College Football DFS Weekday Slate: Thursday/Friday, Week 8

We've got a lot to cover for Thursday and Friday, so let's take a look at all six available games available on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Louisiana-Lafayette  (-6.5) @ Arkansas State O/U: 67

Stanford (-7) vs. UCLA    O/U: 52.5

Not exactly the most exciting slate and we definitely have some QB issues to tackle, with several of the options questionable, doubtful, or in jeopardy of losing their starting jobs.

Florida Atlantic  (-6.5) vs. Marshall  O/U: 57.5 (DraftKings only)

Pittsburgh (-3.5) at Syracuse  O/U: 51.5

Ohio State  (-28) at Northwestern   O/U: 49.5

Fresno State  (-16) at UNLV   O/U: 53

(odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change)

QUARTERBACK

Thursday

Layne Hatcher, Arkansas State (DK $6,800, FD $9,700) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette  

With all the uncertainty at this position, I think you have little choice but to field Hatcher, especially in cash games where you can't afford a late scratch. You could do a lot worse than Hatcher, though; he's an Alabama transfer who inherited the starting job a few weeks ago and will have the gig moving forward after Logan Bonner was declared done for the year. Although he's been intercepted a total of four times over the past two contests, he's thrown for eight touchdowns - not a bad ratio when you're airing it out 30-25 times a  game in a new role.The Ragin' Cajuns are strong defensively against the pass, but as I said, you need to find a sturdy floor when the options are this slim.

Levi Lewis, Louisiana-Lafayette (DK $5,900, FD $8,100) @ Arkansas State

It isn't my preference to embrace this matchup at quarterback, but injury concerns at Stanford and a potential quarterback change afoot at UCLA, you're left with Hatcher and Lewis, and like Hatcher, you could do a lot worse.  He'll  be facing an Arkansas State team that ranks 277th against the pass, so he should have an easier time than usual. You shouldn't expect tons of volume from Lewis, however, so if you can't sit with Hatcher, watching the late news about who's under center in the other game might sit better in your DFS stomach.

Friday

Justin Fields, Ohio State (DK $8,300, FD $11,000) @ Northwestern

Fields is expensive, and it's warranted. You face two big questions with Fields. Firstly, his ownership is likely to be sky-high, so do I really need him to keep pace? Second, will he disappear in a blowout? I think that the answer to both could easily be yes, but I'm less sure about the answer to the second question.  Even in huge blowout games, his numbers are excellent. He hasn't scored less than 27 DKFP all season, and Northwestern happens to have a fairly staunch pass defense, which means Fields could end up racking up a lot of rushing yards. Despite the potential ownership pitfalls, I have to give him a go and spend up.

Tommy DeVito, Syracuse (DK $6,900, FD $9,200) vs. Pittsburgh

I like the matchup, and although my personal team biases force me to hold my nose a bit I (gulp) LIKE DeVito in this matchup.  Aside from a blowout loss to Clemson, DeVito's been a lock to throw for around 300 yards in every contest, and he has 12 passing touchdowns on the year.

RUNNING BACK

Thursday

Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana-Lafayette (DK $5,700, FD $9,400) @ Arkansas State

The duo of Mitchell and Trey Ragas can shred opposing offenses, and they represent one of the best backfield tandems in college football.  I can't fault a roster spot for either of these guys, but Michell comes a bit cheaper (on DraftKings), and has a better nose for the end zone, with nine scores on the year so far. He out-carried Ragas in their 17-7 loss to App State, and although both backs regressed somewhat in that game, I am giving the slight edge to Mitchell.

Cameron Scarlett, Stanford (DK $6,000, FD $9,200) vs. UCLA

Regardless of who is under center for the Cardinal, I don't see the Bruins offering a lot of resistance defensively in this game, as opposing offenses have simply torn them apart in all aspects of the game.  The Chip Kelly experiment has officially gone off the rails, so it would be foolish to exclude Scarlett from consideration. He's only scored twice this season, but he's rushed for 564 yards over six games and also has some decent numbers out of the backfield.

Friday

Before I go about endorsing anyone, I have to present some cold, hard facts.  I don't know that you can construct a strong lineup if you stack J.K. Dobbins AND Justin Fields here. Don't get me wrong, you CAN do it!  But I've run the numbers and I haven't liked what I have left salary-wise. So, the standout OSU running back is a given, and there are some check marks in his corner - Northwestern is far weaker against the run.  You just have to decide what's best for you -if you go with both, you have some salary challenges. The drop-off after these two players is significant at both positions, which makes it hard to see a way past slotting them in, though.

Brenden Knox, Marshall (DK $5,800) @ Florida Atlantic

Let's assume we are going whole-hog with OSU as stated, which means we have to look down the slate for cheap options. On the DraftKings slate, I really like Knox, especially against FAU's rush defense. With 499 yards and five touchdowns on the year, I think we are getting a bargain at this price with Knox.

Drake Anderson, Northwestern (DK $5,600, FD $7,600) vs. Ohio State

With both Jesse Brown and Isaiah Bowser sidelined, Anderson is poised to receive a lot of volume.  The quarterback is situation at Northwestern is tenuous at best, so the Wildcats will need to lean on their run game for as long as they are able. It might be foolish to take the huge underdog's running back, but we have to stay cheap if we go with Dobbins and Fields.

WIDE RECEIVER

Thursday

Omar Bayless, Arkansas State (DK $7,300, FD $10,400) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

Bayless is the gold standard for pass catchers on this slate, He's logged 100-plus receiving yards in five out of six games, and has a whopping 10 touchdowns on the year.  While Louisiana-Lafayette will be one of the togher defenses they've faced, a Hatcher/Bayless stack is the foundation of my lineup on this slate. Bayless should end up being worth every penny.

Kirk Merritt, Arkansas State (DK $7,000, FD $8,700) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

I plan on living or drying by Arkansas State, but I understand if that's too risky for you.  There are other options in the flex column if you're wary of this triple stack, but it works for me.  Merritt ha caught 35 passes for six touchdowns as the Red Wolves' #2 receiver, and I trust Layne Hatcher just enough to give two of his wideouts the nod on this slate.

Friday

Emoryie Edwards, Fresno State (DK $5,600, FD $7,500) vs. UNLV

I go low here first because I think Edwards is still largely overlooked.  He's only made an appearance in two games for the Bulldogs, but in those games he's had 12 caches fr 163 yards and a touchdown, and Jorge Reyna appears to have a lot of confidence in him.  Edwards is a great way to spend down if you're stacking OSU up top.

Randal Grimes, UNLV ($4,700 DK, $7,400 FD) at Fresno State

With Kenyon Oblad under center, the Rebels' offense immediately leans more toward the pass, and you can bet Grimes will be the recipient of most of the passes.  Grimes has quietly emerged as one of the most dependable receivers in the Mountain West and on this slate, he'll likely be overlooked. Again, he's another great cheap option who should crush value at this price.

FLEX

Thursday

Since we're not confident about who will start for either Stanford or UCLA at quarterback, obvious flex options include guys like Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jack West, who remain the most likely options on Thursday.  You'll have to wait and see on those picks, Joshua Kelley leads the way as flex options at running back, as the other players dot come close to Kelley's output, but I would strongly consider running both Trey Ragas and Mitchell as well. At receiver, you could continue the Arkansas State stack with Jonathan Adams Jr., or someone like Kyle Philips, who's seen his number called for UCLA more frequently in recent weeks.

Friday

I realize that I overlooked a lot of talent at running back, and especially wide receiver. Again, you're obviously hampered if you go with a Fields/Robbins stack. To fill out my cheap options, I'm looking to Marshall's Broc Thompson and Pitt's Taysir Mack as viable ways to fill out my lineup, and if I can' afford DeVito, I don't mind using Isaiah Green at the Super Flex, or waiting to hear about Northwestern's QB situation at the same spot.  If you're only going with one OSU stud, then I like a stack of DeVito along with Trishton Jackson, and can also make a case for Pitt's Malcolm French.