Tennessee at South Carolina Breakdown: Week 8, Oct. 24, 2026

The story

Tennessee arrives in Columbia at 6-1 and ranked 11th, having won three straight, capped by a 26-10 win over Alabama on Oct. 17. South Carolina sits at 3-3 after a win at Florida on Oct. 10 that followed losses to Alabama and Kentucky. For fantasy, this SEC game is expected to be close, and the most dependable production comes from a few players with heavy, rising roles.

The angle

South Carolina is tougher on the run than the pass, so Tennessee's softer path runs through its receivers. Tennessee's defense is the stingier side, allowing 14.7 points a game, and it shapes the home offense. With implied totals of 26.5 points for South Carolina and 24 for Tennessee in this game, neither offense projects to run away with it, so usage and matchups should decide who delivers.

Start 'em

DeSean Bishop has taken over Tennessee's backfield, with 71 percent of the carries over the last three games. That works out to 28.3 carries a game, up from 13.5 before that. He has averaged 30.8 points over that span and 22.2 this season, with a high of 40. South Carolina is above average against running backs, a top-30-percent unit, so this is no soft draw. But a workload this large holds up against good defenses, and coach Josh Heupel called him "a special back" after he ran 32 times against Alabama. He's a safe floor, because few backs anywhere carry the ball this often.

Mike Matthews has 30 percent of Tennessee's catches over the last three games, up from 21 percent earlier, and is averaging 5 catches a game over that stretch. He has averaged 13.6 points this season and 12.5 over his last three games, with a 29.2-point high showing what a big day looks like. The matchup helps. South Carolina is a below-average defense against wide receivers, in the bottom 40 percent of FBS, and it is weaker against the pass than the run. He's a ceiling play, because his rising share lines up with the one weak spot on this defense.

LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) has turned into a dual threat over his last three games. He is averaging 14.7 carries, up from 7.7 earlier, along with 230 passing yards and 80 rushing yards a game. He has averaged 27.2 points over that span and 24.1 this season, topping out at 35.2 in the Week 6 win at Florida, after which coach Shane Beamer said "he was a freaking dude today." Tennessee is the fourth-best pass defense in FBS and the fourth-best defense against quarterbacks, which likely trims his ceiling. Start him anyway, because his running gives him a path to points that does not depend on beating that secondary.

Risky plays

Matt Fuller (South Carolina) has shown a big ceiling this season. He is averaging 18.6 points a game, with a high of 34.8. His recent scoring is the concern: he scored 11.5 and 9.1 in his last two games, down from 22.7 a game in the four before. Over those last two games he has handled 12 carries a game, or 33 percent of the team's carries, in a backfield committee. Tennessee is above average against running backs, a top-20-percent unit. Jabree Coleman (South Carolina), averaging 5 points over his last three games to Fuller's 14.9, is no alternative. Fuller is risky, a proven producer whose recent scoring dip meets a stout front.

Mazeo Bennett is becoming a bigger part of South Carolina's passing game. Over his last three games he has 27 percent of the team's catches and 5.7 catches a game, up from 2.7 before that. He has averaged 13 points over that stretch and 10.2 this season, with a high of 17.7. The obstacle is Tennessee, the fourth-best pass defense in FBS and fourth-best against wide receivers. Nyck Harbor (South Carolina), catching 3 passes a game over the same span, lacks that climbing volume. Bennett is risky, because his growing role runs into one of the hardest secondaries he will see.

TL;DR

Lock in DeSean Bishop's workload, chase Mike Matthews's upside, start LaNorris Sellers for his legs, and treat both South Carolina skill players with caution.