Welcome back college football fans & DFS players!! The CFB season continues with a full Week 5 Saturday slate - and Fantasy Alarm has you covered! This playbook will cover the early afternoon main slate of games while Pete Cole will have the night slate for you!
Before we dive in, a quick note that we’re only focusing on the DraftKings slate of games for this playbook, but feel free to play on FanDuel with the same players below. If you have any questions on specific players or lineup builds, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @dan_servodidio or on the Discord and I’ll try to help out! Without further ado, let’s dive into the main early afternoon DFS CFB slate for October 2nd!
THE SLATE (Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook):
- 12 pm ET -- Arkansas at Georgia (-17.5) -- 49.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET -- Michigan at Wisconsin (-2.5) -- 43.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET -- Tennessee at Missouri (-3) -- 66 O/U
- 12 pm ET -- Texas (-4) at TCU -- 65.5 O/U
- 12:30 pm ET -- Louisville at Wake Forest (-7) -- 63 O/U
- 2 pm ET -- USC (-7.5) at Colorado -- 51 O/U
- 2:30 pm ET -- Cincinnati (-1.5) at Notre Dame -- 50.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET -- Ole Miss at Alabama (-14.5) -- 80 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET -- Oregon (-8) at Stanford -- 57.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET -- Oklahoma (-11.5) at Kansas State -- 53.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET -- Ohio State (-14) at Rutgers -- 56.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET -- Texas Tech at West Virginia (-7) -- 55 O/U
Highest Implied Team Totals (per DK Sportsbook Odds)
- Alabama -- 47.25 points vs. Ole Miss
- Ohio State -- 35.25 points vs. Rutgers
- Wake Forest -- 35 points vs. Louisville
- Texas -- 34.75 points vs. TCU
- Missouri -- 34.5 points vs. Tennessee
- Georgia -- 33.5 points vs. Arkansas
- Oregon -- 32.75 points vs. Stanford
- Ole Miss -- 32.75 points vs. Alabama
- Oklahoma -- 32.5 points vs. Kansas State
- West Virginia -- 31 points vs. Texas Tech
- Tennessee -- 31.5 points vs. Missouri
- TCU -- 30.75 points vs. Texas
QUARTERBACKS
| Quarterbacks | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Malik Cunningham | UL | WAKE | 9500 | 33.52 | |||
| Though he gets a sizable price increase this week, Cunningham is still a great play because of his rushing value and do-it-all role in Louisville’s offense. The Cards’ dual-threat has two rushing TDs in all four games thus far and has already racked up 263 total rushing yards - in addition to his 250 passing yards per game and five passing scores through four contests. The offense leans heavily on Cunningham to move the ball - both on the ground and through the air - then allows him to be the top red-zone ball-carrier as well. The matchup vs. Wake is a bit tough, but Cunningham can easily put up 30-35 fantasy points like he’s done every game thus far. | |||||||
| Matt Corral | MISS | BAMA | 9200 | 42.56 | |||
| Though some might want to play Bryce Young on the other side of this matchup, rostering Corral for a bit cheaper is the better way to go. There’s no doubt this matchup vs. Alabama will be high-scoring with a total hovering around 80 points and Vegas implying that Ole Miss will score 30+ points of their own. Corral threw for 365 yards and 2 TDs with 40 rushing yards last year vs. Bama - and he could actually post better numbers this time around. His dual-threat upside is real as he’s already totaled 158 rushing yards and five rush TDs through three games - including four in one game. If Ole Miss wants to keep pace with the Tide, it’ll lean on Corral both through the air and on the ground and it makes him viable for cash with a high volume of total offensive production. | |||||||
| Casey Thompson | UT | TCU | 8400 | 20.4 | |||
| If you rostered Thompson last week at $7200, you probably had a good day. The Longhorns QB broke the slate with 43 fantasy points as he carved up Texas Tech’s defense to the tune of 303 yards and five TDs through the air with a rushing score added in. While we can’t expect a repeat of that stat line, Thompson should have another good outing against a shaky TCU defense that gave up a ton of points and yards to SMU a week ago. Considering there are other more well-known names on this slate, Thompson will go overlooked in cash - but he makes for a high-ceiling GPP option if the Texas offense is going to continue lighting up the scoreboard like it did last week. | |||||||
| Desmond Ridder | CINCY | ND | 7500 | 25.71 | |||
| On the surface, a matchup vs. Notre Dame may scare you off Ridder this week. However, the Cincy dual-threat could easily post a big stat line against a defense that’s already been shredded by Florida State and Toledo’s running games this season. The Bearcats offense leans heavily on Ridder’s running ability - especially in the red-zone - and we should see him have a high-volume game whether he’s running or throwing. This price point is really attractive for a guy who has legit 30-40 fantasy point upside if he finds the end zone multiple times on the ground. He’ll provide a pretty safe floor for cash too. | |||||||
| Sam Hartman | WAKE | UL | 7500 | 22.35 | |||
| The Louisville defense will definitely be one to target against in DFS all season and Hartman will benefit from the soft matchup this week. The Cards D ranks 92nd nationally in passing yards allowed per game this season and it just gave up 450 total yards to Florida State a week ago. Hartman, meanwhile, has a 5:1 TD:INT ratio and 530 total passing yards over the first two ACC matchups this season and should have a ton of success against this soft defense. He’s posted 22+ DK points in three straight games and we’ll take that all day at this price point in cash. | |||||||
| Noah Vedral | RU | OSU | 5500 | 15.8 | |||
| Finding the right SuperFlex cheap QB is always a tough decision, but Vedral has a ton of upside at sub 6k on this slate. The Ohio State pass defense isn’t as good as you’d think, ranking 102nd in yards allowed this year and giving up some big games to opposing QBs. Vedral could easily finish with a stat line similar to Tulsa’s Davis Brin, who had 428 yards and two scores a couple weeks ago as a cheap DFS play. Though the per-game yardage hasn’t been there, Vedral should be throwing more with Rutgers trailing - and he boasts a stellar 5:0 TD:INT ratio so far this season. You could do a lot worse in cash or GPP for your QB2. | |||||||
Also Consider:
- Bryce Young -- Alabama ($10,000) -- GPP/Cash
- Max Duggan -- TCU ($9,000) -- Cash
- Spencer Rattler -- Oklahoma ($8,800) -- GPP
- Anthony Brown -- Oregon ($8,000) -- Cash
- Hendon Hooker -- Tennessee ($6,800) -- Cash if healthy
- Jarret Doege -- West Virginia ($6,200) -- GPP
- Will Howard -- Kansas State ($5,900) -- Cash
RUNNING BACKS
| Running Backs | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Bijan Robinson | UT | TCU | 8700 | 29.28 | |||
| Robinson is coming off a fantastic performance last week vs. Texas Tech when he had 191 total yards and a TD on just 20 touches for a whopping 30 fantasy points. It’s his third game with at least 30 points and 100+ rushing yards through four weeks and we should see a similar stat line this time around. The TCU defense is giving up 181 rushing yards per game this season - ranking 102nd in the country - and just allowed two different SMU rushers to rack up 100+ last week. Robinson deserves to be the highest-priced RB on this slate considering the matchup and his heavy volume as Texas’ workhorse. Though the Longhorns also utilize a couple other backs, Robinson is the main guy in closer games like this one should be and we can count on his volume for cash. | |||||||
| Tyler Badie | MIZZ | TENN | 8200 | 32.58 | |||
| We hyped up Badie last week as a top RB play in all formats and he came through for 100+ total yards, two TDs and 27 fantasy points. Though he gets a price increase, the Mizzou back is still a top play on this slate against a Tennessee defense that was torched for 283 rushing yards by Florida last game. The thing we love about Badie is his usage as a pass-catcher, which gives him added value over other RBs in a PPR format. He already has 20 catches for 176 yards and three receiving scores over four games to go along with solid rushing stats. It’ll be hard to fade him in cash as he’ll likely be popular. | |||||||
| CJ Verdell | ORE | STAN | 7000 | 21.85 | |||
| Although Verdell doesn’t consistently get the volume we like to see from lead backs, it’s hard to ignore the very favorable matchup here. Stanford’s defense is getting torched on the ground with 209 rushing yards allowed per game and nine rush TDs given up through four games. The Cardinal has allowed a 100-yard rusher in three of four games and then 94 yards to USC’s top back in the other. It sets up very nicely for Verdell to smash in this matchup, but the workload is the only worry with Duck’ dual-threat QB Anthony Brown and backup RB Travis Dye stealing carries and red-zone opportunities. We could easily see Verdell end up as the highest-scoring RB on this slate, though - and it’s worth a shot in tournaments. | |||||||
| Leddie Brown | WVU | TTU | 6900 | 22.48 | |||
| Last week, we saw Texas Tech get smoked both through the air and on the ground to Texas and this might be a recurring thing against Big 12 competition moving forward. Like Bijan Robinson a week ago, Leddie Brown could be in line for a big stat line in this favorable matchup and his price is just cheap enough to consider in cash. Brown has two games with 30+ fantasy points this season and is seeing a healthy amount of total touches on a weekly basis. The West Virginia leans on his playmaking ability and will likely do so this week to bounce off a tough loss to Oklahoma. Don’t be surprised if Brown ends up with 150+ total yards and multiple scores for another 30 point effort. | |||||||
| Kyren Williams | ND | CINCY | 5000 | 18.98 | |||
| Why in the world is Williams priced this low?! Well, it’s probably because DK overreacted to him totaling just 33 rushing yards last week and now gets a tough matchup vs. Cincy’s defense. Still, the Notre Dame RB is one of the best in the country and has the potential to go for 100+ total yards and multiple scores in any given game. There’s no reason for him to be at 5k flat and makes for a very interesting play in all formats - though expectations should be tempered because of this low-total game and stout Bearcats run D. Fire him up in GPP’s because he should see 20+ total touches and have more involvement as a pass-catcher than he did last week. | |||||||
| Isaih Pacheco | RU | OSU | 4800 | 13.62 | |||
| A common theme in this playbook is all the underpriced Rutgers players and Pacheco is one of those getting a discount because of a presumed tough matchup vs. Ohio State. However, the Buckeyes run defense is still unproven after allowing Minnesota and Oregon to run wild on the ground. Rutgers likely goes with a balanced offense in this one and Pacheco should see close to 20 touches as the lead back. Just last week vs. Michigan, he had 107 rushing yards on 20 carries and added two receptions for 14 yards. He’s getting the bulk of carries in this offense and should see plenty of volume to return value in cash - with the upside to smash if he finds the end zone a couple times. | |||||||
| Jabari Small | TENN | MIZZ | 4400 | 13.57 | |||
| In terms of rushing yards allowed, Tennessee’s backfield gets the best matchup on paper for this slate. Mizzou’s D is allowing a whopping 271 rushing yards per game with 12 rushing TDs ceded over four games. We saw Boston College’s Pat Garwo carve up this defense a week ago and it’s very likely the Vols have success on the ground. The only problem is which Tennessee RB to roster. Tiyon Evans ($6200) and Small are splitting carries and, honestly, both could have big games. For the savings, though, Small is the better play if he’s receiving a similar workload to Evans. He looked good last week vs. Florida when he averaged 5.4 ypc on 11 rushes - and his 9.1 fantasy points is a good floor moving forward. Expect him to smash value. | |||||||
Also Consider:
- Zach Evans -- TCU ($7,400) -- GPP/Cash
- Deuce Vaughn -- Kansas State ($7,200) -- GPP
- Jerome Ford -- Cincinnati ($6,800) -- Cash
- Travis Dye -- Oregon ($5,300) -- Cash/GPP
- SaRoderick Thompson -- Texas Tech ($4,600) -- GPP
- Justice Ellison -- Wake Forest ($4,300) -- GPP
- Snoop Conner -- Ole Miss ($3,900) -- GPP/Cash
WIDE RECEIVERS
| Wide Receivers | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Drake London | USC | COL | 8500 | 30.05 | |||
| If you have the room to fit in Drake London, do it and ask questions later. It may be tough to roster London in cash as the highest-priced WR on this slate - but his fantasy floor is among the safest there is in CFB right now. The eventual first-round NFL Draft pick already has three games with at least double-digit receptions and 130+ receiving yards. He should see a heavy volume of targets on a weekly basis and presents a physical mismatch against Pac-12 defenses. Expect more of the same vs. Colorado here. | |||||||
| John Metchie III | BAMA | MISS | 7100 | 13.5 | |||
| Though Jameson Williams ($7700) leads Bama in receiving yards thus far, Metchie should not be the cheaper of the two and he’ll likely end up more popular because of that. Metchie’s 24 receptions still lead the team and is double that of Williams - and his 240 yards aren’t that far off from Williams’ 299. The only thing that Metchie hasn’t done this season is score as often as we’d like - he only has one TD through four games and it came in the season opener. However, we should see some positive regression coming in that area considering how high-scoring Alabama’s offense is and Metchie’s role as a top target for QB Bryce Young. In cash, we want the floor of Metchie over Williams all day - though either or both could go off for multiple TDs and 100+ yards this week. | |||||||
| Garrett Wilson | OSU | RU | 6900 | 21.52 | |||
| As long as Ohio State is on the slate, DFS players will always have to make the choice between Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. Sometimes that choice is made for us with the salaries - but they are basically the same price this week. Though Olave ($7100) has the higher ceiling, Wilson provides a slightly safer floor right now and is the better cash option. He has at least four catches and 70 yards in every game thus far and has three TDs through four weeks. Olave, meanwhile, has only totaled two receptions for 12 yards and a score over the past two games combined. We don’t know if it’ll be Stroud or another QB under center this week, but Wilson’s more consistent involvement makes him a better play than Olave and more viable for cash. | |||||||
| Xavier Worthy | UT | TCU | 6200 | 17.08 | |||
| We told you to play Worthy last week and it paid off big time with his 100 yards and three TDs. The true freshman is clearly the favorite target of new QB Casey Thompson after he put up seven catches for 88 yards and a TD two weeks ago in Thompson’s first start. Worthy should be posting big numbers moving forward as long as Thompson is under center and these last two games are strong evidence of that. The TCU pass defense looked very susceptible last week vs. SMU and could struggle against a high-scoring Longhorns offense. Worthy is great for cash or GPP as he’ll likely be in the 7k price range the rest of season with another big game. | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Michael Mayer | ND | CINCY | 5500 | 17.92 | |||
| It’s always tough rostering a pass-catcher in a low total game, but Mayer is way too good to be priced in the mid 5k range. The tight end usually provides a strong floor as he’s totaled seven receptions in three of four games so far this season and isn’t far removed from dropping 30 and 27 fantasy points in back-to-back games to begin the year. He’s going to be heavily involved in the Notre Dame offense every week and could be leaned on to move the ball against a stout Cincy defense. People may look elsewhere considering the higher-scoring games on this slate, but Mayer is perfectly fine in cash. | |||||||
| Jaquarii Roberson | WAKE | UL | 5200 | 12.88 | |||
| Despite posting four receptions, 91 yards and 13 fantasy points last week, Roberson’s price has oddly been reduced from $7000 down to $5200. It’s definitely an oversight by DK and we should be jumping all over it. Though A.T. Perry might have better overall numbers thus far, he should not be $1300 more expensive than Roberson right now. This is still a guy who led Wake in receptions (62), yards (926) and TDs (8) last year and a big performance could be coming against a soft Louisville defense. He already has two 90+ yard games through four weeks and a 100+ yard effort with multiple scores is surely in the cards soon. This is probably the cheapest we see Roberson all year before DK realizes the mistake. | |||||||
| Mario Williams | OU | KSU | 5000 | 11.1 | |||
| The Oklahoma offense has no doubt been struggling lately, but these prices for the Sooner pass-catchers is a big overreaction. Some may look at Marvin Mims ($4800) as a value and he could end up being chalky. Williams, though, has been more involved than Mims and is getting more targets from Spencer Rattler right now. The true freshman hasn’t posted big yardage totals yet, but his 17 receptions are tied with Jadon Haselwood and Michael Woods for the team lead. Plus, Williams and Haselwood are the only OU receivers to score twice this season. At only 5k, this is a great value for a guy who looks like he’ll break out for 100+ yards and multiple scores any week now once the offense gets going. | |||||||
| Bo Melton | RU | OSU | 4900 | 16.05 | |||
| Most of Rutgers’ skill players are being disrespected on this slate because of a presumed tough matchup vs. Ohio State. However, the OSU pass defense has been shaky this season and opposing offenses can definitely move the ball against it. This makes Melton a massive value at sub-5k as the Scarlet Knights’ top pass-catcher. His floor is pretty safe as QB Noah Vedral’s top target and at least four catches in every game thus far. Melton also has the upside to go for 100+ yards and a TD. He should see a high volume of targets and receptions in this game to return value in cash and will likely be popular. | |||||||
| Marshon Ford | UL | WAKE | 4700 | 12.2 | |||
| We’ve been telling you about Marshon Ford for a couple weeks now and he remains a strong value in all formats until DK starts pricing him higher. The tight end’s 19 receptions and 208 yards now lead the receiving corps after he posted stat lines of 8-for-100 and 6-for-52 over the past two weeks. He has at least four catches and 50 yards in all three of Louisville’s closest games this season and should continue to post those types of numbers as QB Malik Cunningham’s top target. Plus, Ford and Jordan Watkins ($4800) both get a bump up now with Braden Smith out for the season. This is a great cash play for the floor as Ford should see plenty of targets with the Cardinals trying to keep up with Wake Forest. | |||||||
| Jahleel Billingsley | BAMA | MISS | 3600 | 11.37 | |||
| Is Billingsley finally out of Saban’s doghouse? It sure seems like it after the tight end finally saw the field a ton last week and put up five catches for 105 yards a TD. He was expected to take a step forward among Bama’s pass-catchers this season with DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle gone - but began the year slow while apparently being out of favor with the coaching staff. If he is indeed going to start playing with Bama’s starters moving forward, then he’s way too cheap for the potential to smash value at sub-4k. He’s a very affordable way to get exposure to the Tide offense in a high-scoring matchup and can easily find the end zone to pay off the cheap tag. | |||||||
Also Consider:
- Dontario Drummond -- Ole Miss ($7,500) -- Cash/GPP
- Brock Bowers -- Georgia ($6,400) -- GPP
- Brycen Tremayne -- Stanford ($5,400) -- Cash
- Gary Bryant Jr. -- USC ($5,100) -- GPP
- Braylon Sanders -- Ole Miss ($4,800) -- Cash/GPP
- Marvin Mims -- Oklahoma ($4,800) -- GPP
- Jordan Watkins -- Louisville ($4,800) -- Cash
- Malik Knowles -- Kansas State ($4,600) -- GPP
- Derius Davis -- TCU ($4,000) -- GPP
EXAMPLE LINEUPS
| DK Cash | |||||
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| QB | Matt Corral | MISS | BAMA | 42.6 | $9,200 |
| Pivot | |||||
| RB | Tyler Badie | MIZZ | TENN | 32.6 | $8,200 |
| Pivot | Bijan Robinson | UT | TCU | 29.3 | $8,700 |
| RB | CJ Verdell | ORE | STAN | 21.6 | $7,000 |
| Pivot | Isaih Pacheco | RU | OSU | 13.6 | $4,800 |
| WR | Jace Roberson | WAKE | UL | 12.9 | $5,200 |
| Pivot | |||||
| WR | Bo Melton | RU | OSU | 16.1 | $4,900 |
| Pivot | |||||
| WR | Jahleel Billingsley | BAMA | MISS | 11.4 | $3,600 |
| Pivot | Mario Williams | OU | KSU | 11.1 | $5,000 |
| FLEX | Jabari Small | TENN | MIZZ | 13.6 | $4,400 |
| Pivot | |||||
| S-FLEX | Sam Hartman | WAKE | UL | 22.4 | $7,500 |
| Pivot | |||||
| DK GPP | |||||
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| QB | Casey Thompson | UT | TCU | 20.4 | $8,400 |
| Pivot | |||||
| RB | Leddie Brown | WVU | TTU | 22.5 | $6,900 |
| Pivot | |||||
| RB | SaRoderick Thompson | TTU | WVU | 6.3 | $4,600 |
| Pivot | |||||
| WR | John Metchie III | BAMA | MISS | 13.5 | $7,100 |
| Pivot | |||||
| WR | Xavier Worthy | UT | TCU | 17.1 | $6,200 |
| Pivot | Michael Mayer | ND | CINCY | 17.9 | $5,500 |
| WR | Braylon Sanders | MISS | BAMA | 11.3 | $4,800 |
| Pivot | Marvin Mims | OU | KSU | 8.1 | $4,800 |
| FLEX | Justice Ellison | WAKE | UL | 10.6 | $4,300 |
| Pivot | Kyren Williams | ND | CINCY | 19 | $5,000 |
| S-FLEX | Desmond Ridder | CINCY | ND | 25.7 | $7,500 |
| Pivot | |||||