DraftKings College Football: Main Slate Picks: Week 10

Saturday's 11-game slate is maybe my favorite of the season. There are several games that we can write off right off the bat, making it easier focus in on a handful of the juicier matchups.

Games to target, games to avoid

A quick glance at this slate and we can identify the landmines. Games like Georgia-Kentucky, Missouri-Florida, Utah-Arizona State, and even South Carolina-Mississippi are all matchups with low totals, strong defenses, or both.

On the flip side, all of my lineups will feature pieces from the Oklahoma State-Baylor, Syracuse-Wake Forest, Nebraska-Ohio State, and Louisville-Clemson. Games like Penn State-Michigan and Georgia Tech-North Carolina feature some interesting one-off pieces, too, but aren't as appealing from a stack perspective.

Listed below are some helpful tools to help guide your lineup construction, as well as a cheat sheet and my write-ups for each position.

Lineup optimizer
Weekly rankings by position
Targets
Team Trends
Odds
Defense vs. Position

Quarterback

Eric Dungey, Syracuse ($8,400) at Wake Forest

In recommending Dungey I'm probably jinxing him from playing a full four quarters. For the purpose of this exercise, let's assume he makes it through the whole game. Dungey on his own is a force, averaging 31.1 fantasy points per game (8th in FBS among quarterbacks with seven or more games played). When it comes to Wake Forest's defense, only two other Power 5 teams are giving up more fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks (Pittsburgh and North Carolina. ACC! ACC!). Dungey brings a nice floor thanks to his rushing ability that has turned out a rushing touchdown in five straight games. Wake Forest's defense is not fit to stop any competent offense, so getting a player of Dungey's talent is a strong start to your lineup construction.

Taylor Cornelius, Oklahoma State ($8,700) at Baylor

We can't expect a repeat performance from Cornelius after his monstrous five-touchdown game against Texas in Week 9. We can, however, expect a strong showing nonetheless with a matchup against a hapless Baylor defense that is a sieve against the run and the pass. The Bears are giving up 2.36 passing touchdowns per game -- easily the highest among teams on this slate. Not only is the matchup soft, but Cornelius deserves his due as well. He averages 9.0 yards per pass attempt and he has racked up 25 total touchdowns (19 passing, six rushing) through eight games. Toss in a talented receiving corps let headlined by Tylan Wallace, there's more than enough reason to go after Cornelius in your lineups Saturday. Charlie Brewer ($6,800) is a fine option on the other side of this matchup as well.

Adrian Martinez, Nebraska ($7,800) at Ohio State

There's some risk in turning to a freshman quarterback on the road at the Horseshoe, but hear me out. Martinez has been on a roll of late, completing 67.1 percent of his passes for an average of 289.4 yards and 2.0 passing touchdowns per game over his last five outings. He has also racked up 303 rushing yards in that span. Ohio State is obviously the superior side here, but Martinez will be a tough player to contain for 60 minutes. Furthermore, the Buckeye defense hasn't been as lockdown as previous years (See: the Purdue game. You might've heard about that). There could be some freshman mistakes lumped into Martinez's bottom line, but he has the dual-threat capability and the supporting cast to make this game interesting and put forth a productive fantasy outing.

Superflex Dart Du Jour

Feleipe Franks, Florida ($5,300) vs. Missouri

Franks has been up and down (okay, mostly down) this season and there's even a chance Emory Jones could steal some snaps from him Saturday. The rub here is that Franks has been fairly steady at home and Missouri's defense is especially suspect against the pass with a slate-worst 288.3 passing yards per game allowed. Franks might not hit that mark, but he could be efficient against an overmatched secondary while adding some rushing yards on the side.

Others to consider: TaQuon Marshall, Georgia Tech ($8,100); Trevor Lawrence, Clemson ($8,200);

Running Back

Travis Etienne, Clemson ($7,700) at Louisville

A staple of my DraftKings articles, Etienne had to get a write up this week against Louisville. My article earlier this week spells out my confidence in all Clemson players this week, so I'll keep this particular blurb on the brief side. Etienne is coming off his worst game of the year against the best run defense he's faced, and gets to bounce back against a Louisville defense that gives up 250.6 rushing yards and 2.75 rushing touchdowns per game. If you're worried about the volume, Etienne has three games with over 100 yards on 16-or-less carries. However many carries Etienne gets, he'll be able to post worthwhile production.

Karan Higdon, Michigan ($6,600) versus Penn State

Higdon is averaging 26.75 carries for 116.75 yards over his last four games. The efficiency won't bowl you over, but you can bank on the workload. There's also the matter of Penn State fielding a middling run defense this season; the Nittany Lions allow 161.38 rushing yards per game. Some will be scared off of Higdon by overrating the Penn State defense on name alone, so those who go with him in tournament lineups should be rewarded with low ownership percentage along with excellent return on the $6,600 price tag.

Dontae Strickland ($3,900) at Wake Forest

Going after a running back on the short side of a timeshare has some risk, but at $3,900 Strickland is a candidate to pay off. Moe Neal tends to see more carries, but Strickland seems to be the guy when the Orange get to the red zone with his six rushing touchdowns.Going up against a Wake Forest defense that coughs up 215.6 rushing yards per game certainly doesn't hurt when you're making matchup-based decisions on players down in this price range. There's always the chance of a Dungey or Neal touchdown vulture, but again, at $3,900 Strickland is at the very least an interesting punt play at flex or running back.

Others to consider: Matt Colburn II, Wake Forest ($6,700); Justice Hill ($6,400)

Wide Receiver

Amari Rodgers, Clemson ($4,700) vs. Louisville

Tee Higgins is an affordable $6,200 as well, but Rodgers is worth a look at $4,700, too. Rodgers is coming off his best game of the season, catching all six of his targets for 156 yards and two touchdowns against Florida State. The target count won't get much better than that Saturday and the efficiency certainly can't much better -- I think -- but Rodgers can still take advantage of whatever opportunities he gets. Rodgers is also a threat in the punt return game and Louisville is leaky on special teams, allowing 11.1 yards per return (93rd). I know punt return yardage doesn't count, but if Rodgers breaks one, it's an added bonus to what should be a solid day in the receiving game.

Stanley Morgan Jr. ($6,300) at Ohio State

After a slow start to the season, Morgan has started to turn things around with 17 catches for 245 yards and four touchdowns in his last two games. Yes, one of those was against Bethune-Cookman, but it goes to show that Morgan's rapport with Adrian Martinez is starting to come together. He averages a strong 9.38 yards per target and draws a matchup against Ohio State's secondary that doesn't live up to the hype. If you trust the Martinez play, you'll trust the Morgan play as well. His counterpart, JD Spielman, is similarly appealing and might have a lower ownership considering Morgan's recent performance.

Jamal Custis ($6,200) and Nykiem Johnson ($5,100), Syracuse at Wake Forest

As the pricing shows, Custis is likely the better play here but both he and Johnson should be in line for big days against Wake Forest. Both players average over 11.0 yards per target and are featured options in the high-powered Syracuse offense. Custis sees more volume,although Johnson has been on a tear with back-to-back 100-yard games. Both are affordable and we've established how good a matchup this is. You can roster either of these guys with confidence.

Others to consider: Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State ($8,100); Scotty Washington, Wake Forest ($3,700)