While some teams have already waded into conference waters, Week 3 marks the end of the tune-up period before we dive head-first into the most conference play. That’s not to diminish the marquee matchups that await us in Week 3, but there are a few exploitable mismatches that DFS punters can work to their advantage on Saturday afternoon.
We’ve got you covered for DFS purposes, highlighting our preferred players from Saturday’s main slate.
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Let’s dive into this week’s slate!
CFB DFS Quarterback Picks
Dillon Gabriel (Oregon Ducks): $9,900 DraftKings
Dillon Gabriel’s tenure as Oregon Ducks quarterback couldn’t be off to a more promising start. The senior transfer has led the Ducks to wins in each of his first two starts and faces an underwhelming Oregon State Beavers defense in a Week 3 showdown. This is Gabriel’s last chance to get in sync with his offensive playmakers before Oregon embarks into its foray into Big Ten play.
Gabriel has been unfazed by the competition to start the 2024-25 campaign. The 23-year-old has outgunned the competition this season, completing 84.3% of his passes for 623 yards and four touchdowns. He was incredibly efficient in last week’s come-from-behind victory over the Boise State Broncos, missing just three of his 21 throws for an average of 11.9 yards per pass attempt. However, we also saw him thrive using a high-volume approach in the season opener, torching the Idaho Vandals for 380 yards on 41-of-49 passing.
We’re anticipating a heavy dose of the passing attack as the Ducks travel to Corvallis for their in-state rivalry game. The Beavers pass defense has yet to be tested, taking on the Idaho State Bengals in Week 1 and the run-heavy San Diego State Aztecs in Week 2. Oregon State’s secondary will be in for a rude awakening, as they try to contain one of the most pass-happy offenses in the nation.
Gabriel is one of the most experienced players in the college football ranks. Breaking into the FBS ranks with the UCF Knights in 2019, Gabriel has thrown for more than 3,000 yards in each of his non-red shirt campaigns. As such, we don’t expect him to be fazed by playing in hostile territory on Saturday. The Ducks signal-caller leads our median and ceiling projections, and we expect him to end the day as one of the top fantasy performers on the main slate.
Allan Bowman (Oklahoma State Cowboys): $8,300 DraftKings
As a team, the Oklahoma State Cowboys are finally starting to get some of the respect they deserve. But that hasn’t translated to Allan Bowman’s fantasy value. Oklahoma State is up to 13th in the AP Poll rankings, while Bowman still has a modest $8,300 salary at DraftKings. Playing in the shadow of Ollie Gordon has eroded his perceived value, but the senior pivot remains one of the top quarterback options on the main slate.
Bowman bested an SEC defense in Week 2, which is no easy accomplishment. He led the Cowboys to a double-overtime win over the Arkansas Razorbacks, throwing for 326 yards and a touchdown in the victory. That comes on the heels of his season-opening performance in which he completed 24-of-33 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. His test in Week 3 will be closer to the latter than the former.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane gave up 255 passing yards in last week’s loss to the Arkansas State Red Wolves, underscoring their inability to limit bottom-tier programs. Tulsa faces an entirely different challenge in containing a dynamic offense such as the Cowboys. Mike Gundy’s air raid offense poses a challenge for even the best of defenses, leaving little hope that the Golden Hurricane can muster the fortitude to contain the Cowboys.
The knock on Bowman last year was his inability to limit mistakes, but he’s appeared to remedy those turnover issues in his senior campaign. We saw his composure in last week’s double-overtime victory, and he won’t face the same defensive integrity against Tulsa on Saturday. Bowman is one of the top values available, and this ideal matchup allows him to reach his fantasy ceiling.
CFB DFS Running Back Picks
Desmond Reid (Pittsburgh Panthers): $6,400 DraftKings
The. Backyard. Brawl. One of the most exciting rivalries in college football takes center stage on the main slate, with the Pittsburgh Panthers hosting the West Virginia Mountaineers at Acrisure Stadium. Eli Holstein and Desmond Reid have been a driving force in the Panthers’ early-season success, but we expect Reid to be the difference-maker in Saturday’s non-conference tilt.
Pittsburgh has flexed its offensive muscles early this season. Averaging 529.0 yards of total offense, the Panthers have deployed equally intimidating run and pass games. Reid has been the bell cow on offense, toting the ball 33 times for 293 yards. Most impressively, the junior has eclipsed 145 rushing yards in each of his first two outings while adding 106 receiving yards in last week’s win over the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Reid’s dual-threat abilities make him a threat no matter how the Backyard Brawl unfolds. If the Panthers build an early lead, they can turn to their standout running back to eat up yards on the ground. If it’s a more tightly contested affair, he’ll be a featured player in the passing game and out of the backfield.
West Virginia claimed victory in last year’s showdown, but their defensive concerns amplify Reid’s potential in Week 2. The Mountaineers gave up 457 yards to the Penn State Nittany Lions in the season opener, following that up with another 374 yards allowed against the FCS UAlbany Danes last week. That puts them at a significant disadvantage in trying to corral Reid and the Panthers on Saturday.
People are slowly catching on to what Reid can deliver on offense, and this could be the last time we see his salary in the $6,000 range this season. He should easily outperform the implied value of his modest salary.
Darius Taylor (Minnesota Golden Gophers): $6,200 DraftKings
From one value play to the next, we’re highlighting Darius Taylor as one of the pre-eminent running backs to target on the main slate. The Golden Gophers rusher shares the backfield with Marcus Major, but as we saw last week, Taylor is the premier back when he’s healthy and in the lineup.
Taylor does it all for Minnesota. After missing the season-opener versus the North Carolina Tar Heels with a leg injury, the sophomore was the feature running back against the Rhode Island Rams in Week 2. Taylor carried the ball 14 times for 64 yards, doubling Major’s seven carries and outpacing him by 52 yards. Moreover, he was a regular in the passing attack, ending the game tied for the most receptions and churning out an additional 48 yards.
Those usage metrics bode well for Taylor heading into Saturday’s clash against the Nevada Wolf Pack. Nevada has been torched in every way on defense, giving up 308 passing yards to the SMU Mustangs in Week 0 and 190 rushing yards to the Troy Trojans in Week 1. Whatever Minnesota throws their way, the Wolf Pack doesn’t possess the defensive faculties to limit its attack.
Taylor’s dynamic offensive approach heightens Nevada’s defensive concerns and makes him a boon for fantasy bettors. The sophomore will once again lead the Golden Gophers’ offensive attack and will have ample opportunity to reach his fantasy ceiling.
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CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Brennan Presley (Oklahoma State Cowboys): $7,100 DraftKings
After taking Week 2 off, we’re once again embracing the correlated approach, staking Brennan Pressley with Allan Bowman in Oklahoma State’s showdown versus Tulsa. Pressley is the top pass-catching option for the Cowboys and is poised for a season-best performance.
His early-season totals aren’t an accurate representation of what Presley means to the Cowboys offense. The Oklahoma native was targetted an astounding 19 times in last week’s win, managing just nine receptions against a stout Razorbacks defense. That’s in addition to the nine targets he had in Week 1, making Presley the most targetted player on offense by a wide margin. He’ll have more room to roam against a porous Tulsa secondary at Skelly Field on Saturday.
Tulsa has struggled to contain opposing wide receivers. The Red Wolves had four pass-catchers eclipse 43 receiving yards in Week 2, with five players recording at least three receptions. Additionally, the Golden Hurricane will need to stack the box to try and contain Ollie Gordon, creating more mismatches and one-on-one coverage in the passing game. That will allow Presley to use his breakaway speed to get the better of Tulsa’s secondary from the outset.
Presley posted a disappointing catch rate early in 2024, but he’s a natural progression candidate in weeks to come. Through his two games of the season, the senior has averaged 7.9 yards per catch, a steep departure from the 11.3 he averaged through his first four collegiate seasons. We like Presley’s chances of getting back on track and ending the day as one of the top wide receivers on the board.
Kyren Lacy (LSU Tigers): $8,400 DraftKings
The LSU Tigers have become a breeding ground for elite wide receivers. Kyren Lacy is hoping to become the next pass-catcher to emerge as an elite professional, and he’ll have the chance to showcase his skills in Week 3’s tilt versus the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Already, Lacy has established himself as a top wide receiver, and that’s reflected in this week’s salary. Through the first two games of the season, he’s hauled in 12 of 19 targets for 159 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Tigers in each of those categories. Further, the senior is averaging 13.3 yards per catch, tops among all LSU pass-catchers with more than one reception.
Credit to Gamecocks defense for limiting its opponents early this season, but they have yet to face an opponent like the LSU Tigers. South Carolina hamstrung a rebuilt Kentucky Wildcats program last week, barely getting past the Old Dominion Monarchs in Week 1. Garrett Nussmeier will have LSU’s offense firing on all cylinders, which will inevitably include a heavy dose of Lacy and the passing game.
The Tigers enter this SEC showdown as -6.5 chalk, a reflection of their top offensive abilities. We expect Lacy to be the primary contributor, reaching his fantasy ceiling and helping LSU emerge victorious in its first SEC test of the season.
Will Pauling (Wisconsin Badgers): $5,100 DraftKings
The Wisconsin Badgers aren’t the program they once were, but they have the building blocks to re-establish themselves as a powerhouse. Will Pauling stands among those, ready to dethrone the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide at Camp Randall Stadium.
Pauling has quickly built chemistry with transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. The Badgers duo has connected for 108 yards on 10 receptions, with Van Dyke looking Pauling’s way more than any other receiver. The junior wide receiver has led the team in targets in each of the first two games, posting a 66.7% catch rate and 10.8 yards per reception. More importantly, it’s allowed Pauling to cement himself as the top option in Van Dyke’s progressions.
Never a pass-first offense, the Badgers will have no choice but to turn to their aerial attack more frequently against the Crimson Tide. Wisconsin enters the non-conference contest as substantive +16 underdogs, implying that they will likely be playing at a deficit from the outset. That should yield a more robust passing approach, allowing the Badgers to pick up yards in chunks to try and stay within arm’s reach of their opponents.
Pauling will be at the forefront of those efforts, allowing him to maximize his fantasy contributions on the main slate. As such, he should easily surpass his implied value while also being a lightly rostered player. That’s the advantage DFS punters need in setting their rosters apart in bigger tournaments.
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