This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.
CFB FanDuel DFS Breakdown for Saturday Main Slate
Saturday's slate doesn't feature a ton of ranked-against-ranked matchups, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of intrigue from a DFS standpoint. A surprise pairing topping the charts in expected scoring this week comes in the form of Pittsburgh against West Virginia thanks to a new-look Pitt offense that should result in plays galore from both offenses. Oklahoma State-Tulsa (62.5) and TCU-UCF (62.5) close out the remaining games featuring totals north of the 60-point mark.
Individually, Oklahoma State (40.5) is the only squad with an expected score of 40 or more, while Missouri (35.0) and Georgia (35.0) are next in line. Eleven other teams have expected scores in the 30-33-point range, making for a points-filled Saturday where half of the teams sport an expected mark above the 30-point line.
Georgia (-24.0) ranks as the clear-cut heaviest favorite of the week, but there are four other games with spreads of 16.5 or more. Oklahoma State (-18.5) is next in line, while Alabama (-16.5) and Oregon (-16.5) remain significant favorites in their respective power conference matchups despite being on the road. Interestingly, four of the top five biggest favorites are road teams, while Missouri (-16.5) is the biggest home favorite and Oklahoma (-13.5) rounds out the list of double-digit favorites.
College Football DFS Weather (winds 10+ MPH, precip. chance 50-plus percent and hot temps noted)
LSU vs. South Carolina - Winds over 11 MPH expected, likely minimal impact.
Tulane at Oklahoma - Temps over 90 degrees at game time and winds 10-11 MPH.
Washington State at Washington - Some chance for rain throughout the game.
Texas A&M at Florida - Likely thunderstorms early in the contest before things ease off.
UCF at TCU - Temps expected to be in the 90s and high 80s throughout the game.
Notable College Football Injuries/Absences for Week 3
QB
Conner Weigman, Texas A&M 
- Listed as questionable on the injury report
Brock Vandagriff, Kentucky 
- Listed probable for Saturday's contest
RB
Tawee Walker, Wisconsin 
- Was unable to suit up last week and remains a question mark for Week 3
Chip Trayanum, Kentucky - Still out this week as he recovers from a hand injury
Dallan Hayden, Colorado 
- Unlikely to suit up against Colorado State
Jason Patterson, Kentucky - Will not play against Georgia
WR
Luther Burden, Missouri 
- Probable despite dealing with an illness
Eugene Wilson, Florida 
- Listed as questionable but participated in practice Thursday
Theo Wease, Missouri - Considered probable despite a minor arm injury
Nic Anderson, Oklahoma 
- Hopeful to return Saturday
Tory Horton, Colorado State 
- Hopeful to play against Colorado
Chris Hilton, LSU 
- Has been making some progress and is listed as questionable
Gary Bryant, Oregon 
- Still wasn't practicing with the team as of Wednesday. Seemingly doesn't bode well
Jimmy Valsin, Oregon State 
- Not included on depth chart for Week 3 and has missed first two games
Hykeem Williams, Florida State 
- Expected to make season debut after missing the previous two games
Jabre Barber, Texas A&M - Sidelined a couple more weeks due to a foot injury
Gage Larvadain, South Carolina 
- Should be good to go Saturday, has been battling some injuries since August
TE
None
College Football DFS Tools
- FanDuel Lineup Optimizer
- Matchups Page (Vegas odds, opponent averages, etc.)
- Advanced Lineups Page
- Stats
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- Targets
- Defense vs. Position
- Team Rankings
Week 3 CFB DFS Plays on FanDuel
Quarterback
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado ($11,000) at Colorado State
Sanders may not have put up a huge stat line in Week 2 against Nebraska, but he still finished the contest with 244 passing yards and a touchdown. The Rams aren't on the same defensive level as the Huskers, yielding 52 points in the opener to Texas and 17 to Northern Colorado last week. The Buffs are also struggling mightily on the defensive side, so I anticipate the Rams potentially putting up more of a fight than the odds would suggest. Colorado is allergic to running the football, and that may be even more the case this week with Dallan Hayden expected to sit out. Sanders is aiming to keep his name near the top of draft candidates in the 2024 NFL Draft, and this week offers him a chance to light up the scoreboard.
Eli Holstein, Pittsburgh 
($10,500) vs. West Virginia
I never thought I'd see the day, but the new-look offense in the Steel City allows Holstein to chuck the ball around. Through two games, he's attempted 75 (not a typo) passes! In the Mountaineers lone game versus an FBS opponent this season, which came against Penn State in the opener, they allowed 9.5 yards per pass attempt en route to Drew Allar's 216 passing yards and three touchdowns. Even Albany quarterback Myles Burkett threw for 306 yards and a touchdown last week. Pitt is viewed as a 2.5-point underdog for the contest, and the Mountaineers contain the rush to a reasonable 3.8 yards per clip. I expect the Panthers to come out throwing early and often to keep pace in what could prove to be a high-scoring affair.
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi Colorado State ($7,500) vs. Colorado
Keep an eye on Horton's status mentioned above. He is a key piece to this selection.
Like I said above, I expect the Rams to put up a fight in the contest, even if the odds aren't in their favor. Colorado State is only a 7.5-point underdog, so it's well within reason they pull off the upset, but Fowler-Nicolosi will need to be on his game to have a chance. I like the spot here on home turf with only a $7,500 salary, and it helps that he faces a Buffs defense yielding 8.5 yards per attempt through the first pair of contests. Fowler-Nicolosi struggled to get things going against Texas but threw for 180 yards and a touchdown in a ground-heave effort last week versus Northern Colorado. I can't forget to mention that a lot of this relies on Horton's status for the contest, as he's the premium wide receiver option and was viewed as one of the top fantasy wideouts entering 2024. Fowler-Nicolosi topped 20 FD points on three occasions last year, but one of them came against the Buffs in Boulder in a rivalry game.
Another to consider: Seth Henigan, Memphis 
($8,000) at Florida State
Running Back
Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State 
($11,800) at Tulsa
Given that the number of backs I favor this week is in short supply, Gordon seems about as much of a slam dunk as it comes. He's the clear bell cow in this backfield for a team expected to headline the slate with an expected score north of 40 points, not to mention the Cowboys are 18.5-point favorites. Gordon still sports Heisman (albeit, unlikely considering he didn't win it last year) aspirations, and this should serve as a contest to get his campaign on track after a down week last week. Tulsa has allowed just 3.3 yards per carry through two weeks, but those efforts came against just Northwestern State and Arkansas State. The Cowboys are a completely different ball came, and I wouldn't be shocked to see Gordon hit pay dirt two or three times this week.
Jonah Coleman, Washington 
($9,500) vs. Washington State
Coleman followed head coach Jedd Fisch to Seattle to join the Huskies in their move to the Big Ten, and he's taken advantage of two lesser opponents early in the season, rushing for a combined 231 yards and three touchdowns through two games. Certainly, the Cougars represent an upgrade of opponent, but it's still a defense that allowed 4.3 yards per attempt and 26 rushing scores last season, and Washington State has allowed 4.8 yards per carry through two games this season versus Portland State and a Tahj Brooks-less Texas Tech team last week. Denzel Boston, Giles Jackson and Jeremiah Hunter are all solid options out wide, but Coleman is a stud in the backfield as well, so I expect to see a healthy dose of running attack in this one.
Jam Miller, Alabama 
($7,800) at Wisconsin
I'll let the Badger out of the bag: Wisconsin is my hometown team, and it's where I went to college. It pains me to make this selection, but the Badgers' defensive front isn't the same without James Thompson, who is likely slated to miss the entire season. Jalen Buckley and Western Michigan ran effectively against the Badgers reasonably effectively in the opener, and Wisconsin has also struggled to defend backs catching passes out of the backfield. While neither Crimson Tide rusher between Miller and Justice Haynes has an extensive history of pass-catching, Miller did reel in four passes for 73 yards and a touchdown last year. On top of that, he led the team with 15 carries last week and has found pay dirt in both games. He's also $400 lighter on the budget, making him the better of the two options in Bama's backfield in my eyes.
Justin Marshall, Colorado State ($5,700) vs. Colorado
I didn't come into this with the intent of picking on Deion Sanders' Buffaloes, but the defense is bad enough and the salaries sit low enough to justify it. Marshall tallied 25 carries in the opener against Texas in the opener. While that carry dominance didn't hold true last week, the Rams were also up 24-7 at halftime, so i likely gave the team an opportunity to get more backs involved. It wouldn't shock me to see a heavy lean on Marshall again this week, especially if the Rams keep it close, and Colorado isn't a particularly good defensive front, allowing 153 rushing yards and two rushing scores per game through the first two. This salary just seems too low to not give him a run, especially with a lot of committees and/or tough matchups this week.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Travis Hunter, Colorado ($10,400) at Colorado State
It may be tough to fit all of these top-name players on the board, but Hunter seems like the clear-cut pairing if you're turning to Sanders under center. Through two games, the junior has commanded a 31.9 percent target share, good for sixth in the country at wide receiver. That target share comes in an offense that throws the ball a lot, calculating out to 11.5 targets per contest. With those 23 targets, Hunter has reeled in 17 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Now he gets a juicy matchup in a rivalry game to show off his skills, and Hunter should let it fly here. I'm fully expecting him to reach the 1,000-yard mark for receiving on the year, and Saturday could prove to be one of his better efforts of the season if the game is anywhere as close as the 2023 iteration.
Malachi Fields, Virginia 
($8,600) vs. Maryland
I wanted to find a wideout to bridge the gap between the top options and some more value plays at the bottom, and Fields seems like the best bet in my mind. Through two tilts, he's warranted a 28.8 percent target share, a mark that places him as WR 12 on the slate. He's made the most of those looks, compiling a combined 248 receiving yards (third-most on slate) on 16 catches (tied for third-most on slate). While he hasn't reached the end zone yet, he did so five times last season and definitely sports a body type (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) conducive to red-zone targets.
Evan Stewart, Oregon ($7,500) at Oregon State
Listen, I get that Stewart was blanked in the opener, but a $7,500 salary after he put up five catches for 112 yards and a touchdown last week? It seems like he just slipped through the cracks here. Stewart is an NFL-caliber wide receiver in a high-powered Ducks offense. Not much more needs to be said here, and I expect his roster rates to be through the roof as a result.
Tory Horton, Colorado State ($7,100) vs. Colorado (assuming he plays)
Back to the well we go. Horton was a wide receiver going typically third off the board in fantasy drafts entering the 2024 season. Sure, he's had a couple of down weeks to open the campaign, but Week 1 was against Texas, and he was banged up in last week's contest; he still put up 13.5 points in that game thanks to a long punt return for a touchdown. Horton ranked seventh in all of college football in targets last year and third in targets per game behind only Lajohntay Wester and Malike Washington. The caveat here is clearly that you need to check his status and have an option at the ready in the event he can't go, but the salary for Horton is too low here against a bad Colorado defense.
Trent Walker, Oregon State ($6,300) vs. Oregon
Walker's fantasy lines through two weeks don't stand out to the naked eye, but he posted eight grabs for 92 yards last week against San Diego State. What doesn't get realized about his 12 catches for 124 yards through two weeks is the fact that he's been targeted a whopping 20 times, representing a 50 percent target share on the 40 pass attempts by the Beavers. They will need throw more than 20 times in this game, and Walker seems most likely to be the primary beneficiary. He's amply sized at 6-foot-2, 194 pounds as well, so he's certainly capable of finding pay dirt for the first time in his career.
Another to consider: Will Pauling, Wisconsin ($6,600) vs. Alabama (Have to throw one out there for the home team. Pauling is the most explosive receiver in this room and would be my bet to burn the Crimson Tide if anyone can)
