DFS College Football 101: Week 6 Friday Slate

College Football DFS: Friday (Week 6)

Let me be the first to welcome you to College Football DFS Week 6. We have a nice, three-game appetizer on Friday night before diving into Saturday's main course. The Friday night slate (along with the odds) consists of:

Georgia Tech (-4) @ Louisville – Total: 57.5

Middle Tennessee State @ Marshall (-6.5) – Total: 52

Utah State @ BYU (-2.5) – Total: 55

As you can see, all of these games look like competitive matchups (spread within a touchdown) on paper. I'll highlight the best fantasy selections on FanDuel & DraftKings within that while also touching on some situations to monitor for your DFS squads.

QUARTERBACK

TaQuon Marshall – Georgia Tech (FanDuel $10,000 / DraftKings $8,600)

Marshall is one of the most expensive options on both sites, but he's also one of the first names I'm locking into my lineups. We all know Georgia Tech loves to pound the ball with their triple-option attack, and TaQuon should see 20+ carries with multiple scoring opportunities within that. Oh yeah, maybe he could pass for 150 yards and a touchdown too? Either way, he's a safe bet for 20-25 fantasy points against a Louisville defense that allowed Indiana State and Western Kentucky to run for 175+ years apiece.

Also Consider: I'm looking between Jordan Love (UTST) and Brent Stockstill (MTSU) as Super-Flex pairings with TaQuon Marshall. They are similar in many ways, both playing for teams that like to throw the ball and find their playmakers in space. Love is cheaper, and I'm generally leaning his way for the discount when making this decision … Jawon Pass (LOU) is the GPP wild card here. You'll first want to confirm that he's starting, but I'm expecting that to be the case after taking all the snaps last week vs Florida State (23 FP).

RUNNING BACK

Jordan Mason – Georgia Tech (FanDuel $7,900 / DraftKings $6,000)

I like the matchup for Georgia Tech's running game so much that I just might take an extra helping. After all, there should be plenty of carries to go around, while QB Marshall and RB Mason should be able to coexist for fantasy purposes. The brevity of this three-game slate creates less opportunity cost as well, meaning we can go ahead and look to stack the GaTech rushers if the salaries mesh. We can grab a stranglehold on the vast majority of the Jackets' running production through Mason and Marshall, which isn't a bad idea. After all, they check in with (marginally) the highest scoring projection of this slate. Louisville will likely have a difficult time preparing for the triple-option offense on a short week.

Tavares Thomas – Middle Tennessee (FanDuel $6,700 / DraftKings $4,400)

Thomas is a moderately priced RB2 option who looks especially good on DraftKings at $4400. He's certainly playable on FanDuel as well with a relatively comfortable price tag. Thomas missed two weeks with an injury, but came back to score a pair of touchdowns vs Florida Atlantic last Saturday. He has recorded 20 carries while hauling in eight catches through two games, looking like an interesting PPR candidate on DraftKings.

Also Consider: Marshall RB Keion Davis is someone I'm considering, especially at just $5200 on DraftKings. The Thundering Herd doesn't run the ball very much, but game flow could be on Davis' side in this home C-USA draw. There's a chance they'll rely on him a little more if QB Isaiah Green is still ailing from last week's injury … A savvy tournament pivot entails selecting Jerry Howard from Georgia Tech instead of Jordan Mason. The latter is clearly the lead back, but this triple-option offense can be unpredictable on a weekly basis as to who benefits the most.

WIDE RECEIVER

Ron'Quavion Tarver – Utah State (FanDuel $8,400 / DraftKings $6,300)

As mentioned earlier, part of me is liking Utah State's passing attack on Friday. Maybe it's the part that realizes the Aggies pass the ball a ton, accounting for nearly 56% of their plays. For perspective, that's the 15th highest mark in the country, sitting just behind teams like Texas Tech and West Virginia. This isn't a great matchup at BYU, but there should be enough volume for the Utah State receivers to post satisfying fantasy numbers. Tarver easily paces the Aggies with 22 receptions, and he's coming off a confidence-boosting performance with a 9-128 line vs Air Force. A few of his less impressive performances came in blowouts, so I'm expecting Tarver to be closer towards last week's score in Friday's competitive tilt.

Patrick Smith – Middle Tennessee State (FanDuel $8,900 / DraftKings $4,900)

Take a second to look at the pricing discrepancy between sites. Okay, now you probably won't be surprised when I say Patrick Smith is a core play on DraftKings. He's just okay on FanDuel, but you really want him through all formats over on DK. Middle Tennessee is another team that loves to pass the ball and get playmakers in space. That should help Smith rack up fantasy points with ease in PPR formats.

Also Consider: Jaylen Smith (LOU) doesn't have many receptions to show for it, but he currently leads his team in targets. He showed some rapport with Jawon Pass last week (5 catches 100 yards), which could carry into this draw … Tyre Brady (MAR) is a very talented receiver who sees a ton of targets. However, an injury to his QB could limit the upside. He's in play for me, but I'm not going to force him at expensive price points on FD and DK … Dax Raymond (UTST) is a salary relief option as a tight end in Utah State's pass-happy scheme.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Any injury situations to watch? I already mentioned keeping an eye on Marshall QB Isaiah Green. Words from the Thundering Herd corner seem to indicate that he'll play, but be aware of this situation nonetheless … BYU running back Squally Canada is listed as questionable. He has been banged up for the past few weeks, and most reports suggest he'll play through it yet again. Yet again, it's best to be on the lookout of this situation in case we get more information that could lead to value with RB Lopini Katoa in the Cougars backfield (if Canada out/limited).

What about the Utah State running backs? I find myself avoiding both of them in most formats. They split carries, game flow could be against them, and the matchup doesn't look great at BYU. Both of them are pretty expensive on FD & DK as well. You could flip a coin between Thompson and Bright in tournaments, but I'm not looking that way in 50/50 and head-to-head contests.

Any other value plays? Brad Anderson (RB – MTSU) is definitely on my short list on DraftKings. He's actually a former running back who has been converted to slot receiver. He'll still occasionally see some rushing attempts (10 att, 51 yds, 1 TD vs FAU last week), but that's more of a bonus than actual expectation. The real value comes from his ability to do work in the short passing game. His price on FanDuel is pretty steep, but I'd take Anderson over Mason (GT) for a similar salary on DraftKings.