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Bench
Eric Dungey, QB-Syracuse at Clemson
Dungey has gotten off to a solid start this season, accounting for three or more touchdowns in three of Syracuse’s first four games and has led the Orange to a 4-0 record. However, the team’s unblemished record will likely come to an end this weekend at Clemson. The Tigers’ defense ranks 16th in the FBS in points allowed (15.3), 9th in passing yards allowed (148.3), and 4th in total yards allowed (251.8).
Trey Ragas, RB-Louisiana at Alabama
For seasoned college fantasy football owners, it’s probably laughable to see that we’ve included Ragas on our Bench list against Alabama, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the amount of support theCFFsite has gotten from first-year fantasy owners this season. Even though the sophomore back has topped the 100-yard mark in two of the first three games of 2018, it won’t be a fun watch if Ragas is chasing garbage points in the second half.
Squally Canada, RB-BYU at Washington
Squally Canada was on our Bench list two weeks ago when the Cougars played at Wisconsin, and the senior back proved us wrong by rushing for a season-high 118 yards and two touchdowns in an upset win over the Badgers. We certainly don’t want to be wrong again, but it does make sense to keep Canada out of your active roster on the road at Washington this weekend. Despite playing three quality FBS opponents (Auburn, Utah, and Arizona State), the Huskies are only allowing 148.8 rushing yards per game and 12.8 points per game, this season.
Jordan Ellis, RB-Virginia at North Carolina State
In the first four weeks of the season, Ellis has run for 448 yards and five touchdowns. In the two games against non-Power 5 teams, he has totaled 317 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Against Power 5 schools (Indiana and Louisville), he has only totaled 131 yards on the ground without scoring. This weekend, Virginia travels to North Carolina State and will face a Wolfpack defense that is giving up just over 100 yards per game on the ground (108.0) and have only allowed one rushing touchdown in three games.
John Moten, RB-Northwestern vs Michigan
Earlier this week, we learned that running back Jeremy Larkin retired from football after being diagnosed with cervical stenosis. His departure leaves a gaping hole in the Northwestern running game, as the sophomore back accounted for 346 of the team’s 351 net rushing yards in the team’s first three games. The obvious choice to fill the void is John Moten IV, but without much of a proven sample size, it would be wise to grab Moten off the waiver wire and assess his utilization against Michigan before inserting him into your active roster.
Start
TaQuon Marshall, QB-Georgia Tech vs Bowling Green
TaQuon Marshall has rushed for at least one touchdown in each of Georgia Tech’s first four games this year. He has topped the 100-yard rushing mark in two of the last three games and has carried the ball 53 times in the past two weeks. Expect Marshall to shoulder the load this weekend when the Yellow Jackets host Bowling Green. The Falcons have the worst run defense in the FBS, giving up 333.5 yards per game on the ground, and they have given up 15 rushing touchdowns in four games.
Desmond Ridder, QB-Cincinnati at UConn
If you are a fantasy owner that likes taking advantage of weekly matchups, Desmond Ridder is the quarterback for you in Week 5. On Saturday, Cincinnati travels to UConn to face the worst statistical defense in the FBS. The Huskies are giving up 664.0 total yards per game and 54.5 points per game. The matchup against UConn comes at a perfect time for Ridder’s fantasy owners, as the freshman quarterback is brimming with confidence after accounting for seven touchdowns, five passing and two rushing, in the past two games.
Eno Benjamin, RB-Arizona State vs Oregon State
On the season, Eno Benjamin has rushed for 283 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 18 receptions for 127 yards and a score as a receiver out of the backfield. The sophomore running back’s numbers have been solid so far, especially when considering that he has faced the top two rush defenses in the FBS this season (Michigan State & San Diego State). On Saturday, Benjamin will face the fourth-worst rush defense in the nation, Oregon State, who are giving up 280.3 rushing yards per game.
Tyrone Owens, New Mexico vs Liberty
In his first three seasons at New Mexico, Tyrone Owens had never carried the ball more than eighteen times in any one game. In three games this season, Owens has carried the ball at least twenty times on two occasions. If the senior back gets another heavy dose of carries this weekend, fantasy owners should get rewarded. Liberty is one of three teams in the FBS that are giving up over 300 yards per game on the ground (308.0).
Kalija Lipscomb, WR-Vanderbilt vs Tennessee State
Over the years, we haven’t had many opportunities to put a Vanderbilt player on our start list, but this is one of those weeks. Kalija Lipscomb has caught at least nine passes in each of the past three games and has scored in three of Vanderbilt’s first four game of 2018, but has yet to register a 100-yard game. Tennessee State is averaging 37.5 points per game this season, so they may hang around long enough for Lipscomb and the Commodores offense to do some damage in the air.
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