College Football DFS: Friday Slate, Week 12

Before we get to Saturday, five games are on tap for Friday, and we'll be looking at the best plays for DraftKings and FanDuel contests.

SLATE OVERVIEW

Louisiana Tech (-15) vs. Southern Mississippi O/U: 49

Washington State (-15) vs. Arizona O/U: 52

Houston (-8.5) vs. Memphis O/U: 59.5

Nevada (EVEN) vs. Air Force O/U: 52.5

San Diego State (-10.5) @ UNLV

As is often the case for CFB contests, your best budget plays will be at the receiver position, and Friday is no exception. Building off elite QBs and rushers is the best pathway to success, and making room for WR stacks is also recommended. There are some excellent stacks in the player pool tonight.

QUARTERBACK

Carson Strong, Nevada (DK $9,000, FD $10,000) vs. Air Force

Strong declared for the NFL Draft recently, and he should be one of the first quarterbacks off the board. In the nation, few QBs are as accurate as Strong (70.5 percent completion rate), and he's also prolific (374 yards per game with 28 touchdowns). The Falcons have a decent pass defense, but he shredded the conference's best pass defense with a 350-yard, three-touchdown effort against San Diego State. 

Jayden de Laura, Washington State (DK $7,300, FD $9,800) vs. Arizona

De Laura leads the second-best passing offense in the Pac-12, and we'll be loading up our exposure on his talented receiving corps as well. After finally winning their first game in two years a couple of weeks ago, the Wildcats are feeling it and will be upset-minded. While they have a decent edge in defending the pass, Arizona won't be able to keep up with the Cougars' offense, as they are stacked with talent at every position.  A slight concern for De Laura is his recent streak of interceptions, with four picks in the last three games,

Clayton Tune, Houston (DK $6,900, FD $10,200) vs. Memphis

I am not touching Tune on FanDuel as he is way overpriced there.  He's at a much more reasonable salary on DraftKings and can work at QB or in the S-FLEX position. Tune should have a field day against a porous Memphis secondary, which allows an average of 260 yards per game against opposing passers. Also, Tune has thrown 21 touchdowns and hasn't thrown a pick since Week 5.

RUNNING BACK

Alton McCaskill, Houston (DK $7,200, FD $9,500) vs. Memphis

McCaskill is one of the best freshman running backs in the nation and has 732 yards and a whopping 15 touchdowns to his credit. Although Clayton Tune will have more success through the air against Memphis, the Tigers aren't exactly great against the run either, allowing an average of 150 yards to opponents on the ground.  Ta'Zhawn Henry (DK $4,400, FD $6,500) may also have value as McCaskill's backup if the game gets out of hand.

Brad Roberts, Air Force (DK $7,000, FD $9,200) @ Nevada

It's a tale of opposites Friday as the run-first Falcons face the pass-happy Wolf Pack. Roberts is the premier running back in Air Force's triple-option approach. As one might expect, his volume is through the roof in this offense. Roberts averages almost 24 carries per game and just eclipsed 1,000 yards after a superb outing against Colorado State, shredding the Rams' defense with 151 yards and two touchdowns. Nevada presents a stiff challenge on defense, but aside from San Diego State, he's had success against every opponent this season.

Max Borghi, Washington State (DK $5,200, FD $7,400) vs. Arizona

Selecting Borghi holds a bit of variance due to a virtual timeshare with Deon McIntosh (DK $4,600, FD $6,400), but the usage has leaned in Borghi's favor over the past few weeks. The Cougar's committee approach is the primary cause for Borghi's budget price. While I think both running backs warrant consideration, Borghi still holds a significant lead over his teammate in yardage, carries and touchdowns. Borghi is also a better every-down back who can wear down Arizona's defensive front.

Also consider: Greg Bell, San Diego State (DK $6,100, FD $8,700) @ UNLV

WIDE RECEIVER

The Wolf Pack have one of the best tight ends in the country in Cole Turner (DK $7,400, FD $8,000), but he is just emerging from concussion protocol and may be a game-time call. He should be less popular due to the injury tag, but to play him, you'll need to stick close to the news as the game approaches.

Nathaniel Dell, Houston (DK $8,200, FD $8,500) vs. Memphis

Dell is the no-brainer stack pick with Tune, and his FanDuel price is excellent for what you're getting in return. Memphis is abysmal against the pass, and as Tune's primary target, the duo should have a field day. In 10 games, he's caught 58 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns.

Calvin Jackson, (DK $6,400, FD $7,900) and Travell Harris (DK $6,900, FD $8,700), Washington State vs. Arizona

You really can't go wrong with either wideout, as both of them have posted prolific totals over the past few weeks. Harris is coming off a great week against Oregon, where he went for 109 yards and a touchdown, and Jackson has caught 12 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown over the past two games. Jackson is the cheaper call, but both should be fine. For a slightly riskier pick in this passing attack, De'Zhaun Stribling (DK $4,000 FD $6,400) had come alive of late, recording five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown against the Ducks last week.

Eddie Lewis, Memphis (DK $3,700, FD $6,200) @ Houston

There are plenty of reasons not to go with a Memphis receiver against a tough Houston defense, but there's another reason not to go with Calvin Austin in your roster builds. Although Austin's numbers seem to suggest otherwise, a closer look reveals that most of his output is front-loaded in the first half of the season. His past four games have been downright terrible, and while an injury against SMU has had its effect, he seems to have lost a step in the process. Lewis has been the best receiver for the Tigers over the past few games, catching nine passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns over the past two games.  He is the best budget call on the slate and can save you a lot of coin as you go for other elites.

Also consider: Jason Brownlee, Southern Mississippi (DK $5,200, FD $5,500); Javon Ivory, Memphis (DK $4,300, FD $6,000)