College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 9/29/23

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.

Friday's slate actually has a pair of ranked matchups, so with reason to watch, we've got reason to build lineups. Let's dive into this four-game appetizer before Saturday's main course.

Note: All stats are from PFF.com. All tables are sortable by any category.

The Slate

Friday's four-game slate has a headliner in name value, but it's not the headliner in DFS.

That's actually the 55.5-point projected total between the Louisville Cardinals and North Carolina State Wolfpack, and the elite signal-callers in that one check out as the best game of the night for scoring.

As always, though, don't sleep on Conference USA. We last previewed the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and UTEP Miners in Week 0, but they're back on a marquee main slate after some ups and downs since.

Of course, the ranked battle between the Utah Utes and Oregon State Beavers will draw the most eyeballs, but we'll have to mind the elite defenses with the lowest total on the slate (44.5) in Corvallis.

The nightcap is a showdown of newcomers to the Big 12. The Cincinnati Bearcats, off back-to-back Saturday main slate appearances, will travel to face the Brigham Young Cougars.

Quarterbacks

Top Plays

• Brennan Armstrong ($10,700)
  • Though the former Virginia Cavaliers quarterback's first season in Raleigh hasn't been smooth sailing, he's easily got the best dual-threat upside on the slate. He's posted 62.5 rushing yards per game despite tough matchups with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and defense-oriented Cavs in a revenge spot to this point.
• Emory Jones ($9,400)
  • Jones' popularity might be a bit suppressed after just 11.4 FanDuel points against the Oklahoma Sooners last week, but he's just one of three QBs averaging more than 35 rushing yards per game on the slate. At 57.0 yards per game on the ground, he also leads the trio of dual-threats in passing YPA (8.2).

Others to Consider

• Jack Plummer ($10,500)
  • Though he's a pocket passer, he's posted a slate-best 11.9 passing YPA and resides in the best environment on the slate. He's worth tournament consideration.
• DJ Uiagalelei ($10,200)
  • With Utah yet to cede more than 13 points in a game this season, I'm good passing on DJU when he didn't exactly qualm concerns about last year's ugly season during last week's loss to the Washington State Cougars.
• Kedon Slovis ($8,500)
  • Averaging just 6.8 rushing yards per game, you need peak efficiency or an excellent matchup to be worth the opportunity cost of another quarterback. At 7.4 passing YPA this season, he hasn't exactly answered that call when set to face a solid Bearcats D.

Running Backs

Top Plays

• Jawhar Jordan ($10,000)
  • He's handled 20.0 opportunities per game in Louisville's last two contests in the marquee game of the slate -- good for a 53.1% rush share and 6.8% target share in that time. He's the second-best back on the slate.
• LJ Martin ($7,800)
  • Without question, Martin needs to be in a bulk of lineups with two RB spots to fill. He's handled 71.3% of BYU's carries the past two weeks while earning five targets. It's hard to leave him behind given the alternatives.

Others to Consider

• Damien Martinez ($8,500)
  • Only getting 48.5% of the Beavers' carries in the past two weeks, Martinez was projected for a better workload at this point before the season. I'm not sure he's worth it in this brutal Utah matchup.
• Torrance Burgess Jr. ($8,200)
  • UTEP was projected to give Deion Hankins ($5,900) the lead job, but he's lost it due to ineffectiveness. Burgess got 19 of 24 running back carries last week; a build with him and Jordan is the only justification for avoiding Martin.
• Jaylon Glover ($8,000)
  • Utah's backfield is always odd, but Glover is in control now with 25 of 31 running back carries in a slog last week. Like Martinez, he's no stellar proposition facing Oregon State's solid front.

Wide Receivers

Top Plays

• Jamari Thrash ($9,700)
  • One of the best reasons to leave Plummer behind is the offensive production concentrated in Jordan and Thrash behind him. Thrash leads the slate in yardage share in the past two weeks (32.8%) for the Redbirds.
• Xzavier Henderson ($8,000)
  • On top of being a big-bodied senior, Henderson has a top-three mark on the slate in target share (26.3%) and yardage share (30.7%) in the past two weeks. He's dipped as Jones' production has at QB, but this matchup should bring him back to life.
• Isaac Rex ($7,000)
  • Most college tight ends score but don't have a viable role between the 20s. With a 25.8% target share to lead BYU in the past two weeks, Rex is the opposite with only one score entering Friday.

Others to Consider

• Smoke Harris ($9,000)
  • Louisiana Tech's big-play threat doesn't have the target share (25.6%) I'd have thought with Tre Harris transferring out, but it's solid, and he really just needs one.
• Silas Bolden ($7,400)
  • Bolden would be full-slate viable with a 26.5% target share over the last two weeks -- good for 7.3 per game. This isn't an ideal matchup, but Ricky Pearsall shined in it against Utah in Week 1.
• Tyrin Smith ($7,000)
  • No wideout on the slate has drawn a better target share in the past two weeks than Smith (29.8%), but he lacks yardage upside with under 20.0% of his team's passing yardage in this time despite the volume.

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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.