FanDuel College Football Picks For October 8/9

Sep 26, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars fans cheer before a game against the Texas State Bobcats at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

There are four games in the FanDuel tournaments that cover Thursday and Friday. The only ranked team in action this week is number 17 USC. There is plenty of offensive firepower to choose from, however. Who are the best options? Let’s find out!

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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 FanDuel college football picks for October 8/9:

Next: Who Will Put Up Big Numbers At QB?

Sep 26, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Cody Kessler in the second quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback:

Best Bet:

Greg Ward, Houston ($9,800): Ward is the highest priced player on the board by $1,300. Despite this price discrepancy, he is likely worth it. Ward has 95.18 FanDuel points over his last two games, and he is taking on an awful SMU defense. He has had no less than 90 rushing yards in each game this season, and set a school record for rushing yards by a quarterback last week with 182. Ward can, and will, do it all for the Cougars again on Thursday.

Honorable Mention:

Cody Kessler, USC ($8,500): Washington is on the lower end of average against the pass, and Kessler is tied with Seth Russell for the FBS lead in passing touchdowns. This sounds like another good night for Kessler. He doesn’t have the wheels that Ward has, but he can sure chuck it around a lot.

Dark Horse:

Nick Mullens, Southern Mississippi ($7,300): Mullens has not thrown an interception since September 12, and has ten touchdown passes in that time. Marshall will provide a little more resistance than North Texas, Texas State, and Nebraska, but not much. He has averaged 30 FanDuel points per game over his last three. Expecting 25 out of him is not unreasonable. That makes him a solid play for the price.

My pick: Ward

Next: It's A Weaker Week At RB

Sep 5, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Matt Dayes (21) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Troy Trojans at Carter Finley Stadium. North Carolina State defeated Troy 49-21. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Running Back:

Best Bets:

Kenneth Farrow, Houston ($7,300): SMU is allowing an absurd 284.8 rushing yards per game, which is in the bottom five in FBS. Ward gets a lot of carries, but as last week showed, both Ward and Farrow can have big games on the ground. Farrow gouged Tulsa for 159 yards. Expect similar numbers from him against SMU.

Matt Dayes, North Carolina State ($5,600): With Shadrach Thornton’s dismissal from the team last week, Dayes will now get most of the carries for the Wolfpack. Next up is a Virginia Tech defense that has been gashed on the ground. They are 101st in run defense, allowing 197.4 yards per game, and over five yards per carry! Dayes will likely be the bargain of the day, just like he was last Saturday. Get him while he is still cheap.

Honorable Mention:

Dwayne Washington, Washington ($6,000): USC has allowed 164 yards per game on the ground. Washington (the team) has issues throwing the ball, so look for them to lean heavily on Washington (the player) and Myles Gaskin to help them keep the pressure off of Jake Browning in a road game. Washington (the player) has averaged 18.2 FanDuel points per game, which is the most of any player in action at RB in this tournament. He could come close to those numbers on Thursday.

Tre Madden, USC ($7,300): Washington’s run defense has actually been solid. The Huskies are 18th in the country against the run, and with Madden ceding carries to Justin Davis, I just don’t trust him to be productive enough for this price tag. Especially when Farrow is the same price, and could double Madden’s output.

Dark Horse:

Ito Smith, Southern Mississippi ($5,300): Smith has only run for 365 yards in five games, but he also has 18 catches for 266 yards out of the backfield. He is a big part of the Eagles’ offense, be it running the ball or catching passes out of the backfield. His sheer usage rate makes him a great option at his price.

My picks: Farrow and Dayes I am using Ito Smith in DraftKings at a flex position though!

Next: Is JuJu Smith Worth Paying For?

Sep 12, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) celebrates with fans after scoring on a 41-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against the Idaho Vandals at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receiver:

Best Bets:

JuJu Smith, USC ($8,300): Most signs point to Smith taking the field against Washington on Thursday. If he does, there is no reason not to use him. The “personal reasons” that he missed practice last week seem to be just that: personal. And nothing that will affect his status with the team. Smith has 23 catches for 448 yards and five touchdowns over his last three games. Another big game should be in store against Washington.

Demarcus Ayers, Houston ($7,300): Ayers’ value could take a bit of a hit since the Cougars will likely run the ball a lot against SMU just because they can. That said, they won’t run every play. The balls are still going to come Ayers’ way, and he is very good once he has it in his hands.

Honorable Mention:

Michael Thomas, Southern Mississippi ($6,500): Thomas was hurt early on this year, but the last two games have seen his return to full health. He has 12 catches for 276yards and three touchdowns in the last two games. Expect another really good game this week against Marshall.

Isaiah Ford, Virginia Tech ($5,900): Ford has a horrible game last weekend against Pittsburgh, but that was more a product of the Panthers defensive line shredding Tech’s offensive line. Motley spent the entire afternoon running for his life. He couldn’t pay attention to trivial things, like finding his favorite receiver. Ford is still Motley’s favorite target, and he should has a lot more open looks against North Carolina State.

Dark Horses:

Courtland Sutton, SMU ($5,500): The Mustangs are going to have to throw the ball – a lot – if they want any chance of keeping this close. Sutton leads the Mustangs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Yes, Houston has a solid defense, but Sutton will still get his. His lowest output of the season was three catches against Baylor. Two of those went for touchdowns.

Casey Martin, Southern Mississippi ($5,000): Martin has five touchdown catches in his last three games. He is a little touchdown dependent, but not much. He was over 100 yards in two of those games. Stacking Southern Miss players is a little risky since the Marshall pass defense has been stout, but they are all low risk propositions due to their price.

My picks: Thomas, Sutton, and Ford

Nov 8, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Step Durham (8) tackles North Carolina State Wolfpack fullback Jaylen Samuels (28) at Carter Finley Stadium. Georgia Tech won 56-23. Mandatory Credit: Liz Condo-USA TODAY Sports

Tight End:

Best Bet:

Jaylen Samuels, North Carolina State ($4,200): Again, Samuels’ designation as a tight end makes him a superb value. He did not carry the ball out of the backfield for the first time all season against Louisville last week, but he still hauled in five passes and scored again. Samuels has found the end zone in every game this year, and is a good bet to do so again. The Wolfpack will use him in a variety of roles. That makes him a no-risk option because he is still cheaper than the RBs and WRs that haven’t even seen the field this year.

Honorable Mention:

Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech ($3,400): Hodges is a good bet to see targets every game for the Hokies. He was their leading receiver in a sloppy mess against Louisville last week, but that was mostly because of the weather. If you don’t want to pay for Samuels, Hodges is a solid plan B, but he wont come close to the production of Samuels either.

Dark Horse:

Ryan Yurachek, Marshall ($3,000): Yurachek has found the end zone three times in five games. He is becoming a favorite red zone target of Chase Litton, and his production could increase as the two work together more.

My pick: Samuels

Stay tuned for more College and pro football FanDuel picks, along with every college game picked against the spread!

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