Rivalry Weekend is upon us and the lines have been drawn in the sand. This is the last week before Championship Weekend and it will be sure to bring some fierce competition with it as the season comes down to the wire. When playing College Football DFS, high-scoring lineups are the name of the game, and catching some positive correlation within your lineup with the right stack of players can catapult you to the top of the leaderboard. Here are four of my favorite stacking options for this Saturday on DraftKings.
Arizona (-10.5)
Team Total: 30.25
Noah Fifita ($7,400) – Tet McMillan ($7,000) – Jacob Cowing ($6,700)
Rivalry Week is a tricky time to play fantasy football. Whenever you get two teams that know each other fairly well and add in some motivation for an otherwise unmotivated underdog, anything can happen once they get on the field. This game has the potential to be a sneaky dogfight but I’m willing to bet on the offense that has really come alive this year in the Arizona Wildcats.
Since Fifita has taken hold of the reins, he hasn’t looked back. The way that he’s been able to distribute the ball to his top two targets has been exciting to watch. McMillan and Cowing both have enough volume to be in play here in a double stack but don’t hesitate taking some of the value in the Wildcat backfield and turning a QB/WR stack into a full onslaught by adding in Jonah Coleman or Michael Wiley. Both of them are underpriced and offer a 20-point upside.
Utah (-21.0)
Team Total: 34.5
Bryson Barnes ($7,100) – Devaughn Vele ($5,000) – Mikey Matthews ($4,400)
The Utes have battled a ton of adversity this season as they’ve navigated their schedule without Cam Rising and Brant Kuithe. In their absence, we’ve seen the growth and maturation of Barnes and how he’s been able to capitalize off of his great defense. This seems like a game where Barnes may not have to rely as heavily on the defense, and he may even get the chance to air things out and have some fun against a depleted opposition in Colorado.
The Buffaloes came into the season knowing that depth would be their Achilles heel, and it’s been just that. Down the stretch, they’ve been a sieve on defense and are allowing opposing offenses to put up points in bunches. Devaughn Vele has come alive as the true alpha in this offense, and freshman Mikey Matthews possesses the kind of explosive athleticism that could make Colorado pay this Saturday. I would only pair one of them with Barnes, but with a nice implied team total, this offense should have success against a lackluster Colorado defense.
Washington (-16.0) / Washington State
Game Total: 67.0
Michael Penix Jr. ($10,400) – Rome Odunze ($8,500) – Cam Ward ($8,800) – Josh Kelly ($6,300)
As mentioned above, rivalry games can awaken the best in both teams and turn some assumed blowouts into tight competition. The Apple Cup is a great example of this, as Washington State usually brings its best game to the forefront when the Huskies are lined up across the field.
I really like this as a potential shootout this weekend, as Washington State has seemed to find its footing the past three weeks. Cam Ward has great weapons to stack in Lincoln Victor, Josh Kelly, and Kyle Williams. I tend to think Kelly and Victor will be most prolific this week, as Washington will likely look to limit deep balls to Williams and keep things in front of their secondary.
On the opposing sideline, Penix Jr. looks to add a Heisman Moment or two to his film reel and should be slinging the ball around the yard to Odunze, Polk, McMillan, and Germie Bernard (Giles Jackson appears to be out this week, so look for Bernard to be the de facto WR4 in this offense). All four of these options are rosterable in big-field tournaments this weekend. Even Jack Westover or Devin Culp could be used in a pinch if looking for salary savings, but I’d limit my Penix stacks to two of his receiving options.
Houston (+13.5) / UCF
Game Total: 61.5
John Rhys Plumlee ($8,300) – R.J. Harvey ($7,200) – Javon Baker ($6,000) – Donovan Smith ($8,200) – Samuel Brown ($6,600)
Houston and UCF in a good old-fashioned Big Twelve matchup. Okay, so maybe not too old-fashioned, considering these two former AAC competitors are new to the show. Don’t sleep on their ability to put up points quickly, and trade blows this Saturday.
Plumlee, Harvey, and Javon Baker are all very solid options for the Knights. If you’re looking to get adventurous, Kobe Hudson presents a great value play this week, and Xavier Townsend has the explosiveness to take one to the house any given week (though his volume is lacking).
On the Cougars, Donovan Smith is the quintessential volatile QB who is so valuable with boom-or-bust tendencies in big-field tournaments. Stacking him with Samuel Brown or Joseph Manjack makes a ton of sense if looking to game-stack in this high-total matchup.
