College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 11/25/23

With daily fantasy football being so popular, it was only a matter of time before it translated to the college level.

FanDuel now offers college football daily fantasy contests in most states, and there's a twist on the NFL ruleset. You select a quarterback, two running backs, three wideouts (which includes tight ends), and a "SuperFLEX" that can be any of those positions.

Finding target data for pass-catchers in college can be difficult, so figuring out which players are on the field and getting work can make all the difference. Naturally, there are also more lopsided outcomes in college, so balance game scripts appropriately! Your running back's monstrous first half could lead to a bagel in the second.

How should we approach this week's main slate?

Note: All stats are from PFF.com. All tables are sortable by any category. All college football odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Slate

You might need me more for this slate than any other full main slate of the year.

Black Friday is a pretty special day in college football with marquee rivalry games getting some extra shine before Saturday, and we've got nine ranked teams in action. However, those ranked teams are joined by Group of 5 contenders that might actually be positioned to better put up FanDuel points.

A great example of that? The Utah State Aggies and New Mexico Lobos have the best game script on the slate. They're the only total north of 60 (61.5 points) with a single-digit spread (6.5). I don't know about you, but I'll need to dust off my depth charts there.

Of course, we've got high-octane offenses just outside that threshold. I believe the Oregon State Beavers will keep it decently competitive in Eugene against the Oregon Ducks, so while that spread is 13.5 points, the lead story is the 62.5-point total between two of the country's better offenses.

We've also got the Oklahoma Sooners and Memphis Tigers with implied team totals north of 35 points. There's no shortage of quality options.

However, the cross-off spots are pretty obvious. Namely, the 26.5-point total (!) between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers isn't exactly the place to be.

Quarterbacks

Top Plays

• Seth Henigan ($11,000)
  • Memphis is a key spot on this slate. They should be able to largely name their score against a Temple Owls defense that is 116th in yards per play allowed (6.3 YPP) with fairly equal deficiency against the pass and rush. Henigan -- the author of 28 total touchdowns this year -- is easily the safest spot for guaranteed production as they score.
• Brady Cook ($10,400)
  • The top-10 ranked Missouri Tigers are largely in the same boat -- including both teams are on the road to help the competitiveness of the game. Mizzou's market shares are solid enough to usually leave their QB behind, but the Arkansas Razorbacks are allowing 8.1 passing YPA (101st in FBS). If there was a game to stack him with his back or wideouts, it's this one.
• Frank Harris ($9,800)
  • The UTSA Roadrunners and Tulane Green Wave are one of my favorite game stacks in a contest that will go a long way to determining the AAC title. The seventh-year senior, Harris, is using his legs more as the stakes rise. After topping 30 rushing yards just once in his first six contests, he's now done so in three straight -- including 112 on the ground last week.

Others to Consider

• Bo Nix ($12,000)
  • The Heisman hopeful has added incentive to run up the score -- if possible -- on the Beavers in the Civil War, but Oregon State is no pushover. They're 43rd in passing YPA allowed (6.9); I just don't think Nix should be the highest-salaried guy on the slate for beating up lesser foes in recent weeks.
• Dequan Finn ($10,500)
  • If you haven't seen Dequan Finn yet this season, you're missing out. Finn has the Toledo Rockets ranked behind 8.2 passing YPA and 50.3 yards per game on the ground. The Central Michigan Chippewas are 106th in YPP allowed (6.0), so if this game holds to its 10.5-point spread, Finn probably explodes.
• Michael Pratt ($9,600)
  • On the other side of Harris, Pratt is once again the most attractive way to target a Green Wave passing attack that spreads it around. In terms of YPA, UTSA is a top-30 school against both the pass and rush, so this appears to be a difficult matchup, but the Roadrunners haven't seen a QB like Pratt all year.
• Quinn Ewers ($8,500)
  • After losing Jonathan Brooks to a torn ACL, I'm expecting Ewers to take on work in the Texas Longhorns' offense. The pocket passer has limited upside, but he did top 30 FanDuel points once this season with two rushing scores -- and has five total. He's as low as I'd go on a slate filled with tremendous, dual-threat QBs.

Running Backs

Top Plays

• Cody Schrader ($10,000)
  • Schrader has topped 125 scrimmage yards in four straight games, and this is arguably one of his easiest matchups in the stretch. I'll probably leave Cook behind to pair him with Mizzou's prolific duo of wideouts.
  • Schrader is second on the slate in rush share over the past five weeks (76.5), so he's not a threat to be vultured, either.
• Makhi Hughes ($8,500)
  • With Tyjae Spears now in the NFL, Tulane replaced him with a sensational freshman. Hughes has handled 62.4% of their carries in the past five weeks. The matchup with UTSA could be better, but he's due for significant regression around the goal line with just 6 touchdowns on 206 carries this year.
• Emani Bailey ($8,100)
  • Oklahoma allows 3.9 rushing YPA, so I'm not sure why Bailey is salaried like this is an outlier matchup. He's handed 17.0 carries per game in negative scripts, but TCU should be in this game with QB news trending favorably for them and unfavorably for the Sooners.
• Lorenzo Lingard ($6,400)
  • Gems like this are why I love post-Thanksgiving CFB slates. Lingard has handled 70.8% of the Akron Zips' team carries in the last five weeks -- good for 17.8 per game in that stretch. The game environment with the Ohio Bobcats isn't perfect with a 41.5-point total, but this is a featured back that pays off his salary with one score.

Others to Consider

• Tahj Brooks ($8,400)
  • Brooks is in nearly the same position as Bailey. Texas is seventh in rushing YPA allowed (2.9), but Brooks has gotten a whopping 29.5 carries per game in the last five weeks. He'll be featured with the potential for multiple scores again.
  • He also averages 2.3 targets per game, so he's not entirely done for in a blowout.
• Marion Lukes ($8,200)
  • The Chippewas love a lead back, and Lukes has received 18.5 carries per game over the last five weeks. It's not ideal to stack the favored QB (Finn) with an opposing RB on a team projected to trail, but this game is in Mount Pleasant, and the spread is curiously short.
• CJ Baxter ($8,000)
  • The freshman got 20 of Texas' 27 RB carries last week, turning them into 117 yards without a score. He'll be a chalky option on the slate as a 12.5-point home favorite.
• Mark Fletcher Jr. ($7,500)
  • Fletcher Jr. erupted with 17 carries, 126 yards, and a pair of scores against the vaunted Louisville Cardinals defense, so the Boston College Eagles should be no problem. He's likely just a one-off as B.C. struggles to mount any offense at all.

Wide Receivers

Top Plays

• Luther Burden III ($9,600)
  • Once a two-headed monster, Mizzou's pass game has revolved around Burden in recent weeks. He's up to a 33.3% target share in their last five games. His scoring streak stopped at three games last week; Arkansas is an ideal matchup to start another.
• Xavier Worthy ($7,700)
  • Worthy still got eight targets last week in Ames but was swallowed whole by the overall gross environment that the Iowa State Cyclones try to produce.
  • Texas Tech (6.9 passing YPA allowed) is a much more forgiving script, and we like Brooks and Baxter from this game already.
• KeAndre Lambert-Smith ($7,300)
  • After a month of ugly B1G matchups, KLS can finally showcase his role. The Michigan State Spartans are ceding 7.8 passing YPA, and I could see Penn State trying to get Drew Allar ($8,700) going before the postseason.
  • If their passing volume increases at all, Lambert-Smith has drawn 30.0% of the targets in the past five weeks.
• Miles Cross ($7,000)
  • Ohio is splitting work in the backfield more than last year, so Cross (27.8% target share in the past five weeks) is the best way to run back Akron's lead tailback.
  • The Zips also concentrate their passing game; Jasaiah Gathings ($6,800) and Daniel George ($6,700) eat up 56.9% of their targets. A game stack is right there if, somehow, this game eclipses its low total.

Others to Consider

• Troy Franklin ($10,400)
  • Franklin faces the same concerns as Nix, entering this tough matchup at sky-high salaries after bludgeoning the Arizona State Sun Devils. The big-play threat also has just a 24.5% target share in the last five weeks with Oregon heavily favored. I'm leaning toward fading both.
• Joshua Cephus ($9,000)
  • Frank Harris' top weapon has a 28.1% target share the past five weeks, and he's accounted for 34.6% of UTSA's passing volume overall. The two could be a nice stack with Hughes -- from favored Tulane -- on the other side.
• Drake Stoops ($8,600)
  • Dillon Gabriel might be able to play on Friday, and Stoops would be more viable than Gabriel in that event. He's burst onto the scene with 9.2 targets per game in the past five weeks. They're short ones, but he's also scored four times in his last three contests.
• Caleb Medford ($6,100)
  • I mentioned Utah State-New Mexico in the open, but messy backfields on both sides limit this stack to its pass-catchers.
  • Medford, Jalen Royals ($9,900), and Terrell Vaughn ($9,400) all have target shares north of 26.0% in the past five weeks; I'm most interested in Medford due to salary and lack of competition from another top target.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.