College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Saturday 10/30/21

Week 9 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

Caleb Williams, Oklahoma ($11,800) – Williams and the Oklahoma Sooners offense struggled mightily in last week's narrow win over perennial cupcake Kansas. I was surprised to see that Williams still managed to tally 27 FanDuel points in that matchup. The dual-threat quarterback has played basically three total games this season. He has recorded 27 FanDuel points, 40.4 FanDuel points, and 31.24 FanDuel points as the lead signal-caller for Oklahoma. Look for Williams and the Sooners offense to rebound this week after last week's letdown game. He should have little trouble stuffing the stat sheet against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Texas Tech is ranked 68th nationally in total defense (allowing 385.2 yards per game). Additionally, the Red Raiders have yielded 32 total touchdowns to opposing offenses through eight games this season.

Matt Corral, Mississippi ($10,600) – This will be the first game in nearly a month that the Mississippi Rebels and their opponent have had a betting total under 75. Consequently, this could be a week that Corral flies under the DFS radar. Sign me up for Matt Corral at reduced popularity. The Rebels star quarterback has accounted for 24 total touchdowns through seven games. The junior is averaging 273.29 passing yards (18th nationally). He is also quite active in the Rebels' running game; Corral has tallied 474 rushing yards this which leads the Rebels.

Henry Colombi, Texas Tech ($7,400) – Colombi and his dual-threat ability could give Oklahoma some trouble this week. The Sooners defense has fallen apart over the past month. Over the last four games, the Sooners are allowing 33.25 points per game. Moreover, the stat lines posted by opposing quarterbacks during that stretch have been staggering. Last week, Kansas quarterback Jason Bean recorded 246 passing yards, 59 rushing yards, and one touchdown pass (nearly 20 FanDuel points). Prior to that, TCU quarterback Max Duggan posted 346 passing yards, 45 rushing yards, and four touchdown passes (nearly 36 FanDuel points). Texas quarterback Casey Thompson tallied 388 passing yards and five touchdown passes (nearly 33 FanDuel points) as well. The list continues on, and Colombi will look to be the latest name on it.

Cade McNamara, Michigan ($6,000) – This is purely a salary and matchup play. McNamara has only eclipsed 200 passing yards in one game this season. He only has five touchdown passes in seven starts. However, his utilization has increased as the Michigan Wolverines enter the backstretch of Big 10 conference play. McNamara has attempted 27-plus passes in three straight games. Through the first four games this season, the junior had 16 or fewer pass attempts in each game. Michigan will likely have to throw the ball to move the chains this week against in-state rival, Michigan State. The Spartans have a solid run defense (ranked 31st nationally in rushing yards allowed per game), but their secondary is exploitable. Michigan State is 121st nationally in passing yards allowed per game (281.7 per game). It won't feel good rostering McNamara, but I like his chances of providing a solid return on his low salary this week.

Others to Consider:
CJ Stroud ($10,800), Kenny Pickett ($10,500), Sam Howell ($10,500), Adrian Martinez ($10,200), Max Duggan ($9,300), Gerry Bohanon ($9,000), Bo Nix ($8,900), Skylar Thompson ($8,800), Casey Thompson ($8,500), DJ Uiagalelei ($7,000 - if he starts), Jordan Travis ($6,700)

Running Backs

Bijon Robinson, Texas ($11,000) – Robinson is averaging 132.0 rushing yards per game, which ranks 3rd nationally. He has tallied 10 rushing touchdowns through seven games. Those rushing numbers alone are eye-opening. Then, we must also consider that Robinson is also a major factor in the Texas Longhorns passing game. The talented running back has recorded 14 receptions, 207 receiving yards, and three touchdown receptions this season. As a result of his heavy usage, the Longhorns' star provides a solid floor and sky-high ceiling.

Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State ($9,900) – 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 seven games this season. He is averaging an eye-opening 21.9 touches per game (rushing attempts/receptions). The sophomore is the Wildcats' second-leading pass catcher. Look for Vaughn to find plenty of running room against the Texas Christian Horned Frogs. The Horned Frogs are allowing 212.7 rushing yards per game (120th nationally). Additionally, they have surrendered 16 rushing touchdowns through seven games.

Tank Bigsby, Auburn ($7,500) – Bigsby got off to a massive start this season, but his production has fallen off over the last four games. The sophomore had racked up 343 rushing yards and four touchdowns over the Auburn Tigers' first three games. However, he has been limited to 183 rushing yards over the last four games. The good news is that his lead-back role is still unquestioned (averaging 36.5 snaps per game over the last four games). The talented running back is in a break-out spot on Saturday. The Tigers will square off with the Mississippi Rebels porous run defense. The Rebels are allowing 179.3 rushing yards per game (98th nationally). They have surrendered 15 rushing touchdowns through seven games.

Will Shipley, Clemson ($6,400) – The Clemson Tigers will be thin at running back on Saturday with Kobe Pace ruled out due to COVID-19 protocols. Fortunately for the Tigers, emerging freshman running back Will Shipley made a surprising return to the lineup last week. He logged 33 snaps in that game which was is an encouraging sign. Prior to the injury, Shipley had found pay dirt five times in four games. The bottom line is he's under-salaried for his role and this week's matchup with Florida State; the Seminoles rank 79th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (158.4).

Others to Consider:
TreVeyeon Henderson ($10,100), Zach Evans ($9,500 - if he plays), Kyren Williams ($9,300), Kennedy Brooks ($9,200), Kenneth Walker III ($9,000), Abram Smith ($8,600), SaRodorick Thompson ($7,900), Henry Parrish ($6,200), Zonovan Knight ($6,100), Israel Abanikanda ($5,900 - if he plays), Trestan Ebner ($5,700), Vincent Davis ($5,700 - if Israel Abanikanda is out)

Wide Receivers

David Bell, Purdue ($9,100) – Bell is one of the most productive wide receivers in college football. The junior is heavily targeted in the Purdue Boilermakers pass-heavy offense. Bell has drawn 10-plus targets in four consecutive games (61 targets in 6 games played). He has eclipsed 110-receiving yards in four games this season. The Boilermakers' top playmaker has an incredible six-plus receptions in every game this season.

Garrett Wilson, Ohio State ($8,700) – The future pro set a season-low with 59 receiving yards in last week's dismantling of the Indiana Hoosiers. Weather and scoreboard (Ohio State won 54-7) played a major role in that but Wilson leads the Buckeyes with a 25.6% target share this season as pointed out in the College Football Market Share Report for Week 9. He also leads Ohio State with 605 receiving yards this season. Wilson provides access to the Buckeyes high-powered offense which has produced point totals of 59, 52, 66, and 54 over the last four games.

Michael Mayer, Notre Dame ($6,600) – "Baby Gronk", as he's affectionally nicknamed, has emerged as the nation's best tight end this season. In total, Mayer has tallied 37 receptions through six games. Additionally, he leads the Notre Dame Fighting Irish with 52 targets and 414 receiving yards. I'm sure the North Carolina Tar Heels defensive coordinator is losing sleep over Mayer as a mismatch for his defense. The Tar Heels are allowing 7.53 yards per pass attempt (below average nationally). Furthermore, and perhaps even more concerning, the Tar Heels' defense has allowed 33.6 points per game over the last five games.

Jared Wayne, Pittsburgh ($6,400) – Wayne could be elevated into a massive role if Jordan Addison misses Saturday's game (questionable due to concussion protocol). Regardless, Wayne is a fine play even if Addison is available. Wayne has eight receptions, 116 receiving yards, and one touchdown over the last two games. It also helps that the Pittsburgh Panthers pass-happy offense has a favorable matchup against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes' porous pass defense. The Hurricanes rank 93rd nationally in passing yards allowed per game (245.0), and they also are allowing an average of two touchdown passes per game.

Others to Consider:
Josh Downs ($9,800), Chris Olave ($9,200), Jordan Addison ($9,000 - if he plays), Quentin Johnston ($8,800), Wan'Dale Robinson ($8,600), Jahan Dotson ($8,500), Makai Polk ($8,400), Dontario Drummond ($8,100), Xavier Worthy ($7,900), Tyquan Thornton ($7,700), Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($7,200), Jalen Nailor ($7,100), Marvin Mims ($6,700), Justyn Ross ($6,600), Jadon Haselwood ($6,500), Cornelius Johnson ($6,300), Joshua Moore ($6,000), Braden Lenzy ($5,500), Key'Shawn Smith ($5,300)

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.