College football is entering Week 10, and FanDuel's college football DFS main slate on Friday features three 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 and game projections 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 7:00 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. All stats come from PFF unless otherwise noted.
Quarterbacks
Michael Penix Jr., Washington ($12,000) – Penix Jr. will be extremely popular on Friday's slate. The lefty thrower leads the nation with 2,934 passing yards. Additionally, he is accounting for an average of three touchdowns per game. In the Washington Huskies last two wins, Penix Jr. has averaged 47.5 pass attempts.
Riley Leonard, Duke ($11,000) – Leonard has tallied at least one touchdown pass in every game this season. He is also putting up massive rushing statistics from the quarterback position. The sophomore leads the Duke Blue Devils with 481 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns on 78 carries. He could put up a monster box score as Duke travels to Boston College. BC has lost three straight games.
Zion Turner, Connecticut ($7,500) - Turner is the salary relief option at quarterback. The Connecticut Huskies' signal-caller is in a fantastic spot against the Massachusetts Minutemen. Massachusetts' defense has struggled this season. They rank 69th nationally in total defense (allowing 379.0 yards per game). Massachusetts has surrendered 32 touchdowns through eight games.
Running Backs
Cameron Davis, Washington ($8,700) – Davis and Wayne Taulapapa ($8,700) have been splitting carries for most of the season. However, Taulapapa struggled and was pulled early in the second quarter of the Huskies' last game. He is a graduate senior, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Cameron Davis operate as the main running back going forward. Davis, a sophomore, looks to be the running back of the future. He has found pay dirt 10 times despite playing in only seven games.
Damien Martinez, Oregon State ($7,800) – Martinez has ascended to RB1 for the Oregon Ducks. The freshman has recorded 289 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on 44 carries over the last two games. Martinez will be very popular on Friday night.
Victor Rosa, Connecticut ($4,600) - Rosa is operating as the Huskies' lead back. The freshman is averaging 16.0 carries per game over the last three games. The bottom line is that Rosa is significantly under-salaried considering his current role. The matchup is also fantastic. Massachusetts is allowing 173.6 rushing yards per game (100th nationally). The Minutemen have yielded 17 rushing touchdowns this season (a slate-high). I will note Devontae Houston ($4,500) could be back on Friday night. His return would likely lessen Rosa's workload to some degree, but Rosa is still a great value play regardless. Houston is also viable if he returns.
Wide Receivers
Zay Flowers, Boston College ($9,000) – Flowers has been phenomenal this season despite the Eagles' 2-6 record. The senior is averaging 6.8 receptions per game. He has drawn 87 targets through eight games. He is an advantageous spot against Duke's vulnerable pass defense. The Blue Devils are allowing 262.9 passing yards per game (105th nationally) and they've surrendered 16 touchdown passes in eight games.
Jalen McMillan, Washington ($8,800) - McMillan offers a nice salary discount off his teammate Rome Udunze ($10,200). Over the last two games, McMillan has run more pass routes than Odunze (84-to-69). Additionally, the two playmakers have similar aDOTs (13.8 for McMillan; 14.0 for Odunze).
Anthony Gould, Oregon State ($6,100) - I like targeting contrarian wide receivers on short slates with large aDOTs. Gould fits that bill. The junior wide receiver owns an aDOT of 15.5 (team-high). Additionally, he is averaging 2.44 yards per route run (second-best on the team). Moreover, the Washington pass defense has been beatable this season. They are allowing 256.6 passing yards to opposing quarterbacks (100th nationally). The Huskies have surrendered 20 passing touchdowns through eight games.
General Notes
Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec ($7,500) is questionable for Friday night. If he's available, he would draw the start at quarterback. If he can't suit up, Emmett Morehead ($7,500) would get the nod. Jorkuvec is a solid salary relief option if he does play. Pat Garwo III ($6,300) is a contrarian option at running back. The junior plays well in both the running and passing games.
Massachusetts started Brady Olsen ($4,000) at quarterback in last week's game. He figures to start this week if Gino Campiotti ($6,500) is not available. Meanwhile, running back Ellis Mayweather ($6,000) is coming off a season-high 23 carries in last week's game. He is a contrarian option at running back.
Oregon State quarterback Chance Nolan ($8,200) has been practicing. It looks like Ben Gulbranson ($8,200) will start but it could come down to a game-time decision. Treshaun Harrison ($7,500) is the top option in Oregon State's passing game. He's drawn 54 targets through eight games (team-high by 18).
Duke wide receiver Jalen Calhoun ($6,900) routes run were way down (10) in the Blue Devils' last game. He's a fine play, but I'd make sure he's available to play before rostering.
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.