College Football DFS: Friday Slate on DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 4

Week 4's Friday slate offers three interesting matchups, and there's plenty of DFS action to be had as we inspect our best DFS selections on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Slate Overview

Syracuse (-8.5) vs. Stanford O/U: 56.5

Nebraska (-7.5) vs. Illinois O/U: 43

Washington State (-12) vs. San Jose State O/U: 56

The Illinois-Nebraska game could be one of the most watchable games of the week, and the total of 43 is entirely too low here. All three of these matchups feature some high-powered offenses with featured players able to hang an impressive DFS total. We just need to find the right combo. It's definitely a week to put a second quarterback in your S-FLEX, as there are plenty of quality options to choose from.

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CFB DFS Picks for Friday

Quarterback

Kyle McCord, Syracuse (DK $8,400, FD $11,600) vs. Stanford

I had to choose between McCord and John Mateer as my elite spend at quarterback, and San Jose State's defense is what tipped the scale for me. They are ranked 12th in the country in Passing Yards Allowed. Conversely, the Cardinal are pretty dreadful, coming in 129th in the category. I'm also bearish on the cross-country travel element for these ex-Pac 12 squads until I see metrics to the contrary. McCord's switch to the Orangemen from Ohio State has done wonders for his bottom line, and although they face Miami at the end of the season, an ACC title could be within reach thanks to an easy schedule. McCord has 735 passing yards and eight touchdowns to his credit over two contests, and he has some very stackable position players that we'll mention in a moment. 

Emmett Brown, San Jose State (DK $6,500, FD $8,600) @ Washington State

I'm counting on Brown as the contrarian quarterback to target Friday evening. Not only is he reasonably priced, but he also faces a Washington State defense that's ranked 129th against the pass. One could argue that the Spartans haven't played anyone yet, but it's hard to argue against Brown's early numbers. Over three games, he's thrown for 915 yards, nine touchdowns and only two picks. The intriguing wrinkle here is that Brown played for Washington State last season and redshirted, so he's quite familiar with coach Jake Dickert's playbook on both sides of the ball. While that'll be no secret to Dickert, and he may prepare to throw some different looks accordingly, Brown's familiarity with the defense is the kind of edge we're looking for.

Running Back

LeQuint Allen, Syracuse (DK $7,000, FD $10,000) vs. Stanford

Allen will show up in 100 percent of my lineups this week. The impressive runner has also shown up big in the passing game, with nine catches for 71 yards and a touchdown over the first two games. His salary is excellent on DraftKings, and while some might balk at the FanDuel price, it's right in line with what most elite backs go for on the site. Stanford has been somewhat effective against the run this season, but they let TCU's Cam Cook go loose for 81 yards and a touchdown. Allen is a great multi-dimensional back who is well worth his salary. We can account for him with a discount or two at wide receiver.

Dante Dowdell, Nebraska (DK $5,500, FD $8,000) vs. Illinois

I'm electing to stay away from this game due to the projected pace, but dynamo freshman Dylan Raiola can't do it all. Downdell has been very dependable over the first three games and has become the most effective back for the Cornhuskers. He has 184 yards and three touchdowns over the first three games of the season.

Wide Receiver

Trebor Pena, Syracuse (DK $6,400, FD $9,300) vs. Stanford

FanDuel got Pena's salary right, but I think DraftKings has him too low - fine by me. There's no denying Oronde Gadsden's (DK $6,900, FD $8,000) playmaking ability, but Pena has been the touchdown magnet. I might be inclined to give Gadsden more love on FanDuek due to the $1,300 discount off of Pena, but I'll lock in Pena on DraftKings. In either case, we want to stack McCord, and although I doubt we have the coin for a triple stack without making a big sacrifice with our third receiver, it might be worth the cost.

Kris Hutson (DK $5,400, FD $6,400)  and Josh Meredith (DK $5,300, FD $6,700), Washington State vs. San Jose State

The Cougars are still as pass-happy as ever, and we need to look at the victory against Washington to get a better idea of the distribution. Meredith caught all of his targets, topped the century mark and scored against the Huskies, and while Hutson's numbers look vastly inferior, it's important to note that he had 10 targets and only converted on four of them. That's a lot of potential production left on the table, but it also indicates Mateer's desire to get him the ball. We've already mentioned San Jose State's defensive results, but if the Cougars can hang numbers like that on Washington, they can do it against the Spartans.

Also consider: Justin Lockhart, San Jose State (DK $5,900, FD $7,200) @ Washington State