College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 10/21/21

Week 8 of college football is here! FanDuel's college football main slate on Thursday includes four games.

In case you're unfamiliar with how it works, you can check out the rules and scoring here. You can check the lobby link above 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 (tight ends are included in this group), and one "Super FLEX" slot. In the "Super 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 Thursday's main slate, which locks at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Let's break down which star players are in great spots, as well as identify some players with lower salaries who will provide value to get to them.

Quarterbacks

Tanner Mordecai, SMU ($12,000) - Mordecai is having a phenomenal season for the Southern Methodist Mustangs after transferring from Oklahoma. He has recorded 26 touchdown passes through six games -- tied for 1st nationally. Mordecai is averaging an eye-opening 315.5 passing yards per game. Did I mention he's also a dual threat quarterback as well? He has 151 yards rushing this year. Mordecai is easily QB1 on this slate. He may put up video-game numbers against the Tulane Green Wave; Tulane has surrendered 16 touchdown passes through six games.

Levi Lewis, Louisiana ($10,000) - Oh boy. The lefty has to be licking his chops as the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns take on Arkansas State. Arkansas State ranks 129th nationally in both rushing yards allowed and passing yards allowed. The Arkansas State defense has allowed 36 touchdowns through six games. Needless to say, the matchup is pristine for the Ragin Cajuns dual-threat quarterback. Lewis has accounted for 10 touchdowns through six games.

Nick Nash, San Jose State ($6,900) - This recommendation comes with the assumption that Nick Starkel ($6,900) will be out on Thursday night. Nash is a classic dual-threat quarterback that has made three starts for the injured Starkel. The San Jose State Spartans signal-caller has thrown for 575 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions as a starter. He has also tallied 99 rushing yards. Up next is a date with the UNLV swiss cheese defense. UNLV ranks 116th nationally in total defense, and they have allowed 449.5 yards per game to opposing offenses. Moreover, the defense has coughed up 27 touchdowns through six games. If Starkel returns, he is also a fine play at the same salary.

Running Backs

Chris Smith, Louisiana ($8,800) - Smith is one of the fastest athletes on the Ragin Cajuns football team. The running back has four rushing touchdowns over the last four games, and he has tallied 313 rushing yards this season. As mentioned above, the matchup with Arkansas State is phenomenal; Arkansas State is allowing 268.3 rushing yards per game. That figure includes a massive 6.97 yards per carry. Smith, Montrell Johnson ($7,200), and Emani Bailey ($6,100) should all find plenty of running room on Thursday night.

Charles Williams, UNLV ($8,500) - Admittedly, the matchup isn't appealing with San Jose State. However, the UNLV Rebels have an implied team total of 21.0 -- 1.5 points higher than the Rebels' seasonal average of 19.5. As for Williams, he is the lone workhorse running back on this slate. The senior is averaging 20.2 carries, 104.1 rushing yards, and one touchdown per game this season. Williams may struggle with efficiency, but the workload is worth the investment.

Johnny Ford, Florida Atlantic ($7,200) - Johnny Ford has emerged as the lead back in the Florida Atlantic Owls offense. He leads the Owls with 311 rushing yards on 56 carries. Ford is also active in the passing game. He ranks fifth on the team with 130 receiving yards. The senior is an intriguing play as the Owls square off with the Charlotte 49ers. The 49ers are yet another team on the slate that has struggled to defend the run this season. They are allowing 224.2 rushing yards per game (124th nationally).

Others to Consider: Ulysses Bentley IV ($9,400), Tyler Nevins ($7,000), Shadrick Byrd ($6,500), Lincoln Pare ($6,300), Calvin Camp ($6,200), Kairee Robinson ($5,100)

Wide Receivers

Reggie Roberson Jr., SMU ($8,600) - The senior provides a solid floor; he's topped 40 receiving yards in all six games this season. Additionally, Roberson Jr. will look to extend his touchdown streak to five games against Tulane. He makes for a perfect stacking partner for quarterback Tanner Mordecai. Roberson Jr. is second amongst the Mustangs with an average of 2.37 yards per route run.

Victor Tucker, Charlotte ($7,800) - It seems like Charlotte has been on the Thursday or Friday slate every week for the past month. I like targeting Tucker and his teammate Grant DuBose ($8,400) because the passing game is condensed. Tucker has a 27.2% target share while DuBose has a 24.1% target share. Tucker has racked up at least five receptions in three straight game, and he is averaging 85.0 receiving yards during that time span.

Grant Calcaterra, SMU ($5,400) - Calcaterra has run more routes than Reggie Roberson Jr. (160 to 148, respectively). The senior tight end is a more volatile commodity, though, as he has posted 29 or fewer receiving yards in three straight games. However, Calcaterra had at least one touchdown reception or recorded 100-plus receiving yards in each of the first three games. More importantly, Calcaterra provides on-field exposure to Southern Methodist's high-octane offense at a major bargain.

Others to Consider: Danny Gray ($9,600), Rashee Rice ($8,900), Corey Rucker ($8,000), Te'Vailance Hunt ($7,600), Derek Deese Jr. ($7,200), Tyrick James ($7,000), LaJohntay Wester ($7,000), Kyren Lacy ($6,800), Dontae Flemming ($6,300), Isaiah Hamilton ($6,100), Shae Wyatt ($6,000), Jordan Kerley (5,500), Brandon Robinson ($5,400)

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.