Below is our game-by-game previews on which players should be considered on your roster as well as which players you may want to stay away from.
Memphis At Houston
Kickoff: 7:00PM EST
Spread: Houston -7
O/U: 71
Memphis
Team Expected Points: 32
WR- Phil Mayhue- $3,800
Analysis:
Memphis all season has lacked an identity at the wide receiver position. While Lynch is on pace to throw for over 4000 yards this season, he does not have a wide receiver that is on pace for over 1000 yards. Phil Mayhue has really stepped up over the past three games averaging five receptions for 78 yards per game. While he does not have a touchdown this season, he is someone who is receiving consistent targets in this offense. Houston has really struggled against the pass this season allowing 268 yards per game which is 107th in the nation.
Recommendation:
Mayhue is a great punt play this week as he has been on pace with Mose Frazier the last few games as the top Memphis wide receiver. With how many premiere options there are on this slate, you’re going to have to punt a few positions, and Mayhue gives you the salary relief needed to pay up for some of the top options.
Houston
Team Expected Points: 39
QB- Greg Ward Jr. $8,500
Analysis:
Greg Ward had his six game rushing touchdown streak snapped last week against Cincinnati, but still was able to run for over 100 yards and throw for two touchdowns. Memphis this season has one of the worst pass defenses in the country and had it not been for facing a triple option Navy team last week, they would be allowing on average 315 yards per game through the air. Ward should have plenty of opportunity in what should be a shootout of a game and while he is not the quarterback who is going to throw for 400+ yards like other quarterbacks have done this season against Memphis, he has the opportunity to throw for over 300 yards for the first time this season.
Recommendation:
Greg Ward is one of the premiere options on this slate and is recommended for both GPP’s and cash games. He is not as safe as Kiel in cash games, but does have more upside due to his running ability and the potential to score multiple touchdowns on the ground.
RB- Kenneth Farrow $6,300
Analysis:
Kenneth Farrow is a volume running back who is going to find the end zone on a regular basis. While he does have two games over 150 yards, he also has five games that are under 100 yards, which is how we get to his average of 95 yards rushing per game. Memphis against the run has been much better than the pass, but these numbers are largely skewed as they have faced primarily pass heavy offenses. Last week, Memphis did allow Chris Swain from Navy to run for 108 yards and three touchdowns, and when we look at Farrow, while it is unlikely that he scores three touchdowns in a game he has done it twice this season already, so he has to be in consideration.
Recommendation:
Farrow isn’t a top running back option on this slate, as his price is high enough that he would prevent us from paying up for one of the elite players on this slate. While there is GPP value in Farrow as he has the opportunity in this shootout of a game to score three touchdowns, he is not safe enough for cash games due to his lack of consistent yardage and lack of catching the ball out of the backfield.
Temple at South Florida
Kickoff: 7:00PM EST
Spread: Temple -3
O/U: 44
Temple
Team Expected Points: 23.5
This slate is all about going with a stars/scrubs approach as there are three games that have an over/under of greater than seventy this week. The issue with Temple, is that they are over-priced after last week’s sixty point performance, but the concern is that no one had a huge game even when they put up 60 points. They are a team that distributes the ball evenly across all of their wide receivers as ten receivers caught passes last week and no one had more than four total receptions. Overall with how many exciting offenses there are on this slate, it is better off to avoid this Temple team and move on. P.J Walker is cheap enough to be considered, but he has been extremely inconsistent this year and would be a GPP play at best.
South Florida
Team Expected Points: 26
Outside of last week’s unexpected shootout against SMU, Temple has been one of the top defenses statistically in the country. Even when they gave up 40 points last week, they only allowed 212 yards passing and 185 yards rushing which are very low numbers to allow 40 total points. This game is going to be a low tempo game that we are recommending to avoid as there are some high powered offenses in this slate.
UNLV At Colorado State
Kickoff: 7:00 PM EST
Spread: Colorado State -7.5
O/U: 59.5
UNLV
Team Expected Points- 26
RB- Lexington Thomas- $3,700
Analysis:
We will be the first to admit we don’t know a lot about Lexington Thomas, as the UNLV vs Hawaii game last week was not on any fantasy slate, but last week Thomas had 17 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown, and after watching some of the replays on this game, he is a very small change of pace type player who if you get him in space is very difficult to tackle. While the matchup is not as good as the Hawaii matchup, Colorado State still allows 205 yards per game on the ground, which will provide a great opportunity for the backup running back to continue to see the amount of volume that he saw last week. There is quite a lot of risk here as the amount of carries prior to last week has been extremely inconsistent, but he has tremendous upside this week.
Recommendation:
He is a GPP punt play only, as we don’t know how many carries he is going to get. If he gets 10 carries he is likely to make value in a great matchup, but there is very little information on this UNLV team and how they will split the carries this week.
RB- Keith Whitely- $4,400
Analysis:
Keith Whitely is the established running back at UNLV, and showed it last week as he also had a huge game going over 100 yards and a touchdown. The matchup is not as good as last week’s, but Colorado State still allows over 200 yards rushing per game, which should provide plenty of opportunity for Whitely to get his ordinary 15-20 carries and be able to make value. If there is one running back in the UNLV offense that would be considered the lowest risk, it would be Whitely this week.
Recommendation:
Whitely is a great cash game play, and a good GPP play. The matchup is a great one, and at $4,400 he will provide enough salary relief that you should be able to spend up on other players. There is some risk that this game turns into a blowout, but with it only being a seven point spread, we typically don’t start to worry until that number gets higher than 14.
Colorado State
Team Expected Points- 33.5
QB- Nick Stevens- $5,400
Analysis:
Nick Stevens so far this season has been a quarterback that for the most part has been extremely consistent. He is a guy who is going to throw between 225-275 yards with two to three touchdown passes, which on the surface is not overly exciting. Last week, however he mysteriously threw the ball only 15 times, which when you look into the numbers made sense as Wyoming has one of the worst run defenses in the country combined with the fact that it was extremely cold in Wyoming last week explains why Colorado State elected to win the game on the ground. This week, UNLV is worse against the pass than they are against the run allowing 257 yards passing through the air, which should provide Stevens plenty of opportunity this week.
Recommendation:
Stevens is the premiere punt quarterback on this slate in cash games. The upside is not there for GPP’s as we are really only going to expect 250 yards and two touchdowns in this one to pay off his $5,400 salary. With so many great quarterbacks on this slate, he is not a must play, but if you’re looking to go cheap at quarterback he is your guy.
Arkansas At LSU
Kickoff: 7:15 PM EST
Spread: LSU -7.5
O/U: 54
Arkansas
Team Expected Points- 23.25
QB- Brandon Allen- $5,400
Analysis:
Brandon Allen is putting up numbers under Bret Bielema that we have never seen before. Last week he had 442 yards passing and four touchdowns in the win over Ole Miss. It is hard to ever recommend a player against LSU, but LSU this season has been very good against the run with the exception being last week. LSU can be beaten through the air, as they have allowed Dak Prescott and Brandon Doughty to throw for over 300 yards, and Treon Harris to have his season high of 271 yards. We fully expect Allen to be forced to throw the ball on the road to have a chance to win this game.
Recommendation:
Brandon Allen is the premiere GPP punt play of the day, as LSU was embarrassed last week against the run, which statistically was their strength going into the Alabama game. We expect them to force Arkansas to throw the ball to beat them, which Allen is capable of doing, but he is also very inconsistent and should not be used for cash games.
LSU
Team Expected Points- 30.75
WR- Travin Dural- $4,200
Analysis:
Arkansas has one of the worst secondaries in the country allowing 283 yards passing per game, which if you adjust it for the quality of quarterbacks that they have faced they are in the bottom five in actual pass defense. Travin Dural should have a great opportunity this week to continue his production this week as he is starting to emerge as the number one receiver for Brandon Harris having caught four or more passes in three of his last four games.
Recommendation:
Dural is a good punt play this week for cash games and a great punt play for GPP’s due to his deep threat ability, as he has a touchdown in three of his last four games, and we expect LSU to be throwing the ball quite a bit this week.
BYU At MIssouri
Kickoff: 7:30 PM EST
Spread: BYU -6
O/U: 38.5
Avoid this game at all costs, typically we will recommend avoiding any game with a total of less than 45, and this one falls well below that rule at 38.5. With all of the other factors that are impacting Missouri’s football team right now it is difficult to know how they will show up, and with a low scoring game such as this it is best to avoid.
Oregon At Stanford
Kickoff: 7:30 PM EST
Spread: Stanford -9
O/U: 69
Oregon
Team Expected Points- 30
WR- Darren Carrington- $5,800
Analysis:
Darren Carrington in his three games played this season has gone over 100 yards in each of them with a touchdown in two of the three games. He has clearly established himself as the premiere option in this passing game and we are starting to see consistency out of an Oregon wide receiver which in previous years would not be something we would ever see under Marcus Mariota. He is facing a tough Stanford defense, but if Stanford has one fault it is giving up big plays to number one wide receivers. So far this year they have allowed six wide receivers to have more than 75 yards receiving against them.
Recommendation:
The matchup is not ideal, and we expect Stanford to win this game pretty convincingly, but Carrington is a great GPP play if you can afford him as he will leaned on again to keep his team in the game, as Stanford has shown throughout the past few years that they have the ability to slow down the Oregon running attack.
Stanford
Team Expected Points- 39
RB- Christian McCaffrey- $8,400
Analysis:
It is amazing what Christian McCaffrey is doing this season and it is largely coming unnoticed. Over the last seven games McCaffrey has 150+ total yards in six of the games. On a matchup adjusted basis, Oregon struggles against both the pass and the run, and while on paper their numbers say they struggle more against the pass this is mostly due to the nature of the Pac-12 with how pass heavy the league is.
Recommendation:
If there was one knock on McCaffrey it would be that he does not get all of the goal line carries as Stanford loves to bring Remound Wright the senior to get the short yardage touchdowns. If you’re going to pay $8,400 in a cash game you’re going to want reasonable assurances that the player is going to at least find the end zone once, and since we cannot give you those assurances, McCaffrey is a great GPP, but can’t be used in cash games due to his price.
Tulsa At Cincinnati
Kickoff: 7:30 PM EST
Spread: Cincinnati -18
O/U: 76
Tulsa
Team Expected Points- 29
We are recommending avoiding Tulsa in cash games, as their price has not come down based on their recent performance and injury concerns to Zack Langer. In a GPP format, Cincinnati has a fairly balanced defense, but has been exposed against the pass a few times including against Paxton Lynch and Memphis. This provides a great opportunity for Dane Evans and we prefer Joshua Atkinson solely based on his price, as Keyarris Garrett is overpriced on this slate after only having one catch last week.
Cincinnati
Team Expected Points- 47
QB- Gunner Kiel- 8,000
Analysis:
Gunner Kiel is like that long lost friend that you haven’t seen in a while and remember how great of friends you used to be. The reason we say this is that Cincinnati has not been on a DFS slate for a few weeks and the last time that they were on it there was still uncertainty whether Kiel would be the starting quarterback due to his injury status. Over the last three games since returning from injury Kiel has been very impressive averaging 389 yards passing with a total of 11 touchdowns. Two weeks ago, Kiel posted one of the most impressive stat lines we have ever seen going 15 for 15 with 319 yards and 5 touchdowns Fortunately this week, he faces his best matchup yet as he faces a Tulsa team that on average is allowing 303 yards passing per game which is 124th in the country.
Recommendation:
In cash games, Kiel is an absolute must play. For GPP’s he is still near a must start in our opinion, you could consider fading him, but we don’t think his ownership percentage is going to be high enough to do that considering all the other great options on the board this week. The only issue in a GPP is that we typically like to pair quarterbacks up with wide receivers, but Kiel does such a great job distributing the football to all of his wide receivers that it is difficult to just pick one.
WR- Chris Moore- $5,400
Analysis:
Chris Moore is Gunner Kiel’s favorite deep threat, as so far this season, he has caught a touchdown in four of the six games that Kiel has played significant amount of time. Over his last two games, he has gone over 100 yards in each of these games, which presents a great opportunity this week against a Tulsa pass defense that as we mentioned is 124th in the country.
Recommendation:
Moore makes for a great GPP play this week, as he will be under-owned due to other premiere wide receiver options, but he should have a great opportunity to see over 100 yards and multiple touchdowns this week.
MINNESOTA AT Iowa
Kickoff: 8:00PM EST
Spread: Iowa -9.5
O/U: 45
We are recommending avoiding this game as while Iowa is a big favorite, they get Jordan Canzeri back from injury which it is always difficult to know how running backs will respond from injury in their first game back. These are two of the slowest paced teams in college football which will limit your upside on the number of possessions that your team will have.
Oklahoma At Baylor
Kickoff: 8:00PM EST
Spread: Baylor -3
O/U: 76
Oklahoma
Team Expected Points- 36.5
QB- Baker Mayfield- $7,900
Analysis:
Baker Mayfield is going to need to have a tremendous game this week for Oklahoma to keep up with Baylor in what should be a shootout. Over the last four games, Mayfield has stepped up as he has four or more touchdowns in three of those games, and the only game he didn’t was a Texas Tech game, where the team got off to an early lead and just ran the ball the entire game. Statistically Baylor has a great defense, but they have not played an offense that is comparable to Oklahoma. Baylor allowed 415 yards passing to Patrick Mahomes, so Mayfield should have a tremendous opportunity this week.
Recommendation:
At $7,900, Mayfield is one of the top cash game plays on the slate right behind Gunner Kiel and Greg Ward Jr. He is going to be asked to throw the ball a significant amount of times in order to keep up with Baylor’s high powered offense. We don’t love him in a GPP, as due to Oklahoma’s running offense there are other quarterbacks with more potential this week.
WR- Durron Neal- $4,200
Analysis:
Like most great college quarterbacks, Baker Mayfield does not have just one great receiver. He spreads the ball around to whoever the defense is going to leave open. Last week Durron Neal had a huge game with ten receptions for 75 yards, and scored a touchdown in the previous two games. This game should be a big opportunity for the senior to continue to establish the upward trend he has shown over the last three games, and in a high scoring game getting a piece
Recommendation:
Neal is a cash game play only, as he does not possess the huge upside we are typically looking for in a GPP. We like all three wide receivers in this game, but Neal is our favorite due to being the cheapest as well as having gotten more involved in the offense over the last three weeks.
Baylor
Team Expected Points- 39.5
WR- Corey Coleman $8,600
We aren’t going to go into any analysis in this one, as at this point we all know how great of a wide receiver Corey Coleman is. He is the premiere option on this slate, and although the matchup is one that is not as easy as it has been so far this season, he is by far the best wide receiver and best non-quarterback on this slate.
QB- Jarrett Stidham- $7,600
Analysis:
If you just look at the stat line of the game against Kansas State last week, you would be impressed by Stidham’s performance. However, if you take a closer look at it, his second half numbers were not nearly as impressive, as the team only scored ten total points against an awful Kansas State defense. There is some general concern from us here that if the Freshman is struggling against Kansas State in the second half, that Oklahoma is going to build a game plan to exploit his weaknesses. This is the same Oklahoma team that held Patrick Mahomes to his worst statistical game this season and they have one of the strongest defenses in college football.
Recommendation:
Jarrett Stidham is going to be popular, but we are recommending avoiding him this week, as the savings are not enough to move off of Mayfield, Kiel and Ward. His ownership will be high as everyone loves Baylor’s high powered offense which makes Stidham unusable in a GPP.
Utah At Arizona
Kickoff: 10:30PM EST
Spread: Utah -6
O/U: 62
Utah
Team Expected Points- 34
RB- Devontae Booker- $8,500
Analysis:
Devontae Booker is most likely the most under the radar running back in college football. Booker has accumulated over 100 yards. There have been a few running backs that have done this, but what makes Booker different is his pass catching ability. He is averaging 4 receptions per game which is a tremendous benefit to his fantasy value. Arizona this season has one of the worst run defenses in the Pac-12 ever since they lost Scooby Wright for the season, they showed this last week as they allowed 229 yards to USC on the ground including a huge game from Ronald Jones where he had 177 yards rushing. We expect Booker to have 200 total yard upside as they will lean heavily on him in this great matchup.
Recommendation:
In a GPP if you’re willing to spend up on Corey Coleman, we suggest pivoting to Devontae Booker as Coleman is going to be much higher owned and Booker has as much upside as Coleman in this game.
Arizona
Team Expected Points- 39.5
QB- Anu Solomon- $5,600
Analysis:
Finally we saw Anu Solomon return to his 2014 form last week against USC where he had 352 yards passing and three touchdowns. Solomon has been dealing with health concerns for most of the season, and it looks like he might finally start returning to 100% health. Utah this season has a great defense, but if they have one vulnerable spot it is against the pass. They are allowing 256 yards passing per game, and while a lot of the stats are inflated in the Pac-12 this is not the case as Utah has been very fortunate this season in the quality of quarterbacks that they have faced.
Recommendation:
Anu Solomon is the top punt play this week for GPP’s, as he still has tremendous risk due to his health and how the season is going so far this season. If you’re looking to pair him with someone look at Nate Phillips or Johnny Jackson.
New Mexico At Boise State
Kickoff: 10:30PM EST
Spread: Boise State -31
O/U: 57
New Mexico
Team Expected Points- 13
New Mexico is one of the worst teams in college football; there is no need to look at anyone on New Mexico.
Boise State
Team Expected Points- 34
RB- Kelsey Young- $3,300
Analysis:
We also love Jeremy McNichols this week, but there is some concern in a 31 point spread whether he will see enough carries in this blowout to reach value at his $7,600 price tag. Kelsey Young is only going to get 9-12 carries in these blowout situations, but where he has value is finding the end zone. In Boise State’s three biggest blowout wins this season, Young has four total touchdowns, which all things are pointing to this game as being another blowout type situation as the point spread is 31 points.
Recommendation:
If you’re looking for a GPP punt play Kelsey Young makes for a decent one. All you’re really expecting here is 12-14 points and he will provide the ability to spend up at other positions.
Oregon State At Cal
Kickoff: 10:30PM EST
Spread: Cal -21
O/U: 61
Oregon State
Team Expected Points- 20
Oregon State is an absolute mess right now as Seth Collins is likely going to miss this game, which likely means Nick Mitchell will start again. Over the last three games Oregon State has allowed scored an average of 10 points per game. This is not a situation where you want tos tart anyone from this team.
Cal
Team Expected Points- 41
QB- Jared Goff- $7,300
Analysis:
Jared Goff continues to put up great numbers this season and is likely the most consistent quarterbacks in college football, as he has thrown for 268 yards or more in every single game this season. The issue is that there is not a wide receiver to pair Goff up with, as he distributes the ball across all of his wide receivers. Oregon State has a poor run defense allowing almost 200 yards per game, but the issue is that Vic Enwere and Daniel Lasco are both going to see 10-12 carries per game as Sonny Dykes loves to rotate his running backs this season.
Recommendation:
Goff is a cheaper option compared to Kiel, , but does not have the upside that other quarterbacks have on this slate. We would recommend Stidham over him in cash games if you’re looking to save money, but Goff typically has one or two games where he throws for 400+ yards and 5 touchdowns. We haven’t see that yet this season, but there is value in starting him in a GPP due to being under-owned this week due to so many great options.
Wyoming At San Diego State
Kickoff: 10:30PM EST
Spread: San Diego State -24
O/U: 49
Wyoming
Team Expected Points- 12.5
Wyoming is projected to score 12.5 points this week. There are so many great options this week, that we are recommending avoiding this team completely.
San Diego State
Team Expected Points- 36.5
RB- Donnell Pumphrey and Chase Price- $8,300/$3,800
Analysis:
Wyoming allows 223 yards rushing per game which puts both Donnell Pumphrey and Chase Price in play this week. Pumphrey has 5 straight games of 100 yards or more rushing and has scored nine touchdowns in those games. After a slow start he is starting to get back to the 2014 form where he ran for 1800 yards. Chase Price is a player who is in these blowout type situations gets 10-15 carries and has scored a touchdown in each of his last three games.
Recommendation:
Pumphrey is going to be under owned due to a lot of people not knowing who he is as well as the price, but he is one of the top running back options on this slate. Chase Price is a nice punt play and it isn’t crazy in a GPP or cash to take both of them in order to ensure 200+ rushing yards and a few touchdowns.
Washington State At UCLA
Kickoff: 10:45PM EST
Spread: UCLA -10
O/U: 65
Washington State
Team Expected Points- 27.5
WR- Dom Williams- $5,800
Analysis:
Dom Williams has turned into Washington State’s big game receiver, as he now has two out of his last four games with over 100 yards and two touchdowns. He is risky, but he provides the upside that you’re looking for at the $5,800 price point. He off sets this risk a little bit by having five or more receptions in every game except for one this season, which makes for his floor while still touchdown dependent better than some deep threats that are out there. UCLA has not allowed a quarterback to throw for over 300 yards, as their secondary is one of the best in the Pac-12 so the matchup is far from ideal, but if there is a quarterback in the Pac-12 who is matchup proof it is Luke Falk.
Recommendation:
Williams makes for a great GPP play and is not really viable for cash.
UCLA
Team Expected Points- 37.5
RB- Paul Perkins- $7,200
Analysis:
Paul Perkins still is not 100% healthy, but he is in an ideal matchup this week as Washington State has allowed 206 yards per game on the ground which is by far the worst in the Pac-12 and one of the worst in the countries when it is matchup adjusted. Perkins did have 23 carries last week, which is a great sign that his knee maybe improving and while he was just able to only have 89 yards he should have a better opportunity and another week to get healthy
Recommendation:
Perkins provides some salary relief if you elect to go with a more balanced roster approach. The matchup is great, so if you’re looking to go with Soso Jamabo at $3,800 he would also be in play due to the potential run heavy attack and Jamabo’s breakaway abilities.
Fresno State At Hawaii
Kickoff: 11:00PM EST
Spread: Hawaii -4.5
O/U: 54
Fresno State
Team Expected Points- 24.75
RB- Marteze Waller
Analysis:
After a slow start to the season, Marteze Waller is finally starting to show signs that he is the same running back from last year that had 1,368 yards. Over the last four games, he has found the end zone four times, which in his previous five games he did not have a rushing touchdown. The matchup is a tremendous one as Hawaii is 123rd in college football against the run allowing 262 yards rushing per game.
Recommendation:
Waller is one of the top plays on this slate for both cash and GPP’s.
Hawaii
Team Expected Points- 29.25
RB- Paul Harris- $4,500
Analysis:
We wrote Paul Harris off last week after he mysteriously had only three carries for four yards two weeks ago in a blow-out loss to Air Force. What does he do the following week? Only runs the ball twenty times for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Thankfully based on that performance, his price did not increase too dramatically, as he is one of our top plays of the day on this slate. The matchup is ideal as Fresno State is allowing 254 yards rushing per game, which is 119th in college football.
Recommendation:
Both running backs from this game are tremendous plays and are safe for both cash games and GPP’s.
