College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 9/10/20 Single-Game Slate
Week Two of the college football season continues Thursday night as the Miami (FL) Hurricanes play host to the Alabama-Birmingham Blazers.
For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5 times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.
MVP Consideration
D'Eriq King, Miami ($17,500) - The former Houston transfer has been named the starting quarterback at Miami. In his last full season at Houston (2018), King accounted for an astounding 50 touchdowns in 11 games. He'll be very popular on this single-game slate because he's a great play any time he takes the field. Last week, in Miami's final scrimmage, King threw for 334 yards and tossed 6 touchdown passes. He also chipped in 94 yards rushing on 9 carries.
Tyler Johnston III, Alabama-Birmingham ($12,000) - Johnston III is intriguing due to his dual-threat ability at quarterback and his penchant for throwing the deep ball. He ranked 10th in the NCAA last season with an average of 9.0 yards per passing attempt. The junior has tossed at least two touchdown passes in seven out of his last 11 games, dating back to the 2019 season. Unfortunately, he also throws a lot of interceptions (15 interceptions in 11 games last season). Despite the interceptions, his upside is worth pursuing even in a tough matchup against Miami.
Cam'Ron Harris, Miami ($13,000) - Harris will open the 2020 season as the Hurricanes' starting running back. After averaging an impressive 5.1 yards per carry last season, Harris will look to improve upon that number as the Hurricanes have significantly upgraded their offensive line over the offseason. Finally, throw in a matchup with a Blazers' defense which allowed 35 points to Central Arkansas last week, and Harris is one of the better MVP candidates.
Mike Harley, Miami ($11,000) - Miami switched offensive coordinators and installed the spread offense over the offseason in order to help unleash their talented wide receivers. Harley saw time in all 13 games in 2019 and made four starts. The senior totaled 38 receptions, 485 yards receiving, and 3 touchdowns last season. He should be a huge part of Miami's offense after catching 5 passes for 78 yards and scoring a touchdown in last week's scrimmage.
Others to consider: Dee Wiggins
Value Plays
Spencer Brown, Alabama-Birmingham ($10,500) - With 127 yards rushing in the season opener, Brown recorded his 14th career 100-yard rushing game at UAB. While the matchup with Miami presents a difficult challenge (Miami ranked 17th in the country in rushing yards allowed last season), Brown is a good bet to receive a ton of carries for the second straight game. UAB will try to pound Brown and win the time of possession battle in hoping to keep Miami's star QB D'Eriq King off the field.
Austin Watkins Jr., Alabama-Birmingham ($10,000) - Watkins Jr. is easily the Blazers' top weapon in the passing game. The athletic pass catcher finished the 2019 season with 57 receptions, 1,092 receiving yards, and 6 touchdown receptions. He was named to the Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List (nation's top wide receiver) over the summer. Watkins Jr. had seven receptions and 72 yards receiving on 9 targets, per pro football focus, in the Blazers' season opener.
Mark Pope, Miami ($8,500) - Injuries hampered Pope last season as he was limited to 18 receptions, 266 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns. However, Pope was a standout in Miami's scrimmage last week; he recorded 4 receptions, 65 receiving yards, and 2 touchdown receptions. Miami's switch to the spread offense should allow the athletic wide receiver to finally break out as a junior.
Jeremiah Payton, Miami ($6,500) - The former four-star recruit was used sparingly in the 2019 season. However, he flashed his upside during the Hurricanes' scrimmage last week. The sophomore hauled in three receptions for 95 yards and found the end zone one time. He's a fine source of salary relief.
Others to consider: Brevin Thomas, Will Mallory, Michael Redding, Myron Mitchell, Jaylan Knight, and Don Chaney Jr.
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.
