is when things get serious. It's when you might need some recommendations on players to start and sit across the FBS landscape.
Of course, when it comes to Week 1, there is more that is abstract and predictive than concrete when it comes to my thought process. I don't know if you are aware, but there tends to be quite a bit of change for teams between college football seasons! Between coaching changes, players leaving for the pros, graduations, and, of course, the transfer portal, you can't merely look at what a program did last year and expect the same.
That being said, I do have the help of forward-looking predictive models like SP+, and there are things to be gleaned from the past. If a team was bad defensively last year, hasn't seen significant improvement since, and has a history of being a below-average program, odds are there won't be a massive uptick in performance. Additionally, there are simple factors, such as matchups with FCS teams or being one of the teams playing a highly ranked program in a week when many cupcakes are on the schedule. Preseason rankings or not, a team ranked in the top 10 is assuredly going to be a tougher matchup than some MAC team, even a good MAC
Welcome back! It's time for another season of college football, and thus another season of all things fantasy related when it comes to college football. Sure, Week 0 has come and gone, but Week 1 is when things get serious. It's when you might need some recommendations on players to start and sit across the FBS landscape.
Of course, when it comes to Week 1, there is more that is abstract and predictive than concrete when it comes to my thought process. I don't know if you are aware, but there tends to be quite a bit of change for teams between college football seasons! Between coaching changes, players leaving for the pros, graduations, and, of course, the transfer portal, you can't merely look at what a program did last year and expect the same.
That being said, I do have the help of forward-looking predictive models like SP+, and there are things to be gleaned from the past. If a team was bad defensively last year, hasn't seen significant improvement since, and has a history of being a below-average program, odds are there won't be a massive uptick in performance. Additionally, there are simple factors, such as matchups with FCS teams or being one of the teams playing a highly ranked program in a week when many cupcakes are on the schedule. Preseason rankings or not, a team ranked in the top 10 is assuredly going to be a tougher matchup than some MAC team, even a good MAC team.
With the caveats all caveat-ed, here are my players to start, and to sit, for Week 1. Let's get down to business!
AAC Starts and Sits
START
Quinton Jackson, RB, Rice at Louisiana
It's the prevailing anecdote that has been used to set expectations for the Scott Abell era at Rice: In 2018, Abell's first year running Davidson, his team ran for 789 yards…in a loss. His offense is built around running the ball, and at the FCS level, it worked great. Jackson averaged 5.7 yards per carry with Rice last year, but that was on only 48 carries. He should get a lot more touches under Abell. Louisiana has not been a slouch in the Sun Belt, but this is to let you know that the Rice offense is quite intriguing from a rushing perspective.
SIT
Devin McCuin, WR, UTSA at Texas A&M
The Roadrunners are no cupcake, to be sure, but Texas A&M scheduled them for Week 1 for a winnable Lone Star State battle. Most of the AAC matchups range from easy to manageable. The only other AAC team playing a ranked team in Week 1 is South Florida, who is at home against 25th-ranked Boise State. It makes sense to avoid Roadrunners like McCuin here with a trip to College Station in the offing.
ACC Starts and Sits
START
Jacob De Jesus, WR, California at Oregon State
It's not a Pac-12 game! It's an ACC team versus a quasi-independent waiting for the rebirth of the Pac-Whatever! De Jesus was a good receiver for UNLV the last two seasons, and last year, he racked up 512 yards receiving. Now he gets to play for Cal and hopes to be part of a bolstered offense. Oregon State is stuck in purgatory for a bit longer, which makes it hard to keep the roster stable and impressive. The projected SP+ for the defense is ranked 84th. I wanted to avoid recommending against an FCS opponent, so I have opted to recommend De Jesus.
SIT
Kyron Drones, QB, Virginia Tech at South Carolina
Drones is back for another year at Virginia Tech. Due to being limited to nine games last year, Drones' numbers took a step back, but he remains a solid dual-threat quarterback overall. There are some tougher matchups to be found among ACC teams, but Clemson and Miami are home against LSU and Notre Dame, respectively. Virginia Tech will be playing South Carolina under the bright lights of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Shane Beamer's defense for the Gamecocks is primed to be a top-20 outfit, and it has been churning out some impressive pass rushers as of late.
Big Ten Starts and Sits
START
Kyron Hudson, WR, 
Penn State vs. Nevada
The Nittany Lions are locked in at quarterback and running back, but somebody needs to step up at receiver. Hudson will have a chance to step in as the number-one target in the passing game. Last year with USC, Hudson had 38 catches for 462 yards and three touchdowns. Nevada has won five games total over the last two seasons and is likely to have one of the worst defenses in the FBS. Even if the Wolf Pack improve, they certainly aren't imposing to Hudson and company at home in Week 1.
SIT
Carnell Tate, WR, 
Ohio State vs. Texas
I almost pulled the trigger on suggesting you sit Jeremiah Smith, but that felt a bit too far. Tate, though, I have no concerns about recommending you leave on the bench. The No. 1 ranked Longhorns are coming to Columbus in the biggest game of Week 1. However, things shake out at Texas this year, at worst, it will have the second-best defense among Big Ten teams' opponents in Week 1 (give or take a Utah). Tate will have Julian Sayin trying to get him the ball. Sayin is a sophomore who attempted 12 passes in 2024.
Big 12 Starts and Sits
START
Ismail Mahdi, RB, 
Arizona vs. Hawaii
Mahdi was a star at Texas State the last two seasons. He averaged over 1,100 yards per season and 5.7 yards per carry, with a smidge of receiving production as well. Now, he's either 1 or 1A for the Wildcats. Yes, Hawaii beat Stanford in Week 0, but Stanford is one of the worst power conference teams and its lead back Micah Ford ran for over 100 yards. Plus, Hawaii was at home, and it is always a different story for the team when it has to leave the islands.
SIT
Josh Cameron, 
Baylor vs. Auburn
Last season, Cameron tallied 754 yards and 10 touchdowns. That's impressive, but over the prior two seasons, he had zero touchdowns on 49 receptions. Those 10 touchdowns could have been a fluke. Auburn is a mystery box to a degree, but the SP+ projections has it with the 16th-ranked defense. The Big 12 has the easiest collection of matchups of any major conference, so finding players to sit was not easy. Cameron, though, is a guy to have on your bench.
Conference USA Starts at Sits
START
Keyone Jenkins, QB, 
Florida International vs. Bethune-Cookman
When it comes to Conference USA, the conference is under the radar enough that I have no problem recommending players facing FCS schools. Though Florida International has a new head coach in Willie Simmons, Simmons was able to convince Jenkins to pull out of the transfer portal and stick around as his starting quarterback. In 2023 Jenkins was given a trial by fire as a true freshman, but that benefited him in 2024. Last year he completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 2,557 yards with 22 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Jenkins should be able to pad his stats against Bethune-Cookman. The Wildcats aren't just an FCS team, but a SWAC team. A bad SWAC team that went 2-10 last season at that.
SIT
Jacob Clark, QB, 
Missouri State at USC
Welcome to the FBS, Missouri State! You open the season by having to travel to Los Angeles to face the Trojans. After striking out at Minnesota, Clark transferred to Missouri State where he became an FCS star in 2024. However, that was FCS football. Clark played one FBS program last year and threw for 258 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. That program was Ball State, who is not USC.
MAC Starts at Sits
START
Rocko Griffin, RB, 
UMass vs. Temple
Welcome to the MAC, Massachusetts! Also, welcome to Massachusetts, Rocko Griffin. He's a highly experienced back, having first played college football for Vanderbilt back in 2020. Griffin had a solid season with Vandy in 2021 and for UTSA in 2023, but last year was a lost campaign wherein he only appeared in four games. Now, the super-senior has one year left of eligibility and has dropped down another level of college football. He should be the lead guy for the Minutemen, whereas Temple is at a nadir and just brought in a new head coach. The Owls should be in for a long season.
SIT
Tucker Gleason, QB, 
Toledo at Kentucky
Toledo will likely be the best team in the MAC. If the Rockets can upset the Wildcats, they could potentially go 12-0. I doubt the Rockets will beat the Wildcats on the road, and if they do, it won't be a big day for Gleason. I fully expect Toledo's returning quarterback to throw all over his MAC opponents, but this is an SEC team coached by Mark Stoops. It's way too tough a circumstance to take a shot on Gleason.
Mountain West Starts and Sits
START
Floyd Chalk, RB, 
San Jose State vs. Central Michigan
Transferring in from Grambling, Chalk didn't have an issue with the leap to Mountain West play. Last year, he rushed for 721 yards and 10 touchdowns. Central Michigan watched Miami (OH) drop 46 points on it last year, and also had Florida International rack up 52 points on it. Now it is breaking in a new head coach in Matt Drinkall, who was coaching Army's offensive line last season.
SIT
Keagan Johnson, WR, 
New Mexico at Michigan
The Lobos went 5-7 and still caught a case of being too good for their own good. I'm not so much talking about head coach Bronco Mendenhall leaving, as he went to Utah State because he prefers living in Utah. However, Utah ported over offensive coordinator Jason Beck and starting quarterback Devon Dampier from New Mexico. Johnson, a Kansas State transfer, wasn't part of last year's offense in the Land of Enchantment. An offense that is going to be worse is traveling to Michigan to face the Wolverines, and it doesn't bode well.
SEC Starts at Sits
START
Gunner Stockton, QB, 
Georgia vs. Marshall
How good Stockton will be I do not know, but I do know that Kirby Smart and Georgia wouldn't have named him the starting quarterback if nobody felt confident he could do it. He definitely can handle Marshall at home to open the season, or at least I safely assume so. What Marshall was last season is as irrelevant as any program. Head coach Charlie Huff left for Southern Miss due to the money and resources available there, and he brought 21 Marshall transfers with him. Yes, Marshall is starting from scratch.
SIT
Ryan Wingo, WR, 
Texas at Ohio State
Hey, I'm just as hesitant about the Texas passing game in this one as I was about Ohio State. The Buckeyes are poised to have another strong defense, and they will be playing at home. Among the splashy true freshman receivers last year, Wingo was the bronze winner. As such, while I may not eschew Jeremiah Smith, I would eschew Wingo.
Sun Belt Starts and Sits
START
Josh Dallas, WR, 
Georgia Southern at Fresno State
I don't want to overreact to one game, of course, but after seeing Fresno State get rolled by Kansas, I think Fresno State may be in for a long season. The Jayhawks threw on the Bulldogs with ease, and while it may not be as easy for Georgia Southern, I don't think it will be close to difficult either. To that end, Dallas had 46 catches for 614 yards and six touchdowns last year. I think he can hit the ground running here in 2025.
SIT
Jordon Simmons, RB, 
Georgia State at Ole Miss
After not finding much opportunity at Michigan State, Simmons transferred to Akron and averaged 6.0 yards per carry last year. That's impressive, especially considering the Zips' generally poor performance as a football program. He'll have more talent around him at Georgia State, but not enough to give him any chance against Ole Miss. Please wait at least a week on Simmons before seeing how he looks for the Panthers.
