College Football DFS Playbook & Core Plays: Week 3 Saturday Early Top DraftKings & FanDuel CFB DFS Picks
The 2022 college football season rolls on with a full Saturday slate of Week 3 games for our CFB DFS lineups. If you're looking to play college football DFS, you can build lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel for Saturday's main early slate. Check out all the CFB DFS top picks, lineup strategies, teams to target, and value plays to lock in before the Week 3 action. Remember, you can access all of our College Football DFS coverage with a Fantasy Alarm All-Pro Subscription. If you have any questions about CFB daily fantasy lineup strategy for Week 3 or beyond, ask away in the Fantasy Alarm Discord chat. Plus, check out our college football daily projections and the CFB DFS lineup generator for more winning picks. Now, let's jump into the CFB DFS top plays and lineup picks for College Football Week 3.
CFB DFS College Football Week 3
Before we dive into this Week 3 slate, be sure to know how the DraftKings and FanDuel slates differ. DraftKings has a main slate consisting of games in the Saturday afternoon block including the 12 pm ET games through the late afternoon. However, FanDuel does things differently with an all-day main slate beginning early and including some night games starting at 7 pm ET and later. This makes lineup strategy very different for the early games whether you're playing on FD or DK. In this playbook, we will mostly focus on the top plays for the DraftKings early main slate. There will be some players that are also on the main FD slate, but be sure to check out Pete Cole's night slate playbook for more top plays on the FD side of things. Without further ado, let's get into the CFB DFS top plays for Saturday's College Football Week 3 afternoon matchups.
College Football Week 3 Betting Odds
- 12 pm ET – Georgia (-25) at South Carolina – 55 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Western Kentucky at Indiana (-6.5) – 62.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Oklahoma (-11) at Nebraska – 66 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Purdue at Syracuse (-1.5) – 60 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Cincinnati (-22) at Miami OH – 50.5 O/U *DK ONLY*
- 2 pm ET – South Alabama at UCLA (-15.5) – 59.5 O/U *DK ONLY*
- 2:30 pm ET – California at Notre Dame (-11) – 40.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – BYU at Oregon (-3.5) – 58.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Ole Miss (-17) at Georgia Tech – 63.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Penn State (-3) at Auburn – 47.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Vanderbilt at Northern Illinois (-2.5) – 60 O/U *DK ONLY*
- 3:30 pm ET – Colorado at Minnesota (-28) – 47 O/U *DK ONLY*
- 4 pm ET – Kansas at Houston (8.5) – 58 O/U *DK ONLY*
College Football Week 3 Team Totals (via DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Georgia – 40.5
- Ole Miss – 39.5
- Oklahoma – 38.5
- UCLA – 37.5
- Minnesota – 37.5
- Cincinnati – 36.5
- Indiana – 34.5
- Houston – 33.5
- Northern Illinois – 30.5
- Oregon – 30.5
- Syracuse – 30.5
- Purdue – 29.5
- Vanderbilt – 29.5
- Western Kentucky – 27.5
- Nebraska – 27.5
- BYU – 27.5
- Notre Dame – 26.5
- Penn State – 24.5
- Kansas – 24.5
- Georgia Tech – 23.5
- Auburn – 22.5
- South Alabama – 22.5
- California – 14.5
- South Carolina – 14.5
- Miami OH – 13.5
- Colorado – 9.5
Week 3 CFB DFS Top Plays Saturday Early Slate
CFB DFS Quarterbacks Week 3
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Dillon Gabriel | OU | NEB | 9500 | 24.08 | 10500 | 24.08 |
| Gabriel and the dangerous Sooners offense get an easy matchup this week. Nebraska’s pass defense has looked bad with both Northwestern and Georgia Southern having plenty of success through the air. Meanwhile, Gabriel has been efficient and productive running OU’s attack so far. He should post 30 DFS points or more in this matchup with it also being a closer game than the first two weeks. He’s only a GPP option on DK with the expensive price tag, but is fairly affordable on FD for cash lineups. | ||||||
| Dorian Thompson-Robinson | UCLA | SALA | 8300 | 23.83 | ||
| After exiting last week’s blowout win early, Thompson-Robinson is reportedly fully healthy and ready to go. He exploded for 39 DK in Week 1 with his four total TDs and UCLA putting up 45 points. A repeat performance is definitely on the table in another easy matchup vs. South Alabama here. DTR should be popular in DK cash lineups at a solid price point with the Bruins projected to be among the slate’s highest-scoring teams. | ||||||
| Clayton Tune | UH | KU | 8200 | 23.89 | ||
| Tune didn’t live up to expectations last week against Texas Tech with only 13 DK in a game with 63 total points. We can bank on a bounceback effort here in an easy matchup vs. a Kansas pass defense that just allowed West Virginia’s JT Daniels to throw for 359 yards and three TDs a week ago. Tune may go overlooked compared to DTR or other top QBs on the slate, but he can easily replicate his 34 DK performance from Week 1. You can roll him out in cash or GPP. | ||||||
| Stetson Bennett | UGA | SCAR | 7300 | 28.11 | 9400 | 25.11 |
| Bennett tends to go overlooked in DFS because Georgia’s offense has been unreliable in the past when it comes to trusting them for fantasy purposes on a week-to-week basis. Well, maybe it’s time to change that thinking and consider Bennett for cash lineups because of how good he’s been this season. He was priced up in Week 1 and unplayable at $9400 on DK, but he’s much more affordable on both sites this week. South Carolina just gave up 44 points to Arkansas and Georgia should have no problems getting into the end zone. It’s nice to see Bennett throw for 300+ yards and add a rushing TD in both games so far. | ||||||
| Jalon Daniels | KU | UH | 6500 | 24.36 | ||
| On the DK slate, Daniels makes for an interesting GPP pivot away from the bigger-named QBs. He’s coming off a solid outing of 29 DK points against West Virginia with three pass TDs and 85 rushing yards added in. Daniels brings some dual-threat upside to the table and he could have success against a shaky Houston defense that’s been lit up by UTSA and Texas Tech already. There’s a real scenario where we get 30+ DK points from Daniels and he out-performs some higher-priced guys on the slate. | ||||||
| Garrett Shrader | SYR | PUR | 6400 | 35.43 | 11200 | 35.43 |
| Shrader has been a beast through two games with his dual-threat ability playing well off of Sean Tucker in a much-improved Syracuse offense. He has 32 and 37 DK in the first two games with a 5:0 TD:INT ratio through the air and three rushing scores. Shrader will face a Purdue defense that allowed Sean Clifford to post a big game in Week 0 and this matchup features a game total close to 60. The DK price is very affordable and could make him a popular, but worthwhile, Super-Flex in cash lineups. | ||||||
| Tanner Morgan | MINN | COL | 5900 | 21.52 | ||
| There aren’t many sub-6k quarterbacks worth rostering on the DK slate, but Morgan offers some upside in GPPs for a cheap Super-Flex. The Minnesota QB has put up 21 DK in both games so far and his three rushing scores are good to see from a DFS perspective. Yes, both those performances came in blowout wins – but this matchup should result in another comfortable victory. Colorado has given up 38 and 41 points to TCU and Air Force, respectively, and Minnesota is projected to be among the slate’s highest scorers. | ||||||
Other QBs To Consider:
- Austin Reed – Western Kentucky (GPP)
- Rocky Lombardi – Northern Illinois (Cash)
- Mike Wright – Vanderbilt (GPP)
- Casey Thompson – Nebraska (Cash/GPP)
- Sean Clifford – Penn State (GPP)
CFB DFS Running Backs Week 3
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Mohamed Ibrahim | MINN | COL | 9400 | 29.75 | ||
| The DK price tag is hefty, but Ibrahim has proven he’s worth it. He’s racked up 130 rushing yards and two TDs in both games so far in a workhorse role for Minnesota. This is par for the course for a guy that was a weekly stud throughout the 2020 season and for one game last year before getting hurt. Honestly, 130 rushing yards is actually low for Ibrahim’s standards and this week should be another monster performance. Colorado’s rush defense has already gotten destroyed against Air Force and TCU. You can confidently roster Ibrahim in cash. | ||||||
| Sean Tucker | SYR | PUR | 8900 | 31.1 | 10800 | 27.10 |
| Like Ibrahim, we have Sean Tucker in a pricey range but he’s been fully worth it this season. The Syracuse RB has put up 36 and 26 DK points in the first two games with a healthy amount of touches. Plus, Tucker is being used plenty in the passing game with 10 receptions already. He’s not as much of a sure thing as Ibrahim this week because Purdue’s run defense is a tougher matchup than Colorado. That puts him more as a GPP play than cash on DK, but he’s obviously worth rostering in all formats either way. | ||||||
| Zach Evans | MISS | GT | 6500 | 15.25 | 8500 | 14.20 |
| Evans is pretty affordable on both sites considering his overall talent level and his lead back role for an Ole Miss team favored by double-digits in a high-total game. In the season opener, the former TCU transfer had 130 rushing yards on 20 carries but easily could’ve put up more DFS points with a TD or two. Then he wasn’t needed in the Rebels’ blowout win last week. This is still a guy who can smash for 25-30 DFS points or more at his best and it might be coming this week. Evans makes for a solid cash option in his current price range. | ||||||
| Zach Charbonnet | UCLA | SALA | 6300 | 28.7 | ||
| After sitting out last week’s blowout win, Charbonnet should be back to his normal workload. It appears it was just precautionary to hold him out against an easy opponent, similar to Thompson-Robinson getting pulled early. Charbonnet had 147 total yards on 26 touches in Week 1 and he could very well replicate that 25-30 DK performance. Put him more in the GPP territory on this slate, though, because South Alabama actually looked decent against Lew Nichols and Central Michigan last week. Still, the upside is there for Charbonnet to go off. | ||||||
| Tank Bigsby | AUB | UV | 5600 | 24.45 | 6700 | 16.00 |
| On the one hand, we have Tank Bigsby going up against a tougher Penn State rush defense in a low-total game where his team may be trailing. Plus, he’s coming off a so-so performance last week when he had just 51 rushing yards on 13 carries against San Jose State. That’s a lot going against him. However, the Auburn lead back is way too cheap on both sites to ignore and he may end up being popular in all formats. Bigsby should be locked into 20 touches or so as part of his normal workload and the upside for 100+ yards and multiple TDs is always there. For what it's worth, he had 102 yards and two scores last year vs. PSU. | ||||||
| Devin Neal | KU | UH | 5400 | 26.35 | ||
| Neal, like his teammate Jalon Daniels, may go overlooked on this slate with so many other top offenses and RBs in action. However, the Kansas offense could have plenty of success against a suspect Houston defense that gave up a ton of yards and points to Texas Tech and UTSA the past two games. Neal already has five TDs on just 16 total touches over two games. Ideally we’d like to see a bigger workload, but the guy has the athleticism and skill to score whenever he touches the ball. He's pretty cheap below 6k on DK. | ||||||
| Kendall Milton | UGA | SCAR | 5100 | 15 | 5900 | 14.50 |
| Georgia’s backfield work is pretty much split between Milton and McIntosh right now, but both have different roles. McIntosh is the pass-catching back and he’s been great for DFS with the receptions and receiving yards alone. However, he’s a bit too pricey on both sites. Milton, though, has gotten notably more rushing work in the first two games with 18 carries for 135 yards compared to 12 carries for 33 yards for McIntosh. With that in mind, Milton is thus the better value when considering the prices for potentially similar DFS production. Meanwhile, South Carolina just gave up 156 yards and two scores to Arkansas' Raheim Sanders. | ||||||
| Charles McClelland | CINCY | MIAOH | 3700 | 13.8 | ||
| On the DK slate, McClelland presents a big value if Ryan Montgomery sits out here. Montgomery missed the last game after leaving the season opener early due to a rib injury. If he sits out again, McClelland would serve as Cincinnati’s lead RB just as he did last week and for part of the previous game. Corey Kiner is another name to look at, but McClelland is likely the starter in Montgomery’s absence and he’s way too cheap. | ||||||
Other RBs To Consider:
- Shaun Shivers – Indiana (GPP)
- Corey Kiner – Cincinnati (GPP)
- Marcus Major – Oklahoma (Cash/GPP)
- Jaydn Ott – California (GPP)
- Ajay Allen – Nebraska (GPP)
CFB DFS Wide Receivers Week 3
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Cole Tucker | NIU | VANDY | 8200 | 19.5 | ||
| The Northern Illinois vs Vanderbilt matchup is one that shouldn’t go ignored on the DK slate. It’s also worth mentioning that NIU QB Rocky Lombardi is very much in play after Vandy’s pass defense got lit up by Elon and Wake Forest in back-to-back weeks. Lombardi’s top target is Cole Tucker. The two just connected for seven receptions, 123 yards and a TD last game and Tucker should post another impressive stat line this week. He’s expensive, but the floor/ceiling combo rivals any WR on the slate. | ||||||
| Charlie Jones | PUR | SYR | 8000 | 39.8 | 10400 | 27.30 |
| Jones has put together two monster performances so far as the clear top target for Aidan O’Connell in the Purdue passing game. The senior transfer from Iowa has definitely filled the receiving hole left by David Bell, Milton Wright, and Jackson Anthrop from last year. The price tag has skyrocketed, which makes it tough to roster him in cash lineups, but the GPP upside is clearly there. He had 36 and 43 DK points in the first two games and has assumed the WR1 role in a Purdue offense that previously made Bell and Rondale Moore DFS studs. | ||||||
| Nathaniel Dell | UH | KU | 7900 | 23 | ||
| As mentioned with Tune above, the Houston passing game should have plenty of success in a good matchup vs. Kansas this week. Tune’s clear top target is Dell, who’s coming off a seven-catch, 120-yard performance last game. He’s put up 20+ DK points in both games thus far and will likely continue doing so here. Dell might not have the same stat lines as Charlie Jones thus far, but he can give similar production this week at probably less rostership percentages. | ||||||
| Ladd McConkey | UGA | SCAR | 6000 | 15.3 | 6400 | 13.80 |
| McConkey has developed a clear rapport with Stetson Bennett and he’s even more important this week with Adonai Mitchell doubtful to play. In Week 1, McConkey had five catches for 73 yards and a TD while adding a rush TD too. We can throw out last week’s game against Samford where he wasn’t needed. Expect him to be more productive against an SEC opponent this week as one of Bennett’s top receivers. The pairing is pretty affordable on both sites too. | ||||||
| Michael Mayer | ND | CAL | 5600 | 17.75 | 7700 | 13.00 |
| Mayer came through for us last game with 27 DK at $3900 and, thankfully, his price has risen a bit this week. Still, he’s too cheap on DK for the high target volume he’s going to have on a weekly basis as Notre Dame’s top offensive weapon right now. No matter how ugly the Irish offense has been at times, we can count on Mayer getting his receptions for a safe floor. New QB Drew Pyne should look his way early and often. | ||||||
| Will Sheppard | VAND | NIU | 5500 | 19.07 | ||
| At some point it’s just impossible to ignore what this guy is doing. After catching a TD last week, Sheppard now has five scores through three games as a TD machine for Vandy. He also has had a solid volume floor of receptions with four and six catches the past two games, respectively. Despite the weekly production, Sheppard is still a value below 6k on the DK slate. | ||||||
| Daewood Davis | WKU | IU | 5200 | 20.85 | 7900 | 16.60 |
| Through two games, Davis is Western Kentucky’s leading receiver with 11 catches for 202 yards. He’s posted better overall stats than Malachi Corley despite the latter’s impressive Week 0 performance. Davis looks like he may be Austin Reed’s favorite target and that’s very prolific for DFS purposes in this pass-heavy WKU attack. He’s still priced down on DK despite being the team’s top receiver thus far. | ||||||
| Cam Camper | IU | WKU | 4800 | 18.45 | 6400 | 12.70 |
| Camper is Indiana’s leading receiver through two games but he’s not priced like it on both sites. He has 15 catches for 199 yards, both team-high’s, and exploded for 11 grabs and 156 yards against Illinois back in Week 1. The JuCo transfer could go off again in this higher-scoring matchup with Western Kentucky that should feature plenty of DFS production on both sides. Camper is a good value for cash. | ||||||
| Trey Palmer | NEB | OU | 4200 | 13.97 | 7100 | 10.97 |
| Palmer is seeing a healthy amount of targets and reception volume in the pass-focused Nebraska offense. His first three games have seen stat lines of 8-for-68, 4-for-82, and 6-for-81. That’s 12-14 PPR points as a floor and he hasn’t scored a TD yet. That may be coming this week in what should be a high-scoring matchup against Oklahoma where the Cornhuskers will score their fair share. As Nebraska’s top pass-catcher thus far, Palmer is too cheap on DK and he’s pretty affordable on FD too. | ||||||
| Chase Roberts | BYU | ORE | 3200 | 20.59 | 6800 | 16.34 |
| Let’s talk about BYU’s receiving corps for a minute. Gunner Romney and Puka Nacua are both game-time decisions with their respective injuries. If both one is out and the other plays, then that guy becomes a very good option on this slate – especially Nacua at his DK price. If both play, then temper expectations for both but Nacua would be the lean still. If they’re both out, then Chase Roberts is the play. He went off for eight catches, 122 yards, a receiving TD, and even a passing TD last game with Romney and Nacua out. Roberts is very underpriced on DK and would be a lock there if Romney and Nacua sit again. | ||||||
| DeVaughn Cooper | SYR | PUR | 3000 | 7.85 | 6100 | 6.10 |
| Garrett Shrader and Sean Tucker are the headliners for Syracuse’s uptempo offense, but Cooper is worth considering on this slate too. He’s the Orange’s leading wideout thus far with seven catches for 87 yards through two games. It’s not a lot, but there’s a decent floor and upside to find the end zone in a high-total matchup with Purdue. Plus, he’s min price on DK for whatever reason. | ||||||
Other WRs To Consider:
- Marvin Mims – Oklahoma (GPP)
- Kazmeir Allen – UCLA (GPP)
- Jalen Wayne – South Alabama (Cash)
- Luke Grimm – Kansas (Cash)
- Shemar Thornton – Northern Illinois (Cash/GPP)
- Antwane Wells – South Carolina (GPP)
- Marcus Washington – Nebraska (Cash/GPP)
- Michael Trigg – Ole Miss (GPP)
CFB DFS Week 3 Early Core Plays
DraftKings Cash:
- Mohamed Ibrahim – Minnesota
- Garrett Shrader – Syracuse
- Trey Palmer – Nebraska
- Chase Roberts – BYU (if Romney/Nacua out)
FanDuel Cash:
- Sean Tucker – Syracuse
- Charlie Jones – Purdue
- Dillon Gabriel – Oklahoma
DraftKings GPP:
- Jalon Daniels – Kansas
- Zach Charbonnet – UCLA
- Charles McClelland – Cincinnati (if Montgomery out)
FanDuel GPP:
- Tank Bigsby – Auburn
- Ladd McConkey – Georgia
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