FanDuel College Football Picks October 22-23

Sep 24, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Tigers fans during the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Memphis Tigers beat Cincinnati Bearcats 53-46. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

There are five games between Thursday and Friday this week. FanDuel put them together again, so we just have a little larger player pool over both nights. The only bad part is that you won’t know if you won until Friday night!

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My Thursday lineup and one of my Saturday lineups placed last week. I still won more than I lost! It was the Thursday-Friday DraftKings one that did well last week.

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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 22-23:

Next: Who Will Put Up Big Numbers At QB?

Oct 2, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch (12) throws a pass in the first half against the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback:

Best Bet:

Paxton Lynch, Memphis ($9,300): His brilliant outing in the upset of Mississippi is going to have Lynch highly owned, but that doesn’t mean you should shy away from him. He threw for 384 yards on a good Mississippi defense. What do you think he is going to do to Tulsa’s 108th ranked pass defense? His career high of 412 passing yards set on September 24th against Cincinnati is in serious jeopardy.

Honorable Mention:

Dane Evans, Tulsa ($7,900): Yes, Memphis is 6-0 for the first time since 1961, but that doesn’t mean they are perfect. Only Indiana and Nebraska are allowing more passing yards per game than Memphis’s 329 yards per game average. Tulsa is a pass-happy offense. Look for that to continue in what could be a Friday night shootout in Tulsa.

Dark Horse:

James Summers, East Carolina ($6,000): You can no longer sneak Summers for $4,500, which severely limits his value. His matchup against a very good Temple defense is also more of a reason NOT to use him this week. Still, he will get enough snaps to make him relevant, and could end up with around 15 points, which is still a decent value.

My pick: Lynch

Next: Should You Pay For A Top RB?

Sep 12, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Paul Perkins (24) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the UNLV Rebels during the third quarter at Sam Boyd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports

Running Back:

Best Bets:

Jahad Thomas, Temple ($9,400): Thomas tore through the Central Florida defense for 199 yards and three touchdowns last week. It was his second 190+ yard offering of the season. He could reach that elusive 200 yard plateau against East Carolina, who is allowing an average of 186 rushing yards per game, good for 90th in the country. Look for a healthy dose of Thomas as Temple tries to take control of the AAC with a win over the Pirates.

Paul Perkins, UCLA ($8,100): Perkins managed to go over the century mark against a stout Stanford front. Cal’s defense has allowed 158.5 rushing yards per game on the year, which is not terrible, but considering that Perkins held his own against Stanford, another 100 yard game is not out of the question for Perkins. With Donnel Pumphrey going against a top five rush defense in Utah State, and Matt Breida and Marcus Cox having tough matchups, Perkins is a solid bet.

Honorable Mention:

Marcus Cox, Appalachian State ($8,400): Cox even managed to eclipse the 100 yard mark on Clemson back on September 12, so he has shown that he can run against good defenses. Georgia Southern has only allowed 138 rushing yards per game, but the Mountaineers won’t stop running Cox. He should still get some good yardage, though he could have trouble finding the end zone.

Jarvis Cooper, Memphis ($6,200): Memphis still has a revolving door at tailback, but Cooper’s number has come up more frequently in the last two weeks. Sam Craft didn’t catch a pass last week for the first time this season, so it seems as though Memphis is fine with having Cooper in there more. Both may be worth a play against a Tulsa defense that has allowed 248.3 rushing yards per game (119th in the nation), but Cooper is the safer option right now.

Dark Horse:

Devante Mays, Utah State ($5,300): Mays is still splitting carries with LaJuan Hunt, but over the last two weeks, he has had more carries than Hunt. Judging by his performance against a great Boise State run defense (11 carries, 63 yards and a touchdown) to Hunt’s (8 carries, 18 yards and a touchdown), Mays is the guy to own. Considering he did well against Boise State, a team that was fourth in the country in run defense, I wouldn’t worry a whole lot about his matchup with San Diego State’s 10 ranked run defense.

My picks: Thomas and Mays

Next: Can You Go Cheap At WR?

Oct 17, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Tigers wide receiver Anthony Miller (3) carries the ball against Mississippi Rebels defensive back Trae Elston (7) during the game at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Memphis Tigers beat Mississippi Rebels 37-24. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receiver:

Best Bets:

Joshua Atkinson, Tulsa ($7,100): Atkinson has picked up most of the slack from the injury to Keevan Lucas. Atkinson has five straight 100 yard games. He only has two touchdowns, but the fact that he is getting all that yardage makes him a safe play regardless of whether he reaches the end zone or not. His lowest output is 13.7 points against Houston. He won’t fail you as much as some of the top options might.

Keyarris Garrett, Tulsa ($6,500): Did I mention that there are only two teams worse at defending the pass than Memphis? There will be plenty of balls to go around for Tulsa. Garrett has not had less than 70 receiving yards in a game this year. His floor is a little lower than Atkinson, but not much. Both of them are elite options against that Memphis defense.

Honorable Mention:

Jordan Payton, UCLA ($6,700): Cal comes into L.A. with the 93rd ranked pass defense. That likely means the Bruins are going to throw the ball around quite a bit, and Payton is the team’s leading receiver. He has averaged 6 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown over the last month. Expect him to be around those totals once again.

Anthony Miller, Memphis ($6,700): Paxton Lynch already acts like a pro-style quarterback, meaning that he throws to the open man, be it Miller or the waterboy on the sidelines. He doesn’t lock in on one receiver. Defenses have keyed in on Mose Frazier, leaving Miller open quite a bit over the last three games. No Memphis players had a really good game against South Florida’s good defense, but in those other two games, Miller has 15 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns. Cue the awful Tulsa pass defense, and Miller could have another big game. He carries a bit of a risk though since Memphis spreads the ball around to everyone if need be.

Thomas Duarte, UCLA ($5,700): He still plays second fiddle to Jordan Payton, but Duarte has found the end zone four times in his last three games, and hasn’t had less than 65 yards in any of those games. He is a strong bet against a subpar Cal pass defense.

Dark Horses:

Trevon Brown, East Carolina ($4,700): Brown has often overshadowed number one receiver Isaiah Jones this year. He could in this game as well. While Temple exhausts a lot of resources tracking down Jones, look for Brown to get some open looks. After not catching a pass in the first two games, Brown has had no less than four in every game since, and has only been kept out of the end zone once in four contests. The going will be tough against Temple, but I think I would trust Brown a little bit more than Jones.

Simms McElfresh, Appalachian State ($4,500): Great name aside, McElfresh is as close as you will find to a sure thing in Appalachian State’s offense. They spread the ball around as much, if not more, than Memphis. The only team that has really managed to keep McElfresh under wraps was Clemson. Wyoming held him to one catch, but it was a touchdown. He could be back near double digits again against Georgia Southern.

My picks: Atkinson, Miller, and Brown

Next: Who Is The Best Dart Throw At TE?

Sep 20, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; California Golden Bears wide receiver Stephen Anderson (89) celebrates a touchdown with offensive linesman Chris Borrayo (66) during the second quarter against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Tight End:

Best Bet:

Stephen Anderson, California ($3,700): Anderson has been the most consistent option in the Cal passing game, but he doesn’t have the big play ability that the receivers have. Anderson has not had less than 40 yards in a game this year, and only has two games with less than five receptions. He will be an integral part of whatever the Bears do. The down side? He hasn’t made a trip to the end zone yet, except to help his teammates celebrate.

Honorable Mention:

Alan Cross, Memphis ($3,100): Cross had a career day in the upset of Ole Miss, but he usually is not a huge factor. He has caught at least two passes in every game though, so he won’t leave you at zero like some options at the position, but Saturday was a break from the norm. Or it could be the start of more contributions from him, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Dark Horse:

Wyatt Houston, Utah State ($2,400): Houston has caught at least two passes in each of the last three games after being shut out in two games in September. He also has touchdowns in two of his last three games. He is largely touchdown dependent since Utah State doesn’t throw to the TE a lot, but they may be forced to as a last resort due to San Diego State’s solid defense.

My pick: Houston

Next: Should You Drop Peyton Manning?

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