This article is part of our College Football DFS: Friday Slate series.
SLATE OVERVIEW
Liberty (-10.5) vs. New Mexico State O/U: 56.5
Oregon (-9.5) @ Washington O/U: 65.5
CFB DFS TOOLS
- DraftKings College Football Optimizer
- FanDuel College Football Optimizer
- Weekly CFB Matchup Info
- CFB Targets
- CFB Stats
- CFB Team Trends
- CFB Advanced Team Stats with Plays per Game, Pass %, Run % and more
CFB DFS Friday Championship Week Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel
Quarterback
Bo Nix, Oregon (DK $9,500, FD $11,500) vs. Washington
If you removed the names and put the stats next to each other, you'd pick Nix as the next Heisman Trophy winner over Michael Penix, and a win in Las Vegas should cement Nix's rightful place as the victor. Many forget just how close Washington's W against the Ducks was, and since that win, NIx has only gotten better. I would never fade this game completely at quarterback, but Nix is a far better value than Penix, who hasn't been his usual prolific self over the past three games.
Kaidon Salter, Liberty (DK $8,200, FD $11,000) vs. New Mexico State
I'm not naive enough to think that this won't be a highly popular duo for this slate, but many may still flock to the Nix-Penix combo without a thought. I'd much rather go with Salter here, as his dual-threat ability is the best you'll find on the slate, and his 40 total touchdowns are hard to fade. Only Nix is responsible for more touchdowns, and it's a slim margin. The Flames
SLATE OVERVIEW
Liberty (-10.5) vs. New Mexico State O/U: 56.5
Oregon (-9.5) @ Washington O/U: 65.5
CFB DFS TOOLS
- DraftKings College Football Optimizer
- FanDuel College Football Optimizer
- Weekly CFB Matchup Info
- CFB Targets
- CFB Stats
- CFB Team Trends
- CFB Advanced Team Stats with Plays per Game, Pass %, Run % and more
CFB DFS Friday Championship Week Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel
Quarterback
Bo Nix, Oregon (DK $9,500, FD $11,500) vs. Washington
If you removed the names and put the stats next to each other, you'd pick Nix as the next Heisman Trophy winner over Michael Penix, and a win in Las Vegas should cement Nix's rightful place as the victor. Many forget just how close Washington's W against the Ducks was, and since that win, NIx has only gotten better. I would never fade this game completely at quarterback, but Nix is a far better value than Penix, who hasn't been his usual prolific self over the past three games.
Kaidon Salter, Liberty (DK $8,200, FD $11,000) vs. New Mexico State
I'm not naive enough to think that this won't be a highly popular duo for this slate, but many may still flock to the Nix-Penix combo without a thought. I'd much rather go with Salter here, as his dual-threat ability is the best you'll find on the slate, and his 40 total touchdowns are hard to fade. Only Nix is responsible for more touchdowns, and it's a slim margin. The Flames will try to run up the score to impress bowl committees, although they are a long shot to get into a major bowl.
Running Back
Quinton Cooley, Liberty (DK $6,300, FD $9,400) vs. New Mexico State
Bucky Irving will be extremely popular, so it seems wise to pivot to the other game for uniqueness' sake. Cooley had 1,251 yards and 13 touchdowns on the year, so he's certainly a worthwhile endorsement, and although the Flames will have more success against the Lobos through \the air, Cooley will get more than his share of touches.
Jordan James, Oregon (DK $4,500, FD $6,900) vs. Washington
James and Irving usually split the running load 60/40 and sometimes 70/30, but they will continue to rotate the backs to keep the other fresh. The Ducks tend to just go with the hot hand more often, which usually ends up being Irving, but James has had his share of good performances as well. He was more of a touchdown magnet earlier in the year, but he notched his 10th touchdown of the season last week against Oregon State.
Wide Receiver
Tez Johnson, Oregon [LOGO (DK $6,600, FD $9,200) vs. Washington
While I'll roster Troy Franklin (DK $7,300, FD $10,200) without a second thought, the brother-to-brother combo of Bo Nix and Johnson is too good to pass up, and it's been the most productive tandem on the team over the past couple of weeks. Johnson is a universal add in all of my contests, completing the stack with Nix, who also has heavy exposure from me.
Terrance Ferguson, Oregon (DK $3,600, FD $5,900) vs. Washington
I think the differential between Ferguson and Washington's Jack Westover (DK $3,300, FD $5,800) is very slim, but you probably need to use one if you're taking Nix and Salter as your quarterbacks. We need the salary relief, and both tight ends are frequent targets for their quarterbacks. The two are practically interchangeable, so mix and match at will.
To round out the best picks, I want to find a mid-range player with upside, and I settled on Liberty's CJ Daniels (DK $5,100, FD $8,000) and New Mexico State's Trent Hudson (DK $4,500, FD $7,000). Trust me, it will be scary to watch guys like Rome Odunze put up big numbers, but I think we've made the right choices at quarterback, and it's prudent to roll with these less-popular choices.