The middle of the college football season is always punctuated by mid-week Group of 5 action. It’s more than enough to scratch the itch, but we’ve got our sights firmly set on the weekend — especially after last week’s outrageous outcomes. Saturday’s main slate features a bevy of top contenders with National Championship aspirations, complemented by some underappreciated programs producing some truly exceptional results. That’s the balance DFS punters will be reaching for when the action kicks off on Saturday afternoon.
We’ve got you covered for DFS purposes, highlighting our preferred players from Saturday’s main slate.
College football is back at FantasyLabs. Inside our Player Models, you’ll be able to utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 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.
Here’s a brief snippet of what our models look like:
Let’s dive into this week’s slate!
CFB DFS Quarterback Picks
Cade Klubnik (Clemson Tigers): $9,000 DraftKings
Don’t look now, but the Clemson Tigers have asserted themselves back in the College Football Playoff conversation. Winners of four in a row, Clemson has out-classed its opponents with its dynamic offense. Led by Cade Klubnik, the Tigers have scored 40 or more points in three of the last four weeks, and they’re primed to maintain that streak in Week 7.
Klubnik has quietly propelled himself to the front of the quarterback class in 2024. Heading into Saturday’s clash against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Klubnik ranks fourth in the country in QBR, moving the Tigers downfield with ease. His 64.3% completion rating and 8.5 yards per pass attempt are both career bests, and he’s thrown multiple touchdowns in every outing since losing to the Georgia Bulldogs in Week 1.
The Tigers’ pivot will have ample opportunity to pad those stats against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons rank 132nd out of 134 FBS teams in passing yards allowed this season, getting torched for 326.3 per game. That’s unlikely to improve against a Tigers squad that relies heavily on their passing attacking, turning to the air 51.3% of the time, 44th-highest in the FBS.
Klubnik has a passer rating above 89.4 in three of his last four starts, equaling 143.58 fantasy points or 35.90 points per game. Wake Forest has been exposed by inferior opponents and will be out-matched from start to finish. Others will prioritize some of the more noteworthy names on the board, but Klubnik is the quarterback to target on the main slate.
Haynes King (Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets): $8,100 DraftKings
We are championing the Haynes King parade, and everyone is welcome to hop in. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback has been a fantasy gold mine this season, getting things done by any means necessary. He’s flourished as a dual-threat quarterback, and there’s not much the North Carolina Tar Heels can do to slow him down.
King is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country. The junior is completing 74.0% of his passes for an average of 8.5 yards per pass attempt. Further, he’s addressed the one facet that held him back in years prior, throwing fewer interceptions. So far this season, King has only been picked off once while throwing for eight touchdowns, a vastly superior touchdown-to-interception ratio than the 37-26 he had coming into the year.
Just when you think things can’t get any better, King adds fantasy value with his ability to take off. He’s rushed for four scores this season, picking up 246 yards on 51 carries. Moreover, he’s perfected his timing, breaking off runs of 21 yards or longer in four of his six outings.
Pittsburgh Panthers’ quarterback Eli Holstein had a record-setting performance against the Tar Heels last week. Holstein threw for 381 yards, adding 76 more on the ground and accounting for four touchdowns. That’s an easily replicable standard for King, who should outperform his $8,100 salary on the main slate.
CFB DFS Running Back Picks
Desmond Reid (Pittsburgh Panthers): $9,400 DraftKings
Speaking of the Pittsburgh Panthers, we’re expecting another one of their star players to pop off in Week 7. Desmond Reid took a back seat to Holstein in last week’s victory, but we expect him to be a more prominent feature in Saturday’s tilt versus the California Golden Bears.
Reid has been the bell cow out of the backfield in a multi-dimensional Panthers’ attack. His 374 rushing yards on 62 carries are easily the high mark for Pitt, but he’s also been a primary pass catcher for Holstein. The junior running back has 322 yards on 24 catches for a beefy average of 13.4 yards per reception. Most of Reid’s touchdowns have actually come via the pass, with four of his five scores coming on passes from Holstein.
We saw Reid’s true ceiling in last week’s win over North Carolina. He put up a whopping 210 total yards on 29 touches, including 11 receptions and 18 rushing attempts. It might be tempting to expect regression in Week 7, but the Golden Bears are out of their element playing in an earlier-than-usual time slot on the East Coast. That should allow Reid to thrive once again and put up another crooked fantasy number at home.
Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame Fighting Irish): $6,100 DraftKings
All due respect to Riley Leonard, but he’s been unable to lead the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on any meaningful drives with the passing attack. Notre Dame’s prowess comes via the ground game, and that should be the driving force again on Saturday when the Fighting Irish host the Stanford Cardinal. While Leonard presents value as a dual-threat option, we expect Jeremiyah Love to shoulder most of the rushing burden against the Cardinal.
Love has been a regular out of Notre Dame’s backfield. He’s hit double-digit carries in every game this season, peaking with 109 rushing yards in Week 3 against the Purdue Boilermakers. Last week’s 34-yard rushing effort has been the anomaly for the sophomore. Love’s 3.1 yards per carry was nearly 2.5 yards shy of his previous low, setting Week 7 as an ideal bounce-back spot versus Stanford. Still, Love’s fantasy value comes from his red zone touches and ability to find the end zone. He’s crossed the plane in every game this season, totaling five rushing touchdowns and a receiving score.
Last week’s tilt against the Virginia Tech Hokies exposed the chinks in Stanford’s rush defense armor. V-Tech put up 136 rushing yards against the Cardinal, with Bhaysul Tuten toting the ball 21 times for 73 yards and a touchdown. Playing on the road against an unrelenting Fighting Irish crowd puts Stanford at an even bigger disadvantage, and we expect the guests to respond poorly.
Love represents one of the top running back values on the main slate. His salary isn’t an accurate representation of what to expect from him, and we’re predicting a season-best performance after last week’s flat effort. Whatever you do, include Love on your fantasy rosters.
Be sure to check out all the pick ’em Sleeper has to offer with Sleeper promo code LABS1 for a $100 deposit match.
CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Xzavier Henderson (Cincinnati Bearcats): $7,100 DraftKings
As usual, the Cincinnati Bearcats have trotted out an elite offense in 2024. They’ve offered up a hefty portion of the rushing attack, but they remain a pass-first school. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby is averaging 32.6 pass attempts per game, with the lion’s share of those looks directed Xzavier Henderson’s way. The senior has responded with top-end metrics, and his upward trajectory carries him into Saturday’s Big 12 showdown versus the UCF Knights.
Henderson has alternated hot and cold performances this season, but he’ll have an opportunity to buck that trend in Week 7. Coming off his third 100-yard receiving game of the season, Henderson is poised to repeat that benchmark in consecutive games for the first time this season.
The Knights are underequipped to defend Henderson, allowing five different receivers to surpass 80 yards over the past four weeks. Included in that is Jack Bech’s 200-yard effort from Week 3, underscoring the ineffective coverage in the Knights’ secondary.
Henderson’s ceiling looks more promising when we factor in his usage metrics. The Florida native has been targeted nine or more times in all but one contest this season, and he leads the Bearcats in virtually every pass-catching category. As such, we’re confident in his ability to duplicate last week’s effort and end the day as a top fantasy performer.
Malik Rutherford (Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets): $5,300 DraftKings
Our correlated play in Week 7 comes via the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Haynes King sits among the FantasyLabs leaders in median and ceiling projections, and his passing ability is the primary factor. He’ll be looking to pole holes in the Tar Heels defense, turning to Malik Rutherford as his top pass-catching option.
As expected, Rutherford is the first look in King’s progressions. The Yellow Jackets wideout leads the team with 48 targets, representing a 36.3% target share. More importantly, Rutherford has been one of the most sure-handed pass-catchers in the FBS hauling in 37 of those throws for a desirable 77.1% catch rate. Naturally, that correlates with elite output, with Rutherford accounting for 474 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
As previously noted, North Carolina struggles to defend the pass. They allowed two players to surpass the century mark last week, which is already the second time this season that’s happened. Rutherford is the latest wide receiver who will benefit from those deficiencies en route to what should be his best game of the year.
Darius Lassiter (BYU Cougars): $4,200 DraftKings
As promising as Malik Rutherford’s ceiling is, he’s probably not even the best value receiver on the board. That distinction belongs to Darius Lassiter, who has been a primary contributor in a surprising BYU Cougars’ offense. He’ll have another opportunity to shine in Week 7’s battle versus the Arizona Wildcats.
Granted, Arizona’s defense has looked good this year, but not unbeatable. The Wildcats gave up 331 yards of total offense at home last week, losing as -6.5 chalk to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Those concerns are brought to the forefront against the Cougars as they play on the road for the third time in four games.
That’s ripe fruit for Lassiter’s picking as he looks to build off his best start of the season. Last time out, the senior pulled down eight receptions on 13 targets for 120 yards, all of which were season-bests. Moreover, Lassiter is riding a three-game touchdown streak into the Big 12 tilt, adding to his fantasy outlook.
BYU will be well-rested for this one. The Cougars are coming off a bye week, giving them additional time to prepare for the Wildcats defense. There’s also the added advantage of playing at LaVell Edwards Stadium, propping up Lassiter and the Cougars for a solid showing. Lassiter should have no problem reaching the upper end of his projections, easily surpassing the implied value of his salary.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
College Football DFS Picks: Week 1 CFB Saturday Main Slate Breakdown (Sat. 9/3)
College Football DFS Picks: Week 3 CFB Saturday Main Slate Breakdown (Sat. 9/17)
College Football DFS Picks: Week 4 CFB Saturday Main Slate Breakdown (Saturday, 9/23)
College Football DFS Picks: Week 9 CFB Saturday Main Slate Breakdown (Saturday, 10/28)
