FanDuel College Football: Week 13 Picks

FanDuel College Football: Week 13 Picks

This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.

We have hit the final week 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

In a word, yuck. While rivalry week features a good number of interesting games from a real football perspective, it also puts a damper on some of the fantasy shootout fun. The highest over/under this week comes between Arizona and Arizona State at just 64.5, with Texas Tech-Baylor (64.0) as the only other contest on the 16-games slate expected to net 60 or more total points. Unsurprisingly, Clemson (42.3) and Alabama (38.5) lead the week in implied points, with a pair of SEC schools trailing closely behind in Georgia (38.3) and Kentucky (34.8). With a bunch of games being played Friday, some of the usual suspects atop the QB board are not on the slate. As a result, there aren't a bunch of top-tier options worth considering in Week 13. Could this be the week where saving some money at QB pays off?

A full picture of some key statistical categories can be seen in the table below:

Note: All stats are opposing defense. I switched out plays per game for S&P+, which is a metric designed to look at passing and rushing defense from independent of matchup.

YPA=Yards Per Attempt

Without further adieu, the following

We have hit the final week 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

In a word, yuck. While rivalry week features a good number of interesting games from a real football perspective, it also puts a damper on some of the fantasy shootout fun. The highest over/under this week comes between Arizona and Arizona State at just 64.5, with Texas Tech-Baylor (64.0) as the only other contest on the 16-games slate expected to net 60 or more total points. Unsurprisingly, Clemson (42.3) and Alabama (38.5) lead the week in implied points, with a pair of SEC schools trailing closely behind in Georgia (38.3) and Kentucky (34.8). With a bunch of games being played Friday, some of the usual suspects atop the QB board are not on the slate. As a result, there aren't a bunch of top-tier options worth considering in Week 13. Could this be the week where saving some money at QB pays off?

A full picture of some key statistical categories can be seen in the table below:

Note: All stats are opposing defense. I switched out plays per game for S&P+, which is a metric designed to look at passing and rushing defense from independent of matchup.

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+)

Manny Wilkins, Arizona State (at Arizona), $10,000

There isn't much to choose from in the elite category this week, with only seven quarterbacks overall checking in at $9,600 or more of the 32 starters featured on the slate. Wilkins is a reliable option most weeks, topping 20 points in four of the last five games. Although his passing numbers aren't always through the roof, he generally provides some ground game assistance as well to balance out the stat line. Considering Arizona is mediocre against both, Wilkins shouldn't have much issue making it into the 20s again Saturday. It's worth noting that he hasn't topped 30 points yet this season, though he has scored 28 or more points in three games.

Secondary Picks: Trace McSorley, Penn State ($9,600), Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama ($9,900)

Mid-Tier ($8,600-$9,500)

Charlie Brewer, Baylor (at Texas Tech), $9,000

Brewer's price is likely depressed a bit thanks to a matchup with TCU last week that limited him to just 14.92 points and a pair of partial games against West Virginia and Oklahoma State that resulted in lackluster fantasy showings. Brewer has just two full games this season in which he's totaled less than 20 points and Texas Tech doesn't have a defense that nears either TCU or Texas. The Red Raiders have surrendered 286.5 passing yards per game to go along with 2.3 touchdowns and the team's top three quarterbacks are all question marks to play at best. That could lead to more drives for the Bears if Texas Tech can't sustain its own.

Secondary Picks: Ryan Finley, NC State ($9,300), Khalil Tate, Arizona ($9,200)

Bargain Bin (<$8,600)

Texas Tech starter (vs. Baylor)

Assuming Alan Bowman (chest) is unavailable for the contest, any of the three other quarterback options fit into the bargain bin category and that's exactly what they would be. Jett Duffey ($8,400) is questionable with a foot injury but is just a couple weeks removed from a 36.76-point performance against a top-tier Texas defense. McLane Carter (ankle) is also a question mark at $7,500 and hasn't taken the field since he left the season opener with an ankle injury. Finally, if all three quarterbacks are ruled out, Nick Gerber would be the expected starter for the Red Raiders. He checks in at just $5,000. Given the weapons in the passing game, any of the three should provide ample returns on his price tag.

Other tournament picks: Feleipe Franks, Florida ($8,300), Tyrrell Pigrome, Maryland ($6,500)

Running Back

Elite ($9,000 and up)

Benny Snell, Kentucky (at Louisville), $10,100

In terms of cost at the running back position, Snell ranks third on the list behind Eno Benjamin and Travis Etienne, but the $200 separating the three makes the difference rather negligible. Regardless of cost, Snell has the best matchup on the slate by a longshot, taking on a Louisville defense that ranks 127th in S&P+ rush defense. The Cardinals surrender 271.6 rushing yards per game, 5.9 yards per carry and 3.2 rushing touchdowns per contest. Everything points to Snell -- who has four 20-plus point games this season -- finishing his regular season off on a high note Saturday.

Secondary Picks: Travis Etienne, Clemson ($10,000), AJ Dillon, Boston College ($9,500), Dexter Williams, Notre Dame ($9,800)

Mid-Tier ($7,500-$8,900)

David Montgomery, Iowa State (vs. Kansas State), $8,600

Montgomery was well on his way to a big game against Baylor a pair of weeks ago before an incident led to his ejection from the game and a suspension for the first half of last Saturday's contest against Texas. If each of his totals was doubled in the last two weeks, Montgomery would have finished with or neared 20 points in each contest. The half games have lowered his price to just $8,600 on the week against a Kansas State defense allowing 4.9 yards per carry this season.

Secondary picks: Da'Leon Ward, Texas Tech ($7,900)

Bargain Bin (<$7,500)

Jatarvious Whitlow, Auburn (at Alabama), $7,000

If you're really looking to go against the grain, Whitlow may be the option to turn to. He enters the matchup with three straight games totaling fewer than 10 points, lowering his price point to a palatable $7,000. Although history and matchup don't appear to be on his side, Whitlow has been banged up over the recent stretch, limiting him to single-digit carries. He's reportedly full-go for Saturday's contest against the Tide and should be a big part of the game plan if that's the case. He could be worth a shot in the dark in tournament play.

Tournament play: Josh Jacobs, Alabama ($7,200)

Wide Receiver

Elite ($9,000 and up)

N'Keal Harry, Arizona State (at Arizona), $9,200

When it comes to target share in college football, Harry ranks among the best in the country at 36 percent on the season. That has ballooned in recent weeks, with him taking home at least 38 percent of the targets in each of the last three contests. He should be heavily involved in the passing game of the largest over/under of the day, taking on an Arizona secondary allowing 269.9 passing yards and 2.4 passing touchdowns per game this season. The Wildcats are also coming off a week in which they allowed nine touchdowns to Washington State, including seven through the air.

Secondary pick: Jalen Reagor, TCU ($9,300)

Mid-Tier ($7,500-$8,900)

Anthony Ratliff-Williams, North Carolina (vs. NC State), $8,000

Ratliff-Williams tops the target chart in Chapel Hill this season, taking home 23 percent on average during the 2018 season. With a pair of dinged up running backs in the backfield and an NC State defense on the schedule surrendering a slate-worst 290.5 passing yards per game, the ingredients are there for a pass-heavy approach from the Tar Heels on Saturday. Ratliff-Williams and Dazz Newsome are the main two targets in the passing game, but Ratliff-Williams likely provides a safer floor with a similar ceiling.

Secondary Picks: Shun Brown, Arizona ($8,500)

Bargain Bin (<=$7,500)

Justin Jefferson, LSU (at Texas A&M), $7,500

Jefferson is officially questionable for Saturday's contest, but coach Ed Orgeron indicated Wednesday that he expects the wideout to take part in the contest. He's been a major part of the game plan of late, being targeted at least seven times in each of the last six games. Facing a Texas A&M defense allowing a slate-worst 8.7 passing yards per attempt this season, Jefferson should have a good opportunity to close out the regular season with a performance that will allow him to reach value.

Secondary Pick: Riley Ridley, Georgia ($7,000)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Benzine
Chris is the college football editor and the Kansas City Chiefs beat writer. He's a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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