I'm not going to bore you with an introduction. There's just too much to digest in this piece as it is with all the action scheduled to take place Saturday.
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Most of the guys I outline below will be solid cash game picks, but I've listed a few sleepers for GPP play as well. There are a ton of games Saturday, broken into two different slates - noon 6pm. My picks below are for the noon and all day contests. Let's get to it, shall we?
CFB DFS Quarterback Picks for FanDuel
Brandon Doughty (QB, WKU) - $8,900
Doughty, a sixth-year senior, is one of the most experienced and prolific passers in the country. He leads a pass-happy offense into Bloomington for a show-down with the Hoosiers that should be a high scoring shootout. Vegas pegs WKU as just 2-point underdogs in a game with an over/under set at 71.5 The Hoosiers have talent in the secondary, but they're extremely young and prone to mistakes that lead to big plays. Doughty should be able to sustain drives and could end up north of 400 yards and three scores.
West Lunt (QB, ILL) - $6,900
I like Lunt for a lot of reasons on Saturday, namely his skill and price. There's a lot of value in being able to roster an accurate passer with a feel for the game, like Lunt, for under 7K. Illinois has shown some serious dedication to their passing game this year with Lunt throwing for a total of 65 times in two games - both of which were blowouts. The UNC defense is fine, but their secondary is, for the most part, untested thus far in 2015. UNC opened as a 10 point favorite and if the game plays out similarly to how Vegas oddsmakers have projected it, the Illini will be playing from behind and they're likely to be passing often.
Blake Frohnapfel (QB, UMASS) - $6,800
I'm hoping a lot of last week's Frohnapfel backers were so disappointed that they're finding a quarterback to roster elsewhere Saturday morning, keeping his ownership percentage low. There's no doubt his numbers last week left a lot to be desired, but the fact remains he's a highly skilled passer in a pass-happy offense that has an elite receiver in Tajae Sharpe. While Temple has a fine defense with lots of returning starters, they don't have the secondary talent Colorado has, and as such, Umass should be able to move the ball more easily this weekend.
Dane Evans (QB, Tulsa) - $6,700
Evans is my contrarian tournament pick for the day. He's priced very reasonably for a quarterback who has thrown the ball more than 30 times in each game and has more than 700 yards through the air in two games this season. Vegas expects this one to be high scoring (Over/Under 70.5) and while Oklahoma is heavily favored (-30.5), I still think Evans is going to have an opportunity to put up big points if and when his team is chasing the Sooners all afternoon. Oklahoma has a fine defense - hence this being a contrarian pick - but Evans is a talented passer and I think Tulsa's best shot to move the ball is through the air.
CFB DFS Running Back Picks for FanDuel
Samaje Perine (RB, Oklahoma) - $8,300
I love backing a highly skilled runner after a (somewhat) subpar performance in the week prior. Perine struggled with the big Tennesee defensive front last weekend, finishing with just 3.4 yards per carry. The good news, however, is that he looked healthy and this weekend faces a Tulsa team that ranks in the bottom 15 in the country in run defense. The Sooners are huge favorites and I think they'll stick to the ground game to exploit the Tulsa defense and control the clock, giving way to a big day for Perine.
Jordan Howard (RB, IU) - $8,300
At the start of the season, it looked as though Howard and fellow running back Devine Redding would be, for the most part, splitting carries. In week two though, it looked pretty clear that Howard was the lead guy - and for good reason, as he's posted just over 300 yards on the ground through two games. He's a power runner with legs that never stop moving and has a nose for hitting the hole quickly. While the Hoosiers like to throw the ball, their receiving core leaves a lot to be desired right now. As such, they're playing more to their strengths, which is moving the ball downfield a la Jordan Howard. He's a back you can count on for 20+ carries and 100 yards.
Jahad Thomas (RB, Temple) - $7,700
Thomas is Temple's workhorse back and he has quite a juicy matchup ahead of him on Saturday. He's carried the ball 25+ times in both contests this season, good for 328 total yards on the ground and three scores. His *low* Fanduel point total was 25, and that came against a pretty solid Penn State defense. On Saturday, he should run wild against a Umass defense that ranks dead last in the country at stopping the run. The game also has a fairly high over/under in Vegas at 54.5 and Umass has a quick strike offense, both of which bode well for this Temple back.
Terrell Newby (RB, Nebraska) - $7,700
Newby saw his workload - and more importantly, his output - increase in week two against South Alabama. Tomorrow afternoon he faces a fairly weak Miami defense that struggled to stop FAU's ground game last weekend. Nebraska is pretty committed to the run, and I think it's fair to expect 20-25 carries and 100+ yards and a score for Newby.
CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks for FanDuel
Tajae Sharpe (WR, UMASS) - 6,700
Sharpe did some great things for me in week two, all without even finding the end zone. It's no secret that Sharpe is an uber-talented wideout and the favorite target of quarterback Blake Frohnapfel in this pass-happy offense. I expect him to get another 15+ targets, eclipse 100 yards and find the end zone for a score or two against Temple.
Keyarris Garrett (WR, Tulsa) - $6,600
Garrett indeed faces a pretty stout Sooner defense on Saturday, but he's a fine contrarian or stack (with QB Dane Evans) in tournament formats. Tulsa's offensive attack centers around the passing game and while the Sooners may blow them out, there's a chance for Garrett to put up good points on deep balls and/or garbage time.
Ricky Jones (WR, IU) - $6,300
Ricky is a high-upside, deep threat receiver with yards-after-catch skills. He hasn't shown enough consistency yet to be a cash game play, but he's got the makings of a solid GPP pick this weekend. He's the number one receiver in a fast-paced offense that will be airing it out quite a bit on Saturday in a game that projects the Hoosiers to score 35+ points.
Taywan Taylor (WR, WKU) - $6,100
Taylor bounced back after a disapointing week one with five catches, 97 yards and a touchdown in week two. WKU likes to spread the ball around, but they put it in the air so much that I like Taylor's chances to have a big day against a porous Hoosier secondary. For me, he's a solid stacking option with quarterback Brandon Doughty.
Geronimo Allison (WR, Illinois) - $5,800
Purely a stack option for me, pairing Allison with quarterback Wes Lunt. Allison is Lunt's favorite target and since I expect the Illini to be playing from behind and airing it out a lot, Allison has the potential for a big day. He was very impressive against Western Illinois last week, catching eight passes for 124 yards.
CFB DFS Tight End Picks for FanDuel
Tyler Higbee (TE, WKU) - $3,700
Higbee should be able to find a lot of soft spots against a weak Hoosier secondary. The game expects to be a high-scoring shootout and it's not in the least bit surprising he's the most expensive tight end on the board. Tight end is one the positions I don't mind paying up for. Too often there are guys who don't catch a single pass and leave you with a big fat zero on the bottom of your roster. Last week, Higbee caught seven passes for 88 yards. He's a big component of the Hilltopper offense.
Jake Butt (TE, Michigan) - $3,400
Even taking their wide receiver group into consideration, Butt might be Michigan's most talented pass-catcher. He didn't have a great week two performance, but he's their best red zone threat and I like his chances week in and week out in the plodding, dink-and-dunk Harbaugh offense.
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