Army at Tulsa Breakdown: Week 8, Oct. 23, 2026
Key players with CollegeFFB projections and prices, status, matchup notes and news, current when the page loads.
Week 8 · American game
Our breakdown
Written before kickoff; projections as of Oct. 21, 11:19 AM ET.
The story
Army visits Chapman Stadium on Oct. 23 riding a two-game winning streak, capped by a 56-24 rout of Florida Atlantic on Oct. 17, and sits 3-1 in the American. Tulsa is 4-3 and 1-2 in league play after losses to North Texas and at Navy before a win at Rice on Oct. 17, so the home side needs this conference game more. For fantasy, the story is how heavily each offense leans on one or two players.
The angle
Neither side's scoring points to an extreme game, so usage and matchups should decide it more than a shootout. That tilts toward Tulsa's passing game. Army fields the 28th-worst pass defense in FBS, and Oran Singleton has 35 percent of Tulsa's catches over the last three games. Army's run-heavy attack meets a Tulsa defense rated about average against running backs, so Army's fantasy value runs through its quarterback rather than its committee of backs.
Start 'em
Cale Hellums is Army's offense on the ground. He has carried 27.3 times a game over his last three games, half of the team's carries, up from 29 percent of them earlier in the season. That workload has produced steadily: he is averaging 29 points a game this season and 34.7 over his last three, with a season high of 49.6. Tulsa is a below-average defense against quarterbacks, in the bottom 40 percent of FBS, so nothing in this matchup should cut into his carries. He is a safe floor, because a quarterback handling that much of the running game has production built in.
Baylor Hayes is Tulsa's starting QB and has thrown for 243 yards a game over his last three games, averaging 24.1 points in that span against 18.5 for the season. He has played in five of Tulsa's seven games. The draw is the opponent: Army is the 26th-worst defense against quarterbacks in FBS, and its pass defense is just as generous. With Singleton (Tulsa) soaking up catches, Hayes has a reliable place to go with the ball. His season high of 33.8 shows the range. He is a ceiling play, since a weak secondary gives his upside room to show.
Oran Singleton's role has grown quickly. He has caught 7.7 passes a game over his last three games, up from 3.8 a game before that, which makes him Tulsa's clear alpha receiver. He has been a steady producer, averaging 22.9 points over his last three games and 16.7 this season, and Army is the 28th-worst defense against wide receivers in FBS. David Wells (Tulsa) has picked up more catches lately, but Singleton's 22.9 points a game over the last three outpaces Wells's 14.8, and the volume gap is wide. Start him, because climbing usage against a soft secondary is the best setup in this game.
Value
Javon Ross has a real share of Tulsa's passing game behind Singleton, with 17 percent of the catches over the last three games. He has averaged 13.5 points in that span, well above his nine points a game this season, and he has a season high of 19.6. Army is the 28th-worst defense against wide receivers in FBS, the same soft spot that boosts Singleton. At $5.2M he is projected for about 9, and his recent form suggests he can clear that against this secondary.
TL;DR
Bank on Hellums for a safe floor, chase Hayes and Singleton against Army's weak pass defense, and take Ross as the cheap value.
Line (as of Oct 22): Tulsa -1.7 · Total 54.5 (context only)
Key players
CollegeFFB projections for Week 8, current when the page loads. Pts/g is the season, Last 3 his last three games. Status from RotoWire.
Army
| Player | Pos | Price | Pts/g | Last 3 | Proj |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cale Hellums | QB | $12.0M | 29.0 | 34.7 | 27.3 |
| Godspower Nwawuihe | RB | $7.4M | 8.9 | 3.4 | 9.4 |
| Samari Howard | RB | $6.3M | 10.4 | 12.5 | 7.0 |
| Brady Anderson | WR | $5.4M | 4.7 | 4.0 | 5.1 |
| Carson Smith | RB | $5.0M | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.3 |
| Jake Rendina | RB | $5.4M | 3.8 | 5.8 | 3.5 |
| Stratton Fuller | RB | $4.5M | 1.7 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Parker Poloskey | TE | $4.5M | 2.0 | 2.5 | 1.5 |
Tulsa
| Player | Pos | Price | Pts/g | Last 3 | Proj |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor Hayes | QB | $8.4M | 18.5 | 24.1 | 18.9 |
| Oran Singleton | WR | $6.8M | 16.7 | 22.9 | 16.6 |
| Damari Alston | RB | $7.4M | 14.1 | 13.2 | 14.1 |
| Javon Ross | WR | $5.2M | 9.0 | 13.5 | 8.9 |
| Trequan Jones | RB | $6.3M | 8.6 | 7.2 | 7.6 |
| David Wells | WR | $4.9M | 7.2 | 14.8 | 7.1 |
| Jimmy Calloway | WR | $5.8M | 4.9 | 1.2 | 5.6 |
| Donnell GeeQuestionable | WR | $4.6M | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.2 |
Matchup notes
- Tulsa passing game: Army is the 28th-worst pass defense in FBS, adjusted for opponents (7.7 yards per pass attempt allowed).
- Tulsa run game: Army is the 24th-worst run defense in FBS, adjusted for opponents (5.1 yards per carry allowed).
Yards per carry and per pass attempt allowed this season, ranked across FBS. A defense gets a note only when its opponent-adjusted rank and its SP+ rating agree.
News
Cale Hellums ran wild in Army's 56-24 win over Florida Atlantic on Oct. 17, carrying 25 times for 195 yards and 5 rushing touchdowns with 2 passing yards, good for 49.6 CollegeFFB points in that game. Averaging 29 points a game this season, the $12M quarterback could keep stacking up production when Army plays at Tulsa on Oct. 23.
Oran Singleton caught 5 passes for 81 yards and 1 touchdown, threw for 10 yards and 1 touchdown and ran 1 time for -1 yards in Tulsa's 34-26 loss at Navy on Oct. 10. He scored 23.4 CollegeFFB points against Navy. Averaging 15.8 points a game this season and 6.3 catches per game over his previous 3 outings, the $6.7M receiver could keep producing when Tulsa visits Rice on Oct. 17.
Baylor Hayes threw for 268 yards and 1 touchdown and ran 4 times for 14 yards in Tulsa's 34-26 loss at Navy on Oct. 10, good for 16.1 CollegeFFB points. At $8.3M, Hayes has averaged 17.6 points a game this season and looks likely to remain a central part of the offense when Tulsa visits Rice on Oct. 17.