RADIO
Week Three of college football action is already upon us! Time flies when you're making DFS lineups I suppose. This week on DraftKings, they decided to tighten things up a little bit, bringing the total number of games in the Saturday Main slate from 15 down to 10. Not to worry, though, as that is still a healthy-sized slate and there are a decent number of high-total games to target.
Before we jump into player selections, I want to call out a few games that have caught my attention thanks to high over/unders and tight spreads in Vegas. Sixty points (for the over/under) is normally the threshold for what I consider a "game to target" in NCAA DFS, and this week is no different, but do have only three games that meet that criteria. As such, we'll widen the target pool this week, especially for tournaments. Anywho, those three games I've got my sights set on the most are Florida State at Syracuse (over/under of 68, spread of 3), Boise State at Oklahoma State (over/under of 64, spread of 2.5) and Hawaii at Army (over/under of 62, spread of 5). With only three games meeting my "over 60 points, single digit spread criteria" I'll widen the pool a bit and call out two games that I have second tier interest in - Georgia Tech at Pitt (over/under of 52, spread of 4) and Oklahoma at Iowa State (over under of 55.5, spread of 17).
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/15/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @kpLuch.
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DraftKings DFS Quarterbacks
Cole McDonald - QB at Army ($9,200)
Outside of the brutal travel and early start time (for the University of Hawaii) there is a lot to love here about Cole McDonald, the matchup against Army, and his outlook/projection for week three. The sophomore, pro-style quarterback has been producing in bunches through two games this season, posting a ridiculous completion percentage of just over 70% with an incredibly high volume of passes (78-of-111), good over 1,100 yards and 13 scores. The fact that he's punched the ball in 13 times with zero interceptions speaks volumes as to how much well he's running the offense and taking care of the ball. Army will present a bit of a tougher task than their week two opponent (Rice), but McDonald and his Hawaii teammates did dismantle one triple-option offense already this season when they took down Navy 59-41 in to open the 2018 campaign. Army will try to control the clock with their solid run game, but this is a team that gave up over 300 yards through the air to Liberty last week, and that was with Liberty completing only 19 passes. Hawaii is fully committed to the passing game, and McDonald certainly won't be limited by opportunity - the volume will be there. I am expecting a big game out of McDonald in West Point on Saturday.
Eric Dungey - QB, vs Florida State ($9,300)
Another quarterback piquing my interests - especially in tournaments - is Syracuse senior Eric Dungey. Dungey shook off some apparent rust from week one and looked really sharp last week in a 62-10 thrashing of Wagner, accounting for five scores through the air. Through two games, the Orange signal-caller has completed over 61% of his passes, good for seven touchdowns to just one interception. While Syracuse is split pretty evenly between pass and run plays, Dungey moves up my board because of his ability to get it done on the ground as well as through the air - he's already had his number called 26 times this year, good for 244 yards and 9.4 yards per carry average. Certainly the opponent is much tougher this week, but the Noles have given up yards in bunches already this season, and we have to love the fact that this game has the highest total on the slate (initial line was 61, action on the Over has moved this all the way up to 68) and a really tight spread of only four points.
Woody Barrett - QB, at Penn State ($4,800)
By no means is he cash game safe, but Barrett is someone I can see being a potential disruptor in tournaments this weekend. For me, he profiles as a tournament option using the Super-Flex position. He is certainly a risk, but does offer a pretty high ceiling this week in a game being projected for a lot of points - and the fact that he is a threat on the ground certainly raises his points floor and ceiling. The former high school All-American and Auburn transfer runs a very uptempo Golden Flashes offense, and the Penn State defense has shown us they're far from a perfect unit after allowing 547 yards of total offense to Appalachian State in week one. The uptempo offense gives Barrett a lot of opportunity, and that's what we're chasing in tournaments - high upside thanks to projected volume.
Also Consider: Brett Rypien - QB, at Oklahoma State ($8,500)
DraftKings DFS Running Backs
Jordan Mason - RB, at Pittsburgh ($5,900)
With the news that Yellow Jackets starting running back Kirvonte Benson is out for the year due to injury, I am all in on Jordan Mason. Mason has been named the starter, and the good news is that he's not going from bench to field, but rather he's going to be receiving an increased workload, as he already figured into the equation when Benson was healthy. Mason has carried the ball no less than 11 times in each of Georgia Tech's contests this year, and he's proved to be very efficient, notching a 7.5 yards per carry average. That bodes well against Pittsburgh, a team that was just beat up on the ground by Penn State, allowing over six yards per carry. Seeing as Georgia Tech is fully committed to the run, I like Mason's chances to see 15-20 carries here and eclipse 100 yards in a game that features a solid point projection and a very tight, one-score spread.
Jafar Armstrong - RB, vs Vandy ($7,500)
Armstrong projects as a good cash game play this weekend. He's shown a solid points floor through two games and his involvement in the offense has increased - and, based on comments by the Notre Dame coaching staff, we may be seeing even more of Armstrong from here on out. By defensive metrics, Vandy has been good this year, but they really haven't been tested by anyone just yet. Notre Dame has a big offensive line up front, which should open a lot of holes for Armstrong, a dynamic back who is dangerous once he gets into space. Armstrong entered the season splitting time between wide receiver and running back, but now that he's won the starting role I think he's going to be fed the rock more often. Seeing as he's got great hands, too, he's a threat out of the back field in the passing game and occassionally lines up out of the slot, which certainly raises his points ceiling. Helping to make the case for Armstrong this week is the Irish's committment to the run and the fact that they're going up against a very good defensive secondary.
Qadree Ollison - RB, vs Georgia Tech ($4,700)
Ollison is one of the best values on the board for week three. The Panther running back is still priced like a running-back-by-committee type player, despite the fact that he's now won the starting role. It was a crowded backfield in their week one contest, with Ollison seeing just seven carries, but he really took control of the job last week with 119 yards and a score on 21 carries (while also pulling in two passes). The outlook for Ollison is pretty bright in this contest, as the Georgia Tech defense isn't very stout, and the big back has been the lone bright spot offensively for the Panthers this season - which should lead to a high volume of carries in week three.
Also Consider: Trey Sermon - RB, at Iowa State ($7,300)
DraftKings DFS Wide Receivers
Jamal Custis - WR, vs Florida State ($6,500)
Custis has emerged as Dungey's favorite target through two weeks this season, and he has a big opportunity this weekend when the Noles head up to the Carrier Dome. Custis has seen 32% of his teams targets, hauling in 11 catches and three touchdowns in two games. The 6'5, 230 pound Custis lines up as a slot receiver and can be a mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses, especially those who try to stick and outside linebacker on him.
John Ursua - WR, at Army ($8,100)
He's the most expensive option at wide receiver in week three, but don't let the price scare you away. Ursua is a target and receptions monster through three weeks (Hawaii played in "week zero"), is averaging nearly 36 DraftKings points in each contest, and the outlook for this week is very good. I like Ursua for a lot of the same reasons I am targeting his teammate Cole McDonald - this game projects to be high scoring (especially relative to the slate) and Hawaii runs a run-and-shoot offense that affords Ursua (and teammate Cedric Byrd) a lot of opportunity to make an impact in the passing game.
Also Consider: Cedric Byrd - WR, at Army ($7,400)
