FanDuel College Football: Week 4

FanDuel College Football: Week 4

This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.

Following three relatively mediocre weekends in terms of big games, the heat really turns up in Week 4, with Wisconsin-Michigan and Georgia-Notre Dame headlining the action. However, from a fantasy perspective, the Badgers, Wolverines and Irish are all expected to score fewer than 24 points. The biggest fantasy game on the slate takes place in Austin as the Longhorns host Oklahoma State in a game featuring a 73.0 over-under line. That game paces the field by 9.5 points, with Nebraska-Illinois and South Carolina-Missouri both checking in at 63.5. 

Week 3 Review

QB

Jalen Hurts ($10,600): 44.6
Brian Lewerke ($8,200): 12.1
Dillon Gabriel ($7,900): 30.8

RB

Travis Etienne ($10,200): 12.3
Salvon Ahmed ($9,000): 10.6
Daniel Young ($5,000): 3.3

WR

Gabriel Davis ($8,400): 14.3
Devin Duvernay ($9,700): 9.0
Austin Trammell ($6,800): 12.7
Lee Morris ($6,500): 5.3

DFS Tools

Matchup Info

Week 4 Plays

Quarterback

Joe Burrow, LSU ($10,200) vs. Vanderbilt

Historically, an LSU quarterback doesn't typically provide a ton of fantasy value, but an offseason consultation with the New Orleans Saints has led to a new-look Tigers offense led by Burrow. Through three games, he's completing a nation-best 83.3 percent of his pass attempt and owns an 11:2 TD:INT ratio. His completion rate isn't the result of short, safe passes either, as Burrow's 14.96 yards per completion rank 13th nationally and his 12.5 yards per attempt rank second behind just Jalen Hurts. While Vanderbilt's defense has faced two premium offenses in the first two weeks en route to allowing slate-high marks for passing yards (332.5), yards per attempt (8.9) and touchdowns (3.0) allowed, Burrow and the Tigers offense is no exception to that rule.

Adrian Martinez, Nebraska ($9,400) at Illinois

Illinois' raw passing yardage allowed through three games (239.7 per game) doesn't exactly jump off of the page, but that holds less weight than the 7.6 yards per passing attempt (sixth-highest on slate) they surrender. That raw yardage looks even more flimsy when you take into account that the Illini's three opponents for this season include Akron, UConn and Eastern Michigan. Martinez is coming off of two straight games recording more than 28.5 fantasy points and should find similar success this week.

GPP Pick: Malik Cunningham, Louisville ($7,600) at Florida State

Utilizing Cunningham comes with a potential downfall, so a handcuff may be required when considering him. First and foremost, his starting status depends on the health of Jawon Pass' foot. Pass didn't practice Monday even though his foot felt better and his status for Saturday's contest is unclear. The game also falls during the second window of games, so we won't know his status beforehand. Pass is only $600 more and is a viable option as well, so it wouldn't hurt saving enough money to keep either of the two in the lineup, but Cunningham may provide more bang for his buck.

Running Back

D'Andre Swift, Georgia ($9,200) vs. Notre Dame

While the Georgia-Notre Dame tilt is just one of two that features two ranked teams, Georgia still checks in as 14-point favorites against the Irish. If that narrative holds true, game script would favor the running game, and Notre Dame's defense should oblige. Through two games, Notre Dame has allowed 5.0 rushing yards per attempt and 230.5 rush yards per game. That matches extremely well with a Georgia rush attack averaging 7.61 yards per carry. Swift has been even better than the team average, notching 9.4 yards per tote. He should receive more run Saturday than he has in any of the first three games, which could result in big numbers once again.

Salvon Ahmed, Washington ($8,600) at BYU

Ahmed's volume was reduced to just eight carries last week against Hawaii, but that was largely a product of a game script that had the Huskies get out to a huge first-half lead before cruising to victory. That's far from the expected game script this week. As just 6.5-point favorites, the starters should play the full four quarters during Saturday's affair. With that, I would expect Ahmed's volume to near the 18 carries per game he averaged during the first two weeks of the season. BYU's rush defense hasn't stopped and of its opponents thus far, and it's hard to see that changing against Washington.

Value Play: Javian Hawkins, Louisville ($7,000) at Florida State

It seems odd to be recommending two players from a Louisville squad that clocks in as 6.5-point underdogs against Florida State. On the same token, Hawkins has rushed for 215 yards and a touchdown through two games, including a 122-yard effort against Notre Dame in the opener. Florida State's defense was torched on the ground by Boise State in the opener and took overtime to beat Louisiana-Monroe in Week 2, allowing 3.9 yards per carry and 2.7 rushing touchdowns per contest. The one area Hawkins has been lacking is in scoring, but a 61-point over-under mark bodes well for a good amount of scoring Saturday, and Hawkins could be the primary beneficiary of that on the Cardinals' offensive side of the ball.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Ja'Marr Chase, LSU ($7,900) at Vanderbilt

Chase served a suspension in Week 3, but he will return to action this week against Vanderbilt. The sophomore wideout's last showing resulted in eight catches for 147 yards on 10 targets against Texas. With a Vanderbilt pass defense on the schedule that has been gutted in each of its first two games, Chase could be poised for another monster showing versus a Commodores pass defense that, as highlighted above, has been torched early in the season.

Devin Duvernay, Texas ($9,200) vs. Oklahoma State

I may be going back to the well on this selection, but for good reason. Prior to his seven-target game last week, Duvernay totaled double-digit targets in each of the first two contests. Even after a slow week last week due to the blowout nature of the contest, Duvernay owns a 25.4 percent target  share of the high-powered Longhorns passing attack. Oklahoma State hasn't been tested much in any of the first three games, helping the Cowboys' defensive stats early in the campaign. Those numbers should inflate this week, with the Longhorns third on the board in terms of implied points (39.3) this week. It also wouldn't be out of line to pair him with quarterback Sam Ehlinger ($10,600) if you can fit the two in.

GPP Play: Ricky Smalling, Illinois ($7,700) vs. Nebraska

It's been a little while since Illinois had a true passer under center, but that seems to be the case in the early going with Brandon Peters. The Illini are coming off of a loss to Eastern Michigan, but it was more a product of poor defense than offense. Illinois has scored 31 or more points in each of its first three games this season,w with Peters tossing nine touchdowns along the way. The Cornhuskers' defense hasn't lived up to its name for years and comes in allowing 7.1 yards per pass attempt and 294 passing yards per game. Although Smalling checks in behind Josh Imatorbhebhe in terms of price an production thus far, his 34.0 percent target share ranks 12th nationally and the game script could force Illinois to abandon the running game if they are playing catch up in the second half.

Bonus GPP Play: Dillon Stoner, Oklahoma State ($6,000) at Texas

Last week, I highlighted a vulnerability in the Texas defense against slot receivers and it held true with the pick of Austin Trammell with Rice. Stoner fills that role for the Cowboys and thus earns the nod this week. As part of the highest projected over-under on the slate, the shootout should involve plenty of pass attempts, and Stoner could receive a higher volume of looks Saturday than he has in previous weeks. He has yet to find pay dirt this season, and that may be a requirement for him to gain fantasy relevance on a given week, but this could be as good of a shot as any for him to warrant a flier.

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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