This article is part of our DraftKings College Football series.
Newly anointed quarterbacks, a big price gap after the top running backs and a plethora of value choices at receiver are the trends that leap off the plate when viewing the early 15 game slate in Week 4.
QUARTERBACK
Blake Kemp, East Carolina (vs.Virginia Tech) - $5,800
First, the bad news with Kemp –- he faces a Hokies pass defense that allows only 150.7 yards per game and has not allowed a touchdown since Week 1 against Ohio State. Now the good news; Kemp has topped 300 yards while throwing at least 49 times in consecutive games, adding three touchdowns in each. One of those games came at Florida, who has allowed only 262 yards combined through the air in their other two contests. The point being that while it's not an ideal matchup, Kemp and the Pirates won't be intimidated and will stick to their air raid attack in a home contest. One other nugget to chew on, last season, ECU quarterback Shane Carden threw for 427 yards and three scores against the Hokies. The price is low enough to make this a worthwhile gamble.
Kendall Hinton, Wake Forest (vs. Indiana) - $6,000
Hinton's pricetag is surprisingly high given he has never started a game and has not been confirmed as the starter for Saturday. That said, he threw for 159 yards and ran for 101 last week, and that dual-threat ability makes him a great option against a porous Hosier defense. The Deacons are one of the worst rushing teams in the country as their running back committee averages 86 yards per game behind a woeful offensive line. Hinton's speed can mask a lot of those line problems, and he'll likely have the ball in his hands more often than not Saturday. Don't let a rainy forecast across the Carolinas dampen, figuratively and literally, your expectations for Hinton.
Others to consider:Brenden Motley, Virginia Tech (at East Carolina) - $6,000; Jeff Smith, Boston College (vs. Northern Illinois) - $5,500; Will Grier, Florida (vs. Tennessee) - $5,900
RUNNING BACK
Chris Carson, Oklahoma State (at Texas) - $5,400
Carson is coming off of a 104-yard, two-score game and faces a Texas defense that has allowed at least 214 yards and two touchdowns in each of their three outings thus far. Equally important is that backup Rennie Childs has seen his usage drop weekly, down to five carries last week.
Adam Hine, BYU (at Michigan) - $5,600
Hine has 46 carries and only one other Cougar has more than nine. He averages 6.1 yards per carry, has scored in consecutive weeks and seen his carries and yardage grow each week, capped by last weeks 123 yards at UCLA. It's a tough matchup for Hine, as the Wolverines are giving up only 2.6 yards per carry and two touchdowns on the year, but Hine's likely volume puts him on the radar, at least.
Dwayne Washington, Washington (vs. Cal) - $4,600
Somehow, some way, Washington continues to find his way into the end zone. He has half as many carries as lead back Myles Gaskins and averages only 1.7 yards on those efforts. And as bruising back, he's oddly the team's leading receiver with 14 catches. The bottom line is Washington has scored four times in two weeks and faces a Cal defense that allowed 44 points to a modest Texas offense. Washington is a boom-or-bust pick and not for the faint of heart, but his price tag seems to make him a worthwhile gamble.
Travon McMillian, Virginia Tech (at East Carolina) - $3,500
It's awfully hard to get excited about a back who has eight or nine touches in each of his first three games while sharing carries with as many as three other backs. But McMillian is the lone home run threat in a backfield of bruisers. His usage is limited, but consistent, and he's averaging a sound 7.8 yards per touch. At some point, he's going to break one long making him a terrific tournament gamble.
Others to consider:Wendell Smallwood, West Virginia (vs. Maryland) - $4,900; DeAndre Washington, Texas Tech (vs. TCU) - $4,700;
WIDE RECEIVER
Roger Lewis, Bowling Green (vs. Purdue) - $7,700
With all the value picks apparently available, it's hard to justify spending on Lewis. But at $800 less than Baylor's Corey Coleman, he's not the top-priced receiver and has averaged a ridiculous 52.05 points over his last two outings, catching 22 passes for 461 yards and five touchdowns. Lewis, and Coleman for that matter, are producing at quarterback point levels, and aren't priced like them.
Ricky Jones, Indiana (at Wake Forest) - $5,100
Jones' price actually came down $500 from last week despite a 126-yard, one-touchdown performance against Western Kentucky. He's topped 100 yards in two of the team's three games and is 11th in the nation in receiving yards per game. As long as his price begins with a five, or his opponent is Ohio State or Michigan State, Jones seems like a solid bargain.
Dennis Parks, Rice (at Baylor) - $4,800
Parks could require some garbage-time production to make good on this selection, but after not playing in the season opener against Wagner, Parks has caught eight passes in consecutive games, totaling 240 yards and two touchdowns. Baylor's defense has been sound against the pass, but hasn't exactly kept teams off of the scoreboard. No other Owl has more than six catches, setting Parks up yet again to be a one-man show.
Jovon Durante, West Virginia (vs. Maryland) - $3,900
Durante has made an instant impact, catching 10 passes for 181 yards and two scores in his first two career games. Maryland's defense played inspired football last week, but the Mountaineers pass at a much better clip that USF does, and Durante looks likely to break one or more big plays.
K.J. Brent/Cortez Lewis, Wake Forest (vs. Indiana) - $3,400/$3,500
In no way am I insinuating a stack on Demon Deacons this week, though the Hoosiers do rank dead last among FBS teams against the pass, allowing 392.7 yards per game. But Brent and Lewis have emerged as a reliable duo against weaker competition. Lewis has seen his reception total increase weekly from three to five to six, and is averaging 12.1 points weekly with a low of 9.8 and a high of 15.4. Brent, meanwhile, has at least four catches in all three games, averaging 14.1 points with a high of 22.6 and a low of 8.6. With Hinton likely making his first career start, he'll likely focus on those he can count on when asked to throw. I trust Brent a little more than Lewis, but the point here is they are nearly priced at the minimum, and aren't likely to leave you with zero points.
Others to consider:David Glidden, Oklahoma State (at Texas) - $4,900; Reginald Davis, Texas Tech (vs. TCU) - $4,900; Devin Lauderdale, Texas Tech (vs. TCU) - $4,700; Shelton Gibson, West Virginia (vs. Maryland) $4,400
My Entry This Week
QB: Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech (vs. TCU) - $8,900
QB: Skyler Howard, West Virginia (vs. Maryland) - $6,800
RB: Chris Carson, Oklahoma State (at Texas) - $5,400
RB: Wendell Smallwood, West Virginia (vs. Maryland) - $4,900
WR: K.J. Brent, Wake Forest (vs. Indiana) - $3,400
WR: Jovon Durante, West Virginia (vs. Maryland) - $3,900
WR: Josh Doctson, TCU (at Texas Tech) - $7,500
Flex: Ronnie Moore, Bowling Green (at Purdue) - $5,700
Flex: Travon McMillian, Virginia Tech (at East Carolina) - $3,500
I love and hate this lineup equally at this point. Often I've chosen to spread my funds evenly, and usually have been willing to spend for consistency at wide receiver. This lineup is going against that grain as I haven't had a top-10 finish in two weeks and needed a little spice.
I expect Texas Tech this week to keep up with TCU, and the over/under is hovering near 80. Mahomes was the lowest priced of the top four quarterbacks, providing me with some safe and sound production. Howard fell into the same boat as the cheapest quarterback I trusted. I felt better gambling at other positions and taking some safe bets under center.
I'm OK with a mini Mountaineer stack for a couple of reasons, most notably their modest pricetags seemingly related to last week's bye, but also the high scoring nature of this budding rivalry with Maryland. Save for an odd shutout in 2013, WVU has scored at least 31 points in every game against the Terps since 2010.
I felt strongly I wanted to get in on TCU, and Doctson saved me $300 over Roger Lewis, and I put my money where my mouth was with regards to McMillian and Brent, cautiously expecting 15 combined points while hoping they could provide a home run. The struggle I had was with Moore and McMillian, and possibly the heavy spending on Doctson. Moore is safe with limited upside, but maximized my budget. Very few running backs appealed after Indiana's Jordan Howard ($8,400) and I was unable to buy into Baylor, namely Jay Lee at $6,000. A Texas Tech secondary receiver pairing of Devin Lauderdale and Reginald Davis was $400 too expensive. This lineup is far from settled.
