DFS CFB FanDuel Week 3 Early Only

Welcome back to the weekly DFS CFB FanDuel review. This edition is focused on the Early Only slate for Saturday afternoon, week 3 of the season. We’ll discuss top DFS CFB options by position for your FanDuel DFS CFB slates.

Last week we had mild success with several picks, but whiffed on a few as well. However, we also learned a lot about the strategy we’ll likely utilize more over the DFS CFB FanDuel season. For example, after the Early Only slate, and as we merged into the Main Slate, we realized in most cases we’re making a mistake if we’re not utilizing two quarterbacks in every lineup. We’ll get to that later.

Before we get there, a reminder to never take a DFS CFB optimal lineup as ‘bible’ for your personal lineup each day. Use the suggestions as guidance. Also, make sure you follow final lineup thoughts throughout the day on our twitter account @FantasyCPR or me @MattyMcMatt17 look for late breaking lineup news.

Here’s a look at the schedule for the Early Only DFS CFB FanDuel slate:

Florida State at Syracuse 12pm EDT

Oklahoma at Iowa State 12pm EDT

Miami at Toledo 12pm EDT

Kent State at Penn State 12pm EDT

East Carolina University at Virginia Tech 12:30pm EDT (Cancelled)

Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh  12:30pm EDT

University of California Davis (UC Davis) at Stanford 2pm EDT

Vanderbilt at Notre Dame 2:30pm EDT

The above schedule creates our pool of players to pick through for our Early Only DFS CFB FanDuel lineups. However, keep an eye on the weather, and remember the ECU at VT game has been cancelled. You’ll notice ECU and VT players are still an option, which you should avoid.

Most of these games shouldn’t have weather issues, but it’s possible the hurricane over the Carolina’s could create enough moisture in the air on the east coast for showers and thunderstorms to pop up in the Pennsylvania area, impacting the games at Pittsburgh and Penn State. But for now, we’re assuming they play just fine.

DFS CFB FanDuel Week 3: Early Only Quarterbacks

There are plenty of juicy options at quarterback for the Early Only DFS CFB FanDuel slate. Kyler Murray ($10,200) is arguably the most talented of this group, and his 30.4 points-per-game average is a result of his dominance on the field, already, against FAU and UCLA this season.

But, Murray is expensive. Still, if you can find a way, I recommend plugging him into your Super Flex position, as a quarterback, to utilize his incredible point ceiling. I’m not sure if we’re going to give up so much at each position to do this.

Trace McSorely ($9,900) is another great option. Not only does McSorely have over 360 yards in 65 passing attempts in his first two games, along with three passing touchdowns, but Trace also has over 80 rushing yards, adding another three touchdowns. McSorely is a play-maker, and you want play-makers in your DFS CFB lineups.

All of that being said, there’s a game I expect to be very competitive, and we should see the ball flying often throughout the game. The Florida State Seminoles aren’t a team many DFS CFB players are going to target. They’re off to a horrendous start. But, Deondre Francois ($9,100) and the Seminoles are likely to air the ball out often against the Orangemen in Syracuse this Saturday.

But the Seminoles look horrendous, right? Well, yes, they do as a team. But Francois has over 550 passing yards already this season, 33rd in college football. Deondre can also move around well, and has some fast receivers he’ll target all day against the Syracuse DB’s. This is a low-owned high value pick.

We said we want two quarterbacks right? Another for the Super Flex? Well, I’d love to plug in Murray or McSorely, but I honestly think Eric Dungey ($10,100) is the best overall points player in this slate.

Dungey is a dual-threat, with a great arm. Against Western Michigan, he only completed seven passes in 17 attempts, but piled up 184 yards and two touchdowns. Dungey isn’t afraid to toss the ball down the field for huge gains.

But the exciting part of Eric’s game is his run-game. In 15 rushing attempts, Dungey had 200 rushing yards. That’s right, the Syracuse signal caller ran for 200 yards against Western Michigan, and added another touchdown on the ground. So we’re getting a guy who can score around 40 DFS CFB FanDuel points against an FSU defense struggling significantly this season. I love this pick!

DFS CFB FanDuel Week 3: Early Only Running Backs

One mistake we made a few times last week was not spending enough at the running back position and using wide receiver, instead of a running back, to add value to our lineups. We’re not making that same mistake this weekend.

Both Kent State and Penn State likely have linebackers struggling to pull running backs to the ground. If there’s one major deficiency to PSU’s game so far this season, that is it. For that reason, I love the value Justin Rankin ($7,200) can provide in Happy Valley this weekend. Rankin is the Golden Eagle’s lead back, and they’re likely to try to exploit the Nittany Lions top weakness.

On the other sideline, Miles Sanders ($9,600) is trying to fill Sequon Barkley’s massive shoes. Obviously, Sanders isn’t the same type of back. Miles only has three receptions for 26 receiving yards. But, on the ground Sanders looks like the Lions clear leading rusher.

With just under 20 carries per game, Sanders is averaging over 100 rushing yards and a touchdown per game. That’s against solid Appalachian State and Pittsburgh squads.

Against Kent State, we’re expecting the Nittany Lions to go up big enough that by the third quarter they’re depending on Sanders to run up his rushing yards and pile on points. If they aren’t up big, they’ll still need him for clock management and to punch the ball into the end zone. This feels like a win-win pick.

If you’re looking for some more options, my favorite are Cam Akers ($9,100) and Moe Neal ($8,800). For the same reason we like Dungey, Neal is a big component of Syracuse’s offense. And while Akers looks like he’s off to a slow start, his skills are too hard to ignore for long. Cam is likely to burst out with a huge game soon, and this could be the one.

DFS CFB FanDuel Week 3: Early Only Wide Receivers

We have two quarterbacks in our lineup already, one from Florida State and another from Syracuse. Before you start searching for top WR picks from the Cuse squad, stop. One of the big reasons we like Dungey is his ground game, and it’s difficult to know who he’ll throw the long-balls too each week.

Instead, we recommend grabbing one of the Seminoles top receivers. Believe it or not, they’re very cheap, thanks likely due to their horrendous start to the season so far. Of this ground, Nyqwan Murray ($7,800) already seems like a steal. He’s getting five to ten targets every game, and is piling up around ten yards per reception. With a touchdown, or two, Murray is due for a huge game. Especially in a game were we’re looking for the ball to be thrown often by FSU.

Tamorrion Terry ($7,200) is another decent option, but while he has two touchdowns already this season, he also only has four receptions. Instead, I’d rather grab Tre’ McKitty ($6,900) whose numbers are deflated mostly but Virginia Tech’s incredible defense in the first game of the season. McKitty still already hauled in ten receptions this season, has nearly 100 yards and a touchdown. Of the FSU WR options, he’s my second favorite pick and an incredible value.

Finally, our top pick at the wide receiver position is one of my favorite college football wide receivers overall, Kalija Lipscomb ($9,300). Look at the picture on this page. He caught that for a touchdown…I saw it live! Lipscomb is a tremendous talent on a team with solid offensive game planning and a good quarterback.

Not only does Lipscomb have two rushes for 19 yards, but he already has 14 receptions, over 140 receiving yards, and three touchdowns already this season. Yes, Notre Dame is going to be a tougher opponent for the Commodores, but Lipscomb is one of their top play-makers. Remember what we said about play-makers for DFS CFB FanDuel lineups? He’s another one!

DFS CFB FanDuel Week 3: Early Only Summary

Alright, so how are we going to win the DFS CFB FanDuel Early slate in week 3? Well, we’re going to start off by stacking two quarterbacks from the same game. We feel Francois and Dungey are two of the top three or four QB options for points Saturday afternoon.

From there, we’re going to grab two running backs from the Kent State at PSU game, Sanders and Rankin, with the expectation they’ll get a ton of yards Saturday. Sanders is a little pricey, but should be worth the salary. Rankin is a tremendous value.

Finally, at wide receiver we’re looking for at least two receivers hauling in passes from our two quarterbacks. Of the two QB’s, we like Florida State’s passing game more, and Murray and McKitty should benefit the most from their air raid. And Vanderbilt’s Lipscomb is possibly one of the best wide receivers in college football today, with a somewhat cheap $9.3K price.

With that summary in mind, here’s a look at a sample lineup for the Week 3 DFS CFB FanDuel Early Only slate: 

QB     Deondre Francois ($9,100)

RB     Miles Sanders ($9,600)

RB      Justin Rankin ($7,200)

WR    Kalija Lipscomb ($9,300)

WR    Nyqwan Murray ($7,800)

WR    Tre’ McKitty ($6,900)

Flex   Eric Dungey ($10,100)

Remaining Salary: $0

Note: This is a recommended lineup after discussing our top options for the slate. You should use this as a guide, and provide your own input when building DFS CFB FanDuel lineups.  We are not telling you, or selling you, to use this lineup.

Best of luck in your DFS CFB FanDuel contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all your DFS news and analysis across College Football, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, EPL, PGA, and NASCAR this fall!