Start vs. Sit: Who to Play, Who to Bench Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 and our second edition of Start/Sit for the 2018 season! Week 1 had a loaded slate with several meaningful games that will have playoff implications. Florida State, Michigan, and Miami are all preseason ranked teams that are forced to go back to the drawing board after opening week losses that exposed major flaws. As per usual, a great slate of Week 1 games generally leads to a lackluster Week 2 slate on paper, and this year is no different. There are some gems, though, with Clemson-Texas A&M, Georgia-South Carolina, Stanford-USC, Penn State-Pittsburgh, and Michigan State-Arizona State all providing us with plenty of entertainment value. With that, let's dive into the Week 2 slate and measure out the top start/sit candidates in each conference.

START

AAC

Courtney Lark, WR, Houston (vs. Arizona)

The Cougs find themselves as home favorites after Arizona laid an egg that only degenerates such as myself witnessed Saturday night. Lark lit it up in the season opener with 82 yards and two scores on just four catches against Rice. That efficiency won't transfer over against the 'Cats, but Lark is clearly the type of receiver who can stress any defense with his blistering speed and Arizona's secondary looked a little suspect against a less dangerous BYU passing attack in Week 1. Marquez Stevenson is also a fine option in the Houston receiving corps this week, and all sides of the Memphis-Navy game should be in play with the implied 70-point total.

ACC

Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson (at Texas A&M)

Etienne was the only Clemson back to see more than six carries in the opener as coach Dabo Swinney emptied the bench to let his reserves get some work against Furman. That rotation will tighten up this weekend, and Etienne will be the main beneficiary. Etienne is an immense talent that racked up 623 yards and 10 touchdowns on 6.85 YPC against Power Five opponents as a freshman in 2017 and is the top talent in the Clemson backfield. As the carry distribution narrows, the volume will be on a major uptick for Etienne against an A&M defense that, while on the upswing, isn't quite to the level where you should worry about it to the point of benching the star sophomore.

Big 12

Baylor running backs John Lovett and JaMycal Hasty (at UTSA)

There's never a ton to glean from a game against an FCS opponent, but it looks like Baylor's run game is revamped and the Bears are committed to pounding the rock. Hasty averaged 10.2 yards per carry against Abilene Christian and John Lovett looked like a completely different back, taking three of his 12 carries to the house. As two guys who averaged under 4.6 YPC in 2017, Lovett and Hasty look much improved, as does the Baylor line. And regarding the competition this week, UTSA coughed up 7.4 yards per carry to Arizona State last week. Look for both these backs to go off against the Roadrunners.

BIG TEN

Adrian Martinez, QB, Nebraska

We missed out on a chance to see Martinez make his debut in a comfortable environment against a mediocre Akron club last week, so the freshman will be taking the field for the first time against a Colorado team that looked solid in its opener against Colorado State. There's a bit of blind faith baked in here, starting Martinez in a matchup that would've been must-see TV in the 90s. That said, Martinez has seemingly checked every box since arriving in Lincoln and will be running an offense that promises to use him as a runner, which stresses the opposing defense and gives him rushing floor to offset any freshman mistakes.

CONFERENCE-USA

Collin Lisa, WR, UAB (at Coastal Carolina)

UAB has a revamped passing attack under new/old offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent, who was at UAB in the program's final season before its hiatus. The biggest jolt in the offense Week 1 was Collin Lisa's usage. He not only saw 10 targets, he caught all 10 of them. Meanwhile, Andre Wilson was second on the team with four targets. Now, Wilson will bounce back, and Lisa won't always have a 100 percent catch rate, but Lisa is a sure-handed option with a soft matchup against Coastal Carolina. With that, Lisa is worth starting consideration in deep leagues and PPR formats.

MAC

Scott Miller, Wr, Bowling Green (vs. Maryland)

The Falcons are over two-touchdown underdogs and generally don't concern themselves with running the ball much to begin with. Also, Bowling Green likes to push the tempo, so even if efficiency is lacking (4.37 yards per play against Oregon) the sheer play volume will benefit the BGSU box score. Miller is the ringleader, having seen an absurd 20 targets that he turned into 13 grabs for 166 yards and two scores. Yes, Bowling Green is punching up against a Big Ten school this week (that's coming off a win over Texas, No Big Deal), but Miller is money in the bank as far as targets go and volume is king.

MOUNTAIN WEST

KeeSean Johnson, WR, Fresno State (at Minnesota)

Watching the Gophers in Week 1, it's clear that they'll be an improved team across the board in 2018. The defense looked sharp, as did the special teams and the offense even looked competent! So, this isn't a cupcake matchup for Fresno State by any means. Johnson will be the focal point of Minnesota's defensive gameplan, but Johnson is legit and won't be shut down Saturday. He's coming off a 1,000-yard season and kicked off 2018 by racking up 118 yards on nine targets. It's a much tougher matchup this week, obviously, but he is the driving force of the Bulldogs' passing attack and quarterback Marcus McMaryion's favorite target.

PAC-12

Bryce Love, RB, Stanford (vs. USC)

Man, last week was pretty jarring, right? You spend your first round pick on Love, check the Stanford box score when you get home Friday night and, uh whew. Have faith, friends. Playing poorly against San Diego state isn't anything to be too ashamed of. In fact, I'd argue the Aztecs have a better run defense than USC's right now. I mean, UNLV's Lexington Thomas is good and all, averaging 9.7 YPC against the Trojans might say a little more about USC than it does him. Look for a major bounce back from Love in one of my favorite early-season rivalry games.

SEC

Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina (vs. Georgia)

This is the best SEC matchup of the week, and certainly one with major implications in the East. Obviously this is a tough matchup for Samuel, who is going to be checked by preseason All-American Deandre Baker. Well, Samuel doesn't seem overly concerned, and that's good enough for me. Samuel led the team in targets in Week 1 and there's little reason to expect a trend reversal even with the tough 1-on-1 matchup. There's also the fact that Samuel is simply one of the best receivers in the SEC and there really shouldn't be a time where he's on your bench regardless of who he's playing.

Sun Belt

Caleb Evans, QB, UL-Monroe (at Southern Mississippi)

It's a road game and a significant bump in competition for Evans, who is coming off a three-touchdown outing in Week 1 against Southeast Louisiana. Southern Mississippi sports a talented defense that finished in the top-20 in yards-per-game allowed last season, and their offense will be putting up points on ULM's defense. With that, it'll be on Evans to keep the Warhawks in the game and there's a high likelihood that he's at the helm for 80-plus plays. Tough matchup, but Evans is worth the start.

SIT

AAC

Trevon Brown, WR, East Carolina

Call it reactionary, but how can you not be terrified of your Trevon Brown shares after Week 1? A guy guaranteed to see ridiculous volume saw ridiculous volume in Week 1, and what did he do with it? 17 targets. Seven catches. 57 yards. 3.4 yards per target. No touchdowns. Against North Carolina A&T. What? In fairness, Brown has a track record that portends to a bounceback, and North Carolina isn't an overly imposing defense -- although you have to imagine its a better unit than an FCS program. But man, I'll take a wait and see approach with Brown and see who else I can slot in at one of my receiver spots this week. I'd also be very worried about my SMU shares and would think twice about even starting a James Proche type this week against TCU.

ACC

Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh (vs. Penn State)

This could sneakily be the best Pitt-Penn State game in recent memory. Penn State is an 8.5-point favorite -- a skinnier line that anyone would have expected a week or two ago. And no, I don't think Penn State vulnerable despite the shaky opener that went into overtime. And I do think Pitt is better than people give it credit for, starting with Pickett. However, this is the toughest spot in his young career to date, and I'll stick with my preseason expectation that the Nittany Lions will have a top-10 defense when it's all said and done, even with the poor Week 1 showing. I'm bullish on Pickett for this season, but I'd hold off on starting him in this spot.

BIG 12

David Montgomery, RB, Iowa State (at Iowa)

Obviously Iowa State's opener was canceled so there aren't any official numbers to work with for the Cyclones, but it's fairly well established that Montgomery is believed to be one of the top draft eligible runners in the country. We do have numbers on Iowa, however, and the Hawkeyes look like they're going to be pretty tough to run on. Iowa allowed just 2.8 yards per carry to a Northern Illinois team that's built on the run. Obviously Montgomery and Iowa State are a different animal, but that doesn't make this any less of a tough matchup. Montgomery is a low-end RB3 for Week 2.

BIG TEN

LJ Scott, RB, Michigan State (at Arizona State)

Am I seriously worried about a running back going against Arizona State? Herm Edwards' Arizona State? Yes. Granted, the Sun Devils played against UTSA at home in their opener, but that defense looked fast and disciplined, allowing a grand total of two (non sack-adjusted) rushing yards on 34 attempts. On the other side, Scott saw healthy volume (23 carries) against Utah State in the opener but averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. Utah State. Hmmm… This profiles as a back and forth game, one where Michigan State won't be able to sit on the ball and feed Scott

Conference-USA

Victor Tucker, Charlotte (vs. Appalachian State)

If you're familiar with Tucker, it's either because you're a Charlotte fan (Go 49ers!) or you just snagged him on waivers after his tremendous debut that featured seven grabs for 127 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, if you're in the latter group, you should wait before deploying him in your lineup. Tucker will be a worthwhile pickup in due time, but starting him against Appalachian State would be overly ambitious. Sure, App State might be a little flat after coming so close to another titanic upset in Week 1. Still, this is a Mountaineer defense that held Trace McSorley to just 6.3 yards per attempt and a sub-60 percent completion percentage. That does not bode well for freshman quarterback Chris Reynolds, and thus does not bode well for Tucker.

MAC

Marcus Childers, QB, Northern Illinois (vs. Utah)

Struggling against Iowa on the road was expected, and unfortunately, things aren't getting much easier in Week 2 with the Utes coming to town. I'm still bullish on Childers and his ability to pick up yards on the ground in the long run, but this week is going to be very tough sledding against a Utah defense that got its ego checked early against Weber State before getting settled. Childers has a rough draw this week, and I'd like to give kudos to the MAC for punching up with its non-conference schedule this week. Teams like Michigan, Purdue, Maryland, and Utah are all taking on MAC teams this week. Bravo.

Mountain West

K.J. Carta-Samuels, QB, Colorado State (vs. Arkansas)

Usually playing against Arkansas shouldn't shy you away from playing anyone, especially someone playing at home in the altitude early in the season with an offense like Colorado State's. I just can't get behind Carta-Samuels this week. The opener against Hawaii was cool and all, but I thought the Colorado game last week was much more indicative of what to expect from the Rams against stiffer competition. This week might not be as bad as Carta-Samuels 5.3 YPA, 54 percent completion rate outing against Colorado, but Arkansas shouldn't be overlooked as the same awful team it was a year ago. I'll take SEC speed and talent to prevail here and limit Carta-Samuels to another mediocre outing.

PAC-12

All of your California Golden Bears (at BYU)

How impressive did BYU look last week? The Cougs made Khalil Tate look mortal, and while there's been hand wringing a plenty as to whether that was more Kevin Sumlin's doing, California sure as hell isn't going to be the team to disprove BYU's legit-ness. Ross Bowers blew his chance to lock down the starting job with a lackluster effort against a mediocre UNC club. Now he's been banished to -OR- land on the depth chart, and that doesn't help anybody. California might be rotating quarterbacks this week and beyond. The only player I can see this benefiting is Patrick Laird if Brandon McIlwain keeps the defense honest with his mobility. Still, even with big volume, Laird is going to be running at a tough BYU front. This just doesn't seem like the week to start any of your Cal guys with confidence.

SEC

Trayveon Williams, RB, Texas A&M (vs. Clemson)

How good did Trayveon Williams look last week? Before you bark at me about it coming against an FCS school, 12 yards per carry over 20 carries is impressive and I don't care who the opponent is. I'm fully on board for a Williams bounceback this year after his weird sophomore slump that led to Keith Ford somehow looking better than him at times. The scheme should be better and Williams looks to be 100 percent back to his freshman form, if not better. But the elephant in the room is Clemson's defense, particularly its front. There are several future high draft picks roaming there, and that talent being coached by possible madman Brent Venables is something I'd prefer not to trifle with. Trayveon is a potential top-5 back in the SEC, just not this week.

SUN BELT

Penny Hart, WR, Georgia State at NC State

Hart not only gets a tough matchup on the road against the 'Pack, but there's also a potential development on his own team that's worth monitoring. Christian Owens, a former South Carolina receiver, is a bigger bodied option that might pose a threat to Hart's dominance of the target share. This isn't merely a warning to bench Hart this week, it's an alert to check your expectations on him if Owens continues to be the more targeted option.