Week 3 of the college football season brings us one main Saturday slate on DraftKings, featuring 12 games. This $18 slate has a prize pool of $200,000, with $50,000 going to the winner. With 24 teams total on the slate, ownership should be fairly spread around, but identifying the best value plays is critical to taking down a GPP this size, and there are plenty of values, especially at receiver. Here are the best values by position for Saturday’s main slate:
Quarterback
Kedon Slovis, USC at Washington State ($7,200): Obviously, things are incredibly unsettled at USC right now, following the firing of head coach Clay Helton early this week. How the team responds after an embarrassing showing against Stanford last week is anyone’s guess. But the fact remains that Slovis is a supremely talented quarterback with quality receivers and it’s just as possible the team responds positively to the shake-up as a total collapse. Slovis is priced down and will likely go well under-owned, and that’s a great time to use him against a Washington State defense allowing 268 yards passing per game to start the season.
Jarret Doege, West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech ($6,200): Virginia Tech is no Long Island University. We get that. But you have to be encouraged by his performance last week, and if we assume that his two picks against Maryland two weeks ago were an aberration, then it could be worthwhile to come back to the senior QB. Doege threw the ball 40 times against the Terrapins and could have a similar volume this week.
Brendon Lewis, Colorado vs. Minnesota ($5,500): The Golden Gophers have allowed 81 points over the past two weeks. Their pass defense ranks 201st in the nation. They just can’t stop anyone. Lewis brings extra value in his running ability, as he’s rushed for 120 yards in his first two games. Facing a swiss-cheese defense, Lewis has a chance to pay off a cheap salary with ease.
Running Back
Kevin Marks Jr., Buffalo vs. Coastal Carolina ($6,000): Marks has been steady as a runner, carrying the ball 21 times last week for 85 yards, but he really needs to hit the endzone to pay off his salary. He did it twice in his first game, and he has a decent chance this week against a run defense that has allowed an average of just a shade under 200 yards per game. Marks even had three receptions last week, a promising trend.
Cam’Ron Harris, Miami vs. Michigan State ($5,400): Harris led the Hurricanes with 18 carries last week against Appalachian State, netting 91 yards. Michigan State certainly has a better team, but not so much that Harris won’t again have the primary role as the facilitator on offense. If he can garner over 20 carries and get across the 100-yard threshold, those three bonus points could go a long way.
Receiver
Garrett Wilson, Ohio State vs. Tulsa ($6,400): He’s still way too cheap for his talent and usage. Wilson has been targeted 11 and 14 times over Ohio State’s first two games and there’s no sign of that connection drying up anytime soon.
Tahj Washington, USC at Washington State ($5,000): Again, we are banking on USC coming out and playing with extra fire after the dismissal of their head coach. Washington has already been a fine wingman for Drake London, and now London is dealing with a back injury that could lead to Washington taking on a bigger load against a Cougars defense giving up big numbers to opposing passing games.
Calvin Jackson Jr., Washington State vs. USC ($4,900): If I’m going to sell you on the USC passing game, I have to offer you a bring-back to make the whole stack worthwhile. Jackson has been terrific through two games, with a 7-91 line in the season-opener and a 3-77-1 line last week. Neither team has played good pass defense this year, so there is shootout potential.
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