College Football DFS: Friday Picks
Week 4 of the college football season kicks into gear Friday night, and we've got a smaller slate this time around with just two games. Still, with three Power Four teams in action, there's plenty of intriguing players and matchups to dive into as always.
DraftKings and FanDuel are both up and running Friday night, and below we break down some of the best plays on each slate.
Friday College Football DFS Slate Overview
Vegas has Oklahoma State and Tulsa as the higher-scoring of the two contests, and that should surprise no one. The Cowboys have one of the worst defenses in the nation through two games, allowing 428.0 yards per game. Interestingly enough, that comes out to an even 214 yards per game allowed through the air and 214 surrendered on the ground. Multiple aspects of Tulsa's offense could thrive in Stillwater.
1-2 Tulsa has fared slightly better defensively, but still let Navy put up 42 points last week. Its run defense looks especially permeable, as it's allowing 175.3 rushing yards per game.
Meanwhile, in Piscataway, Rutgers hosts Iowa in a game that screams Big Ten slugfest. The visiting Hawkeyes are three-point favorites, while the over/under is set at just 45.5 points. Iowa's defense has been suffocating, as per usual, and it's currently the third-best total defense in the nation. Specifically, Iowa is allowing a meager 57.7 rushing yards per game as well as 120.3 passing yards per game. Thus, you'll need to be
College Football DFS: Friday Picks
Week 4 of the college football season kicks into gear Friday night, and we've got a smaller slate this time around with just two games. Still, with three Power Four teams in action, there's plenty of intriguing players and matchups to dive into as always.
DraftKings and FanDuel are both up and running Friday night, and below we break down some of the best plays on each slate.
Friday College Football DFS Slate Overview
Vegas has Oklahoma State and Tulsa as the higher-scoring of the two contests, and that should surprise no one. The Cowboys have one of the worst defenses in the nation through two games, allowing 428.0 yards per game. Interestingly enough, that comes out to an even 214 yards per game allowed through the air and 214 surrendered on the ground. Multiple aspects of Tulsa's offense could thrive in Stillwater.
1-2 Tulsa has fared slightly better defensively, but still let Navy put up 42 points last week. Its run defense looks especially permeable, as it's allowing 175.3 rushing yards per game.
Meanwhile, in Piscataway, Rutgers hosts Iowa in a game that screams Big Ten slugfest. The visiting Hawkeyes are three-point favorites, while the over/under is set at just 45.5 points. Iowa's defense has been suffocating, as per usual, and it's currently the third-best total defense in the nation. Specifically, Iowa is allowing a meager 57.7 rushing yards per game as well as 120.3 passing yards per game. Thus, you'll need to be selective when picking members of Rutgers' offense.
College Football DFS Tools
- FanDuel Lineup Optimizer
- Matchups Page (Vegas odds, opponent averages, etc.)
- Advanced Lineups Page
- Stats
- Team Trends
- Targets
- Defense vs. Position
- Team Rankings
DFS Plays on DraftKings and FanDuel for Friday, September 5
QB Kirk Francis, Tulsa vs. Oklahoma State ($9,500 on FanDuel, $6,100 on DraftKings) - if he plays
Francis is questionable to play for the Golden Hurricane as he's dealing with a concussion, but he could be a decent option to roll the dice on if he suits up. Oklahoma State's defense has been rough, and while Francis struggled against New Mexico before getting knocked out of the game, he looked solid the week prior, and it's not hard to see him orchestrating a few scoring drives against this porous Cowboys' defense that's surrendered 19.0 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
RB Dominic Richardson, Tulsa vs. Oklahoma State ($7,700 on FanDuel, $6,000 on DraftKings)
Richardson is off to a great start this season. He's been playable from a fantasy standpoint every week, and there's no reason to think that won't continue against a Cowboys' defense that's been gashed on the ground, allowing 214.0 rush yards per game, 5.7 yards per carry and 2.5 rushing touchdowns per game. Richardson has run for 296 yards and two touchdowns on 53 carries this fall, numbers he should be able to comfortably add to so long as Tulsa stays competitive with Oklahoma State, which, considering it's only 11.5-point underdogs, shouldn't be too much of a tall order.
WR Jacob Gill, Iowa vs. Rutgers ($4,900 on FanDuel, $4,900 on DraftKings)
It's tough to bank on the Iowa offense in any capacity, particularly its passing game. Still, if there's any Hawkeye pass-catcher to take a chance on, Gill seems to fit the bill here. While he's averaged only four targets per contest in total, it's worth breaking it down a bit. He totaled two targets each against outmatched opponents, FCS Albany and UMass, but Gill was featured to the tune of eight targets in the Hawkeyes' lone game versus a power-conference foe in the battle for the Cy-Hawk trophy versus Iowa State. After a get-right game against UMass, Iowa's passing game could be on the upswing, and Rutgers' pass defense looks permeable despite playing three big underdogs to open the season, allowing a 68.9 completion percentage to opposing wideouts and 11 yards per target. His 17.4 percent target share on the year is buoyed by that contest, while Seth Anderson's has been the inverse, so Gill seems the better play of the two, though a touchdown may be needed for him to realize that value.
DraftKings College Football DFS Picks for Friday, September 5
QB Zane Flores, Oklahoma State ($7,500) vs. Tulsa ($11,000 on FanDuel)
Flores is the priciest quarterback for both slates, and truthfully, there aren't many trustworthy gunslingers available. Still, the Cowboys seem primed for a bounce-back game after getting their doors blown off by Oregon, and they're expected to score the most points of any team Friday night. Tulsa's defense has been nothing to write home about, and its relatively low 162.0 yards-per-game allowed through the air this season is skewed from playing an FCS team (Abilene Christian) and a team that only needed to complete six passes to score 42 points (Navy). It feels wrong trusting Flores given his stat-line thus far in 2025 (203 yards passing, no touchdowns, two interceptions on 51.3 percent completion through two games), but if there was ever a get-right game, it's Friday night against the Golden Hurricane.
RB Jaziun Patterson, Iowa ($3,800) vs. Rutgers ($8,500 on FanDuel)
Patterson is a no-brainer play on DraftKings. Just the 12th-priciest tailback on the slate (as opposed to FanDuel, where he's the third-priciest), Patterson offers a great shot at phenomenal value here. If Kamari Moulton doesn't play, Patterson should once again lead this backfield for Iowa. He's gotten 12 total touches in each of his last two games, and Rutgers' run defense doesn't look like anything special, allowing 148.7 yards per game on 5.6 yards per carry. Even if Moulton does play for the first time since Week 1, Patterson figures to slide in as the No. 2 halfback, especially with Xavier Williams out. In a run-heavy Iowa offense that still offers plenty of upside.
WR KJ Duff, Rutgers ($4,700) vs. Iowa ($9,400 on FanDuel)
Duff is another no-brainer on the DraftKings side of things. Iowa's passing defense is daunting, but Duff has gotten consistent volume across the first three weeks of the season. While his fellow wideout DT Sheffield is the bigger name and has found the end zone twice, Duff has five more catches (17) and has been slightly more consistent on a week-to-week basis. What's more, the majority of Iowa's attention should be on the aforementioned Sheffield. Don't expect a massive output, but Duff could easily be Rutgers' top receiver and post solid production, even against an extremely stingy Iowa secondary.
FanDuel College Football DFS Picks for Friday, September 5
QB Mark Gronowski, Iowa ($10,000) vs. Rutgers ($6,900 on DraftKings)
I'll be the first to admit this isn't the most exciting pick, and Gronowski — once hailed as the savior of Iowa's passing attack — hasn't exactly lit it up through three games. Rutgers also presents an opportunity for Iowa to improve on its passing attack, as despite playing two MAC schools and an FCS foe, the Scarlet Knights have given up 194.0 passing yards per game. Gronowski also potentially turned a corner last week, completing 66.7 percent of his passes while tossing for 179 yards and two touchdowns against UMass. He's also a dual-threat option who can find his way in the end zone on the ground, tallying a rushing score in all three games he's played this season.
RB Kalib Hicks, Oklahoma State ($8,900) vs. Tulsa ($5,700 on DraftKings)
Hicks is certainly pricey here; this isn't exactly a steal or a bargain. But he's dominated the carries thus far in Stillwater with 35 through three weeks (Rodney Fields, the next closest, has 10). Now, he gets to face a Tulsa team allowing 175.3 yards per game on the ground as well as 2.0 rushing touchdowns each week. It's not too complicated: get in on the highest projected scoring offense on this slate, facing a defense that's been carved up on the ground.
WR Zion Booker, Tulsa ($7,300) vs. Oklahoma State ($6,300 on DraftKings)
Booker is hiding in plain sight here on the FanDuel slate. He's just the seventh-priciest wideout in the fold despite being Tulsa's top pass-catcher by a wide margin. He's immediately emerged as the alpha of this receiver room since transferring from FCS Western Carolina, reeling in 22 passes for 208 yards and one touchdown through three games. In the last two games, he's garnered 10 targets in each contest. Oklahoma State's pass defense, meanwhile, is allowing 10.2 yards per attempt and a healthy 214.0 yards through the air each game. Booker has a great chance to continue his hot start to the season.
Also Consider: Kamari Moulton, Iowa ($6,000) vs. Rutgers ($6,900 on DraftKings) - if he plays
