College Football DFS: Night Slate, Week 5

As usual, the night slates for FanDuel and DraftKings refuse to cooperate, and only seven of the 10 games listed are shared.  We'll break down the outlier games at the end of the article, and we'll use the seven common games as the focus of the column today.

SLATE OVERVIEW

Oklahoma State (-3.5) vs. Baylor O/U: 47

Texas A&M (-6.5) vs. Mississippi State O/U: 46

UAB (-2.5) vs. Liberty O/U: 49.5

Penn State (-12.5) vs. Indiana O/U: 53.5

Clemson (-14.5) vs. Boston College O/U: 46.5

Michigan State (-10.5) vs. Western Kentucky O/U: 65

Nebraska (-11) vs. Northwestern O/U: 51.5

Louisiana-Lafayette (-12) @ South Alabama O/U: 53 (FANDUEL ONLY)

LSU (-3) vs. Auburn O/U: 57 (FANDUEL ONLY)

Oregon State (-1.5) vs. Washington O/U: 57 (FANDUEL ONLY)

Iowa State (-34) vs. Kansas O/U: 57 (DRAFTKINGS ONLY)

Unlike the earlier games, the game totals for this slate all lie within 11 points of each other (except for the MSU/WKU game), so there isn't much of a differential from a fantasy perspective. Aside from ISU/KU on the FanDuel end, most of the point spreads are relatively reasonable as well. The shootout potential of LIB/UAB and BAY/OSU interest me the most, while BC/CLEM and MSST/TA&M are two games I will largely avoid.

QUARTERBACK

Malik Willis, Liberty (DK $9,000, FD $11,000) is the headliner here, but I want to avoid making the blatantly obvious choice for you.  If you follow college football at all, you know Willis and his skill set, and he's set up well in a shootout against UAB. He'll also be extremely popular and is thus not my favorite choice for tournaments. If you're playing small fields or cash, he's perfectly suitable there. The outlier games have a lot of QB talent, so be sure to do some comparison shopping at the end of the article, depending on which site you're playing.

Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky (DK $7,900, FD $10,200) @ Michigan State

Zappe is a touchdown machine for the Hilltoppers, and although their schedule is soft, he put up well over 300 yards passing against decent squids like Indiana and Army. Michigan State is arguably their stiffest test yet, but the Spartans rank a lowly 223rd in passing defense and allow an average of 265 yards per game. Zappe and company should be playing from behind at various points in this contest, and they'll rely on the pass to keep this game close. I'm also keen to endorse Payton Thorne (DK $8,300, FD $8,900) on the other side of this matchup.  After besting Temple transfer Anthony Russo in camp, Thorne has racked up an almost error-free 10:1 QB/INT ratio while completing 62 percent of his passes. He's looking to rebound after a tepid day against Nebraska.

Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State (DK $7,000, FD $8,200) vs. Baylor

Sanders comes at a nice discount in what should be a high-scoring affair against the Bears. Baylor's passing defense is stalwart, but you're buying into Sanders as a read-option guy who can get things done with his feet. He'll average about 10 rushes per game out of the backfield, and as he showed last week versus Kansas State, he's no slouch through the air, either. He dwarfed his other stat lines with 344 yards passing and two touchdowns in an important win. This clash between undefeated teams is one of the best common matchups you can find across both sites.

Also consider: Adrian Martinez, Nebraska (DK $8,700, FD $10,600)

RUNNING BACK

Kenneth Walker, Michigan State (DK $8,000, FD $10,000) vs. Western Kentucky

I won't deceive you -the outlier games have a lot of RB talent, but Walker is worth every penny in this one. Since leaving Wake Forest, Walker has alternated between excellence and mediocrity, but he has a chance for something special against the Hilltoppers, who allow a whopping 224 rushing yards per game currently. Against weaker defenses, Walker's totals range from 172 to 264 yards, and I wouldn't be surprised to see his number today fall somewhere between these excellent totals. He's currently in a two-game touchdown drought, but there's a good chance he''ll end that streak in this game.

Abram Smith, Baylor (DK $5,600, FD $7,500) @ Oklahoma State

Smith is at an excellent salary level on both sites. The 5-11 senior broke his streak of 100-plus yard games in the upset win over Iowa State last week, but otherwise, he's posted superlative numbers. He has five touchdowns on the season, and although Oklahoma State's defense is stingy, Smith should be able to punch it in when Baylor gets close to the goal line. He's forced to share carries with Trestan Ebner, but his numbers have dwindled in recent weeks.

Jaylen Warren, Oklahoma State (DK $7,000, FD $8,900) vs. Baylor

Sometimes placing opposing running backs is the right idea, and you can't go wrong with Warren, whose numbers have gotten better and better as the season wears on. The Utah State transfer has taken advantage of LD Brown's absence to take over the starting duties in the backfield, and if the last two games are any indication, Warren could end up seeing up to 30 carries per game moving forward. He'll be in line to renew his touchdown streak at home this week.

Also consider: Kobe Pace, Clemson (DK $5,100, FD $7,000)

WIDE RECEIVER

Jahan Dotson, Penn State (DK $7,100, FD $9,700) vs, Indiana

Dotson is very affordable on DraftKings, and you can probably reach him on FanDuel if you went low on running back or the S-Flex quarterback. Few receivers will see more looks than Dotson, who's been targeted 37 times over four games. He's Sean Clifford's favorite target by a mile, and if you choose to employ Dotson, Clifford would be a decent S-Flex play to take advantage of the combined output. Indiana is not known for its defense, and its ability to stop the pass is far less potent than its resilience on the ground. The Nittany Lions will win the day through the air with Dotson as the captain.

Jayden Reed, Michigan State (DK $8,200, FD $9,200) vs. Western Kentucky

Although he's a bit more expensive, you need to get Reed involved if you went with Payton Thorne in one of the quarterback spots. Reed has scored one or more touchdowns in three straight contests and has compiled 336 yards receiving so far this season. He has an excellent completion percentage relative to the targets he gets and is always good for an explosive play. If you want to get in on the Spartans passing game but don't want to pay a mint, take a flier on Tre Mosley (DK $3,900, FD $6,100). He led the team in receiving yards against Nebraska last week and has been targeted 14 times over four games.

Jerreth Sterns, Western Kentucky (DK $7,400, FD $9,000) @ Michigan State

Sterns is the guy to stack with Bailey Zappe. He averages eight catches per game and has four touchdowns to his credit in only three games, and the 5-9 junior has amassed 360 yards receiving over the same span. He could end up at a height disadvantage against the Spartans secondary, but he's a talented separation receiver who doesn't need to rely on a 50/50 ball to make an impact.

Also consider:Gerrit Prince, UAB (DK $6,000, FD $7,600)

FANDUEL GAMES

Louisiana-Lafayette @ South Alabama

Both Levi Lewis ($8,100) and Jake Bentley ($6,600) are apt signal-callers, and Bentley has the use of Jalen Tolbert ($8,600), who is one of the best wideouts in the country. While that is a potent combo, the Ragin' Cajuns also have some offensive firepower, with Chris Smith ($7,100) handling the running game. Emani Bailey ($5,800) is a suitable contrarian running back in this contest for a flier.

Auburn @ LSU 

It's a shame we don't have this contest on both sites because it would have significantly altered some of our recommendations above. Auburn's Tank Bigsby ($8,500) is probably my favorite play on the slate, especially after Bo Nix's benching (although he is expected to return). Couple that with the recent firing of the wide receivers coach, Auburn's passing game is a part of the contest that's worth fading. Conversely, LSU will live and die by the pass, and you can bet that Kayshon Boutte ($9,500) will be heavily involved. A less expensive wideout option for LSU - Deion Smith ($6,000).

Washington @ Oregon State 

This contest is my favorite among the FanDuel-only contests, and it's chock-full of great fantasy options that should fall under the radar. Both Chance Nolan ($8,800) and Dylan Morris ($8,400) are excellent contrarian QBs in the contest, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a better RB than Oregon State's B.J. Baylor ($8,600) on the slate. Washington's running back situation is currently in flux, so it's best to avoid them, but they have a slew of palatable wideouts. My favorite of the group is Jalen McMillan ($7,000) along with Cade Otton ($6,000), one of the best tight ends in the country.

DRAFTKINGS GAMES

Kansas @  Iowa State 

This game is a potential blowout, but you have to like Iowa State's Breece Hall ($9,500) if he's in the player pool. Last week, he racked up a whopping 190 yards against a tough Baylor defense and has six touchdowns to his credit over the first four games. The guy does it all and will probably be among the top point-getters for DraftKings on this slate. Brock Purdy has underperformed, so I'm not too keen on him, but Jason Bean ($5,000) has played some nifty ball for the Jayhawks, and he is a good contrarian pick for a team that will need to pass a lot. Lawrence Arnold ($3,800) is a great WR sleeper for Bean, although Kwamie Lassiter ($4,000) will probably see most of Bean's targets. For the Cyclones, I want to grab a secondary pass-catcher in a blowout game, so I will look past obvious plays like Xavier Hutchinson and go with Chase Allen ($4,800), who led the team in receiving yards against Baylor last week.