College Football CFB DFS Playbook Week 3 Saturday Main Slate: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Welcome back to another CFB DFS Playbook as we dive into Saturday's college football Week 3 slate. As usual, we'll focus on top CFB DFS picks for the DraftKings main slate for Saturday's early/afternoon games. Some of the games overlap on FanDuel's all-day slate, which includes night matchups as well for college football DFS lineups. Some of the top players and teams in action for this Saturday afternoon's CFB DFS Week 3 slate include Jordan Travis and Florida State, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Ohio State, and Jayden Daniels and LSU. Plus, we get some other top-tier teams like Georgia, Alabama, Penn State, and Notre Dame in action as you build CFB DFS lineups. All the CFB Week 3 odds below are via DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of this writing. Let's now get into the top CFB DFS picks for Saturday's college football Week 3 slate on September 16th.
College Football Week 3 Schedule – CFB DFS Saturday Main Slate
- 12 pm ET – Florida State (-26) at Boston College – 47 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Louisville (-10) at Indiana – 50.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Kansas State (-4) at Missouri – 47.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET – LSU (-9.5) at Mississippi State – 54.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Penn State (-14.5) at Illinois – 48.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Georgia Southern at Wisconsin (-20) – 64 O/U
- 2 pm ET – Weber State at Utah (No Line Posted)
- 2:30 pm ET – Central Michigan at Notre Dame (-34.5) – 51 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Northwestern at Duke (-18.5) – 48.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – San Diego State at Oregon State (-24.5) – 48.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – South Carolina at Georgia (-27.5) – 54.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Alabama (-33) at South Florida – 61.5 O/U
- 4 pm ET – Western Kentucky at Ohio State (-29.5) – 65.5 O/U
- 4 pm ET – Tulane (-13) at Southern Miss – 49.5 O/U
College Football Week 3 CFB DFS Picks
Top CFB DFS Quarterbacks
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jordan Travis | FSU | BC | 9700 | 29.24 | 11200 | 27.74 |
| Jordan Travis is expensive but he could easily put up another 40+ DK like he did in Week 1 vs LSU. There’s plenty of upside for the Heisman contender in this soft matchup. Boston College’s defense was very suspect against NIU and Holy Cross, and should now get lit up by the high-scoring FSU attack. There are a ton of ways to go with your QBs, but Travis has one of the highest ceilings on the slate. | ||||||
| Jayden Daniels | LSU | MSST | 8600 | 29.97 | 11000 | 23.28 |
| Jayden Daniels is coming off a 5 TD, 33 DK performance last week in a blowout win over Grambling St. Things get tougher now against Mississippi St, but the LSU offense and Daniels should still have success. Arizona QB Jayden de Laura put up 342 passing yards, 44 rush yards, and 3 total TD last week in this matchup. Theoretically, Daniels can do something similar or better – especially on the rushing front. Last year vs Miss St, he wasn’t too efficient passing-wise but had 93 yards and a TD on the ground. | ||||||
| Will Howard | KSU | MIZZ | 8200 | 34.74 | 10000 | 36.30 |
| Will Howard came through for us big time last week with 3 pass TDs, 2 rush TDs, and 36 DK. Although that came against Troy and he has to go on the road to Missouri this week, Howard remains a top QB play. His dual-threat ability, especially to score on the ground, is quietly one of the best among CFB quarterbacks and it keeps his DFS floor safer. Mizzou isn’t too scary of a matchup and Howard can anchor cash lineups once again this week. | ||||||
| Drew Allar | PSU | IL | 7900 | 24.48 | 9700 | 25.10 |
| Drew Allar has been very impressive through two games. Against West Virginia in Week 1, he had 325 passing yards, 3 pass TDs, and 28 DK. That’s about what we can expect this week against a suspect Illinois defense. The Illini D has not looked good so far with 28 points and 416 total yards allowed to Toledo, then 34 points and 539 total yards allowed to Kansas. Both opposing QBs had good DFS performances and Allar should follow suit. He’s pretty affordable compared to other top QBs on the slate too. | ||||||
| Tyler Buchner | BAMA | USF | 7100 | 7.98 | 6500 | 7.98 |
| In an interesting turn of events, Tyler Buchner is reportedly expected to start at QB for Alabama this week. It looks like Jalen Milroe has lost the job already after losing to Texas. Well, it puts Buchner as a top value QB on this slate with some cheap prices on both DK and FD. The Notre Dame transfer is familiar with OC Tommy Rees and the offensive schemes that he brought to Alabama from the Irish this offseason. This is a soft matchup vs South Florida and it puts Buchner immediately in play as a cash or GPP Super-Flex. Just keep in mind that all 3 Bama QBs could still get playing time in this blowout win and Buchner carries risk if he struggles early and gets pulled. | ||||||
| Riley Leonard | DUKE | NW | 6700 | 17.77 | ||
| The buzz around Riley Leonard has cooled off a bit after he led Duke to the upset win over Clemson. Well, that’s because he played an easy opponent last week. Even so, Leonard was perfect through the air (12-for-12) and looks very comfortable running the Duke offense. At home against a so-so Northwestern defense, Leonard can put up 25+ DK and be a solid Super-Flex play for us. His rushing ability sets him apart from other DFS QBs. We saw him run for 98 yards and an impressive TD vs Clemson after he racked up 699 rush yards and 13 rush TDs last year. | ||||||
| Austin Reed | WKU | OSU | 5500 | 33.33 | ||
| If you’re feeling risky this week, Austin Reed makes for a very intriguing Super-Flex play. First off, Reed has no business being priced this low after he led the nation in passing yards last year. Then again, he does have to face Ohio State on the road. This is the toughest matchup of his career, so keep that in mind. Still, we know Reed and the WKU offense will be throwing a ton because A) that’s just what they do and B) they’ll surely be trailing the whole game. On volume alone, Reed can return value. | ||||||
| Nate Johnson | UTAH | WSU | 4500 | 11.61 | ||
| In an interesting development, Nate Johnson has moved up to QB2 on the Utah depth chart this week. Cam Rising may sit again in this easy matchup vs Weber State and with matchups against UCLA and Oregon St coming up. If Rising is out and Johnson gets the start, then it’s a potential smash value play. He and Bryson Barnes had been splitting snaps for the first two games with Rising out, but Johnson has now taken over sole position of the No. 2 job. Johnson’s throwing talent isn’t the most polished, but he can run it and racked up 77 rush yards with 2 rush TDs in these past two games in limited action. There’s a chance for 20+ DK against an easy opponent if Johnson is starting. | ||||||
Top CFB DFS Running Backs
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Audric Estime | ND | CMU | 7800 | 25 | ||
| Through three games, Audric Estime has been a stud workhorse back in Notre Dame’s offense. He now has 345 rushing yards over three games while averaging 8.0 ypc and 115 ypg. Even with Sam Hartman in town, the Irish offense is still leaning on Estime in the run game and he’s producing. He just put up 134 yards, 2 TDs, and 32 DK against NC State last game and we could easily see that stat line again in this soft matchup vs CMU. The blowout factor is in play, but that hasn’t mattered in Notre Dame’s first three games. His cash floor makes him a top RB play on the slate and worth the high price tag. | ||||||
| Braelon Allen | WISC | GSU | 7500 | 23.9 | ||
| Braelon Allen underwhelmed last week with only 22 rushing yards on seven carries. People will likely stay away from him because of that dud and with Chez Mellusi being plenty involved too. Even so, this is a good bounceback spot for Allen and he’s a contrarian GPP or cash play. Don’t forget, the Wisconsin lead back went for 157 yards, 2 TDs, and 30 DK in Week 1. He’s also coming off back-to-back 1,200-yard rushing seasons. Allen is a stud and can certainly go for 100+ yards and a couple scores again this week in a high-total matchup vs Georgia Southern. | ||||||
| Trey Benson | FSU | BC | 6600 | 17.65 | 10400 | 17.15 |
| Trey Benson was quiet in Week 1 vs LSU, but he exploded last week for 99 total yards, 3 TDs, and 29 DK on just 10 touches. The blowout win limited his workload, but Benson is still the guy in Florida State’s backfield. Though FSU should win easy vs Boston College this week, Benson can get his numbers with a slightly bigger workload. He’s still a GPP play because FSU and Jordan Travis could be scoring through the air. However, we just saw what his upside is. Note that Benson is the highest-priced RB on the FD slate but is just $6,600 on DK. | ||||||
| Damien Martinez | ORST | SDSU | 6400 | 20.4 | ||
| Damien Martinez has 249 rushing yards over the first two games and is in a prime spot to put up 100+ yards again this week. The San Diego State defense has struggled over the past two games and just gave up 254 rushing yards to UCLA last week. This is no longer a shutdown Aztecs defense and Oregon State should put up plenty of points here. Martinez can easily overperform his sub-7k DK price tag. The only worry is that Oregon State is a big favorite and the blowout has to be considered. Still, Martinez got his numbers in a pair of large wins for the Beavers in the first two weeks. Don’t overlook him in cash as a top-tier RB play. | ||||||
| Jordan Waters | DUKE | NW | 5700 | 22.55 | ||
| The DK price for Jordan Waters is very affordable considering he’s put up 20 and 25 DK in the first two games. He has 100+ total yards and a TD in both games so far while leading the way in Duke’s backfield. You have to assume some risk with Jaquez Moore splitting work and Riley Leonard possibly vulturing a rushing score. The upside is there, though, for Jordan to return value this week. Northwestern’s decent rush defense and lower total in this matchup could make Jordan a contrarian GPP option. | ||||||
| Kaytron Allen | PSU | IL | 5500 | 13.45 | 7700 | 7.10 |
| The Illinois defense just got crushed by Kansas and gave up 262 rushing yards, including 98+ to two different RBs. We may see something similar with Penn State’s backfield tandem of Nick Singleton and Kayton Allen this week. Both are in play, but it’s always tough to choose between them with a pretty evenly split workload. Since he’s the cheaper of the two, Allen looks like the better play for similar production and the savings. Singleton has the upside for 20-30 DK in this matchup too, though. Allen just went for 103 yards, a TD, and 19 DK last week. We’d take that all day at his cheaper prices. | ||||||
| Jawhar Jordan | UL | IU | 5500 | 26 | ||
| Jawhar Jordan is simply priced too cheap for what he’s done through two games. Louisville’s lead back had 96 yards, a TD, and 17 DK in Week 1 vs Georgia Tech and then 178 total yards, 2 TDs, and 34 DK in a Week 2 blowout. Now we’re still getting him at just $5,500 on the DK slate? Things do get tougher on the road vs a decent Indiana rush defense, and Jordan only saw seven carries in both of the first two games. Still, he should see a bigger workload this week and certainly return value. | ||||||
| Frank Gore Jr. | USM | TUL | 5000 | 11.7 | ||
| Since Southern Miss hasn’t played a close game yet, we haven’t seen a full workload or stat line for Frank Gore Jr. He had six carries for 29 yards in a blowout win over Alcorn St and then 11 carries for 31 yards vs Florida St. In that season opener, though, Gore did score twice and put up 18 DK. This week’s game vs Tulane should be much closer and Gore can get 20-25 touches to return value. At just 5k on DK, it’s too cheap for one of the top running backs in the Group of 5 who can rack up 100+ yards and multiple TDs at his best. He may go overlooked but has plenty of GPP upside. | ||||||
| Jaylon Glover | UTAH | WSU | 4900 | 5.3 | ||
| As the backup RB in Utah’s offense, Jaylon Glover could be a sneaky value this week. Of course, Ja’Quinden Jackson is still the lead back and dual-threat QB Nate Johnson will take some rushing volume away too. However, this matchup vs Weber State should be a big win for Utah and Glover could see plenty of work in the second half. Micah Bernard is out for the season, so Glover is now the main backup to Jackson. We saw Glover get seven carries for 40 yards and a TD last week vs Baylor, which is a good sign that he’s entrenched as the next man up. Utah has some big conference games coming up, so Jackson may get more rest and Glover can see extended work in a blowout. | ||||||
| Makhi Hughes | TUL | USM | 4600 | 10.45 | ||
| Coming into the season, the Tulane backfield was expected to be a committee. However, Mahki Hughes saw 23 carries for 92 yards last week against Ole Miss. He seems to have emerged as the guy after getting so much work last game as just a freshman. It’s still risky to play him in cash, but the GPP upside is there for a sub-5k running back. Plus, Tulane may lean on the run game more with Michael Pratt still banged up and a game-time decision for this game. When Pratt was out last week, we saw how much work Hughes got. | ||||||
Top CFB DFS Wide Receivers
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. | OSU | WKU | 9100 | 20.9 | ||
| After a quiet Week 1, Marvin Harrison Jr. returned to glory last week. The best WR in college football had 160 yards and 2 TDs on seven catches for 38 DK. That’s more like it. Now that Kyle McCord has officially won the starting QB job, we should see more big stat lines from Harrison moving forward. He still has arguably the best floor/ceiling combo of any CFB DFS wideout and is always worth paying up for. You can do it in cash on this slate with plenty of value out there. WKU may score a bit against Ohio State, so it’s possible we get a full game from Harrison and the starters as well. | ||||||
| Brian Thomas Jr. | LSU | MSST | 7000 | 28 | 9400 | 23.70 |
| If you’re playing Jayden Daniels, then the two LSU receivers to pair up with him are Brian Thomas and Malik Nabers. Both are potential one-off plays as well on this slate. Nabers is always an option, but Thomas has been slightly better so far this season. He’s gone for 30 and 25 DK in the first two games with stat lines of 7-142-1 and 6-78-2. His production has come in both a closer matchup vs Florida St and a blowout win vs Grambling. This week, Mississippi St should keep it close and force LSU to target Thomas (and Nabers) plenty in the passing game. The 7k price tag on DK is actually a bargain when you compare it to his elevated FD price. | ||||||
| Keon Coleman | FSU | BC | 6500 | 28 | 9600 | 23.50 |
| Keon Coleman broke onto the national stage in Week 1 with his nine catches for 122 yards, 3 TDs, and 42 DK vs LSU. He didn’t do much last week in a blowout win, but at least he still caught a TD while the starters were out there. Coleman is clearly Jordan Travis’ top target right now and he should be busy against Boston College. The FD price tag is more appropriate, but he’s actually a bargain on DK below 7k. The Travis-Coleman pairing could be popular in all formats, but Coleman can also be played on his own. He’d also get a bump up if Johnny Wilson sits out a second game. | ||||||
| KeAndre Lambert-Smith | PSU | IL | 6400 | 22.35 | 9100 | 26.30 |
| If you’re playing Drew Allar, then KeAndre Lambert-Smith is the natural pairing as Penn State’s top wideout. He went off in Week 1 with 123 yards and 2 TDs against West Virginia. Even in a blowout win last week, Lambert-Smith still had six catches for 74 yards for a solid floor. Now he faces a suspect Illinois pass defense. He may go overlooked on this slate with the aforementioned top guys and some key values, but he could easily be one of the highest-scoring WRs for GPPs. | ||||||
| Luther Burden III | MIZZ | KSU | 5900 | 22.75 | 7600 | 15.70 |
| Luther Burden is off to a strong start with 15 receptions, 213 yards, and a TD through the first two games. He’s also put up 22 DK in both. Mizzou gets a tougher opponent this week in K-State, but Burden’s role in the offense won’t change. He’s in line for a huge season now playing the slot WR spot that Dominic Lovett excelled in last year. Burden is very cheap on both sites compared to his solidified role and already proven production this season. He honestly has no reason being priced below 6k on DK or below 8k on FD right now. | ||||||
| Phillip Brooks | KSU | MIZZ | 5700 | 19.3 | 8600 | 25.10 |
| After posting seven catches, 94 yards, 2 TDs, and 28 DK last week, Phillip Brooks actually gets a price decrease on DK in the mid-5k range. We’ll take it! Of course, it’s a tougher matchup vs Missouri now than Troy last game. Still, Brooks is a decent value as Kansas St’s top receiver. He’ll likely go overlooked and makes for a nice low-rostered play on this slate, especially with other popular values around him. | ||||||
| Jamari Thrash | UL | IU | 5300 | 26.1 | ||
| Jamari Thrash is too cheap on DK and may end up being a popular value WR on this slate. He’s put up 27 and 24 DK in the first two games with at least 80 yards and a TD in both. Maybe people look elsewhere because it’s a road matchup vs Indiana, but Thrash is clearly a top playmaker right away for Louisville after transferring over from Georgia State. It was encouraging to see him get seven receptions in the Week 1 matchup vs GT too. | ||||||
| Xavier Legette | SCAR | UGA | 5200 | 28.15 | 6700 | 21.40 |
| First off, the matchup vs Georgia is obviously a tough one and we have to downgrade any WR in this spot. Still, Xavier Legette has put up two huge games to start the season. He went for nine catches, 178 yards, and 29 DK vs UNC in the opener and then six catches, 118 yards, a TD, and 26 DK last week in a blowout win. He’s taken full advantage of being the top pass-catcher for Spencer Rattler with Antwane Wells banged up. Again, the matchup will have people looking the other way. But the contrarian upside is there for someone who’s actually underpriced. | ||||||
| Brock Bowers | UGA | SCAR | 4700 | 10.15 | 6600 | 0.80 |
| Death, taxes, and Brock Bowers being underpriced. Though the Georgia tight end only caught one pass last week in a blowout win, he did have five receptions for 77 yards and a rush TD for 19 DK in Week 1. We’ll take that production all day at his cheaper price tags. Plus, Bowers always has the weekly floor/upside to post 20-30 DK as arguably the top weapon in the UGA offense. Expect him to be much more involved than last week with South Carolina coming to town and SEC play starting up. Don’t be surprised if Bowers is the most popular value on the slate either. | ||||||
| Malachi Corley | WKU | OSU | 4700 | 9.5 | ||
| As noted above with Austin Reed, it’s risky playing guys against Ohio State. However, Malachi Corley is way underpriced for his talent level and role in the Western Kentucky offense. The guy had 101 receptions, 1,293 yards, and 11 TDs last year as Austin Reed’s favorite target. He’s likely priced low because he “only” had four catches for 55 yards in the season opener and then sat out last week. This is still the top WR in a pass-happy WKU attack that’ll be throwing plenty while trailing Ohio St here. Maybe you stay away because of the matchup, but Corley is a perfectly fine value who has no business being priced below 5k. | ||||||
| Jaheim Bell | FSU | BC | 4200 | 19.3 | 7700 | 18.30 |
| The Swiss Army knife of the Florida State offense will be an intriguing value play all season. His role for FSU is so important as a guy who can do everything, whether it’s catching passes, lead blocking in the run game, or getting carries himself. We saw it on full display in the season opener vs LSU when Bell scored twice on just three touches but was on the field a ton doing the little things. He won’t get a large volume of catches or carries, but the upside to score a TD will always be there. Plus, FSU is game-planning to get him the ball in the red zone because he’s a mismatch. | ||||||
CFB DFS Week 3 Core Plays
DraftKings Cash
- Marvin Harrison Jr. – Ohio State
- Brock Bowers – Georgia
- Audric Estime – Notre Dame
DraftKings GPP
- Austin Reed – Western Kentucky
- Braelon Allen – Wisconsin
- Luther Burden – Missouri
FanDuel Cash (Early Games)
- Jordan Travis – Florida St
- Luther Burden – Missouri
- Brock Bowers – Georgia
FanDuel GPP (Early Games)
- Jayden Daniels – LSU
- Kaytron Allen – Penn State
- Jaheim Bell – Florida St
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