We are into the home stretch of the college football season, which is both exciting and deeply saddening. Conference matchups are heating up as we sprint towards Championship Week; the College Football Playoff announced its inaugural rankings; however, we have only a handful of weeks left before the regular season draws to a close. Nevertheless, we intend to make the most of what’s left, starting with a run through Saturday’s main slate at DraftKings.
College football is new to FantasyLabs this season. Inside our Player Models, you’ll be able to utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups for your DFS contests.
Or if cash games are more your speed, you can build your lineups alongside our projections with our Lineup Builder. From there, you can hand-build your lineup or lock in a few guys and let the builder optimize the rest based on our projections.
Let’s dive into this week’s slate!
CFB DFS Quarterback Picks
Bo Nix (Oregon Ducks): $9,600 DraftKings
We took our foot off the pedal with Bo Nix last week, thinking the Oregon Ducks may let up against an inferior opponent. But we’re not making the same mistake two weeks in a row, particularly with the Ducks on the outside of the CFP top four and needing to make some noise to be included in the playoff rankings.
Nix has inserted himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation with some of his recent performances. The senior has thrown for 695 yards and eight touchdowns over his last two games while completing 77.8% of his passes. He’ll have a chance to flourish against the Colorado Buffaloes, who have been one of the worst teams in the FBS ranks.
The Buffaloes allow a Pac-12-worst 483.8 yards per game, with 246.5 coming through the air. Worse, they are coming off a disastrous 557 yards allowed effort against the Arizona State Sun Devils, letting Trenton Bourguet throw for 435 yards. Heisman candidate Nix is going to torch the Buffs.
Michael Pratt (Tulane Green Wave): $6,300 DraftKings
Seemingly out of nowhere, the Tulane Green Wave has emerged as a legitimate threat in the AAC. Led by Michael Pratt, they’ll look to improve on their 19th-ranked position when they take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Tulsa has allowed 31 or more points in six of their eight contests, including 45 last week against the SMU Mustangs. They gave up 310 passing yards in that contest, a weakness that Pratt and the Green Wave can exploit. The Florida native has thrown for more than 300 yards in two of his past three; however, he also provides value as a rusher, taking off for 215 yards and five scores this season.
The Green Wave will put up points on Saturday, and Pratt will account for a good chunk of the scoring. He’s an ideal low-cost option with boom potential on the main slate.
Drake Maye (North Carolina Tar Heels): $8,200 DraftKings
The North Carolina Tar Heels enter their Week 10 matchup against the Virginia Cavaliers as -7 chalk. Although the Cavaliers have been modestly successful defensively, they have yet to face an offense as prolific as the Drake Maye-led Tar Heels.
Without question, Maye has been one of the pre-eminent quarterbacks in the nation. The dual-threat signal caller leads the team in rushing, averaging 54.9 yards per game. That complements his above-average throwing abilities, with Maye compiling the fourth-best quarterback rating among FBS pivots.
The freshman has thrown for more than 300 yards on six occasions, including five straight outings. Over that stretch, he’s compiled an 18-2 touchdown to interception ratio, with his only loss coming against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Virginia can’t protect it all, and Maye will take whatever’s available to him, making him one of the best quarterbacks available.
CFB DFS Running Back Picks
Devon Achane (Texas A&M Aggies): $5,500 DraftKings
The Texas A&M Aggies are home to the Florida Gators on Saturday, setting the stage for what could be the best fantasy performance from any player. Devon Achane has been a standout performer over his recent sample and is ready to run roughshod over one of the worst defenses in the SEC.
The junior running back has excelled in conference play, rushing for 111 or more yards in three of five contests. Moreover, he’s added value in the passing game lately, hauling in 14 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown over the last two. His yards per carry has also increased over the latter part of the year, with Achane averaging 5.9 yards over his past five, compared to 4.3 in his first three games.
The Gators have an inviting defense, giving up 445.0 yards per game this season. Their run defense has been particularly porous, allowing 191.8 yards per game. When we tease out FCS teams, that jumps to 204.9. Achane projects as the top rusher available and could exceed his lofty expectations.
Mohamed Ibrahim (Minnesota Golden Gophers): $7,300 DraftKings
Compared to last year, the Minnesota Golden Gophers offense has improved immensely, and the difference is having Mohamed Ibrahim back in the lineup. The fifth-year running back has stabilized the Golden Gophers’ attack and is ready for another elite effort against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Ibrahim has been one of the country’s most frequently used running backs, ranking top 10 in carries while sitting 11th in yards. Somehow, Ibrahim’s workload has increased over his previous couple of games, carrying the ball 30 or more times in each outing. The senior has responded well to the elevated usage, crossing the century mark in both contests and finding the endzone four times.
Nebraska’s struggles are well-documented, and they are the worst defense in the Big Ten. Ibrahim has run over better programs than the Cornhuskers and is a top-tier running back worth targeting.
Richard Reese (Baylor Bears): $6,000 DraftKings
No running back has made more of an impact over their current schedule than Richard Reese. The Baylor Bears fullback has strung together back-to-back first-class fantasy performances, which should continue against the Oklahoma Sooners.
Reese has accumulated 372 all-purpose yards over Baylor’s last two outings, with 334 coming on the ground. More impressively, he’s been a touchdown fiend, crossing the plane five times. All told, he’s single-handedly shifting the power balance in fantasy tournaments, compiling 78.2 fantasy points since Week 8, and continues to be undervalued in terms of salary.
According to the FantasyLabs model, Reese is due for another strong performance against the Sooners. These teams like scoring, and Reese will be the beneficiary.
CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State Buckeyes): $7,200 DraftKings
Every week, DFS players are faced with the same dilemma; which Ohio State Buckeyes wideout will stand above the rest? Although Marvin Harrison Jr. was the man in Week 9, we like Egbuka to get back on track against the Northwestern Wildcats.
Egbuka was humbled against the Penn State Nittany Lions, putting up a season-worst 53 receiving yards while being kept out of the end zone for just the second time this season. Still, he leads the Buckeyes in receiving yards and ranks 15th in the nation in yards per catch among receivers with more than 30 catches.
The target share between Egbuka and Harrison Jr. is a challenging balance to predict. However, our algorithm ranks Egbuka as the pre-eminent wide receiver, leading the FantasyLabs median and ceiling projections. Egbuka has underperformed in three of his last four games, but it’s time for the pendulum to start swinging the other way.
Josh Downs (North Carolina Tar Heels): $7,800 DraftKings
We can’t get through the main slate breakdown without a solid stacking option. This week, we’re highlighting Josh Downs as a receiving option to pair with Tar Heels quarterback Maye.
Downs has been Maye’s preferred target all season, collecting a team-best 48 receptions, placing him among the top 30 FBS wide receivers. That usage has been amplified over the previous three matchups, with Downs commanding a 31.5% target share. The Tar Heels wideout has responded appropriately, grabbing 26 of 35 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns, with 228 yards and two scores coming over the last two games.
The Maye-Downs connection has put the Tar Heels at the forefront of the ACC Coastal standings, setting the stage for an anticipated championship clash against the Clemson Tigers. There’s little that Virginia can do to hamper Downs on Saturday.
Quentin Johnston (TCU Horned Frogs): $7,400 DraftKings
Quentin Johnston has been an all-or-nothing fantasy option this season, consistently ranking as one of the most expensive wide receivers available. We like him to live up to expectations in Week 10 against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
TCU has flourished all season, but that’s been even more pronounced at home. The Horned Frogs average the sixth-most yards per game against FBS teams at 502.7, jumping to 557.7 at home, the second-best in the country. Their scoring matches that production, with the Horned Frogs recording 42.1 points per game. Johnston has been a fundamental part of that, leading the team in targets and receptions while tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns.
Johnston has scored in four straight games, going off for 180 or more receiving yards in two of those contests. We wouldn’t be surprised if he reaches that threshold against a Red Raiders squad that is 0-3 as the visitors and allowing 35.0 points per game this year.
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