The college football season enters Week 5 featuring elite college defenses and low Vegas totals in DraftKings’ night slate. The night slate kicks off at 7 pm ET with seven games:
- Iowa State at TCU (-10.5), Over/Under: 46.5 – 7 pm ET
- Virginia Tech at Duke (-4.5), Over/Under: 50 – 7 pm ET
- Boise State (-17) at Wyoming, Over/Under: 47 – 7 pm ET
- South Carolina at Kentucky (PK), Over/Under: 51.5 – 7:30 pm ET
- Stanford at Notre Dame (-5.5), Over/Under: 52.5 – 7:30 pm ET
- Ohio State (-3.5) at Penn State, Over/Under: 69 – 7:30 pm ET
- BYU at Washington (-17), Over/Under: 45.5 – 8:30 pm ET
Check out The Action Network’s Live Odds page for line updates.
Game of the Slate: Ohio State (-3.5) at Penn State
DraftKings’ night slate features a ton of games with low Vegas totals and run-oriented offenses. Ohio State at Penn State stands alone as the only game with an over/under above 52.5. Not only is this matchup a high-profile offensive showdown between top-10 teams, but it’s also the juiciest game for DFS on this slate.
The Buckeyes are led by quarterback Dwayne Haskins and boast an efficient spread offensive attack with speedsters at nearly every skill position. Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill have been dynamic for the Buckeyes this season, combining for 558 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Ohio State also boasts a two-headed rushing attack led by J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber. The Buckeyes offense has been electric this season and could take advantage of a relatively shallow secondary for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State’s offense revolves around star quarterback Trace McSorley. He is a competitive and creative play-maker who possesses elite rushing upside among quarterbacks. Already this season he has rushed for 235 yards and six touchdowns in limited action. The Nittany Lions also heavily feature running back Miles Sanders, who has taken over as Penn State’s No. 1 rushing threat following the departure of Saquon Barkley. Sanders has rushed for 495 yards and five touchdowns this season.
Quarterbacks
Brett Rypien (Boise State): $8,300 DraftKings; $9,800 FanDuel
After three average seasons to start his career for the Broncos, Rypien has caught fire through three games this season. He’s totaled 1,047 passing yards and 10 touchdowns and leads a Boise State offense that ranks fifth in the FBS in passing yards per game and 16th in Offensive S&P+. The Broncos offense spreads the ball around a lot, leaving Rypien as the most reliable DFS option to capture its offensive production.
Boise State is favored by 17 points against BYU and has a team total of 32 points. Rypien should command the lion’s share of the Broncos’ offensive production and scoring opportunities, making him a top-tier option this week. He also boasts a relatively low DraftKings salary, which further enhances his value in a DFS slate loaded with talent at the running back position in particular.
Jake Browning (Washington): $7,500 DraftKings; $9,300 FanDuel
Browning drew national attention as a sophomore in 2016 when he posted a 3430-43-9 passing line and four rushing touchdowns for the Huskies. His production fell markedly last year, despite an increase in his passing efficiency. This season, he has passed for 966 yards and seven touchdowns through four games and could be poised for a resurgent season for the Huskies.
BYU’s defense is stout on the defensive line but potentially vulnerable in its secondary. I expect the Huskies to primarily attack the Cougars through the air in this matchup, which could lead to a potential breakout game for Browning this week. He has a robust fantasy floor in this matchup and offers excellent upside at his reasonable $7,500 DraftKings salary.
Quentin Harris (Duke): $6,500 DraftKings; $8,100 FanDuel
In two games starting for the injured Daniel Jones, Harris has thrown for six touchdowns and rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown. In those two games, he has averaged 21.24 DraftKings points, in large part due to his excellent rushing upside.
On the other sideline, the Hokies lost quarterback Josh Jackson to a broken leg and will start backup transfer Ryan Willis in his place. Willis was mostly unremarkable during his time at Kansas and managed only 131 passing yards in the Hokies’ shocking loss to Old Dominion last week. Virginia Tech ranks 72nd in the FBS in Defensive S&P+, which is remarkably low for a Bud Foster defense. I expect Duke to control this game with its rushing attack, granting Harris a high fantasy floor against the Hokies.
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Running Backs
Benny Snell (Kentucky): $8,800 DraftKings; $9,900 FanDuel
Snell has been one of the country’s most productive and exciting running backs in 2018. He’s earned an 87-540-7 rushing total through four games and averages 6.2 yards per carry. He ranks fifth in the FBS in carries, third in rushing yards and fourth in rushing touchdowns. Notably, he ran for 175 yards against Florida and 165 yards and four touchdowns against Mississippi State this season.
The Wildcats defense is legit. It ranks top 20 in most FBS defensive metrics and has effectively stifled opponents this season during Kentucky’s unexpected 4-0 start. Snell is the perfect complement to that defense due to his reliability, physicality and explosiveness. Kentucky should continue to feature Snell heavily against South Carolina, attempting to control time of possession and keep the ball out of Jake Bentley‘s hands.
David Montgomery (Iowa State): $5,800 DraftKings; $8,300 FanDuel
Montgomery is the top offensive skill player for the Cyclones offense, which has finally kicked it in gear the past two weeks with Zeb Noland under center. Through three games, Montgomery has rushed 61 times for 233 yards and two touchdowns, and he’s had at least 17 carries in each game. Even though he’s posted inefficient rushing numbers early this season, he is unquestionably Iowa State’s workhorse running back. Last season he broke out for a 258-1146-11 rushing performance on his way to All-Big 12 honors. Expect Iowa State to feature Montgomery early and often to try to control the clock against TCU this week.
Nico Evans (Wyoming): $4,500 DraftKings; $8,000 FanDuel
After missing Wyoming’s last two games due to a rib injury, Evans was listed as the starter on the Cowboys’ official two-deep this week for their matchup against Boise State. Evans’ return is huge for the Cowboys, who have struggled offensively this season.
Before his injury, Evans had earned 42 carries despite playing only six quarters. He parlayed those touches into 279 rushing yards and three touchdowns, quickly solidifying himself as the cornerstone of Wyoming’s offense. He posted a 24-190-2 rushing line against New Mexico State in Week Zero, then added an 18-89-1 line in just two quarters of action against Washington State in Week 1. Evans is a volume monster, underpriced due to his former injury concern, and is a lock to see 20-plus carries against the Broncos.
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Wide Receivers
Aaron Fuller (Washington): $6,900 DraftKings; $8,900 FanDuel
Fuller has emerged as the Huskies’ top receiving threat this season, catching 22 passes for 367 yards and a touchdown in four games. He’s averaging 16.7 DraftKings points per game despite playing against two elite defenses in Auburn and Utah already this year.
Highly touted out of high school, Fuller boasts a 4.36 unofficial 40-yard dash and is dangerous in space. For those reasons, he also serves as the Huskies’ punt returner, which gives DraftKings users nice exposure to the ever-coveted special teams touchdown.
Jalen Reagor (TCU): $6,400 DraftKings; $8,600 FanDuel
Reagor saw limited targets in TCU’s first two games of the season against Southern and SMU, primarily due to game script. The Horned Frogs controlled both games from the very beginning, creating little motivation to pass heavily in those contests.
However, in his past two games, Reagor has delivered excellent production against marquee programs. Against Ohio State in Week 3, he caught seven passes for 98 yards; against Texas last week, he caught eight passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. He led the Horned Frogs in receiving by a wide margin in both those games, and I expect him to deliver similar production as TCU’s primary receiving threat against Iowa State this week.
Moroni Laulu-Pututau (BYU): $3,200 DraftKings; $5,800 FanDuel
I don’t typically like rostering tight ends, but Laulu-Pututau offers nice upside this week due to his high target market share for the Cougars. Make no mistake — BYU is a run-first team — but it might not be able to lean on its running game as much against the elite Washington defense. The Huskies rank third in the FBS in Defensive S&P+ and are limiting opponents to just 302.8 yards of total offense per game.
The Cougars are 17-point road dogs in this game, which likely signals that they will play from behind, further promoting a heavier passing attack. For the season, Laulu-Pututau leads the Cougars in receptions and shares the team lead with one TD catch; he’s a great candidate to see increased target volume in this game.
DFS Stacks
Ohio State
The Buckeyes offense features a 50/50 split at running back and must contend with Penn State’s elite run defense. More reliable value may be found with Ohio State’s big-play wide receivers in this game.
- QB Haskins
- WR Campbell
- WR Hill
- WR Austin Mack
Penn State
The Nittany Lions offense is dynamic and balanced, offering value at each position in a potential high-scoring affair against the Buckeyes.
- QB McSorley
- RB Sanders
- WR KJ Hamler
- WR Juwan Johnson
Boise State
The Broncos offense is pass-heavy and should produce solid DFS value against BYU.
- QB Rypien
- WR A.J. Richardson
- WR Sean Modster
- WR CT Thomas
- WR John Hightower
Photo Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Pictured Above: Parris Campbell
