By: @Ryan_Humphries on Twitter/LineStar Chat.

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Main Slate Rundown 🏈

We venture a bit further into the second half of the season with week eight upon us. As usual, the focus of this CFB newsletter will be on the DraftKings Saturday 12-game main slate that will kick off at noon ET. For FanDuel players, the main slate over there will feature seven mutually shared games with the DK slate, so you’ll find some helpful information in this newsletter as well.

We’ve got some potential shootouts on the board with four games boasting a 60+ over/under. We also have one of the lowest CFB totals I’ve ever seen with a 30.5 over/under in the Minnesota/Iowa game. Safe to say, we won’t be targeting that game very much (or perhaps at all) this week. Anyhow, it should be another entertaining action-packed college football Saturday and there are a ton of excellent match-ups on the board. Let’s get into it!

Here is a look at the 11 teams with a 25.3+ implied point total on this slate. The majority of our preferred DFS plays will be found on these rosters:

On the flip side, we’ll want very little exposure to teams who are expected to struggle to crack 20 points. Unless a specific player is priced down and is guaranteed high volume, we should lean toward avoiding these eight teams on the slate:

Obligatory: Vegas spreads and totals aren’t the be-all, end-all but they do give us a solid amount of information to use as our research ‘jump-off point’ on any given slate.

Main Slate Match-Ups

Quarterbacks to Consider

QB options at various price points.

Dillon Gabriel, OU | $9,500 | vs. UCF

Gabriel has put up a stellar senior campaign, completing 72.3% of his passes for 313.0 YPG, a 16:2 TD:INT ratio, and he has tacked on 208 rushing yards (34.7 YPG) with five additional TDs on the ground. The Sooners just knocked off the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry two weeks ago and, now coming out of their bye, Gabriel will face off with his former UCF team where he played for the first three years of his collegiate career. Gabriel is one of the best floor plays that you could find and he has scored no less than 25.04 DKFP in a game this season while averaging 33.7 DKFP/gm. The UCF Knights have only allowed 15.1 DKFP/gm to QBs this season but they have yet to face an opponent of Oklahoma’s caliber. UCF is also a quality offense that could force Oklahoma to stay aggressive for all four quarters and they are “only” 17.5-point underdogs. This game features a slate-high 67.5 over/under with the Sooners being pinned with a 42.3 implied team total. Gabriel sets up as the safest QB spend-up on the slate and offers up plenty of upside as well.

Seth Henigan, MEM | $8,300 | @ UAB

You’ll be hard-pressed to find many fantasy QBs that have been more consistent than Seth Henigan this season. Through six games, Henigan is averaging 25.3 DKFP/gm and has scored no fewer than 22.46 DKFP in any single performance. He’s not the most prolific dual-threat QB on this slate, but he does provide some rushing upside with 21.5 rush YPG and three rush TDs on the year. More importantly, he’s facing a UAB defense that has been torched by opposing QBs, allowing 30.2 FPPG to QBs in their last four games. This game features a high total (62 O/U) and a close spread by CFB standards (MEM -6.5), so it’s a prime game to target this Saturday.

Kurtis Rourke, OHIO | $5,700 | vs. WMU

Rourke should be a popular QB2 target on this slate due to his high upside that is attached to a low $5,700 price tag. Rourke is only two weeks removed from dropping a 35.6 DKFP score against Kent State and you can scroll back to his game logs in 2022 to see that he put up several 30+ DKFP scores on the season. Toward the end of last season, Rourke was priced in the $8k range so it’s a fairly obvious misprice on him this week in what sets up as a great match-up. WMU is allowing 3.0 pass TDs/gm over their last four games along with 29.5 FPPG to the QB position. Rourke also has some decent rushing potential as well and has scored a rushing TD in back-to-back games heading into week eight. Ohio owns a stout 34.5 implied point total and they should have no problems racking up the yardage and points at home against WMU on Saturday.

Other QBs to Consider

Bo Nix, ORE | $9,800 | vs. WSU

Quinn Ewers, UT | $8,600 | @ UH

Garrett Greene, WVU | $7,800 | vs. OKST

Jacob Zeno, UAB | $7,100 | vs. MEM

Wide Receivers to Consider

WR options at various price points.

Troy Franklin, ORE | $8,200 | vs. WSU

Franklin has been a prime spend-up option all season at the WR position. With the exception of a 55-10 week three blowout over Hawaii, Franklin has 103+ yards, 1+ touchdown, and 25.3+ DKFP in Oregon’s remaining five games this season. Touchdowns cannot be counted on every week, but even if you take away Franklin’s eight touchdowns in 2023, his 6.7 receptions/gm and 114.8 YPG still provide you with a tremendous fantasy floor. With that said, Franklin holds -250 odds to score a touchdown in this game and, realistically, he’s more likely to score multiple TDs than zero TDs. It certainly pays to be Bo Nix’s favorite option in the passing game and Franklin will once again set up as a DFS priority in week eight.

Drake Stoops, OU | $6,000 | vs. UCF

We spotlighted Sooners QB Dillon Gabriel above so it would be nice to find some stack options to pair with him. Unfortunately, Gabriel has spread the ball around this season and there is no true ‘alpha’ receiver in the offense. However, Drake Stoops has seen at least eight targets in three of the last four games and has three touchdowns in that span. He is also hauling in 81.3% of his targets on the season so he’s a sure-handed pass catcher and possesses a fairly modest DFS salary on this slate.

Andrew Armstrong, ARK | $6,000 | vs. MSST

Armstrong owns a team-leading 25.3% target% and he has brought in 81.3% of his targets this season. He has not posted a huge ceiling yet this season but Armstrong has scored at least 13.6 DKFP in every game this season but one. Armstrong and the Razorbacks' offense will draw a fairly strong match-up against a Miss State defense that has allowed 46.5 FPPG to WRs when playing on the road this season, and 196.8 rec YPG over their last four games.

Isaiah Williams, IL | $5,800 | vs. WISC

We gave Williams a spotlight in last week’s newsletter and noted that, at the time, he was one of just two FBS WRs who ranked inside the top 100 in receiving yardage and who had yet to haul in a touchdown on the season. Well, Williams finally brought in his first touchdown of the year in week seven and now heads into this game with double-digit fantasy scores in every game this season. Williams is a target hog who owns a 28.1% target% and 9.7 targets/gm. Wisconsin represents a tough match-up but Williams’ consistent volume makes him a strong floor play in DraftKings full PPR scoring.

Roc Taylor, MEM | $5,800 | @ UAB

Whether or not you’re looking for a stack piece with Memphis QB Seth Henigan, it’d be wise to give Roc Taylor a long look out of the WR mid-range. Taylor has come on particularly strong in the last four games where he is averaging 6.3 rec/gm, 104.3 YPG, and 21.7 DKFP/gm. He has been a major beneficiary of Henigan’s consistent play at QB and we’re expecting plenty of scoring in this Memphis/UAB match-up.

Miles Cross, OHIO | $5,000 | vs. WMU

We like QB Kurtis Rourke as a value QB on this slate so, naturally, we should be able to find some affordable stack pieces to either pair with Rourke or roll out solo. Rourke had a big game versus Kent State two weeks ago and Miles Cross played a key role in that success, catching seven passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Sam Wiglusz ($6,400) is more of the possession receiver in this offense while Cross has been on the receiving end of some big plays, averaging 13.8 yards/catch and leading the team with four receiving TDs. The floor isn’t necessarily high but, in a good match-up such as this one with WMU, Cross has the type of ceiling that could pay major dividends on this $5,000 salary.

Will Pauling, WISC | $4,400 | @ IL

There is not a significant amount of value receivers on this slate but Will Pauling is worth some consideration at $4,400. He has yet to find the end zone this season but does own a solid 19.9% target% and has double-digit fantasy scores in 4-of-6 games. Pauling has eight receptions for 60+ yards in each of Wisconsin’s last two games so if that sort of volume persists, he should be able to pay off this modest salary.

Other WRs to Consider

Xavier Worthy, UT | $6,500 | @ UH

Jalil Farooq, OU | $6,300 | vs. UCF

Lincoln Victor, WSU | $6,200 | @ ORE

Kyle Williams, WSU | $5,700 | @ ORE

Lideatrick Griffith, MSST | $5,500 | @ ARK

Amare Thomas, UAB | $5,100 | vs. MEM

Demeer Blankumsee, MEM | $4,700 | @ UAB

Running Backs to Consider

RB options at various price points.

Jonathan Brooks, UT | $7,400 | @ UH

Brooks has put a stranglehold on the lead RB duties in a prolific Longhorns offense. In the last four games, Brooks is averaging 20.5 rushes/gm for 154.3 rush YPG (7.5 YPC) with five touchdowns. He’s not necessarily a heavily-involved pass catcher but he did bring in five receptions in Texas’ last game against Oklahoma. Texas is a heavy -23.5 favorite in this game so Brooks should see another heavy workload and has definite 100+ yard and multi-touchdown potential. The Houston defense is allowing 32.7 FPPG and 1.7 TDs/gm to RBs this season.

Jermaine Brown Jr., UAB | $6,200 | vs. MEM

Brown enters off of a pair of massive performances from weeks six and seven, combining for 173 rushing yards on 30 carries (5.8 YPC) with five touchdowns while adding 136 receiving yards on eight receptions. Brown hasn’t had more than 18 carries in a game this season but he is an involved receiver out of the backfield and has four games with 4+ receptions. Memphis has been getting gouged by RBs lately, allowing 159.5 rush YPG on a 5.9 YPC average and 38.5 receiving YPG to RBs along with 1.8 TDs/gm. Brown is fairly priced at $6,200 and offers major upside at that salary in what should be a close, high-scoring affair.

Emmanuel Michel, AF | $5,800 | @ NAVY

For the uninitiated, Air Force operates with a triple-option offensive system, meaning they run the ball… A LOT. Their 88.7% rush play% is easily the highest in college football, just ahead of their week eight opponent, Navy (83.8% rush play%). So, that’s going to lead to massive rush volume for lead RB Emmanuel Michel, who has averaged 25.3 rushes/gm in the last four weeks for 107.3 YPG and eight touchdowns. Air Force is a -10.5 favorite in this match-up and they’ll be playing without starting “QB” Zac Larrier. Of course, Larrier isn’t your traditional QB and he has averaged 13.7 rushes/gm in six games this season. With Larrier being out, Air Force may elect to rely more on their RBs, meaning Michel has legitimate 30+ carry upside. 100+ yards and a touchdown feels like Michel’s floor in this military match-up.

Tawee Walker, OU | $5,400 | @ UAB

Keep an eye on the availability of Sooners RB Jovantae Barnes, who has not been active since week three and is questionable this week as he deals with a foot injury. If Barnes is out again, Tawee Walker will have a chance to lead the OU backfield in what is a tremendous match-up. RBs have been torching UAB’s defense, averaging 213.3 rush YPG on 6.4 YPC and 2.8 TDs/gm over their last four games. Walker hasn’t been a consistent fantasy performer this season and will split RB duties with Marcus Major ($5,200). But Walker does possess more big play upside than Major and if he handles 15-20 touches, he’s likely going to return value on his $5,400 price tag.

Other RBs to Consider

Braelon Allen, WISC | $7,700 | @ IL

Bucky Irving, ORE | $7,500 | vs. WSU

Ollie Gordon II, OKST | $7,200 | @ WVU

Darius Taylor, MINN | $6,000 | @ IOWA (If he’s active)

Jordan James, ORE | $5,400 | vs. WSU

Kaden Feagin, IL | $4,900 | vs. WISC (Only if Reggie Love III is out again)

Rashod Dubinion, ARK | $4,500 | vs. MSST

That will do it for this week’s CFB DFS rundown! Best of luck!