Week 6 of the College Football season is upon us, and we have conference matchups and an expanding dataset to help guide our decisions for both DFS and PrizePicks. To navigate this ever-changing landscape, we’ll continue to blend the insights gleaned from this year’s action with historical data. Ensuring a balanced approach and, hopefully, fantasy success on the week. So, without any further delay, let’s jump right in.
Saturday – Jonathon Brooks (Texas) More Than 98.5 Rushing Yards
So far this season, Brooks has hit his total in three of his five games. Most notably, though, he’s hit this measure in all of the last three games. Now, the Oklahoma defense should be a bit more prepared to stop a back of Brooks’ caliber than those of Wyoming, Baylor, and Kansas. However, Steve Sarkisian should have more confidence now than ever in riding Brooks as the featured back in this offense. He’s gotten 21, 18, and 21 carries in the last three games and is heading into the most important game of the season for the Longhorns. This feels like a spot where they will feed the hot hand with Brooks and pepper him with opportunity.
Saturday – Cameron Ward (Washington State) More Than 299.5 Passing Yards
The crux of this play is founded on whether or not the UCLA pass defense is a paper tiger or not. They have great stats heading into this game but have played Coastal Carolina, San Diego State, North Carolina Central, and Utah (who was without their starting QB and top receiving option). None of those opponents are passing attacks that pose any sort of threat, and even still, they allowed 296 yards through the air to San Diego State. Enter the air raid of Washington State. Cam Ward has surpassed 300 passing yards in three of his four games and only failed to do so against Wisconsin, against whom he threw for 207 yards. Washington State will be down Lincoln Victor. However, they have an arsenal of WRs who are capable and ready to attack downfield. Coming off of a bye week, I expect this Cougars offense to open things up and find a ton of success on Saturday.
Saturday – Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma) More Than 60.5 Receiving Yards
In contrast to the Texas play this week, my Oklahoma play is targeting the passing attack on the Sooner side of things. Anthony has surpassed the 61-yard measure in four of five games he’s played in 2023. The only time he failed to hit the mark was this past week against Iowa State, where Oklahoma ran away with things a bit too quickly to involve the passing attack for the duration. Against the Longhorns, I expect a close game throughout and a reliance upon the aerial attack. Dillon Gabriel should not have a problem supporting multiple receivers in this game, and I have no hesitation playing Anthony despite a relatively crowded WR rotation.
Saturday – Caleb Williams (USC) More Than 3.5 Passing Touchdowns
This week, USC has an implied team total of 47 points against Arizona. This projects nearly six touchdowns for the Trojan offense. If they’re able to score six touchdowns, it’s hard to believe that Williams isn’t responsible for four of them. That being said, this is a little bit of having to bet against Caleb while also putting trust in him. You’re having to consider whether those touchdowns come through the air or on the ground. This game has the potential to be a high-scoring shootout, and I think Caleb’s opportunity to make this happen through the air is well in place heading into the weekend.
Saturday – TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State) More Than 78.5 Rushing Yards
Henderson’s fantasy history has been a wild rollercoaster of value. Last season’s injury really seemed to wreak havoc on his outlook. Over the past two games, Henderson is starting to remind people why he was at one point the RB1 in CFF. On 13 carries against Western Kentucky, he ran for 88 yards, and then against Notre Dame, he took 14 carries for 104 yards. This week, the Buckeyes get Maryland and a great opportunity for Henderson to continue the trend of acting as the lead back for this offense. Maryland’s defense isn’t anything to be afraid of. This play ultimately comes down to usage and volume for Ohio State, giving him the carries to hit this mark. That gives me a bit more confidence in this play since, theoretically, the recipe for success is already in place.
