CFF Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em – Week 6
In a College Fantasy Football move that will go down in history as nothing short of monumental, Volume Pigs and Purple Reign have combined their CFF “mega powers” to form an unstoppable team.
Each week this heavyweight duo will outline College Fantasy Football players to start and sit at each position, and answer questions submitted on X (Twitter) from our readers.
QUARTERBACKS: Start ‘Em
Purple Reign
Ben Wooldridge (ULLaf) at Southern Miss
Wooldridge is having a sneaky good season so far. If you remove his game against Kennesaw State where the offense didn’t need to throw the ball, he is averaging 32 pass attempts, 267.67 yards, and 2.67 TDs per game in the air. He’s also averaging 6.67 rush attempts for 25.67 yards and 1 TD on the ground per game. Southern Miss has a rush defense ranked #128 and a pass defense ranked #70 in fantasy points allowed. This looks like a game where Wooldridge should have success in the air and on the ground.
Tyler Huff (JacSt) at Kennesaw State
Huff struggled in his season opener, then had a decent showing against Louisville in Week 2. Since then Huff is playing well in the passing game and the ground game. He is averaging 25 pass attempts for 273.5 yards and 1.5 passing TDs per game to go with 12.5 rushing attempts for 78.5 yards and 0.5 rushing TDs per game. This week he gets a defense that is not good in all phases, ranking #118 against the pass and #73 against the run in fantasy points allowed. Teams tend to run more than normal against Kennesaw State so expect a very productive day on the ground.
Volume Pigs
Bryson Dailey (Army) vs. Tulsa
Dailey continues to see 20+ carries as the option QB for the Knights. I wasn't a full believer last week, and I’m still holding my breath for the bottom to fall out. But this is another great matchup with a weak Tulsa team. You could do worse if you’re in need of a pivot this week (and I’m sure some of you are with these BYEs piling up).
Emmett Brown (SJSU) vs. Nevada
Brown is coming off two strong performances vs. Kennesaw State and Washington State. He continues to pump Nick Nash with 20+ targets per game and the formula seems to still be working. Until opposing defensive coordinators figure out that the ball is headed Nash’s way (and by extension giving Brown some nice CFF points in the process), I don’t see a reason not to draw from the well once more.
QUARTERBACKS: Sit ‘Em
Purple Reign
Miller Moss (USC) at Minnesota
Moss has adapted well to Big Ten play with a total of 96 pass attempts for 591 yards for 6 TDs in two games. The USC offense is playing well enough that Moss won’t have a terrible day, but he shouldn’t reach the numbers we’ve seen over the last two weeks. Minnesota has the #1 ranked pass defense in fantasy points allowed. The more favorable match-up for USC is on the ground where their run offense is ranked #60 in fantasy points scored and Minnesota has the #67 ranked rush defense in fantasy points scored. Expect USC to run more this week with a complimentary passing game in their gameplan.
Sawyer Robertson (Bayl) at Iowa State
Robertson took over the starting quarterback job and has performed extremely well. The offense is doing better overall and Robertson has been the catalyst. Over the last three weeks he is averaging 31 pass attempts for 240 yards and 1.67 passing TDs to go with 8 rushing attempts for 38.67 yards and 1 rushing TD per game. This week he faces an Iowa State defense that is very tough to handle. The Cyclones rank #2 in pass defense and #38 in rush defense for fantasy points allowed. Vegas is looking at Baylor to only score 17 points so scoring opportunities will be at a premium this week.
Volume Pigs
Nico Iamaleava (Tenn) vs. Arkansas
It’s puzzling that we haven’t seen a truly elite CFF asset at QB under Heupel since Hendon Hooker back in 2022. Iamaleava hasn’t exactly filled those shoes. Maybe this is the week that breaks the dam, but I’m not putting my trust in the 8 million dollar man this week.
RUNNING BACKS: Start ‘Em
Purple Reign
Terion Stewart (BGSU) at Akron
Stewart had an amazing season opener against Fordham, running the ball 14 times for 161 yards and 3 TDs. Then he got hurt and missed time before returning two weeks ago in a limited role. Last week he ran the ball 20 times for 67 yards and 1 TD against Old Dominion. This week he faces off against an Akron rush defense that ranks #125 in fantasy points allowed. Vegas expects Bowling Green to score 33 points in this contest which means that Stewart has a good opportunity for a 2 TD day.
Joquavious Marks (USC) at Minnesota
I mentioned earlier in my write-up for Miller Moss, the most favorable match-up for USC this week is on the ground and Marks will be the beneficiary of that game plan. He is averaging 15.25 carries per game, and that number should go up this week with the possibility of a 20 rushing attempt day. While averaging 5.5 yards/carry means that Marks should hit 100 yards rushing, and at least 1 TD. Minnesota is giving up 1.4 rushing TDs per game so there is an outside chance Marks gets 2 rushing TD this weekend.
Volume Pigs
Braedon Sloan (Ball St.) vs. WMU
Sloan has proved himself as the designated workhorse for the Cardinal, and he’s generally effective so long as they aren’t overmatched (see Miami and JMU). We need not worry about that any longer, my friends, as we have entered into the fabled MACtion portion of the season. At last, TRUE college football is finally back.
Fluff Bothwell (SALA) vs. Arkansas St.
Peanut butter Fluff has been the talk of the town down there in Mobile and the Jags get a favourable matchup this week. His volume is still spotty, but there should be so much scoring to go around in this one that another two score 100 yarder is absolutely not out of the question.
RUNNING BACKS: Sit ‘Em
Purple Reign
Star Thomas (Duke) at Georgia Tech
Thomas is on a tear. Over the last three weeks he is averaging 23 attempts for 133 yards and 1 TD per game. Georgia Tech is not a stellar defense but they are difficult versus the run, ranking #12 in rush defense for fantasy points allowed. The match-up that Duke will look to exploit is in the passing game where Tech ranks #103 in passing fantasy points allowed. Duke will likely adjust their game plan to feature the passing game but they should still feature Thomas for 15-17 carries to keep the defense balanced. With Vegas calling for Duke to only score 23 points it mean that Thomas may not have much of a chance to reach the end zone if the passing match-up is the one being exploiting in the game.
LeQuint Allen (Syr) at UNLV
UNLV is a legitimate playoff contender this year. People in the college fantasy football space think about offense when we think about UNLV, but their defense is the main reason they’re having so much success this season. Syracuse ranks #123 in rush offense for fantasy points scored and UNLV ranks #22 in rush defense for fantasy points allowed. This is not a product match-up for Allen to rack up fantasy points. Look for Syracuse to lean heavily on the passing game.
Volume Pigs
Treveyon Henderson (OSU) vs. Iowa
Iowa is notoriously strong year after year against the run on defence, and Henderson has been unequivocally pedestrian to start the year splitting work with QJ.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Start ‘Em
Purple Reign
Jeremiah Smith (OSU) vs Iowa
Unless you’ve been living under a rock this season you know that Smith is ridiculously talented. Ohio State faces their first real test of the season with Iowa this weekend. While the Buckeyes prefer to run the ball, they will have to change their game plan as they face the #1 run defense for fantasy points allowed. The Iowa pass defense ranks #71 in fantasy points allowed, and you can expect the Buckeye’s #18 ranked pass offense for fantasy points scored to take advance of this Iowa secondary. Smith will be the guy that gets fed throughout this game and you can expect to see his TD streak remain intact.
Denzel Boston (Wash) vs Michigan
This game will not have offensive fireworks as Vegas currently expects the score of that game to be 22-19 in favor of Washington. The Washington ground game ranks very poorly in fantasy points scored at #103, and the Michigan run defense ranks #22 in fantasy points allowed. This means the Huskies will have to turn to the passing game to score points. Washington’s pass offense ranks #25 in fantasy points scored while Michigan’s pass defense is ranked #114 in fantasy points allowed. Boston should be targeted plenty in this game and the hopes are he is able to find the end zone once or twice. Two TDs on the day is a big ask but I don’t think its impossible.
Volume Pigs
KeAndre Lambert Smith (Aub) vs. UGA
Don’t look now, but KLS is putting together a nice campaign down there on the plains. Hugh Freeze’ seat is getting hotter by the day, but he always puts together a monster game plan vs. his rivals, and UGA is one of Auburn’s biggest rivals. I mean, it’s even called the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry”. They wouldn’t call it that for no reason, right? We saw what Ryan Williams was able to do last week. KLS isn’t Ryan Williams, but he could still carve out a nice performance.
Emmett Mosley (Stanford) vs. VT
Mosley, the true freshman, has a spectacular debut with seven catches on eight targets for 78 yards and a score. Is Virginia Tech a good team? Who knows at this point. If you’re looking for style points, or are just in BYE week hell this week, Mosley’s not a bad option.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Sit ‘Em
Purple Reign
Tory Horton (ColSt) at Oregon State
Horton has been dealing with a groin injury the last couple of weeks and is listed a “probable” for this weekend’s game. The Colorado State passing game has been just awful this season, ranking #129 in fantasy points scored. Getting Horton back will provide a burst, but it might not be enough against Oregon State’s #50 ranked pass defense for fantasy points allowed. The safe bet is that Horton will not be at full 100% if he plays, and Vegas has cooked that into the odds this week with the Rams projected to score just 18 points.
Cameron Ross (JMU) at UL-Monroe
This is an intriguing match-up. Ross has been playing well, with only being held to under 10 fantasy points in one game. But when you break down his numbers there’s reason to worry. Against North Carolina Ross had 11 targets and in his other three games has a combined 12 targets. He’s scored only one TD outside of the North Carolina game and that was in last week’s blowout against Ball State. He also only cracked 50 receiving yards once outside of the North Carolina game. Now he faces tough UL-Monroe pass defense that ranks #23 in fantasy points allowed. The Warhawks are much worse on the ground with a #78 ranked rush defense. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ross puts up a stat line similar to 4 targets for 3 receptions, 45 yards and no TDs.
Volume Pigs
Andrew Armstrong (ARK) vs. Tenn
The Vols defence looks to be a formidable force this year and I’m not sure Woo Pig will be able to score much in this game. Armstrong continues to see strong volume, but the scoring opportunities the last two weeks have been limited.
TIGHT ENDS: Start ‘Em
Purple Reign
Eli Wilson (App) at Marshal
Vegas expects this game to be a one-score game with App State scoring 27 points to Marshal’s 31 points. I love me some contested close scoring games for TE selections. Marshall has a slight edge in the passing match-up with their pass defense ranked #42 in fantasy points allowed and App State’s pass offense ranked at #46 in fantasy points scored. App State will have to pass in this game and Wilson should get a decent target share in this one.
Volume Pigs
Jacob Newell (Akron) vs. BGSU
Anytime a TE is coming off 11 targets the conventional wisdom is that the next week will be a let down, but this season has been anything but conventional so far. Newell also hasn’t seen less than five targets since week one; and the one principle I refuse to fail to adhere to in CFF, no matter who strange things get, is that following the volume is a good idea.
TIGHT ENDS: Sit ‘Em
Purple Reign
Colston Loveland (Mich) at Washington
We all know that Michigan has abandoned the passing game this year. Since QB Alex Orji took over Loveland is averaging 4.5 targets a game when he was averaging twice that much before. He also hasn’t scored since the first game this season. Michigan’s pass offense is ranked #127 in fantasy points scored and they will face the strength of the Washington defense, with their pass defense ranking #5 in fantasy points allowed.
READER SUBMISSIONS
Andrew Bracht
6 point passing TDs
Superflex pick 2: McCloud (TxSt) @ Troy, Barnett (JMU) @ ULM, Brown (SJSU) vs Nev, Gleason (Toled) vs MiaOH, Green (WVU) @ OKST?
Purple Reign: All of your options have positive pass defense match-ups with Brown having the best match-up. What jumps out to me is that Brown is the only player who has a negative rush defense match-up. All the other QBs are in games where the RBs should have increased success and potentially steal scoring opportunities. Brown on the other hand will have to carry the offense on his back against Nevada. In terms of how many points Vegas expects, San Jose is anywhere from 8 to 3 points less than the other teams in this question. I like the situation that San Jose and Brown have for them. I do see McCloud, Barnett, and Greene as very similar to one another but just a bit behind Brown.
Volume Pigs: I featured Brown above so you can see that section for my thoughts on him. On the face of it, McCloud’s matchup vs. Troy seems tough, but consider that the Trojans have been playing pretty pedestrian pass offences so far this season, and that has undoubtedly bolstered their numbers. I don’t buy them as an elite defence yet. As such, I’d roll with old reliable here. I wouldn’t be upset about starting Barnett, Brown or Greene either though.
READER SUBMISSIONS
Mike Patterson - RMP
Power 4 Only, 6 point passing TD, 0.5 point PPR
QB pick 1: Mertz (Fla) vs UCF or Reed (TxAM) vs Mizzou?
WR pick 2: Badger (Fla) vs UCF, Jackson (Wash) vs Mich, Jackson (MIN) vs USC, Bernard (Bama) @ Vandy?
Purple Reign: QB: Connor Weigman will be a game time decision this week. I would not feel comfortable putting Reed in my line-up knowing he might not play, Mertz is the safe play here. WR: I like putting in Badger for the stack with Mertz and maximizing the fantasy points from that game. For the other pick I’m looking at Jackson and Bernard. Both are good match-ups with a pass defense. Washington will be leaning on the pass and Jackson will have to compete with Boston for the limited scoring opportunities in this one. Jackson will get more receptions than Bernard so the PPR points will help. Alabama is expected to score almost twice the amount that Washington will. Bernard has more people to compete with for scoring opportunities and this could be a game where the Bama RBs get more touches. I think if you want the safe floor option you roll with Jackson. If you want to shoot for the high risk/upside then you roll with Bernard.
Volume Pigs: The matchup here is crucial as UCF is a more forgiving defence than Mizzou’s. We also don’t know for sure that Reed is the starter, or if they’ll still use packages with Weigmann. I prefer Mertz. At WR, I’d roll with both Jacksons but I don’t feel great about either.