College Football DFS: Thursday and Friday Picks and Strategy for DraftKings and FanDuel

College Football DFS: Thursday and Friday Picks

With the Friday night slate slowing down at this time of year, featuring only two games each in Weeks 12 and 13, we'll combine our Thursday and Friday night DFS picks into one article. That's not to say the action is any less enticing — Thursday features a clash between two good Sun Belt teams in Troy and Old Dominion, while Friday features two Power Four games with No. 20 Louisville hosting Clemson and No. 8 Oregon hosting Minnesota. 

DraftKings and FanDuel are both up and running Thursday/Friday night, and below we break down some of the best plays on each slate.

Thursday/Friday College Football DFS Slate Overview 

The lone Thursday game in Week 12 features Troy and Old Dominion, two Sun Belt teams sitting at 6-3. Old Dominion is favored by a solid 11.5 points, but with a total set at 52.5, both teams are expected to be able to score to some degree. Both defenses are containing opposing passing offenses to under 200 air yards per game, but both defenses are also allowing over 160 rushing yards per game. This looks like a great matchup to get in on the ground game. 

The following night, Louisville kicks off the slate by hosting Clemson as a slim three-point favorite despite the vastly different seasons the programs have had. Both teams have been solid at defending the run, but Clemson's secondary looks like the unit to try to exploit for fantasy purposes; the Tigers surrender 245.4 passing yards per game this fall. This game is awash with offensive stars on both teams. 

Friday night wraps up with some Big Ten action as Oregon hosts Minnesota. The Ducks are heavy 25.5-point favorites, and Vegas expects Minnesota to struggle in this one. One of the key reasons? Oregon has been exceedingly tough to throw on, allowing just 126.1 passing yards per game. Both teams have stout defenses, but do the Gophers have enough firepower to keep this one close? That's the big question as Minnesota travels to Eugene. 

College Football DFS Tools

• FanDuel Lineup Optimizer
• Matchups Page (Vegas odds, opponent averages, etc.)
• Advanced Lineups Page
• Stats
• Team Trends
• Targets
• Defense vs. Position
• Team Rankings

College Football DFS Picks Thursday, November 13

Captain Picks

 Colton Joseph, Old Dominion ($12,600 on DraftKings, $21,000 on FanDuel)

Joseph sits atop the board for a reason. He has hit the high 20s or low 30s (depending on the site you use) in all but two games this season, so it's reasonably safe to anticipate an extremely high floor with upside for the clear best option from a fantasy standpoint. It'll be a big tougher to stomach Joseph on the FanDuel side, running you a third of your roster's salary, but the 1.5x multiplier should close the gap on having to save up elsewhere. The Trojans have held opposing QBs to just 16.5 fantasy points per game on DK so far this season, but mobile quarterbacks have fared much better, with South Alabama, Texas State and Louisiana-Lafayette signal callers all hitting 22 or more fantasy points.

Tae Meadows, RB, Troy ($8,400 on DraftKings, $11,700 on FanDuel) 

Meadows is the priciest running back on both slates, but he's a great pick no matter how you slice it. He's been Troy's leading ball-carrier by a wide margin; he averages 14 carries per game and has 50 more carries than the Trojans' next leading halfback. That means he's uniquely primed to capitalize on Old Dominion's porous run defense, which allows 173.9 yards per game. Meadows also saw six targets against Arkansas State last week, reeling in three of them. He appears to be getting more involved in the passing game as well, which will only bode well for his fantasy production. 

Util Plays

Devin Roche, RB, Old Dominion ($8,000 on DraftKings, $7,400 on FanDuel) 

As maligned as the Old Dominion run defense has been, Troy's hasn't been much better — the Trojans surrender 161.1 rushing yards per game and 1.6 rushing touchdowns per game. The Monarchs' backfield has been a mess this season, but in their last two games, it's been Roche who's led the way with 13 and 12 carries, respectively. He's only parlayed that into 93 yards, but again, the opportunities appear to be aplenty for the sophomore back against a porous defense. 

Ja'Cory Thomas, WR, Old Dominion ($5,600 on DraftKings, $8,200 on FanDuel) 

Old Dominion has three productive receivers, but if you're looking for a sneaky play, Thomas could be your man. He's reeled in 30 grabs for 532 yards and four touchdowns. That makes him second on the team in receptions, second in targets and tied for second in touchdowns, and he's the fourth-priciest receiver on both slates and the third-priciest Old Dominion wideout. That's a bargain, and he's in a prime position to outperform his price point. 

College Football Picks for Friday, November 14

Clemson at Louisville

Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson ($8,500 on DraftKings, $10,200 on FanDuel) 

Klubnik is pricy, but if you want a quarterback on Friday night, he's the only option you can feel great about. Louisville's Miller Moss is struggling, Oregon's Dante Moore hasn't looked great the past two weeks against good defenses, and Minnesota's Drake Lindsey faces a tough road matchup. Klubnik, meanwhile, has turned a page in recent weeks and is playing like a completely different quarterback than he was at the start of the season. Over his last four games, Klubnik has thrown for 1,140 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception on 78 percent completion. He's been absolutely lethal, and though Louisville's pass defense is allowing just 188.1 yards per game, it appears wise to bet against the Tigers' quarterback at the moment. 

T.J. Moore, WR, Clemson ($4,500 on DraftKings, $7,400 on FanDuel) 

Antonio Williams will get most of the attention at wideout for Clemson, and indeed, he's the priciest receiver on DraftKings and the second-priciest on FanDuel. Still, if you're looking for a bargain wideout who could play much better than his price point, Moore is staring you right in the face. As the sixth-most expensive receiver on DraftKings and the fifth-most expensive receiver on FanDuel, Moore is a steal. He's Clemson's second-leading receiver with 31 catches for 536 yards and four touchdowns, and with the way his aforementioned quarterback has been playing in recent weeks, it seems like the right time to bet on the Tigers' passing game. 

Chris Bell, WR, Louisville ($6,600 on DraftKings, $8,400 on FanDuel) 

I get it — he's not exactly cheap. Still, Bell appears to be one of the safest plays in this game. His quarterback Moss' struggles may give you pause, but even with Moss not playing up to snuff, Bell is still peppered with targets, averaging 10.5 over his last four games. He's turned that into 27 grabs for 290 yards and two touchdowns, which is still an excellent output. Bottom line: Bell will get fed the ball, and Clemson's pass defense, which allows 245.4 yards per game, doesn't look equipped to stop him. 

Also Consider: Louisville RB Keyjuan Brown ($5,600 on DraftKings, $8,100 on FanDuel) 

Oregon at Minnesota

Malik Benson, WR, Oregon ($3,700 on DraftKings, $7,100 on FanDuel) 

Oregon's top two pass-catchers, wideout Dakorien Moore and tight end Kenyon Sadiq, are both questionable in the lead-up to Minnesota, with Moore especially looking like a long shot. If he indeed misses the game, other Ducks receivers would need to step up, and with Gary Bryant also questionable, Benson looks like the safest bet. If Oregon is down some of its pass-catchers, which it almost certainly will be, Benson's target volume should increase. And while Minnesota boasts a strong pass defense, it's also surrendered 26.4 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, the second-worst mark in the Big Ten. Ultimately, Benson should have an extended opportunity against a Gophers' secondary that, from a fantasy perspective, has been friendly to wideouts. 

 Le'Meke Brockington, WR, Minnesota ($4,300 on DraftKings, $6,700 on FanDuel) 

With both the Gophers and the Ducks battling a litany of key injuries, it's hard to find plays I feel comfortable with in this game. The top-end players in terms of price point all carry significant risk, but if you want a cheaper option who should be in line for a solid outing, Brockington looks like a decent play. Minnesota's top wideout has 37 catches for 385 yards and three scores this fall, and has seen eight targets in back-to-back games. What's more, as heavy underdogs, the Gophers should be playing catch-up for most of the game, which should lead to lots of passing and in turn, plenty of opportunities for Brockington. Meanwhile, he's just the eighth-most expensive receiver on FanDuel and the seventh-most expensive receiver on DraftKings.