Week 1 gives us a full Power Four slate and plenty of difficult lineup decisions.

The goal here is not to tell you to start the obvious stars. We are looking for the players whose matchup, role or current situation could be the difference in your campus lineup this week.

As always, every C2C league is different. Your scoring, lineup requirements and roster can change a close decision.

All kickoff times are Eastern.

Quarterbacks

Starts

Jayden Maiava, USC

• vs. Fresno State 
• Friday @ 9 p.m.

Maiava picked up right where he left off. He completed 25 of 29 passes for 286 yards and 2 touchdowns against San Jose State while adding another touchdown on the ground. He looked good; the rushing involvement was there, and USC gave him plenty of chances to attack.

The biggest concern against Fresno State is probably USC taking control early enough that Maiava loses some opportunities late. I am not sitting him because of that.

Katin Houser, Illinois

• vs. UAB
• Thursday @ 9 p.m.

Houser arrives at Illinois after throwing for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns at East Carolina last season while adding another 9 rushing touchdowns. That rushing production is a big part of why I like him immediately in C2C.

UAB returns only 3 starters and added 42 transfers, so there are a lot of moving pieces on that defense. Houser gets a good matchup for his Illinois debut, and his ability to produce with his legs gives him another way to give us a big fantasy night.

Jaylen Raynor, Iowa State

• vs. Southeast Missouri
• Saturday @ 1 p.m.

Raynor finished last season with 3,361 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns and 7 rushing touchdowns. He also threw for 345 yards and 3 touchdowns against Southeast Missouri last season.

We already know he can hurt a defense with his arm and his legs. The only thing working against him here is game script. If Iowa State gets comfortable early, we could lose some second-half passing volume. There should be enough production before that happens.

Sits

Davis Warren, Stanford

• vs. Miami
• Friday @ 9 p.m.

Warren threw for 310 yards in Stanford’s Week 0 win over Hawaii, so this is not about ignoring what he just did. The problem is the matchup.

Miami is a completely different test. Warren should still have passing volume if Stanford falls behind, but pressure, negative plays and turnovers become much bigger concerns this week. Add the questions surrounding Stanford’s skill players, and I would rather not chase the Week 0 production.

Christopher Vizzina, Clemson

• @ LSU
• Saturday @ 7:30 p.m.

Clemson named Vizzina the starter, but Tait Reynolds is also expected to play. That is enough to make me uncomfortable in a difficult road matchup at LSU.

We have seen the upside from Vizzina. He has a previous start with 317 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. The problem is that a quarterback rotation can destroy a fantasy floor very quickly. Until Vizzina completely takes control of this job, I am staying away.

Ashton Daniels, Florida State

• vs. SMU
• Monday @ 7:30 p.m.

Daniels gave us 1 passing touchdown and 1 rushing touchdown against New Mexico State, but Florida State’s passing game was still inconsistent. His legs will always give him a path to fantasy production, but this is a much tougher matchup.

Florida State also has enough talent in the backfield that the offense does not need to run through Daniels every week. I am not comfortable trusting that floor against SMU.

Running Backs

Starts

Jamal Roberts, Missouri

• vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff
• Thursday @ 8 p.m.

Ahmad Hardy will miss the opener while continuing his recovery, and that puts Roberts in a great spot to lead this Missouri backfield. Roberts rushed for 753 yards and 6 touchdowns last season while adding 18 receptions as the second option.

Now we get the combination we want. A larger role and a matchup Missouri should control. There is always a chance the reserves take over late if this gets ugly, but Roberts should get plenty of opportunities before that happens.

Antwan Raymond, Rutgers

• vs. UMass
• Thursday @ 6 p.m.

Raymond rushed for 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns last season while adding 225 receiving yards and another 2 receiving touchdowns. That is the type of workload I want to attack against UMass.

Rutgers should be able to establish the run early, and Raymond has already shown us he can handle volume and finish drives near the goal line. He could lose some late carries if Rutgers takes complete control, but I am not worried about that enough to sit him.

King Miller, USC

• vs. Fresno State
• Friday @ 9 p.m.

Miller led USC’s running backs with 15 carries for 63 yards and 1 touchdown in Week 0. Waymond Jordan finished with 8 carries for 48 yards, so this is still a shared backfield.

The difference right now is that Miller showed us the safer workload in the opener. Jordan is going to remain involved, but until we see that split change, Miller is the USC back I trust more for Week 1.

Sits

Micah Ford, Stanford

• vs. Miami
• Friday @ 9 p.m.

Ford was outstanding against Hawaii. He handled 25 carries and found the end zone 3 times, confirming that this is his backfield. I still do not love the Week 1 setup.

Miami is a major jump in competition, and Stanford may not be able to give Ford the same type of game script or scoring opportunities he had in Week 0. His receiving work can help, but I am not chasing the 3-touchdown performance into this matchup.

Isaiah West, Ohio State

• vs. Ball State
• Saturday @ 12:30 p.m.

West is still behind Bo Jackson in an Ohio State backfield that has enough talent to use multiple runners. This is one of those matchups where West could absolutely end up producing.

The problem is figuring out when those touches are coming. If Ohio State takes control early, West could have a big second half. That sounds great after the game, but relying on late blowout work is not how I want to build my starting lineup.

Samuel Singleton Jr., Florida State

• vs. SMU
• Monday @ 7:30 p.m.

Singleton showed exactly why he belongs on C2C rosters with 96 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns against New Mexico State while also catching 4 passes.

The problem for Week 1 is the backfield split. Ousmane Kromah led the group with 14 carries for 115 yards, while Tre Wisner was also involved.

I still like Singleton and want him on my roster, but right now we are asking him to stay extremely efficient on limited touches. Against SMU, I would rather wait before trusting him in my starting lineup.

Wide Receivers

Starts

KJ Duff, Rutgers

• vs. UMass
• Thursday @ 6 p.m.

Duff returns after catching 60 passes for 1,084 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. There is no mystery about his role in this offense.

He is the established top target and gives us the safest receiving floor Rutgers has to offer. The only concern is Rutgers controlling the game enough that the passing volume drops. Duff does not need a huge number of opportunities to make his night worthwhile.

Trent Mosley, USC

• vs. Fresno State
• Friday @ 9 p.m.

Well, that did not take long. Mosley opened his college career with 7 receptions for 118 yards and 1 touchdown against San Jose State. More importantly, it did not look like some random late-game breakout. He was involved in USC’s actual passing attack.

There will still be some weekly volatility because USC has plenty of weapons, but we saw exactly what we needed to see from Mosley in Week 0. For C2C, I am going right back to him.

Chris Marshall, Arkansas

• vs. North Alabama
• Saturday @ 4:15 p.m.

Marshall opens the season as one of Arkansas’ starting outside receivers after averaging 19.1 yards per reception at Boise State. The biggest thing I like here is the type of role.

Marshall does not need 10 receptions to give us a good fantasy day. His ability to win downfield gives him a ceiling that can show up on only a few opportunities.

Arkansas might not need to throw the ball all afternoon, but Marshall should have chances to make something happen before the game gets away from North Alabama.

Sits

David Pantelis, Stanford

• vs. Miami
• Friday @ 9 p.m.

Pantelis entered Week 0 as one of the more interesting players in Stanford’s passing game. Then he did not record a reception.

I am not giving up on him because of 1 game, especially in C2C, but I am also not pretending the Week 0 usage did not happen. Now he gets Miami. That is not the matchup where I want to bet on his role suddenly changing.

Tyshawn Russell, Syracuse

• vs. New Hampshire
• Saturday @ noon

Russell has been dealing with an ankle injury and is expected to play. That does not automatically mean he is ready for a normal workload.

The New Hampshire matchup gives him plenty of big play potential if he is healthy, but Syracuse does not need to force the issue here. I want to see Russell get through a full game and show us that the ankle is not limiting his snaps before putting him back into the lineup.

Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson

• @ LSU
• Saturday @ 7:30 p.m.

Wesco has the talent to make me look wrong very quickly. He finished last season with 537 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns despite playing only 7 games due to his injury. 

My concern has nothing to do with the talent. This is his first game back; Clemson is going into LSU, and we could see multiple quarterbacks. That is too much uncertainty for me in Week 1.

Tight Ends

Starts

DJ Vonnahme, Iowa

• vs. Northern Illinois
• Saturday @ 4:15 p.m.

Vonnahme led Iowa with 29 receptions for 434 yards and 3 touchdowns last season, including 19 receptions over his final 5 games. We know Iowa is willing to use the tight end, and Vonnahme already showed us he can be a real part of the passing game.

Northern Illinois gives him a good opening matchup, especially if Iowa can get him involved near the goal line.

Willie Rodriguez, Kentucky

• vs. Youngstown State
• Saturday @ 1 p.m.

Rodriguez caught 23 passes for 310 yards last season and enters 2026 as an important part of Kentucky’s offense. I like the combination of an established role and a favorable opening matchup.

Kentucky may not need to throw heavily if this game goes the way we expect, but Rodriguez should still have opportunities early and around the goal line.

Trey’Dez Green, LSU

• vs. Clemson
• Saturday @ 7:30 p.m.

Green caught 33 passes for 433 yards and a team-leading 7 touchdowns last season. At 6-foot-7, he gives LSU a mismatch that becomes even more valuable near the end zone. 

Clemson can make life difficult on this offense, but Green does not need 8 or 9 receptions to give us a strong fantasy day. His touchdown upside keeps him in my lineup.

Sits

Dorian Thomas, California

• vs. UCLA
• Saturday @ 10:30 p.m.

Thomas is questionable with an undisclosed injury. We know what the upside can look like after he caught 56 passes for 560 yards at New Mexico.

My problem is that we do not know what his workload will look like even if he is cleared. I do not want to find out after kickoff that he is active but limited.

Benji Blackburn, Stanford

• vs. Miami
• Friday @ 9 p.m.

Blackburn caught 5 passes for 49 yards against Hawaii, which was encouraging. Now we need some perspective.

He entered the season with only 9 career receptions, and Stanford gets a massive defensive upgrade with Miami coming to town. The receptions could still be there, but I do not see enough ceiling yet to take the risk in this matchup.

Mark Bowman, USC

• vs. Fresno State
• Friday @ 9 p.m.

This one hurts to say. Bowman started as a true freshman and caught 3 passes for 15 yards in USC’s opener. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still one of my favorite true freshmen, and I love where this can eventually go.

Right now USC just has too many receivers and running backs demanding touches for me to trust Bowman’s red zone role. I have him rostered everywhere, but I need to see how this plays out with all those other true freshman weapons around the red zone.

Final Close Calls

If you are stuck between 2 players, these are my Week 1 tiebreakers.

1. Katin Houser over Christopher Vizzina. Houser owns the complete job and gives us the better rushing floor.
2. Jamal Roberts over Samuel Singleton Jr. Roberts has the much clearer path to lead back volume.
3. Trent Mosley over Bryant Wesco Jr. Mosley already showed us that he has a real role in USC’s offense.
4. Willie Rodriguez over Mark Bowman. Rodriguez gives us the more established receiving role right now.

Week 1 is where we finally get most of college football back, but that does not mean we need to get cute with our lineups.

Trust the roles we know, take advantage of the matchups we like, and do not let 1 big game or 1 exciting name talk you into ignoring the situation around the player.

Stay ready. Stay early. Win Now, Brag Later. Always Be Scouting.

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