This article is part of our DraftKings College Football series.
Looking at the Week 3 Saturday slate for DraftKings, I decided to zero in on a bit of a stack between three games: Bowling Green vs. Indiana, Washington vs. Illinois and Texas Tech vs. Arkansas. Those games combine for an over/under of 198 (66 per game).
Here's the full lineup I'm going with:
QUARTERBACK
Nate Sudfeld - Indiana at Bowling Green ($6,000)
Coming off a disappointing 111-yard, one-interception Week 1, Sudfeld should be a good source of value in a bounce-back effort this week while still avoiding overlap with most other DFS players you face. Sudfeld's numbers in Week 1 were quite simply a fluke - Indiana didn't make an attempt to throw the ball because Tevin Coleman was single-handedly winning the game against an opponent that posed no threat. Heading into their second game, however, coach Kevin Wilson will want to get the passing game into shape. Playing against a Bowling Green gave up 569 yards and six touchdowns passing in Week 1 is the perfect setting for Sudfeld to break out.
Cyler Miles - Washington vs Illinois ($6,300)
Miles wasn't especially impressive as a passer in his return from suspension against Eastern Washington last week, completing just 14-of-24 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown, but he seems to have the Washington quarterback job to himself and faces an unimpressive Illinois defense this week. Miles was highly effective as a runner last week, in any case, bolting for 58 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries.
QB Alternatives: Clint Trickett - West Virginia at Maryland ($6,000), Brandon Allen - Arkansas at Texas Tech ($5,200)
RUNNING BACK
Tevin Coleman - Indiana at Bowling Green ($7,700)
Coleman is expensive, but his production the last two years is just too good to pass up, especially in a game expected to score as highly as this one. Coleman tied for the FBS lead of 40-plus yard runs in 2013 with eight, and that was despite missing three games and carrying the ball just 131 times. He averaged a run of more than 40 yards once per every 16.4 carries, in other words, and he heads into Week 2 of this year with 247 yards and two touchdowns on just 23 carries.
Duke Johnson - Miami (FL) vs Arkansas State ($6,900)
A tough defensive matchup with Louisville in Week 1 and an early-game blowout against Florida A&M last week have conspired to limit Johnson's stats through the first two games, but I think a breakout game is on the horizon against Arkansas State. Its defense is vulnerable enough for Duke to run well, yet the Arkansas State offense is good enough to keep the Hurricanes from establishing a safe lead. That means Johnson should end up with a big workload, and hopefully his best game since his 168-yard, two-touchdown game against Wake Forest on Oct. 26 of 2013.
RB Alternatives: Jay Ajayi - Boise State at Uconn ($7,600), Royce Freeman - Oregon vs Wyoming ($5,400), Lavon Coleman - Washington vs Illinois ($4,600)
WIDE RECEIVER
Bradley Marquez - Texas Tech vs Arkansas ($6,500)
It seems safe to say at this point that it's Marquez - not Jakeem Grant - who will serve as Texas Tech's top fantasy wideout in 2014. Grant might match or exceed Marquez's catch total, but Marquez has established himself as the top red-zone target for the Red Raiders, which could make him the nation's best touchdown threat at wide receiver every week.
Matt Miller - Boise State at UConn ($5,600)
Miller's matchup doesn't exactly thrill me - UConn is a horrible team that could easily get blown out - but this is a cheap price for a player with 55 catches for 871 yards and 11 touchdowns in his last seven games.
Keon Hatcher - Arkansas at Texas Tech ($3,500)
Hatcher is the only major gamble on this lineup, but it's definitely a significant one. Hatcher has just two catches for 67 yards on the year, but he scored on one of them and also has an 82-yard touchdown run in the first two weeks. Hatcher caught 16 passes as a sophomore in the final four weeks of 2013, so the Razorbacks should need to call his number more than usual if they hope to keep up with Texas Tech.
WR Alternatives: Kevin White - West Virginia at Maryland ($5,800), Tommy Shuler - Marshall vs Ohio ($5,600), Shane Wynn - Indiana at Bowling Green ($4,900)
TIGHT END
A.J. Derby - Arkansas at Texas Tech ($2,500)
The Razorbacks have the personnel of a two-tight end offense, featuring the talented duo of Derby and Hunter Henry at the position but a weak and shallow group of wide receivers, and they'll likely need to throw the ball more than usual to keep up with the Red Raiders. Both Derby and Henry might have their best games of the season Saturday.
TE Alternatives: Hunter Henry - Arkansas at Texas Tech ($3,300), Jon Davis - Illinois at Washington ($3,000
Flex
Lavon Coleman, RB - Washington vs Illinois ($4,600)
Like Hatcher at wide receiver, Coleman is a bit of a gamble pick at the flex spot. I think it will pay off, though. Despite opening the season as the backup to Derrick Washington, Coleman is clearly the Huskies' top running back, as he has 196 yards and a touchdown on just 34 carries (5.8 YPC), whereas Washington has two touchdowns but a miserable total of 73 yards on 22 carries (3.3 YPC). The Illinois defense got beat up by Western Kentucky running back Leon Allen last week, so hopefully Coleman will do the same.
