Last week we had the potential for a crazy weekend, but what we got was much more than that! Between the Bama and Texas A&M games, that alone was enough action for one day. I don’t see that type of action Saturday, but I do love the slate DraftKings has put out for us. It doesn’t take long for me to talk about a guy I’ve backed since he stepped foot on a college football field…
Quarterbacks
Any time I get a chance to say start Bo Nix ($5,500) I’m going to do it. This week against BYU he’s going to be a very viable option and one I’ll probably have too much of. He bounced back from a poor performance against Georgia to throw for 277 yards and five touchdowns. BYU isn’t the easiest of matchups, but Oregon is looking at a close game where they have an implied team total of 30.
Nix’s price puts him at the top of ownership for me right now but when it comes to value + production + floor, Garrett Shrader has to be your guy. I wasn’t thrilled with his passing potential coming into the season. He’s certainly proven himself to be productive through the air (five touchdowns and over 500 yards). Add in 29 carries for 119 yards and three touchdowns and you’re looking at an elite option against Purdue Saturday. Syracuse/Purdue makes for a great game stack with Aidan O’Connell ($7,500) being extremely viable and affordable. Volume is going to be there (58 attempts in Week 1) and he has the type of number one receiver in Chuck Sizzle to provide a solid floor.
With all these value-focused options to start, what about a stud? Dillon Gabriel ($9,500) is going to cost you a pretty penny, but he almost certainly will be worth it. You saw what Georgia Southern did to Nebraska, didn’t you? This game is supposed to be competitive enough per Vegas (OU -12) which means the Sooners’ implied team total of 38.5 is going to give guys like Gabriel a shot at a huge game. Casey Thompson ($6,800) makes for a good “run back” option at this position after a big game last week.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson ($8,300) is a guy to watch out for going into the weekend. He has the upside to break a slate (see week 1), but he’s also coming off an injury last week. I’m betting he plays, but it doesn’t seem like a sure thing. South Alabama is better than people realize and should keep this close enough where we get a whole game out of DTR and others in this Bruins offense.
Stetson Bennett ($7,300) isn’t the sexiest of options at the position. He’s been very productive in six of his last seven games and eight of his last ten. South Carolina isn’t likely going to threaten the Bulldawgs as Texas did to Alabama, but we should see nearly a full game of action from Stetson. Against Oregon, he ran for a touchdown and added two more through the air. I certainly could see that happen against this SEC opponent.
Running Back
There seem to be a lot of question marks at this position this weekend and it all starts withZach Charbonnet ($6,300). Charbonnet is way too cheap if healthy, but the question is truly is the man healthy? He sat out last week but that shouldn’t be too surprising considering the matchup. If he had something nagging then it makes complete sense. I’m hoping to see Charbonnet announced as starting and not limited in what should be an amazing matchup for him.
Brandon Campbell ($6,600) really popped last weekend with 16 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown to go with four more touches through the air. Again though, there are some injury concerns and currently, it’s hard to say if he’ll be healthy for this one. If he is, he’ll be a highly owned guy for me in a great matchup against Kansas. If Ta’Zhawn Henry is healthy (hurt ankle last week), then that would also impact Campbell’s potential in this one.
Much like his quarterback, Sean Tucker ($8,900) is an extremely high floor type guy against Purdue. He’s used at a heavy amount consistently (projected for 56% of carries in this matchup) and always seems to find the end zone. Tucker has scored in six of his last nine games, and during that stretch has nine touchdowns. This season we’ve seen an uptick in passing game usage, garnering 10 catches in his first two games. With lots of value in play this weekend, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to recommend another star. Mohammed Ibrahim ($9,400) has that slate-breaking upside that you’re looking for but also comes with an extremely high floor. He was injured in the season opener last season, but if you look at his last ten games (dating back to mid-season 2020) you’ll see eight games of 25+ fantasy points with six of those being 30+ games.
If you’re looking to go cheap at this position Saturday then look to Quinshon Judkins ($3,500) and Charles McClelland ($3,700). Judkins is in a 1B type role with Ole Miss and has really impressed in his first two collegiate performances. McClelland has the matchup you want to see but really loses value if Ryan Montgomery is deemed healthy enough to play against Miami (OH). I could see the Bearcats really split the load if everyone is healthy in that backfield.
A guy that feels pretty safe is Kendall Milton ($5,100). He’s been very efficient but just hasn’t been needed in full capacity so far. Like I said above, South Carolina should threaten enough at home to keep this close enough. Because of that, I really like Milton in cash games. In tournament entries, I don’t see the upside to warrant using much of Milton.
Wide Receivers
It only took one week of college football to find the hot newcomer on the scene as well as the best nickname. I’m talking about Charlie “Chuck Sizzle” Jones ($8,000) of course. WR1 for Purdue is about as good as it gets and he’s certainly solidified himself in that role after his first two games. The receiver room has gotten thin already with multiple guys banged up/injured. I love Jones regardless but his value goes up with every receiver that gets ruled out.
Daewood Davis ($5,200) might be my highest-owned player with his price being so low and being in a great passing attack. Western Kentucky is not the same WKU of old but they’ll certainly throw it enough to make that attack valuable. Malachi Corley may be the WR1 when it’s all said and done but I’ve loved what they’re trying to do with Davis enough to give him that title at this point.
Nathaniel Dell ($7,900) really truly may be in this article each and every week with his consistent usage and their reliance on him needing to be productive. After a low yardage performance in Week 1 (but also two touchdowns), he gave us a bit of everything going for 7/120/0 against Houston. He’s seeing about 24% of the target share so far, but I’m bullish on the fact that he will be in the high 20s by season’s end.
There are three really good cheap options to consider for this position Saturday and they are Michael Trigg ($3,400), Brayden Willis ($3,700), and Trey Palmer ($4,200). Palmer and Trigg are my favorites due to usage but Willis is the one with the highest implied team total. Trigg is coming off a three-touchdown game and while his Week 1 performance was mild at best, he still was targeted seven times (most on the team). I chalk that up to poor QB play that I think continues to get better as the season goes on.
You can stack Dillon Gabriel with Willis, but really you should look at Marvin Mims ($8,900) if you want to roster Gabriel. Mims had a monster game last week and with that team total and his near 22% of target share, he has a lot of upside in this one.
Giving you one last price range to consider, Jalen Wayne ($5,500) and Kazmeir Allen ($5,900) are two really nice options. I was wrong when I said Jake Bobo was the WR1 and guy to own in UCLA’s performance, but I wasn’t wrong that that guy would have a great game. Allen is that guy and if DTR is healthy I really like him here. Wayne is super talented and while that South Alabama offense isn’t likely to have a huge game, Wayne has some nice upside. He has three touchdowns so far this season and is coming off a ten-catch performance.
