FanDuel College Football: Week 15 Plays

FanDuel College Football: Week 15 Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.

The last week of the regular season has come for the majority of the leagues, though a few will include a whole host of games next week to go along with the respective conference championship matchups in a whacky season. Let's take a look at the games this week.

Topping the charts for both expected total and score is the Alabama-Arkansas matchup (68.5), which features Alabama as the biggest favorite on the slate (32.5) with an expected score of 50.5. Florida is next on the list at 45.5 versus LSU, followed by a smattering of teams in the mid-to-low 30s.

For the game totals after Alabama-Arkansas, Miami-North Carolina are expected to duke it out in a high-scoring affair (67.5), while Florida's 45.5 points are expected to carry Saturday's matchup with the Tigers to a 67.5 over/under mark. 

In terms of weather, there seems to be some chance of rain in Louisville, about 14 MPH winds in Lincoln and about 15 MPH winds in Iowa City with a very minor chance of precipitation there as well. Other than that, there shouldn't be much impacting the games on that front. 

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Relevant Possible Injuries/Absences

QB

Feleipe Franks, Arkansas (Ques) - Considered a GTD

Myles Brennan, LSU (Doub) - Max Johnson expected to start

Rocky Lombardi, Michigan State (Ques) - Status unclear but feeling better. Payton Thorne could get the start regardless

RB

Treyson Potts, Minnesota (Ques) - Dressed last game but didn't play

Ronald Thompkins, Nebraska (Ques) - Warmed up last week but didn't play

Keyvone Lee, Penn State (Prob) - Likely fine after hobbling off late last week

Jordon Simmons, Michigan State (Ques) - Was in uniform last week but didn't play

Jaylan Knighton, Miami (Ques) - Started last week but his day ended early due to an injury

Max Borghi, Washington State (Ques) - Still "progressing" but hasn't played yet this season

Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State (Ques) - Has missed the last two games

LD Brown, Oklahoma State (Ques) - Was an emergency option but didn't play last week

Trestan Ebner, Baylor (Doub) - Not expected to play Saturday

Qualan Jones, Baylor (Ques) - "Promising" chance to return Saturday

John Lovett, Baylor (Doub) - Expected to sit Saturday

Kazmeir Allen, UCLA (Ques) - Didn't play while in quarantine last week

Kenneth Walker, Wake Forest (OFS) - Opted out for the remainder of the campaign

WR/TE

A.T. Perry, Wake Forest (Ques) - Hasn't played since Week 8

Ko Kieft, Minnesota (Ques) - Hasn't played since October but Minnesota has been off the last two weeks

Ricky White, Michigan State (Ques) - Hasn't played since Nov. 7

Trent Gillison, Michigan State (Ques) - Missed the last two games

Beau Corrales, North Carolina (Out) - Team announced Monday he's done for the season

Danny Davis, Wisconsin (Doub) - Not expected to play

Kendric Pryor, Wisconsin (Ques) - Listed as a starting WR on the depth chart

Racey McMath, LSU (Out) - Ruled out again

Trey Palmer, LSU (Ques) - Dealing with an issue but still has a chance to play

Arik Gilbert, LSU (Out) - Opted out Wednesday

Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State (Ques) - Left last week with a knee issue

Ben Sims, Baylor (Doub) - Expected to sit Saturday

Jaylen Erwin, UCLA (Ques) - Sat last week while in quarantine

Lavel Davis, Virginia (Prob) - Has taken part in practice this week

Tre Turner, Virginia Tech (Ques) - Suited up last week but didn't play, could return Saturday

Week 15 Plays

Quarterback

Kyle Trask, Florida ($11,200) vs. LSU

Trask put the pedal to the metal in the opener versus Ole Miss and hasn't really slowed down since, finishing with fewer than 25 FanDuel points just once all season while surpassing 32 points in five of his nine games played. With the senior signal-caller looking to take home Heisman honors, you can bt he's going to want to cap off his regular season on a high note and take advantage of an LSU defense allowing a slate worst-9.7 yards per pass attempt in addition to 313.1 passing yards and 2.4 passing scores per game. The Gators check-in as 23.5-point favorites, just low enough to keep Trask in for most of the contest. Look for the senior to finish off his last game in Gainesville with a huge output, especially considering the number of players LSU has lost on offense to opt-outs late in the season.

D'Eriq King, Miami ($10,500) vs. North Carolina

If you're looking down the board just a bit, King offers a ton of upside at the quarterback position with his mobility and a game Saturday that figures to be among the highest-scoring totals of the slate. The senior signal-caller has posted his two best games to date in the last three contests, racking up 32.52 FD points versus Duke and a season-high 48.3 in a shootout with N.C. State. It wouldn't shock me to see King challenge that total to keep up with a Sam Howell-led North Carolina offense that has topped 40 points six times already this season. The Tar Heel defense is allowing 24.9 FD points per game to opposing quarterbacks on the year, including 348 rushing yards and seven rushing scores. The defense has also surrendered 15 passing scores while forcing more than one interception just one all season. The setup is certainly there for another shootout that could feature a huge game for King.

Jordan Travis, Florida State ($8,300) vs. Duke

I mention below another name I would strongly consider in Adrian Martinez, but Travis is also ripe for the picking at his salary going into this week. While he hasn't quite struck fear in opposing defenses to date as a passer, that's not always necessary when you have the running ability he does. Travis has rushed for at least a touchdown in each of the last five games, topping 26 and notching no less than 17.24 in any of them. Saturday is a rare occasion where the Seminoles are favored and sport an expected score north of 30 points. The Blue Devils have had major issues containing quarterbacks of late as well, allowing the last three to run for a combined 216 yards and a pair of scores while throwing for nine more. This sets up well for a big day from Travis, who could sling a touchdown pass or two and certainly has the ground ability for more points. Travis also has the upside you like in a low-salary quarterback, surpassing 33 points earlier in the season versus North Carolina.

Others to consider: Hendon Hooker, Virginia Tech ($10,400), Adrian Martinez, Nebraska ($8,800)

Running Back

Najee Harris, Alabama ($11,000) at Arkansas

Harris got back on track last week versus LSU after a trio of relatively mediocre showings. It wouldn't surprise me if he follows that with another 30-plus point effort versus a Razorbacks defense that has stood tall against the pass this year but hasn't been able to effectively stop the run. The Razorbacks have allowed opponents to rack up 4.5 yards per carry, 189.4 rushing yards per game and 1.7 rushing scores per contest. Pair that with the Crimson Tide being 32.5-point favorites in the contest, and it seems likely Saban and the staff will take the path to least resistance en route to an easy win leading into the SEC Championship Game. The game script should favor a heavy ground approach as well, which would allow Harris to rack up points before potentially getting some rest in the second half.

Mataeo Durant, Duke ($7,500) at Florida State

We're skipping a lot of running backs on the board to get to my next pick, but we are in a rare week where there appears to be a ton of value available at the running back position. Durant posted a down week against Miami last Saturday but still averaged 4.8 yards and hauled in a trio of passes. With the Blue Devils only 4.5-point underdogs versus Florida State, the offense may be allowed to lean on the ground game a bit more than usual. That could pay big dividends versus a Seminoles defense allowing 5.2 yards per carry, 193.5 yards per game and 2.8 rushing scores per contest. The only concern would be if the coaching staff elects to give Deon Jackson (a senior) some extra run in what will be the final game of his career, but Durant should still get enough work to turn in a serviceable fantasy day.

Dedrick Mills, Nebraska ($7,000) vs. Minnesota

After being sidelined for a couple of weeks due to injury, Mills returned to 16 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown last week against Purdue, accounting for 16 of the 20 carries (80 percent) handled by anyone other than a quarterback. Mills should see plenty of volume again Saturday versus a Minnesota defense that has struggled to contain the run this season. Through five games, opponents have averaged a slate-best 215.6 rushing yards to go along with 2.8 rushing touchdowns while racking up another slate-best 6.8 yards per carry. Mills has proven to be the primary option to get those looks on the ground and Nebraska sports an expected score of 35.5 points, meaning there should be a rushing score or two in there for him.

Christian Beal-Smith, Wake Forest at Louisville and Jashaun Corbin, Florida State vs. Duke, both ($6,800)

This pair happens to fall in similar situations with the same salary, making it worth sticking them together here at the bottom of the list. Beal-Smith and Corbin have both been heavily included in the ground attack this year, but now are both front and center with Kenneth Walker opting out for Wake Forest and La'Damian Webb leaving the Seminoles for personal reasons. 

Corbin has one game under his belt without Webb, and he turned in season-best marks across the board with 14 carries for 77 yards and his first touchdown with Florida State. Beal-Smith, on the other hand, gets his first crack as the clear lead dog for an offense that runs the ball 59.1 percent of the time (31st nationally) and averages 44.8 carries per game (17th nationally). Walker also worked as a vulture near the goal-line for Beal-Smith, scoring 13 times to Beal-Smith's four through seven games. With that impediment out of the way, Beal-Smith may be destined for a trip to the end zone for the first time since Week 5 versus FCS Campbell.

The matchups couldn't be any better either, with Corbin set to face a Duke defense surrendering more than 200 rushing yards and 2.5 scores per game and Beal-Smith's trailing right behind at 185 yards and 1.9 scores on the ground per night. Both should easily hit value Saturday and provide major salary relief to boot.

Wide Receiver

Kyle Pitts, Florida ($9,300) and Kadarius Toney ($9,000) vs. LSU

Pitts may not have reached the end zone last week like Toney, but he still led the team with a season-high 11 targets and to accumulate seven receptions for 128 yards. It has also been a rarity for him to be kept out of the end zone, failing to score in just two of the seven games he's played in all season. Given that fact, it's reasonable to anticipate him dominating an LSU defense that hasn't stopped anyone this season,. This should allow Pitts and Toney, who has been the favorite wideout target for Trask and has scored in six of the nine he's appeared in, to get in on the fun. There should be plenty of passes to go around for the pair who, along with Trask, figure to be playing their last games at The Swamp. The matchup is clearly a favorable one and the ability to find value at other positions this week could make putting all three in the lineup a possibility.

Mike Harley, Miami ($8,100) vs. North Carolina

If you're looking for a wideout to pair with D'Eriq King, Harley should be your man. The senior has come into his own of late, averaging 21.2 FanDuel points per contest over the last four games. Over that span, he has averaged 8.8 targets and his 13.7 yards per target ranks second-best to DeVonta Smith for any wideout averaging eight or more targets. With Saturday's contest figuring to feature major scoring upside on both ends, it's likely worth getting a share of the Hurricanes passing attack rather than a running game that has been shaky at best to date with no clear go-to option. The Tar Heels allow 33.5 points per game to opposing wideouts, good for 10th-most on the slate. A lot of the plays have come in big chunks too, with opposing teams racking up 27 plays of 25 or more yards in just 10 games. Harley certainly has the ability to take advantage of that, turning in eight 25-plus yard receptions through nine contests.

Dazz Newsome ($7,800) at Miami

On the other side of the expected shootout, Newsome is another player trending up who seems a good bet to return value. The senior wideout hasn't quite lived up to the 1,000-yard season he turned in in 2019, but he's ramped up his game down the stretch, averaging 8.5 targets and 19.7 FD points over the last four games after averaging just 3.6 targets and 5.8 FD points over the first seven. Newsome has actually outproduced teammate Dyami Brown over the last three games but sports a salary still 800 lower than Brown. Miami is particularly stingy against opposing running backs, allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points on the slate. While wide receivers haven't fared a ton better, I'd rather take my chances investing a smaller salary into an expected high-scoring matchup with a player who has significant upside than to count on the high-salary players to produce.

Tre Turner, Virginia Tech ($6,500) vs. Virginia

Turner's salary likely reflects his recent absences and questionable health for Saturday, because Turner had hit a groove prior to that., turning in four-straight double-digit fantasy performances. In his last four contests, Turner sported a 27.5 percent target share and turned his 25 targets into 18 receptions for 321 yards and three scores. While he was in uniform last week, Turner was ultimately unable to give it a go. It sounds as though there's a better chance he will actually attempt to play this Saturday against the Hokies' in-state rivals, and Turner could feast on a Virginia defense allowing a slate-high 314.7 passing yards and 2.0 passing touchdowns per game to opponents at an extremely affordable salary.

Others to consider: DeVonta Smith, Alabama ($11,500) Kayshon Boutte, LSU ($6,400)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Benzine plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Crispy272001, DraftKings: Crispy27.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Benzine
Chris is the college football editor and the Kansas City Chiefs beat writer. He's a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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