Welcome to a special edition of Tiering Up the Competition! This article talks about Black Friday’s main slate and is a slightly shorter version than my normal weekly article. Have no fear, though! Plenty of plays across the different price ranges are included!
Quarterbacks
Seth Henigan ($8,300) against Temple is a really good matchup for us on Friday. The Owls are giving up nearly nine yards per target and have just two interceptions to 23 TDs allowed. The Tigers have an implied team total of 38, making all of their players good options.
I like a ton of cheaper options for this position, but one other guy I’d look at when going expensive is Brady Cook ($8,100). Cook is a positive on the ground with TDs in four of his last five games rushing. He also has heated back up through the air, throwing for over 300 yards per game in his past two. I’d like more volume out of him generally, but this matchup against Arkansas is perfect for someone like Cook.
Let the cheap options begin! If Devon Dampier ($5,800) gets the nod at QB for the Lobos (Dylan Hopkins is questionable), then we get a dual-threat QB in a high-scoring affair. Dampier looked good against Boise State, throwing for 200 yards and rushing for 48 more in real snaps.
On the other side of the field, Levi Williams ($5,400) could get the start with Cooper Legas and McCae Hillstead injured. Levi has been around forever, it feels like, and is another guy who can really run it. With solid receivers around him and the ability to find value on the ground, this price is just too low.
Thomas Castellanos ($6,000) has been really good in 2023, even with an unimaginative BC offensive game plan. He’s come down to earth as of late but is still seeing 20+ passing attempts and 12+ rushing attempts consistently.
Running Backs
Cody Schrader ($7,200) has really blown up as of late, going for 24+ fantasy points in four straight games with a near 50-burger against Tennessee two weeks ago. He’s finding the end zone consistently, is used in the passing game, and plays for a Missouri team with an implied team total of 31 on Saturday. He’s one of the safest options on the board.
Blake Watson ($7,300) has seen his usage fluctuate recently, but it’s seemingly more due to injury than a deep RB room. Memphis is really moving the ball these days, which is great for Watson’s incredible TD equity (15 total TDs in 2023).
Makhi Hughes ($5,900) is a really safe play with a limited ceiling come Saturday. He’s surely going to get 20 touches and likely hit 100+ rushing yards. As I’ve said in the past, his ability to find the end zone is hampered by Michael Pratt and the offense. He has just six TDs on 206 attempts this season.
It took a while, but Gavin Sawchuk ($5,500) has seemingly taken over the RB1 spot for the Sooners. In the past three weeks, he’s rushed 49 times for over 350 yards and two TDs. He’s done not much through the air and is a riskier version of Hughes in my eyes.
With Rocket Sanders and Rashod Dubinion out against Missouri, it appears Isaiah Augustave ($4,000) will get RB1 usage for the Razorbacks. The problem here is that we’re looking at about 35% of usage with a big dual-threat QB to steal TDs away from him. Thanks to the price, I don’t mind using Augustave here. Just expect nothing more than 15 touches and limited chances around the goal line.
Wide Receivers
Luther Burden III ($7,600) is coming off a 14-target game against Florida, getting rid of any question marks surrounding his injury status. He looked great against the Gators and has a prime matchup against Arkansas, who is giving up 7.8 yards per attempt in 2023. That number isn’t all that awful, but when you look at the tougher competition they’ve faced (LSU and Alabama, fellow top teams in the SEC), you’ll see they’ve given up 11 yards per attempt in those contests.
Levi Williams is a runner by nature but has been decently successful in his career as a passer. This certainly puts Terrell Vaughn ($6,800) and his 10.1 targets per game in play. New Mexico is giving up a shocking 9 yards per attempt in 2023.
Both Memphis WRs are in play as the Tigers have started to throw more recently. Roc Taylor ($6,300) and Demeer Blankumsee ($6,200) are pretty close options with near identical prices. Blankumsee has the better TD rate, but Taylor has seen 1.3 more targets per game.
Temple is very pass-happy these days with EJ Warner back from injury, and what’s crazy about them is they’re basically down to two WRs and two TEs that are used. Zae Baines ($3,000) leads the team with 6.7 targets per game, with Dante Wright ($4,000) right behind him at 6.6 targets per game. I like both of these options on Friday but will keep an eye on Amad Anderson’s availability, as that’ll cut into the targets a little bit here.
