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Last week we cautioned that as the schedules stiffen because BCS teams are entering conference play, it would become increasingly important to roster star performers from the non-BCS conferences.

Week 5 brought strong performances from well-known small-conference commodities such as Toledo's Aaron Opelt and Houston's Case Keenum. It also introduced fantasy players to breakout stars such as UTEP's Donald Buckram, who ran for 262 yards and four touchdowns in the Miners' upset of Houston, the biggest rushing game from an FBS back this season. University of Louisiana-Monroe's Frank Goodin had a big day as well, rushing for 163 yards and three scores as the Warhawks beat FIU. Poor defenses make the MAC, Sun Belt and Conference USA fertile hunting ground for players who will outperform Heisman-caliber stars facing tougher conference games.

Cream of the Crop

Mike Kafka, QB, Northwestern: The Big Ten's leading passer draws MAC doormat Miami this week.

Team defense, Penn State: The Nittany Lions' game against Eastern Illinois is a rare October opportunity to rack up points with a topflight defense against an FCS foe.

Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas: Mallett and the Razorbacks' offense are coming off a big performance against Texas A&M and catch a tired Auburn defense that has given up some big yardage as it heads into its second straight SEC road game. Mallett could have a performance reminiscent of his 408-yard, five-touchdown coming-out party in a 52-41 loss to Georgia a few weeks ago.

Evan Royster, RB, Penn State: The offensive staff is still stressing improvement in the running game, so Royster should get plenty of touches in the Nittany Lions' midseason exhibition against Eastern Illinois.

Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State: Hawaii's defense just allowed 352 rushing yards to Daniel Porter and Louisiana Tech. Look for Mathews and his rested offensive line to administer plenty of clock-grinding punishment to a travel-weary Warriors team that's trying to get over the shock of losing quarterback Greg Alexander for the season.

Naaman Roosevelt, WR, Buffalo: Roosevelt earned first-team all-MAC honors last year and has stayed near the top of the league's leaderboard in 2009 thanks in part to the rapid development of new quarterback Zach Maynard, who threw for a whopping 400 yards against Pitt. The Bulls draw FCS team Gardner-Webb this week, and coach Turner Gill will be sure Maynard gets his best playmaker the ball.

Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan: The Chippewas are looking for payback against a pesky Eastern Michigan team that has taken two straight in their series. LeFevour is Central's leading rusher and will rack up huge yards both rushing and passing against the Eagles, who sport what may be the nation's worst run defense.

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Florida International: The explosive Hilton enters this week as the Sun Belt's leading receiver, and he'll come out of it in the same spot. A juicy matchup against new FBS member Western Kentucky is likely to yield a big game for the Sun Belt's most explosive player.

Darius Marshall, RB, Marshall: The nation's leader in rushing and all-purpose yards per game, Marshall is well on his way to several school records. The team has little in the way of a passing attack, so expect the aptly named junior to be a force all year. The Herd draw a run defense as porous as their own in Tulane this week; the result should be a great running back duel between Marshall and the Green Wave's Andre Anderson.

Andre Anderson, RB, Tulane: Anderson looked like the top back in Conference USA last year before a midseason injury. The senior will have something to prove against his more heralded Thundering Herd counterpart.

Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State: The FSU triggerman has been excellent all season for an inconsistent squad. He'll get to test a very suspect Georgia Tech secondary as the Seminoles attempt to rally around a beleaguered coaching staff as they did at BYU.

Team kicking, UCLA: Kai Forbath has been all-world again this year, and he gets plenty of field goal opportunities in support of a Bruins offense that ranks just 85th in red zone touchdown percentage.

Opportunity Knocks

Team defense, TCU: The Frogs' speed helps TCU limit the Falcons' option attack year after year. Last season, TCU held Air Force to 50 total yards on all but two plays. This season's Falcons have battled major offensive injuries, haven't scored an offensive touchdown in nine quarters and enter the game off an especially draining overtime loss at Navy.

Thaddeus Lewis, QB, Duke: The senior threw for 359 yards and two scores against Virginia Tech in his best game of the season. Duke has no running game to take touches away from Lewis right now, and this week he faces a very suspect North Carolina State secondary.

Dimitri Nance, RB, Arizona State: Nance led the team in rushing last season but logged only 410 yards in a crowded backfield that included Keegan Herring. This season he already has 253 yards and four touchdowns, and figures to break out against a hapless Washington State stop unit.

Jock Sanders, WR, West Virginia: The Mountaineers are trying to throw the ball more this season, and Sanders is the go-to receiver. Both he and triggerman Jarrett Brown are in line for a big day against a Syracuse defense that has been surprisingly effective against the run but fields one of the nation's most generous secondaries.

On the Shelf

Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State: The All-American and Biletnikoff favorite as the country's top receiver has been declared ineligible by the NCAA for failing to disclose details about a meeting with an NFL player. Bryant isn't necessarily out for the season, as the length of the suspension has not yet been determined, but the school's reinstatement request could take weeks to resolve.

Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma: The Sooners star will miss a few games after breaking a bone in his shoulder last week in the loss to Miami.

Jeremiah Masoli, QB, Oregon: Just when Masoli was starting to find his rhythm, he injured a knee against Washington State. It now appears that the injury is worse than originally thought and likely will keep Masoli out of Saturday's game at UCLA.

Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh: The freshman sensation leads the Big East in rushing, but he's not a good play this week against a rested Connecticut defense that's once again playing very well against the run and should get star linebacker and defensive leader Scott Lutrus back from injury this week.

Will Harris is a fantasy college football analyst for ESPN.com.