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.
Michigan At Maryland
Kickoff: 12:00 PM EST
Spread: Michigan -15.5
O/U: 43
This game has been moved up due to the incoming hurricane. As such this game will not count for this slate, so make sure that you do not take anyone from this game.
Arkansas At Tennessee
Kickoff: 7:00 PM EST
Spread: Tennessee -7
O/U: 54.5
Arkansas
Team Expected Points- 23
WR- Drew Morgan- $4,700
Analysis:
Drew Morgan has turned into Arkansas’ number one receiver so far this season. While in the past this did not mean much, this year Arkansas is throwing at a much higher rate than in previous years. Tennessee has shown that if they can be beat it is through the air as they allowed 287 yards passing to Will Grier last week. Morgan is a guy who should put together a nice game and continue to show why he is the number one guy at Arkansas.
Recommendation:
Morgan makes for a nice cash game play as well as a GPP play as he does have the upside of putting up 155 yards and a touchdown last game.
Tennessee
Team Expected Points- 30
QB- Joshua Dobbs- $8,000
Analysis:
Joshua Dobbs is starting to become hard to figure out. From a passing standpoint he has been absolutely awful this year only breaking 200 yards once in week 1 against Bowling Green who has one of the worst defenses in college football. However, just when we were about to write him off he had 136 yards rushing last week on 18 carries. This is more than the previous three weeks combined. Arkansas’ defense is pretty hit or miss as well, as they largely shut down Toledo and Texas Tech, but Kyle Allen put up 358 yards and two touchdowns last week against them. It is hard to know which pass defense will show up.
Recommendation:
Dobbs is a GPP play only, he is someone who his running ability allows him to have the upside that is unmatched in this slate. Unfortunately he is inconsistent and at this price is not someone that can be trusted in cash games.
RB- Jalen Hurd- $7,000
Analysis:
Jalen Hurd has been a scoring machine this season scoring 7 touchdowns in just 4 games. Unfortunately Hurd is not catching as many passes as he previously did last year as he has just caught three passes this season for 19 yards. He still has the upside due to his ability to find the end zone as well as averaging 100 yards rushing so far this season. The issue is that his matchup is one of the most difficult in the nation as Arkansas has allowed only 93 yards rushing per game.
Recommendation:
Jalen Hurd is a GPP play only due to his ability to score multiple touchdowns, but due to the difficult matchup he is someone that cannot be trusted in cash games.
Colorado State At Utah State
Kickoff: 7:00 PM EST
Spread: Utah State -4.5
O/U: 48.5
Colorado State
Team Expected Points- 30.5
WR- Rashard Higgins- $7,000
Analysis:
Rashard is one of the best wide receivers in college football. He has proven this by having a touchdown in every game that he has played this season eclipsing 100 yards in two of the three games. He is one of the most targeted wide receivers in college football averaging over 10 targets per game. Utah State has shown that their ability to stop the pass is the weakness of their defense allowing 368 yards to Washington in their last game. We fully expect Higgins to take a big step forward in this game.
Recommendation:
Higgins is the most expensive wide receiver on the board, but makes for a great play in GPP’s due to his upside and a good play in cash games due to his floor. The game is not expected to be high scoring and it is a road game in altitude for Colorado State which is the primary reason he is not an elite cash game play.
Utah State
Team Expected Points- 26.5
WR- Hunter Sharp- $5,500
Analysis:
Hunter Sharp is a player who was suspended the first two games of this season and picked up right where he left off last season with six catches for 74 yards. He should continue to play a critical role in this offense. Colorado State has a tough pass defense, but Sharp is going to be the primary focus of this offense, and at $5,500 makes a nice contrarian play. Most of his big fantasy games happened last year when a different quarterback was playing and not with Kent Myers so we will see if they’re able to establish a connection that they failed to have last season.
Recommendation:
Sharp is a GPP only, he has shown the ability to put up a huge game last year, but that was not with Kent Myers. Colorado State has shown that they have an above-average pass defense, so we recommending avoiding Sharp in cash games.
Eastern Michigan At LSU
Kickoff: 7:00 PM EST
Spread: LSU -44.5
O/U: 58
Eastern Michigan
Team Expected Points- 7.5
If a team is expected to score 7.5 points, it is not recommended that you play anyone on this team.
LSU
Team Expected Points 52
RB- Leonard Fournette- $9,800
Analysis:
Leonard Fournette is one of the two best running backs in college football and while everyone is in love with him, lets slow down on anointing him as one of the best running backs of all time. However, in this matchup Fournette is going to be able put up as many points as he possibly wants. It is always difficult trying to predict carries from an elite running back, during Jeremy Hill’s time at LSU, in blowout situations he only had six carries and 11 carries, however that situation is not truly comparable due to Alfred Blue and Terrence Mcgee also splitting time with Hill.
Recommendation:
There is a decent amount of risk in this game, as LSU doesn’t need to play Fournette to win this game. We have not seen how many carries that Fournette will get due to the McNeese State game being cancelled in week one. With that said, with how good Fournette is and how poor of a team Eastern Michigan is it may only take ten carries for him to break two long touchdowns to win this game. Fournette is a GPP play only as at his price you are essentially hoping that Eastern Michigan keeps this game close.
Mississippi at Florida
Kickoff: 7:00 PM EST
Spread: Mississippi -7
O/U: 50
Mississippi
Team Expected Points- 28.5
QB- Chad Kelly- $6,900
Analysis-
Chad Kelly has thrown for 300+ yards in all three of his games this season. Yes, the team has played 4 games, but the first game of the season he only threw the ball 15 times against the FCS opponent Tennessee-Martin so we are going to throw that game out. He also has shown an ability to run the football especially towards the goal-line scoring in 2 of the 3 games (again not counting the Tennessee-Martin game in which he also ran for a touchdown). The matchup against Florida is not a great one, as they shut down both SEC opponents that they have faced so far from a passing standpoint. They have the best corner in college football in Vernon Hargreaves who will be a name you will want to remember on Sunday’s next season.
Recommendation:
Kelly has been great so far this season, so it is going to come as a bit of a surprise in that we are going to recommend him only for GPP’s. With this expected to be a relatively low scoring game, as well as facing one of the best secondaries in college football, there are better quarterbacks this week for your cash games.
Florida-
Team Expected Points- 21.5
Mississippi has one of the best defenses in the country and the quarterback situation at Florida is very unclear as Will Grier is dealing with an illness. We recommend that you go with other options this week.
Vanderbilt at Middle Tennessee State
Kickoff: 7:00 PM EST
Spread: MTSU -2.5
O/U: 48
Vanderbilt
Team Expected Points- 22.5
WR- Trent Sherfield- $5,100
Analysis:
Trent Sherfield has been off to a great start and has great chemistry with Johnny McCrary. Last game against a very strong Ole Miss team he had seven catches for 55 yards, coming off of a game with 16 catches for 240 yards. Middle Tennessee State has a defense that is very strong defense with the exception of their game against Alabama. However, they have had trouble stopping the number one wide receiver as Geronimo Allison went for 10 carries and 128 yards.
Recommendation:
Sherfield is a safe cash game play, as he is going to see a significant amount of volume in the passing game from McCrary. He is not a great GPP play as he has yet to catch a significant number of touchdowns due to Vanderbilt’s lack of offense.
MTSU
Team Expected Points- 25.5
RB- Shane Tucker- $3,600/ Jordan Parker
Analysis:
Shane Tucker missed the last game due to injury, but should be back and ready to go. He is not the most skilled player averaging only 3 yards per carry, but should see enough volume to pay off his price. Tucker has yet to find the end zone so far this season, but last year he saw eight touchdowns and was heavily involved in the passing game. Parker has seen more carries this season, and been more involved in the goal line. Vanderbilt so far has had a difficult time thus far stopping the run so far this season and their stats look better than they are due to the Leon Allen injury week one.
Recommendation:
Tucker and Parker are both punt plays if you are looking to save money this week.
WR- Ed’Marques Batties- $6,200
Analysis:
Batties has burst onto the scene so far this year, as he was relatively quiet last season. Excluding the Alabama game in which he was overmatched in the level of competition, he is averaging 139 yards and 2.3 touchdowns per game. Vanderbilt is not anywhere close to the level of competition that Alabama has, so Batties should be able to continue his great start this season.
Recommendation:
Find a way to get Batties into your lineup in both cash and GPP.
Arizona State at UCLA
Kickoff: 7:30 PM EST
Spread: UCLA -13.5
O/U: 61
Arizona State
Team Expected Points- 24
RB- Demario Richard- $7,500
Analysis:
If there has been a bright spot so far this season for Arizona State it has been Demario Richard. He is the focal point of their offense, and should have another big game in this one. UCLA has been devastated by injuries on defense over the past few weeks losing Eddie Vanderdoes and Myles Jack which severely hurts their defense. UCLA gave up 358 yards rushing to Arizona last week, but that game was largely out of hand and Arizona was using a backup quarterback with limited passing ability. Richard is in a good spot, but UCLA still has significant talent, and at this point should be selling out to stop Richard.
Recommendation:
We expect UCLA is going to improve defensively, but Richard is still in a good opportunity to get yardage. Richard does have some risk as UCLA is a much better team historically than the way they have performed recently, but he still should be considered in both cash and GPP’s. Vegas has Arizona State only scoring 24 points, which is not a lot so there is a little bit of risk.
UCLA
Team Expected Points- 37
QB- Josh Rosen- $7,200
Analysis:
Josh Rosen has been one of the best quarterbacks in college football this season and one of the best freshman in recent memory. He has largely been inconsistent as most freshmen are as he had only 106 yards passing in his third start against BYU. The good news for him is that he is facing an Arizona State team that is one of the worst teams against the pass in college football. This was evident last weekend when Cody Kessler threw for 4 touchdowns in one half.
Recommendation:
Rosen is a great GPP play, as he is someone who can have a great game against Arizona State. Unfortunately, he is a freshman so there is a significant amount of risk for him to have a poor game at any time, but this is one of the best spots that he will be in all year and should have a great game.
RB- Paul Perkins- $7,700
Analysis:
Paul Perkins may be the most boom/bust running back in college football. One week he will run for 200+ yards and the next week he will run for less than 100. One game he will score 3 touchdowns and then he won’t score. It makes it very difficult to figure out on a weekly basis, but he is in a great position to have a big game this week. Arizona State has not faced a running back of the caliber of Perkins, so this will be a test for them in this game.
Recommendation:
Perkins is a GPP play every week. The matchup is likely average just due to a lack of data. He has the ability to score three touchdowns in a given week and has upside that is greater than any running back on this slate
Mississippi State at Texas A&M
Kickoff: 8:00 PM EST
Spread: Texas A&M -5.5
O/U: 63
Mississippi State
Team Expected Points- 28.5
WR- Fred Ross- $3,500
Analysis:
Ross is the ideal punt play that is consistent enough that you know what you are likely to get from him, but also in a matchup that is good enough for him to exceed his value. In three of his four games so far this year he has five or more catches and at least 50 yards, which at the $3,500 price if he can repeat these numbers he should be a great start.
Recommendation:
He is our favorite punt play for this slate.
Texas A&M
WR- Christian Kirk- $6,300
Analysis:
Christian Kirk so far this season has been up there with Josh Rosen as the top Freshman of the year. Kirk has scored a touchdown in three of his four games, as well as had 100+ yards in three of his four games. Combining these will quickly be able to get him to the value threshold of 20-25 points. Texas A&M is always tricky because the spread the ball around to various wide receivers, but it seems that Kirk is going to be the primary receiver on this team. Mississippi State is a team that can be beat through the air, but their run defense is very strong. They allowed 300+ yards passing to a Southern Miss team that is not a great passing team.
Recommendation:
Kirk is a great play this slate for both GPP and a good play for cash games.
Notre Dame @ Clemson
Kickoff: 8:00 PM EST
Spread: Clemson -2
O/U: 50.5
We are recommending avoiding this game due to the weather concerns. Clemson is expected to get upwards of 3-5 inches of rain which will turn this game into a sloppy mess. With an over under of just 50.5, and teams that are priced much higher than that, it does not make sense to target this game.
Oregon At Colorado
Kickoff: 10:00 PM EST
Spread: Oregon -7.5
O/U: 70
Oregon
Team Expected Points-
RB- Taj Griffin- $3,400
Analysis
This one is a dark horse play, but now that Byron Marshall is out for the season, Griffin is expected to take some of his reps at this position. Of course, there is always coach speak in these types of situations, so it is very risky, but if it is true it is a great way to save on salary this week.
Recommendation:
Griffin is a GPP only due to a lack of clarity in his role.
RB- Royce Freeman- $8,100
Analysis:
Royce Freeman has been largely disappointing so far this season only eclipsing the 100 yard threshold twice, he still has the ability to have a huge game and Colorado’s defense is below average. With the loss of Byron Marshall Oregon is going to need Freeman to step up even more to salvage their season that has gotten off to a horrible start.
Recommendation:
Freeman isn’t our top play this week at running back but due to his ability to have a breakout game has to be considered this week in GPP’s.
Colorado
Team Expected Points- 31.5
WR- Shay Fields/Nelson Spruce- $4,000/$6,400
Analysis:
Nelson Spruce is the obvious play here and we recommend him at his price due to being a focal point of the offense that is playing up in tempo against Oregon. The guy we like as a punt play is Shay Fields who so far this season has been consistent in getting receptions and should have the ability to take his game to the next level as Colorado is playing against one of the fastest tempo teams in college football meaning there are more snaps to go around for Colorado.
Recommendation:
Fields is a great punt play this week, while Spruce is a great play for both GPP and cash games.
Hawaii At Boise State
Kickoff: 10:15 PM EST
Spread: Boise -25.5
O/U: 56.5
Hawaii-
Team Expected Points- 15.5
In this slate with so many options, it is not recommended to start any players from Hawaii.
Boise State
Team Expected Points- 40.5
RB- Jeremy McNichols- $8,400
Analysis:
Jeremy McNichols has been absolutely terrific this year and has done a great job finding the end zone scoring ten touchdowns in 4 games. He is not the most talented running back, as he is only averaging 4.3 yards per carry, which severely limits his upside. The other issue is this game script, against Idaho State he only had 15 carries, which while he scored three touchdowns you essentially are becoming dependent on touchdowns which is not something that you want to do in blowout games, as your player could be pulled at half time and if there is a fluke defensive touchdown or a passing touchdown it will hurt the running stats of McNichols.
Recommendation:
At this price, he would likely need to score 4 touchdowns since he is just not a heavy yardage running back. There are better options than to spend up on McNichols this week.
RB- Kelsey Young- $4,300
Analysis:
In these blowout type games, Kelsey Young has been absolutely terrific. Kelsey has seen between 8-13 carries and scored two touchdowns in the 52-0 win over Idaho State in Week 3. This is a pure punt play, and one that if you need the salary you could do much worse than go with a guy who is likely to find the end zone at some point during this game.
Recommendation:
Young is a backup running back, so if the game remains close you may not see a lot of him which increases his risk. However, he is a great play in what is almost assuredly going to be a blowout situation.
Arizona At Stanford
Kickoff: 10:30 PM EST
Spread: Stanford -11.5
O/U: 60.5
Arizona
Team Expected Points: 24.5
RB- Nick Wilson- $6,800
Analysis:
Nick Wilson continues to show why he is one of the best running backs in college football as even in a loss last week to UCLA he was able to put up 136 rushing yards. The matchup is not as tough as it has been in the past, which creates a value situation, as Stanford has been vulnerable with their run defense allowing 134 yards in week one to Justin Jackson from Northwestern, and allowing USC to run for 5.5 yards per carry. Wilson is one of the best running backs in the country and will be leaned on by the Arizona Wildcats to keep this game close.
Recommendation:
At this price, Wilson is one of the best values on this slate, we will be using a lot of him in both cash games and GPP’s as there is a perception based on historical data that Stanford is a great run defense thus the lower priced salary, this is just not the case this season. There is still risk however as Stanford does have a very slow tempo, so while we like him to exceed his projections, we are cautiously optimistic.
QB- Jerrard Randall-$6,000
Analysis:
This one is going to be tough, as we are not sure if Randall is going to be the starter, but if he is ruled the starter, he is someone that you are going to want to put into your lineup as his running ability might be unmatched in college football. He is a player that last game ran for 128 yards and a touchdown, which has given him five rushing touchdowns on the season.
Recommendation:
Wait for more pending news, but start him everywhere if Anu Solomon is ruled out as his running ability makes him too good of a value not to have him in your lineup.
Stanford
Team Expected Points: 36
QB- Kevin Hogan- $6,400
Analysis:
Kevin Hogan has finally turned into the player we have waited for him to turn into. He is dealing with an ankle injury that caused him to only throw the ball 14 times last game. However, he will be needed much more in this game as Arizona’s offense is more powerful than Oregon State’s. He should get close to 300 yards passing with a few scores assuming everything is good with his ankle which at this points all signs are positive.
Recommendation:
Hogan is a great cash game play, but as a GPP play we may look elsewhere due to him still having the ankle issue which will prevent him from running the football.
RB- Christian McCaffrey- $7,100
Recommendation:
Christian McCaffrey is one of our favorite players in college football as he has really turned up his game now that Pac-12 play has begun. Last week he had 206 yards rushing and while the touchdowns are still an issue due to Remound Wright getting the goal line, McCaffrey makes up for that with his ability to catch the football out of the backfield. Arizona’s defense has shown that it has a decent run defense, holding Paul Perkins to just 85 yards last week, but McCaffrey is a different style of runner who likes to get out in space which should cause Arizona some issues.
Analysis:
McCaffrey is a good cash game play due to the amount of receptions and yardage that he will pick up. He is not a great GPP play as the upside is somewhat limited due to Remound Wright getting the goal line carries for Stanford.
Fresno State At San Diego State
Kickoff: 10:30 PM EST
Spread: San Diego State -7.5
O/U: 52.5
Fresno State-
Team Expected Points- 23
With so many great games that are on-going this week, Fresno State can be safely avoided.
San Diego State
Team Expected Points- 31
RB- Donnell Pumphrey- $8,600
Analysis-
Fresno State over the last two seasons has one of the worst defenses in college football especially against the run. Last week Fresno State allowed Tyler Ervin to have 300 yards rushing with three touchdowns. While we aren’t going to predict Pumphrey to go for 300 yards, we are going to predict that he is in a great situation to finally have the breakout game we have all been waiting for. Pumphrey has yet to have a great game so far this season, and a large part of that has to do with their schedule, as they have faced some great run defenses this season. He should rebound nicely it is just a matter of whether or not he will pay off his price.
Recommendation:
There is concern regarding Pumphrey’s lack of success so far this season, but he is one of the top running backs in college football and should be a great play today.
