Fansided

College Football FanDuel Picks For Early Games September 26

By Mike Marteny

facebooktwitterreddit

Sep 12, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A detailed view of the College Football Officials logo on a referee shirt at Nippert Stadium. Temple won 34-26. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

There are 17 games in the early slate of games on Saturday, which gives us an awful lot of options. Who are the best picks for their prices? Let’s try to find who can help you win some money. My lineups have done fairly well so far. Let’s see if I can keep it up!

More from College Football Odds

If you want to try FanDuel for the first time, click here for a referral bonus!

To finish in the money, you need to choose the best high priced players, and the best cheap options to let you afford some high priced players. I will give you some of each option at each position and let you choose from there.

Here are my college football FanDuel picks for early games September 26:

Next: Who Will Put Up Big Numbers At QB?

Sep 12, 2015; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Skyler Howard (3) scrambles with the ball against the Liberty Flames during the third quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. West Virginia won 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback:

Best Bets:

Matt Johnson, Bowling Green ($8,600): Johnson looks like an elite option against Purdue’s 75th ranked pass defense. In three games, Johnson has thrown for 1,358 yards and 12 touchdowns to just one interception. That makes him a better option than Baylor’s Seth Russell, who threw three picks and lost a fumble last week against Lamar. For the price, I have a hard time believing anyone will top Johnson.

Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky ($9,600): Doughty threw for 486 yards last week against Indiana. Facing off against Miami of Ohio this week, expect more of the same. The Redhawks are 81st in pass defense. Before you go thinking that isn’t so bad, one of the games was against Presbyterian, and another was against a very run-oriented Wisconsin team. Doughty could have another huge day.

Honorable Mention:

Skyler Howard, West Virginia ($8,700): Maryland has been destroyed through the air this year. They are 101st in pass defense. Bowling Green’s Matt Johnson threw for 491 yards on them! While the Mountaineers aren’t quite so pass heavy, they will throw enough to exploit Maryland’s defense once again. That makes Howard a pretty good option. Oh, and he has not thrown an interception in his last 136 pass attempts. Don’t expect Maryland to break that streak either.

Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech ($8,700): Mahomes has averaged 37 FanDuel points per game so far this season. After seeing SMU’s Matt Davis throw for 330 yards against TCU’s defense last week, it is not out of the realm of possibility for Mahomes to top 400 in this pass happy offense. When you add the fact that this game will likely be a shootout, Mahomes is a very strong option.

Dark Horse:

Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State ($8,100): Texas has been nothing short of awful defensively. They are 109th in the nation against the pass. Malik Zaire and Jared Goff both had good days against the Longhorns. Expect Rudolph to as well. He is slightly safer than FanDuel darling Jerrod Heard. Heard won’t be setting any school records against a much better Cowboy defense. Lost in the hubbub of Cal’s impressive offense is how porous their defense is.

My pick: Johnson

Next: Who Looks Good At RB?

Sep 19, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back C.J. Prosise (20) carries the ball for a 91 yard touchdown past Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Jamal Golden (4) in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Running Back:

Best Bets:

C.J. Prosise, Notre Dame ($8,400): Massachusetts ceded 390 yards rushing to Colorado a couple of weeks ago. Notre Dame has a better line and better backs than the Ralphies do. Prosise could have a huge day with the Irish trying to get DeShone Kizer more comfortable as the starter.

Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State ($9,200): The whole Buckeye offense was underwhelming against Northern Illinois last week. Look for them to try to re-establish dominance against the Broncos and their 112th ranked run defense. They are giving up 224 yards per game on the ground. Elliott will receive the lion’s share of those yards.

Honorable Mention:

Aaron Green, TCU ($8,300): Texas Tech beat Arkansas, but they still gave up a ton of yards on the ground. The Red Raiders have given up a whopping 772 rushing yards in just three games. Trevone Boykin will undoubtedly take some of those yards, but Green could run for over 160 again like he did last week against SMU.

Leonard Fournette, LSU ($8,700): The only reason that Fournette is down in the lower tier is because Syracuse is fourth in the nation against the run so far on the season. That said, Fournette leads all players -not just running backs – all players in FanDuel points this season with 38.1 per game. Do you dare bet against him?

Dark Horse:

Travon McMillan, Virginia Tech ($5,500): McMillan is still part of a committee backfield for the Hokies, but he is the biggest threat to go the distance. I prefer McMillan over J.C. Coleman and Trey Edmunds because he is averaging nearly nine yards per carry. East Carolina is giving up 254 yards on the ground per game so far this year. This could be a recipe for a big game for McMillan.

My picks: Prosise and McMillan

Next: Who Are The Best WR Options?

Sep 12, 2015; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver Corey Coleman (1) spins out of the tackle of Lamar Cardinals defensive back Lloyd Julian (23) during the second quarter at McLane Stadium. Baylor won 66-31. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receiver:

Best Bets:

Corey Coleman, Baylor ($8,200): You don’t have to worry about Russell’s interceptions if you take Coleman. He has 11 catches for 360 yards and five touchdowns in just two games so far this season. Can you afford not to take him?

Roger Lewis, Bowling Green ($7,600): Lewis had a day to remember last week against Memphis. Is Purdue’s defense really better than Memphis? Statistically, yes because they have played both BGSU and UCLA. On the field, I’m not so sure. Lewis is Matt Johnson’s favorite target. Even if Purdue’s defense is better, he is a lock for 100 yards.

Honorable Mention:

Aaron Burbridge, Michigan State ($6,800): Burbridge has eclipsed the 100 yard mark in all three games so far this season. He is Connor Cook’s favorite target, and should still see plenty of action against Central Michigan even if they do run the ball a lot. He could be a great bargain at his price.

Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky ($6,100): Taylor’s role has not gone down at all with Jared Dangerfield being eased back into action. He has emerged as a playmaker for Brandon Doughty in this offense, and could have a big day against the Redhawks.

David Glidden, Oklahoma State ($5,900): Cal passed all over Texas last week. Expect Oklahoma State to do the same. Glidden has been the most productive target for Mason Rudolph so far. Brandon Shepard may still be the number one receiver, but Glidden is the safer bet given the smaller price tag.

Dark Horses:

K.J. Brent, Wake Forest ($5,600): Brent is the leading receiver on a team going against the worst pass defense in FBS. The Hoosiers have allowed 1,178 yards through the air in just three games. The Deacons aren’t a prolific passing offense, but they might be for this one game.

Shelton Gibson, West Virginia ($5,300): The Maryland defense has given up lots of yards through the air. Gibson is Skyler Howard’s best deep threat, and he should see plenty of opportunity against the underwhelming Terrapin secondary.

My picks: Burbridge, Gibson, Taylor

Next: Can A TE Score As Much As A WR?

Sep 3, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers tight end Tyler Higbee (82) scores a touchdown during the second half against Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers won 14-12. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports

Tight End:

Best Bet:

Tyler Higbee, Western Kentucky ($3,700): Higbee is a steal at this price. He has caught 22 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns in three games. He is a large part of the Hilltopper offense, and may be the only tight end that is bust-proof right now.

Honorable Mention:

Ben McCord, Central Michigan ($3,000): The Chippewas are going to have a hard time getting anything going against Michigan State, but McCord is a good part to be part of whatever it is. He caught ten passes for 147 yards in the overtime game against Syracuse last weekend, and is firmly established as one of the focal points of the Central Michigan offense.

Dark Horse:

Cam Serigne, Wake Forest ($2,500): Serigne has caught eight passes over the last two games. He has not got into the end zone, but that is certainly possible against the poor Indiana defense.

My pick: Higbee

Stay tuned for more college FanDuel picks, our NFL Fanduel picks, and all of the college games picked against the spread!

Next: ESPN College Pick Em Picks Week 4

More from FanSided