CFB DFS Playbook & Example Lineups: Week 6 (Friday Slate)
Published: Oct 08, 2021
Welcome back college football fans! We’ve got a small but fun slate of games this Friday night & it’s time to build some winning lineups! This playbook will only focus on the DraftKings slate in terms of pricing, but feel free to play on FanDuel with the same players as well.
If you have any questions on specific players or lineup builds, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @dan_servodidio or on the Discord and I’ll try to help out! Without further ado, let’s dive into the Friday night DFS CFB slate for October 8th!
THE SLATE (Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook):
7 pm ET -- Temple at Cincinnati (-29) -- 54 O/U
7 pm ET -- Charlotte (-3.5) at FIU -- 60.5 O/U
10:30 pm ET -- Stanford at Arizona State (-13.5) -- 52 O/U
Implied Team Totals (per DK Sportsbook Odds)
Cincinnati -- 41.5 points vs. Temple
Arizona State -- 32.75 points vs. Stanford
Charlotte -- 32 points vs. FIU
FIU -- 28.5 points vs. Charlotte
QUARTERBACKS
Quarterbacks | |||||||
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
Desmond Ridder | CINCY | TEMP | 9000 | 26.15 | |||
On this short slate, Ridder is in a tier by himself as the top QB on the board and should be close to 100% rostered in cash. The Cincy dual-threat is coming off an excellent performance vs. Notre Dame when he threw for nearly 300 yards with two passing TDs and a rushing score added in. Ridder now has a rush TD in each of the Bearcats’ three competitive games and he’s a good candidate to score multiple times on the ground in this soft matchup vs. Temple. Basically the only risk is how many DFS points he puts up before the game is in hand - which makes him fadeable in GPP’s. But he can still put up 25-30 fantasy points en route to the blowout. | |||||||
Chris Reynolds | CHAR | FIU | 7500 | 25.3 | |||
Statistically speaking, the FIU defense presents the best matchup for QBs on this slate as it’s 125th among FBS schools in passing yards allowed per game (314) with 13 pass TDs given up over five games. That bodes very well for Reynolds and the Charlotte air attack. Reynolds has already shown his upside this season when he had 324 yards, three TDs and 38 DFS points vs. Duke and then 339 yards, four TDs and 42 DFS points vs. Middle Tennessee. He can easily go for 25-30 points or more in this matchup and could even outperform Ridder in a much tighter ballgame that should be high-scoring on both sides. | |||||||
Jayden Daniels | ASU | STAN | 6900 | 20.61 | |||
While he’s been a bit inconsistent this season, Daniels is usually a great DFS play with his rushing ability. He’s already run for 293 yards through five games and could find plenty of success on the ground against a soft Stanford rush defense. Considering the sub 7k price tag and lack of other viable QBs on this slate, expect Daniels to be popular in cash as a Super-Flex pairing with Ridder. That combo will likely be the starting point in cash. | |||||||
Tanner McKee | STAN | ASU | 6800 | 21.36 | |||
McKee has been a stud ever since he took over as Stanford’s starting QB in Week 2. He boasts a perfect 10:0 TD:INT ratio over the last four games and has put up between 22-37 DFS points every time. He even has two rushing TDs sprinkled in there! It really doesn’t get much better from a consistency standpoint. However, there may be some regression coming now that he’ll face a tough Arizona State pass defense that ranks seventh in the country in yards allowed per game (146) and has more interceptions (5) than pass TDs allowed (4) through five games. McKee is definitely in play for GPP’s, but he’s a risk in cash this week. |
Also Consider:
Max Bortenschlager -- FIU ($6,300) -- GPP
RUNNING BACKS
Running Backs | |||||||
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
Rachaad White | ASU | STAN | 8200 | 26.52 | |||
Though Arizona State’s backfield is split right now, White is the guy scoring most of the TDs with nine total through five games and at least two in four contests. He may lose some rushing work to Trayanum, who’s back in the rotation now after sitting out with a foot injury lately. However, it’s White who’s carved out a legit pass-catching role with at least three catches and 38 yards in four straight games. Without many viable RBs on this slate, White should be popular in cash - especially against a Stanford defense that’s allowing 212 rushing yards and multiple rush TDs per game. | |||||||
Jerome Ford | CINCY | TEMP | 7800 | 20.95 | |||
The first two Cincy players to lock into cash lineups tonight are Ridder and Ford. As for the lead RB, he’ll be facing a Temple run defense that’s given up 12 rush TDs over five games and 170 rushing yards per game. Outside of Ridder stealing TDs away from him, Ford barely has any competition in the Bearcats backfield for touches as long as the starters are out there. Without many other top RBs to roster tonight, Ford should be popular. | |||||||
D'vonte Price | FIU | CHAR | 6500 | 18.72 | |||
Charlotte’s rush defense is actually the worst on this slate and one of the worst among all FBS teams this season - allowing 251 rushing yards per game. That sets up well for Price as FIU may lean on its lead back to move the ball on offense considering the Charlotte pass defense has been pretty good thus far. He’s more of a GPP play on this slate as most will be paying for Ford and the ASU RBs in cash - but the matchup is hard to ignore for a guy that has a near-monopoly on touches in the FIU backfield. | |||||||
DeaMonte Trayanum | ASU | STAN | 5500 | 16.5 | |||
We mentioned above how Stanford’s defense has been terrible against the run - allowing 200+ rushing yards and 2+ rush TDs per game this season. Though White is the headliner in this backfield, Trayanum should not go overlooked at a much more affordable price tag. It was encouraging to see him return from a foot injury last week and immediately get 16 carries and a TD while playing a key role in the ASU offense. He actually saw nearly twice as many carries as White in that game vs. UCLA and the two will likely split work moving forward. Simply put, Trayanum is the better per-dollar play than White for a similar workload right now - but you can just stack up both on this small slate. | |||||||
Calvin Camp | CHAR | FIU | 4200 | 9.76 | |||
The Charlotte backfield is basically split between Shadrick Byrd and Calvin Camp so choosing between the two is tough right now. For the slight savings, Camp is the better option over Byrd this week. Camp’s 287 rushing yards barely edge out Byrd’s 218 this season and he’s done it on 10 fewer carries. That 6.0 ypc mark blows Byrd’s 3.8 ypc out of the water and it might be Camp getting more touches moving forward if the coaching staff is looking at those numbers too. |
Also Consider:
Nathaniel Peat -- Stanford ($4,700) -- GPP
Shadrick Byrd -- Charlotte ($4,500) -- Cash
Austin Jones -- Stanford ($3,900) -- GPP
WIDE RECEIVERS
Wide Receivers | |||||||
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
Alec Pierce | CINCY | TEMP | 7000 | 13.35 | |||
If you’re going all out with a Cincinnati stack, then Pierce is the top receiver to pair with Ridder. Though the offense isn’t as pass-heavy as the average team, Pierce showed us last week that he can still post good numbers when getting the targets. Against Notre Dame, he put up six receptions for 144 yards - which comes a week after posting five catches, 86 yards and a TD vs. Indiana. We should scale back expectations a bit against Temple, though, because Cincy might not be passing as much with a big lead. Pierce will likely go overlooked with the hefty price tag, but he’s always in play for GPP’s. | |||||||
Tyrese Chambers | FIU | CHAR | 6700 | 18.22 | |||
Though people will likely ignore Chambers in cash on this slate, it’s hard to ignore how consistent he’s been. FIU’s leading receiver has caught a TD in four of five games thus far and is clearly QB Max Bortenschalger’s favorite red-zone target. The only problem is that his DFS value is a bit TD-dependent to rely on for cash at this price tag - especially in a tough matchup vs. Charlotte's stout pass D. Still, the slate-breaking potential is there after we saw him go for six catches, 175 yards and 32 points just two weeks ago. | |||||||
Grant DuBose | CHAR | FIU | 6000 | 18.66 | |||
We mentioned above how the FIU pass defense is one to target with QB Chris Reynolds - and DuBose is one his top targets right now. His 24 receptions, 393 yards and four TDs all lead the team through five games. In those two aforementioned games where Reynolds went off this season, DuBose put up 100+ yards, two TDs and 30+ DFS points in both of them. If you’re playing Reynolds, then this is the pairing you want. | |||||||
Elijah Higgins | STAN | ASU | 5400 | 14.06 | |||
With Brycen Tremayne now out, Higgins is Stanford’s top receiver and should be a top target for McKee tonight. He has at least four catches in each of McKee’s starts this season and is coming off two solid games with a combined stat line of 11 catches for 165 yards and two TDs. Even against a good ASU pass defense, Higgins could see enough target volume to return value - and if he finds the end zone again then it’s a bargain. He’s right on the edge of being cash-viable but is the top Cardinal WR to pair with McKee in GPP. | |||||||
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
Bryce Singleton | FIU | CHAR | 5100 | 14.56 | |||
Though Chambers has been scoring the TDs in FIU’s receiving corps, Singleton is posting similar numbers to his teammate and is the better bargain on this slate. Singleton actually leads the team in receptions (21) and his 408 yards isn’t that far behind Chambers’ 471 yards through five games. The TDs for Chambers is the only reason he’s $1600 more expensive - but both are posting similar floor numbers. FIU might be trailing in this game vs. Charlotte and have to throw more to catch-up - so rostering Singleton in cash is fine. | |||||||
Jose Barbon | TEMP | CINCY | 4500 | 12.04 | |||
Temple has a couple injuries in the receiving corps and it might leave Jose Barbon as one of the only healthy bodies for this week. Randle Jones and Jadon Blue are both banged up and could be playing hurt vs. Cincy. If we get any definitive news on one or both being out, then Barbon is a big bargain even in this tough matchup. Temple will have to throw a lot as it trails Cincinnati and the pass-catchers are the only way to target the Owls offense. With his teammates out, Barbon has put up 15 catches for 181 yards over the past two games combined. | |||||||
John Humphreys | STAN | ASU | 4100 | 7.9 | |||
Outside of Higgins in Stanford’s receiving corps, it gets a bit murky as to which guy will be McKee’s other favorite target with Tremayne/Wilson out tonight. Humphreys is the logical next man to replace Tremayne’s production and he may be popular at a very cheap price tag tonight. His 13 receptions and 205 yards are second on the team behind Higgins among the healthy pass-catchers. Last week when Tremayne got hurt, Humphreys had his best game of the season with four catches, 53 yards and a TD. He’s definitely in play in cash as a nice salary-saver. | |||||||
LV Bunkley-Shelton | ASU | STAN | 3700 | 7.94 | |||
Ricky Pearsall is the headliner in this ASU WR corps, but Bunkley-Shelton is still way too cheap to ignore. In a position group that lacks a true lock play in cash, Bunkley-Shelton should be heavily considered in all formats as his 14 receptions and 197 yards aren’t that far off from Pearsall’s 17 for 239 this season. With Johnny Wilson battling an injury, there aren’t many proven guys in this Sun Devils receiving corps and Bunkley-Shelton can easily return value with only a few targets. |
Also Consider:
Ricky Pearsall -- Arizona State ($6,200) -- GPP
Victor Tucker -- Charlotte ($5,800) -- Cash/GPP
Tre Tucker -- Cincinnati ($5,200) -- GPP
Michael Young Jr. -- Cincinnati ($4,300) -- Cash
Amad Anderson Jr. -- Temple ($3,600) -- GPP
EXAMPLE LINEUPS
DK Cash | |||||
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
QB | Desmond Ridder | CINCY | TEMP | 26.2 | $9,000 |
Pivot | |||||
RB | Rachaad White | ASU | STAN | 26.5 | $8,200 |
Pivot | |||||
RB | Jerome Ford | CINCY | TEMP | 26.5 | $8,200 |
Pivot | D'vonte Price | FIU | CHAR | 18.7 | $6,500 |
WR | Elijah Higgins | STAN | ASU | 14.1 | $5,400 |
Pivot | Grant DuBose | CHAR | FIU | 18.7 | $6,000 |
WR | Jose Barbon | TEMP | CINCY | 12 | $4,500 |
Pivot | |||||
WR | LV Bunkley-Shelton | ASU | STAN | 7.9 | $3,700 |
Pivot | |||||
FLEX | Calvin Camp | CHAR | FIU | 9.8 | $4,200 |
Pivot | |||||
S-FLEX | Jaydon Daniels | ASU | STAN | 20.6 | $6,900 |
Pivot | Chris Reynolds | CHAR | FIU | 25.3 | $7,500 |
DK GPP | |||||
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
QB | Chris Reynolds | CHAR | FIU | 25.3 | $7,500 |
Pivot | |||||
RB | DeaMonte Trayanum | ASU | STAN | 16.5 | $5,500 |
Pivot | |||||
RB | Shadrick Byrd | CHAR | FIU | 11.2 | $4,500 |
Pivot | |||||
WR | Tyrese Chambers | FIU | CHAR | 18.2 | $6,700 |
Pivot | |||||
WR | Grant DuBose | CHAR | FIU | 18.7 | $6,000 |
Pivot | Alec Pierce | CINCY | TEMP | 13.4 | $7,000 |
WR | Bryce Singleton | FIU | CHAR | 14.6 | $5,100 |
Pivot | John Humphreys | STAN | ASU | 7.9 | $4,100 |
FLEX | Jerome Ford | CINCY | TEMP | 21 | $7,800 |
Pivot | |||||
S-FLEX | Tanner McKee | STAN | ASU | 21.4 | $6,800 |
Pivot |