FanDuel College Football: Week 3 Main Slate

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Updated on September 17, 2021 5:58PM EST

After a pair of weeks to kick off the season featuring top-10 teams squaring off, we just miss out on that this week with No. 1 Alabama taking on No. 11 Florida. The only other matchup featuring a pair of ranked teams on this slate comes via Auburn traveling to Happy Valley to take on the Nittany Lions. The game most expected to be a shootout is Ole Miss-Tulane featuring an over-under of 76.0 that is 9.5 points more than any other game on the slate. Ole Miss also tops the expected scoring charts (45.0 points) with Ohio State (42.5), Oklahoma (42.25) and Clemson (40.0) rounding out the group of expected 40-point scorers. Georgia ranks in as the heaviest favorite of the week (-31.5), while familiar faces Clemson (-28.0), Ohio State (-24.5) and Oklahoma (-22.5) round out the 20-plus point favorites. Alabama (-14.5) is the only double-digit point road favorite this week.

In terms of weather, we have the following conditions that could wind up having an impact on the games:

Alabama Alabama at Florida Florida : 30-40 percent chance of precipitation throughout the game.

South Carolina at Georgia Georgia : 21 percent chance of rain at kickoff that wanes throughout the game.

Tulane Tulane at Ole Miss : 26 percent chance of rain early that drops off as the game progresses.

Mississippi State at Memphis Memphis : Just over 30 percent chance of rain throughout.

Overall, a fairly pleasant day for games outside of some humidity and some chances for rains in games located in the southeastern part of the country.

Notable Injuries/Absences

JT Daniels, Georgia Georgia - Splitting reps with Stetson Bennett in practice, status unclear due to oblique injury.

Stetson Bennett, Georgia Georgia - Back injury doesn't seem like a major concern and splitting reps with Daniels under center.

Jeff Sims, Georgia Tech - Starter not named after being only an emergency option last week.

Anthony Richardson, Florida Florida - Practicing all week and seems likely to give it a go.

Luke Doty, South Carolina - Expected to be fully healthy for Saturday.

Elijah Collins, Michigan State - Not expected to play against Miami.

Kylan Watkins, Memphis Memphis - Status unclear for Saturday but hasn't played yet this season.

Shaun Shivers, Auburn Auburn - No specific description given on his status for this week. Likely more info coming in pregame warmups.

Zander Horvath, Purdue Purdue - Out for four-to-eight weeks after surgery for broken fibula.

Don Chaney Jr., Miami Miami - Out for season following ACL tear last week.

Jaylan Knighton, Miami Miami - Still under suspension.

C'Bo Flemister, Notre Dame - Set to sit again Saturday. Hasn't played yet this year.

John Lovett, Penn State - No update on his status during the week. Hasn't played yet this season.

Theo Wease, Oklahoma - Still working his way back from lower leg injury.

Oliver Martin, Nebraska - Coach Scott Frost wouldn't speak on injuries

Omar Manning, Nebraska - Foot was in a boot last weekend but Frost isn't providing updates.

Zavier Betts, Nebraska - Same as Martin and Manning, no update on injuries.

Ricky White, Michigan State - Hasn't suited up yet this season for personal reasons.

Ontaria Wilson, Florida State - Hoping to return this week after missing last Saturday.

Kearis Jackson, Georgia Georgia - Could see some offensive snaps this week after only doing punt returns in first two games while recovering from injury.

Arik Gilbert, Georgia, Georgia - Still away from team for personal reasons.

Arian Smith, Georgia Georgia - Left last week but dealing only with a bruise and has been practicing.

Dominick Blaylock, Georgia Georgia - Now recovering from a hamstring injury after working his way back from a major knee injury.

Ja'Varrius Johnson, Auburn Auburn - Sat out last week and his status for Saturday is unclear.

Austin Allen, Nebraska - Hurt last week, and no update on his injury.

Travis Vokolek, Nebraska Same as Allen, no mention on status for Saturday.

Mike O'Laughlin, West Virginia - Began practicing for the first time all season this week, giving him a chance to suit up Saturday.

Darnell Washington, Georgia Georgia - Expected to sit out again this week.

DFS Tools

Week 3 Plays

Quarterback

Matt Corral, Ole Miss ($11,500) vs. Tulane

Corral is going to be hard to bypass this week even at the steepest salary on the slate. He's amassed 30-plus points in each of his first two games and now faces a Tulane defense that has allowed 40 points to Oklahoma two weeks ago but has also displayed the ability to keep up offensively, tallying 35 points versus the Sooners and 69 points last week versus Morgan State. This game could lead to a shootout on tap with just a 14.5-point spread that could leave Corral and the offense in attack mode. That bodes well for his chances against a defense that has allowed 7.2 yards per pass attempt and a pair of passing touchdowns per game while keeping opposing rushing attacks relatively in check, foreboding a pass-heavy approach as usual for the Rebels.

Sam Hartman, Wake Forest ($8,900) vs. Florida State

Hartman has had things easy through the first two games against Old Dominion and Norfolk State and things may not get any tougher for him this week. While the Seminoles managed to keep Kyren Williams to just 2.4 yards per rush in the opener, Jack Coan threw for 366 yards and four touchdowns against the secondary. Zerrick Cooper for Jacksonville State followed that with 242 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week after throwing for only 92 yards the week prior against UAB. Hartman and the Wake Forest passing game should have no trouble moving the ball again this week, especially given the Seminoles' rather stingy defensive front versus the run. Wake is only a 4.5-point favorite for the contest, suggesting the passing game should remain in play throughout the contest.

GPP Flier: McKenzie Milton, Florida State ($6,500) at Wake Forest

Milton has been named the starter going forward for Florida State after completing 58.1 percent of his passses for 133 yards and a 1:1 TD:INT ratio last week versus Jacksonville State. He doesn't have the same rushing upside as Jordan Travis, but Milton did run for 307 yards and nine touchdowns the last time he held a starting gig back in 2018 for UCF. Milton's reconstructed knee may not allow him to attempt the same rushing feats as before, but his value lies within the salary tag and the fact that he's now presumably in line for nearly all of the reps under center. Vegas certainly believes the Seminoles can put up some points given the 28.75 expected score, and Milton could benefit from the likely return of Ontaria Wilson, who missed last week but seems to have a good chance to retake the field Saturday. That should bolster a wide receiver group that was lacking a leader last week. Wilson's availability should be factored in when weighing in on the decision and this game doesn't start until 3:30 PM ET, so it may be best to keep options open in the late games for a swap.

Other plays:
Will Rogers, Mississippi State ($9,700) at Memphis
Michael Pratt, Tulane ($8,700) at Mississippi
Jack Plummer, Purdue ($8,200) at Notre Dame

Running Back

Leddie Brown, West Virginia ($10,000) vs. Virginia Tech

Brown may not be quite as popular of a pick at the top of the running back boards as others have been given his salary and the Virginia Tech defense's early returns in the run game, allowing just 106.0 yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry without allowing a rushing score. That being said, what may go unnoticed is that both of North Carolina's primary backs in the opener, Ty Chandler and D.J. Jones, averaged 6.6 or more yards on their 16 touches. North Carolina was forced to largely abandon the running game in the second half with the team trailing, but I'm not buying that a Hokies defense that surrendered 181.5 rushing yards per game, 4.9 yards per carry and 24 rushing scores in 11 games has improved that much in just one year. Brown should be a workhorse again Saturday and could go to work against a front whose stats are also buoyed by facing an underwhelming Middle Tennessee State team last week.

Zamir White ($8,200)/James Cook ($6,200), Georgia vs. South Carolina

South Carolina's defense has surrendered just 8.5 points per game, 2.4 yards per rush, 71.0 rushing yards per contest and 0.5 rushing scores per game through two weeks. They have also faced Eastern Illinois and East Carolina. Don't be fooled by the Gamecocks' early success, as Saturday will likely display the holes that were apparent all of last season when South Carolina yielded north of 195 yards per game, 4.9 yards per carry and 23 rushing scores to opponents. When these two sides squared off last year, White ran for 84 yards and a pair of scores on 13 carries while Cook rushed six times for another 104 yards and a pair of scores. White should remain the lead dog in what should be a vulnerable Gamecocks defensive front and has more than enough upside to warrant the upside. Cook may not quite get the same work, but he did finish with 19.7 or more points on three different occasions last year, including 20.6 versus South Carolina.

TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State ($6,600) vs. Tulsa

Henderson's salary sits $1,000 north of what it was a week ago, but it's still low enough that he certainly remains worthy of consideration. He has seemingly usurped Master Teague III for the primary backup duties to Miyan Williams at this point and had just four fewer touches against Oregon last week. The Buckeyes also trailed the entire second half, leading to CJ Stroud throwing the ball 54 times in the contest. The Buckeyes need to make statements the rest of the way to keep themselves in the CFP conversation and Saturday should serve as a good opportunity to do just that. Ohio State is a 24.5-point favorite, which should allow them to incorporate the ground game a bit more this week and Henderson is in a prime position to take advantage of a potential increase in workload.

Will Shipley, Clemson ($6,100) vs. Georgia Tech

Shipley is another player whose buzz should continue to grow as he gets more involved in the offense. The freshman exploded in limited touches last week versus South Carolina State, rushing for 80 yards and a pair of scores on eight carries. The primary kicker is that he is also now listed as a co-starter for the Tigers alongside Kobe Pace after the pair were behind Lyn-J Dixon, who coach Dabo Swinney suggested is now the team's third-string running back at this point. Shipley may be in line for a larger volume of carries Saturday as a result, which bodes well versus a Georgia Tech defense that surrendered 144 rushing yards ad a score to Harrison Waylee and Northern Illinois in the opener.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Calvin Austin, Memphis ($10,500) vs Mississippi State

While Mississippi State's early-season defense against the pass has graded out okay on an efficiency basis (6.5 yards per attempt) the Bulldogs still have allowed 285.5 passing yards per game and 1.5 passing touchdowns per contest in those two. Austin is the fourth-most targeted player in terms of team target share through two weeks and there could be more of them to go around Saturday if last week's 55 points allowed to Arkansas State is any indication. Mississippi State can rack up points in a hurry and the Tigers will need to keep pace. That should lead o heavy inclusion for Austin yet again this week in what could be a shootout much like last week.

Dontario Drummond, Mississippi ($9,800) vs Tulane

Speaking of shootouts, this is expected to be the biggest of the bunch Saturday and Drummond is right in the center of it as the clear leader of the receiving group. through two games, Drummond has racked up a total of 20 targets and has turned them into 15 catches for 184 yards and a trio of scores. The matchup is ripe for another big day from him and the Ole Miss offense versus a Tulane defense that has surrendered 7.2 yards per attempt and 2.0 passing touchdown to go along with 30 points per game. As mentioned above, Tulane has been no slouch either, accounting for 104 points through two games, so the passing game could remain in full force Saturday and could result in a slight bump in his target count Saturday.

Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest ($8,500) vs. Florida State

Roberson has turned in a pair of strong efforts in snoozers early in the season, compiling a combined 10 catches for 143 yards and a pair of scores on 15 targets. Things now turn up a notch with conference play on the way, and Roberson may be ready to take off from a phantasy perspective. The upside is certainly there at his salary. In his last four games of the 2020 campaign, Roberson averaged 29.2 FanDuel points, including a massive 35.1-point effort against a normally stingy Wisconsin defense in the bowl game. That should play well in a GPP format against a Seminoles defense that hasn't proven it can stop opposing passing attacks early in the season. The expected close nature of the contest and Florida State's solid rush defense gives me the confidence to push my chips in with Roberson.

Payne Durham, Purdue ($6,500) at Notre Dame

Durham's start to the 2021 season has certainly been a strong one, notching a trio of touchdowns and 174 yards on 11 catches in what amounted to about 1.5 games of action considering the starters were pulled at halftime of a blowout against UConn last week. While the opponent ramps up this week and could cause more challenges, it's worth noting that Durham's connection with quarterback Jack Plummer has a track record dating back to last year. He also tallied a score in each of Plummer's three starts for the Boilers last year, turning in his three best games of the season despite Rondale Moore amassing a large chunk of the target share. With Moore gone and running back Zander Horvath -- a big pass-catching weapon out of the backfield -- injured, Durham should be the clear No. 2 option in the passing attack Saturday behind David Bell. He also seems to be Plummer's go-to option in the red zone, so there's a lot to like about Durham given his salary.

Others to consider:
Josh Downs, North Carolina ($8,400) vs. Virginia
Makai Polk, Mississippi State ($6,500) at Memphis
Ontaria Wilson (questionable), Florida State ($5,500) at Wake Forest

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.