FanDuel College Football Picks For October 15

Sep 10, 2015; Bowling Green, KY, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers run onto the field before the first half against Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports

There are three games on Thursday and three more on Friday this week. FanDuel split them up, so we get a tournament each day instead of combining them! If you want a Thursday-Friday combined game, they have them over at DraftKings, and in smaller leagues on FanDuel. I will make my picks for the big tournaments only. I will get a DraftKings Thursday-Friday one up later this week.

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My lineup did very well on the Thursday-Friday slate last week, placing 11th in the big tournament. However, I was unable to capture the magic on Saturday. I should have paid for more Baylor players!

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 FanDuel college football picks for October 15:

Next: Who Will Put Up Big Numbers At QB?

Oct 10, 2015; Bowling Green, KY, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers quarterback Brandon Doughty (12) walks off the field after the second half at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. WKU won 58-28. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback:

Best Bet:

Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky ($10,000): As conference play rolls on, The Hilltoppers’ schedule just gets easier. It won’t get any easier than North Texas, who might just bet the worst FBS team. The not-so-Mean Green are 114th in total defense. The Hilltoppers are going to roll in this game. There is a good chance that Doughty only plays three quarters, but 300 yards and at least three touchdowns are not out of the question in that span. That should be better than Kevin Hogan against UCLA’s 30th ranked pass defense or Josh Rosen on The Farm.

Honorable Mention:

Patrick Towles, Kentucky ($6,200): Auburn’s pass defense has been decent, but Towles has some scrambling ability too, which makes him a pretty nice low priced option against Auburn’s 108th ranked run defense. Kevin Hogan threw for 234 yards and a pair of touchdowns at UCLA last year, but Towles could come close to that output for more than $2,000 less.

Dark Horse:

Jeremy Johnson, Auburn ($6,500): Reports indicate that Johnson is back as the starter after Sean White was worse than Johnson at running the offense, and he can’t run like Johnson can. The coaches feel that Johnson is ready to get back under center. Kentucky is a pretty good defense, but Johnson has a ton of ability if he can get his head right. He is a big risk, but he has the ability to put up close to 30 points, which is great output for this price.

My pick: Doughty

Next: There Could Be Bargains At RB

October 3, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) runs the football against Arizona Wildcats cornerback Cam Denson (3) during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Running Back:

Best Bets:

Christian McCaffrey, Stanford ($7,800): The Cardinal figured out that their offense runs more smoothly when McCaffrey takes the pressure off of Kevin Hogan and the passing game. Who would have thought? McCaffrey has three straight 100 yard rushing games. That streak is all but certain to get to four when UCLA’s 105th ranked rush defense comes to town. Remound Wright continues to steal his touchdowns at an alarming rate (Wright has eight TD’s in the last three weeks to McCaffrey’s one), but McCaffrey will rack up enough yards to make him virtually bust-proof.

Peyton Barber, Auburn ($7,500): Barber was the only glue holding the offense together with Sean White under center. He ran for 284 yards in those two games, and got into the end zone an impressive five times against San Jose State. Kentucky has given up 170 rushing yards per game so far this year. Expect Barber to be somewhere around his 142 yard average for the last two games.

Honorable Mention:

Anthony Wales, Western Kentucky ($7,000): Wales seems to have supplanted D’Andre Ferby as the feature back for the Hilltoppers, but Ferby is still getting the bulk of the touchdowns on the ground. North Texas is 122nd against the run, allowing 257.6 rushing yards per game. Both Wales and Ferby are suitable options for Thursday, but Wales will see a higher percentage of the work. The prospects of this being a blowout should mean ample work for Ferby as well.

Remound Wright, Stanford ($5,200): I mentioned Wright’s eight trips to the end zone over the last three games. He is also in the game a lot on passing downs, further increasing his value. He is still somewhat touchdown-dependent, but UCLA has had issues stopping the run game this year. Wright will see plenty of work on Thursday.

Dark Horse:

Boom Williams, Kentucky ($6,000): Williams is averaging 7.3 yards per carry, and gets to take on the 108th ranked Auburn run defense. Jojo Kemp will likely see some carries, but Williams is supposed to be fully cleared to play after missing the last game against Eastern Kentucky for “personal reasons.” It doesn’t appear to be anything that will affect his standing with the team, so expect Williams to get around two thirds of the carries, which is his season average.

My picks: Williams and Ferby

Next: Can You Afford The Top Receivers?

Oct 25, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; North Texas Mean Green wide receiver Carlos Harris (9) scores a second quarter touchdown as Rice Owls safety Julius White (7) defends at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receiver:

Best Bets:

Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky ($6,800): Even with the return of Jared Dangerfield, Taylor has continued to look like option A for Brandon Doughty. Taylor has not been kept out of the end zone or under 80 yards since the opening game at Vanderbilt. North Texas’s defensive struggles are very real. Look for Taylor to have a big day, along with a horde of other Hilltoppers.

Jared Dangerfield, Western Kentucky ($6,800): Dangerfield has been fully healthy for the last three games, and it has shown. He has 26 catches for 284 yards and three touchdowns in that span. He seems to be just behind Taywan Taylor in the pecking order, but that is splitting hairs. Doughty throws to whoever is open. There are plenty of balls to go around in this offense.

Honorable Mention:

Carlos Harris, North Texas ($6,600): Harris is a very good receiver on a very bad team. Think Jerry Rice for Mississippi Valley State. Now, Harris is not that good, but he is good enough that he will produce against Western Kentucky’s 106th ranked pass defense no matter who is under center. There have been rumblings about the (justified) removal of Andrew McNulty from the starting QB role due to the coaching change. That could make Harris even better.

Thomas Duarte, UCLA ($5,700): Jordan Payton has had the more productive season, but the Cardinal held Payton under wraps last year (26 yards on two catches). It was Duarte who was the best receiver against Stanford last year with four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. Stanford will likely key on Payton again, which should open up things a little more for Duarte.

Dark Horses:

Ricardo Louis, Auburn ($5,300): Louis put up respectable numbers when Jeremy Johnson was starting earlier this year. He had 13 catches for 130 yards in the first two games. With Johnson back in the starting lineup, it should increase Louis’s value. He could be a nice value at this price.

Michael Rector, Stanford ($5,300): It has been Rector, not Devin Cajuste, that is the leading receiver for the Cardinal this year. Whether it signifies a changing of the guard is anyone’s guess, but I follow the stats. Rector is the safest wide receiver for Stanford right now.

My picks: Taylor, Harris, and Louis

Next: Can You Afford To Not Take Higbee?

Oct 10, 2015; Bowling Green, KY, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers tight end Tyler Higbee (82) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half against Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports

Tight End:

Best Bet:

Tyler Higbee, Western Kentucky ($4,200): Higbee is averaging five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown per game this season. Most wide receivers aren’t giving you that kind of production! He has proven to be the safest option at what is usually a position of instability for fantasy purposes.

Honorable Mention:

Austin Hooper, Stanford ($3,500): Hooper has caught a touchdown pass in each of the last two games. He has been one of the more reliable targets for Kevin Hogan in what has been a mostly inconsistent season for the Stanford receiving corps.

Dark Horse:

C.J. Conrad, Kentucky ($2,300): Conrad is the starting tight end for the Wildcats, which means practically nothing. However, Auburn’s pass defense is pretty good, which may prevent the Wildcats from going downfield as often as they would like. When Missouri did this to Kentucky, Conrad caught three passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. The whole passing game is mostly in flux, but if you are willing to roll the dice, Conrad could get you some points. Or he could get you absolutely nothing like he did the first three games of the year.

My pick: Higbee

Stay tuned for Friday and Saturday FanDuel lineups, and all of my picks against the spread!

Next: ESPN College Pick Em Picks Week 7

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