College Football DFS: Friday Week 5 Picks and Strategy for DraftKings and FanDuel

College Football DFS: Friday Picks

Week 5 of the college football season starts in earnest Friday night, and after a smaller slate in Week 4, we've got an exciting three-game slate featuring five power conference teams, two of whom are ranked. As such, there are plenty of intriguing players and matchups to dive into.

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 

The first game of the evening, Florida State at Virginia, is expected to be the highest-scoring contest with a total set at 60.5. Despite the Seminoles' hot start to the season and No. 8 ranking in the AP poll, they're only favored by 7.0 points in Charlottesville. Both teams are expected to score  — both offenses look appealing in this one, fantasy-wise — while Florida State has the highest projected point total (33.75) of the week. 

Up next, Arizona State hosts No. 24 TCU in what's expected to be the closest game of the evening, with Arizona State currently slim 3.5-point favorites. This game in particular could see some fireworks through the air, as the Horned Frogs and Sun Devis allow 246.0 and 238.8 passing yards per game, respectively. 

The nightcap, featuring Oregon State hosting Houston, should be the most lopsided game of the night, and one that favors the Cougars' offense. The Beavers' defense has been extremely porous amidst a 0-4 start, and they allow the most passing yards per game (281.5) and the most rushing yards per game (183.0) of any team on the slate. 

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 26

Josh Hoover, TCU vs. Arizona State ($10,500 on FanDuel, $7,700 on DraftKings)

Hoover was considered one of the better quarterbacks in the nation ahead of the season, and he's backed all of the talk up through three games. He's especially caught fire in the Horned Frogs' last two outings, however, tossing for 337 yards and four touchdowns against Abilene Christian and 379 yards and five scores against SMU last week. His competition hasn't been the strongest, but it's not like Arizona State will change that. The Sun Devils have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks (21.9) in the Big 12, and their 238.8 yards per game allowed through the air is enticing as well. What's more, Hoover is a bargain on both slates: he's only the fourth-priciest quarterback on DraftKings and the third-priciest option on FanDuel.

Dean Connors, Houston vs. Oregon State ($9,500 on FanDuel, $6,600 on DraftKings) 

This isn't a bargain or a sleeper pick; Connors is the most expensive back on both slates. That doesn't make him any less appealing of an option, regardless of whether you're playing DraftKings or FanDuel. We touched briefly on Oregon State's sorry excuse for a defense this season, which allows 183.0 rushing yards per game, 5.0 yards per carry and 1.5 rushing touchdowns per game. Fantasy-wise, the Beavers allow the ninth-most points to tailbacks per game (27.3) in the entire nation. Meanwhile, Connors has been Houston's workhorse back with at least 15 touches in each game. He also has two catches in every game, meaning the Cougars like to get the ball in his hands every way possible. Connors is an obvious pick, but there's a reason why — he figures to feast against Oregon State. 

TE Chamon Metayer, Arizona State vs. TCU ($6,100 on FanDuel, $5,400 on DraftKings)

Matayer has caught fire the last two weeks for the Sun Devils. In the Week 3 and 4 games against Texas State and Baylor, he caught six passes in each, reeling in 60 yards and a touchdown against the Bobcats and 50 yards against Baylor. He's become one of quarterback Sam Leavitt's favorite options in the passing game, and now looks to continue that momentum against a TCU team that's allowing 248.0 passing yards per game, but more specifically for Metayer's case, 8.6 fantasy points per game to tight ends, the second-highest mark in the Big 12. Factor in Metayer's recent hot streak, a favorable matchup, and a low cost (13th-priciest receiving option on FanDuel, seventh-priciest on DraftKings), and he's a solid play for both slates. 

DraftKings College Football DFS Picks for Friday, September 26

QB Conner Weigman, Houston ($7,900) vs. Oregon State ($11,600 on FanDuel)

Weigman is a great play on the DraftKings slate for multiple reasons. First and foremost, he's facing an Oregon State defense that's been largely abysmal through four games. The Beavers are allowing an atrocious 39.0 points per game, including 281.5 passing yards, 9.5 yards per attempt and 2.8 passing touchdowns per game. They've played some potent passing offenses, including California, Texas Tech and Oregon, but any team should be licking its chops against Oregon State's 125th-ranked passing defense. Unsurprisingly, quarterbacks have thrived in a fantasy context against the Beavers -- Oregon State allows the 6th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season (30.3). What's more, Weigman gets to face this porous defense as the third-most-expensive quarterback on DraftKings. Given his price point and weak opponent, the Cougars' gunslinger looks like a no-brainer for DraftKings. 

RB Gavin Sawchuk, Florida State ($4,100) vs. Virginia ($9,000 on FanDuel)

Sawchuk could be in line for a big game Friday night, and DraftKings lets you scoop him up as just the 10th-priciest tailback. Meanwhile, he's the second-most expensive option on FanDuel. In Florida State's Week 4 win over Kent State, Sawchuk was the Seminoles' leading rusher with Roydell Williams unavailable. Williams has again been ruled out, leaving the door wide open for Sawchuk to pace Florida State's halfbacks in touches once again. Sawchuk has displayed a nose for the end zone this season, scoring six touchdowns through three games, five on the ground and one through the air. Virginia's run defense, while not quite as porous as some of the other teams on this slate, has allowed 100.3 rushing yards per game, and that number is skewed by three poor opponents, including William & Mary and a dreadful Stanford team. In the Cavaliers' one game against a somewhat equal opponent, NC State ran wild for 216 yards and four touchdowns. 

WR Stephen Johnson, Houston ($5,300) vs. Oregon State, ($9,400 on FanDuel) 

Johnson's connection with Houston quarterback Conner Weigman has improved steadily as the season has gone on. After failing to log a catch in the opener, he scored a 74-yard touchdown in Week 2 and proceeded to tally five grabs for 117 yards the following game against Colorado. Now, he gets a chance to build on that connection against one of the worst pass defenses in the nation. The Beavers' defense has been poor in just about every facet, but they also allow 25.7 fantasy points per game to receivers; only 20 teams in the country allow more. Johnson is also the eighth-priciest receiver on DraftKings, while checking in as the third-most expensive on FanDuel. This one isn't complicated: take the relatively cheap receiver trending upwards against a brutally poor defense. 

FanDuel College Football DFS Picks for Friday, September 26

QB Sam Leavitt, Arizona State ($10,200) vs. TCU ($8,500 on DraftKings) 

Leavitt is staring you right in the face on the FanDuel slate. While DraftKings has him as the most-expensive quarterback option, he's just the fourth-priciest gunslinger on FanDuel. Meanwhile, Leavitt faces a TCU defense that's allowed 246.0 passing yards per game. FCS Abilene Christian threw for nearly 300 yards on the Horned Frogs -- the pass defense in Fort Worth is a serious work-in-progress. Even without the FCS game, TCU allows 20.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The gunslinger facing TCU has been a good bet this season, and Leavitt is off to a solid start through the air with 748 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions on 61 percent completion. His dual-threat ability (219 yards, four touchdowns on the ground) only adds to his appeal in this one. 

RB Jeremy Payne, TCU ($6,500) vs. Arizona State ($4,700 on DraftKings)

Payne is just the eighth-priciest option on FanDuel, but with TCU's starting running back Kevorian Barnes out, Payne took the bulk of the handoffs last week in the win over SMU and finished with 12 carries for 53 yards along with three catches for 29 yards and a touchdown. Payne is the Horned Frogs' top receiving option out of the backfield, and now he gets the chance to operate as the starting halfback once again. Arizona State's run defense has been rather middle-of-the-pack, allowing 12.3 fantasy points per game to halfbacks and 95.3 rushing yards per game. Still, with Barnes out again, the door is open for Payne to see the lion's share of touches in this backfield, especially with his receiving chops. 

TE Tanner Koziol, Houston ($7,700) vs. Oregon State ($5,700 on DraftKings)

Koziol might be my favorite pick all week. He's the seventh-priciest receiver on FanDuel but has also been a big part of the Cougars' offense this season, reeling in 17 of 20 targets for 148 yards and one score through three games. Even more enticing, however, is the matchup — Oregon State's shoddy pass defense is already well-documented above, but the Beavers specifically allow an average of 13.6 fantasy points per game to tight ends, the second-worst mark in the nation. The stars seem to be aligning for Koziol come Friday night. 

Also Consider: WR Trent Walker, Oregon State ($8,100) vs. Houston ($6,100 on DraftKings)