Week 9! As the college football regular season nears the home stretch the games continue to get more and more exciting.  As well as college football playoff implications, bragging rights will also be on the line as several teams square off against hated rivals.  Rivalry games can sometimes cause statisticians headaches because the more each game boils down to emotion and Murphy’s Law, the less it relies on formulas and numbers.  That being said, we’re here to help you sort through it all, identify the locks, and pick some key value players to put together a winning lineup.
 

Along with a couple big rivalry games there will also be several shootouts.  Any slate with Texas Tech on it is a safe bet but we also have Houston and South Florida who have both decided that defense is optional this year.  It seems like a familiar pattern but going big on two QBs still seems like the best play this week, just keep in mind most of your competitors will also be rolling out the big guns under center.  Who should you play? Let’s find out!
 

QB Kyler Murray

Okla

K-State

$10,600

Risk: Low

Upside: Very High

Kyler Murray is a mainstay in the watercooler Heisman talk for a reason.  He’s that good. Although playing a Kansas State team that held Oklahoma State to 12 points last week they are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde depending on where they play.  This game is in Norman, and Murray’s Heisman campaign isn’t going to skip a beat this week.


 

QB D’Eric King

Hou

USF

$10,200

Risk: Very Low

Upside: Very High

D’Eric King can carve up a defense with the best of them.  With some of his young receivers starting to come into their own it’s not unlikely to see him put up big numbers through the air, as he has shown he’s capable of in previous weeks.  What truly separates him from the field are his legs. USF’s rush defense is abysmally ranked 115th in the country and without a bell cow running back, expect Houston to turn King loose in the open field.


 

QB Blake Barnett

USF

@Hou

$9,700

Risk: Low

Upside: Very High

At first glance Barnett seems over valued for what you’re getting, until you realize that Houston is giving up 333 yards per game through the air on defense.  Yes, you read that right. Houston’s run defense is nothing special either and that’s where things get interesting. USF leans heavily on RB Jordan Cronkrite but with Barnett scoring 3 rushing TDs in his last 2 games he might be just player to exploit the Cougar’s defense on the ground and through the air.

 

 

QB Michael Collins

TCU

@Kansas

$7,300

Risk: Medium

Upside: High

With a season ending injury to Shawn Robinson in steps Michael Collins with his first start against an always favorable Kansas.  While the upside of owning a value QB in a potential blowout is enticing, Collins is only 13/31 passing this year. We’ll see if he can get in more of a rhythm when he has a week to prepare as the starter.    

 

QB Brock Purdy

ISU

TxTech

$7,000

Risk: Low

Upside: High

Another player that has come out of the woodwork recently.  Purdy took the reigns 2 weeks ago and has put up over 560 yards and 7 touchdowns in those contests.  If he can keep the mojo going he will have plenty of opportunities against Texas Tech’s up tempo offense and 115th ranked pass defense.  You won’t find too much more QB value than this.

 

RB Jordan Cronkrite

USF

@Hou

$8,800

Risk: Low

Upside: Very High

The general play this week is to find value at RB but if you decide to spend the coin Cronkrite is a safe bet.  He’s gone over 100 yards in each of his last 5 games and there’s no reason to believe he won’t do it again. There will be a lot of points to go around in this contest.

 

RB Eno Benjamin

Ariz St

@USC

$6,800

Risk: Medium

Upside: Very High

Eno had an off week last week against a stingy Stanford defense, but barring that outlier the Sun Devil tailback has been running wild this year.  With carries typically in the high 20s and several receptions per game he should be worth the bang for your buck.


 

RB Pooka Williams

Kansas

TCU

$5,900

Risk: Low

Upside: Medium

One of the lone bright spots this year in the Jayhawks offense has been Pooka Williams.  At nearly 7 yards per carry and a middle of the road TCU rush defense he should eclipse the 100 yard mark.  His day will go from good to great if he can find the endzone.


 

RB Kennedy Brooks

Okla

K-State

$5,000

Risk: High

Upside: High

Taking a backup running back in DFS formats is always a high risk but bear with me.  Brooks has run for 100+ yards in 2 of the last 3 games, quite the performance for $5,000.  The other game you ask? 3 carries. Kansas State’s run defense is bad to put it bluntly and when this one gets out of hand expect Brooks to keep putting it on the Wildcats.


 

RB Isaiah Bowser

Northwestern

Wisc

$4,900

Risk: Low

Upside: High

The Northwestern running back situation has had more ups and downs this year than an elevator business.  After several weeks of unproductivity they decided to give the rock to the freshman Bowser. He made the most of it with 28 carries for 108 and 2 scores.  Look for him to get another plethora of carries against a Wisconsin rush defense ranked 76th.

 

RB Ivory Kelly-Martin

Iowa

@PSU

$4,700

Risk: Medium

Upside: High

After returning from a concussion last week Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz called his number 24 times.  It shows the type of confidence he has in the sophomore. Already named the starting running back this week against the 72nd ranked Penn State rush defense, Kelly-Martin is a great value pick.

 

WR Marquise Brown

OK

K-State

$8,600

Risk: Low

Upside: Very High

Hollywood! Don’t be surprised to see him streaking towards the goal line on a deep bomb at least once in this contest. Big day for the big man on campus.

 

WR Jalen Reagor

TCU

@KU

$6,900

Risk: Medium

Upside: High

Staying away from TCU skill players as a general rule isn’t a bad play just because there are so many mouths to feed in Fort Worth.  Reagor was also held to just one catch last week against OU but should return to form this week against Kansas as the Horned Frogs top target.  This is another game that should have many points to go around.

 

WR Tee Higgins

Clem

@FSU

$6,100

Risk: High

Upside: High

Higgins is hit or miss but we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention Clemson’s top target.  If he can repeat his 8/119/1 stat line from last week he will be worth the money. In games previous he was somewhere around the 4 to 5 catches for 50 yards range.  There is something to be said for freshman QB Trevor Lawrence getting more comfortable in the pocket and getting more of a repoir with Higgins as the season goes on.

 

WR TJ Vasher

Tx Tech

@ISU

$5,700

Risk: Medium

Upside: High

Texas Tech’s number 2 receiver offers a big target for Alan Bowman, especially in the red zone.  With 4 TDs in his last 4 games and a likely shootout brewing against Iowa State, Vasher adding another TD seems more likely than not.  There’s no reason why he is this cheap, especially compared to Ja’Deion High who should return to his #3 role this week.

 

WR Noah Fant

Iowa

@PSU

$5,000

Risk: Medium

Upside: Medium

Fant’s situation for DFS is pretty simple.  It’s a $5,000 bet that he finds the end zone.  It’s not a bad bet as the TE has done just that 4 of his past 5 games.  Every once in a while the junior will find a seam for a long gain too. That’s just about your best case scenario but worth the money.

 

WR Mitchell Wilcox

USF

@Hou

$4,000

Risk: Medium

Upside: Medium

Wilcox is pretty consistent and at $4,000 consistency is great trait.  He won’t lead the team in receiving but Barnett should have plenty of passes to go around and with Wilcox playing a hybrid TE/WR it pays to have a player that will be on the field in all scenarios.

 

WR Cameron Green

Northwestern

Wisc

$3,900

Risk: High

Upside: Medium

Another TE with boom or bust potential. You can’t expect too much from a sub-$4,000 player but Green put up an 11/125/2 week earlier this year and if you’ve overspent in other areas he is worth a look for minimal money.


Main Example Lineup:

QB - D. King - $10,200
RB - E. Benjamin - $6,800
RB - K.Brooks - $5,000
WR - T. Higgins - $6,100
WR - TJ Vasher - $5,700
WR - M. Wilcox - $4,000
Flex - I. Kelly-Martin - $4,700
S-Flex - B. Purdy - $7,000

 

Main Example Lineup:

QB - K. Murray - $10,600

RB - E. Benjamin - $6,800

RB - K.Brooks - $5,000

WR - N. Fant - $5,000

WR - TJ Vasher - $5,700

WR - M. Wilcox - $4,000

Flex - P. Williams - $5,900

S-Flex - B. Purdy - $7,000


Main Example Lineup:

QB - K. Murray - $10,700

RB - E. Benjamin - $6,800

RB - P. Williams - $5,900

WR - TJ Vasher - $5,700

WR - M. Wilcox - $4,000

WR - N. Fant - $5,000
Flex - I. Bowser - $4,900

S-Flex - B. Purdy - $7,000

 

Main Example Lineup:

QB - B. Barnett - $9,700

RB - I. Bowser - $4,900

RB -  I. Kelly-Martin - $4,700

WR - M. Brown - $8,600

WR - J. Reagor - $6,900

WR - M. Wilcox - $4,000

Flex - C. Green - $3,900

S-Flex - M. Collins - $7,300
 

Saturday Night Example Lineup:

QB - G. Minshew - $9,000

RB - R. Gallaspy - $7,100

RB - D. Williams- $7,600

WR - T. Wallace - $5,500

WR - S. Riley - $5,600

WR - D. Butler - $3,300
Flex - C. Hubbard - $3,200

S-Flex - I. Book - $8,700

 

FanDuel

Here are some lineups/thoughts for the FanDuel main slate as well.  There are a few added games to this slate so you’ll see some new names/faces, as well as some that you’ve seen above. If you prefer the FD game, we got you covered:

QB - Kyler Murray - $10,400
S-Flex - QB Brock Purdy - $9,100

Same scenario as above except that Kyler Murray is even a little cheaper here.

RB - Jonathan Taylor - $9,700
RB - Isaiah Bowser - $6,400

We’ll take both running backs in this contest and hope it turns into a ground war.  Jonathan Taylor (even without a good week last week) not being the highest running back is a crime.  Bowser will be well worth the money if Northwestern feeds him like they did last week.

WR - Rondale Moore - $9,500
WR - TJ Vasher - $8,200
WR - Randall St. Felix - $6,700

After carving up Ohio State last week it’s safe to say that Purdue will do everything they can to get freshman Rondale Moore the ball.  He is the highest recruit Purdue has ever gotten and he’s proving that the hype is real. Randall St. Felix is an interesting play as we decided to favor Wilcox in all of the Draftkings lineups.  Fanduel actually has St. Felix for less money and everyone is capable of putting up video game numbers against the porous Houston secondary.