Buckle up. The Week 7 college football slate features some vivacious matchups that could impact conference championship games and playoff seeding later in the year. Six games pit nationally-ranked opponents against each other, highlighted by an SEC battle between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers. That is one of two top-ten meetings on Saturday, as the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines and Penn State Nittany Lions renew acquaintances in a Big Ten clash. DFS bettors rejoice, as that is just a taste of what Saturday’s slate has to offer.
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
Taulia Tagovailoa (Maryland Terrapins): $6,900 DraftKings
The Big Ten is known for its unforgiving defense, a distinction that doesn’t apply to the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana ranks dead last in the conference in points allowed per game, giving up the third-most yards. Maryland Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa doesn’t need that advantage, as he blows past the implied value of his $6,900 salary.
Tagovailoa has one of the most accurate arms in the nation, completing 74.1% of his passes; however, that’s not the only area he excels at. The Hawaii native averages 288.5 passing yards per game, surpassing the 300-yard mark in three of six contests. Moreover, he’s flashed above-average mobility, rushing for 18 or more yards in three of the past four games, including a touchdown against the Purdue Boilermakers last time.
According to the FantasyLabs projections, Tagovailoa has the third-highest fantasy ceiling on the main slate, yet still comes at a discounted salary. There’s an advantage to rostering the Terrapins’ quarterback Saturday.
Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State Cowboys): $7,900 DraftKings
Defense is not a priority for the TCU Horned Frogs, but that hasn’t prevented them from scoring at will this season. Operating at a deficit could force the Oklahoma State Cowboys to lean into their passing game against the Horned Frogs, amplifying Spencer Sanders’ fantasy value.
Mike Gundy turns to his senior quarterback often, with Sanders throwing 38 or more passes in three of five games this season, but it’s not just volume that sets him apart. The 22-year-old has a sterling 12-2 touchdown to interception ratio and can move the ball with his feet. Sanders has at least 54 rushing yards in four of five games, crossing the goal line six times already this season.
You’ll find Sanders near the top of our projections every week, but we like him to excel against TCU in what could end as the highest-scoring game of the week.
Hendon Hooker (Tennessee Volunteers): $7,700 DraftKings
In a tightly contested battle between two of the best teams in the country, you wouldn’t be wrong to go with either quarterback from the Crimson Tide or the Volunteers. We give the advantage to Hendon Hooker as Tennessee looks to de-rail Bama’s season at Neyland Stadium.
The Volunteers’ offense is operating freely this year, and Hooker is a big reason why. The senior is averaging 10.2 yards per passing attempt, with ten touchdowns and zero interceptions. Like Sanders, Hooker is a dual threat and has carried the ball 45 times through five games, averaging 42.6 rushing yards per game.
Hooker has done his best work at home this season. His yards per pass attempt jumps to 12.2 in his friendly confines, and he’s completing 76.1% of his passes. Alabama has given up 20 or more points in consecutive outings against worse teams than Tennessee. Hooker could expose those cracks as the Volunteers look to move to 6-0.
CFB DFS Running Back Picks
Sean Tucker (Syracuse Orange): $7,300 DraftKings
The Syracuse Orange’s offense is premised on Sean Tucker, and the third-year running back continues to deliver. He projects as the top back available on Saturday’s main slate in a top-25 matchup against the North Carolina Wolfpack.
Tucker has three 100-yard rushing performances this season and is coming off a season-best 232-yard, three-touchdown effort against the FCS Wagner Seahawks. Although he will be hard-pressed to match those numbers against the Wolfpack, Tucker and the Orange are coming off a bye week and will be fresh for their ACC battle.
We also can’t look past Tucker’s value in the passing game. The sophomore has 184 receiving yards on 19 receptions and straddles a role that most college running backs can’t handle. His 19.5% target share would rival mid-tier wide receivers, giving Tucker one of the loftiest ceilings in Week 7.
Jahmyr Gibbs (Alabama Crimson Tide): $7,900 DraftKings
Part of the reason for passing on Young in our quarterback section is that a shoulder injury has limited the Crimson Tide pivot. Consequently, we’re expecting increased reliance on the ground game and a monster fantasy performance from Jahmyr Gibbs.
The junior running back is well on his way to setting career benchmarks across the board. Through six games, Gibbs is averaging 8.3 yards per carry and is just over 200 rushing yards short of matching his career-high of 746 set last year. Moreover, Gibbs is one of the pre-eminent pass-catching backs this year, with an 88% catch rate and 10.0 yards per reception.
Bama is turning to Gibbs more frequently over their recent sample, with the half-back carrying the ball 39 times for 360 yards, adding 33 yards on five receptions over the last couple of games. That upward trend continues against the Volunteers.
Raheim Sanders (Arkansas Razorbacks): $6,500 DraftKings
All the work accomplished by the Arkansas Razorbacks’ 3-0 start to the season was undone by three SEC matchups. Arkansas has dropped three straight conference games to fall to .500 on the season. Still, the Razorbacks can get back in the win column Saturday against the BYU Cougars, and a heavy dose of Raheim Sanders will help Arkansas get there.
Sanders has been one of the best backs in the nation. He ranks sixth in the NCAAF ranks in rushing yards and seventh in carries. Sanders has made the most of those touches, surpassing the century mark in four of six contests, with an average of 5.6 yards per carry.
BYU hasn’t prioritized stopping the run, allowing an average of 172.2 rushing yards per game. They’ve been spiraling recently, letting three rushers go for at least 93 yards over the last two games. Sanders will add to those woes and should reach his ceiling against the Cougars.
CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Xavier Hutchinson (Iowa State Cyclones): $8,300 DraftKings
Nobody puts in more work than Xavier Hutchinson, and that’s reflected in his Week 7 projections. The Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver leads the way in our median and ceiling calculations by a significant margin, making him a must-add to any roster.
Nearly 40.0% of Hunter Dekkers’s passes are going Hutchinson’s way. The senior wideout is commanding a 38.2% target share and has accumulated 36 targets over the last two weeks. He’s turned those looks into meaningful production, going north of 100 yards each game.
Given his early-season form, it’s not surprising that Hutchinson has the most receptions among FBS wide receivers, ranking top ten in receiving yards.
Iowa State calls the 16th-most passing plays in the nation, and Hutchinson gets the most looks by a country mile. We’re expecting a signature performance against a Texas Longhorns squad due for a letdown.
Sam Wiglusz (Ohio Bobcats): $5,000 DraftKings
The Ohio Bobcats are scoring at will these days, recording 138 points over the past three games. They owe much of their success to increased efficiency in the passing game, and Sam Wiglusz has been a significant contributor.
Wiglusz has emerged as the preferred target in the Bobcats’ offense. The senior is coming off his best game of the season, catching all seven of his targets for 144 yards and two touchdowns. That was Wiglusz’s second consecutive game with 115 or more receiving yards and a touchdown. He’s carved out a meaningful role with the team, earning a 21.6% target share over the past three games, with a 92.0% catch rate.
Wiglusz has been all over Kurtis Rourke’s radar recently, and we’re expecting that connection to remain intact against the Western Michigan Broncos. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Wiglusz surpass 100 receiving yards with a score for the third straight game.
Jalin Hyatt (Tennessee Volunteers): $6,900 DraftKings
You wouldn’t be wrong for taking either of the Volunteers’ top two receivers to stack with Hooker; however, with only one spot left in our top three, we’re deferring to Jalin Hyatt as the best option.
A couple of games against Group of 5 teams are inflating the Crimson Tide’s defensive passing metrics, but Power 5 schools have exposed a few flaws in their defense. Alabama has allowed big plays to several receivers, giving up plays of 36 or more yards five times in four games. That’s good news for Hyatt, who has plays of 45 or more yards in two of his past three outings.
Additionally, Hyatt leads the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns, four of which have come over the past three weeks. Those stats are reflected in our algorithm, which rates Hyatt as the preferable option over Bru McCoy against Bama.
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