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

Not to bum everyone out, but we only have three more full weekends of college football to look forward to. Fortunately, we have unbelievable slates the rest of the way, including three matchups between top-10 teams set for Saturday. This week carries extra importance with it being the last week of the regular season before playoffs in most leagues. There are some top-tier players facing extremely tough matchups, so lineup decisions carry plenty of weight this week. Let's get into it.

PLAYERS TO START

AAC

Dontrell Hilliard, RB, Tulane (at East Carolina): I hate to make a school a weekly punching bag, but East Carolina has made it tough for me to treat the Pirates any other way. They are at the bottom of the barrel in terms of defensive S&P+ and 124th overall against the run. Hilliard hasn't quite lived up to his billing in recent weeks with a combined 37 carries for 107 yards and no scores in his last two games. A matchup with ECU is as good a chance as any to break the slump, though. If you'd been considering moving Hilliard to your bench in light of his recent downturn, give him one more chance this week with the best matchup on paper of any running back in the country.

ACC

Darrin Hall, RB, Pittsburgh (vs. North Carolina): Coming off a bye, Hall will be fresh and ready to rumble against a soft North Carolina defense that allows 205.1 yards per game on the ground. Hall, meanwhile, started to hit his stride since taking over the lead role for the Panthers with 49 carries for 365 yards and four touchdowns in his last two games against Duke and Virginia – both of whom have better run defenses than the Heels. Look for Hall to get fed early and often Thursday as he churns out big numbers in front of the home crowd. I also wouldn't be shy about starting AJ Dillon or Cam Akers despite the tough matchups against NC State and Clemson, respectively.

BIG 12

Rodney Anderson, RB, Oklahoma (vs. TCU): Fun fact: TCU is ranked No. 1 in rush defense S&P+. That's not a typo. The Horned Frogs have been better against the run than the Tide, the Huskies, the Tigers and the Dawgs this year. Most of the time, that's enough for me to shy away from using a running back against them. Anderson, though, is an exception. Since seizing control of the OU backfield, Anderson has racked up 439 yards and three scores on 64 carries across three games. This weekend will undoubtedly be Anderson's toughest test to date, but his immense talent combined with a reliable workload leads me to believe he'll still manage to put up quality numbers despite the stout opposition.

BIG TEN

Jonathon Taylor, RB, Wisconsin (vs. Iowa): The Hawkeyes come to Madison fresh off of one of the most impressive wins by any team this season – a thorough shellacking of Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa's strength on defense is in the secondary, not in the front seven, however. Well, Wisconsin doesn't bother throwing much, so an Iowa defense that allows 172 rushing yards per game to Big Ten opponents will be given quite the stress test by the bull-in-a-china-shop freshman. Taylor, who is 100 percent healthy after a leg injury, will be the focal point of the Wisconsin attack and should be started despite the perceived tough matchup.

CONFERENCE USA

Brent Stockstill, QB, Middle Tennessee (at Charlotte): Welcome back, Mr. Stockstill! The fantasy realm wasn't quite the same without Stockstill leading the Blue Raiders to gaudy point totals on a weekly basis. Stockstill returned from his cracked sternum last week, and while he completed less than 50 percent of his passes for less than 200 yards, he still managed to chuck three touchdowns. This week he gets to face a bottom-10 pass defense in terms of S&P+ in Charlotte, so even though Stockstill won't have Richie James at his disposal, he's still talented enough to get the most out of his underrated supporting cast against a lowly secondary.

MAC

Nathan Rourke, QB, Ohio (vs. Toledo): The 7-2 Bobcats play host to a talented Rockets squad in what could be a preview of the MAC championship game Wednesday, and Rourke has a chance to officially cement himself among the best signal callers in the conference. Rourke, who's coming off an absurd six-touchdown outing against Miami (OH), has accounted for at least one rushing touchdown in five consecutive games. Toledo is tough against the pass but susceptible to the run, so look for Rourke to do the bulk of his damage as a runner Wednesday as the Bobcats aim for the upset. I'm also bullish on any and all Western Michigan entities against Kent State this week.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Kelton Moore, RB, Nevada (vs. San Jose State): In the same vein of the Hilliard vs. East Carolina pick above, Moore's matchup this week is too good to ignore. He's run for at least 101 yards in three of his last four games and draws a matchup against a San Jose State team that ranks last in rushing yards allowed per game (304.6). RotoWire colleague Nick Grays recommended him as a priority waiver wire add for this week, so if you're looking for a streamer to replace a Rashaad Penny, Royce Freeman or D'Angelo Brewer, Moore fits the bill nicely.

PAC-12

Demario Richard, RB, Arizona State (at UCLA): Richard took his sweet time getting into gear this season, but he finally broke out last week with a massive 25-carry, 189-yard performance against Colorado. In fairness, Colorado is extremely vulnerable against the run, but so is UCLA (allowing 303 RuYD/G). The volume might be tough for Richard to replicate considering he shares the backfield with Kalen Ballage, but Richard has seen at least 15 carries in six of his last seven games and did more than enough last week to warrant a strong workload against a bad Bruins defense.

SEC

Drew Lock, QB, Missouri (vs. Tennessee): It's a bit of a mixed bag in the SEC this week with a handful of even matchups, some tough draws and a few cupcakes on the slate. Missouri-Tennessee feels like a fair game to pick from rather than me telling you to fire up your Rebs against UL-Lafayette or your Aggies against New Mexico. Lock averages more than 300 yards per game at home and has been absolutely ripping it up over his last five games with 21 passing touchdowns. Say what you will about Tennessee at this point in the season, but its defense still poses a challenge. Still, even with a semi-tough matchup, Lock should still be able to post elite numbers Saturday.

SUN BELT

Conner Manning, QB, Georgia State (at Texas State): Manning has the Panthers playing well after a rocky start to the season, and he's been a large role in their recent success. He's thrown multiple touchdowns in three of his last four games and draws an excellent matchup Saturday against Texas State. The Bobcats check in at 113 in terms of S&P+ against the pass, making Manning a fine streaming option if one of your usual starters faces a tough draw in Week 11. Also, Trey Ragas may be punching up a weight class this week against Ole Miss, but the Rebels struggle against the run, so he could be a viable flex if need be.

PLAYERS TO SIT

AAC

Hergy Mayala, WR, UConn (vs. UCF): Mayala has quietly been a top-10 receiver in the AAC on a per-game basis with 15.72 YPR, five touchdowns and 32 catches in six games played. However, he just lost quarterback Bryant Shirreffs for at least this week due to a concussion, leaving David Pindell to lead the charge against a tough UCF squad that ranks 22nd against the pass in S&P+. UConn might be forced to throw it a ton this weekend if it gets down early, but Pindell's lack of track record or proven chemistry with Mayala makes this a weekend to leave the talented pass catcher on the bench.

ACC

Ahmmon Richards, Braxton Berrios, Miami (vs. Notre Dame): These two wideouts have combined to form one of the finest receiving tandems in the ACC. Richards is the explosive option, averaging 20.1 yards per reception while Berrios is a catch machine (36 receptions) with a nose for the end zone (seven touchdowns). They'll be at home this week for one of the most monumental games of the season against the Irish. I know, I know, I recommended benching John Wolford last week against this same Irish defense, and he responded with 390 total yards and three total touchdowns. I'd argue some of that can be attributed to garbage time production, though. Notre Dame is going to be playing hard for 60 minutes Saturday, and that'll be trouble for the Miami passing attack considering the Irish are ranked second in pass defense S&P+/. Both Richards and Berrios are too talented to be completely shut down, but this is about as tough a matchup as anyone is facing this week.

BIG 12

Allen Lazard, WR, Iowa State (vs. Oklahoma State): It's tough to bench an athletic 6-foot-5 wideout who's seen 11 targets in each of his last two outings, but it might be something his owners need to consider this week. Oklahoma State is far from a world beater in the secondary (I mean, did y'all see Bedlam last week), but it's certainly not going to get torched for almost 600 yards by Kyle Kempt. The Pokes will have their hands full stopping David Montgomery, but it stands to reason that they'll be allocating some resources to stop Lazard as well. This matchup has the feel of a high-volume, low-efficiency outing from Lazard, who's closer to a low-end WR2 this week than a sure-fire starter.

BIG TEN

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State (vs. Michigan State): While I'm sure Ohio State's coaching staff will adjust its offense a tad after giving Dobbins just six carries in a blowout loss to Iowa, this is still a very tough matchup and it's tough to trust the Buckeyes' offense at the moment. Even when Dobbins wasn't being criminally underutilized, he still averaged just 12.7 carries per game in October. Meanwhile, Michigan State's front seven is a salty bunch, allowing just 2.85 yards per carry and just held Heisman hopeful Saquon Barkley to just 63 rushing yards. Bottom line: it's tough to trust Ohio State's offensive play calling and using even a great running back against Michigan State's defense is a scary proposition.

CONFERENCE USA

Jalen Guyton, WR, North Texas (vs. UTEP): Usually, a player going up against UTEP gets an automatic green light from me as the Miners are a sieve against both the run (95th) and the pass (91st in S&P+). If this were September, Guyton would certainly be in the "Start" portion of this article. But, uh, what's happened to him lately? It's like a football version of Ozzie Smith falling into an abyss or something.

After a two-game span in which Guyton reeled in 22 of 28 targets for 393 yards and three scores, he's combined for 12 catches for 103 yards. Sure, maybe Guyton going against UTEP is just what he needs to get back on track, but can you really risk another dud outing from him if you're on the fringe of making the playoffs?

MAC

Caleb Huntley, RB, Ball State (at Northern Illinois): The freshman has been one of the few bright spots for the Cardinals this season, checking in at No. 4 on the MAC's rushing yardage leaderboard and averaging 4.6 yards per carry behind a mediocre offensive line. Unfortunately, a matchup against Northern Illinois when Ball State is working with its fourth-string quarterback means Huntley will face loaded boxes all game.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Dru Brown, QB, Hawaii (vs. Fresno State): It was fairly obvious when it happened that John Ursua's season-ending knee injury would send lasting shockwaves through the Hawaii offense, but Brown has really suffered without his top target. His YPA in two games since losing Ursua has been 5.3, dropping his season average from 7.7 to 7.1. What's more, Fresno State has the third-best pass defense in Mountain West play (161.6 pass yards allowed/gm) and has picked off more passes (6) than it has allowed touchdowns (3).

PAC-12

Bryce Love, RB, Stanford (vs. Washington): I'm going to hedge a little and stipulate that Love isn't a must-bench, but it at least warrants some consideration. I'm not just concerned that Love was held to 69 yards on 16 carries last week; I'm concerned that aside from a 52-yard touchdown run, Love had 17 yards on 15 carries against Washington State. This week's matchup is decidedly tougher with Washington's top-ranked defense in S&P+ coming to town. Love obviously has the talent to go the distance on any play, but Stanford's complete absence of any threats outside him on offense allows defenses to sell out against the run. When that defense is Washington's, you have to be worried about Love getting bottled up.

SEC

Nick Fitzgerald, QB, Mississippi State (vs. Alabama): Here are some numbers for you: 10-for-33, 145 yards, one interception, 11 rushes, 15 yards. That was Fitzgerald's line against Alabama last year. Sure, Alabama's defense is banged up and just not as good as its 2016 vintage, but it's still an elite unit. It's tough to bench a player you spent a high pick on like Fitzgerald, but there are so many other quarterbacks with much better matchups this week you can stream. Fitzgerald won't struggle as much this time around, but betting on him putting up the numbers you need from your starting quarterback is a risky proposition.

SUN BELT

Jamarius Way, WR, South Alabama (vs. Arkansas State): Way has been one of the better wideouts in the conference this year, nabbing 34 of 54 targets for 584 yards (10.8 YPT) and three touchdowns. With starting running back Xavier Johnson suspended the rest of the season, it makes sense for Way to be more heavily relied upon to carry the offense. The issue is that Arkansas State, which is already excellent against the pass, now gets to focus on limiting Way's impact. Way was able to put together a strong outing Saturday with Johnson suspended, but it won't be as easy this week against the Red Wolves.