Bench
Jawon Pass, QB-Louisville vs. Western Kentucky
After throwing for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener against Alabama, Pass figured to be a great fantasy option for the 2018 season. Well, last week he was pulled in the third quarter of last week’s matchup against Indiana State. It was assumed that bad weather affected Pass’ play, but just this week we learned that he has been diagnosed with turf toe, an injury that could hinder him for weeks.
Braeden West, RB-SMU at Michigan
After two games, West has totaled over 200 yards of offense and scored three touchdowns. He has already scored more this season than he did in all of 2017 (2 touchdowns) and could easily top his career high of six touchdowns (2016). However, the Mustangs travel to Michigan this week to face a Wolverines defense that only allowed 208 total yards of offense at home to Western Michigan last weekend.
Squally Canada, RB-BYU at Wisconsin
Canada ran for 96 yards and three touchdowns in BYU’s Week 1 win at Arizona, but struggled last week in a 21-18 home loss to Cal, rushing for only 49 yards on 16 carries. The Cougars will definitely be the toughest of Wisconsin’s first three opponents this season, but they will likely struggle to score points against the Badgers’ stingy defense.
Ty Lee, WR-Middle Tennessee at Georgia
Many fantasy owners are going to be reluctant to drop Ty Lee because of his fantasy potential once the Blue Raiders get into conference play. However, a Week 3 matchup at Georgia and a Middle Tennessee bye in Week 4 will challenge many fantasy owners’ patience over the next couple weeks. Unfortunately, the junior receiver hasn’t shown us enough in his first two games to even consider him for a Flex spot against the Bulldogs.
Jonathan Ward, RB-Central Michigan at Central Michigan
Last year, Ward ran for 1,017 yards and ten touchdowns, and he caught 48 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns. After two games this year, at Kentucky and home against Kansas, Ward has totaled 65 rushing yards and has only caught one pass. A road trip to Northern Illinois in Week 3 may not be the best matchup for the junior running back to get on track. If Ward struggles this week, fantasy owners will likely wait until after next week’s matchup against Maine before deciding to keep him or not for Central Michigan’s run through conference play.
Start
David Pindell, QB-UConn vs Rhode Island
It seems to happen a couple of times every season, where a player listed on the Bench list gets mentioned on the Start list the following week. That’s the case this week with UConn quarterback David Pindell, who has the potential to explode after being bottled up at Boise State last Saturday. The senior quarterback already has 36 rushing attempts in two games and figures to be a force on the ground and in the air in a Week 3 matchup at home against Rhode Island.
Marcus Childers, QB-Northern Illinois vs Central Michigan
The Northern Illinois offense has struggled early on, scoring only 13 points in their first two games combined. Of course, the schedule hasn’t exactly been kind to the Huskies, playing at Iowa and home against Utah in the first two weeks of the 2018 season. Due to his slow start and a Week 4 matchup at Florida State looming, Childers may just be the perfect plug-and-play quarterback this week if your roster has been affected by games being canceled by Hurricane Florence.
Blake Barnett, South Florida at Illinois
It’s still early in the season, but Barnett has done an exceptional job taking over at quarterback, replacing one of the best players in the history of the program, Quinton Flowers. In the first two games of 2018, the junior quarterback has accounted for eight touchdowns, five passing and three rushing. Expect another dual-threat effort from Barnett this week against a defense that has given up at least 270 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in each of their first two games.
Nathan Rourke, QB-Ohio vs Virginia (in Nashville)
Rourke was a Week 1 bust after he was pulled early in the Bobcats’ 38-32 win over Howard, and even though Quinton Maxwell accounted for four touchdowns in relief, head coach Frank Solich announced that Rourke is team’s starting quarterback. For many fantasy owners, the clarity from Solich makes it easier to jump back on the Rourke bandwagon in Week 3.
Khalil Tate, QB-Arizona vs Southern Utah
If you drafted Tate this year and he is still on your roster, as he probably should be, this is a make-or-break fantasy game for him. Unless you have an incredible matchup with another quarterback on your roster, you have to give him the start this week against Southern Utah. In fact, even if Tate isn’t his 2017 version on Saturday, he may still give you enough in the passing game to make him a worth an active roster spot.
Jovon Durante vs Bethun Cookman
Durante was a Week 2 fantasy standout, catching 12 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown in the Owls’ 33-27 win over Air Force. Running back Devin Singletary will still be a fantasy force this season, but the offense will no longer be a one-man show. Florida Atlantic should score a lot of points this weekend in a home matchup against Bethune Cookman, so expect another big week from Durante.