Week 14 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 Thursday slate, which locks at 6:00 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
Andrew Peasley, Utah State ($10,000) – Peasley was phenomenal in his first start of the season. The dual-threat quarterback threw for 239 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception in a 41-27 win over New Mexico on Thanksgiving. The sophomore also tallied 118 rushing yards and 1 TD on 11 carries. While he has the toughest matchup amongst the quarterbacks on the slate, there are plays to be made against this week’s opponent, the Air Force Falcons. The Falcons are allowing 8.04 yards per pass attempt which suggests they are vulnerable via the air.
Jason Bean, North Texas ($9,400)/Austin Aune, North Texas ($9,100) – This is something to monitor as both quarterbacks are listed as co-starters on this week’s depth chart. Bean has racked up incredible rushing numbers (30 carries, 335 rushing yards, and 5 rushing touchdowns in parts of five games) while Aune is the typical pro-style quarterback. Aune played most of the North Texas Mean Green’s first four games this season. In those four games, he threw for 1,108 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Haaziq Daniels, Air Force ($8,500) – This week’s opponent, Utah State, has one of the nation’s worst defenses. They’re allowing nearly 490 yards of total offense to opposing teams. Additionally, the Aggies have been beaten up for 23 total touchdowns in only five games. Daniels is Air Force’s starting quarterback. The sophomore has thrown for 199 yards and 1 touchdown while also running for 189 yards and 2 touchdowns in four games played this season.
Others to consider: Luke Anthony or Aaron Allen (depends on which quarterback earns the starting nod).
Running Backs
Brian Roberts, Air Force ($10,600) – Roberts should draw the start at fullback for the second straight game. The bruising runner exploded for 177 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in Air Force’s last game. He’s in a great spot this week as Air Force travels to Utah State. Utah State has been dominated by opposing ball carriers this season as the Aggies are allowing 202.8 rushing yards per game. They’ve allowed 10 rushing touchdowns through five games.
DeAndre Torrey, North Texas ($9,300) – Torrey leads the Mean Green with 600 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns this season. He’s received at least 11 carries in all seven games and up next is a date with Louisiana Tech’s vulnerable run defense. The Bulldogs are allowing 167.6 rushing yards per game and they’ve surrendered 13 rushing touchdowns in seven games. Backfield mate Oscar Adaway III ($7,500) is also worth consideration. He’s run for 173 yards on 29 carries over the last two games.
Israel Tucker, Louisiana Tech ($6,300) – Tucker is the Bulldogs' leading rusher this season. Louisiana Tech will have to lean on him heavily as their second-leading rusher, Justin Henderson, has opted out for the rest of the season. Tucker is in a fantastic spot this week as the Bulldogs square off with North Texas. North Texas has been atrocious defending the run this season since they’re allowing 244 rushing yards per game and they’ve been flattened for 18 rushing touchdowns through seven games.
Others to consider: Devonta'e Henry-Cole, Tre Siggers, Matthew Murla, Joshua Stoner, and Greg Garner.
Wide Receivers
Jaelon Darden, North Texas ($10,400) – Darden is one of the most productive wide receivers in the nation. The senior has at least one touchdown reception in all seven games this season. He’s also cleared 50 receiving yards all seven games. To date, Darden has racked up 58 receptions, 882 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns on 88 targets. Despite only playing seven games this season, the 88 targets rank 8th nationally, per Pro Football Focus.
Jawaun Johnson, Louisiana Tech ($7,300) – Louisiana Tech leading wide receiver Adrian Hardy has opted out for the rest of the season. Hardy was receiving an average of eight targets per game, per Pro Football Focus. According to head coach Skip Holtz, Johnson will play a bigger role with Hardy no longer part of the program. Johnson will likely start the X-receiver spot which is the position vacated by Hardy. Additionally, Johnson is coming off his best game of the season. The senior had 5 receptions, 64 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown in a win over UAB.
CeeJay Powell, Louisiana Tech ($6,800) – Powell and fellow slot receiver Smoke Harris ($8,700) are the second and third leading pass catchers for the Bulldogs. As noted above, the loss of Adrian Hardy is significant. I’ll roll with Powell this week since he’s significantly cheaper than Harris. Additionally, Powell has at least three receptions in five straight games.
Others to consider: Brandon Lewis, Deonte Simpson, Justin McGriff, Isaiah Graham, Griffin Herbert, Austin Ogummakin, Savon Scarver (if Jordan Nathan is OUT), Jordan Nathan (if he plays), and Kyle Patterson.
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.