College Football DFS: Night Slate: Week 10

As is typically the case, FanDuel and DraftKings differ on how they choose to split up the late slates for college football on Saturday. While FanDuel offers a full nine-game slate for the evening and then a four-game 'after hours' slate,  DraftKings takes six of those games and parcels them into a 'night' format and only offers three games in their 'late-night' offering. For the purposes of this article, we will cover all 12 games but split the endorsements according to night and late-night options

First, let's take a look at the lines for the nine available contests:

Auburn (-19.5) vs. Mississippi      O/U: 53.5

Tennessee (-13.5) vs. UAB     O/U: 48 (FD Only)

Indians (-10.5) vs. Northwestern     O/U; 43.5 (FD Only)

Cincinnati (-24) at East Carlina (47.5)  O/U: 47.5 (FD Only)

Memphis (-6) vs, SMU     O/U: 71.5

South Carolina (-15) vs. Vanderbilt    O/U: 51.5

North Carolina (-2.5) vs. Virginia     O/U: 47

Oregon (-3.5) at USC   O/U: 61

UCLA (-6.5) vs. Colorado                        O/U: 65

BYU  (-3.5) at Utah State                        O/U: 50.5

Boise State (-17) at San Jose State       O/U: 59.5

Nevada (-4) vs. New Mexico                 O/U: 58

Hawaii (-2) vs. Fresno State                  O/U: 70 (FD Only)

(Odds provided via DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change)

Three games pop out right away, don't they?  The Memphis/SMU matchup definitely warrants some additional research if you aren't familiar with their offenses, and if you aren't already familiar with the country's third-best passing attack, in Hawaii, you should be.  Cole McDonald and his host of talented receivers should help give credence to that O/U line. The only high line that I'm not sold on is the UCLA/Colorado game - While the Steven Montez/Laviska Shenault connection is potent, UCLA will likely be suiting up a backup quarterback and I have doubts that the Bruins can match up tonight.  We'll definitely take a pass on the Indiana/Northwestern game and probably fade UNC/UVA as well - with the large college slates, it's sometimes best to just exclude games based on Vegas' opinions alone to reduce your variance.

QUARTERBACK

Night

Justin Herbert, Oregon (DK $7,500, FD $8,900) at USC  

The Trojans have ridden on the back of Kedon Slovis on the way to some impressive wins as they struggle to keep their coach off the hot seat.  I just think the Ducks are way too strong for them, and USC lacks the necessary discipline on defense to keep Oregon in check, The Trojans rank 279th in the nation in passing yards allowed (252.2 YPG), so Herbert should get an opportunity to bounce back from the sub[ar game he had against Washington State. If you happen to be at this game, feel free to find me and berate me if Slovis destroys the Ducks, because I'll be there!

Steven Montez, Colorado (DK $6,800, FD $9,100) at USC  

FanDuel places Montez at the top of this slate while DraftKings has him at sixth-highest in salary, so he's definitely comes at a better deal on the latter. I've already given a mention to the connection with Laviska Shenault (DK $6,400, FD $8,900), so we can save space and just endorse this stack right off the bat.  It goes without saying that UCLA yields a lot of points to opponents, but they are in the cellar in passing offense, allowing an average of 310 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks.

You also can't fault targeting Shane Buechele (SMU) and Brady White (MEM) as they do battle in Vegas' highly-rated matchup.

LATE NIGHT/AFTER-HOURS

Josh Love, SJSU  (DK $7,600, FD $8,800) vs. Boise State  

The loss of Hank Bachmeier stings a bit, and the Broncos were exposed in a tough loss to BYU. While I like the Spartans' chances here based more on Boise State's offensive issues, I think Love will continue to prove he's one of the better quarterbacks in the conference as he attacks a defense that is stingy against the run, but merely adequate against the pass.

He's only on the FanDuel slate, but Cole McDonald (HAW) is another bonafide target you should heavily consider.

RUNNING BACK

Night

Kenny Gainwell, Memphis  (DK $8,300, FD $10,300) vs. SMU  

He tops the RB slate on both sites, and that's what you'd expect from the country's leading rusher.  Gainwell does a bit of everything for Memphis, as he's not only a bruising rusher, he can aptly catch balls out of the backfield.  With 11 TDs so far this season, you should consider him as the core guy in your night lineups despite the price.

Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt  (DK $7,000, FD $9,000) at South Carolina  

What I like most about Vaughn is that he'll still be utilized in the passing attack if this game gets out of hand. That all depends on what version of the Gamecocks we'll see on Saturday. He's caught 21 passes for 233 yards and touchdown, so he's going to have a couple of chances to get the ball out in space. He was able to rush for a respectable 74 yards rushing against a tough Georgia defense, so he has the potential to excel against any opponent.

Tavien Feaster, South Carolina (DK $5,300, FD $8,300) vs. Vanderbilt  

With Rico Dowdle (knee) still sidelined, I think the former Clemson Tiger has an excellent opportunity against a Vandy defense that ranks a lowly 203rd against the rush.  I always find it hard to be objective when endorsing a Gamecock, but that's natural for a Clemson native. I'm not being subjective when it comes to Feaster - he's rushed for 255 yards and two touchdowns over the past two games, including a 175-yard day against Tennessee.

Late Night/After-Hours

Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State  (FD $9,100) at Hawaii  

It's a shame you'll only find him on FanDuel, because Rivers is easily one of the most dynamic rushers in the Mountain West, and can easily pop for huge numbers on any given week. His game last week against Colorado State was an eye-popper, as he took the Rams for 188 yards of total offense and two touchdowns. 

Ahmari Davis, New Mexico  (DK $6,800, FD $8,600) at Nevada  

In terms of a reliable floor and snap count, I think Davis is just about the best you can do on this slate, especially when you consider the Lobos' occasional struggles through the air. He's rushed for an impressive 743 yards this year, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. Although he only has six touchdowns this season, he has a good chance of finding the end zone against a struggling Nevada squad.

WIDE RECEIVER

Night

Michael Pittman Jr. , USC (DK $6,600, FD $8,700) vs. Oregon  

The Trojans will have to air things out on Saturday to stay competitive.  Although there are a lot of mouths to feed for USC, it's apparent that Pittman is Slovis favorite receiver, especially with the deep ball. I can't exactly fade the dazzling Tyler Vaughns or the reliable possession receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown, but the potential for explosiveness lies with Pittman, who's rattled off an impressive 11 receptions for 225 yards over the past two games.

Damonte Coxie, Memphis  (DK $5,800, FD $8,000) vs. SMU  

I had to endorse someone for Memphis against SMU's porous secondary, and I landed on Coxie, who has been the Tigers' most productive receiver by a wide margin.  Kenneth Gainwell is their second-leading receiver, and no one else really registers on fantasy radar after that duo.

This game will be a shoot-out, and while the Mustangs are arguably the better passing team, you get Memphis' top target for a huge bargain.

Jaylon Redd, Oregon (DK $5,400, FD $8000) at USC  

Bang, bang, bang, bang.  That's now four straight touchdowns for Redd, who I know I've endorsed many times in my columns this year.  In the erratic and sometimes frustrating world of CFB DFS, reliability is a necessity. Although he's not going to get many looks from Herbert, almost all of them seem to occur in the red zone, where he has a sneaky ability to get open in space.

Late Night/After-Hours

DraftKings can't give you this present, but on FanDuel you can feast on Hawaii's talented crop  of receivers, including Cedric Byrd ($9,400),  JoJo Ward ($9,000) and most notably Kumoku Noa ($7,000) who's nicely buried in the field and may emerge as the top receiver on Saturday.  After missing seven games with an injury, their former #1 wideout is ready to make an impact.

Aside from that plum spot, you have a lot of receivers on this slate that are going to give you very similar floors, but I'll throw two other options out there to choose from.

Bailey Gaither, San Jose State  (DK $5,500, FD $7,700) vs. Boise State  

Like Redd on the other slate, Gaither has scored in four consecutive games. He's also not a reception magnet, but he makes the most of his opportunities when he gets them. He' logged 491 receiving yards off of only 21 receptions this season. A player this cheap will allow you to reach for guys like Gainwell.

Jordan Kress, New Mexico  (DK $5,800, FD $8,900) at Nevada  

Rolling with Kress also means that you're taking a dart throw with the inconsistent Tevaka Tuioti and hoping you hit bullseye.  To his credit, Tuioti has turned things around a little bit, although he can't seem to get the Lobos into the win column. An example of his turnaround was last week's game against Hawaii, where he connected with Kress four times for 100 yards and a touchdown. With Aaron Molina out, there isn't a lot of competition for Kress on the roster.

FLEX CONSIDERATIONS

Night

The S-Flex is always a good place to roster a quarterback, and I really do like Kedon Slovis' potential, even though I think Oregon will win out.  The freshman has a zip with his ball and isn't afraid to heave the ball deep. You also probably can't go wrong with Bo Nix here either, as he's lighting up the SEC on an almost weekly basis. Seth Williams is  a guy that will probably get a lot of looks from Nix on Saturday.

Late Night/After Hours

This is pretty much a crapshoot, but taking a flier on one of BYU's numerous options at running back could yield huge results. Sione Finau is the obvious front-runner, but Emmanuel Esukpa has seen an uptick in carries over the past two weeks, and his prices are extremely low.  I don't mind taking a risk on Tuioti at the S-Flex, but I'm more likely to roster a runner in the flex positions because these Mountain West teams (with Hawaii as the lone exception) favor the run. Considerations in that category include Toa Taua, George Holani and Gerold Bright.