FanDuel College Football DFS Picks: Saturday Main Slate Breakdown for Week 9

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Published on October 27, 2023

As we draw closer to the regular fantasy season's playoffs, DFS remains in high gear, with some high-scoring contests expected Saturday. Topping the charts is USC-Cal, which checks in at 66.5, while Oklahoma-Kansas (65.5) is nipping at the heels. North Carolina-Georgia Tech (63.5) and UCLA-Colorado (60.5) also each cross the 60-point total mark.

These same games, unsurprisingly, feature the top four expected scorers on the week. Cross-town rivals USC and UCLA (38.5) claim the top spot, while Oklahoma and North Carolina (37.5) are right in the mix. Both Florida State (36.0) and Texas (35.5) cross the 35-point barrier as well.

Eight of the 14 games on the slate feature double-digit favorites. Leading the charge are the Noles and Longhorns (-20.5), while UCLA (-16.5), Texas A&M (-15.5), Georgia and Ohio State (each -14.5) all sit as two-touchdown-plus favorites.

To see more on the odds and stats for the slate, check the matchups page in our tools below.

College Football DFS Weather (winds 10+ MPH and rain chance 50-plus percent noted)

Oklahoma at Kansas - Wind hanging around low double-digits with a decent chance for rain in the second half.

South Carolina at Texas A&M - Wind around 10-11 MPH all game. Not too bad, also slight chance for rain.

West Virginia at UCF - Wind around 10-11 MPH in second half.

Georgia vs. Florida - Wind around 10-11 MPH in Jacksonville.

Oregon at Utah - Winds sitting at about 12 MPH all game.

USC at Cal - Winds creeping up to 12 MPH during game.

Cincinnati at Oklahoma State - Chance for showers and 10 MPH winds early that wanes as it goes on.

Notable College Football Injuries/Absences for Week 9

Quinn Ewers, Texas Texas - Not expected to play this week. Maalik Murphy in line to start

Jalon Daniels, Kansas Kansas - Slated to sit again, Jason Bean already announced as starter.

Mitch Griffis, Wake Forest - Has been back in practice and trending toward being available.

Riley Leonard, Duke Duke - Day-to-day and questionable for Saturday.

Bucky Irving, Oregon Oregon - Expected to be available after practicing Monday. Sustained an injury last week.

Jawhar Jordan, Louisville - Considered questionable for Saturday.

TreVeon Henderson, Ohio State - Set to return against Wisconsin.

Kendall Milton, Georgia Georgia - Making progress but status for Saturday undetermined.

Xavier Legette, South Carolina - Questionable for Saturday but not dealing with long-term issue.

Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State - Expected to be available Saturday.

Johnny Wilson, Florida State - Progressing but status for Saturday unclear.

Hudson Clement, West Virginia - Not expected to suit up this week.

Eric Singleton Jr., Georgia Tech - Didn't play last week due to illness and no update since. Given the reason behind his absence, seems like a decent chance he'll be back.

Antwane Wells, South Carolina - Out again this week

Ahmarean Brown, South Carolina - Also out this week.

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College Football DFS Tools

Week 9 CFB DFS Plays on FanDuel

Quarterback

Jordan Travis, Florida State ($11,000) at Wake Forest

Travis remains in the thick of a Heisman candidacy, and this is another great spot for him to add to his resume. The Demon Deacons are coming off of back-to-back games allowing 300-plus passing yards to the opposing quarterback, and Travis is capable of nearing that threshold and putting up big numbers in the process. What's more, Wake Forest's defensive front has kept two of its last three opposing running back rooms and five of seven on the season below the season average in fantasy points, portending to a potentially more pass-heavy approach from Travis and crew. The Noes are expected to roll here, and Travis should get an opportunity here to state his case. While there are multiple other quarterbacks who also have good matchups near the top, including all three above Travis in salary (Caleb Williams, Dillon Gabriel and Drake Maye), he's the only one who also faces a defense that can stop the run, which could mean more scoring from the quarterback.

Ethan Garbers, UCLA ($9,400) vs. Colorado

This is more a product of matchup than anything else. The Buffs have regressed closer to where we expected them to be following a surprising start, and the defense remains a glaring problem. Garbers took the reins under center last week after Dante Moore's struggles and pieced together a respectable showing that included 240 passing yards, a pair of passing touchdowns and 51 rushing yards. While Colorado showed some major holes in the round defense in the season opener, the Buffs have held opposing backs under fantasy average in each of the last six games. On the flip side, quarterbacks have topped their season averages in every game. Garbers doesn't have much to compare that to, but last week's performance is enough to suggest a similar output isn't off the table, which would return plenty of value at this salary.

Maalik Murphy, Texas ($8,000) vs. BYU (assuming he starts)

Texas' matchup this week isn't exactly a home run, but it's serviceable, with the Cougars allowing 246.4 passing yards per game, 6.8 yards per attempt and 1.9 passing cores per contest. What needs to be factored in is how things have gone in conference play. Texas Tech couldn't do much through the air with its third-string quarterback against the Cougars last week, but the three other QBs in Big 12 play have all surpassed their season averages in fantasy scoring. Murphy doesn't have a game history under his belt, but he was talented enough to beat out the No. 1 recruit in the nation and a legacy name for the backup job in Arch Manning ($5,500). Given the price tag on Murphy and the tantalizing upside with Texas' talented wide receiver room, I'm definitely on board with Murphy this week.

Running Back

Omarion Hampton, North Carolina ($9,500) at Georgia Tech

I turn primarily to game script and workload for this recommendation. Hampton is the workhorse in the Tar Heels' backfield, claiming a combined 43 carries between the last two contests and going for north of 100 rushing yards -- and nearly 200 against Miami -- in each. North Carolina is favored to take this one by 11.5 points, and the Yellow Jackets have done a decent job of holding opposing wideouts in check this season. While Drake Maye is certainly capable of fitting the ball into windows some other quarterbacks can't, Georgia Tech sports the worst run defense on the slate, allowing 5.3 yards per carry, and 227.7 rushing yards and 2.4 rushing touchdowns per game.

Jaydn Ott, Cal ($8,500) vs. USC

Ott is simply a do-it-all back for the Cal, and he's the go-to player on the offense when it comes down to it. while his downs can be down, including efforts of just 8.6 FanDuel points against Oregon State and 12.2 against Washington, his upside is 25-30 FanDuel points. Sure, game script here will favor a sizable contingent of passes, but running backs are averaging 47 receiving yards per game and sport a slate-high four receiving scores, and Ott is more than capable of contributing there, notching 46 grabs a season ago and 11 so far this year. He's also racking up 5.8 yards per tote and faces a defensive front yielding 5.2 yards per carry to opposing backs coming into Saturday.

TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State ($7,500) at Wisconsin

As a Wisconsin fan, it pains me to make this selection. That said, the Buckeyes are going to score some points Saturday, even if it's not up to the usual standard. The offense relied heavily on Miyan Williams last week, who plodded his way to just 62 yards on 24 carries. To be fair, he was facing one of the better run defenses in the country. Having said that, Henderson is simply the most talented and explosive back of the group, averaging 6.7 yards per carry on the season, including a 104-yard rushing effort against a typically stingy Notre Dame front. The last two running back rooms to face the Badgers have outproduced their season averages, displaying some leaks in the team's run defense. I'm still not confident in Kyle McCord as a stud quarterback under center, and I am confident Williams is a stud running back, so it would make sense to attack the apparent weakness with a star player.

Justin Johnson, West Virginia ($5,400) at UCF

The most obvious thing working in Johnson's favor this week is the salary. coming off a career-high 14 carries, he enters Week 9 seemingly in line to receive some run this week after fellow backfield mate CJ Donaldson compiled only 3.0 yards per carry last week, marking his fifth straight game under four yards per carry. Also working in Johnson's favor is the opponent; he faces a UCF defense allowing 196.3 rushing yards and 2.3 rushing scores per game to go along with 2.3 rushing scores per game, all second worst on the slate behind just Georgia Tech (see Hampton above). Johnson has seemingly earned some touches with his performance last week, and there's certainly major upside here if he gets that run.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Nic Anderson, Oklahoma ($8,500) at Kansas

With Andrel Anthony out for the season, it was Anderson who stepped into the spotlight last week against UCF, finishing with a team-high nine targets en route to five catches for 105 yards and a pair of scores. The one main difference between Anderson and and Anthony is the ability of each to find pay dirt. Whereas Anthony had just one touchdown all season, Anderson has now scored touchdowns in five straight games, totaling eight over that span. He's seemingly going to be involved more regularly moving forward, and he gets a matchup here that he can exploit.

Keon Coleman, Florida State ($8,300) at Wake Forest

While Coleman is theoretically the team's top wideout option, his production has fluctuated. among the last four games include FanDuel outputs of 23.1, 3.7, 24.5 and 6.4 points. The trend would suggest he's due for another big week, but that's hardly the reason I'm turning to Coleman. Johnny Wilson suffered an injury again last week, and while things seemed to be in a decent spot Monday, who knows if Wilson will be at 100 percent even if he's good to go Saturday. As mentioned in Travis' section above, the Demon Deacons have allowed the last two opposing quarterbacks to each throw for 300-plus passing yards. While it's not always the case, the wide receiver rooms have posted marks 51 and 91 percent above average in the last two. If the Seminoles can draw anywhere near that number, Coleman is the favorite to post another big day.

UCF wide receivers vs. West Virginia

It can be unpredictable who of the wideout room will break out on a given week for the Golden Knights, but the most reliable option of late has been Javon Baker ($7,500), who has compiled the most consistent lines of late. That said, I don't want to discount Kobe Hudson ($6,400) here, either. He had four targets in John Rhys Plumlee's first game back last week and had three 100-plus yard receiving games earlier in the season, and he comes at a steeper discount. The Mountaineers have struggled to contain opposing wideouts of late, allowing above-average showings in each of the last three games.

Ja'Tavion Sanders, Texas ($6,700) vs. BYU

Sanders has gone quiet in recent weeks, finishing with no more than two catches in any of the last three games. He's also failed to reach pay dirt since the season opener against Rice. However, there's a chance that dry spell could come to an end Saturday versus a Cougars defense that has allowed five receiving scores to tight ends through just six games, and that includes a game last week against a Texas Tech offense that doesn't utilize the tight end and was using its third-string quarterback. Sanders should also serve as a rather safe option for Murphy in his first start, It's obviously a risky play given Sanders' recent production and the change under center, but has multiple 100-yard receiving efforts under his belt this season and is as talented a tight end as the BYU defense will have faced this season, so it seems like a good spot for the Longhorns' staff to get him involved.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Benzine plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Crispy272001, DraftKings: Crispy27.