DFS College Football 101: Week 8 Friday Slate

DFS College Football 101: Week 8 Friday

There are only two games on this College Football DFS Friday slate, but we still have enough room to build some good-looking lineups. Our friends from Air Force offer some key value while Boise State should be able to post plenty of points against Colorado State. Here are the full matchups and odds for this slate:

Colorado State at Boise State (-24) – Total: 63

Air Force (-10) at UNLV – Total: 57

Looking within that, I'll highlight the best fantasy selections on FanDuel & DraftKings while also touching on some situations to monitor for your DFS squads.

QUARTERBACK

Brett Rypien – Boise State (FanDuel $9,900 / DraftKings $10,500)

As mentioned in the introduction, Boise State will be racking up points in bunches on Friday. QB Brett Rypien should serve as the distribution center against a Colorado State defense that ranks 114th in opponent passer rating. Rypien has showcased some strong fantasy performances this season, including 22+ fantasy points in each of his first four games. Facing CSU marks one of his best draws of the year, making the Boise QB and easy pick on this abbreviated slate.

Also Consider: For the Super-Flex position, I'll be looking towards Air Force QB Isaiah Sanders on FanDuel. He's only $6,800 over there while spearheading this triple-option attack with plenty of rushing attempts. The fact that his opponent, UNLV, ranks 117th in opponent yards per carry (5.5) doesn't hurt … Sanders has a heavier salary on DraftKings, which has me leaning to UNLV QB Max Gilliam for $5,900. He's coming off a strong showing at Utah State last time around, and the Air Force pass defense is even worse than the aforementioned-likes of Colorado State.

RUNNING BACK

Alexander Mattison – Boise State (FanDuel $9,600 / DraftKings $8,100)

Mattison is another DFS building block from Boise State. He routinely sees 20-30 touches per game, and that should easily be the case with Boise favored by 24 over Colorado State. The CSU Rams are flat-out bad on defense, which should leave plenty of room for Mattison to post a respectable fantasy line. In fact, I would probably take Mattison at this salary over several high profile running backs going on Saturday. Needless to say, he's a no-brainer on this slate.

Lexington Thomas – UNLV (FanDuel $8,700 / DraftKings $5,700)

Game flow doesn't appear to be on Thomas' side, as UNLV checks in as double-digit underdogs vs Air Force. However, the Rebels' RB is the best player on that side of the ball, and UNLV needs to feed him regularly to have a chance at pulling off the upset. Thomas is averaging 96 yards and a touchdown per game at this point in the season, and that's a reasonable expectation for Friday.

Also Consider: The running back position is pretty barren outside of Mattison and Thomas, pushing them even further up the list of priority plays. You could look towards Izzy Matthews of Colorado State in tournaments, but game flow could limit his overall touches … Cole Fagan of Air Force is another value option, but the lack of red-zone carries makes him difficult to trust for any kind of upside.

WIDE RECEIVER

Preston Williams – Colorado State (FanDuel $10,000 / DraftKings $6,300)

Colorado State will likely find themselves slinging the ball around the field in an effort to keep pace with Boise State. That's pretty much how most of the games have gone for CSU this season. Preston Williams will be looking for another big performance and maybe some garbage stats to pad his numbers. He has been the top receiver for this pass-happy offense, currently standing as a top ten receiver (in terms of production) through all of college football. Find a way to get him into your lineups on Friday.

Sean Modster – Boise State (FanDuel $8,400 / DraftKings $6,900)

This recommendation is more for FanDuel than DraftKings, as Modster has a much more relaxed salary over there. Boise State likes the spread the ball around, but Modster still leads this team in targets. In fact, he has been seeing more looks as of late with 35 targets and 17 catches over his past three games. The opportunities should keep coming in an advantageous matchup vs Colorado State, and I'm expecting Modster to make good on those chances.

Also Consider: Warren Jackson is a value play who could get in on the Colorado State aerial circus. That holds especially true if fellow WR Olabisi Johnson is limited after sustaining an injury last week … Ronald Cleveland of Air Force was mentioned as a cheap filler last Friday, and he actually came away with a pair of rushing touchdowns. The fact that he's getting a handful of carries to go along with work in the passing game makes him a nice cash commodity on DraftKings for $4,300 … As mentioned earlier, UNLV could find themselves in catch-up mode yet again. That would benefit their best receiver, Darren Woods Jr. Woods has caught a touchdown in three of his past four games, and the price is way too cheap for only $4,000 on DraftKings … CT Thomas is an economical stacking extension of Rypien and the Boise passing attack. He doesn't see a ton of volume, so you are hoping Thomas can find a big play to pay off this salary. That is entirely possible against a bad CSU defense.