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.
MISSISSIPPI AT AUBURN
Kickoff: 12:00PM EST
Spread: Missisippi -7
O/U: 57
Mississippi:
Team Expected Points: 32
WR- Laquon Treadwell- $8,500
Analysis:
Laquon Treadwell has been great the last three games, but has been extremely volatile so far this season with having several games with under 100 yards and without a touchdown. His pricing has adjusted to a point that puts him in the category of an elite wide receiver, as he is the fourth most expensive die receiver on the board this week. Treadwell is facing an Auburn defense that has been more susceptible to the run than the pass this season allowing only 230 yards per game through the air. Ole Miss should be in a great spot this week as they are facing a team that is one of the worst defensively in the SEC, but the entire team has been priced up accordingly.
Recommendation:
There are several great receiver options at a cheaper price point that are safer on this slate, therefore we are recommending Treadwell as a contrarian GPP play only. He has the potential to have a very big game, but is going to take a significant amount of your salary to be able to afford some of the other elite options on this slate. $8,500 is just too much to have high exposure to Treadwell.
Auburn-
Team Expected Points: 25
RB- Peyton Barber- $8,500
Analysis:
Peyton Barber over the last three games has been the best scoring backs in the country scoring 11 touchdowns over his last three games. The issue for Barber is that he is facing a Mississippi team that has only allowed 121 yards total rushing this season and held Derrick Henry to just 127 yards rushing. Ole Miss has been vulnerable to receiving running backs which Barber is not a big part of.
Recommendation:
Barber is not recommended unless this is a deep GPP league, as he is too expensive on this slate, his touchdown ability makes him intriguing but you’re going to need a lot of things to go right for it to pay off.
USF At Navy
Kickoff: 12:00PM EST
Spread: Navy -7
O/U: 50.5
USF
Team Expected Points: 21.75
QB- Quinton Flowers- $9,000
Analysis:
Quinton Flowers has put in two straight great fantasy games as he has done most of the damage with his feet. Last game unfortunately was against one of the worst defenses in college football as he faced SMU. This week he is facing the number 11 defense in college football in Navy, which are used to facing running quarterbacks.
Recommendation:
Quinton Flowers can be safely avoided this week, as Navy holds their opponents to some of the lowest possessions in college football. $9,000 is just too high of a price even in GPP formats
Navy
Team Expected Points: 28.75
QB- Keenan Reynolds- $8,500
Analysis:
For those of you who haven’t watched Navy over the course of the last four years, you have missed one of the truly special people in college football. His ability to run the football has brought Navy to levels that they haven’t seen in quite a while, and he should continue to have success this week. While the matchup is not a great one as USF only allows 127 yards per game rushing, Reynolds has the ability to take over games by himself.
Recommendation:
Whenever Navy finds their way onto a slate, I always include at least one Reynolds GPP lineup, as several times per season he will have 200 yards rushing with 3-4 rushing touchdowns which while he is not safe enough for cash games due to being highly volatile is a good GPP play. Do not have too much exposure in GPP’s, but definitely have a lineup with him in it.
FLORIDA STATE AT SYRACUSE
Kickoff: 12:00 PM EST
Spread: Florida State -17
O/U: 53
Florida State
Team Expected Points- 35
RB- Jacques Patrick- $4,500
Analysis:
Dalvin Cook is out for this game due to an ankle injury, which creates a tremendous opportunity for Jacques Patrick who should take a major role in this offense. Patrick was one of the top high school running backs in the nation last year, and while he hasn’t had a role in the offense yet, he should get the first crack against Syracuse. The matchup is one that is average, as Syracuse has allowed 150 yards per game. We don’t expect the same type of game that Leonard Fournette had earlier this season where he had 244 yards, but he has the ability to break 100 yards and has 20 point upside.
Recommendation:
Patrick is the best punt plays of the day as he has tremendous upside. It is a little bit risky that we are recommending a freshman who only has six career carries, but it is a situation where you have to trust the talent will come through in what should be a great opportunity for success.
WR- Jesus Wilson- $4,700
Analysis:
Jesus Wilson is the definition of safe with very little upside. Each game this year he has 6-14 points which is not going to win you many GPP’s. Fortunately for Wilson, Syracuse has one of the worst defenses in college football against the pass as they have allowed 250 yards per game passing. Wilson is not going to provide you with a significant amount of upside, but it is a nice position if you’re looking for a cheap punt play.
Recommendation:
At this price, Wilson is a min punt play only. At this price you are not going to get much out of him and there are better options on this slate to save money on at other positions.
Syracuse
Team Expected Points- 18
Florida State has one of the top defenses in the country allowing 192 yards passing and only 134 yards rushing this is not a game Syracuse is not a team that you want to target in this slate which has some high powered offenses.
ILLINOIS AT PENN STATE
Kickoff: 11:00 AM EST
Spread: Penn State -5
O/U: 43
Illinois
Team Expected Points- 19
Penn State has one of the best defenses in the country which will make this a very difficult game on the road. Josh Ferguson is expected to miss his third straight game which is not going to help the struggling Illinois offense. This team can safely be avoided this week.
Penn State
Team Expected Points- 24
RB- Saquon Barkley- $7,000
Analysis:
Saquon Barkley was extremely disappointing last week as he only had 65 yards but did manage to get a touchdown to salvage his day. The matchup is average, as Illinois has allowed 150 yards per game rushing which while on paper it seems great, it is a little bit skewed due to Jordan Canzeri’s 256 yard performance two weeks ago. Barkley should have a nice rebound game this week against Illinois.
Recommendation:
Barkley has shown that he is one of the top freshman running back and with his last three healthy games having over 20 carries he is someone who is going to see significant volume again this week. He will be under-owned in GPP’s, but he is a great cash game and a GPP play, as in this matchup he should be able to run for over 100 yards and get back on track to where he left off.
RUTGERS AT WISCONSIN
Kickoff: 11:00 AM EST
Spread: Wisconsin -20
O/U: 52
Rutgers
Team Expected Points- 16
Rutgers offensively really struggled last week at home against Ohio State, and they face another very difficult defense this week as Wisconsin is averaging under 200 yards passing and under 100 yards rushing which is not an ideal situation for starting offensive players against.
Wisconsin
Team Expected Points- 36
RB- Dare Ogunbowale/Corey Clement- $6,600/$7,300
Analysis:
This is another situation that is going to be a game time decision between whether Corey Clement is going to start. Dare Ogunbowale has not been great running the football, but has made up for that with his pass catching ability as he has over 50 yards in each of the last two games receiving. Rutgers has one of the worst defenses in college football, as they are 97th in total yards allowed. They have been slightly better against the pass than the run, but this is primarily due to the teams that they have faced.
Recommendation:
Ogunbowale is a good cash game play and should not be considered in GPP’s due to only scoring four touchdowns this year. If Clement is active and starting, both of these running backs are unusable due to Clement’s price and the uncertainty that could surround a split backfield.
NEBRASKA AT PURDUE
Kickoff: 11:00 AM EST
Spread: Nebraska -7.5
O/U: 53
Nebraska
Team Expected Points-
RB- Terrell Newby- $6,100
Analysis:
Purdue has one of the worst rushing defenses in the country allowing 199 yards per game on the ground. This is a tremendous opportunity for Terrell Newby, which while he had a poor game last week it was against a strong Northwestern run defense. With Tommy Armstrong out he should see an increase in carries due to Purdue’s inability to stop the run.
Recommendation:
Newby is risky due to two of his last three games that failed to get over 100 yards, but he should be safe for 15-20 points and therefore makes for a decent cash game play this week.
QB- Ryker Fyfe- $4,500
Analysis:
Tommy Armstrong is out in this game which presents a good opportunity for Ryker Fyfe who is in the fourth year of the program. While he is not the most talented quarterback, he is in a matchup that favorable for a decent first start. One of the things that we like about Fyfe is his ability to run the football as he ran for 750 yards his senior year of high school which unfortunately is the only data that we have to go off of.
Recommendation:
At $4,500 Fyfe allows you to spend big everywhere else and is the top value play on the day. We recommend using him in GPP and cash games with very little concern due to how low the value threshold is for him to make value. There is some concern in GPP’s that he will be over-owned which would be the only reason to fade him.
SOUTH CAROLINA AT TEXAS A&M
Kickoff: 12:00 PM EST
Spread: Texas A&M -16
O/U: 55.5
South Carolina
Team Expected Points- 19.75
Unfortunately South Carolina is another team on this slate that we are going to avoid, as their season has been spiraling out of control ever since Steve Spurrier hung up the visor. It is best to avoid South Carolina this week as we see how the team responds offensively to losing their head coach as they are heavy underdogs on the road.
Texas A&M
Team Expected Points- 35.75
QB- Kyler Murray- $5,500
Analysis:
This announcement was a bit of a surprise, but a great one for DFS. Kyler Murray is one of the most electric quarterbacks in college football, as his running ability should cause this South Carolina defense all kinds of problems this week. South Carolina has allowed over 200 yards rushing on the ground, and Murray is in a prime position to exploit that.
Recommendation:
There is some concern that if he were to struggle that Kyle Allen would take over, but at $5,500 the threshold to make value is so low that he is one of the top plays on the board this week. The quarterback position is not great this week, so starting with Murray or Fyfe would allow you to stack everywhere else.
COLORADO AT UCLA
Kickoff: 3:00 PM EST
Spread: UCLA -23
O/U: 62
Colorado
Team Expected Points- 19.5
Colorado on the road has been a disaster this year offensively. Phillip Lindsay would have been interesting if he was still getting a majority of the carries, but Colorado has reverted back to splitting carries including Sefo Liufau who had 18 carries last week. This is not an offense that you should be looking at on this slate.
UCLA
Team Expected Points- 42.5
RB- Paul Perkins- $7,600/ Soso Jamabo $6,200
Analysis:
If someone could guarantee us that Perkins is 100% healthy he would be our top running back on the slate. Instead he is behind Jeremy McNichols and Akrum Wadley as our top overall running backs this week. Colorado has one of the worst run defenses in college football allowing 209 yards per game, which should present an opportunity for Paul Perkins. Soso Jamabo is an elite play if Perkins were to be ruled out, but all signs are looking towards Perkins being probable for this game.
Recommendation:
Perkins is one of the top plays on the board due to his price and expected production if he plays. While there is a little risk due to game script in a potential blowout, he is facing one of the worst defenses in college football and should be a great play this week. Jamabo is only playable if Perkins is ruled out for this game.
WR- Jordan Payton- $6,300
Analysis:
Jordan Payton has six or more receptions in each of his last four games, which is a great sign of consistency for the receiver. This is a matchup that can be exploited as shown by Mike Bercovici when he threw for five touchdowns against Colorado. This game should be a blowout, which isn’t always ideal for fantasy, but Payton should have an opportunity to make an impact prior to the game getting out of hand.
Recommendation:
Payton at this value is one of the top plays of the day in what should be a high scoring game for UCLA. While there is concern of a blowout, at this price he doesn’t need to do much to pay off value. He is a better GPP play than cash game play due to his inconsistency in scoring touchdowns but can be used in cash games fairly easily.
USC AT CAL
Kickoff: 3:00
Spread: USC -4.5
O/U: 69
USC
Team Expected Points- 39
WR- Juju Smith-Schuster- $8,000
Analysis:
Juju Smith-Schuster has been one of the top wide receivers in college football so far this season, and is facing a team that has allowed 260 yards passing per game which is 102nd in the country. The issue for Smith-Schuster is that he has been favoring one of his legs in practice essentially having a limp. While he will play in this game, he is clearly not at 100%, and there is some concern as he uses his speed and athleticism on every play.
Recommendation:
If you have the salary, Smith-Schuster makes for a great play this week in both cash and GPP’s as he is one of the top wide receivers on the slate. He has scored a touchdown in all but one of his team’s games this season, as well as going over 100 yards in each of these games, while the team is on the road and Cal’s defense has looked better of late especially with shutting down #1 wide receivers, we feel this is just variance, and should not hinder Smith-Schuster’s ability in this game.
Cal
Team Expected Points-30
QB- Jared Goff- $8,700
Analysis:
Jared Goff is as consistent as they come in college football. He has thrown for 2+ touchdowns in each of the teams games this season, as well as having thrown 295 yards+ in all but one game. He is a great cash game option every week, as consistency is a much undervalued stat in college football. Unfortunately for us fantasy players, he doesn’t throw to a consistent wide receiver so there is not a great stacking option for GPP’s each week. This week’s matchup is average as USC has allowed 237 yards passing through the air which is 83rd in the nation, but one of the better in the Pac-12.
Recommendation:
If you are uncomfortable with either of the two punt plays this week, Goff makes for a great play in cash games. He is not a great GPP option just due to his inability to run the football.
TE- Stephen Anderson- $3,900
Analysis:
The only thing Stephen Anderson hasn’t done this year is find the end zone. He has five receptions and 50 yards over the last three games which make him extremely interesting this week as Cal is in a great position to put up some high volume of passing yards. Since Cal is an underdog, they will be forced to throw the ball a significant amount of time.
Recommendation:
Anderson is the best option at tight end this week, as we are recommending to spend up due to how safe he is. If he can find the end zone for the first time he will be a tremendous value.
Western Kentucky At Old DOminion
Kickoff: 12:00PM EST
Spread: Western Kentucky -24.5
O/U: 65.5
Western Kentucky
Team Expected Points- 45
QB- Brandon Doughty- $9,400
Analysis:
Brandon Doughty is the definition of safe. He has thrown for over 300 yards in seven straight games this season and in these games has 3+ touchdowns. He is facing an Old Dominion defense that has been strong against the pass this season allowing only 222 yards this year.
Recommendation:
Doughty is one of the top cash game plays of the day. The only risk is that the game gets out of hand quickly, and Western Kentucky just runs the ball, but fortunately so far this season some of his best games have come in blowout situations.
Old Dominion
Team Expected Points- 20.5
Old Dominion is likely going to be starting a new quarterback and are heavy underdogs, this is not exactly a situation where you want to break out a new quarterback, so they should largely be avoided today.
CLEMSON AT NC STATE
Kickoff: 3:30PM EST
Spread: Clemson -10.5
O/U: 50
Clemson
Team Expected Points- 30.25
QB- Deshaun Watson- $9,400
Analysis:
Deshaun Watson is hard to figure out this year, as one week he will throw for over 400 yards, and the next week he will throw for less than 200 yards and run for 50+. Overall he has been good this year, but this is the most difficult defense that he faces this season as NC State is #3 overall in total yardage allowed per game. While NC State has not faced an offense as good as Clemson, the stats are still to be taken into consideration, and are not favorable for Watson this week. He does have the upside that no other quarterback has on this slate due to his unique ability to run and throw the football, but he is not the safest quarterback on this slate.
Recommendation:
Watson is a pure GPP play, as he is someone who is in a tough matchup, but in one of the most difficult matchups this season against Boston College he threw for 420 yards and combined for four total touchdowns. He is very expensive but possesses tremendous upside.
NC State
Team Expected Points- 19.75
TE- Jaylen Samuels- $4,500
Analysis:
Samuels has been the top tight end this year as he has a heavy involvement in both the rushing/receiving game for NC State. The problem is that he is facing the #4 defense in college football this year which is going to make this game tough for Samuels.
Recommendation:
Samuels is in a tough matchup and while we prefer Stephen Anderson over him due to the price, he will be relied on heavily which should make opportunity for him to succeed. If you have the cash and want to diversify off of Anderson a case could be made where you split them in cash games, but Anderson is our favorite play this week.
MARYLAND AT IOWA
Kickoff: 3:30PM EST
Spread: Iowa -17
O/U: 53
Maryland
Team Expected Points- 18
QB- Perry Hills- $7,900
Analysis:
This is the third straight tough matchup for Perry Hills, as he has previously faced Ohio State, Penn State, and now Iowa. Perry Hills in the first two games has run for over 100 yards in each of the two games, and is looking to run for a third 100 yard game. Unfortunately, Iowa has the best defense of the group, and should have the game film to shut him down, but it is hard to discount what he has done so far over the last two games.
Recommendation:
Hills is a contrarian GPP play, as while he has ran the ball great, if you’re Iowa you have to think they will be selling out to stop the quarterback run as this is the only way that Maryland is able to keep this game close. Iowa is coming off a bye which is not an ideal situation for a quarterback on the road against a top 10 defense coming off a bye. His price is just too expensive for this matchup, and should only be used if you’re looking to completely differentiate yourself from the crowd.
Iowa
Team Expected Points- 35
RB- Akrum Wadley- $6,800
Analysis:
Akrum Wadley is Iowa’s third starting running back that they have had and is coming off of a huge game rushing for 204 yards and four touchdowns against a very tough Northwestern run defense. Coming off a bye Jordan Canzeri is still unable to play this week which provides Wadley a tremendous opportunity against a defense that has averaged allowing 175 yards rushing per game.
Recommendation:
Start Wadley in all of your lineups as he will get enough volume against a poor defense to be one of the top values of the day.
OKLAHOMA STATE AT TEXAS TECH
Kickoff: 3:30PM EST
Spread: Oklahoma State -3
O/U: 78
Oklahoma State
Team Expected Points- 40.5
QB- Mason Rudolph- $7,000
Analysis:
Another quarterback that grades out high this week in what should be a shootout of a game. While Rudolph has been largely disappointing this season, as he only has two games over 300 yards and only three games with two or more touchdowns. This matchup however is one of the best in college football, as Texas Tech does not have a defense, so if there ever was a game for Rudolph to perform at a high level it would be this one. This is his best opportunity to recreate the Kansas State game where he had 400+ yards and 3 touchdowns, but the risk is there that this may not happen and may use the stable of running backs against Texas Tech.
Recommendation:
Mason is a great GPP play, but is not a great cash game play due to his up and down nature of his play so far this season. In cash games we are looking for either cheap values or consistency, and he is neither on this slate.
Texas Tech
Team Expected Points- 38.5
It is hard to say do not start anyone on a team that is projected to score 38.5 points, but in cash games this week we do not recommend playing anyone. The primary reason is that Mahomes is coming off a horrible game where he threw for under 300 yards and threw four interceptions. He also is facing a team in Oklahoma State that is only allowing 181 yards passing per game. Texas Tech is priced up as if they should be one of the top options this week, and that is just simply not the case.
If you want to have a Mahomes and Jakeem Grant as a contrarian GPP play we would entertain that option, as there still is upside that Oklahoma State reverses back to the mean as they are much better on paper than they have been this season.
OKLAHOMA AT KANSAS
Kickoff: 3:30PM EST
Spread: Oklahoma -39
O/U: 61
Oklahoma
Team Expected Points- 50
QB- Baker Mayfield- $9,100
Analysis:
Baker Mayfield is incredibly expensive on this slate, but is our top overall quarterback in terms of points on this slate. While he was extremely disappointing last week due to the game script of Oklahoma just running the ball all over Texas Tech, he is in another great opportunity where if Oklahoma elects to throw the ball this week he will easily pay off that price tag.
Recommendation:
Mayfield is a GPP play as Oklahoma has the ability to run the ball and doesn’t need to throw the ball this week. We are projecting great things from him this week, but if they run the ball as much as they did last game, he will not be needed and could wreck your cash games at that price.
RB- Samaje Perine- $7,200
Analysis:
Finally the one week that we did not recommend Samaje Perine he looks like the Perine from 2014. If you remember one thing about 2014 you remember Perine’s performance against Kansas last year when he ran for 427 yards against Kansas. Kansas has not gotten any better this year, but Perine has gotten into a time share situation with Joe Mixon that limits his upside in most games. The matchup is perfect however the time share limits his potential upside in most weeks.
Recommendation:
It’s always difficult to predict how these blowout games are going to go, as Oklahoma can choose how they want to defeat Kansas. Most teams have a definite weakness, but Kansas is bad at all aspects of football. In their 55-0 win against Kansas State Perine had 11 carries for 56 yards and no touchdowns. While we expect better numbers this week, we think Perine is best suited as a GPP play due to his inconsistent touches. However, due to the high number of people who will have him, he can be used as a block for cash games.
Kansas
Team Expected Points- 11
Kansas is the worst team in football; avoid them and move on to the next team.
GEORGIA AT FLORIDA
Kickoff: 3:30PM EST
Spread: Florida -2
O/U: 45
Most of the time we are recommending to avoid any game that has an over/under 45 or less and this week is no different. These two teams are in the top 12 defenses in total yardage and neither team has an offense that we expect to do much against the other team’s defense this week.
