College football is entering Week 8, and FanDuel's college football DFS main slate on Friday includes two 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 Friday's main slate, which locks at 7:30 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. All stats come from PFF unless otherwise noted.
Quarterbacks
Austin Reed, Western Kentucky ($11,500) – Reed has accounted for at least three touchdowns in all seven games. The senior ranks fourth nationally in passing yards (2,314). If that’s not impressive enough, he also provides dual-threat upside. Reed has recorded 151 rushing yards. He is easily the top quarterback target on Friday's slate.
Davis Brin, Tulsa ($10,200) – The senior signal-caller is averaging 306.5 passing yards per game. We could see a ceiling game from Brin this week. Temple was carved up by Central Florida quarterback John Rhys Plumlee for 373 passing yards and 4 touchdowns in last week’s 70-13 loss, and Rhys Plumlee only attempted 22 passes in that game.
Dylan Hopkins, UAB ($9,000) - Hopkins and the Alabama-Birmingham Blazers passing game have taken a back seat to DeWayne McBride Jr. and the rushing game. The junior’s high-water mark in pass attempts is 27. Despite that, Hopkins is viable due to his dual-threat ability. The UAB quarterback has tallied 152 rushing yards over the last two games. UAB may need to throw the ball more often in order to keep up with Western Kentucky Hilltoppers' high-powered offense. The Hilltoppers are averaging 40.0 points per game (18th nationally).
Running Backs
DeWayne McBride, UAB ($10,500) – McBride is the centerpiece of the Blazers' offense. He has found the end zone 11 times as a ball carrier, which is good for 4th nationally. Additionally, McBride is averaging 155.6 rushing yards per game, which leads the nation. He will be the most popular player on the slate.
Deneric Prince, Tulsa ($7,000) – Prince missed the Tulsa Golden Hurricane's first four games. Since his return to the lineup, he has taken over as the lead back. Prince has out-snapped backfield mate, Steven Anderson ($7,500), 74-to-55. This is a good spot for Prince to find some success; Temple is allowing 160 rushing yards per game to opposing ball carriers (86th nationally).
Edward Saydee, Temple ($6,200) – This is purely a matchup play. The Owls’ opponent, Tulsa, has one of the nation’s worst run defenses. The Golden Hurricane are allowing 239.7 rushing yards per game (128th nationally). Additionally, they have surrendered 13 rushing touchdowns through six games. Meanwhile, Saydee led the Owls’ backfield in snaps (32) by a fairly comfortable margin in last week’s loss to UCF.
Wide Receivers
Daewood Davis, Western Kentucky ($9,500) – Davis leads the slate with 62 targets. He has the highest aDOT amongst all relevant Western Kentucky pass catchers (12.8). The senior has cleared 65 receiving yards in all but one game.
Isaiah Epps, Tulsa ($6,900) - Epps is tied with Juan Carlos Santana ($8,400) in pass routes run over the last two games (84). He is being targeted down the field (14.9 aDOT), and the Tulsa passing game should succeed against the Owls on Friday night. Temple is allowing a slate-high 7.23 yards per pass attempt.
Jaylen Hall, Western Kentucky ($6,500) - Hall leads the Hilltoppers with 102 routes run over the last two games. The senior has at least three receptions in five straight games. Hall is under-salaried considering his current role.
General Notes
Tulsa's Keylon Stokes ($10,000) has been one of the nation's most effective pass catchers. He has cleared 105 receiving yards in five out of six games. He is also a solid investment if you're spending up at wide receiver.
UAB's Jermaine Brown Jr. ($6,000) is viable if you need a second salary relief play at running back. Brown Jr. has carried the rock 10-plus times in all but one game.
Meanwhile, Western Kentucky's Michael Mathison is averaging 7.0 targets per game over the last five games. The slot receiver is another viable source of salary relief.
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.