College Football DFS: Thursday Slate Week 15

Welcome to another installment of College Football DFS during the week! We have a small slate of just two games which means we'll need to differentiate between the chalk and the players who can make a difference in your line-up.

SLATE OVERVIEW

Florida Atlantic @ Southern Miss (+8.5) O/U: 42.0
Pittsburgh @ Georgia Tech (+7.0)  O/U: 54.0

It's going to be an interesting roster build in this slate as none of these four teams have been known to run up and down the field with great efficiency this year. The Vegas lines aren't a huge surprise as Southern Miss and Georgia Tech have leaky defenses, giving up 32.4 and 37.1 points per game respectively. Georgia Tech has been particularly bad while giving up 77.3 plays per game which gives Pittsburgh a slight bump in upside in this slate. Pittsburgh has shown a stout rush defense this year (just 93.1 yards per game) and Florida Atlantic has been solid at limiting opposing passers (just 171.6 yards per game). With that in mind, you may want to only go with Georgia Tech RBs or a Southern Miss QB if playing a contrarian style.

QUARTERBACK

Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh (DK $7,500, FD $9,800) vs. Georgia Tech

As I mentioned above, I think the Panthers have the most upside considering that they are playing the worst defense on the slate. Pickett is the third highest salaried QB on the market on DK (second on FD) which is likely due to a small discount after his four interception game at Clemson in Week 13. Just prior to that game with Clemson, he lit up Virginia Tech on 35-of-52 passing for 404 yards and two touchdowns with a rushing score, so he definitely has shown the ability to have a big game. I like his propensity for rushing scores as he has one in six of eight games. Many will navigate towards Florida Atlantic's Javion Posey or Georgia Tech's Jeff Sims for dual-threat ability, but Pickett can hold his own on that front as well.

Javion Posey, Florida Atlantic (DK $8,000, FD $11,000) vs. Southern Miss

I'm not going to overthink it at the QB position as I think there's a good possibility both Southern Miss and Georgia Tech struggle to get points on the board. Posey is effectively a running back himself as he has run for at least 60 yards in each game and has a touchdown in three of four games. Also a bonus here that Florida Atlantic is without their top two RBs in Malcolm Davidson (DK $6,700, FD $8,200) and BJ Emmons (ruled out). You're not breaking the bank with either of these signal callers, so there's a way to stack them with other top playmakers and still have room in the rest of your roster construction.

RUNNING BACK

Vincent Davis, Pittsburgh (DK $5,200, FD $8,400) vs. Georgia Tech

Davis has a nose for the end-zone as he scored five touchdowns in his freshman season in 2019 and has improved upon that with six scores in 2020. He's been great in the passing game this season with 24 catches for 154 yards and a score on 30 targets. As the sixth ranked RB by salary in DK, he's a steal, especially considering there's a chance that Pittsburgh runs away with this one. Davis has double-digit fantasy points in each of his last three match-ups, so there's a great chance he returns on his investment in this slate.

Kevin Perkins, Southern Miss (DK $3,800, FD $7,800) vs. Florida Atlantic

This is exactly the type of savings you will need to get two of the better quarterbacks in your line-up this week. I'm going to take the senior night approach with Perkins as their young phenom Frank Gore (DK $7,000, FD $8,500) is a true freshman, so there's no reason they shouldn't give Perkins more work in their final regular season game. Moreover, Perkins has seen the end-zone much more than the freshman with six touchdowns compared to Gore's two. Also, don't underestimate the general population from selecting Gore who has a famous father in the NFL. Here's a chance to be different in your roster construction, especially in tournament formats as Gore is a bit pricey to fit in to line-ups.

James Charles, Florida Atlantic (DK $5,500, FD $7,300) vs. Southern Miss

As I talked about with Posey, the Owls are without their top two running backs. That means Charles will get the bulk of the carries on Thursday Night and he's adequately priced when considering that he will split carries with Posey. I do like the Owls to take care of business against the Golden Eagles, so there's a chance he receives an uptick in carries in this one.

WIDE RECEIVER

Jordan Addison, Pittsburgh (DK $7,200, FD $9,300) vs. Georgia Tech

Addison is the best playmaker on the slate in my opinion as he averages nine targets a game and has six games with seven or more grabs. If you can figure out how to get Pickett, Davis and Addison in a stack, I think you will have the bulk of the Pittsburgh production locked up. Last time he went up against an awful defense (at Florida State in Week 10) he balled out with 11 catches for 127 yards and also had 10 rushing yards. I can see him doing something very similar against Georgia Tech which means a nice bonus if you pair him with Pickett. There's enough value with the other teams as well to make sure that happens.

Jalen Camp, Georgia Tech (DK $4,200, FD $7,200) vs. Pittsburgh

Because Pitt's defense has been good against the run and since stud running back Jahmyr Gibbs (DK $8,200, FD $10,100) is dealing with a leg injury, I'll go with Camp for some savings on the Yellow Jackets side. The senior has caught at least two passes in each of his last four games and hasn't gone without a catch in any game this season which can't be said about all of the Georgia Tech receivers. Ahmarean Brown (DK $3,600, FD $6,300) has missed his last two games with an undisclosed injury, Malachi Carter ($4,000, FD $7,400) has three games with no catches and Adonicas Sanders (DK $5,300, FD $8,600) is a bit pricey for recent success in just one game.

Jason Brownlee, Southern Miss (DK $4,900, FD $7,500) vs. Florida Atlantic

I don't really trust the Florida Atlantic passing game to create much of anything with Posey at QB, so I'll go with a Southern Miss receiver for my final recommendation as I do think they will try to throw the ball. Brownlee has been their most productive receiver with 31 catches for 529 yards and four touchdowns on 55 targets, yet is still priced below teammate Tim Jones (DK $6,600, FD $9,100). Since I'm not expecting great things from the Southern Miss passing game overall, I would take the savings to ensure that you can fit those Pittsburgh playmakers in to your line-up.