The college football regular season rolls into Week 5 on Thursday as the Southern Methodist Mustangs square off with the Central Florida Knights.
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.
Player Breakdowns
At The Top
John Rhys Plumlee, Central Florida ($17,000) - Rhys Plumlee is a DFS darling due to his unique skillset. The senior signal-caller is putting RB1 stats through four games. In total, he's averaging 101.0 rushing yards and one touchdown per game as a runner this season. He has also cleared 300 passing yards in two out of four games. He will be the chalk MVP.
Tanner Mordecai, SMU ($16,500) - Mordecai ranks second nationally with 346.3 passing yards per game. He is averaging 3.0 touchdown passes per game. While we haven't seen it yet this season (15 rushing yards), Mordecai is capable of making plays in the running game, too. He recorded 202 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns last season. We will be able to roster only two out of the three top-salary players. Based on salaries, I do think the popular lineup build will start with Rhys Plumlee and Rashee Rice. In that scenario, Mordecai makes for an intriguing MVP/flex candidate.
Rashee Rice, SMU ($15,000) - Rice is a flat-out beast. The senior has drawn at least 12 targets in all four games this season. He is averaging an impressive 141.4 receiving yards per game, which leads the nation. Due to his massive volume, he is a strong MVP candidate on Wednesday night.
In The Middle
Isaiah Bowser, Central Florida ($13,500) - Bowser is averaging only 3.3 rushing yards per carry. However, he has found paydirt five times in four games. Additionally, the matchup with SMU is a running back's dream. SMU is allowing 180.5 rushing yards per game, including 4.43 yards per carry. The Mustangs have ceded seven rushing touchdowns through four games.
Tre Siggers ($12,500) - Siggers is the lead running back in the Mustangs' offense. Through four games, he has tallied 200 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 50 carries. He has 19 carries in each of his last two games.
Javon Baker, Central Florida ($10,000) - Baker is leading the Knights in all relevant receiving statistics. He has posted 257 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions on 33 targets (18 catches). He is also posting an average depth of target (aDOT) of 12.4.
Jake Bailey ($10,500) - SMU's wideout is also a fine option in this salary range. Bailey smoked the TCU Horned Frogs for 163 receiving yards and one touchdown in his last game.
Ryan O'Keefe, Central Florida ($9,500) - O'Keefe is the other full-time Knights' receiver. He has drawn five-plus targets in all four games. We haven't seen it yet, but O'Keefe does have a significant ceiling. The senior had 86 receptions, 827 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns on 111 targets a season ago. He is one of the best value options on the slate.
At The Bottom
Johnny Richardson, Central Florida ($8,500) - Richardson is a Swiss Army knife in the backfield for Central Florida. The diminutive speedster is averaging 7.8 yards per carry. He ranks third on the Knights in targets (14), as well. Through four games, Richardson has tallied 61 receiving yards (10 receptions), 218 rushing yards, and one touchdown.
Beau Corrales, SMU ($7,500) - Corrales made his SMU debut in the Mustangs' last game. The former UNC Tar Heels wide receiver recorded three receptions for 40 yards on five targets. He ran 12 routes on 15 pass snaps. If his role expands this week, he's significantly under-salaried in this spot.
Velton Gardner, SMU ($7,000) - Gardner operates as a change-of-pace running back for SMU. He's likely to receive a handful of carries and draw two or three targets per game. At his current salary level, Gardner doesn't need to do much to pay off. He has rushed for 161 yards on 25 carries in three games. He also has six receptions for 19 yards.
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.