Be on the lookout for our Week 4 Deep Sleepers, scheduled to be published on Friday.
Bench
Javonte Williams, RB-North Carolina vs Appalachian State
Consider: Javonte Williams seemed to be on the fast track to becoming the Tar Heels’ clear No. 1 running back. He carried the ball 18 times for 102 yards in the opener against South Carolina and carried the ball ten times for 76 yards and a touchdown in a Week 2 win over Miami. However, an early fumble against Wake Forest last week opened the door for Michael Carter, who led the team with 96 rushing yards in a 24-18 loss. Owners need to play it safe this week because we fear there could be a time-share situation in Saturday’s game against Appalachian State.
Jaylen Warren, RB-Utah State at San Diego State
Consider: After two games, Utah State is averaging 48.5 points per game and running back Jaylen Warren has topped the 100-yard mark twice, while scoring three touchdowns. However, a Week 4 matchup at San Diego State takes the optimism out of Warren’s fantasy potential. The Aztecs have only allowed 42.3 rushing yards per game and are allowing 8.0 points per game, which is fourth-best in the FBS.
Benny LeMay, RB-Charlotte at Clemson
Consider: The Charlotte offense is off to a fast start in 2019, scoring at least 41 points in each of their first three games. Running back Benny LeMay has proven his fantasy worth, totaling over 400 yards of offense and scoring five touchdowns during that stretch. While the 49ers’ CUSA schedule looks too good to be true, fantasy owners should sidestep this matchup against Clemson and consider other options at running back.
Kobe Lewis, RB-Central Michigan at Miami
Consider: Kobe Lewis was listed among our Week 3 Deep Sleepers, and the sophomore back didn’t disappoint anyone who took a chance on him, as he carried the ball 27 times for 146 yards and three touchdowns in Central Michigan’s 45-24 win over Akron. However, Miami’s defense is an entirely different conversation, and in no way do we recommend giving Lewis a start against the Hurricanes.
Tony Jones, RB-Notre Dame at Georgia
Consider: Due to the fact Notre Dame went into their Week 3 home game against New Mexico thin at running back, we felt Tony Jones was worth a start. We were wrong. Jones led all Irish running backs with six carries last week, but finished as the team’s fourth-leading rusher with just 17 yards. Lesson learned. Fool us once, shame on us, but he won’t get a chance to fool us again. It would be wise for fantasy owners to steer clear of Jones on the road at Georgia.
Start
Holton Ahlers, East Carolinavs William & Mary
Consider: To mention the East Carolina offense is off to a slow start would be an understatement. The Pirates lost 34-6 at NC State in Week 1 and 42-10 last week at Navy. While he has three rushing touchdowns in three games, quarterback Holton Ahlers has yet to total more than 300 yards of offense in a game this season. We expect that to change on Saturday because ECU is trying to avoid losing to an FCS opponent for a third straight season.
Rakeem Boyd, RB-Arkansas vs Southern Illinois
Consider: Boyd has carried the ball at least 17 times in each of the Razorbacks’ first three games. In two non-conference games, the junior running back is averaging 118 rushing yards per game and has totaled three touchdowns. This Saturday, Arkansas hosts another non-conference opponent, San Jose State, and the Spartans are giving up 183 yards per game on the ground.
Tre Siggers, RB-North Texas vs UTSA
Consider: Siggers has emerged as the Mean Green’s top back over the previous two games, carrying the ball 36 times for 252 yards and a touchdown. On Saturday, North Texas hosts UTSA, and the Roadrunners are giving up 245.3 yards per game on the ground, which is seventh-worst in the FBS, so don’t hesitate to get the sophomore back into an active slot.
Marvin Kinsey, RB-Colorado State vs Toledo
Consider: Three games into the 2019 season, senior running back Marvin Kinsey is averaging 157 total yards of offense per game and has scored three touchdowns. Now that the Rams lost starting quarterback Collin Hill to a season-ending knee injury, the offense may need to lean on the running game in this week’s home matchup against Toledo.
Ronnie Rivers, RB-Fresno State vs Sacramento State
Consider: Fresno State has opened the season 0-2, their worst start since 2014. Junior running back Ronnie Rivers totaled over 1,000 yards of offense last year and scored ten rushing touchdowns, but has yet to score on the ground this year. A matchup against Sacramento State has come at just the right time for Rivers’ fantasy owners. After Sacramento State gave Arizona State everything they could handle in Week 2, we don’t expect the Bulldogs to take their foot off the gas in a must-win situation.
Trishton Jackson, WR-Syracuse vs Western Michigan
Consider: If you have followed this site since preseason, you know that we have been on Trishton Jackson as Syracuse’s top fantasy receiver. Two weeks ago, he hauled in seven passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns against Maryland. Last week against Clemson, Jackson only caught two passes for 16 yards, but he had a deep pass slip through his arms in the end zone. Expect fantasy redemption for Jackson’s owners when the Orange host Western Michigan Saturday afternoon.