I’m going to start off this week with a hot take: Saturday Fall weddings should be illegal. This week, I will be at my brother-in-law’s wedding as opposed to being on a couch watching football. Don’t get me wrong, it will be a fun time, but nothing should interfere with the sanctity of a college football Saturday. It may be a good thing (or bad thing) for my mental health, however, as I will be unable to sweat my CFB DFS lineups for a few hours. Because I’m certain I will still be playing this week. We only have 3 big-slate Saturdays left, and I’m not missing one.
Quarterback
Garrett Greene, West Virginia, $7400
As of this writing, it appears that the Mountaineers signal-caller will be returning from injury, and the timing couldn’t be better against a Baylor defense that struggles against the pass. Excluding their conference opener against a banged-up Utah, the Baylor defense has surrendered 300 yards passing in 4 of 6 conference games, and opposing QBs are averaging about 26 DraftKings points against the Bears, with each and every opposing signal-caller topping 17 DraftKings points. Greene ranks as the top value play of the slate at the QB position, according to DFS Hero.
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, $8600
I’ve been playing Klubnik a lot this season, and he’s been giving diminishing returns as of late. If you look at his game log, though, you can see that the yardages and attempts are staying steady, he just hasn’t accounted for TDs at the same rate as he was in the first third of the season. He’s only accounted for 12 TDs in his last 5 games, none of them coming on the ground. I think he’s in a great spot for some TD regression against a Pitt defense that surrenders 253 passing yards per game and a Pitt offense that operates at one of the nation’s fastest tempos. There should be plenty of opportunity for Klubnik to score multiple TDs.
Others receiving votes:
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, $9700
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame, $9500
Running Back
Makhi Hughes, Tulane, $7600
This slate is marred by a lot of excellent run defenses that turn offenses into pass funnels. Luckily for Hughes, Navy is not one of them, ranking 81st in the nation in rushing yards allowed per game. And run is what Tulane will look to do, ranking 5th in the nation in rush rate. No one in the AAC has been able to contain Hughes, who has ripped off 29 DraftKings points in 5 straight conference games. DFS Hero ranks Hughes as the 4th-best value play at the RB position on this slate.
Jaydn Ott, Cal, $7000
If you’re like me, you’ve had the lyrics of “Ott to Go” stuck in your head for the past month without an opportunity to actually play the star running back in DFS. Well, now we have one. The Syracuse defense has surrendered 321 and 249 rushing yards in their last two games, and it comes at the right time for Ott, who now seems to be at a full workload after his nagging injury.
DFS Hero’s Number One Value Play:
Isaac Brown, Louisville, $6700
Check the status:
Kaytron Allen, Penn State, $4900
If Nick Singleton misses this game, Kaytron Allen should be considered a lineup lock. The last game that Singleton missed, Allen saw 21 of the team’s 30 rushing attempts. And this matchup is far better than that one was, as Penn State is 28.5-point favorites, and Purdue has the 2nd-worst rushing defense in all of the Power-4 conferences.
Wide Receiver
Ja’Corey Brooks, Louisville, $7700
With plenty of cheap WR options abound on this slate, I think it could be a little bit of a leverage play to pay up for one of the top options. And Brooks certainly is one, racking up 7,10, and 11 targets in Louisville’s last 3 games. Stanford is also a pass-funnel defense, ranking 123rd and giving up 276 passing yards per game. I like Brooks, and I don’t mind taking shots at some of the cheaper Louisville pass catchers, either.
Will Sheppard, Colorado, $3600
This is more of a pricing and volume play than a matchup play. The pass defense of Utah is pretty stout, ranking 28th nationally in passing yards allowed per game. But Colorado is going to throw it quite a bit, ranking 8th in the nation in pass rate. And Sheppard is on the field as an every-down player. He’s put up 15 DraftKings points or more in 4 of his last 5 games. In this role in this offense, he’s simply way too cheap at $3600. He makes for a very cheap stacking partner with Shedeur Sanders if you choose to build it.
Others receiving votes:
Elic Ayomanor, Stanford, $5200
TJ Moore ($3200), Bryant Wesco ($3800), Clemson
Hail Mary: Chimere Dike, Florida, $3400
This is one where you will want to monitor the status of Florida QB DJ Lagway. If Lagway is in, that would certainly boost Dike, as the offense will just generally be more competent. But Dike produced last week against Texas with Aidan Warner at QB, hauling in 5 of 8 targets for 95 yards and 14.5 DraftKings points. So this week we get a much better matchup with potentially a much better QB and a similar price tag. Looks like a play to me.
The Field Goal: 3 props to consider (Underdog)
Antonio Williams HIGHER 20.5 Longest Reception
Micah Bernard HIGHER 75.5 Rushing Yards
Anthony Colandrea LOWER 165.5 Passing Yards
