College Football DFS: Thursday Slate Plays and Lineup Strategy, Week 11

We have a fun two-game slate in store Thursday night. Bowl eligibility scenarios. muddy injury situations - it's got it all. We'll dive into DraftKings and FanDuel and steer you the right way.

SLATE OVERVIEW

Memphis (-6.5) vs. Tulsa O/U: 61.5

Louisiana-Lafayette (-3.5) vs. Georgia Southern O/U: 61.5

As you'll soon see, I have some pretty strong opinions about lineup strategy on this slate, but it's mainly because I know two of these offenses especially well (Memphis and Georgia Southern), and an unfortunate fade for one team (Tulsa) narrows down our choices considerably.

WEATHER REPORT

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QUARTERBACK

Kyle Vantrease, Georgia Southern (DK $7,100, FD $10,400) @ Louisiana-Lafayette

I hope that the public will look at UL's defensive numbers and compel themselves to fade Vantrease. I am paying zero attention to those metrics. The Ragin' Cajuns live and die by their defense, but South Alabama is the only team they've faced that has a notable passing attack, and Clay Helton's air raid offense is light-years ahead of any offense they've faced. The Buffalo transfer has directed the offense brilliantly, netting almost 3,000 yards passing and 20 touchdowns. You won't find him scrambling, but in most instances, he doesn't have to. UL may give the Eagles' offensive line a few headaches, but I'm not too concerned. The real challenge is to choose one of Vantreae's many excellent wideouts (but we'll try).

Seth Henigan, Memphis (DK $7,400, FD $11,000) vs. Tulsa

With Tulsa's quarterback situation muddy and a struggling offense with the Cajuns, the only other quarterback I can get behind is Henigan. Things haven't gone Memphis' way this season, but I think they have the clear advantage against the Golden Hurricane this week. Henigan has been mistake-prone the past couple of weeks with four picks over two games, but he's facing a Tulsa defense that has only five interceptions on the season. We don't know who will be under center for Tulsa at the moment, but it will probably be Braylon Braxton instead of Davis Brin, which is an immediate offensive downgrade that will probably result in Memphis winning the TOP clock. I won't mince words - I am firmly in Vantrease's camp, but the Tigers have had some rough breaks and they seem due for a win.

RUNNING BACK

Deneric Prince, Tulsa (DK $6,400, FD $8,600) @ Memphis

As we said, the passing offense for Tulsa is up in the air, so you can bet they will be leaning on Prince for most of this game. Memphis' rush defense is good but not great, but situationally this is the best spot for a running back to do well. We can take a risk or two with the other backs, but the game script for Tulsa indicates a much stronger emphasis on the run. If you're feeling lucky, you could check on Steven Anderson's status before game time and see if he's suiting up. He played well during Prince's absence and is still producing as the backup.

Gerald Green, Georgia Southern (DK $5,100, FD $5,900) @ Louisiana-Lafayette

Say what you will about Clay Helton - he was unceremoniously bounced out of Los Angeles, but an undisciplined defense was his problem. There may have been a lack of creativity in the offense, but he knew how to get running backs involved to open up the passing game. Green is underpriced, and I can see the logic behind it, considering the potent Eagles' passing game, but  the Cajuns will be in for a rude awakening while they're busy covering Vantrease's receiving weapons. Green's stats don't wow you, but he's averaged a couple of breakaway runs per game and that's basically how Helton intends the run game to work. That's how he worked it with Keayontay Ingram and Stephen Carr at USC.

Brandon Thomas, Memphis (DK $4,900, FD  $7,300) vs. Tulsa

One typically goes to the backup running back when the game is lopsided in one team's favor, but that isn't the case here. I won't go so far as to say that the run game has broken Thomas' way over Asa Martin, but Memphis should find themselves in the red zone often Thursday, and Thomas is their top choice around the goal line. Granted, the pick is purely speculative, but this slate is going to be all about picking the right wideouts. This isn't a slate for running backs. I endorse using only two and FLEXing with a wideout.

WIDE RECEIVER

WIDEOUTS, Georgia Southern @ Louisiana- Lafayette

I think you're fine no matter where you go here, but there's a good chance I am stacking two in most of my lineups tonight.  I think Khaleb Hood (DK $5,700) is best for the DraftKings scoring system. He's the team's PPR beast and doesn't find the end zone as often as Derwin Burgess (DK $4,900, FD $$7,500) and Amare Jones (DK $4,800, FD $8,300), who have 12 touchdowns between them. Recently, Jones has trended a little higher than Burgess, but I don't think you can go wrong with either of them.  Two of your four wideouts should come from this bunch.

Caden Prieskorn, Memphis (DK $6,200, FD $7,700) vs. Tulsa

I know I am leaving some value on the table by fading Tulsa's wideouts, but without Davis Brin, I just can't trust them. Memphis loves using its tight ends, so Prieskorn is a perfectly suitable addition. We're going to make the WR section short and sweet - two Eagles and two Tigers. Stacking Pieskorn with Eddie Lewis (DK $5,100, FD $7,100)  and slotting Henigan into your S-FLEX is very doable on both sites, but a little easier on DraftKings where our QB salaries were a bit more reasonable.

Make no bones about it, this lineup strategy will probably be immensely popular, but it will serve you well in cash games. For tournaments, you will have to make some adjustments, and I think the best way to go is to take some chances on the aforementioned Tulsa wide receivers. They will not be heavily rostered, and if Braxton performs well, their upside could deliver. The only offense I am terrified of is Louisiana's. If you're getting unique, I don't think the Cajuns are the best way to achieve that.