College Fantasy Football: Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em, Notre Dame Football Edition

As you may have read in a previous article, the staff at Slap the Sign formed a College Fantasy Football league this summer. In conjunction with that, we will be publishing weekly Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em articles focusing solely on Notre Dame football players.

You definitely don’t have to play College Fantasy Football to enjoy these articles. It’s an analysis of the Notre Dame football matchup each week through the lens of fantasy football.

Each week I will identify a handful of Irish players that I think will perform well on gameday (start ’em) and a handful of players that I think will not (sit ’em).

There could not possibly be more hype heading into Notre Dame’s week one showdown against Michigan. The College Gameday crew will be there, fans will have a few extra hours to tailgate (pray for us), and then two of the most iconic programs in college football will battle under the lights.

What a time to be alive.

Start ‘Em

Notre Dame Defense (DST)

I am expecting this to be a low scoring game so the floor for the Notre Dame Defense in terms of CFF points is pretty high. One of the perceived strengths of the Notre Dame defense is the defensive line and one of the perceived weaknesses of the Michigan offense is the offensive line. The Irish should be able to make Shea Patterson uncomfortable for most of the game. In doing so they are bound to record multiple sacks and maybe even force a couple turnovers.

Justin Yoon (K)

In a game the will feature two great defenses and two offenses surrounded by their fair share of questions, start the kickers. Justin Yoon is one of the more experienced kickers in college football, and he does not shy away from big moments. If you have him on your team, start him this Saturday – that is, unless you have a kicker from some Big 12 school that is playing an FCS opponent and is sure to kick a billion extra points.

Alize Mack (TE)

Tight ends are a quarterback’s best friends. When facing an elite defense, it’s likely that the quarterback will elect to check down to their tight ends and running backs more frequently. I fully expect that to be the case this Saturday. Offensive Coordinator Chip Long loves to utilize tight ends in his system, and Mack is should receive the majority of the snaps at that position.

Sit ‘Em

Brandon Wimbush (QB)

I would not be surprised if Brandon Wimbush finished the game with a decent stat line. However, in week one of college football, there are much more favorable matchups for Power Five quarterbacks. Wimbush is worthy a roster spot though. If he performs well early in the season and cements himself as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, he has the potential to become a dark-horse Heisman candidate.

Miles Boykin and Chase Claypool (WRs)

The Michigan secondary might be the best secondary Notre Dame will face this season. Couple that with the general uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position for the Irish, and you quickly come to the conclusion that you should probably keep all Notre Dame receivers on your bench this week. Miles Boykin is projected to be the team’s top receiver, but I think Chase Claypool has a slightly better chance at leading the team in receptions this season. Keep that in mind if you play in a league that uses the PPR (point per reception) scoring format.

In what figures to be a tight, hotly-contested game, defense and special teams will be at a premium when the Irish and Wolverines tango Saturday night.