College Football Daily Fantasy Sleepers for Saturday 10/31/15

If you’re looking to hit it big on Halloween, you’ll need to dig deep into your bag of tricks. This weekend, the Big XII provides a variety of undervalued players with minuscule salaries to balance your budget. The Hawkeye state alone serves up a pair of quarterbacks that offer major upside at a discounted price. Blend a few of these cheap options into your lineup if you’re looking to target one or two of the top priced stars in the player pool.

Value Quarterbacks

Early Slate - C.J Beathard, Iowa ($6000)

numberFire's game prediction is calling for an offensive explosion from Iowa, to the tune of 400-plus yards and nearly 5 touchdowns. Beathard struggled against Wisconsin and Northwestern, both top-20 defenses, which drove down his salary on FanDuel. This week he faces a woeful Maryland defense that was torched by Christian Hackenberg and Penn State in Week 8. Beathard, unlike Hackenberg, provides DFS players with some rushing yards and an occasional red zone quarterback keeper. The Iowa starter has toted the rock eight or more times in five of their seven contests thus far. His floor is fairly high against the Terps defense (104th), and the possibility of a rushing touchdown on top of our predicted 217 passing yards makes him a great play at $6,000.

Late Slate - Joel Lanning, Iowa State ($6500)

For anyone who stuck around deep into Baylor's blowout of Iowa State last week, one fact became evident: Joel Lanning should have been the starter since Week 1 for the Cyclones. Lanning relieved Sam B. Richardson and sparked the Cyclone offense immediately, completing 12 passes for 144 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also carried the ball 10 times, showcasing a bit of his mobility. The fact that Lanning is just $6,500 this week is a gift from the fantasy gods. Our internal model is predicting three scores out of Iowa State and 192 rushing yards against Texas. Don't be scared away by Charlie Strong's defense which is still a work in progress. Despite building stellar defenses at Florida and Louisville, Strong is currently fielding the nation's 101st ranked defense. Pull the trigger on Lanning because dual threat passers at this price are few and far between.

Value Running Backs

Early Slate - Jaylen Walton, Ole Miss ($5400)

Walton tore off 97 yards on the ground last week, thanks in large part to the return of All-American Laremy Tunsil. The mammoth road grader paved the way for 230 rushing yards, Ole Miss' highest rushing total in SEC play since 2012. Auburn is currently ranked 100th in the nation against the run, surrendering 200 yards per game on the ground. This has led to our model predicting 168 rushing yards for the Rebels on the Plains. An added bonus with Walton is that he’s featured in Ole Miss’ passing attack. He’s been targeted at least twice in every game he’s played in this season.

Late Slate - Johnathan Gray, Texas ($5500)

Gray has emerged as the lead back for the Longhorns, averaging 20 carries per game over the past two weeks. Charlie Strong has committed himself to the ground game, dating back to their upset of OU in the Red River Shootout. We’re predicting that Gray and the ground attack will combine for close to 200 yards against the Cyclones 93rd ranked rush defense. Baylor shredded the ISU front last week, galloping for 276 yards on the ground. If Gray can find the end zone for the first time since September, he’ll go from a decent, cap friendly pick, to a DFS leader in Week 9.

Value Wide Receivers

Early Slate - Reginald Davis, Texas Tech ($5500)

Davis has been making his targets count the past month, with a touchdown reception in his last three games. He’s averaging nearly 16 yards per catch and the Red Raiders opponent this week, Oklahoma State, hasn’t competed against a vertical attack like the one Kliff Kingsbury puts on the field. In one of the highest scoring games we’re predicting this weekend, Tech is forecasted to throw for 300 yards. Patrick Mahomes II is averaging 43 pass attempts per game this season which should translate to at least five targets for Davis. If Davis continues his touchdown streak he’ll score closer to a $7000 player than his bargain $5500 figure.

Late Slate - Cayleb Jones, Arizona WR ($5400)

Jones name was mentioned extensively during the preseason and at Pac-12 media days as a potential breakout candidate for 2015. After a very slow start to the season, Jones is finally seeing more touches and delivering for RichRod and the Wildcats. In the past two weeks he has 12 receptions for 225 yards and a score. The uncertainty at quarterback has driven down our projected passing yards to 229, but it’s clear that Jones is now the top target for the Wildcats. If Anu Solomon gets into rhythm, leaving Jerrard Randall on the bench, the UA passing attack could take flight, leading to another monster game for Jones.

Value Tight End

Early Slate - Tim Gorski, Western Kentucky ($2500)

The Hilltoppers starting tight end, Tyler Higbee, will miss another start this Saturday against Old Dominion. Gorski filled in last week and caught two passes from Brandon Doughty. Before Higbee’s injury against North Texas, he was averaging five receptions per game. Our model is calling for 309 passing yards and 40 points for WKU, which should provide Gorski with a handful of targets against Old Dominion.

Late Slate - Alize Jones, Notre Dame ($2300)

With the Temple defense locked in on Will Fuller, Jones will be targeted by DeShone Kizer at Lincoln Financial Field. Last week the Owls allowed East Carolina’s tight end, Bryce Williams to nab five passes. Unlike Williams, Jones has the ability to stretch the field. Deep receptions against UMass and Southern Cal illustrate how the Irish’s offensive coordinator Mike Sanford likes to target Jones on seam routes. At this price, the risk versus reward is well worth it with this talented freshman.