Dr. Saturday’s daily fantasy picks and advice for Saturday’s games
Fan Duel’s college football contests were broken up into three different segments this week — Early, Late Afternoon and Late — so I went ahead and made picks for all three contests.
It’s your choice whether you want to play all three segments, one segment or ignore my advice altogether. Just remember that none of the players in one segment will be available in any of the others.
Here’s a quick look at the players I like for this week’s daily fantasy:
QUARTERBACK
EARLY
Chris Laviano, Rutgers ($8,300): Laviano was suspended for the first half against Norfolk State, but came in in the second half and completed all four of his passes for 138 yards and three touchdowns, and turned a close game into a blowout. He’s the starter this week and a Washington State team that likes to get into shootouts is the perfect opponent.
LATE AFTERNOON
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma ($8,800): Mayfield struggled a little bit to get into a groove in his first game as a Sooner, but once he did, he threw for 388 yards and three touchdowns and he didn’t even play the entire game. Expect him to have a similarly good outing against a Tennessee secondary that allowed 433 passing yards to Bowling Green.
LATE
Josh Rosen, UCLA ($8,000): Rosen is fresh off a spectacular debut where he threw for 351 yards and three touchdowns against a decent Virginia defense. Expect similar numbers against a UNLV team that Northern Illinois lit up for 360 passing yards in the opening week.
RUNNING BACK
EARLY
Derrick Henry, Alabama ($8,100): It’s hard not to like Henry’s bruising style against a smaller Middle Tennessee State team. He had 13 carries for 147 yards and three touchdowns against Wisconsin. Probably fair to assume he won’t get as many touches against MTSU, but he should still be able to gain a few goal line touches.
Marcus Marshall, Georgia Tech ($6,400): Marshall had whopping eight carries for 184 yards against Alcorn State last week. Don’t expect a similar outing against Tulane, but Marshall should be able to put up good numbers against a Tulane team that allowed 206 rushing yards to Duke.
LATE AFTERNOON
Tra Carson, Texas A&M ($7,900): Carson had 29 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown against Arizona State and should have even better numbers against Ball State. The only concern with this game is that he might lose carries if this game gets out of hand.
Sam Craft, Memphis ($5,200): Craft was the Tigers’ third-leading rusher in the season opener with 12 carries for 72 yards, but don’t let that fool you. He came out early in the second half when the game was in hand and other backs earned garbage carries late. The game against Kansas should be (a little) more competitive and Craft should get the bulk of the touches against a Kansas defense that allowed 170 yards to South Dakota State.
LATE
Leonard Fournette, LSU ($6,900): Fournette was a beast last year, rushing for 1,034 and 10 touchdowns. He hasn’t played a game this year, but it’s fair to assume he’s poised for another big year and should be used to take the pressure off new starting quarterback Brandon Harris. Mississippi state returns just five starters from a defense that allowed 151.54 rushing yards per game a year ago.
Soso Jamabo, UCLA ($5,200): This is a gamble, but Jamabo played well enough in the opener and showed some strength and skill to earn some extra touches this week, especially against a UNLV defense that allowed 185 yards to NIU. Jamabo finished his career opener with nine carries for 79 yards.
WIDE RECEIVER
EARLY
Leonte Caroo, Rutgers ($7,400): Like Laviano, Caroo also was suspended for the first half against Norfolk State but made his presence known in the second half with three catches for 129 yards and three touchdowns. He has a great rapport with Laviano and Washington State is a team that struggles against good passing teams.
Laquan Treadwell, Ole Miss ($5,800): Getting Treadwell at this price was a little surprising and perhaps it’s because he only had four catches for 44 yards in a blowout of Tennessee-Martin. But Ole Miss seemed focused on getting a lot of guys playing time, so I’m going to take advantage of the value here. Fresno State is a better opponent, but Treadwell should be able to stretch the defense.
Matt VandeBerg, Iowa ($5,200): VandeBerg wasn’t the leading rusher in the opener against Illinois State, but he did have the lone receiving touchdown. VandeBerg is the team’s No. 1 receiver and he’ll get a lot more targets this week against rival Iowa State.
LATE AFTERNOON
Christian Kirk, Texas A&M ($6,000): Kirk was the biggest surprise of the A&M offense as he led all receivers with six catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. His price is low because he’s in a crowded receiving corps, but here’s hoping he can put up similar numbers against a Ball State defense that allowed 444 passing yards to FCS opponent VMI.
Corey Davis, Western Michigan ($7,500): Anyone who watched Western Michigan last year knew Davis was talented, but for him to have 10 catches for 154 yards and a score against Michigan State was simply outstanding. He’s the go-to receiver in this offense and another 100-yard outing against Georgia Southern is expected.
Davonte Allen, Marshall ($7,000): Allen had five catches for 59 yards against Purdue, but I expect much better performance against an Ohio team that allowed 297 yards to Idaho and 15 catches for 160 yards for the Vandals’ star receiver.
LATE
Ricky Jones, Indiana ($6,400): Jones opened the 2015 season with six catches for 186 yards and a score, but that was against FCS opponent Southern Illinois. He could have a similar outing against Florida International, which allowed two 100-yard receivers against UCF last week.
Jordan Payton, UCLA ($7,200): Payton started the season opener a little slowly, but quickly found a rapport with quarterback Josh Rosen and finished with three catches for 54 yards. He should be better in his second game, especially against a porous UNLV secondary.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC ($8,400): Smith-Schuster didn’t play a lot in the season opening blowout against Arkansas State, but he still managed to have four catches for 89 yards and touchdown. It’s likely Smith-Schuster won’t play a full game against Idaho, but he should have another 100-yard game.
TIGHT END
EARLY
Jake Butt, Michigan ($3,700): Butt was the perfect safety valve in the Wolverines loss to Utah and he figures to be that all season for quarterback Jake Rudock. Butt had eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown against the Utes and he definitely has the trust of the offense.
LATE AFTERNOON
Mark Andrews, Oklahoma ($2,600): Andrews is a value option at this spot, especially since Oklahoma targets lots of players in the passing game. Andrews had four catches for 50 yards, which was one of the best performances for a tight end in the opening weekend.
LATE
Gerald Everett, South Alabama ($2,000): The options for productive tight ends were limited on the “Late” rosters and Everett might be a steal. He led all South Alabama receivers with four catches for 75 yards and a score against Gardner-Webb. He might not be as successful against Nebraska, but at least we know he’ll get looks.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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