College Fantasy Football Week 3 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: What to do with Amare Thomas, Jordan Marshall, more

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The college fantasy football landscape is rapidly changing due to injuries and depth chart movement. With some huge matchups set to kickoff this weekend, here are my Week 3 Start/Sit recommendations. 

True freshman Faizon Brandon flashed his massive upside in the season opener against FCS Furman, lighting up the Paladins for 226 passing yards and three touchdown passes while rolling up 68 rushing yards and two rushing scores for a robust 39.8 Yahoo fantasy points. Tennessee HC Josh Heupel noted that Brandon displayed “poise and control” after his first 45-24 road win against Georgia Tech, where the QB completed just 10-of-21 passes for 16.1 fantasy points as UT recorded a dominant 299 rushing yards. He has been very effective downfield, completing 7-of-11 passes of 11+ yards with all five of his passing touchdowns occurring in the mid-to-long range. This week’s tune-up versus a lower-echelon G6 program Kennesaw State is Heupel’s last chance to get Brandon a live-action confidence boost with a home showdown against SEC juggernaut Texas on tap in Week 4. I think we see a reprieve of Faizon’s explosion against Furman, which should lead to another 30+ fantasy points for the promising freshman, making him a quality streaming option this week.

  • Rocco Becht, Penn State vs. Buffalo

Becht has a high floor in this lopsided matchup against a porous Buffalo defense that is allowing 18.7 yards per successful dropback (132nd) with 20% of passes defended being 20+ yards downfield. He has thrown seven touchdowns with zero interceptions in Penn State’s first two games and is an extremely safe bet for another 3+ TD passes.

  • Gunner Stockton, Georgia at Arkansas

Georgia has done literally whatever they want through their first two games, scoring 133 points against hapless Tennessee State and Western Kentucky. Stockton has thrown eight touchdowns and effortlessly cruised down the field against each team before hitting the showers at halftime. He now should play his first full game and cross the 25-point barrier against SEC opponent Arkansas, who just got clobbered 43-10 by Utah.

Sheppard has taken the college fantasy football world by storm as he leads the P4 with 374 rushing yards on 6.3 YPC with an eye popping 25.4% of his carries going for 10+ yards. With the Blue Devils losing irreplaceable QB Darian Mensah (Miami) and their top-two WRs Cooper Barkate (Miami) and Que’Sean Brown (Virginia Tech), Sheppard has become the focal point of OC Jonathan Brewer’s offense, which is running the ball 69% of the time on standard downs (20th in FBS) and leads the nation with 46.2% of the team’s pass attempts being thrown to players running routes out of the backfield.

Sheppard hasn’t just feasted on lower-level opponents either, facing perennial G6 stalwart Tulane (17-3 win) and Big Ten foe Illinois on the road (31-27 win). Sheppard will be keyed on again this week as Duke opens its ACC schedule against a leaky Stanford defense that has allowed a 46.5% success rate (123rd) and is allowing 36.0 PPG through two games. He is my Week 3 fantasy RB1 and should be started in all formats. 

  • Jadan Baugh, Florida at Auburn

I unleashed a certified campaign in the offseason letting anyone who would listen to me know that Jadan Baugh is the RB1 of the 2027 NFL Draft and has a legitimate shot at leading the nation in rushing yards. He is a matchup-proof, must-start in all formats going forward until further notice. Think Marshawn Lynch-lite.

  • Wayshawn Parker, Utah vs. Utah State

Parker has made up for his lack of goal-line equity last year by scoring an absurd six total touchdowns with eight receptions for a gaudy 30.6 fantasy PPG average. Utah OC Kevin McGiven led the Utah State offense last season and should have little trouble dissecting the Aggies defense that allowed 29 points to Idaho State. 

  • Jeremy Payne, TCU vs. Arkansas State

Despite looking dynamic handling 25 carries for 142 yards with 5 receptions against UNC in Week 1, and TCU scoring 63 points against Grambling last week, Payne still hasn’t scored a touchdown. He should easily top 100-yards and find the end zone against Arkansas State’s pitiful run defense that is allowing 2.90 yards before contact (132nd in FBS).

You might be tempted to bench Thomas since Houston is going up against the seemingly mythical Texas Tech defense that smothered every offense in their wake last year. However, several key cogs of the Red Raiders’ D are now in the NFL leaving DC Shiel Wood to work with an objectively less-talented group this season. The talent disparity showed up last week with Oregon State’s rising QB Brady Atkinson lighting up the TT secondary for 399 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with the hottest freshman WR in the country, Jesse Legree, who caught eight passes for a sensational 240 yards and two touchdowns.

OSU’s explosion bodes well for Houston’s volume hog Thomas, who is commanding 32% of Houston’s targets with 73% of his receptions gaining first down yardage after averaging a sterling 15.1 PPG in 2025. Don’t be fooled into benching Thomas in this pivotal Big 12 showdown, as Houston will need to throw to keep pace with Texas Tech in what projects to be a very aggressive game script.

  • Tony Diaz, Iowa vs. Northern Iowa

The most explosive receiver in the 28-year history of Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeye tenure, Diaz has received 25 targets and one designed run, which he has converted into 189 total yards and a touchdown for 16.2 PPG. Diaz should find the end zone again, as he will have to pick up the slack for injured star TE DJ Vonnahme. 

  • Omarion Miller, Arizona State at Kansas

Miller erupted for eight catches, 102 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 before posting one of the strangest stat lines of Week 2, turning 16 targets into nine receptions for just 29 yards. He should once again score double-digit fantasy points against a vulnerable Kansas secondary. 

  • Donovan Olugbode, Missouri vs. Troy

Few P4 wideouts have seen a meteoric rise like Olugbode, as secured at least six receptions for 100+ and a touchdown in each of his first two contests. He should feast on an overmatched Troy secondary. 

I had the opportunity to watch the Massachusetts native completely dominate the Elite 11 Finals and display a noticeable chemistry with his now college QB at Virginia Tech, Ethan Grunkemeyer. The two emerging juniors are leading an aggressive Virginia Tech passing attack that is averaging 339 yards per game with 41% of team pass attempts being wide open (eighth in FBS).

New HC James Franklin has the Hokies throwing at top-25 rates on both standard and passing downs which reflects the trust he has in the cerebral Grunkemeyer who started seven games in 2025 for Penn State in relief of Drew Allar, winning his last four starts. For his part, Reynolds has been a force to be reckoned with, averaging 20.1 half-PPR fantasy points per game which ranks No. 1 the nation amongst his fellow tight ends. Reynolds leads the team in targets, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and is expected to receive another eight-target workload this weekend against an up-tempo Maryland team that should breed a competitive environment with plenty of aerial action. 

  • Mark Bowman, USC at Rutgers

Bowman is the unquestioned freshman Tight End of the Year so far this season, as he broke out in a huge way with six receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns last week versus Louisiana. He has the pleasure of facing a Rutgers team that fielded the most generous fantasy defense in the entire P4 last year, and he should feast once again.

  • Rocky Beers, Oklahoma vs. New Mexico

Beers was listed behind blocking TE Hayden Hansen on the initial depth chart, but has taken over Jaren Kanak’s high-target flex-TE role that garnered him nine targets for 94 yards last week vs. Michigan. With QB John Mateer struggling to throw outside the hashes, expect Beers to have another strong game against New Mexico this week.

It’s hard to believe that the same Will Hammond who averaged 7.0 yards per carry while rushing for 299 yards and five rushing scores through nine games is the same QB who has run for -11 yards on eight carries against Abilene Christian and Oregon State. Hammond suffered a season ending knee ligament tear that required surgery to repair. His recovery timetable was rushed when the Sorsby fiasco unfolded, leaving Hammond as the only true startable option in the Tech QB room until a court ruling allowed former Florida State dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos to join the team in late-August.

Castellanos did not play in Week 1 but was instrumental in Tech’s 35-24 victory over Oregon State, throwing an eight-yard touchdown pass and running five times for 15 yards and another touchdown on the ground. HC Joey Maguire lauded Castellanos for being “dangerous with the ball in his hands” and vowed to involve Castellanos more in the offense. Such positive news is catastrophic for Hammond’s CFF value, and positions Castellanos to potentially take over the starting job if Hammond can’t perform to expectations. Hammond is a must-sit in Week 3 and will be extremely tough to trust in a college fantasy context going forward.

  • Sam Leavitt, LSU at Ole Miss

Leavitt is questionable/doubtful to play at Ole Miss, so even if he does suit up the possibility of an early exit in a heated rivalry game is enough to exercise caution and bench Leavitt at The Grove.

  • KJ Jackson, Arkansas vs. Georgia

Jackson looked completely overmatched in a cross-country, non-conference matchup against Utah last weekend, and is in line to be replaced by four-star backup QB AJ Hill if he starts slowly against Georgia’s rugged defense. 

Michigan is somehow 2-0 despite scoring just 30 points in two games and needing one of the most controversial game clock rulings in modern history to defeat Western Michigan 13-12. The Wolverines have converted just 7-of-23 third downs and rank a dismal 127th in rushing success rate, as they have gone 3-and-out a shocking 43% of the time (129th in FBS). Starting RB Jordan Marshall took over the lead rushing duties last year after Justice Haynes went down with an injury, running for 932 rushing yards, 6.2 YPC and 10 touchdowns for a respectable 15.6 fantasy PPG.

However, Marshall is splitting carries with five-star freshman phenom Savion Hiter, who looks dynamic and ready to be a major contributor in the passing game right out of the gate, securing all four of his targets for 40 yards. The struggles of QB Bryce Underwood have been well documented in derailing UM’s ability to move the ball down the field as well, allowing defenses to stack 7-8 men in the box and dare Underwood to beat them vertically. The result has been to run Underwood 24 times for a team-leading 145 rushing yards, which has marginalized Marshall’s role in the offense. Marshall carried a second-round ADP in Yahoo leagues this offseason, but his diminished usage profile and modest 8.2 fantasy points per game make him a sit in Week 3 as Michigan flails to correct their sputtering offense.

  • Kendrick Raphael, SMU at Louisville

Raphael was a volume hog with Cal last season, logging 233 carries with 34 receptions for the Bears. However at SMU he is splitting carries with Dramekco Green and third-down back Derrick McFall which limits his CFF appeal. 

  • Joe Jackson, Kansas State vs. Tulane

Jackson has been able to sustain some fantasy appeal via his six receptions for 96 yards and two touchdown receptions in lopsided victories. However, Rodney Fields is the clear RB1, which means a fall off is on the horizon for RB2 Jackson. 

  • Cameron Dickey, Texas Tech vs. Houston

It has been a precipitous fall for Dickey, who has gone from Texas Tech’s bell cow last season to being on the short-side of a three-way committee alongside J’Koby Williams and Quinten Joyner. He is unstartable until further notice. 

SMU HC Rhett Lashlee had fantasy enthusiasts salivating at the idea of a “James Proche type season” for the shifty slot receiver Yamir Knight. The preseason hype helped to vault Knight into the top-35 of P4 wideouts according to Yahoo ADP, but that optimism has faded after two middling performances to open the season. The Mustangs have spread the ball around to a dizzying degree, with 14 different players catching at least two passes thus far.

While he leads the team with 11 targets his usage reflects a typical slot profile, with the diminutive (5’8”/185 lbs) Knight commanding a modest 4.6 average depth of target and ranking fourth on the team in receiving yardage while securing zero of SMU’s 10 receiving touchdowns. Knight is an effective chain-mover between the 20’s, but he’s a relative ghost in red zone situations which limits his fantasy utility. SMU faces a strong Louisville defense that is allowing a solid 58% completion rate and 35% passing success rate despite facing Ole Miss and star QB Trinidad Chambliss. Knight’s limited route tree and lack of red zone usage means you should leave him on your bench in this tough ACC road showdown. 

  • Bryant Wesco, Clemson vs. UNC

I had my reservations about Wesco heading into the year due to his poor ball-tracking and boom/bust profile. But even I could predict his dismal 67 total yards Wesco has produced thus far. Thrown in true freshman run-first QB Tait Reynolds, and Wesco simply cannot be trusted in your lineup this week.

  • Nyck Harbor, South Carolina vs. Mississippi State

Somehow, Harbor has only accrued 105 receiving yards and zero scores despite SC scoring 102 points against helpless opponents. It’s feast or famine with Harbor, so bench him until we see him justify a starting lineup spot. 

  • Chris Marshall, Arkansas vs. Georgia

While Marshall is the primary target for Arkansas, catching 12 passes for 142 yards in his first two games, it is impossible to trust Arkansas’ limping offense that is going to get crushed by Georgia.

Oakley was a hot commodity in the offseason after recording 38 receptions for 389 yards and six touchdowns last year, boasting 13 total touchdown receptions in his three years with the Wildcats. However, that was under former HC Chris Kleiman who preferred to target his tight ends much more often than new HC Collin Klein. Thus far, Oakley has been reduced to a safety valve, catching two of four targets for 40 yards and zero touchdowns despite Kansas State ringing up 105 points and 439 passing yards overall. KSU has relied heavily on the ground game, gashing their two non-conference opponents for 607 rushing yards with a 60% run rate on standard downs.

The team's target distribution has focused heavily on the receivers and running backs, as 37 of Kansas State’s 41 receptions have gone to non-tight ends. Toss in the fact Oakley dropped 12 passes heading into the year, and he’s already dropped one of this four targets this season, and Oakley is a risky start against a Tulane team that Kansas State is favored over by 20.5 points, and Oakley projects as a low-volume, touchdown dependent college fantasy option who will need to score in the first half in case KSU puts their starters on ice in the third-quarter. 

  • Elijah Lofton, Miami at Wake Forest

There were hopes Lofton could inherit a target share similar to former Miami TE Elijah Arroyo, however that dream has been shattered after Lofton received just two targets for 23 yards in Miami’s first two contests.

  • Dylan Wade, UCF vs. Georgia State

A consensus top-five preseason TE, Wade has seen his CFF value plummet after catching just three passes for 35 yards in UCF’s first two games. Toss in the fact starting QB Alonza Barnett is expected to miss the next few weeks, and Wade simply cannot be trusted.

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