The Week 4 main slate on FanDuel kicks off at 12:00 ET and features 10 games. In today’s slate breakdown, we will experiment with a different format. Please provide feedback on what you like and what you don’t (@hindery). The write-up will be broken down into two parts:
1. Slate overview: The first section will be a quick preview of the slate, with a brief listing and discussion of the top plays at each position along with some general lineup building strategy for the week. Hopefully, this section will be all you need to build strong cash and GPP lineups.
2. Team-by-Team Breakdown: The top teams on the slate will be broken down in greater detail by order of their playability score, which takes into account the team total, blowout risk, and pace. This section is a deep dive for those who really want to study and understand the slate.
Main Slate Overview
Quarterback:
- Arizona’s Khalil Tate stands out as the top play given the expected shootout with Oregon State and his mid-tier price of $9,100.
- There are strong options priced over $10,000 if you can find the salary cap space. Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, and West Virginia’s Will Grier have favorable matchups and are elite talents in high-octane passing offenses. However, blowouts are a concern for all three, especially Tagovailoa and Haskins.
- There are some solid dual-threat options for $9,000 or less. Sam Ehlinger of Texas and Shawn Robinson of TCU probably need at least one rushing touchdown to put you in contention in GPPs but each has proven capable of producing on the ground.
- Oregon State’s Conor Blount stands out as far and away the top cheap option at just $7,000.
Running Back:
- Boston College’s AJ Dillon and Oregon State’s Jermar Jefferson stand out as the top two options on the slate. Both should see extremely heavy workloads against bad run defenses in high-scoring games. Fitting one or both into your lineup will require some sacrifice elsewhere given their high salaries, however.
- The $8,000 to $9,200 range is chock full of talented backs who are worth considering in GPPs due to upside but who are tough to bank on since they are splitting carries on their own teams. J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber of Ohio State, Tony Jones Jr. and Jafar Armstrong of Notre Dame, D’Andre Swift of Georgia, Najee Harris of Alabama, Karan Higdon and Chris Evans of Michigan, and J.J. Taylor of Arizona top the list.
- In the sub-$8,000 range, Alabama’s Damien Harris and Georgia’s Elijah Holyfield stand out. Both are in timeshares but have upside on teams expected to score 40+ points. Matt Colburn of Wake Forest has a tough matchup against Notre Dame but comes at a fair price.
Wide Receiver
- Jerry Jeudy (Alabama), Gary Jennings Jr. (West Virginia), Isaiah Hodgins (Oregon St.), Rondale Moore (Purdue), David Sills V (West Virginia), and Greg Dortch (Wake Forest) are the top options at wide receiver. However, each carries a salary of $9,000+ and it can be difficult to fit even one into a lineup this week.
- Paying up for top options at running back and quarterback is an attractive option this week. Thus, the sweet spot at wide receiver looks to be in the $7,000-$8,100 range. Shawn Poindexter (Arizona), Marcus Simms (West Virginia), Jalen Reagor (TCU), Tony Ellison (Arizona), Shun Brown (Arizona) and Austin Mack (Ohio State) are each solid options.
- There isn’t a slam dunk option under $7,000, but Henry Ruggs III (Alabama), Terry Godwin (Georgia), Jalen Knox (Missouri) and Tommy Sweeney (Boston College) are each worth strong consideration given the lineup flexibility their salaries provide.
Quick Thoughts on Roster Construction
In cash games, paying up for Jemar Jefferson and AJ Dillon is the way to go. Khalil Tate is priced right at quarterback and has a strong matchup. The top two flex options are Conor Blount and Will Grier. Blount’s low salary may allow you to pay up for a legitimate WR1 like Gary Jennings. Rostering Grier and his slate-high salary forces you to roll the dice some of the cheaper wide receivers listed above but may be worth it given his high floor.
In GPPs, it makes sense to pick a few of the players listed below as core plays to build your teams around and then pick a few of the riskier, less-popular options listed as GPP-only to add some uniqueness to your roster. Tournament fields are small enough in college football you want to lock in some safer options and only gamble on a couple boom/bust options per lineup.
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