NCAAF

College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Saturday 9/19/15

Paying up for high-priced quarterbacks could provide a great return on investment this week.

You know the deal by now: college football daily fantasy is fun!

It's really interesting to track how your players are doing and watch their dynamic offenses work. There's conventional, pro style offenses, option attacks and air raid assaults. 

Whether you're a big fan of your school, you just love college football, or if you just really need something fun to do on Saturday afternoons (and nights), head over to FanDuel.com and enter a few contests for Saturday's slate of games.

In order for it to be not just fun but productive for your bankroll, I'll be using our in-house college football projections to give you some targets for tomorrow's games. Our projections produce team-based statistics based on our algorithms, so this type of approach is logical, as the basic principles of any daily fantasy sport are to target high point projections and teams that are supposed to perform well offensively.

Who should produce big numbers for your team this week? Let's find out.

Top Quarterbacks

Early Slate - Marquise Williams, North Carolina ($9,200)

Yes, I know Williams is the most expensive quarterback on this slate. Yes, I know he didn't get off to a great start this year. But before exiting last week's game due to its blowout nature Williams got back in rhythm, completing 75% of his passes and tallying 3 touchdowns to go with 264 total yards. Vegas thinks that Illinois will be a stiffer test as the Tar Heels are favored by just 8 points in this one. But our numbers see that as a positive. We project the Heels to pass for about 270 yards, rack up 23 first downs and even run for over 170 yards. Look for Williams to have a big day as he runs and guns his way down the field.

Late Slate - Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech ($8,400)

Mahomes isn't as big of a price tag compared to other signal callers on the late slate, probably because he has to go on the road and face an Arkansas team that has allowed one passing touchdown in two games. But I'm hoping that others look too much into that and overlook Mahomes, leaving big benefits to rostering players from the Red Raider air raid offense. Texas Tech is a 12-point underdog, but this game carries an over/under of 70.5 points. Even if Tech loses by 12 they'd score around 29 or 30 points if the total holds true. And being underdogs, we project the Red Raiders to be passing a lot -- to the tune of 275-plus yards.

Top Running Backs

Early - De'Veon Smith, Michigan ($7,700)

Smith ran wild last week in a win against Oregon State. The junior amassed 126 yards and 3 touchdowns on 23 carries. That's promising and all, but that's not the number one reason I suggest Smith here. The Wolverines host the Rebels of UNLV, who come into this game as the 13th worst rush defense in the country, giving up 5.2 adjusted yards per rush through the first two weeks. If that wasn't reason enough, Michigan is favored by 35 points with an over/under of 49. That means Vegas likes them to score upwards of 42 points. It's no wonder we Big Blue to run for over 220 yards 

Late -  Aaron Green, TCU ($8,300)

Last week, Green produced 88 yards on 19 carries but was held without a touchdown for the first time in six games, dating back to last year. I see a new streak starting up this week. The Horned Frogs are 37-point favorites going into a matchup with SMU that includes an over/under of 66 points. So expect TCU to score in the 50-point neighborhood against the Mustangs eighth-worst rush defense. In fact, we project TCU to rush for 235 yards. If that doesn't scream Aaron Green 2015 breakout party I don't know what does.

Top Wide Receivers

Early -  Christian Kirk, Texas A&M ($6,300)

Christian Kirk is my steal of the early slate. The outstanding freshman burst on to the scene in College Station with 6 catches, 106 yards, and a touchdown against Arizona State in his debut. His numbers went down a week ago, but he still found the endzone in a blowout win. Kirk may do a lot more this week against a Nevada team surrendering 6.75 yards per pass play. And did I mention they're 34-point underdogs? Even in what could be a blowout we expect the Aggies to air it out with over 285 yards passing and 24 first downs. Kirk would be great exposure to the A&M offense.

Late -  Devin Lauderdale, Texas Tech ($5,800)

Much like Kirk in the early slate, Lauderdale provides a lot of playmaking ability in a pass-happy offense for a discounted price. Jakeem Grant is widely regarded as the number one wideout for the Red Raiders, but Lauderdale is a close two. He has three touchdowns over his first two contests this year and finished last year with five touchdowns in five games. He's a touchdown machine. And like I stated above, Texas Tech should be passing for a lot of yards in their matchup at Arkansas, so I would expect not only a touchdown but big yardage from Lauderdale.

Top Tight Ends

Early -  Brandon Fritts, North Carolina ($2,200)

If, and especially if, you lock in Williams at your quarterback spot I'd target his number one tight end. As I mentioned above, North Carolina is going to put up points and do a lot of damage through the air. Fritts has just three catches on the season, but two of them are for scores. For such a bargain bin price I can't help but hope Williams and Fritts hook up for another touchdown. He'll also allow you more room to fit the studs you want in your lineup this week.

Late -  Hunter Henry, Arkansas ($3,600)

Unlike my early slate pick at the tight end position, Henry is a guy you have to pay up for if you want him. In this game, you want to want him. As I said, this game is going to have a lot of possessions and a lot of points scored by each team. If Texas Tech somehow jumps out to an early lead we could see Arkansas turn to the passing game over its usual running attack. If that's the case or this turns into a flat out shootout, Henry should be heavily involved. With lead wideout Keon Hatcher sidelined due to a leg injury it could be Henry who benefits from the Razorbacks' projected 237 passing yards.