The quarter-finals of the CFP are here, and the slate is focused solely on these three games. We have an interesting slate with defenses playing such a prominent role in these teams’ success. When building lineups, be sure to have your late-game players in the Flex and Super-Flex spots to help give you additional flexibility before the Georgia/Ole Miss game.
Oregon (-2.5) vs Texas Tech
Oregon Team Total: 26.75
Texas Tech Team Total: 24.75
Dante Moore ($7,700)is the most appealing quarterback in this game, especially with how he looked against James Madison and a consistently healthier receiver room. He’s not going to give us a ton on the ground, but he isn’t a zero like he used to be. The Ducks have the third-highest implied team total. Moore doesn’t break the bank, but he has a very tough matchup lined up for him. In a tough matchup, we’re just not going to get enough, if anything, from Behren Morton on the ground to consider.
At running back, Texas Tech’s options are more appealing here. Cameron Dickey ($6,800) is a higher-volume back who sees a lot of usage around the goal line. J’Koby Williams ($5,800) isn’t that far off from Dickey in terms of usage and, generally speaking, is a more dynamic player. On the other side of the field, Noah Whittington ($6,500) was only lightly used against JMU, while Jordan Davison ($6,200) looked good on ten attempts. The latter seems to be dinged up but good to go. Neither jump off the board due to pricing and the offense’s use of so many running backs.
For Oregon, there could be 3-5 players used out wide between Malik Benson ($5,200), Jeremiah McClellan ($4,100), Gary Bryant Jr. ($3,200), and Dakorien Moore ($5,100). Moore was lightly used in their last game while Benson stole the show. Both are fine options, but again, I think Oregon could use so many different players that the upside isn’t really here for us. Kenyon Sadiq ($5,900) could be heavily utilized considering the tough matchup and the fact that he’s so dynamic. Texas Tech has a very strong linebacker group, so there may not be a mismatch here.
For Texas Tech, I’m a fan of either Caleb Douglas ($6,000)or Reggie Virgil ($5,400). They seem to rotate who the top target is for Morton, so I think both are in play against Oregon. Coy Eakin ($4,500)has popped a few big plays recently, but has typically seen three or four targets over the past five games. Terrance Carter Jr. ($4,700) is a guy they like to scheme up, as we saw two games ago. He wasn’t used heavily against BYU in the Big 12 CCG, but I could see them use his athleticism to their advantage.
Alabama vs Indiana (-7)
Alabama Team Total: 20.75
Indiana Team Total: 27.75
Ty Simpson ($7,500) looked just ok against Oklahoma in a very tough matchup and now gets a similar one against Indiana. I would mostly avoid, but could see the appeal of going weird and rostering the quarterback of the team with the lowest team total. Most of these quarterback options are pretty rough, so at least you could get low ownership with Simpson. Fernando Mendoza ($8,500) is the most expensive quarterback on the slate and with good reason. He has a rushing touchdown in four of his last six games. He’s had 3+ passing touchdowns in three of his last seven games. I don’t love the play due to price, but I do think the matchup is pretty good for him and this offense getting much-needed rest.
If you’re not playing Mendoza, then you probably should consider Roman Hemby ($6,000)or Kaelon Black ($5,100). The game script is prime for running the football, and while Oklahoma was bad on the ground against Alabama last week, this is a much better rushing attack. For Alabama, you can’t consider anyone in the backfield. Jam Miller and Daniel Hill are the top backs, but the usage is unreliable and has been just plain ‘ol bad this season.
We get some excellent value at the wideout position in this game, starting with Lotzeir Brooks ($3,800), the Alabama wideout who had a monster game against OU (5/72/2). You could tell in the second half of the season that Alabama liked what they had with him, and his usage saw an uptick. If you don’t like Brooks, then Isaiah Horton ($3,500) makes sense. The upside feels limited because the yardage and targets won’t be there, but he had a three-touchdown game in the Iron Bowl and had touchdowns in five of his first seven games.
For Indiana, Charlie Becker ($4,400) is the value play, with Omar Cooper Jr. ($6,300) and EJ Williams Jr. ($4,600) banged up at the end of the season. Becker has impressed me, but he will need to impress the coaches enough to be a starter or rotated in heavily enough to warrant playing time. Cooper and Williams should both be fine for this one.
At the high end of pricing, Elijah Sarratt ($6,400) has the upside you like in a wideout. He has games of 10, 13, and 13 targets on the season and should be fully healthy for this one. Even with missing two games and minimal usage in another, he has 12 touchdowns on just 73 targets. Germie Bernard ($6,100)is the high-end guy for Alabama to consider, but I’m not all that fond of him overall. The price is a tad high, and I just think value is the main thing to consider at the position on this slate.
Ole Miss vs Georgia (-6.5)
Ole Miss Team Total: 25
Georgia Team Total: 31.5
This game should have the highest ownership and the most points. Trinidad Chambliss ($8,000) is a legitimate option who played well against Georgia in their first matchup and has been consistent all season. Gunner Stockton ($8,100) had his best game of the season in their matchup earlier this year. He was great through the air and on the ground. Both are great options on the slate, but I lean toward Chambliss. A game stack with both quarterbacks is likely to be a popular idea as well.
If Kewan Lacy ($7,800) is healthy, then he’s a strong play even against a stout Bulldogs defense. Lacy banged up his shoulder in the win over Tulane. He’s a heavily used player who might see his usage decrease due to being dinged up. Logan Diggs ($5,300)was a guy I was intrigued to see his price on this slate because I thought he looked good against Tulane. The price is a bit steep for a backup running back, but if Lacy is out, then he’s certainly in play. Nate Frazier ($5,500) lost his top running back role mid-season but has earned it back, meaning he should see 35-40% of rushing usage at least in this one. Frazier has 12+ attempts in seven straight games, with three of those games securing two catches.
At wideout, Zachariah Branch ($5,000)is the popular stack option for Stockton. He leads the team in targets, yards, receptions, and touchdowns. He’s not your normal UGA receiver in that he could easily see 10+ targets, something he’s done three times this year. Oscar Delp ($3,100), Lawson Luckie ($3,100), and Elyiss Williams ($3,000) are interesting bare-minimum options that could have an impact in this one at near-zero ownership.
Every Ole Miss receiver, plus Dae’Quan Wright ($4,200), is in play Saturday night. Harrison Wallace III ($4,900) leads the team in targets and yards this season. Deuce Alexander ($4,300) is second in targets and had eight in the win over Tulane. He has just two touchdowns on the year, though. De’Zhaun Stribling ($4,800)is third in target share in 2025, but he has the most touchdowns with six. Cayden Lee ($4,000) saw just two targets in their last game, but before that had nine targets in the Egg Bowl. All are fine tournament options.
