College fantasy football: Week 3 start/sit advice – Roll with Ian Book

Need help setting your college fantasy football lineup? These are the players you need to get in your lineups for Week 3 and those you need to avoid.

Quarterback

Start

Ian Book, Notre Dame: Book only has one game under his belt this season, and it wasn’t particularly great through the air (193 yards and a touchdown). But he did add 81 yards and a score on the ground in his team’s winning effort against Louisville. And as a junior last year, he certainly proved himself worthy, producing at least two touchdowns in all but one of his starts, all the while averaging over 290 passing yards and 31-plus on the ground. He’s the engine behind the Irish offense, who just so happen to get a fantasy-friendly matchup with New Mexico. The Lobos are 124th in Bill Connelly’s defensive SP+, which is only part of why Notre Dame is favored by 35 and implied at  49.25 points.

Anthony Gordon, Washington State: The obvious Washington quarterback to target this week is the Huskies’ Jacob Eason, but don’t forget about Gordon, whose Cougars play a day earlier against Houston in a battle of the Cougars. On the road, Mike Leach’s group are 9.5-point favorites in a game with a 75.5-point total; only Texas Tech/Arizona is higher. You’ll want exposure, starting at the top. The senior has thrown for 884 yards and nine touchdowns through two games, and there’s no reason for him to slow down this week. Houston’s allowed 290 passing yards and 2.5 passing touchdowns per game to date.

Sit

Mason Fine, North Texas: Usually Fine is a really good start despite leading a non-power conference team. He threw for over 3,700 yards as a sophomore and junior, but after a good opener, he’s running into a rough patch. Last week at SMU he accounted for just 152 yards and a touchdown not to mention -36 rushing yards. Saturday, he draws a tough California defense that held Washington to 19 points on the road in a Week 2 win. They’ve surrendered a combined 32 points through two, and because of that, they’re a top-25 defense by SP+.

Running Back

Start

Kenny Gainwell, Memphis: Patrick Taylor is to remain out with a left foot injury, but in Memphis, its next man up at the running back spot. On the heels of Tony Pollard and Darrell Henderson, Gainwell — the 1B to Taylor’s 1A — is going to get a heavier workload this week against South Alabama. The increase in volume bodes well for the freshman, who has been efficient with his 32 carries through two games. Just last week, he turned 16 carries into 85 yards and two touchdowns, on top of four catches for 38 yards and a score. Memphis is an 18.5-point favorite against S. Alabama, who — according to Team Rankings — has allowed the 12th-highest rushing play percentage (64.71 percent) through two games. Gainwell checks in at the very top of the must-start list.

Salvon Ahmed, Washington: As previously mentioned, the Huskies find themselves in a high-upside matchup against Hawaii. They are 21-point favorites with a 40-point implied total — a whole touchdown above their average through two games. This will be a higher-scoring affair but one where the Huskies could successfully rely on their rushing game. The Warriors’ defense has given up 220.5 rushing yards per game on 5.9 yards a tote. Ahmed, with a 5.8 career average, should eat with 15-20 carries this week.

Sit

Cam Akers, Florida State: Akers has been one of the few bright spots for the struggling Seminoles so far. The speedy junior has racked up 309 rushing yards with three scores courtesy of the run and another in the air. He’s also garnered 15 and 36 carries, but Virginia’s defense is a very stiff test for any back. The Cavaliers are 19th in both rushing percentage against and defensive SP+, and they allow 15.5 points per game as a unit. And, unfortunately for Akers, they are back on their home turf, where they allowed just over 16 points a year ago. Unless he’s your RB1 there’s no reason to roll the dice on Akers in Week 3.

Wide receiver

Start

Chase Claypool, Notre Dame: This is the weekly connection you’re looking for between your top wideout and top quarterback, who (if you don’t remember) is Ian Book. He tossed it Claypool’s way five times in the opener, while the 6-foot-4 senior wowed with his athleticism as a deep-play threat. Claypool didn’t get a score, and he got banged up a bit, but he’s the number-one guy for the Irish. His five catches were two more than the next-closest teammate while his 94 yards were nearly double that of the Golden Domers second-leading receiver.

Marquez Stevenson, Houston: This is where you continue to hammer that high total in Friday’s surefire firework show. Houston isn’t expected to lie down and give all the points to Wazzu, so be sure to get assets on both sides. Stevenson is the main guy you want in this spot. Prior to this year’s slow start, Stevenson had 75 catches for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore. Last week’s blip was only because of a too favorable matchup, in which the Cougars ran the ball 42 times to their 26 pass attempts from D’Eriq King. That will definitely change given the opponent and game script.

Sit

KJ Hamler, Penn State: Hamler was a start guy last week, and he didn’t do too shabby (3 catches, 62 yards), but this week he goes up against a tougher opponent via an in-state clash with Pittsburgh. Pitt isn’t amazing, and the Nittany Lions are giving 17 in Happy Valley, but they are 42nd as a defense and allow a 57.4 percent completion percentage to quarterbacks. Senior cornerback Dane Jackson has been stellar as the leader of that pass defense, allowing just two completions for 15 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. Expect him to shadow Hamler in an attempt to keep Penn State for pulling away with explosive plays.

Tight end

Start

Jacob Breeland, Oregon: There are a handful of worthwhile tight ends out there this week, yet Breeland is in an obvious spot. His Ducks face Montana in Eugene, and last time I checked Justin Herbert is still his quarterback. It’s not bad to get in on the receiving end of a Heisman hopeful, especially against an FCS-caliber defense. The odds are on Breeland to score, too, because Oregon’s slated for 50-plus points in most sportsbooks.

Sit

Brycen Hopkins, Purdue: The senior tight end is a really reliable outlet for Purdue quarterbacks, as he’s snatched 68 balls going back to 2017. And just this year he’s tallied 125 yards and three touchdowns. But TCU’s defense (16th) is fast and could present problems for Hopkins and the Boilermakers’ offense. Plus, Hopkins is a bit touchdown-dependent so if this stays low-scoring — like TCU would like — then Hopkins is probably best avoided in favor of a cheaper target in DFS. If you have a better option in season-long, this week would be the one to sit Hopkins as well.