College football enthusiasts have been spoiled with fantastic contests all season long, and we’re expecting more of the same in Week 8. There are another five top-25 matchups on the weekend slate as teams continue to jostle for all-important advantages in the standings. This week’s schedule is highlighted by a classic ACC battle between the fifth-ranked Clemson Tigers and the surprising 6-0 Syracuse Orange. Although bettors can also look forward to the Oregon Ducks and UCLA Bruins renewing their Pac-12 rivalry, and the Texas Longhorns are taking a run at the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
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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): $9,300 DraftKings
Quarterback transfer Bo Nix is doing good work with the Oregon Ducks this season, and that’s reflected in his salary on Saturday’s main slate. The senior pivot is completing a career-best 70.4% of passes with his new school and is well on his way to setting benchmarks in most metrics.
Nix never really found his footing with the Auburn Tigers. In three seasons with the SEC school, Nix completed just 59.4% of his passes, averaging 6.9 yards per pass attempt. That number has jumped with the Ducks, with Nix’s average jumping to 8.2 this year. Moreover, he’s just four touchdowns and 1,016 yards away from matching his career bests, with six games left to play in the regular season.
The Bruins have been vulnerable against the pass this season, ranking in the bottom half of the Pac-12 in passing yards allowed. Further, the Ducks have had an extra week to prepare for their conference rivals, setting Nix up for success as Oregon looks to move to 6-1 on the season.
Sam Hartman (Wake Forest Demon Deacons): $8,900 DraftKings
Week after week, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons smother their opponents with offense. They’ll face even less resistance against one of the worst defenses in the ACC, meaning big things are expected from Sam Hartman.
The Demon Deacons’ quarterback has torched opponents over his recent sample, throwing for 300 or more yards in three straight games. However, Hartman is so much more than just a high-volume passer. The junior has a 64.0% completion rate and 13 touchdowns over the three-game sample against just two interceptions.
The only factor working against Hartman this week is that Wake Forest might get too far ahead of the Boston College Eagles and turn to their running game. Even then, Hartman could still be a fantasy factor as he’s compiled 41 rushing attempts this season, eclipsing eight attempts in four of his five games.
Based on the FantasyLabs projections, Hartman should live up to his billing against Boston College and exceed the implied value of his salary.
Michael Pratt (Tulane Green Wave): $6,300 DraftKings
The Tulane Green Wave are riding high this year, winning six of their first seven games and moving to the top of the AAC standings. They’ll be hoping to make it four straight wins as they host the Memphis Tigers on Saturday.
Michael Pratt has excelled against conference opponents and has been even better at home, making him a genuine bargain on the main slate. Pratt is completing 72.5% of his passes against AAC teams, throwing for 9.5 yards per pass attempt and a touchdown percentage of 5.8% in three games. Although his completion rate dips marginally to 72.1% at home, his yards per throw jump to 10.1, and his touchdown percentage improves to 7.7%.
Memphis’s 301.4 passing yards allowed per game against FBS opponents ranks worse than nearly every other team in the country. Pratt will be ready to shoot the lights out against his division opponents and surpass his fantasy ceiling.
CFB DFS Running Back Picks
Bijan Robinson (Texas Longhorns): $9,400 DraftKings
It seems too obvious to take the highest-salaried running back, but no one can hang with Bijan Robinson. The Longhorns running back shines in every outing, and that will continue against the Cowboys in a crucial Big 12 affair.
Not to overstate the importance of Robinson, but he’s accounted for 33.6% of the Longhorns’ total yards this season. The Arizona native has 780 yards on the ground, adding 239 via the passing game. After failing to run for more than 71 yards in the first two games, Robinson has passed the century mark in five straight. He’s been more effective over that sample as well, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, up from 4.1 over the first two games.
Oklahoma State’s offense needs to be as good as it is to offset its defensive shortcomings. The Cowboys have allowed the third-most total yards in the Big 12, with an average of 136.3 rushing yards given up per game. That could just be scratching the surface for Robinson, who is one of the best in the college football ranks.
Xazavian Valladay (ASU Sun Devils): $6,600 DraftKings
Week 8’s encounter with the ASU Sun Devils is setting up as a classic letdown spot for the Stanford Cardinal. Scheduling notwithstanding, Stanford has been atrocious against the run, a weakness that Xazavian Valladay will exploit.
Teams are running all over the Cardinal, totaling nearly 200 rushing yards per game. As is typically the case, the Sun Devils turn to their rushing attack much more frequently when they are playing with the lead, which we are expecting on Saturday. ASU stayed on the ground 51.6% of the time in last week’s win over the Washington Huskies, with Valladay toting the ball a season-high 23 times.
Valladay has been heating up over his recent sample and has become a focal point on offense for ASU. The senior has four touchdowns over the last two weeks and eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the fourth time this year versus Washington. Expect more of the same against an inferior Stanford team.
Braelon Allen (Wisconsin Badgers): $7,400 DraftKings
There have been very few bright spots for the Wisconsin Badgers this, a team that entered the season ranked in the top 25 with legitimate Big Ten title aspirations. However, a 3-4 start to the season, including 1-3 in conference play, has extinguished any hope of competing among the elite. Still, the team can make the most of the rest of the season by riding Braelon Allen’s coattails to a bowl game.
Allen has been a centerpiece on offense and has amplified his production over his recent sample. The sophomore has carried the ball 23 or more times in three of his past four outings, rushing for at least 123 yards on all three occasions. We also saw Allen take on new life in the passing game, setting a season-high mark in receptions and receiving yards last week against the Michigan State Spartans.
Touchdowns have come in bunches for Allen this season, crossing the goal line multiple times in three games. It’s evident that the Badgers are emphasizing Allen’s usage, making him a premier running back worth building rosters around on Saturday.
CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Michael Mayer (Notre Dame Fighting Irish): $5,000 DraftKings
From one underwhelming program to another, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have fallen hard from their fifth-ranked perch at the start of the year. Coming off a loss to Stanford, they need to get back to basics at home against the UNLV Rebels.
Michael Mayer has been a safety blanket for Drew Pyne and commands the lion’s share of targets in the passing game. The tight end leads the team with 411 receiving yards and 38 receptions with a monstrous 33.9% target share. Those metrics are incompatible with his low-end salary, and Mayer should excel at Notre Dame Stadium, where he’s averaging 11.2 yards per reception.
After four straight weeks of scoring, Mayer’s streak of finding paydirt ended last week against the Cardinal. However, we like him to get back on track against a Rebels team that has allowed at least 40 points in consecutive outings.
Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State Buckeyes): $6,900 DraftKings
Emeka Egbuka represents a significant portion of the Ohio State Buckeyes offense, which isn’t reflected in his DFS salary against the Iowa Hawkeyes. We like the sophomore wide receiver to maintain his current form in Week 8.
Ohio State is off to a perfect start, winning six straight games to begin the year, and Egbuka is a big reason why. Egbuka has led the team in receiving yards in five of six contests while earning a 27.3% target share. More impressively, he’s gone off for at least 116 yards in four of his last five games and found the endzone in five of six.
The Buckeyes enter Saturday’s Big Ten matchup against the Hawkeyes as meaty -29.5 favorites, illustrating their supremacy over their conference foes. Egbuka’s fantasy ceiling is analogous to the team’s success, and he should thrive at home.
Rashee Rice (SMU Mustangs): $7,900 DraftKings
It would be remiss not to include one of the nation’s top receivers in your rosters on Saturday. Rashee Rice has the fourth-most receiving yards among FBS wide receivers and leads our median and ceiling projections as the SMU Mustangs take on the Cincinnati Bearcats.
The Mustangs wideout has blown opposing cornerbacks out of the water this year, recording 122 or more receiving yards in four of six outings. That spells trouble for a Bearcats team that doesn’t travel well. Cincinnati gave up 447 yards in a season-opening loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks before letting the 2-4 Tulsa Golden Hurricane throw for 249 yards against them.
Opponents don’t have an answer for Rice, who is averaging 15.5 yards per reception. Additionally, Rice’s 761 receiving yards are just 20 shy of the top mark in the country, and after he’s done with the Bearcats, we could see a new leader atop the stats column.
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