By Robert Sanchez
With Week 4 in college football fast approaching, let’s take a look at which players I like to go off for their teams and in DFS.
I’ve chosen to pick players from the afternoon slate (13 games) with a budget of $50,000. Enjoy!
Quarterbacks
Riley Leonard, Duke ($6,000) — For the first time in a long time, Duke and Kansas are both 3-0 to start their seasons. A big reason for the Blue Devils’ success in the early part of the season has been the play of Leonard in his first year as the starting quarterback. In three games, the sophomore has completed 48 of 66 pass attempts (72.7 percent) for 723 yards and has thrown five touchdown passes to two interceptions. He’s also shown off his wheels this season with 22 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns. While I don’t really know which team is for real and which team is fake, Saturday’s matchup will do a lot in determining that. Regardless, the Jayhawks have not exactly defended well against the pass this season and considering they are 7.5-point favorites, Duke will likely try and exploit that weakness whether it’s because of game plan or game script. The over/under in this one is set at 64 points in one of the higher point totals of the day so I expect points to be scored. What also helps Leonard is he’s been one of their better options at running the ball this season so I don’t really see anybody on the team stealing carries away from him if the Blue Devils find themselves needing to run the ball. Nevertheless, look for Leonard to be throwing early and often and, if need be, do it himself on the ground.
Daniel Richardson, Central Michigan ($5,100) — The Chippewas find themselves 1-2 to start their season but it hasn’t been for a lack of scoring. In three games, Central Michigan has averaged 36 points per game which includes putting up 44 on No. 9 Oklahoma State in their season opener on the road. In that game Richardson was front and center, going 36-for-49 and throwing for 424 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. A lot of that production came in the fourth quarter with the Chippewas down 51-22, but garbage time stats count all the same in DFS and it was encouraging to see Richardson not throw in the towel against a ranked opponent on the road. He’ll be in a similar spot on Saturday as he and Central Michigan visit Happy Valley to take on No. 14 Penn State. The Nittany Lions are favored by four touchdowns and while I don’t think the Chippewas leave College Station with a win, I do think they can be competitive like they were against the Cowboys. Richardson doesn’t offer much with his legs but as heavy underdogs that shouldn’t matter as I don’t see Central Michigan running the ball a ton. The second-year starter has already proven that facing a top-25 team doesn’t faze him so at this price, there’s a whole lot of value.
Running backs
Bijan Robinson, Texas ($8,300) — The Longhorns get their first “road” test of the season when they make the six-hour trip from Austin to Lubbock to face in-state rival Texas Tech in the Battle For The Chancellor’s Spurs, whatever that means. Robinson is coming off of his best game where he looked like vintage Bijan Robinson, running for 183 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns against UTSA. Meanwhile, the quarterback tandem of Quinn Ewers and Hudson Card have not looked great to start the season so I suspect a lot of the workload to fall on Robinson who is facing a Red Raiders run defense that ranks 139th in the country. Texas leads the all-time series against Texas Tech, 20-6, and have won the last four meetings. If the Longhorns are going to win this game, which I expect they will as 6.5-point road favorites, it’s going to be because of Robinson. And for what it’s worth, Robinson has been no slouch when he’s been given the opportunity to catch the ball. On seven receptions, the junior has amassed 132 yards and a touchdown. Yes, he comes at the cost of a pretty penny, but after bargain hunting at the quarterback position, you should have enough to splurge on one of the top running backs in the game.
Charles McClelland, Cincinnati ($6,100) — Since taking over lead back duties after Jerome Ford was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 2022 NFL Draft, McClelland has gotten better in each and every game this season and completely broke out last time out against Miami (OH). The senior ran for 101 yards on 18 carries and added two touchdowns in the Bearcats’ 38-17 win over the RedHawks. Now facing Indiana, this appears to be another great spot for McClelland to try and emulate his last performance against the Hoosiers’ run defense that ranks 123rd in the country. While this Cincinnati team isn’t the same as the one that reached the College Football Playoff a year ago, their only loss this season came on the road against a ranked Arkansas squad. Indiana is not Arkansas and although the Hoosiers enter this competition 3-0, it hasn’t always looked good. This will also be their first game on the road and come into the game as big 16.5-point underdogs. By now, you all know that when picking running backs I like to go with a player on a team that is heavily favored because, if everything goes according to plan, game script will dictate them to have tons of opportunity. That’s exactly what I expect to happen here which is why I think McClelland will have himself another big game.
Wide receivers
Michael Mayer, Notre Dame ($5,900) — After a strong sophomore campaign, the junior tight end has followed that up with a solid first three games to start this year. So far, Mayer has caught 15 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns, and after catching seven touchdown passes last season, he’s continued to show a propensity to find the end zone. Despite the Fighting Irish’s offense looking middle of the road so far en route to a 1-2 start to the season, this week Notre Dame takes on a North Carolina team who has played in some track meets to start their season. The Tar Hills have scored 154 points in their first three games but have given up 113 points thanks to a Swiss cheese passing defense that ranks 251st in the country and has already allowed 11 passing touchdowns. After the Irish secured their first win of the season against California last Saturday — the first for first-year head coach Marcus Freeman — I think they see this game against UNC as an opportunity to prove that their 0-2 start, which included a loss to Marshall, was a fluke. Whatever happens, it should be a very interesting game as the Tar Heels are favored by 1.5 points with the total set at 55.5 points. Don’t forget, Notre Dame started the season ranked No. 5 in the country and while preseason rankings don’t always mean much, the talent is definitely there, including Mayer.
Beaux Collins, Clemson ($5,800) — If you go all the way back to 2009, you’ll find that Clemson has won 13 straight games against Wake Forest. This includes six straight and seven of their last eight at BB&T Field. Practically none of those wins have been particularly close either. So why does that matter? Because if history is any indication, which it so often is, the Tigers will lay the hammer once again against the Demon Deacons. And how will they do that? My guess is through the air, with the help of players like Collins. The sophomore hasn’t had a ton of chances to start this season, but when he’s been given them he’s made sure to cash them in. On just nine catches, Collins already has three touchdown grabs which matches his total from last season. With Clemson facing a team that they’ve absolutely dominated over the last 13 years and quarterback DJ Uiagalelei playing well, I don’t see why Collins can’t have himself a big day. If this game gets out of hand, running back Will Shipley ($6,700) could also be worth a flex play as he’s already scored six touchdowns this season.
