College Football DFS Picks: Week 3 Friday Slate

CFB DFS Picks: Week 3 Friday Night Slate Plays and Strategy

Our Week 3 Friday Slate is a double-header, and one contest is the clear focus, although the lesser game features some juggernaut rushers to consider.

SLATE OVERVIEW

Florida State (-2.5) @ Louisville O/U: 56.5

Air Force (-15.5) @ Wyoming O/U: 46.5

As you can see, the Over/Under race is no contest. FSU/LOU will have the fastest pace and the most opportunity for fantasy production.

College Football DFS Tools

• DraftKings Lineup Optimizer
• NEW Matchups Page (Vegas odds, opponent averages, etc.)
• Advanced Lineups Page
• Stats
• Team Trends
• Targets
• Defense vs. Position
• Team Rankings

WEATHER REPORT

AF/WYO - 17 m.p.h. winds, 33% chance of rain

CFB DFS Picks: Quarterbacks

Malik Cunningham, Louisville (DK $7,500 FD $10,000) vs. Florida State

After a tepid first game, Cunningham was back to his winning ways last week and looked every bit the elite quarterback we expected to see this season. When playing optimally, Cunningham can beat you on the ground or through the air, but the critical element of his game is the ability to make quick, smart decisions on the fly. He'll have a decent chance to make the right call against an FSU defense that yielded almost 400 yards to LSU. Jayden Daniels is an inferior quarterback to Cunningham, and despite coming into the game as a slight underdog, Cunningham's fortunes are trending up.

Jordan Travis, Florida State (DK $8,000, FD $10,700) @ Louisville

There's no need to get cute at quarterback, as both options for the nightcap are sub-optimal. Air Force is a run-heavy team and Andrew Peasley is barely hanging on to the job at Wyoming. All this and more make Travis the obvious second choice. Travis has played extremely well, helped primarily by a much-improved offensive line that's given him more time in the pocket, and more avenues for the running backs to open up the passing game. The team is coming off a statement win against LSU, and while the defense ultimately won the game with a blocked kick, they got there via Travis' arm.

CFB DFS Picks: Running Backs

Brad Roberts, Air Force (DK $7,600, FD $11,500) @ Wyoming

There's no need to get cute at the top of the RB pool either, which is going to make the WR position where we'll have to mine for the best value. Roberts is the unquestioned workhorse of this offense. He's already churned out 288 yards and four touchdowns through two games thanks to the Falcons' ground-focused offense. Despite the lower game total, Roberts will likely represent at least half of the team's offensive production.

Treshaun Ward (DK $5,100) or Trey Benson (FD $6,900), Florida State @ Louisville

I've only listed single-site salaries for these players because that's where the bargain is for each guy.  DraftKings has Benson way out ahead of Ward, and the opposite is true for FanDuel, which has Ward near the top. While Ward is a universal cash play and Benson the more contrarian answer for FSU's running game, the value differential is significant and favors one back over the other, depending on where you're playing. The Cardinals are giving up over 200 yards per game on the ground, so both backs should have reliable floors.

John Lee Eldridge, Air Force (DK $4,900, FD $6,500) @ Wyoming

One might have thought Louisville's Tiyon Evans would be the next logical choice, but when you consider FSU's decent run defense, Evans' price is inflated based on name value. Even behind Roberts, Eldridge has fared about as well as Evans, and point-per-dollar, he's much more sensible. He's put in two consecutive games of 80 yards or more, and if the game gets out of hand, we should see a lot more from Eldridge down the stretch.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Mycah Pittman, Florida State (DK $6,700, FD $6,500) @ Louisville

Even though Pittman has yet to score a touchdown and only has seven catches to his credit through two games, he's still coming in at a discount, especially on FanDuel. I just don't see Ontaria Wilson coming out of nowhere with a 100-yard-plus receiving night like he had at LSU. The Cardinals will now have a plan for Wilson and the targets should balance out in Pittman's favor. We're only going to flesh out Louisville and FDU for this position, so Wilson is still viable as a target.

Tyler Hudson, Louisville (DK $7,900, FD $8,100) vs. Florida State

When the going gets tough, Malik Cunningham leans on Hudson. Although his number wasn't called as much against LSU, he's reeled in 11 catches for 169 yards and projects as Louisville's most dependable wideout. The Cardinals have some talent in the WR room, but in a close game like this, Hudson will be a security blanket for Cunningham, who will find him often outside the hash marks. As we said above, Louisville and FSU are the only teams worth targeting at wideout, so sprinkle in a bit of Ahmari Huggins-Bruce as well.