FanDuel College Football: Week 5 Main Slate

FanDuel College Football: Week 5 Main Slate

This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.

After a week hiatus, I am back on the beat this week to bring you Week 5 action on FanDuel. The Ole Miss-Alabama game leads the over/under total by a wide margin of 14, suggesting there should be plenty of value to be had in both offenses this weekend. To that end, Alabama's 47.0 expected score tops the closest competition (Ohio State at 36.75 versus Rutgers) by 10.25 points, while Ole Miss checks in sixth at 32.5 expected points. Despite an impressive start to the season, Arkansas is the biggest underdog at +17.5 points versus Georgia, tying Boston College with a slate-low 16.0 expected points. Missouri-Tennessee (65.5) and TCU-Texas (65.0) round out the 60-plus expected game totals, while there are 11 teams with expected scores within the range of 30-34.25 behind Alabama's massive expected showing. You can find those teams on our Daily Matchups page.

Possible Weather Impact (Obviously can change)

Tennessee at Missouri - Chance for light rain early and late in the game.

Texas at TCU - 40 percent chance of rain at kickoff that wanes a bit each hour.

Cincinnati at Notre Dame - About a 25 percent chance of rain throughout.

Notable Injuries/Absences

QB

C.J. Stroud, Ohio State - Had a good week of practice and should be back under center following a shoulder injury.

Joe Milton, Tennessee - Getting closer to 100 percent and could start if Hendon Hooker can't play.

Hendon Hooker, Tennessee - Status is unclear for Saturday at this point.

KJ Jefferson, Arkansas - Dealing with some soreness but should be fine to play Saturday.

JT Daniels, Georgia - Playing through a lat issue that is likely tied to his oblique problem but says he's getting better by the day and doesn't appear in danger of missing out Saturday. He's considered a game-time decision according to a recent report.

Jack Coan, Notre Dame - Has split first-team reps with Drew Pyne during practice and is ahead of where he was expected to be. Starting QB situation will be one to monitor.

RB

Brian Robinson, Alabama - Has practiced this week and should play against Ole Miss.

Austin Jones, Stanford - Considered questionable to play against Oregon.

Will Shipley, Clemson - Likely back "in a few weeks" but won't play Saturday. Kobe Pace is the likely top guy for Clemson, with Phil Mafah listed as the top backup.

LD Brown, Oklahoma State - Had a recent scope procedure and won't be checked on again for two to three weeks.

E.J. Smith, Stanford - Out again this week.

Casey Filkins, Stanford - Listed as questionable for Saturday.

Dezmon Jackson, Oklahoma State - Could return against Baylor.

Kendall Milton, Georgia - Was held out last week but could have played if needed. Likely puts him in a better spot for this week.

WR

Treylon Burks, Arkansas - Working through soreness but should be good to go Saturday.'

Caleb Chapman, Texas A&M - Considered day-to-day at the moment so could be a game-time call.

D.J. Matthews, Indiana - Suffered a torn ACL last week and is done for the season.

Braydon Johnson, Oklahoma State - Not listed on the depth chart for Saturday.

Chase Lane, Texas A&M - Labeled day-to-day leading up to Saturday.

Joshua Moore, Texas - Fine following ankle injury suffered during practice this week.

Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint Georgia - "Hopeful" to play against Arkansas.

TE

Daniel Imatorbhebhe, Kansas State - Slated to play Saturday but will be on a pitch count.

DFS Tools

Week 5 Plays

Quarterback

Bryce Young, Alabama ($11,200) vs. Ole Miss

This might be a shoo-in for one of the best value plays on the slate given the matchup. Young put up 30.4 points last week in a route of Southern Miss after finishing with no more than 27.7 in a previous game. Why then, you ask, should we invest such a hefty salary given his mediocre production thus far? Well, Mississippi's defense ranked third-worst in the country last season in passing yards per game allowed (314.0) ahead of just Arkansas State and LSU. While that number has shrunk to just 208.7 so far this season, Ole Miss hasn't really faced juggernauts in the way of passing attacks and the only team with a typically pass-heavy approach in Tulane threw the ball just 18 times on a rainy night. Young has a bevy of talented weapons to turn to, is on the home turf and is quarterbacking the highest expected scoring team on the slate by a wide margin. That's hard to pass up.

Casey Thompson, Texas ($10,300) at TCU

I was initially going to go with Matt Corral in this slot, but there are a couple of road game warning signs with Corral (see: Arkansas and LSU last season) that led me astray on that path for the time being. I still think he's an option and mention him below as another to consider at this range. However, I think I'll go with Casey Thompson instead, who hasn't yet displayed those warning signs and has seemingly taken over under center for an impressive Longhorns offense. Thompson is fresh off of six total touchdowns in a thrashing of Texas Tech and now faces a TCU defense that is among the best matchups on the slate. While the Horned Frogs have allowed only 210 passing yards per game, they allow a slate-worst 9.4 yards per pass attempt to go along with two passing scores on average in the two games against FBS squads. Thompson has shown the ability to do plenty of damage in his own right through the air and doesn't have the warning signs yet of Corral, so I'll take my chances with him given the slight savings in salary and identical expected team scores.

GPP Dart: JT Daniels, Georgia ($7,600) vs Arkansas

Daniels' stats so far this season don't jump off of the page, but there isn't a ton of context to what we've seen from him either. Not only was Daniels missing a bunch of weapons in the opener versus Clemson, but he was also apparently playing through an oblique injury that caused him to miss the following game against UAB. He showed up against South Carolina to the tune of 303 passing yards and a trio of touchdowns and completed nine of 10 passes last week versus Vanderbilt before being replaced under center as he continues to heal, reportedly a lat issue that is related to the oblique problem earlier in the campaign. While the health of Daniels will seemingly be a risk to using him, Daniels said he's getting healthier by the day and shouldn't be sat at all in what will be a top-10 matchup. Speaking of the matchup, it doesn't look great on paper. That being said, Arkansas faced Rice and Georgia Southern in two of its four games and a Texas A&M squad that appears to be a shell of its former self with Zach Calzada at the helm. Texas was also running the two-quarterback system a bit with Hudson Card as the starter but has since switched to Casey Thompson, so there are some factors working in the Razorbacks' favor defensively thus far. A report posted after the article was published indicates Daniels is a game-time decision so keep an eye out for confirmation Saturday.

Others to consider: Matt Corral, Ole Miss ($10,500), Connor Bazelak ($8,800) vs. Tennessee

Running Back

Tyler Badie, Missouri ($10,300) vs. Tennnessee

Badie's matchup is another that doesn't appear overly appealing on paper, but if you look at only the two power-five opponents the Vols have faced thus far, the backs have totaled 57.5 combined points, suggesting there is plenty of value to be had. The kicker is that the running backs in those two contests combined for 12 receptions, which is a specialty of Badie's in the Missouri offense.  In fact, Badie ranks fourth nationally in receptions among running backs with 20 through four games and one of the three ahead of him (Calvin Turner) has already played five games. Badie can also get it done on the ground, averaging 6.4 yards per carry, so there's still plenty to like here when you dig a bit deeper. Game flow suggests the game will be close enough to keep the starters in and Missouri is favored, so a late-game lead could allow the Tigers to pound the rock.

CJ Verdell, Oregon ($8,500) at Stanford

Verdell split carries with Travis Dye last week against Arizona but figures to still be the lead back when needed, having averaged 19 carries in the two closer games early in the season. Verdell has the highest upside given his scoring streak of five touchdowns in four games and he should have a good shot to keep that alive against a Stanford defense that has allowed five rushing touchdowns t running backs alone through four games and 2.3 per contest overall. Game flow should also work in Verdell's favor, with the Ducks sporting an eight-point advantage on the spread, and this fails to mention the Cardinal surrendering 5.2 yards per carry and 209 rushing yards per contest to opposing teams.

Brian Robinson, Alabama ($8,400) vs. Ole Miss

Robinson could be another product of game flow if the spread holds true for Alabama. He's still the clear lead back for the Crimson Tide, who are 14.5-point favorites to remain among the undefeated ranks after Saturday's showdown. Robinson should be good to go this week after sitting out last Saturday versus Southern Miss and he should handle most of the carries if the game remains within shouting distance. The only contest so far Alabama that has remained close came against Florida. In that game, Robinson handled a season-high 15 carries and a 54 percent carry share. Robinson should handle the bulk of the work again this week and could be looked to late in the contest to put the game away.

Tiyon Evans ($7,400)/Jabari Small ($6,800), Tennessee at Missouri

The Tennessee backfield has a timeshare going on, but that doesn't mean that they can't both be productive enough to warrant fantasy consideration given that the Tigers have allowed 40.0 FD points per game to opposing backs in the three games versus FBS opponents this season.  Given the salaries of the two back, either of them reaching 20 points would be more than enough to warrant usage Saturday, especially if you are looking to save on some salary.  I would lean a bit toward Small simply because a bit less of a burden on the salary but that will likely be the default for more looking to get a piece of this backfield for the same reason. Either should be a fine play but also with some risk given the splitting of carries.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Texas A&M WR group

It's tough to discern yet who will all be available for the Aggies on Saturday and I wouldn't touch quarterback Zach Calzada with a 10-foot- pole, but there could be something here in the receiving group worth looking at. Mississippi State has done a great job of stopping the run game so far this season and the Bulldogs will presumably scheme to force Calzada to throw it a lot given what we've seen from him so far. Mississippi State has also surrendered a slate-high 43.0 points per game to opposing receivers, so there should be an opportunity for this position group to make some noise. Jalen Wydermyer may be the safest option in terms of both his safety of role and health, while Caleb Chapman and Chase Lane are both questionable. If both sit out again, Jalen Preston could be a down-the-board option wortth some consideration after he let the wide receivers and tight ends last week with six targets. Ainias Smith and Demond Demas are also involved at wideout, though Smith, in particular, has seen a drop in target share over the last two games.

Jameson Williams, Alabama ($9,200) vs. Ole Miss

If I'm looking near the top of the board, I'm looking at Williams as an option to pair with Bryce Young on Saturday. John Metchie's ($8,500) salary is still too high given what we've gotten from him too far and Williams seems the surer bet to be able to do a lot with a little given the way the Ole Miss defense has held its own for the most part this year. That being said, the Rebels haven't faced a passing offense like the Crimson Tide to date, and I'm interested in getting my hand in the cookie jar as much as possible on a team facing an uptempo offense with an expected score close to 50.

Xavier Worthy, Texas ($8,400) vs. TCU

Worthy really made his mark for the first time this season over the last couple of weeks, posing seven catches for 88 yards and a score against Rice two weeks ago and breaking out with five grabs for 100 yards and three scores last week versus Texas Tech. There may be more to it yet, as Casey Thompson has really taken over the lead job under center in those two contests. The two seem to have a good rapport that should pay dividends for the freshman wideout moving forward. He also gets a matchup versus a TCU defense that is much worse than the numbers show, evidenced in Thompson's section above. When taking out the Duquesne game from the trio, TCU is allowing more than 46 points per contest to opposing receivers and has allowed six passing touchdowns to wideouts in the two games. That bodes well for Worthy and his four scores in the past two games with Thompson at the helm. The Horned Frogs have also allotted five passing plays of 40-plus yards in the two games, which fits right into Worthy's wheelhouse.with four catches of 25-plus yards on the season.

DFS Dart: Jahleel Billingsley, Alabama ($6,000) vs. Ole Miss

I wish we could get a bit more a discount on Billingsley, but he's still at a good range for some upside given that we've seen him finally start living up to his potential recently. That showed the most last week against Southern Miss, when Billingsley compiled five catches for 25 yards and a touchdown. His snap count has notably risen each week, which bodes well for the junior tight end coming into what's expected to be a high-scoring affair. There's certainly some significant upside if he continues to see the field a bunch Saturday and he could be slightly overlooked still at this point with Cameron Latu still listed as the team's starting tight end.

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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