Start vs. Sit: Who to Play, Who to Bench Week 4

Welcome back for another installment of Start/Sit heading into Week 4. There are only two ranked matchups on the docket this week, but if Week 3 taught us anything, it's that we don't need ranked matchups to have amazing games and landscape-changing results (Big Ten, what was that?). There are some under-the-radar games, like FAU-UCF, UNLV-Arkansas State and UConn-Syracuse that figure to be fun and high-scoring in addition to games like Texas Tech-Oklahoma State. Let's dive into this week's start and sit candidates, and, as always, feel free to ask any specific questions in the comments.

PLAYERS TO START

AAC

Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati

Ridder has been a revelation for the Bearcats since taking over for an ineffective Hayden Moore. Through three games (well, more like two and a half), Ridder is completing over 62 percent of his passes to go with five total touchdowns and no picks or lost fumbles. This week he draws a matchup against Ohio, which ranks 128th in defensive S&P+. Even if Ridder has a slight regression as a passer this week, his rushing floor is strong enough to where he won't give a dud performance. Ridder owns a 22 percent share of Cincinnati's rushes and will be accounting for plenty of offense against the Bobcats in Week 4. Also, the UConn-Syracuse game ought to offer a ton of tempo with little defense, making it an appealing matchup to stream a Huskie or two.

ACC

Bryce Perkins, QB, Virginia (vs. Louisville)

Perkins is off to a roaring start with nine total touchdowns through three games and is coming off his best passing performance since arriving at Virginia, carving up Ohio for 379 yards and three scores while completing 83 percent of his passes. This week he gets a Louisville team that feels like it's on quit watch. And it's in Charlottesville. Perkins was likely already on your radar, I'm just confirming he should be greenlit in every two-quarterback and superflex league.

BIG 12

Jalen Hurd, WR, Baylor (vs. Kansas)

Yes, Baylor is playing host to juggernaut Kansas, but let's consider a few things first before benching our Bears. Seriously, though, Kansas is 25th (!) in defensive S&P+ and is a single-digit underdog this week. That said, Hurd has been remarkably consistent through three games with 18 grabs on 30 targets for 251 yards and two scores. Increased per-target efficiency and touchdown production would be ideal, but the volume is tough to beat and is reason enough for Hurd to be a top-50 receiver this week.

BIG TEN

Tyler Johnson, WR, Minnesota (at Maryland)

We knew Johnson was Minnesota's best receiver entering the year, there were just questions about the quarterback play that he'd be dealing with every week. While Zack Annexstad hasn't lit the world on fire, he's been decent enough to where Johnson is producing well. Johnson has seen double-digit targets every week this season and his five touchdowns rank him third in the nation. He's one of the rare talents who can overcome uneven quarterback play, and a matchup against Maryland's secondary is certainly one to target in Week 4.

CONFERENCE USA

Victor Tucker, WR, UNC Charlotte (at Massachusetts)

Tucker has been nothing but consistent for the 49ers this season, reeling in 18 receptions for 239 yards through three games while drawing 31 targets. The efficiency could use some improvement (7.7 YPT), but that's where UMass comes in. Massachusetts ranks 124th in defensive S&P+ and even allowed Georgia Southern (not known for its passing acumen) to complete 66.7 percent of its passes in Week 2. Tucker should have no trouble getting open against this defense, and with his expected volume, he's in for one of his best games of the season.

MAC

Woody Barrett, QB, Kent State (at Mississippi)

Road games against SEC opponents are usually things to avoid in CFF, but the Rebels are trying to single-handedly change the SEC's perception as having the nation's the best defenses. They allow 6.27 yards per play; only Rutgers and Oregon State give up more among Power 5 programs. Barrett, a former SEC player in his own right as an Auburn commit, struggled on the road at Penn State last week but managed to avoid any turnovers. He also brings some running acumen, as evidenced by his 117-yard performance against Illinois in the season opener. Barrett should have more success against Mississippi than he did against Penn State and pile up start-worthy production. All Buffalo players should be start-worthy against Rutgers this weekend as well.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Armani Rogers, QB, UNLV (at Arkansas State)

In one of the most intriguing Group of Five matchups of the weekend, Rogers and the Rebels hit the road to face the Red Wolves. Even in a tough matchup on the road, Rogers is a must-start. He averages 34.0 points per game in standard scoring formats. Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray averages 34.7 for some context. Rogers has as high a rushing floor as any quarterback in college football not named Malcolm Perry and has shown some improvement in limiting turnovers – something he struggled with a year ago. This will be a back-and-forth matchup between two exciting offenses, making Rogers an excellent Week 4 option.

PAC-12

Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State (vs. Arizona)

This one is fairly self-explanatory. As long as Artavis Pierce is out, Jefferson needs to be started across all formats. Against Arizona isn't as soft a matchup as his outings against Southern Utah or Nevada, but it's not that far off. Jefferson has seen 36 percent or more of Oregon State's offensive touches the last two weeks. The Beavers don't really have any other offensive options, especially with receiver Trevon Bradford (shoulder) dinged up. Of course, Arizona knows all of this and will do what it can to negate his effectiveness. I'm just not sold that the Cats can bottle up Jefferson over 30 offensive touches.

SEC

Emanuel Hall, WR, Missouri (vs. Georgia)

Georgia's defense is very good. This is known. So is Hall and his chemistry with fourth-year starter Drew Lock. Hall is coming off a disappointing game by his standards in which he only caught four of eight targets for 88 yards and no scores. He's too talented to stay down long, and he has a proven track record against the Dawgs. Hall will occasionally be checked by future NFLer Deandre Baker on Saturday, but Missouri can scheme him to the other side to test the talented but raw Tyson Campbell. Considering Hall had 141 yards on four catches against a better iteration of the Georgia defense a season ago, there's little reason to think he'll be completely shut down by the Dawgs on Saturday.

SUN BELT

Marcus Green, WR, UL Monroe (vs. Troy)

Troy played giant-killer once again last weekend and looks to be the class of the Sun Belt once again, so this is no easy matchup. Green, who leads the Sun Belt in receiving yards with 270 through three games, is still startable, however. He showed he could hang with the big boys last week with four catches for 75 yards against a superior Texas A&M defense. RJ Turner could vulture some volume, but he's more of the possession-based wideout that doesn't bring Green's field-stretching ability to the table. Start up Green.

PLAYERS TO SIT

AAC

Otis Anderson, RB, Central Florida

This game figures to be a trackmeet between two top-notch offenses with an implied total of 77.0 points -- the kind of number generally reserved for Big 12 country. Though Central Florida is nearly two-touchdown favorites, I think the Owls keep this one close until late, so the Knights will have to keep their foot on the gas throughout. Anderson is a threat to go the distance almost anytime he gets the ball with two touchdowns on just 12 carries, and while that's appealing in daily formats, it doesn't inspire a ton of confidence in season-long. The concern here is that Anderson will fall victim to game script while McKenzie Milton airs it out and Adrian Killins gets the bulk of the backfield work.

ACC

Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest (vs. Notre Dame)

Physically, Surratt can be a problem for just about any secondary in the nation at 6-foot-3, 215, with solid foot speed. He's second on the team in target share behind The Human Dortch, seeing 27 percent of the targets through three games. Dortch simply sees too many targets to bench, but Surratt doesn't have that same floor. Notre Dame is strong at each level of the defense and will give freshman quarterback Sam Hartman all he can handle in terms of pressure and masking coverages. The Irish even rank 5th in defensive S&P+. This is just not a defense to be trifled with from a fantasy perspective this week beyond Dortch, which makes Surratt a sit candidate unfortunately.

BIG 12

Shawn Robinson, QB, TCU (at Texas)

The 308 yards against Ohio State to go with a 60 percent completion rate was nice, but the three turnovers helped sink the Horned Frogs' upset bid in Week 3. Robinson gets another tough matchup this week, and I get where your well-reasoned lack of trust in Texas might make you ignore this suggestion, but the 'Horns can be really good when they want to be. The team that dismantled USC on Saturday looked like the team many (*cough, me, cough*) anticipated to take a major step forward this year. Texas held USC to negative rushing yards and kept freshman wunderkind JT Daniels to 6.7 YPA and a 52.1 QBR. Look for Texas to put on the clamps again Saturday, which bumps Robinson out of starting range for Week 4.

BIG TEN

David Blough, QB, Purdue

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're pumped about scooping up Blough off the waiver wire after his outrageous 572-yard effort against Missouri. I must regretfully inform you that he won't have a repeat performance against BC. Not even close. Boston College held Wake Forest's Sam Hartman well less than 50 percent passing in Winston-Salem and picked him off twice. I know Blough's on the opposite end of the spectrum from Hartman when it comes to experience, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be able to solve the BC defense. BC has also racked up two picks in every game this season, so this could be a tough spot for Blough, even at home.

CONFERENCE-USA

Lucky Jackson, WR, Western Kentucky (at Ball State)

Jackson is one of the Conference-USA's receivers, but it might be time to reframe your expectations. He's tied with Quin Jernighan for the team lead in targets and has far out-produced him with those 17 looks, turning them into 12 grabs for 193 yards (11.3 YPT) and two scores. A lot of that production came against Maine, however, and Jackson will also be without Week 1 starting quarterback Drew Eckels due to a shoulder injury. This is a tough spot on the road for Western Kentucky as a result, and Jackson's numbers could suffer as a result. Elsewhere in Conference USA, there are several tough matchups with Louisiana Tech heading to LSU, FIU heading to Miami, and Old Dominion hosting Virginia Tech. You'll want to reconsider using most of your C-USA players in those matchups in Week 4.

MAC

Blake Banham, Eastern Michigan (at San Diego State)

The MAC's leading receiver travels with the Eagles to face San Diego State on the road. Banham has caught 23 of 25 targets and sports a sparkling 14.4 YPT through three games. He's essentially the only Eastern Michigan receiver with nationwide fantasy value. With that, he'll be the Aztecs' focal point on the defensive side. Mind you, this is a defense that held Arizona State's N'Keal Harry under 10 yards per reception. Banham will have a tough time getting separation Saturday, and Eastern Michigan's lack of weapons outside of him means that San Diego State can scheme him out of the game.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Gerold Bright, RB, Utah State (vs. Air Force)

The Falcons are coming off a bye, but their last time out, they went ahead and held FAU's Devin Singletary to 3.6 yards per carry, which is no small feat. A well-rested Air Force defense will be tough for Utah State to move the ball against on the ground. Bright has seemingly taken over the top gig after getting 30 percent or more of the carries in each of the last two weeks, which does give him some value. However, Bright averaged a meager 4.2 yards per carry against Tennessee Tech in Week 3 and faces too tough a matchup to be overly profitable in Week 4.

PAC-12

Eno Benjamin, RB, Arizona State (at Washington)

The strength of Washington's defense is in its secondary. The problem is that Washington's run defense is pretty strong, too. The Huskies did give up 147 rushing yards to Auburn, but it took the Tigers 45 rushes to get there. Arizona State's offensive line, meanwhile, has struggled to generate any room for Benjamin to run the last two weeks. He has taken 26 carries for 48 yards in that stretch and things won't get much easier this week. I'd still preach patience to restless Benjamin owners who are looking at a possible third straight rough outing from a high draft pick, even if I'm not starting him this week. In this same game is one of the best individual matchups we'll see in college football this season: N'Keal Harry vs. Washington's Byron Murphy. Must-see TV.

SEC

D'Andre Swift, RB, Georgia (at Missouri)

Although Swift is believed to be fully healthy, the zero carries in the second half Saturday raised some eyebrows over the weekend. The Red and Black reported Swift as a full participant in Tuesday's practice, too, so he should be good to go Saturday against Missouri. But has Georgia's offensive identity shifted? Swift was drafted this offseason on the belief that he's Georgia's next Chubb or Gurley. That just doesn't seem to be the case through the early part of the season. Elijah Holyfield has shown to be promising when given carries, and James Cook and Brian Herrien have top notch speed. In all, my suspicion is that Georgia isn't going to run Swift into the ground. Not this week, not the rest of the season. Look for this to be a deep running back rotation, which caps Swift's value to an extent.

SUN BELT

Jamarius Way, WR, South Alabama (at Memphis)

Way ranks second in the Sun Belt in receiving yards and enters a situation where the Jags will be chucking it as 30-point favorites. The problem? Memphis is too good to let Evan Orth have much effectiveness through the air. The Tigers can be gashed on the ground – Navy proved that the way it always does. The Memphis pass defense has more picks than touchdowns allowed and ranks in passer rating allowed. Way (6-4, 215) is an impressive wideout that has upside moving, it just won't be this week against the stingy Memphis secondary.