College Football DFS: Friday Slate Week 3

We've got a three-game slate coming up on Friday in our third official week of college football action.  Let's take a look at the Vegas numbers* before we jump into our DFS picks.

Kansas at Boston College (-21)  O/U: 51

Washington State (-9) at Houston O/U: 74

UNC at Wake Forest (-3)  O/U: 66

*-Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change

While Vegas is telling us that the Washington State-Houston matchup will be a shootout, the most intriguing matchup on the slate has to be the North Carolina-Wake Forest game.  Both teams are off to impressive 2-0 starts, and the reunion of Mack Brown and the Tar Heels has been a celebratory one.  Meanwhile, Jamie Newman and his host of talented receivers have turned Wake from an afterthought to a contender.  I won't completely fade any of these games – even the Kansas-Boston College matchup has a couple of value opportunities. 

QUARTERBACKS

Anthony Gordon, Washington State (DK $8,600, FD $10,400) at Houston

Gordon tops the QB list on both sites, and for good reason. The senior has thrown for 884 yards and completed almost 80 percent of his passes over the first two games of the season. Houston presents their toughest matchup yet, but the Cougars (and I mean Houston – it's Cougars versus Cougars on Friday) is yielding over 290 yards per game in passing defense, ranking a dreadful 217th in that category. He's about as chalky as you'll get on this slate despite an expensive price tag.

Jamie Newman, Wake Forest (DK $7,200, FD $10,000) vs. North Carolina

For your cash lineups, I don't think you need to look beyond these two signal-callers.  UNC's defense has been much better against the run and I think we'll see Wake lean on Newman and his excellent receiving corps. His statistical pedigree is a little slimmer (713 yards and 6 TDs over two games), and the narrow gap on FanDuel makes Gordon a more sensible option, but the price difference on DraftKings makes Newman an attractive target.

RUNNING BACKS

I predict high ownership for A.J. Dillon, and I don't doubt that he'll put up some decent numbers. I'm more likely to take another back as my expensive option, leaving some money on the table for a top receiver. Many of these teams have two or more rushers competing for touches, and we may be forced to pick one of them.

Max Borghi, Washington State (DK $7,300, FD $9,400) at Houston

While Borghi has only caught five passes out of the backfield, he did score a TD with one of them. He's logged 162 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and is the only reliable option at running back for the Cougars.  He'll have no competition for touches and will help Gordon open up the passing game.

Cade Carney, Wake Forest (DK $5,800, FD $8,200) vs. North Carolina

If Cade Carney is held out for a second straight game, I would immediately PIVOT to Kenneth Walker III (DK $5,100, FD $7,000).  Walker performed admirably in Carney's absence, rushing nine times for 125 yards and a touchdown.  With UNC and UH employing multiple running backs, waiting on the status of Carney feels like the more sensible play. 

If you're looking for a third running back for the flex instead of a wideout, refer back to the aforementioned Kenneth Walker III and AJ Dillon's backup, David Bailey. Both are cheaper options and should see action in the second half.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Sage Surratt, Wake Forest (DK $6,800, FD $9,300) vs. North Carolina

I'm equally OK with Scotty Washington here, but the price differentials aren't that significant, and I think Surratt is more of a possession player then Washington, who's more of a deep threat. Since both sites play PPR, I think you have to give the edge to Surratt. Surratt went off in Week 1 and Washington bested him in Week 2, so it's his turn?  I really think you could go either way here – they'll both come up big in this game.

Brandon Arconado, Washington State (DK $5,700, FD $8,000) at Houston

Washington State has a fine stable of receivers, but I like Arconado's price, especially on DraftKings. After two years as a role player on the team, he's shot up the depth chart and is somehow the Cougars' leading receiver through two games. He's caught 13 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown over two games, and we should see the team air it out in the first half. 

Andrew Parchment, Kansas (DK $4,000, FD $6,900) at Boston College

He's officially a flier for me, but since I expect Kansas to play from behind, I see no problem with targeting the Jayhawks' most consistent wideout so far this season. He didn't fare well against Coastal Carolina last week but he saw more targets than any other receiver. As long as Carter Stanley remains the quarterback, Parchment looks like his favorite option.

One other decent flex target at wideout could be Travell Harris (DK $4,100, FD $7,000) from Wazzu. He's caught seven balls for 135 yards over two games and could be used quite a bit if the game gets out of hand.

I'm going to go with Gordon and Newman at QB and the S-Flex, and spending up on Wake wideouts in several lineups. It's also likely that I will take a couple shots with the committee backs for UNC (Javonte Williams and Michael Carter) in the flex in hopes that one of them finds paydirt.