This article is part of our DraftKings College Football series.
This week's early slate features 19 games, all of which are conference matchups, so no cream puffs to pick on (though there are still plenty of soft defenses).
It's an overwhelming list of players to sort through, and the easiest and obvious answer is to stack Big 12 players with Baylor-Texas Tech, Oklahoma-West Virginia and TCU-Texas showing big totals at the books. But since that will be such a popular opinion, we'll take a look at some names outside of these games that could provide a sound return in Week 5.
One thing to monitor before making selections; weather. Rarely do I make roster decisions solely based on potential inclement weather, but Saturday looks like one of those occasions. Keep an eye on Hurricane Joaquin. Many of the ACC's matchups are likely to be impacted, which is a shame because there are a lot of potential value picks there, especially at quarterback.
QUARTERBACK
Drew Lock, Missouri (vs. South Carolina) - $4,300
Lock is set to make his first career start due to the suspension of Maty Mauk, and as such, checks in as the cheapest starting quarterback available this week. The Tigers' offense has been bad with Mauk at the helm, while the Gamecocks' defense has been decent compared to last year, which has resulted in a surprisingly low 40.5 total for this game. That's far from ideal, but Lock has drawn a lot of praise and hype since arriving on campus, and could provide a spark.
Dane Evans, Tulsa (vs. Houston) - $7,900
Despite 38 quarterbacks being available in this slate, there are very few true bargains or ideal matchup plays. The Tulsa-Houston game is one I'm looking to exploit, checking in with an over/under of 81.5, and the hope is that casual fans overlook this shootout in favor of the aforementioned Big 12 tilts. The Cougars have allowed more than 300 yards passing in all three games to date, while Evans has topped that number in all three of his contests, twice topping 400 yards. He checks in $1,400 cheaper than Baylor's Seth Russell, the week's highest priced option.
Others to consider:Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech (vs. North Carolina) - $7,400; Skyler Howard, West Virginia (at Oklahoma) - $6,500); Tommy Armstrong, Nebraska (at Illinois) - $7,100; Wes Lunt, Illinois (vs. Nebraska) - $6,200
RUNNING BACK
Patrick Skov, Georgia Tech (vs. North Carolina) - $5,700
Skov's reserved spot in most DFS columns is secure again this week. Yes, he had exchange problems with quarterback Justin Thomas last week, resulting in what appeared to be a brief benching. But Skov finished with a season-high 19 carries. The Jackets welcome a Tar Heels defense that has given up 227 yards or more on the ground in three games, including 279 yards to Delaware last Saturday. I went back as far as 2010, and the Jackets have topped 300 yards rushing against the Tar Heels in every contest while the B-Back has scored five times.
Matthew Dayes, North Carolina State (vs. Louisville) - $5,300
Dayes is one of the few players suiting up in the North Carolina Triangle area I'm buying. His production has been stellar, topping 100 yards in all four games while scoring nine times. While Louisville represents a major step up in competition after an embarrassingly soft non-conference slate, the Cardinals' defense ranks 76th against the run, allowing 190 or more yards to every opponent except FCS Samford. Following Shadrach Thornton's dismissal late Tuesday, the Pack will have little choice but to lean heavily on Dayes.
Ke'aun Kinner, Kansas (at Iowa State) - $4,900
Kinner is another solid bet for workhorse carries against a beatable rushing defense. Kinner truly is the Jayhawks' offense, scoring five of the team's eight touchdowns while carrying at least 16 times in every game. Iowa State ranks 91st against the run, having allowed 185.7 yards per game.
Others to consider:Elijah Hood, North Carolina (at Georgia Tech) - $5,300; Madre London, Michigan State (vs. Purdue) - $5,100; Wendell Smallwood, West Virginia (at Oklahoma) - $4,900; Tyler Rouse, Boston College (at Duke) - $4,900; Mike Warren, Iowa State (vs. Kansas) - $4,400
WIDE RECEIVER
Keevan Lucas, Tulsa (vs. Houston) - $6,900
Stacking Lucas and Evans saves you $2,400 over a Seth Russell/Corey Coleman stack. Yes, you'd be giving up 19.70 points on average, which can hopefully be made up at other positions by not skimping. Lucas has scored five times in three games, though his yardage has been a bit down. That's something I expect to change this Saturday.
Jay Lee, Baylor (vs. Texas Tech) - $5,500
Lee appears to have overtaken KD Cannon ($6,000) as the Bears' second receiving option and is priced low enough he's hard to pass up. It's a cheaper way to buy in to this game that has an absurd point total of 90. Lee has four touchdowns in three games, and in the game where he did not score, he caught nine passes for 111 yards. At some point, defenses have to scheme to slow down Corey Coleman, which would seemingly benefit Lee. After watching Texas Tech defend TCU's Josh Doctson last week, that may not happen in Week 5, but Lee remains a solid bargain.
Jaylen Samuel, North Carolina State (vs. Louisville) - $4,400
Samuel could be the toughest call on the board. The weather concerns me greatly, and I don't have great confidence in quarterback Jacoby Brissett ($5,800), but it's really hard to ignore the 25.2 point per game average Samuel carries at this modest price. He's scored in every game and eight times overall, and while that's clearly not a sustainable pace, Samuels appears worth buying until he proves he can be slowed.
Others to consider:Demarcus Ayers, Houston (at Tulsa) - $6,200; Isaiah Ford, Virginia Tech (vs. Pittsburgh) - $4,500; Ricky Jeune, Georgia Tech (vs. North Carolina) - $3,300; Allen Lazard, Iowa State (vs. Kansas) - $4,100; Steven Dunbar, Houston (at Tulsa) - $3,500
MY ENTRY
QB – Dane Evans, Tulsa (vs. Houston) - $7,900
QB – Drew Lock, Missouri (vs. South Carolina) - $4,300
RB – Ke'aun Kinner, Kansas (at Iowa State) - $4,900
RB – Patrick Skov, Georgia Tech (vs. North Carolina) - $5,700
WR – Keevan Lucas, Tulsa (vs. Houston) - $6,900
WR – Demarcus Ayers, Houston (at Tulsa) - $6,200
WR – Jaylen Samuel, North Carolina State (vs. Louisville) - $4,400
Flex – Matthew Dayes, North Carolina State (vs. Louisville) - $5,300
Flex – Mike Warren, Iowa State (vs. Kansas) - $4,400
Through five weeks, this is the heaviest my lineup has been with players highlighted in this column. I initially had Greg Ward ($8,900) as my quarterback, but I wrote my way into saving money and going with Evans. In doing so, I felt strongly about spending on Ayers, so I still have a major hand in the Cougars' offense. My initial lineup included Ayers and teammate Steven Dunbar, who I remain very high on this week, as well as Washington State running back Keith Harrington ($3,900).
The funds saved on the Evans-Ward swap were used to upgrade Dunbar and Harrrington to Warren and Samuel. I'm not sold on Samuel this week, at all, but he maximized my budget. Warren feels like a sneaky pick against a bad Jayhawks defense, and I expect he'll have low ownership. The question I'm asking myself between now and Sunday is if I swap back to Dunbar from Samuel, where do I spend the $900 I have remaining? No quarterback is appealing above Lock, and while I'm very disappointed I have no ownership in the Baylor-Texas Tech contest, I'm $100 short of moving Warren into Jay Lee. I've still have a couple days to overthink this and adjust.
