College Football DFS Picks: Tuesday MACtion Slate, Week 12

We're down to just two more weeks of regular season play and there are only three more true MACtion slates remaining. Rather than dwell on those realizations, let's celebrate tonight's two-game MACtion slate with some fun players and matchups to target. 

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Quarterback

Kurtis Rourke ($8,000) Ohio at Ball State

Not surprisingly, quarterback sets up as a sort of Process of Elimination position tonight. Matt McDonald has promising passing volume but he's at the helm of a team with an implied total of 17. John Paddock is coming off an abysmal 13-for-35 showing and hasn't thrown for more than 250 yards in a game since Week 5. So it boils down to Rourke and Dequan Finn. Rourke has been the most consistent producer on this slate, averaging 28.1 DK points per game and 30.1 DK points per game over his last five games. He has thrown for 679 yards and eight touchdowns in his last two games as well. 

Dequan Finn ($7,600) Toledo vs. Bowling Green

Finn didn't show any rust in his return from injury last week by throwing for 300 yards and three scores. It was clear that he wasn't as active as a runner, though, as he ran it just eight times for 10 yards after rushing for at least 32 yards in each of his previous outings. It's possible that he will be more effective as a runner this week while continuing to show out as a passer as Toledo checks in with a slate-leading implied total of 33.0 points.

Running Back

Carson Steele ($8,200) Ball State vs. Ohio

On a slate like this with just two games, deciding whether to play or fade the top player on the slate is one of the most important calls you'll make. Steele certainly qualifies as that for this slate.

The 215-pounder has been ripping it up all season as the engine of the Ball State offense. In his last three games against conference opponents, Steele has easily cleared the 100-yard mark in each, including the 190-yard mark in back-to-back games. No other back on this slate really even holds a candle to Steele's production and there isn't the type of receiver talent on this slate to justify fading Steele for the savings, especially in cash games. In tournaments, it may be worth the risk to have a non-Steele build if you're creating multiple entries, but that's about it. 

Jacquez Stuart ($4,000) Toledo vs. Bowling Green

MACtion slates are often about finding the right balance of recency bias and season-long track record. Toledo has a deep backfield rotation that also features Peny Boone and Micah Kelly. Stuart is coming off a dud of a game with nine carries for 23 yards but he had rushed for at least 60 yards in his previous two games. Boone and Kelly both have shown minimal explosiveness of late as neither average more than 4.04 YPC in the last three while Stuart has shown some burst with a 5.59 YPC mark. If Stuart can push for 10+ carries, which he's done five times in his last seven, he should be able to return value against a Bowling Green defense that allows 4.4 YPC.

Wide Receiver

Jerjuan Newton ($4,900) and DeMeer Blankumsee ($4,300) Toledo vs. Bowling Green

Finn being back at quarterback makes the Toledo receivers much easier to trust this week. Newton paced all pass-catchers on this slate in targets last week (13) and reeled in seven receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown. He has six touchdowns in his last five games and has a 10.4 YPT mark in that stretch. To get Toledo's top receiver for under $5K this week is a bargain. 

Blankumsee is more of a GPP-only option. He hasn't recorded a catch since Week 5 against Central Michigan and did not suit up in at least three games since then. Blankumsee recorded four targets last week, which is a positive sign despite the fact that he did not record any receptions. Again, we have to get creative with our GPP picks on a slate like this and Blankmuse logged a pair of 100-yard outings prior to missing time, so there's verified upside. 

Odieu Hiliare ($5,400) Bowling Green at Toledo

The volume has been on the upswing for Hiliare with 18 targets over his last two games. The yardage output has been lackluster with just 75 yards on those targets but the fact that Hiliare has caught 17 of those 18 targets makes him appealing on this slate. He may be able to give you double-digit points just from his receptions alone on DraftKings and the per-catch yardage almost has to improve. 

Miles Cross ($5,600) Ohio at Ball State

Cross has been a consistent part of Ohio's passing game throughout the year and is starting to heat up down the stretch. He brought in a pair of touchdowns on four catches against Buffalo in Week 10 and went for six catches and 133 yards last week. Ball State is tougher against the pass than it is against the run but Ohio is still a pass-first team with a 52 percent pass play rate with an 8.9 YPA. Sam Wiglusz ($6,800) is the safest option from this receiving corps but it may be tougher to fit him into a lineup if you're already rostering the top options at QB and RB. Cross saves you a little bit of coin and has the type of role and recent production we can trust.

Jayshon Jackson ($6,400) Ball State at Ohio

While I can't quite muster the courage to recommend Ball State quarterback John Paddock, I won't completely fade the Cards' passing attack. Jackson is coming off a down game by his standards with two catches for 20 yards on seven targets, but he still ranks fourth in the nation in targets (116) and has 66 catches for 755 yards and three touchdowns on the year. In MAC play, Jackson averages 6.2 catches and 70.2 receiving yards. The other positive factor for Jackson is that Ohio has one of the worst pass defenses in the country; the Bobcats allow 316 passing yards per game and it's not all just a function of a tough non-conference slate. Ohio Allows 276 passing yards on 7.7 YPA to MAC opponents. Jackson should get a ton of opportunities to produce against one of the worst secondaries in college football.