Saturday marks what may be the biggest game of the college football season when LSU visits Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama. Normally, the game is a slog, as those who witnessed that 9-6 LSU victory in 2011 can attest. This year may be different, however, as the over/under is 64, now that both teams have high-powered offenses. Still, I have a feeling the teams will try to slow each other down, and I’ll mostly be fading players from that game in DFS. Here are some guys, such as SMU quarterback Shane Buechele, I’m looking to play instead.
Quarterbacks
Shane Buechele, SMU ($7,700 on DraftKings, Game not on FanDuel) – Buechele and the Mustangs offense keep improving, scoring 48 points last week against Memphis in a close loss. The Texas transfer, Buechele, has been slinging it lately, with an average of 48 pass attempts in his past three games. This week, he takes on an East Carolina defense that is very malleable.
Justin Fields, Ohio State ($9,000 on DK, $10,800 on FD) – The Buckeyes’ quarterback is the highest-priced player on DK for a reason – he’s averaging 30.7 DFS points per game on that site, and his team has an implied total of 54 points against a porous Maryland defense. I have little doubt that Fields will put up big numbers while he is on the field. The question is, how much playing time he will see in an expected blowout?
Running backs
Xavier Jones, SMU ($7,200 on DK, Game not on FD) – The Mustangs have the second-highest implied team total on the slate at 47, and their game is expected to be more competitive than the Ohio State-Maryland contest. With a point spread of 21.5, I’m willing to roster players from every position this Saturday. Jones had a bad day against Memphis last week with just 22 rushing yards on 11 carries, which I hope puts DFS players off of him this week. He is averaging 25.8 DFS points per game on DK.
Cam Akers, Florida State ($7,800 on DK, $9,700 on FD) – Another player who didn’t pay off last week was Akers, who rushed for just 66 yards on 22 carries against Miami. Fortunately, he caught three passes, including a touchdown, to salvage his day. This week, he goes against a Boston College defense that ranks just 153rd in college football DFS against opposing running backs.
Wide receivers
James Proche, SMU ($7,300 on DK, Game not on FD) – Yes, the SMU train keeps rolling at the wide receiver position. Proche has become the most dangerous player on this offense, averaging 16 targets from Shane Buechele over the past four games, and has found the end zone in eight straight games.
Devin Duvernay, Texas ($6,500 on DK, $9,500 on FD) – Even with Collin Johnson back from injury, Devernay continues to be quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s preferred target, with eight receptions in each of the past three games. He has caught eight TD passes on the year, and is a good bet to find the end zone against Kansas State on Saturday.
