We’re already into Week 4 of the College Football season, and there’s plenty of excitement around another weekend of games. Let’s get ready for the DraftKings Saturday Main Slate with this week’s overview.
Quarterbacks
John Mateer ($9,000), Devon Dampier ($8,700), Taylen Green ($8,400)
Mateer has been a mainstay at the top of these slates all year so far, and for good reason. He’s shown that he can put up 30+ on just about any opponent and has the upside for an absolutely ridiculous blowup game with his legs. In a game where he’ll have a chip on his shoulder to prove he’s the better QB for OU, as he faces off against his predecessor, Jackson Arnold, Mateer is once again a good option.
Utah has yet to face a truly difficult opponent, and its current signature win against UCLA is looking less impressive by the week. That said, Dampier has risen to the occasion and seems to still have some of the magic that made him fantasy gold in 2024. They have a tougher matchup this week, where the Tech defense (also untested as of yet) should challenge them, and the offense on the other side of the field will keep them in attack mode. Sneaky spot for some nuclear outcomes this week.
Speaking of nuclear options, Taylen Green has absolutely obliterated his fantasy expectations so far this season. He’s firmly in the 40+ range every week and has gotten great usage with his legs as well as a touchdown opportunity. There’s always a chance he comes down to earth (last season, his consistency was the sole thing holding him back), but for now, against a G5 defense, he’s a smash and should be heavily owned.
Kevin Jennings ($7,900), C.J. Bailey ($7,800), Behren Morton ($7,600)
In the last rivalry game SMU played (against Baylor in Week 2), we saw Jennings’ best performance of the season so far. He went 16 of 22 for 295, three touchdowns, and 16 yards on the ground—nothing outlandish but just a solid performance. We could see that here with a slight uptick (that could land him in DK bonus territory). TCU will put up points against SMU, so I think this could require both teams to utilize their full shootout arsenals, and that bodes well. There’s some concern about a dud game here, but overall it seems baked into his price already.
Bailey has very quietly put together a solid start to the season in his own right. He’s getting it done both on the ground and through the air, and he’s become a great complementary player to his backfield partner, Hollywood Smothers. If he’s on the right side of the touchdown equity this week, he’s a great pivot from Smothers and an interesting contrarian play.
We’ve talked up Morton’s upside every week so far. He’s electric and an absolute gunslinger, which bodes well for his fantasy potential. He does get a tougher matchup this week with Utah, but we still don’t know exactly how good that Ute defense is. At $7,600, you’re not guaranteed top-end production from Morton; however, with Dampier on the other side, there’s a chance this game goes boom.
Ryan Browne ($6,000)
This one feels gross, but you don’t go dumpster diving if you’re worried about the optics of it all. Browne has surprised with performances, landing him in the 20-30 point range with a floor that’s likely around 12-15. His legs have flashed a bit, and he was able to put up a respectable performance against USC. Notre Dame’s been susceptible through the air against solid QBs, so there’s a path. Sometimes that’s all you need (and a few prayer-hand-emojis).
Running Backs
Jeremiyah Love ($9,000), Hollywood Smothers ($8,600), Kewan Lacy ($7,700)
If you’ve listened to any program on which my Ballin’ with my Bestie co-host, Chris Kay, has appeared this week, I’m sure you’ve heard his victory lap on Jeremiyah Love’s usage as the Irish lost both of the first two weeks. I’ll say this, last week proved him right. Love had 23 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown as well as four receptions. If they lean on him once again, against Purdue, there’s massive potential.
If there were any RB I needed to bank on for my weekend, it’d be Smothers. He has proven to be the workhorse for NC State and has been the motor to their offense. Duke is a middling matchup where I feel comfortable riding Smothers. He should get his and has the chance to pop off for something special on any given Saturday.
Kewan Lacy has exploded this season for Ole Miss, and after putting up solid numbers each week, there really is no reason to have concerns over this Memphis defense. He’s coming off what I’d consider a floor result against Arkansas, but he still put up 18 points and dodged a bad fantasy day.
Justice Haynes ($7,500), Mike Washington ($6,900), T.J. Harden ($5,500)
This week, it feels like Haynes is the last of the options where there’s confidence in both his floor and great chances to reach his ceiling. He’s been a model of consistency through three games, surpassing 100 yards and scoring at least one touchdown in each of them. Nebraska will be fired up to try and take down the Wolverines here, but a healthy run game could be the Huskers’ undoing. Haynes gets my approval for another week.
If you’re fading Taylen, Washington becomes so much more appealing. He hasn’t yet had extreme usage, but he’s been very solid on the ground and has even gotten some pass-catching work in two out of the three games thus far. You need him to be on the positive side of touchdown variance to make a splash in your lineup, but that’s not a stretch to see.
Three games down, and it seems like the Mustangs have found their workhorse back. Harden is coming off 19 carries against Baylor and 15 against Missouri State, where he looked legitimately good in each of those performances. If you’re questioning if Jennings can reach his full potential, Harden is the key to capturing SMU’s offensive production.
Will Nixon ($3,500)
This is really only a play if we know Yasin Willis is missing more time, but Nixon against a Clemson team that has yet to strike fear into their opponents seems like a decent play at this price. Especially considering his passing work, it should be a key to the Orange moving the ball.
Wide Receivers
Eric McAlister ($6,900), Bryant Wesco Jr. ($6,700)
It’s been quiet uptown for Eric McAlister so far this season. He’s yet to live up to his billing as the alpha in this TCU passing attack. However, this week feels like the first major opportunity for him to showcase his skills and have a breakout performance. I’m on record as being a major McAlister doubter at this site, but this week seems like the one to capitalize on.
Clemson’s offensive struggles have seemed to plague just about everyone on this squad except for Bryant Wesco Jr. He’s had incredible volume and the only vehicle for production at Cade Klubnik’s disposal, it seems. Antonio Williams is trending towards playing again, so this play comes with the risk of a diminished role. However, in a get-right spot against Syracuse, Wesco’s talents should find success once again.
O’mega Blake ($6,200), Caleb Douglas ($5,800), Jonathan Dwyer ($5,600), Coy Eakin ($5,500)
Wide Receivers this week feel mis-priced, and I think we’re starting to see that in this grouping. O’Mega Blake has been a security blanket for Green and the primary option when attacking downfield. Against Memphis, Blake has as much upside as any target on this slate.
Looking at these Tech WRs, I like both Douglas and Eakin, but honestly, Reggie Virgil seems like an oversight with current pricing. I think we’ll see Virgil the top-owned of the bunch, but Douglas and Eakin have proven to be lethal in their own right.
If McAlister can’t pop off this week, then that responsibility will fall squarely on the shoulders of Jonathan Dwyer. He’s proven he’s a capable option and one that Hoover has leaned on heavily through their first two games. He’s a favorite of mine if fading McAlister.
Reggie Virgil ($4,500), Harrison Wallace ($4,100), Romello Brinson ($4,100), Jalen Cooper ($3,700), Joseph Manjack ($3,000)
As mentioned above, Virgil is a strong option here this week. He didn’t get in the endzone last week, but he had multiple opportunities to do so early that didn’t pan out. Once the game was in hand against the Beavs, there wasn’t much incentive to look his way again. This week, I think he’s got just as much upside as any of the Tech WRs and has a healthy discount to boot.
In one of the biggest head-scratchers of the week, Harrison Wallace (the top WR for Ole Miss) is only $4,100. He’s feasted on defenses this season and consistently put up 18-30 point games. Tulane has the talent to keep up with the Rebs this week, and Wallace may get expanded opportunities to shine.
This is solely a “he’s just too cheap” play. Manjack carries some risk as he’s been the only TCU WR to really get rotated out of the game at times. However, in a PPR format like DraftKings, Manjack’s salary is so easy to pay off. He went for 114 yards against Abilene Christian last week, and while Ed Small has looked good, I still think Manjack gets first look as TCU’s WR3.
