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Welcome to week four of college football daily fantasy! We're back with a 10-game slate that features some tightly (projected) contests and a lot of household teams and names. As usual, the contest begins with the noon games and features a few 3:30 eastern time matchups as well.
Before we jump into player selections and reasoning, I'd like to call out a few interesting numbers and lines from our friends in fabulous Las Vegas. For the first time in a long time, more than half of the games feature a spread of fewer than 10 points! It also features five road favorites - all favored by single digits - and a trio of games where the over/under has shot up more than five points. There are two games with big blowout potential, as Ohio State hosts Tulsa as 37 point favorites and Alabama hosts Texas A&M as 25 point favorites. The games with the highest point total projections are Tulsa at Ohio State (68.5), Boston College at Purdue (68), Georgia at Mizzou (64.5), Notre Dame at Wake Forest (61), and Texas A&M at Alabama (61). Of those, the two I find the most attractive are the Boston College at Purdue matchup because of the tight 6.5 point spread, and the Georgia at Mizzou game, because the total has been shooting up (opened at 61, currently at 68).
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/22/18. 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
Dwayne Haskins - QB, vs Tulsa ($10,700)
The price may look tough to stomach at first, but considering that he's averaged 31 DraftKings points this season despite the fact his team has blown out all three opponents, it's a pretty impressive point average. All of that to say, basically, is that he has been worth every penny and he has a gem of a matchup at home in The Horseshoe on Saturday which should allow him to pay off this price with ease. I'm of the opinion - and I am certainly not the only one - that thinks Ohio State is going to try to blow the doors off this game in Urban Meyer's return to the sidelines. So, while there is blowout risk, that risk is mitigated by the fact that Vegas has this game pegged at roughly a 70 point total, with the Buckeyes putting up somewhere in the range of 35-40+ points. Haskins and the offense have a super talented crop of receivers at their disposal and Haskins has logged 30+ attempts in two of three starts (with an impressive completion percentage, too) - the lone start with less than 30 coming in a 52-3 dismantling of Rutgers.
Nathan Elliott - QB, vs PITT ($6,200)
Quarterback Nathan Elliott has had a disappointing start to the season, to say the least, and his inaccuracy issues have plagued the 0-2 TarHeel squad. But where there has been disappointing performance comes decreased price tags and decreased interest - which creates an opportunity for major return on investment and leverage in tournaments, respectively. I see Elliott as a low-cost, semi-high risk to take in week four. He faces an a Pitt defense that has given up yards and points in bunches, and the fact this game has a tight spread (3.5 points) with an implied total trending up makes this a good spot to buy low on a quarterback who has attempted no less than 35 passes in a game this season.
Also Consider: Will Grier - QB, vs Kansas State ($10,500)
DraftKings DFS Running Backs
A.J. Dillon - RB, at Purdue ($9,000)
A.J. Dillon had an absolute beastly campaign his freshman season and he's picking up right where he left off for his sophomore season. He's an elite running back that nearly any offense is going to struggle to slow down. Last week, in a one-score contest with Wake Forest, Dillon carried the ball 33 times, racking up 185 yards and a touchdown. With that in mind, I really like his outlook for week four as this game should move at a similar pace and has a very high point total as well, with a one-score spread of just 6.5 points. Through three weeks of play, Purdue has proven they can score but have a real hard time stopping the run, which bodes well for the bellcow Dillon in West Lafayette this weekend.
Pooka Williams Jr. - RB, at Baylor ($5,700)
Never thought I'd see the day where I'd be recommending starting a Kansas football player in a big fantasy contest full of options, but here we are. Pooka Williams is legit - the freshman has been super impressive so far through three games, and Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the third-best freshman running back in the country right now. He is lightning quick and has averaged 8.8 yards a carry with a healthy workload, too. He's been responsible for three of the Jayhawks 10 touchdowns this season, and I really think he has a chance to continue the upward trend in this matchup with Baylor. The game has a healthy 54 point over/under, but what is most appealing is the low price tag and a date with the 98th ranked defense in college football according to S&P+ rankings.
Also Consider: Elijah Holyfield - RB, at Mizzou ($5,200); D'Andre Swift - RB, at Mizzou ($7,400)
DraftKings DFS Wide Receivers
Rondale Moore - WR, vs Boston College ($6,900)
Given the fact that this Boilermaker offense runs quickly and their defense is full of holes, it's more than likely this team is going to play in a lot of high scoring contests. That's appealing for us in the DFS community, as that combination equates to more offensive snaps, which creates higher volume for feature backs and receivers, and generally leads to desirable fantasy scoring output. Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm is pretty innovative offensively, and he's wasted little team getting his freshman phenom involved in the passing game. The wideout had an enormous coming out party last weekend against Mizzou, hauling in 11 passes for 137 yards as he found the endzone once. I'm expecting pretty big things here in week four as Brohm and his offensive staff will try to get the rock in Moore's hands early and often out in space against a team that just gave up 34 points to the Deamon Deacons.
Emmanuel Hall - WR, vs Georgia ($6,000)
Like my Nathan Elliott pick, this one is not for the faint of heart. Hall has a really tough matchup this week going up against one of the best secondaries in the NCAA. But, similar to my Elliott interest, the rationale for wanting to play him in tournaments is sound - the volume in this one is absolutely going to be there, and we are getting him with a super depressed price tag in a game that is expected to be very high scoring. Mizzou quarterback Drew Lock's game logs show a commitment to the pass - he attempted no less than 43 passes in each of the past two weeks. Hall is a really dynamic receiver and Lock's favorite target.
Also Consider: David Sills V - WR, vs Kansas State ($8,000)
