College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Saturday 10/22/22

With daily fantasy football so popular, it was only a matter of time before it translated to the college level.

FanDuel offers college football daily fantasy contests now in most states, and there's a twist on the NFL ruleset. You select a quarterback, two running backs, three wideouts (which can include tight ends), and a "SuperFLEX" that can be any of those positions.

Finding target data for pass-catchers in college can be difficult, so finding out which players are on the field and getting work can make all the difference. Naturally, there are also more lopsided outcomes in college, so balance game scripts appropriately as well! Your running back's monstrous first half could lead to a bagel in the second.

There are some ugly projected weather in some spots this weekend. We've got running backs starting to take on insane workloads, and scoring was absolutely bananas last week. It must be October.

Note: All stats are from PFF.com. All tables are sortable by any category.

The Slate

I can't remember a cash line as high as Week 7's, but Week 8 has plenty of possible spots for eruption, as well.

That's led by a Pac-12 shootout between UCLA and Oregon. Both of these offenses have routinely been hitting the 40-point mark, but the market shares aren't exactly ideal. We'll dive into that one, though.

West Virginia and Texas Tech are the next-highest total at 65.5. They've got two explosive passing games with subpar -- if not downright awful -- passing defenses on the other side.

I'm also surprised we got Central Florida and East Carolina on the main slate, but that one's lofty total (63.5) is more than fair after the Knights dropped a 70-burger last week.

There are also four totals in the 40-point category, but I still do like plenty of individual players in those matchups.

Defensive Matchups and Rankings

Note: Higher numbers are easier matchups for the opposing team. Lower numbers are better rankings and tougher matchups.

Southern Methodist is really the lone truly awful defense on this slate. They're outside the top 100 against both the rush and pass (per attempt).

On the ground, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Mississippi State have been getting gashed at will. On the flip side, this slate has six top-20 squads in terms of rush yards per attempt allowed: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Cincinnati, UCLA, and East Carolina.

Through the air, the ECU Pirates and WVU Mountaineers are bottom-10 teams in all of FBS in yards per attempt allowed. Kansas and Purdue join them outside the top 100.

However, only Ohio State and Cincinnati are top-20 teams against the rush and pass. UCLA is 21st against the pass. The other top-20 pass defenses on this slate include Iowa, Penn State, Syracuse, Texas, and Texas A&M.

Hopefully, these stingy defenses keep scoring a little bit lower than last week's circus.

Quarterbacks

In the game of the day, I'll take Dorian Thompson-Robinson ($11,000) over Bo Nix ($11,700) every time.

UCLA's defense is no joke. They limited Utah to just 287 passing yards. On the other hand, Oregon is 81st in yards per attempt allowed, and Thompson-Robinson has also been a dual-threat guy, posting 44.2 rushing yards per game so far.

It's getting harder to ignore Adrian Martinez ($10,500) on Kansas State. I prefer Deuce Vaughn ($8,600) and his godly workload out of the backfield, but Martinez is a touchdown sniper. He's taken seven rushing scores in the past three weeks.

Jayden Daniels ($10,000) and Jaxson Dart ($10,000) are dual threats in the same game environment, but Louisiana State has a slightly worse defense in terms of yards per play. Dart gets a slight edge, but you can vary exposure to both.

Just like last week, Quinn Ewers ($8,700) is an awesome target into the weak Oklahoma State pass defense. They're 84th against the pass -- and a better 48th against the rush. Ewers likely will have easier sledding than Bijan Robinson ($10,500).

Injury news has wreaked havoc on the value tier, though. I'd have loved to roster Behren Morton ($8,400) after his stellar debut, but Texas Tech is going to split snaps between him and Donovan Smith ($8,400). Ew.

Since he's "hopeful" to return from a concussion, Ben Bryant ($8,100) is the best value target against SMU's horrendous pass defense. Given we also saw five touchdowns two weeks ago, I feel fine going to Graham Mertz ($7,300), as well, in a game Wisconsin should have an easier time throwing than running.

Running Backs

Bijan is just tough to prioritize when last week showed two crystal-clear top options at tailback.

Michigan ran all over Penn State last week, and now the Nittany Lions face one of the top back's in college football -- Minnesota's Mohamed Ibrahim ($9,800). Ibrahim has handled 83.3% of the Gophers' carries the past two weeks, and he's broken 100 yards rushing in every game this year.

The other is Jahmyr Gibbs ($9,700). Gibbs has put a strangehold on this Alabama backfield. He's gotten 70.1% of Bama's carries in the past two weeks, and it led to three touchdowns against Tennessee. With multiple catches in his last six games as well, his role is sweet.

Mississippi backs Quinshon Judkins ($9,400) and Zach Evans ($8,700) both got at least 21 carries last week, so there's volume to be had. You're, of course, playing with fire on the touchdown roulette when Dart is in the mix, as well.

Devon Achane ($8,500) and MarShawn Lloyd ($8,000) both have elite roles in their contest, and those are two rush defenses outside the top-80 spots in yards per attempt.

It's much easier to run than pass on UCF, so Keaton Mitchell ($8,300) is a solid play from the Pirates. Mitchell has seen 15 total targets the past two weeks, too.

A great stack to Bryant that'll gobble up plenty of the Bearcats' touchdown equity is Charles McClelland ($8,500). McClelland has gotten a lion's share (61.8%) of UC's carries in the past two weeks.

I'd warn against Tony Mathis Jr. ($7,400), who blew up last week in a feature role with CJ Donaldson ($5,500) sidelined for West Virginia. They'll likely split carries this week.

Wide Receivers

Rashee Rice ($9,300) is a fantasy cheat code.

Don't let last week's down effort in a blowout fool you. Rice got 18 targets when trailing UCF, and he is a perfect, low-risk bring-back option to the Bearcats' pieces. He'll likely get his even if Tanner Mordecai ($9,500) melts down just as he did against the Knights.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($8,500) will be back to dent the Buckeyes' target tree even further, and Iowa has allowed the second-fewest yards per attempt in the nation. Therefore, I have zero interest in Emeka Egbuka ($9,500), Marvin Harrison Jr. ($8,400), and Julian Fleming ($7,900). Someone else can draw blood from that turnip.

Charlie Jones ($9,200) was back in a big way for the Boilers with a 31.2-FanDuel-point effort against Nebraska last week. His 15 targets last week were a slate-high, and he's a great mini-stack with Ibrahim.

Especially considering the Mountaineers' backfield, Bryce Ford-Wheaton ($8,400) is even more appealing. His 29.3% target share for the season is third-best on this slate.

When stacking Ewers, Xavier Worthy ($8,300) caught a pair of short touchdowns on 10 targets last week. The speedster is always a threat for the home-run ball, too.

Even in a rough matchup with K-State, Quentin Johnston ($9,000) is hard to ignore. He's gotten at least 14 targets in consecutive weeks, and this game still has a modest 54.5-point total.

Kayshon Boutte ($6,100) is back in LSU's target hierarchy and a tremendous value play. He's posted double-digit FanDuel points in back-to-back games as their lead guy.

Other key value plays will come from Texas Tech's tree. If Myles Price ($7,300) suits up, he's the real lead guy and should be a main focus. If he sits, Xavier White ($6,700), Jerand Bradley ($6,500), and Trey Cleveland ($5,300) all got double-digit looks against the Pokes. Cleveland is more of their "move the sticks" guy, and Bradley is the big-play target. White is somewhere in between.