College Football DFS: Saturday Night Slate Picks and Strategy for DraftKings and FanDuel

Week 4's Saturday night presents a rarity for us. The slate differential between DraftKings and FanDuel is usually all over the place, but this week, the slates are identical. That'll make our endorsement list clearer and more concise.

CFB Week 4 Saturday Night Slate Overview for DraftKings and FanDuel

Thankfully, the era of massive point spreads is mostly behind us, and we can focus on these teams' first units and see what they are really made of against stiffer competition. Missouri, Mississippi State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and USC are all excellent examples of 3-0 squads that need to prove they can weather their conference schedules.

Weather Report: Clear for all games

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College Football DFS Week 4 Night Slate Picks for Saturday, September 26

Quarterback

Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State (DK $7,300, FD $10,300) @ West Virginia

Mestemaker is the perfect storm of upside potential, reasonable pricing, high projected total, and potentially low ownership. Even if you're just a casual watcher of college football, you've heard about the Cowboys' turnaround, and we'll see if they're the real deal when they visit the Mountaineers. I'm definitely going to use two quarterbacks on this slate, and Mestemaker is far enough down the list to give us savings as we continue the build.

Jayden Maiava, USC (DK $8,000, FD $11,100) vs. Oregon

This game will be a shootout of epic proportions, and it's appropriate to use the phrase 'perfect storm' again when discussing this contest. Two excellent offenses face two underperforming defenses, and while USC has been notorious for defensive units that allow opponents back in games, Oregon's defensive struggles have been surprising. While I think USC's problems stemmed from emptying the bench too early against Rutgers last week, they've looked halfway decent when the first unit is on the field. Not so for Oregon, as they have a loss against Oklahoma State and a hard out against Oregon State where the first unit was used almost exclusively. Maiava is helming one of the country's most prolific offenses for the second consecutive year, and the Trojans will need this win as they move through one of the most difficult schedules in the country. 

Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State (DK $9,100, FD $11,500) vs. Missouri

I'd be doing a disservice if I didn't mention Taylor, who is no longer a secret and will be very popular against Mizzou. He's been stellar on the road in two tough environments, and now he'll return home for the first time since his 62-13 tour-de-force against ULM in the opener. His cost is justifiably expensive, but I am willing to buy into the hype if my roster can stomach the price.

Running Back

Jamal Roberts, Missouri (DK $6,300, FD $9,000) @ Mississippi State

The loss of Ahmad Hardy cut deep for the Tigers, but Jamal Roberts has filled the gap better than anyone expected. Austin Simmons' excellent play has also helped the cause, but it's Roberts who is the spark plug of this offense. He has 300 rushing yards and three touchdowns through three games. Mississippi State gave up 159 yards to the Gamecocks last week, which is an exploitable situation for Roberts.

Caleb Hawkins, Oklahoma State (DK $6,800, FD $7,600) @ West Virginia

These are great prices for Hawkins, who had his best game of the season with 110 rushing yards in the surprise win over Oregon. Virginia's Jekail Middlebrook and Xavier Brown combined for 146 yards and two touchdowns against West Virginia last week, so there's room to exploit the Mountaineers' defense on the ground.

King Miller, USC (DK $6,700, FD $8,500) vs. Oregon

Reference the Hawkins entry above, and you'll see why Miller makes my list. If Hawkins can generate 110 yards against the Ducks, I can easily see Miller meet or exceed that number, especially if the touches between Miller and Waymond Jordan stay where they've been over the past couple of weeks.

Also consider: Cole Tabb, Cincinnati (DK $5,000, FD $7,900) vs. Kansas State

Wide Receiver

Dakorien Moore, Oregon (DK $5,900, FD $8,200) @ USC

I think you're fine with Moore or Evan Stewart (DK $5,800, FD $7,800) in this game, as both will see plenty of targets. Stewart has played more of a possession role, so he may be able to rack up the PPR numbers, but Moore's upside is a little higher.

Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, USC (DK $5,700, FD $7,800 vs. Oregon

Losing Trent Mosley stings a bit, but the freshman has stepped in to assume an enhanced role to great effect. Maiava will spread the target share around, but KDW has already shown a nose for the end zone, and he'll rank high in his quarterback's progressions.

Justin Bowick, Oklahoma State (DK $6,300, FD $8,300) @ West Virginia

Bowick has been Mestemaker's top option with the new-look Cowboys, racking up a nifty 28 targets over the first three games of the season. West Virginia's pass defense did a respectable job restricting the pass against Virginia, but it allowed a suspect 373 passing yards to Coastal Carolina in the season opener, so Bowick may find some soft spots in the WVU secondary.

Also consider: Cayden Lee, Missouri (DK $4,800, FD $6,800) @ Mississippi State