Week 13 of college football is here! FanDuel's Friday college football DFS main slate includes nine 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 Friday main slate, which locks at 12:00 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
Malik Willis, Liberty ($12,000) – Willis has monster upside due to his freakish athletic ability. The junior quarterback has accounted for 26 out of the Liberty Flames' 42 offensive touchdowns this season, despite missing one game. Willis leads the Flames in rushing with 744 yards and 9 rushing touchdowns in eight games played this season. Up next is a date with the Massachusetts Minutemen. Massachusetts owns one of the worst defenses in all of the FBS, they are allowing over 420 yards of total offense per game to opponents, as well as allowing 38.7 points per game.
Ian Book, Notre Dame ($10,000) – Book is heating up as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish chase a playoff spot. The senior has cleared 300-passing yards in two out of the last four games while tossing 8 touchdown passes over those four games. He's also been an effective runner this season as he's racked up 40-plus rushing yards in six straight games. Book encounters a reeling North Carolina defense that is allowing 40.3 points over their last three games. In the Tar Heels latest game, they allowed 429 passing yards and 4 touchdown passes to Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman.
Chase Garbers, California ($7,400) – After struggling in the California Golden Bears season opener, Garbers bounced back with 315 yards passing and 3 touchdown passes in a 31-27 loss to Oregon State last week. On Friday, he's in an intriguing spot against the Stanford Cardinal. The Cardinal have struggled mightily with dual-threat quarterbacks like Garbers. The Cardinal allowed Colorado Buffaloes' quarterback Sam Noyer to throw for 255 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception, while also running for 36 yards and 2 touchdowns. Oregon's dual-threat quarterback Tyler Shough blistered the Cardinal for 227 passing yards, 81 rushing yards, and 2 total touchdowns.
Others to consider: Tyler Shough, Dillon Gabriel, Sam Ehlinger, Preston Hutchinson, Sam Howell, Davis Mills, Brock Purdy, Levi Williams, Tristan Gebbia, and Justin Rogers (if he starts).
Running Backs
Xazavian Valladay, Wyoming ($10,300) – The star running back soaks up a ton of usage in the Wyoming Cowboys' offense. The junior running back is tied for the team lead with 11 receptions. He's also one of the few running backs on Friday that we could safely project for 20-plus carries. Valladay has received at least 22 carries in all three games this season. He's averaging 132.3 rushing yards and a touchdown per game.
CJ Verdell, Oregon State ($8,800) – Verdell struggled in Oregon's 38-35 win over UCLA last week as he was held to 18 rushing yards on 12 attempts. However, he managed to find the end zone one time. Fortunately, his price tag fell by $800 and the matchup this week with rival Oregon State is phenomenal. The Beavers have struggled to defend the running game in 2020. They're allowing 206.7 rushing yards per game and they've ceded six rushing touchdowns in three games.
Greg McRae, Central Florida ($7,500) – McRae is part of a three-man backfield for Central Florida. The senior has run for 551 yards on 106 carries and he leads the Knights with 8 rushing touchdowns this season. McRae enters Friday with at least one rushing touchdown in five straight games. He's a good bet to extend his touchdown streak to six games as the Knights travel to South Florida. South Florida has been hammered by opposing ball carriers this season. They're allowing 208.8 rushing yards per game and they've been slammed for 16 rushing touchdowns in eight games.
Others to consider: Breece Hall, Kyren Williams, Javonte Williams, Jermar Jefferson, Kobe Lewis, Tyler Goodson, Michael Carter, Mekhi Sargent, Otis Anderson, Charles Williams, Lew Nichols III, Bijon Robinson, Trey Smith, Christopher Brown Jr. (if he plays, Marcel Dancy if he's OUT), Brian Battle, C'Bo Flemister, and Bentavious Thompson.
Wide Receivers
Khalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan ($9,100) – The slot receiver has turned into a swiss army knife for Central Michigan. In the Chippewa's 52-44 win over Western Michigan last week, the junior lined up as the Wildcat quarterback, slot receiver, and running back. Pimpleton recorded 30 passing yards, caught 3 passes for 42 yards, and ran for 108 yards and a touchdown in that game. I'd have to assume that Central Michigan will continue to use Pimpleton all over the field this week after lighting up the scoreboard for 52 points.
Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State ($7,600) – Hutchinson leads the Iowa State Cyclones in targets (60), receptions (41), and receiving yards (518), per Pro Football Focus. The junior is tied with tight end Charlie Kolar for the lead in touchdown receptions with four. Hutchinson has at least five receptions in four out of the last five games. Additionally, he's in a solid spot as the Cyclones face-off with the Texas Longhorns. Texas has surrendered 14 touchdown passes through seven games.
Tre Nixon, Central Florida ($6,300) – Nixon returned from a six-game injury absence in last week's loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats. While he was held to 5 receptions and 24 receiving yards, Nixon was targeted 10 times in that game, per Pro Football Focus. We know that Nixon is a major weapon for Central Florida as recorded 49 receptions, 830 receiving yards, and 7 touchdowns in 2019. He's flat-out underpriced for his talent and role in Central Florida's offense.
Others to consider: Marlon Williams, Dyami Brown, Jaylon Robinson, Joshua Moore, Kekoa Crawford, Aiden Eberhardt. Bennett Skowronek, Devon Williams, Hasson Beydoun, Simi Fehoko, Javon McKinley, Tanner Knue, Trevon Bradford, Charlie Kolar, Jaylon Redd, Johnny Johnson III, Wandale Robinson (if he plays), and Michael Mayer.
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.