This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.
We have hit Week 10 of the college football season and have some handy tools at your disposal for the upcoming FanDuel slates. With all of this information, we aim to arm you as much as possible each week.
Lineup optimizer
Weekly rankings by position
Target share
Team trends
Odds
Defense vs. Position
We have 15 games (a season-high total) on the slate this week. With Alabama and LSU slugging it out in Baton Rouge, the over/under takes a hit and ranks among the lowest on the slate at just 54, leaving the Crimson Tide with a season-low 34.3 implied points. That still ranks eighth on a slate featuring 30 teams, so by no means is LSU's defense expected to grind the juggernaut Alabama offense to a halt. Clemson leads the way with a whopping 50 implied points against Louisville, with Oklahoma, Ohio State, Houston and Syracuse rounding out the teams expected to drop 40-plus this weekend. The biggest over/under of the week belongs to the Oklahoma-Texas Tech game, so it may behoove you to get a piece of both teams in your lineup Saturday.
A full picture of some key statistical categories can be seen in the table below:
Note: All stats are opposing defense. Plays/G are teams combined
YPA=Yards Per Attempt
Without further adieu, the following are some of the players I may target in the main slate this week.
Quarterback
Elite ($9,600+)
Eric Dungey, Syracuse (at Wake Forest), $10,200
Dungey got back on track last week against NC State, posting 411 passing yards and three touchdowns along with 32 yards and a rushing score after three consecutive performances notching approximately 20 points apiece. Wake Forest should present another opportunity for a big showing from Dungey, who should be able to take full advantage of his dual-threat abilities against a Demon Deacons defense surrendering 5.1 touchdowns per game overall this season and 2.6 on the ground.
Secondary Picks: Kyler Murray, Oklahoma ($10,600), Taylor Cornelius, Oklahoma State ($9,900),
Mid-Tier ($8,600-$9,500)
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest (vs. Syracuse) $8,800
While he doesn't possess as much rushing upside as Dungey, Hartman has a number of weapons to turn to against a Syracuse defense that surrenders 266 passing yards (7.5 yards per attempt) on the season. With top target Greg Dortch finally 100 percent and a Louisville team on the schedule whose defense sits on par with Syracuse, Hartman returned to form and posted 27.5 FanDuel points last week. In what figures to be a close shootout, Hartman should have a chance to near 30 during Saturday's contest.
Secondary Picks: Brock Purdy, Iowa State ($9,500), Trevor Lawrence, Clemson ($9,300)
Bargain Bin (<$8,600)
Ben Hicks, SMU (vs. Houston) $7,700
Hicks has posted a pair of strong performances against Tulane and Cincinnati since he retook the starting job under center, throwing for a combined 619 yards and five touchdowns. He should be forced to toss the rock again consistently this week against a Houston team that can light up a scoreboard. Houston has surrendered 324.8 passing yards per game, providing Hicks with a perfect opportunity to near the 300-yard mark through the air for a third straight week.
Tournament pick: Feleipe Franks, Florida ($8,400)
Running Back
Elite ($9,000 and up)
Travis Etienne, Clemson (vs. Louisville) $10,100
One of the more obvious plays of the weekend takes place in Clemson, with the Tigers being the only team this week expected to total 50 points on the week. Louisville surrenders a slate-high 250.6 rushing yards and 2.8 rushing touchdowns per contest this season, and Etienne, who has been limited to less than 50 yards each of the last two weeks, is ready to return to the top. Everything sets up perfectly for him to rack up the points before perhaps sitting out some of the second half if the Tigers take the lead as expected.
Secondary Pick: AJ Dillon, Boston College ($9,800), Justice Hill, Oklahoma State ($9,300)
Tournament Pick: Devine Ozigbo, Nebraska ($9,000)
Mid-Tier ($7,500-$8,900)
J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State (vs. Nebraska) $8,700
Coming off a pair of down weeks that have lowered his price tag, Dobbins catches a Nebraska defense giving up 4.5 yards per carry and 2.4 rushing touchdowns per game this season. Although Mike Weber generally factors in for the Buckeyes as well, Dobbins remains the clear leader in the backfield and should find plenty of room to run against the Cornhuskers on Saturday.
Secondary picks: Matt Colburn II, Wake Forest ($8,100)
Bargain Bin (<$7,500)
Damarea Crockett, Missouri (at Florida) $6,800
Crockett continues to share workload and post outings similar to that of Larry Rountree III, but a price gap of $1,100 remains between them this week. While the matchup doesn't top the board, Florida does surrender 4.2 yards per carry and 166.4 rushing yards per contest on the campaign. Crockett should have a chance to carry some value at $6,800 as a result.
Tournament play: Isaiah Bowser, Northwestern ($7,000)
Wide Receiver
Elite ($9,000 and up)
Marquise Brown, Oklahoma (at Texas Tech) $9,500
Brown wasn't on the field last week to begin the game and seemed to be a little banged up last week against Texas Tech. Another week of healing should put him in a good position to return to his normal self Saturday, and a juicy matchup with Texas Tech at a price tag that ranks him seventh among receivers may be too savory to pass up. The Red Raiders surrender more than two touchdowns and 283.4 yards per game through the air, boosting Brown's prospects as a deep-threat wideout.
Secondary pick: Greg Dortch, Wake Forest ($9,000)
Mid-Tier ($7,500-$8,900)
Reggie Roberson Jr., SMU (vs. Houston) $8,100
Although he got off to a slow start this season, Roberson has moved into centerpiece territory in the last couple of weeks, hauling in 14 of his 31 targets for 246 yards and three touchdowns in the two games since Ben Hicks regained his starting job. In a game that should feature the Mustangs trailing early and often, look for Roberson and the passing game to be in full effect against a Houston defense allowing 324.8 passing yards per game.
Secondary Picks: T.J. Vasher, Texas Tech ($8,400), Nykeim Johnson, Syracuse ($7,800)
Bargain Bin (<$7,500)
Tarik Black, Michigan (vs. Penn State) $5,800
Black has missed every game thus far this season after breaking his foot just before the season started, but he's reportedly practiced in full this week and is expected to return to the lineup. While there could be some concerns regarding his timing with Shea Patterson, he did practice with him nearly all of fall camp and has done so this week as well, and Black's talent far exceeds the $5,800 price tag.
Secondary Pick: Jeremy Singleton, Houston ($5,900)
