Week 13 of college football is here! FanDuel's Saturday night college football DFS late slate includes eight games.
In case you're unfamiliar with how it works, you can check out the rules and scoring on FanDuel, where you can hit the lobby each week to see the full array of slates and contests being offered.
As for the basics, your roster consists of a quarterback slot, two running back slots, three wide receiver slots (which also includes tight ends) and one super flex slot. In the flex, you can insert one player from any position, including quarterbacks.
Here, our goal is to help you field a roster full of fantasy goodness, and in true numberFire fashion, we'll use our in-house projections as well as betting totals and advanced statistics to tackle as many slates as possible in the lead-up to the College Football Playoff. This week, we are only breaking down Saturday's late slate, which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST.
Let's breakdown which players are in great spots as well as identify some players with cheap price tags that will allow you to roster the high dollar players.
Quarterbacks
Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma ($12,000) – It almost feels like a requirement to mention Jalen Hurts whenever the Oklahoma Sooners are included on a DFS slate. The senior’s numbers are remarkable through 10 games. Hurts is averaging 303.9 passing yards, 98.3 rushing yards, and 4.3 total touchdowns per game. Even without his game-breaking wide receiver (CeeDee Lamb) last week, Hurts managed to throw for 297 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 117 yards. As usual, he’s the top play on the slate.
Anthony Gordon, Washington State, ($10,500) – Gordon is the nation’s leader in passing yards (4,314) and touchdown passes (39). The senior has topped 406 yards passing in eight games this season. He’s averaging 51.5 pass attempts per game. If that’s not crazy enough, the matchup with Oregon State is exceptional. The Beavers rank 100th in passing yards allowed per game (253.4). They’ve also allowed 21 touchdown passes in 10 games.
Skylar Thompson, Kansas State ($8,400) – Thompson is averaging 188.8 yards passing, 35 yards rushing, and two total touchdowns per game. The junior signal caller has an enticing matchup with the Texas Tech Red Raiders this week. The Red Raiders rank 128th (out 130) in passing yards allowed per game (310). They also struggle mightily against dual-threat quarterbacks. Last week, TCU's Max Duggan threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 75 yards and one score. Additionally, five straight opposing quarterbacks have thrown for at least 300 yards against Texas Tech.
Others to consider: Joe Burrow, Jamie Newman, Justin Herbert, Max Duggan, Jett Duffey, Jake Luton, Desmond Ridder, Kelly Bryant, and Quentin Harris
Running Backs
Max Borghi, Washington State ($9,300) – The sophomore has over 1,150 rushing and receiving yards combined this season. Borghi leads the Washington State skill position players with 12 touchdowns. The versatile running back has at least eight receptions in four consecutive games. Up next is a fantasy-friendly matchup with Oregon State. The last three running backs to face Oregon State have posted the following FanDuel outputs: 32.2 (JJ Taylor of Arizona), 18.2 (Eno Benjamin of Arizona State), and 29.4 (Salvon Ahmed of Washington).
Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State ($7,200) – Jefferson ran for 1,380 yards and 12 touchdowns a season ago. However, the Oregon State running back has been set back by injuries this season. Jefferson is finally healthy, and he’s run for 176 yards and four touchdowns on 45 carries over the Beavers’ last three games. With the over/under set at 75 for the Washington State-Oregon State game, you’re going to want to get a lot of exposure to these two offenses.
Kennedy Brooks, Oklahoma ($6,900) – Brooks is operating as the lead back in the Sooners’ backfield with Trey Sermon lost for the season due to injury. In the Sooners’ first full game without Sermon, Brooks was given 18 carries. He managed to run for 93 yards and catch four passes for 22 yards. He’s a great way to get cheap exposure to Oklahoma’s high-scoring offense and remains underpriced for his new role.
Others to consider: Clyde Edwards-Helaire (if he plays), Michael Warren II, Eno Benjamin, SaRodorick Thompson, CJ Verdell (if he plays), Deon Jackson, James Gilbert, Re’Mahn Davis, Artavis Pierce, and Larry Rountree III
Wide Receivers
Brandon Arconado, Washington State ($9,000) – Arconado has 82 receptions, 869 yards receiving, and six touchdowns this season despite missing two games with an injury. Since returning from injury, he’s been unstoppable. In four games post injury, the senior receiver has compiled 35 receptions, 517 yards receiving, and five touchdowns. Look for him to continue his hot stretch against Oregon State’s porous pass defense.
Kendall Hinton, Wake Forest ($7,700) – Hinton ranks second among Wake Forest pass catchers in receptions (53) and receiving yards (676) despite missing two games this season. The senior is vital to the Demon Deacons’ passing game now that Wake Forest is without two of its top three wide receivers (Sage Surratt and Scotty Washington). Operating out of the slot, Hinton had at least six receptions in five straight games prior to last week’s blowout loss to Clemson. Look for Hinton and the Wake Forest offense to rebound this week against Duke. The Blue Devils are in tailspin, surrendering 87 points across their last two games.
Taye Barber, TCU ($6,900) – The diminutive wide receiver is quickly becoming one of TCU’s top playmakers on offense. Over the last four games, Barber leads the Horned Frogs in receptions (21) and receiving yards (305). The sophomore should see a bunch of targets on Saturday night as TCU is currently a 17.0-point underdog at Oklahoma.
Others to consider: Ja’Marr Chase, Isaiah Hodgins, CeeDee Lamb (if he plays), Justin Jefferson, Easop Winston Jr., Jauan Jennings, Terrace Marshall Jr., Juwan Johnson, Dez Patmon, Branden Mack, Jalen Reagor, Charleston Rambo, Josiah Deguara, Brandon Aiyuk, Jaylon Redd, Dalton Schoen, RJ Turner, Malik Knowles, Albert Okwuegbunam, Trevon Bradford, Noah Gray, Travell Harris, and A.D. Miller (if Lamb is out)
Matthew Hiatt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matthew Hiatt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username easternmh. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.