FanDuel College Football: Week 2

FanDuel College Football: Week 2

This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.

Onward to Week 2. Displayed below is a review of the Week 1 outputs for my fantasy picks, with some mixed results thanks to a Nebraska stinker and a swap at starting running back for the Crimson Tide. Hopefully you were paying attention and made the swap before lineup lock, as Jerome Ford paid out more than his fare share of value in the contest. To avoid Week 1 matchups getting too much weight, I'm going to stick with the 2018 matchup stats until we get more meat on the bones for this season.

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Week 1 Review

Last Week's Picks

Tua Tagovailoa ($10,200): 30.9 points
Matt McKay ($8,700): 31.8 points
Keilan Robinson ($4,500): 0.5 points
Note: Jerome Ford started, so hopefully you made the swap
Patrick Taylor Jr. ($10,000): 23.3 points
Emeka Emezie ($8,600): 10.5 points
Johnny Johnson III ($6,700): 13.3 points
JD Spielman ($9,400): 2.6 points (Ouch, Nebraska)

DFS Tools

Matchup Info (2018 Stats)

Note: I had to split this into two tables because I couldn't fit it all in one screenshot

Week 2 Plays

Quarterback

Riley Neal, Vanderbilt ($6,900) at Purdue

Neal's debut with the Commodores was disastrous, finishing the night with just 85 yards passing on 25 attempts. Georgia sports one of the better defenses in the nation, but that's far from the case for Vandy's Week 2 opponent in Purdue. Although the Boilermakers are favored, they are coming off a loss to Nevada in the opener, during which they surrendered 295 passing yards and three passing touchdowns to a freshman quarterback. A similar Purdue defense last season surrendered 284.7 passing yards per game last season. As seven point underdogs, Neal and company may be forced to rely on the passing game late, potentially bolstering his numbers.

Trevor Lawrence, Clemson ($9,300) vs. Texas A&M

 Coming off a (gasp) two-interception contest in the opener, Lawrence will need to refocus after tossing just four all of his freshman season. He certainly has the arm talent and weapons to do just that, and Saturday's matchup with the Aggies may also dictate a larger emphasis on the passing game. Texas A&M's defense in 2018 held the opposition to just 3.2 yards per carry and a slate-low 95.2 rushing yards per game. That same defense allowed 8.2 yards per passing attempt and two passing touchdowns per game. While that wasn't the case in the opener against Texas State, the Bobcat quarterbacks did combine to complete north of 63 percent of their pass attempts. A similar completion rate for Lawrence on Saturday would certainly result in a lot more damage.

Bonus GPP play: Dillon Gabriel, Central Florida ($6,300) at Florida Atlantic

Gabriel outperformed starter Brandon Wimbush in his first foray into the college ranks last Thursday, completing nine of his 13 pass attempts for 127 yards and three touchdowns, and coach Josh Heupel indicated that he should see some reps again in the first half of Saturday's tilt against in-state foe FAU. The Owls looked lost last week against Ohio State, with multiple blown assignments leading to four touchdown passes and 234 passing yards on just 25 attempts, so there's plenty that Gabriel can do even on split duties.

Running Back

Najee Harris, Alabama ($9,600) vs. New Mexico State

After sitting out part of Saturday's opener due to suspension, Harris returned to average just 4.3 yards per carry. The Crimson Tide rushing attack as a whole struggled to get things going, so I'm expecting Saban to overcorrect by forcing the ball down the throat of a New Mexico State defense that allowed a slate-high 268.4 rushing yards per game last season and surrendered 128 rushing yards on just 10 carries to Washington State back Max Borghi. Harris should see more usage early Saturday in a game where Alabama is favored by a whopping 55 points. Other backs including Brian Robinson Jr. ($6,800) and Jerome Ford ($5,900) should garner consideration as well given the expected blowout game script.

Mekhi Sargent, Iowa ($9,900) vs. Rutgers

Sure, Rutgers looked more competent on offense last Friday than they did during all of last season. That doesn't change the fact that they allowed 21 points to a UMass team that finished just 4-8 last season and lost star wideout Andy Isabella and senior quarterback Andrew Ford. The Minutemen's top two running backs both averaged more than six yards per carry and Iowa's rushing attack has proven much more sound than that in the past. Sargent is the Hawkeyes' best all-around contributor and finished last week with 91 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground while adding four grabs for another 65 yards as a receiver. That included a game script that allowed for an emptying of the bench in the second half, so Sargent could see better numbers yet against a Rutgers rush defense that doesn't look to be much different from the 11 that allowed a slate-high 5.3 yards per attempt on the ground last season.

Bonus GPP play: Abdul Adams, Syracuse  ($5,300) at Maryland

Adams evenly split carries with Moe Neal ($8,700) in the opener and comes in $3,400 cheaper in Week 2. Considering Tommy Devito did little to inspire confidence in the opener, the Orange may lean more on the running game Saturday against a Maryland defense that allowed 4.4 yards per tote and 183.9 rushing yards per game in 2018. If Adams gets his share again, there could be a good amount of value to be had.

Wide Receiver

Amad Anderson, Purdue ($6,300) vs. Vanderbilt

While sophomore Rondale Moore continues to draw the headlines from a fantasy perspective, Anderson quietly finished last Saturday with six catches on 11 targets for 60 yards. Without a reliable running back to turn to, look for the Boilermakers to take to the air again Saturday. Anderson's 5-foot-11 frame doesn't make him a prime red-zone target, but he should remain a key target in the passing attack again and his price doesn't reflect that at this juncture.

Justyn Ross, Clemson ($8,600) vs. Texas A&M

Ross was just $300 cheaper than Tee Higgins for last week's opener, but he will save you more than $1,000 in Week 2 after a bit of a dud from him in the opener. It was a slightly off night for sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but expect Lawrence to be on top of his game this week with a ranked opponent on tap. Ross is coming off a 1,000-yard (exactly 1,000) receiving season in 2018 that included nine touchdowns and drew three more targets than any other Tigers receiver outside of Higgins, so a bounceback outing Saturday wouldn't be shocking against an Aggies pass defense that hasn't proved itself yet against formidable competition.

Jerry Jeudy, Alabama ($10,100) vs. New Mexico State

It's tough to pass up getting shares of the biggest favorite on the slate Saturday, so I won't. Jeudy hauled in 10 of his 13 targets for 137 yards and a touchdown in the opener against Duke, leaving just eight receivers nationwide to draw more in the opening game of the season. Tua Tagovailoa has a Heisman Trophy campaign to keep going, so, while Jeudy and the offense may not remain on the field much into the second half, Jeudy should still get plenty of looks in the passing game during the first 30 minutes. As he proved last year, he doesn't need much to make post a big fantasy day.

Bonus GPP Play: Romeo Doubs, Nevada ($7,100) at Oregon

The Ducks are unlikely to take the foot off the gas after the criticism the staff received for that decision in the opener against Auburn, so look for Nevada to rely on the passing attack in an attempt to keep pace. Doubs didn't turn in a particularly strong fantasy effort last week against Purdue. However, he did draw 11 targets in the contest  figures to be a key piece in the offense. Freshman Carson Strong looked anything but green in his first look under center, so there may still be some value in the overlooked wideout for a heavy underdog.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Benzine plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Crispy272001, DraftKings: Crispy27.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Benzine
Chris is the college football editor and the Kansas City Chiefs beat writer. He's a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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