This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.
We have hit Week 12 of the college football season and have some handy tools at your disposal for the upcoming FanDuel slates. With all of this information, we aim to arm you as much as possible each week.
Lineup optimizer
Weekly rankings by position
Target share
Team trends
Odds
Defense vs. Position
The slate has finally leveled off again at 16 games. Oklahoma leads the way in the implied points category this week at 52.5 against Kansas, with Washington (45.8), Clemson (43.0) and Michigan (40.8) rounding out the teams expected to score 40 points this week. The West Virginia-Oklahoma game features the highest over-under at 72.5, trailed closely by Oklahoma-Kansas. Those two games should feature a fair amount of DFS usage from three teams; I'll let you guess which won't. Some S&P+-suggested pitfalls include using Oklahoma State's passing game against West Virginia (43rd nationally), and Boston College's passing game versus a Florida State defense that grades in much higher (33rd against pass) than the per game statistics would suggest.
A full picture of some key statistical categories can be seen in the table below:
Note: All stats are opposing defense. I switched out plays per game for S&P+, which is a metric designed look at passing and rushing defense from an efficiency standpoint, eliminating the opponent factor.
YPA=Yards Per Attempt
Without further adieu, the following are some of the players I may target in the main slate this week.
Quarterback
Elite ($9,600+)
Kyler Murray, Oklahoma (vs. Kansas), $10,600
Murray's price dropped $100 after a slightly down week from a fantasy standpoint last week versus Oklahoma State. The only thing that kept Murray from equaling those totals was a lack of touchdowns, scoring just one the day. It's a fairly safe bet that this won't be an issue against the Jayhawks, and the Sooners need to make a statement each and every week to remain in the playoff picture.
Secondary Picks: Will Grier, West Virginia (10,500), Ian Book, Notre Dame ($9,700)
Mid-Tier ($8,600-$9,500)
Shea Patterson, Michigan (vs. Indiana), $8,700
Patterson has forged the Michigan passing game into a capable attack, and the Wolverines take on a Hoosiers pass defense that grades out 107th in S&P+ against the pass, allowing 7.6 yards per passing attempt and 2.3 passing touchdowns per game so far this season. Patterson has scored at least 21.96 points per game in four of his last five matchups and should find his way into the low-to-mid 20s again Saturday.
Tournament Play: Drew Lock, Missouri ($9,300)
Bargain Bin (<$8,600)
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh (at Wake Forest), ($7,200)
There are a few DFS darts that could be worth utilizing in tournament lineups this week, but Pickett may be the best of the bunch to take a shot with. He had a near 30-point game under his belt from a couple weeks back and possesses the dual-threat ability that makes him an intriguing option. Pitt is favored by 6.5 points for the contest and has an implied total of 33.8, going up against a Wake Forest defense that is subpar across the board. At $7,200, the price is right if you're looking for a cheap option to insert with some bigger names at other positions.
Other tournament picks: David Blough, Purdue ($8,400), Tyrrell Pigrome, Maryland ($6,300)
Running Back
Elite ($9,000 and up)
Myles Gaskin, Washington (vs. Oregon State), $9,300
Gaskin checks in tied for 10th on the slate in terms of pricing, but he, by far, possesses the best matchup of the week. Oregon State ranks dead last in the FBS on the S&P+ grading scale against the run, surrendering slate-worst marks of 271.5 rushing yards per game and 6.9 yards per attempt, not to mention the Beavers allow 2.8 rushing touchdowns per contest. After a couple weeks off due to injury, Gaskin returned to a whopping 62 percent of the teams carries last week. It's quite possible this game will turn into a blowout, and the backups will enter in the second half of this contest, but Gaskin should produce plenty prior to that.
Secondary Picks: Travis Etienne, Clemson ($10,000), Miles Sanders, Penn State ($9,400)
Mid-Tier ($7,500-$8,900)
Darrin Hall, Pittsburgh (at Wake Forest), $8,900
Hall generally receives a couple fewer carries than Qadree Ollison on a given night, but that hasn't prevented him from producing on a weekly basis. He averages only 3.1 points per game less than Ollison on the year and can certainly outproduce him on a given week. Coming off a pair of games in which he's gone over 180 yards rushing, Hall should be in a good position to torch a Wake Forest defense surrendering 2.7 rushing touchdowns per contest and more than 200 rushing yards per game.
Secondary picks: Aca'Cedric Ware, USC ($8,200)
Bargain Bin (<$7,500)
Anthony McFarland, Maryland (vs. Ohio State), $6,800
McFarland took a massive share of the carries last Saturday against Indiana, rushing 29 times in total for 210 yards after both Ty Johnson (undisclosed) and Javon Leake (undisclosed) left with injuries. Leake was listed on the depth chart for this week's contest while Johnson – the more likely of the two to factor in heavily – was not. If Johnson and/or Leake misses out, McFarland would likely be in line for additional carries.
Tournament play: Chris Evans, Michigan ($7,400)
Wide Receiver
Elite ($9,000 and up)
David Sills V, West Virginia (at Oklahoma State), $9,600
Sills generally sits over $10,000 in a good matchup, so the star wideout checking in at just $9,600 in the game's highest expected scoring game should be a steal. Sills has been the target of at least 26 percent and of double-digit pass attempts, in each of the last three weeks. He reached pay dirt in each of the last five weeks, and there's no reason to believe that streak will be snapped Saturday against an Oklahoma State defense allowing two passing touchdowns per game this season.
Secondary pick: Rondale Moore, Purdue ($9,600)
Mid-Tier ($7,500-$8,900)
Tyron Johnson, Oklahoma State (vs. West Virginia), $8,300
Johnson doesn't receive as much fanfare as teammate Tylon Wallace, but he's nearly equaled him in targets the last two weeks, receiving just three fewer and 28 total. He's hauled in 19 of those 28 targets and turned them into 209 yards and a touchdown, and should have a good opportunity to back up those efforts again Saturday opposite Sills and Co. in the highest projected scoring game.
Secondary Picks: Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan ($7,900)
Bargain Bin (<$7,500)
D.J. Matthews, Florida State (vs. Boston College), $6,700
A Florida State player? Really? Hear me out. At just $6,700, you will take home a wide receiver who has been the target of 23 passes combined in the last two games. While he hauled in just four of those last week against Notre Dame, the Irish rank eighth in S&P+ against the pass. It doesn't get much better this week against a Boston College defense that chimes in at No. 31, but the volume, combined with the fact that he's reportedly moved ahead of Nyqwan Murray on the depth chart despite the "or" designation remaining between the two, putting him in position to be at the end of a number of passes again Saturday. Just two weeks removed from a 10-catch effort for 133 yards and a touchdown, Matthews could have another big day on tap.
Secondary Pick: Steven Sims Jr., Kansas ($6,700)
