College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Saturday 10/23/21

Week 8 of college football is here! FanDuel's college football DFS main slate on Saturday includes 14 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 backs, three wide receivers (which also includes tight ends), and one "Super FLEX". In the Super FLEX spot, 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 DFS projections, game projections, and market share report to tackle as many slates as possible in the lead-up to the College Football Playoff. In this piece, we are breaking down Saturday's main slate, which locks at 12:00 p.m. EST.

Let's look at which players are in great spots as well as identify some players with low salaries who will allow you to roster the high-salary players.

Quarterbacks

Brennan Armstrong, Virginia ($10,900) – Armstrong is putting up massive numbers in the Virginia Cavaliers pass-happy offense. The lefty trigger man has accounted for 22 total touchdowns through seven games. Armstrong has attempted 44 or more passes in five consecutive games. He's averaging an eye-opening 403.43 passing yards per game, which ranks 2nd nationally. I'm expecting Armstrong to carve up Georgia Tech's porous pass defense. The Yellow Jackets are allowing 8.2 yards per pass attempt.

Bryce Young, Alabama ($10,600) – Young ranks 7th nationally in passing yards (2,082) and 3rd nationally in touchdown passes (24). The Alabama Crimson Tide rising star has eclipsed 300 passing yards in two straight games. The Crimson Tide should be able to name their score against the Tennessee Volunteers this week. Through four SEC games, the Volunteers are allowing 28.3 points per game.

Max Johnson, Louisiana State ($9,300) – This feels like the obligatory pick on the Mississippi defense recommendation. The Rebels defense ranks 106th nationally in total defense. They are allowing 436.0 yards per game to opposing offenses. Louisiana State quarterback Max Johnson enters this week ranked 5th nationally in touchdown passes (20). He is averaging 266.1 passing yards per game this season. He'll be very popular as this game carries a betting total of 76.5 (slate-high).

Dennis Grosel, Boston College ($6,900) – Grosel is the salary saver at quarterback on Saturday. The dual-threat is averaging 36 pass attempts per game and 7.33 rushing attempts per game over the last three games. His utilization is exceptional. Up next is a fantasy-friendly spot as the Boston College Eagles travel to Louisville Cardinals. The Cardinals pass defense is nearly non-existent. They rank 124th in passing yards allowed per game (298.8). Additionally, they've surrendered 11 touchdown passes through six games.

The quarterback position could hinge on whether Matt Corral ($11,200) suits up or not. He was banged up in last week's win over the Tennessee Volunteers. If he is out, Luke Altmeyer ($7,500) or Kinkhead Dent ($4,500) could start. Both guys are under-salaried if they get the starting nod in Lane Kiffin's high-powered offense. Altmeyer entered the game last week once Corral was forced to leave due to an injury. Meanwhile, Dent is listed as the second-string quarterback on this week's depth chart.

Others to Consider: Caleb Williams ($12,000), Matt Corral ($11,800 - if he plays), CJ Stroud ($11,200), Malik Cunningham ($11,000), Jeff Sims ($10,000), Skylar Thompson ($9,700), Anthony Brown ($9,600), Sean Clifford ($9,500 - if he plays), Brock Purdy ($7,700), DJ Uiagalelei ($7,300), Jack Tuttle ($6,000)

Running Backs

Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State ($9,500) – The diminutive speedster is the top playmaker in the Kansas State Wildcats offense. Vaughn has recorded 95-plus all-purpose yards (rushing and receiving) in all six games this season. He has received at least 13 carries in every game. The sophomore is also the Wildcats' second-leading pass catcher. Look for Vaughn to find plenty of running room against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Red Raiders are allowing 161.7 rushing yards per game (85th nationally). Moreover, Texas Tech has ceded 12 rushing touchdowns through seven games.

Kyren Williams, Notre Dame ($8,800) – Williams has become an afterthought in DFS circles this season. Three out of Notre Dame's last four opponents have ranked 13th or better in total defense, and the other was Virginia Tech at 47th. Williams and the Irish offense are finally in a plus spot this week. They square off with rival the Southern California Trojans. USC's defense is allowing 382.2 total yards per game which is ranked 70th nationally. Moreover, they're allowing 4.36 yards per carry and they've surrendered 10 rushing touchdowns through six games. Meanwhile, Williams has tallied 300 rushing yards, 200 receiving yards, and 7 total touchdowns this season (six games).

Tyrion Davis-Price, Louisiana State ($8,500) – Davis-Price was billed a four-star prospect and one of the top players coming out of high school in 2019. Through two and half seasons, he was nowhere near living up to the hype. That has all changed over the last two weeks. The LSU running back has exploded for 434 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 58 carries during that time span. There is a good chance TDP strings together another massive performance. The Mississippi Rebels are allowing 196.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks 109th nationally. They have surrendered 14 rushing touchdowns through six games.

Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech ($7,300) – Like Kyren Williams, Gibbs is another running back that could fly under the DFS radar this week. The freshman has played in 13 career games dating back to last season. Through 13 games, Gibbs has run 739 yards and recorded five rushing touchdowns. He has also posted 42 receptions, 604 receiving yards, and 4 receiving touchdowns. He is averaging over 100 all-purpose yards per game in his college career. We could see a ceiling performance in this week's ACC clash with Virginia. The Cavaliers defense is allowing 413.1 total yards per game to opposing offenses (ranks 95th nationally).

Others to Consider: Breece Hall ($11,000), Brian Robinson Jr. ($10,200), TreVeyeon Henderson ($10,000), Blake Corrum ($9,400), Kennedy Brooks ($9,200), Travis Dye ($8,700), Hassan Haskins ($8,300), Noah Cain ($8,000), Zach Charbonnet ($7,800), Jaylan Knighton ($7,500), Henry Parrish Jr. ($6,400), Jalen Mitchell ($6,200), Eric Gray ($5,700)

Wide Receivers

Drake London, Southern California ($9,500) – London is basically a cheat code at this point. The star wide receiver has tallied 64 receptions (average of 10.67 receptions per game) through six games. He has been targeted a mind-boggling 88 times. That includes 13-plus targets in four straight games. He ranks 2nd nationally with 138.8 receiving yards per game.

John Metchie III, Alabama ($8,300) – Metchie III continues to pace the Alabama Crimson Tide in target share (24.5%) as noted in our Week 8 College Football Market Share report. After a relatively slow start to the season, Metchie III is heating up. Over the last two games, the junior has 14 receptions, 205 receiving yards, and a touchdown. He makes for a perfect stacking partner with quarterback Bryce Young. Additionally, Metchie III provides exposure to the Crimson Tide's massive 46.5 implied team total on Saturday.

Ty Fryfogle, Indiana ($6,400) – Fryfogle leads the Indiana Hoosiers with a 29.0% target share. He's drawn at least 10 targets in three consecutive games. The game script on Saturday will likely force the Hoosiers into a ton of pass attempts. They are huge underdogs against the Ohio State Buckeyes. While Ohio State has a high-powered offense, the Buckeyes defense is susceptible. The defense ranks 103rd nationally in passing yards allowed per game (256.0). Ohio State has surrendered 10 touchdown passes through six games. Fryfogle had a career day against the Buckeyes in 2020. He posted seven receptions, 218 receiving yards, and three touchdowns in that game.

Zay Flowers, Boston College ($5,900) – It's hard to find another wide receiver in Flowers' salary range with similar metrics. Flowers leads Boston College with a 25.5% target share and a 26.9% receiving yards share. He has eclipsed 60 receiving yards in four out of the last six games. He could be in for a big night against the Louisville Cardinals porous pass defense. As mentioned above, they're allowing nearly 300 passing yards per game to opposing offenses, and that makes him and Dennis Grosel a nice stack.

Others to Consider: Chris Olave ($9,800), Jahan Dotson ($9,400 - only if QB Clifford plays), Jameson Williams ($9,100 - great GPP pivot off John Metchie III), Garrett Wilson ($9,000), Dontavion Wicks ($8,800), Dontario Drummond ($8,500), Erik Ezunkanma ($8,200), BIlly Kemp IV ($7,700), Keytaon Thompson ($7,400), Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($7,300), Marvin Mims ($7,100), Michael Mayer ($7,000), Brian Thomas Jr. ($6,000 - if he plays), Dannis Jackson ($5,800), Rashaun Henry ($5,600), Malik Naibers ($5,500), Jack Bech ($5,400), Jahcour Pearson ($5,200)

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.