Week 4 of the college football season kicks off on Thursday, as the Appalachian State Mountaineers square off with the Marshall Thundering Herd.
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.
All stats come from PFF.com unless otherwise noted.
Player Breakdowns
At The Top
Camerun Peoples, Appalachian State ($15,000) - Peoples will be the popular MVP choice on Thursday night. The Mountaineers running back has recorded 16 rushing touchdowns over his last nine games. Additionally, the junior has topped 80 rushing yards in all three games this season. Appalachian State’s opponent, Marshall, is allowing 191.3 rushing yards per game this season.
Rasheen Ali, Marshall ($14,500) - There was a massive void in the Marshall backfield after Brendan Knox departed for the NFL. Rasheen Ali has filled that void admirably so far in 2021. The emerging freshman has tallied 293 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns through three games. He’s also a threat in the passing game. Ali has 10 receptions, 63 receiving yards, and a touchdown reception.
Grant Wells, Marshall ($13,500) - Wells has eclipsed 330 passing yards in all three games this season. It seemingly doesn’t matter what the score is, Wells will be slinging the ball all over the field. The freshman threw 78 total passes in Marshall’s first two games. Marshall won those games by a combined score of 93-17. Additionally, Wells does provide some dual-threat upside. He has recorded a rushing touchdown in back-to-back games (23 rushing yards this season).
In The Middle
Chase Brice, Appalachian State ($12,500) - Brice struggled last season as the Duke Blue Devils starting signal-caller. The step down in competition from Power Five school to non-Power Five school has been rewarding for Brice. The senior has at least one touchdown pass in all three games. He also does possess some running ability, as he’s tallied 13 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on 18 attempts this season. Most importantly, this is a great spot for the Appalachian State passing game. East Carolina Pirates quarterback Holton Ahlers completed 30 out of 48 pass attempts for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns in last week’s 42-38 win over Marshall. That was Marshall’s first opponent with a legitimate passing attack this season. They had previously faced Navy's (triple-option offense) and North Carolina Central (FCS school).
Corey Sutton, Appalachian State ($10,500) - Sutton is officially back after missing most of last season due to an injury. The big play wide receiver has cleared 50 receiving yards in all three games this season. He’s posted back-to-back seven receptions games. The senior leads Appalachian States with a 28.6% target share.
Nate Noel, Appalachian State ($9,500) - Noel is an interesting roster on this single-game slate. I think he provides leverage off backfield mate Camerun Peoples. I’m expecting the masses to flock to Peoples. Peoples leads Appalachian State with five rushing touchdowns. Anyway, Noel actually has six more carries than Peoples and has played more snaps (104-to-92, respectively). Despite his low salary, I am considering Noel as an MVP choice.
At The Bottom
Talik Keaton, Marshall ($9,000) - Keaton is the clear number two wide receiver in Marshall’s offense behind Corey Gammage ($13,000). Keaton is averaging 6.0 targets per game this season. While on the field, Keaton has run a pass route on 90 out of 94 pass plays. The sophomore’s two touchdown receptions leads all Thundering Herd pass catchers.
Xavier Gaines, Marshall ($7,500) - Gaines is one of three Marshall pass catchers to play at least 90-plus pass snaps this season. He’s drawn 13 targets, which ranks third amongst the Thundering Herd pass catchers. The senior tight end has eclipsed 60 receiving yards in two out of three games. The one variable that we haven’t seen yet this season is Marshall handing the ball off to Gaines. If that happens on Thursday night, he’s significantly under-salaried. Gaines recorded 36 rushing attempts over the past two seasons.
Jalen Virgil, Appalachian State ($7,500) - Virgil has taken a back seat in the Appalachian State offense with Corey Sutton back in the fold this season. However, Virgil still averaging 19 snaps and 9.3 pass routes ran per game. That’s enough volume to consider rostering him at his current salary on Thursday night.
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.