College Football DFS: Picks: Saturday Night Plays on FanDuel for Week 3

FanDuel has pulled out all the stops for Saturday night, giving us a massive 10-game slate with many interesting games to choose from. The action starts at 7:00 p.m. ET, so let's dig right in.

SLATE OVERVIEW

Nebraska (-13.5) vs. Northern Illinois O/U: 42.3

Tennessee (-5.5) @ Florida O/U: 56

Syracuse (-2.5) @ Purdue O/U: 56.5

West Virginia (-2.5) vs. Pittsburgh O/U: 47.5

Mississippi (-17.5) vs. Georgia Tech O/U: 63

Michigan (-40.5) vs. Bowling Green O/U: 53.5

Arkansas (-7.5) vs. BYU O/U: 47.5

Texas (-29.5) vs. Wyoming O/U: 48.5

TCU (-7.5) @ Houston O/U: 63.5

Clemson (-24.5) vs. Florida Atlantic O/U: 51.5

I tend to follow a tight-spread, high-total model when hunting for DFS production, and there are quite a few games that fit the bill. Florida, Syracuse and TCU jump off the page as viable targets, but some heavy road favorites like Michigan, Clemson and Texas are worth diving into as well.

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CFB DFS Saturday Night Picks on FanDuel for Week 3

Quarterback

Garrett Shrader, Syracuse ($9,800) @ Purdue

I'll make the exact top pick I made over on DraftKings but for a slightly different reason. The salaries for Ewers, Dart and Milton are a little hard to swallow, and I don't want to let Shrader slip by below 10k. It's hard to argue with Shrader's stats right now. He's gained 543 yards through the air with five touchdowns and only one pick through two games. He may be without Oronde Gadsden (ankle) tonight, but he has an impressive crew of wideouts to target, and I'm confident that he'll find a way against a porous Purdue pass defense.

Cade Klubnik, Clemson ($10,000) vs. Florida Atlantic

Clemson faces Florida State next week, and while I speculate they'll take every precaution to rest their starters early, this is Garrett Riley's last chance to get this offense humming before facing the Seminoles. I'm not a Klubnik apologist - in fact, I've been very vocal about the benching of DJ Uiagalelei and why that was a wrong move for the Tigers. The kid has talent, but he needs more reps. If he can stop coughing the ball up and manage to get into a rhythm early, we could see a significant number like he had against Charleston Southern. FAU will make the game only slightly more competitive, and although Clemson loves to run the ball, it's a facet of the offense that they don't need to tinker with. They need Klubnik to throw the ball and get real-time snaps doing it. 

Graham Mertz, Florida ($7,600) vs. Tennessee

I wanted to offer up a budget option, and Mertz is about as low as I'll go. A real feather in the cap for Mertz is how well he handled Utah's defense in Week 1. Although he's a true pocket passer and lacks the kind of dual-threat versatility the Gators had with Anthony Richardson, the team is adapting well to Mertz's skill set. You can discount his Week 2 numbers because the Gators mostly ran the ball, and Mertz saw only 55 snaps. You can expect a full four quarters in the Swamp this week, and I think Florida could take this one against the Vols, who are 2-0 but haven't looked explosive enough to beat a top program.

Also consider: Chandler Morris, TCU ($10,500) @ Houston

Running Back

Blake Corum, Michigan ($10,200) vs. Bowling Green

Corum hasn't disappeared in Michigan's suite of weak opponents, and I believe we will see much of the same on Saturday. Although his yardage is a bit concerning, he's a top target in the red zone, and we should expect the Wolverines to be inside the 20 often enough to give Corum a couple of touchdowns. I would say that Donovan Edwards is a viable pivot, but the 0.5 PPR rule for FanDuel compels me to stay put with Corum. Edwards is the pass-catching back and is not as valuable in this format.

Jonathon Brooks, Texas ($8,700) vs. Wyoming

I love Will Shipley ($10,000)  in this spot, but we must go lower if we want quality across the board. With CJ Baxter (ribs) questionable, I like Brooks much more than I usually would. Let's not forget that Wyoming upset Texas Tech a couple of weeks ago, so they are a formidable squad, and I think the Longhorns will keep their first-string guys out for most of the game. They won't take a chance on Baxter aggravating his injury, which leaves the door wide open for Brooks to get 15-17 touches. For GPPs, I wouldn't object to a flyer on Jaydon Blue ($4,900), but only if Baxter is a scratch.

Jaylen Wright, Tennessee ($6,100) @ Florida

Wright continues to outplay incumbent starter Jabari Small, and FanDuel has failed to respond with a salary increase. Although Small could rebound with a superior game at any moment, this is the kind of spot you have to smash when there's a clear salary error. Wright has surpassed the century mark twice already, and these are numbers we can't ignore at this salary level.

Wide Receiver

Xavier Worthy, Texas   ($8,300) vs. Wyoming

I am all over Worrthy at $8,300. He's totaled 20 targets over two games, and although he needs to find paydirt with more of them, I think that volume is a solid indicator that Worthy will eventually blow up- it's simply a matter of when. Wyoming has been stingy against the pass, but they've yet to face a team like Texas. Wyoming's win against Texas Tech was impressive, but the Longhorns are at another level talent-wise, and Worthy is as NFL-ready as you'll get in the Big 12.

Jordan Watkins, Mississippi ($7,000) vs. Georgia Tech

Zakhari Franklin (undisclosed) is doubtful and Tre Harris (knee) is out, so it's a great time to smash Watkins. Ole Miss should be able to handle Georgia Tech, but the Yellowjackets are one of the season's big surprises, as nobody expected much out of Haynes King and the offense. Coach Lane Kiffin won't be able to rest his laurels on the run game, so he'll be keen to let Jaxson Dart loose.

Isaiah Jones, Syracuse ($6,900) @ Purdue

You can find other Syracuse targets like Donovan Brown ($7,800) and Umari Hatcher ($6,800) out there, but Jones seems to be a touchdown magnet for Garrett Schrader so far this season. It's tough when you have a lot of quality guys on one team because the PPR can suffer, but FanDuel gives you only 0.5 per catch, so it isn't as important. Oronde Gadsden's potential absence results in a significant upgrade for these guys. Here's an interesting GPP wrinkle for you - Damien Alford ($5,100) was supposed to be the top guy in the wide receiver room, and so far it hasn't happened so far. Could this be the week he bounces back? It's a risk-reward pick but worth a flier if you take an MME route this week.

Also consider: Antonio Williams, Clemson ($7,700) vs. FAU, Ricky Pearsall, Florida ($7,500) vs. Tennessee