FanDuel College Football: Week 13

FanDuel College Football: Week 13

This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.

We have hit the final week of the regular season for the vast majority of teams, which means it's time to decide some conference championship races. A number of games on the main slate Saturday will have a hand in deciding conference championship teams, with Michigan-Ohio State and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State likely being the biggest pair of contests."The Game" also features the highest over-under total on the slate at 64.5, whiles Boston College-Wake Fores (64.0), Virginia-Virginia Tech (64.0) and Oregon-Oregon State (60.5) round out the 60-plus expected totals.

In terms of expected scores, Georgia (45.0) leads the way by a wide margin. Alabama (38.65), Notre Dame (36.75), Ohio State (36.25), Pitt (35.75) and Virginia (35.25) are the group of teams sporting 35-plus point expected scores. In terms of biggest spreads, Georgia is a whopping 35.5-point favorite over in-state rival Georgia Tech, topping the charts by a huge margin. Other double-digit favorites include Alabama (-20.5) over Auburn, Notre Dame (-20.5) over Stanford, Baylor (-14.0) over Texas Tech and Pitt (-13.0) over Syracuse.

Now we check on some possible weather impacts:

 Ohio State at Michigan - 30 percent chance of some light showers.

Texas Tech at Baylor - 60 percent chance of some showers.

Oregon State at Oregon - 60 percent chance of some rain showers.

Notable Injuries/Absences

QB

Gerry Bohanon, Baylor - Officially day-to-day but would be a bit surprising if he's his normal self and wouldn't be surprising if he's out. Blake Shapen would likely start if he can't.

Florida QB situation - Emory Jones reportedly suffered an ankle injury during practice Monday but there were conflicting reports regarding his availability this week. Anthony Richardson would likely start if he can't go.

Jeff Sims, Georgia Tech - Didn't play last week and his status for Saturday remains unclear.

Bo Nix, Auburn - Done for the regular season following ankle surgery.

RB

Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State - Was banged up last week and only tallied six carries, but there's no indication he's won't suit up Saturday. Could be less than 100 percent though.

Jaylen Warren, Oklahoma State - Wasn't full speed last week and had just 12 carries against Texas Tech.

Blake Corum, Michigan - Status is unclear for Saturday after he sat out last week.

Justice Ellison, Wake Forest - Didn't play last week and his status for Saturday is unclear.

John Lovett, Penn State - Missed out last week due to illness. Seems likely to be back in the mix Saturday.

Kendall Milton, Georgia - Sported a heavy brace at practice Monday, so his status is unclear.

Deshaun Fenwick, Oregon State - Questionable to doubtful to suit up Saturday.

WR

Jayden Reed, Michigan State - Was spotted in a boot after leaving last week. No update on status since then.

Jalen Nailor, Michigan State - Was unable to play last week and his status remains unclear.

Tre Turner, Virginia Tech - Aggravated throat injury during Saturday's game but X-rays were negative.

Taysir Mack, Pittsburgh - Didn't play last week and his status is unclear.

Myles Price, Texas Tech - Game-time decision after aggravating an ankle injury last week.

Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State - Limited to punt return duties last week. Status is unclear for Saturday.

Kobe Hudson, Auburn - Hopeful to be back against Alabama.

TE

No injuries of note

DFS Tools

Week 13 Plays

Quarterback

Brennan Armstrong, Virginia ($10,700) vs. Virginia Tech

Armstrong may be the best bet at the top of the slate. Coming off of 387 passing yards and three passing scores last week versus Pitt, he's scheduled for another favorable matchup versus a Hokies defense that has yielded 25-plus FD points to three of the last four quarterbacks. Opposing signal-callers have also tallied a combined 13 touchdown passes over that span, which fits in well for a quarterback in Armstrong who has thrown for 30 over 10 games. Virginia's expected scores (35.25) also forebodes a big offensive effort and the Cavaliers don't have much in the way of a rushing attack, so this one figures to feature a heavy dose of Armstrong.

Sean Clifford, Penn State ($8,700) at Michigan State

Much like Armstrong, Clifford's rushing attack hasn't been particularly effective. Add to that the fact that Michigan State's defense has been solid against the run and atrocious against opposing passing attacks and we have the makings of a solid showing from the senior signal-caller. Game script (Penn State -2.0) figures to keep the passing game in play throughout and Clifford should have a chance to go over 300 passing yards for the third time this season versus a secondary yielding 339.9 passing yards per contest. things have been particularly bad of late for Sparty, allowing 435.3 passing yards per contest in the last four and 14 passing scores over that span. The matchup is too good to pass up on a slate that doesn't feature a ton of them.

Phil Jurkovec, Boston College ($8,300) vs. Wake Forest

Jurkovec's skill set figures to play up well in this contest, facing a defense that has yielded 100-plus rushing yards to four different quarterbacks and seven rushing scores. Jurkovec has five rushing scores under his belt, which includes a massive 45.5 FD-point effort, displaying his upside under center. The Demon Deacons have allowed opposing quarterbacks to score 30-plus FD points in five of the last seven games. Jurkovedc and the Eagles will likely need to throw the ball a lot as well to keep up with the high-powered Demon Deacons offense, sitting as six-point underdogs.

GPP Dart: Chance Nolan, Oregon State ($6,800)

If you're looking to get weird at the quarterback position, Nolan may be your best choice to do that. The Ducks have allowed 20-plus FD points to five of the last seven opponents, which is more than enough to deliver value if Nolan can hit that threshold. As seven-point underdogs, the Beavers figure to trail in the contest, which could also lead to a slightly heavier pass volume. Oregon has also been particularly stout against the run, yielding just 3.5 yards per rush attempt and 127.9 rushing yards per game compared to 241.6 passing yards per contest. Given the minimal investment required, Nolan, who has three games of 23-plus FD points so far this season, has enough ability to return the necessary value at this price point.

Others to consider: Stetson Bennett, Georgia ($8,100), Braxton Burmeister/Connor Blumrick, Virginia Tech (both $7,600)

Running Back

Kyren Williams, Notre Dame ($9,700) at Stanford

Williams may be the chalk play of the week at running back, but I see no reason not to write with it. The senior back has finished with 22.7 or more FD points in five of the last six games and has topped 28 in three of the last five. The matchup couldn't be any better, squaring off against a Stanford defense that has been run over to the tune of 861 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores over the last three games. Williams is more than capable of continuing that trend in a game that Notre Dame is favored to win by three scores. In addition to game script working in his favor, Stanford's secondary has performed pretty well against the pass, allowing just 204.2 passing yards and 1.2 passing scores per game. The only real concern for him is whether or not the game will get out of hand too quickly. I'm still confident Williams will produce enough even if he's not on the field the entire game.

Travis Dye, Oregon ($9,500) vs. Oregon State

Dye's matchup isn't quite on the level of Williams', but the Beavers' defensive front has also struggled against running backs, allowing 29.4 FD points on average. The factor that really works in Dye's favor is the Beavers' inability to cover running backs as receivers. the Beavers are surrendering slate-high marks of 512 receiving yards and five scores to opposing backs over just 10 games in addition to 13 rushing scores, the fifth-highest mark on the slate despite playing only 10 contests thus far. He checks in in the top 15 nationally in receiving yards as a running back and a pair of scores through the air. He's also plenty capable as a runner, rushing for 937 yards and 12 touchdowns over 11 contests. He should have plenty of opportunities to get involved in both facets with the Ducks in search of the PAC-12 North title and the Ducks sitting as touchdown favorites with an expected score of 33.75.

Abram Smith, Baylor ($8,700) vs. Texas Tech

Smith is coming off of a rough week against Kansas State and the Red Raiders have performed reasonably well against the run, allowing just 142.1 rushing yards per game. However, the opposition has run for 4.2 yards per carry and 1.5 rushing scores per game, both grading out relatively poorly. This is another situation where game script plays in Smith's favor, with the Bears favored to win this contest by two touchdowns. that could lead to plenty of rushing attempts in the second half, and Smith is the guy to do that, handling 20-plus carries in four of the last five games. Starting quarterback Gerry Bohanon is also a question mark to suit up Saturday and would likely be at less than 100 percent if he does play. That could also factor into a larger emphasis on the ground game.

GPP Dart: Raheem Blackshear, Virginia Tech ($6,800) at Virginia

The Hokies have one of the best matchups on the slate for opposing running backs, going up against a Cavaliers run defense allowing 217.3 rushing yards and 1.8 rushing scores per game to go along with 5.7 yards per carry. My reasoning for going with Blackshear over Malachi Thomas is primarily game script. The Hokies are touchdown underdogs, which would mean more second-half passing for the Hokies, which falls in Blackshear's wheelhouse. Blackshear has at least one catch in every game and has displayed some upside, notching 28.7 FD points against Duke a couple of weeks ago and five games of double-digit FD points on the year. Blackshear wouldn't need a massive effort to provide the necessary return but has a matchup that could allow him to put up a big game.

Others to Consider: Hassan Haskins, Michigan ($8,000), Pat Garwo, Boston College ($7,700)

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Jameson Williams, Alabama ($9,600) at Auburn

Williams has really come into his own of late, averaging 35 FD points over the last three weeks. Next up is an Auburn secondary that has yielded some big outputs recently, most notably 308 passing yards and five touchdowns to Mississippi State a couple of weeks ago. The Tigers are yielding 7.3 yards per attempt and 1.7 passing touchdowns per game on the year, both checking in toward the bottom end of the slate. Williams has finished with 13 or more targets in two of the last three games and will likely see a similar target share Saturday, though the Tigers may not be quite as formidable without starting quarterback Bo Nix available.

Jahan Dotson, Penn State ($9,000) at Michigan State

Dotson may be one of the wide receiver chalk plays of the week going against the worst pass defense in the country, as highlighted in the Sean Clifford section above. Dotson has had a couple of down week the last two, but those can be forgiven a bit when we contextualize it. Last week, starting quarterback Sean Clifford sat most of the game due to illness and the Nittany Lions faced a top-ten pass defense in Michigan. Even with those factors siphoning some of his fantasy value, Dotson still posted 13.2 and 13.1 points. However, he finished with 47.7 against Maryland and 24.4 the two weeks prior versus Maryland and Ohio State, and he'll have Clifford back under center Saturday. It's shaping up well for a big bounceback from Dotson.

Dontayvion Wicks, Virginia ($8,700) vs. Virginia Tech

If I'm going with Brennan Armstrong under center, Wicks would be the wide receiver to pair with him. The sophomore wideout has racked up 17.9 FD points per game on the year. That number inflates a bit to  18.7 FD points per contest on home turf, tallying a touchdown per game. He should get plenty of opportunities to reach pay dirt if the Cavaliers can live up to the team's 35.25 expected score on the week, especially if he can follow up on his season-high 13 targets a week ago versus Pitt. Wicks has also shown that he has plenty of upside, finishing with 27.8 points or more in two different games and 20-plus FD points in six different games leading up to the regular-season finale.

GPP Dart: Josh Ali, Kentucky ($7,200) at Louisville

Ali is a wideout who has really seen an uptick in his volume down the stretch, averaging nine targets over the last three games after seeing only 4.5 targets per game through his first six games played. The senior broke out last week against an underwhelming New Mexico State defense but gets another defense Saturday that has struggled against opposing passing attacks, allowing 253.8 passing yards and 1.6 passing scores per game. Duke wideouts finished with 25 catches for 242 yards last week and Levis has thrown the ball 31 or more times in three of the last five contests. With Kentucky slated as underdogs in this one as well, there could be a heavy volume of passing on tap again Saturday and Ali can take advantage of the Cardinals' secondary at a discounted rate from teammate Wandale Robinson.

GPP Dart 2: Tre Turner, Virginia Tech ($6,600) at Virginia

If we take out the Notre Dame blowout win over Virginia a couple of weeks back and focus on the three other games of the last four, the Cavaliers' defense has allowed 271.7 passing yards and 3.3 passing touchdowns per game entering Saturday. While I'm not all in on the Virginia Tech quarterbacks when we don't even know who will start, there is some upside under center and out wide with Tre Turner, who is the Hokies' most reliable wideout option. Turner was removed last week for precautionary reasons but doesn't seem to have caused any additional damage to his throat, so Turner should be in uniform again for the regular-season finale. Turner has shown the ability to put up big games with the right matchup, finishing with 19.2 or more points in two different games this season. Saturday is another one of those right matchups in what figures to be a high-scoring game.

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.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Benzine
Chris is the college football editor and the Kansas City Chiefs beat writer. He's a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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