Week 13 of college football is here! FanDuel's Thursday college football DFS main slate includes two 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 the Tuesday slate, which locks at 2:00 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
Tevaka Tuioti, New Mexico ($11,000)/Trae Hall, New Mexico ($9,700) – I've listed both New Mexico quarterbacks since the starter for this week's game has not been announced. Both Tuioti and Hall are listed as co-starters on this week's depth chart. Tuioti, the opening day starter, has missed the last two games with a concussion. If he's unable to play this week then Hall will make his third straight start. The New Mexico quarterback steps into a phenomenal matchup. This week's opponent, Utah State, has been roasted by opposing passers. The Aggies are allowing an eye-popping 321.3 passing yards per game. They've been torched for 12 passing touchdowns in only three games.
Haaziq Daniels, Air Force ($8,800) – Daniels operates the Air Force Falcons triple-option offense. The sophomore quarterback is the Falcons' second-leading rusher with 189 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 38 carries. He's also thrown for 199 yards and a single touchdown. He encounters Colorado State's run defense which has allowed eight rushing touchdowns through three games.
Patrick O'Brien, Colorado State ($7,300) – Patty O has thrown for 477 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception in parts of three games this season. He's also added two rushing touchdowns. He's in a great spot this week as the Rams' opponent, Air Force, has struggled defending the pass this season. Air Force is allowing 219.0 passing yards per game including an ugly 9.81 yards per pass attempt. The senior also has two of the Mountain West's best pass catchers (Dante Wright and Trey McBride) at his disposal.
Others to consider: Andrew Peasley OR Cooper Legas (depends on which quarterback is named the starter).
Running Backs
Brian Roberts, Air Force ($10,500) – This play comes with an asterisk. Roberts is viable if Kadin Remsburg does not play on Thursday. Roberts started in last week's game with Remsburg sidelined and exploded for 28 carries, 177 rushing yards, and 3 touchdowns. He's clearly an intriguing option if he starts on Thursday as the Falcons host a Colorado State squad that is allowing 38 points per game through three games.
Jaylen Warren, Utah State ($9,400) – Warren is the Aggies' top playmaker on offense and the senior leads Utah State with 252 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns on 52 carries. He's a solid target on Thursday as the Aggies face-off with New Mexico. New Mexico was stomped for 356 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns by Air Force last week.
Bobby Cole, New Mexico ($7,900) – Cole is the Lobos' starting running back and he's rushed for 90-plus yards in two out of four games this season. Through four games, the junior running back has 255 rushing yards and a touchdown on 45 carries. Up next is a great spot for the New Mexico ball carrier. This week's opponent, Utah State, has allowed 100-plus rushing yards and at least one rushing touchdown to each of the four starting running backs they've encountered this season.
Others to consider: Timothy Jackson (if he plays), A'Jon Vivens, Devonta'e Henry Cole, Matthew Murla (if Timothy Jackson is OUT), Nathaniel Jones, and Bryson Carroll.
Wide Receivers
Dante Wright, Colorado State ($9,100) – Wright has racked up 15 receptions and 255 receiving yards in two games this season. He has also rushed for 17 yards on 5 carries. The sophomore is blessed with track-star speed and is the type of player that could expose an Air Force pass defense that is allowing an eye-popping 9.81 yards per pass attempt (as mentioned above).
Justin McGriff, Utah State ($7,100) – McGriff has drawn at least five targets in all four games, per Pro Football Focus. His involvement should increase even further with the announcement that Utah State's leading wide receiver Deven Thompkins has left the program. Further helping McGriff's (the starting Z-receiver) cause is that he's in a solid spot this week. New Mexico has been torched by Z-receivers this season. They allowed 6 receptions, 147 receiving yards, and a touchdown to Hawaii Warriors' Z-receiver Nick Mardner, as well as 5 receptions, 172 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns to Nevada Wolf Pack Z-receiver Romeo Doubs.
Taylor Compton, Utah State ($4,500) – It's rare that a starting wide receiver is listed below $5,000 on FanDuel. However, with Utah State's leading wide receiver Deven Thompkins announcing his intent transfer, Taylor Compton is now listed as the starting slot receiver for Thursday's game. The senior has not recorded a reception this season. Compton had 14 receptions and 121 receiving yards in 2019. The best part is that he provides the necessary salary relief to roster the high-priced players.
Others to consider: Trey McBride, Jordan Kress, Brandon Lewis, Jordan Nathan, Alex Erickson, Emmanuel Logan-Greene, Nate Craig-Myers, and EJ Scott.
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.