FanDuel CFB DFS Picks: Saturday Main Slate Breakdown for Week 7

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Updated on October 14, 2023 2:24AM EST

We venture on to Week 7 in the college football realm, and, as always, we begin with a brief overview of the odds. Headlining the scoring totals is Washington-Oregon (66.5), featuring two of the better offenses in the country. LSU-Auburn and Notre Dame-USC (both 60.5) also cross the 60-point threshold. That said, it's Florida State (37.0) who leads the way in expected score, with Ohio State (36.0) and LSU (36.0) next in line. Alabama (-20.5) is the biggest favorite on the slate, while the Buckeyes (-19.5) are nipping at the Tide's heels, and the Seminoles (-18.5) aren't far behind either. LSU (-11.5) is the final double-digit favorite this week.

Click the Matchups Page link below for the full features of the page, but here is a screenshot of the odds as of this writing.

College Football DFS Weather

Winds 10+ MPH and rain chances 50-plus percent noted (subject to change)

Arkansas at Alabama - Winds sitting in the 10-11 MPH range for most of the game
Ohio State at Purdue - Winds 11-12 MPH in the second half and chance of rain (30-40 pct) throughout
Kansas at Oklahoma State - Winds expected to sit 15-16 MPH throughout
Florida at South Carolina - Winds sitting around 10 MPH throughout with minor rain chance
BYU at TCU - Winds 13-14 MPH throughout
Texas A&M at Tennessee - Winds 11-12 MPH
Missouri at Kentucky - Winds 10-11 MPH
USC at Notre Dame - Winds as high as about 15 MPH at kickoff but settling at 12-13 MPH for most of the game
UCLA at Oregon State - 45-60 percent chance of showers during game

Notable College Football Injuries for Week 7

Jayden Daniels, LSU LSU - Should be good to go despite some soreness following the previous game.

Brady Cook, Missouri - Listed probable on injury report.

Jalon Daniels, Kansas Kansas - Won't start Saturday's game and is unlikely to play.

Chandler Morris, TCU TCU - Out for next month or more.

TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State - Expected back after missing last week.

Cody Schrader, Missouri - Listed as questionable on injury report for Saturday.

Damari Alson, Auburn Auburn - Doubtful to play against LSU.

Tyrone Tracy, Purdue Purdue - Doubtful to face Ohio State.

Mark Fletcher, Miami Miami - Hasn't played since Sept. 23 and was still in a boot last Saturday.

Jalen McMillan, Washington - Expected to play against Oregon, though the same phrase was used the last two weeks before he sat. Big game this week, though; seems likely he'll be back.

Luther Burden, Missouri - Termed probable for this week.

Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State - Not believed to be dealing with a long-term injury after leaving last week. Still worth monitoring his status for Saturday.

Johnny Wilson, Florida State - Status uncertain for Saturday.

Zachariah Branch, USC USC - Hasn't been a full participant in practice this week.

Caleb Douglas, Florida Florida - Out again this week.

Antwane Wells, South Carolina - Has a chance to return this week.

Andy Jean, Florida Florida - Won't play Saturday, had been getting more involved on offense.

Mason Tharp, Texas Tech - Considered day-to-day.

College Football DFS Tools

Week 7 CFB DFS Plays on FanDuel

Quarterback

Bo Nix, Oregon ($11,300) at Washington

Let's face it, this is going to be a high-scoring game, and inclusion in it is needed. I'm just a bit more wary of Penix against Oregon's defense because the Ducks have proven they can shut down just about any offense, even one like Colorado that put up sizable numbers on a weekly basis, allowing the Buffs to tally just six points. While Washington has fared reasonably well against quarterbacks as well, they've faced Noah Fifita in his first career start, Michigan State right after the Mel Tucker scandal broke, Tulsa's backup and third-string quarterback and a Boise State passing attack that has struggled to find its footing all season. Oregon doesn't have any of that baggage heading into this game, and the Ducks need to make a statement as slight underdogs in this one. Cal's quarterbacks threw for 353 yards and three touchdowns against this Huskies defense in Week 2, albeit with a lot of garbage time, but Nix has the weapons to still put up some numbers here.

Sam Hartman, Notre Dame ($9,300) vs. USC

It's not been the season Hartman likely envisioned when he transferred to South Bend this season, but this is an opportunity for him to get things back on track. The Fighting Irish will need to keep pace with an explosive Trojans offense. Luckily, USC's defense has been amenable to that to date, yielding a combined 73.16 fantasy points over the last two games to opposing quarterbacks. Notre Dame doesn't quite sport the same tempo as Arizona or Colorado, but the Irish still has plenty of talent. USC has also allowed 100 rushing yards and a pair of scores, so this is also a spot where Hartman could utilize his mobility a bit.

Brady Cook, Missouri ($9,000) at Kentucky

Kentucky's overall defensive effort against the pass this season has been okay, but just last week the Georgia quarterbacks combined to throw for 435 yards and five touchdowns. Cook is coming off of back-to-back 395-yard passing games and has a pair of stud receivers in Luther Burden and Theo Wease, so I'm willing to take the plunge on him as the 14th-highest salary on the slate. It's also worth mentioning that starting running back Cody Schrader is questionable, so there could be a larger emphasis on the passing attack if he's out, especially against a Wildcats team that defends the run pretty well. Cook has at least 23 FanDuel points in each of his last four games, so there's a reasonably safe floor for him and some upside if things fall right. That said, there's certainly risk involved in investing in the quarterback of a team with an expected score of just 24 points.

Also Consider: Kyle McCord, Ohio State ($9,200) vs. Purdue, Alan Bowman, Oklahoma State ($7,500) vs. Kansas

Running Back

Audric Estime, Notre Dame ($9,300) vs. USC

I feel obliged to give a top-of-the-board option here at running back, and returning to the Notre Dame well seems like the best option in my books. Estime's workload plummeted to a season-low 10 carries last week, but that was against a staunch Louisville front that has held running backs in check over the last three weeks. USC has fared okay against the last couple of weeks, but that includes facing Arizona without its starting running back (Michael Wiley) and Colorado, who had a 20-point deficit at halftime. The Fighting Irish should be able to keep this contest within striking distance, and Estime should be part of doing just that. The Trojans strike fast, so Estime could have plenty of opportunities to strike back Saturday.

LeQuint Allen, Syracuse ($8,200) at Florida State

Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice, and I'm the sucker. Sure, the Orange are once again sizable underdogs like they were last week against North Carolina, and they may be headed toward another blowout. I just don't see how Allen doesn't get involved early and often here. Opposing running backs are racking up 4.4 yards per carry and have notched six rushing scores in just five games, and they've been targeted 36 times (7.2 per game). Allen sports 18 catches over the past four games, and there's plenty of reason to believe that trend will continue. Even if this heads the direction of a route, I'm banking on Allen making some hay beforehand.

Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State ($7,800) vs. Kansas

Gordon has finally emerged as the lead back over the last couple of weeks that many were hoping he could be coming into the season, compiling 39 carries for 257 yards and a touchdown against Iowa State and Kansas State, two stingy defensive fronts. The Jayhawks, on the other hand, have been prone to yield some sizable efforts on the ground. Most notorious is the 218-yard, two-touchdown effort in Texas' tromping of Kansas a couple of weeks ago, but RJ Harvey also ran for 133 yards and a touchdown last week. Those sizable showings bode well for Gordon in his newfound role as a bell cow.

Henry Parrish, Miami ($7,600) at North Carolina

I am sitting in this pocket of running backs this week and turning to Parrish. While the game script prevented LeQuint Allen (see above) from being more of a factor last week, Vegas' expected outcome Saturday (30-26.5 UNC) portends to an even game where Parrish can do some damage. The Tar Heels have allowed eight rushing touchdowns to opposing backs in just five games and have allowed 4.4 yards per carry to opposing running backs (3.7 yards overall due to quarterback sacks). Parrish, like Gordon above, has seemingly absorbed the lead role over the past couple of weeks, amassing a combined 33 carries for 187 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games, so there's certainly a reason to anticipate him finding pay dirt again Saturday with decent yardage to boot.

LJ Martin, BYU ($7,400) at TCU

Another risky investment here with Martin, who will run with a BYU offense that is projected for just 23.5 points this week, but he's facing a Horned Frogs front that has yielded 459 rushing yards and five touchdowns over the last three games. Martin has served as the head of the rushing attack all season, for the most part, and he has carry counts of 16 and 23 in two of his last three games (11 in the other), notching four touchdowns in that span. Given that TCU has surrendered seven rushing scores to opposing backs, another couple of touchdowns isn't off the table Saturday.

Also Consider: Jase McClellan, Alabama ($6,700) vs. Arkansas

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Marvin Harrison, Ohio State ($10,000) at Purdue

We need some involvement in the passing attack here, and while I'm not in on McCord as anything more than a potential safe play for cash game purposes, Harrison has the making of a big game in tow. The Buckeyes' other star receiver, Emeka Egbuka, suffered an injury last week. While it's not expected to be a long-term issue, it's unclear if Egbuka will be available or at 100 percent Saturday. Should Egbuka be out or limited, Harrison would be the clear go-to option in the offense. I would also not be opposed to looking the way of Cade Stover ($7,000), who could be the preferred option in the middle of the field if Egbuka isn't in the slot.

Troy Franklin, Oregon ($9,900) at Washington

Franklin just has the volume week in and week out in the Ducks' offense to be the perfect QB-WR pairing for Bo Nix against the Huskies. UW has allowed no more than 19 rushing yards to quarterbacks in any of the last four games, so Nix and co. will likely need to focus on attacking them through the air, and Franklin is, as mentioned, the guy. In any lineup I include Nix, I'm adding Franklin, who has seven receiving touchdowns and four 100-yard receiving efforts on the ledger in five games, as a stack at wideout.

Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame ($7,100) vs. USC

If I take a chance on Hartman as my quarterback, it's logical to look at the receiver options for some potential stacking opportunities. While there are plenty of wide receivers to turn to, not one of the group has finished with more than one double-digit fantasy effort to date. Evans has surpassed 10 fantasy points in each of the last three games, and he now faces a Trojans defense that has allowed opposing tight ends to cross into double digits in each of the last three games. The Fighting Irish are a team that emphasizes the tight end position in the offense, so I'm more than willing to take a chance on Evans in this salary range.

Devontez Walker, North Carolina ($6,000) vs. Miami

A late add to the pool, Walker gained his NCAA eligibility prior to last week's game against Syracuse and churned out six catches for 43 yards on eight targets in his Tar Heels debut. He was the prized pickup in the transfer portal leading up to the 2023 campaign, and he's listed as a starter on the depth chart, moving Nate McCollum and Kobe Paysour to co-starters, suggesting there is a heavy emphasis on keeping him on the field. The matchup isn't necessarily the most appealing in the world, but Walker racked up 58 catches for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns last year at Kent State and has been practicing with the team all season. I wouldn't be shocked if he puts up a big effort with a full week in the starting offense under his belt.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Benzine plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Crispy272001, DraftKings: Crispy27.