With no Thursday night football, the college football DFS picks are put on hold until a two-game Friday night doubleheader. With UCF taking on Louisville and Boise State playing New Mexico, here’s who to target in your DFS lineups on FanDuel.
Friday college football DFS: Top FanDuel DFS picks to target
Superflex: John Rhys Plumlee, QB, UCF ($12,000)
John Rhys Plumlee is the play in this game. No player should have as big of an impact nor statistical showing as Plumlee. The UCF offense will run through him against Louisville, not all dissimilar as it did against South Carolina State to open the season. Except against Louisville, the talent gap is closer, and Plumlee can use his re-invigorated passing ability against Louisville’s secondary.
However, it’s Plumlee’s legs that give him the edge over Malik Cunningham for the Superflex spot. Plumlee and the UCF offense aren’t afraid to ride with him carrying the ball as it appears the Cardinals offense is regarding Cunningham.
Wanting to develop your quarterback more as a passer and not as a runner is a great strategy for long-term growth, but it doesn’t bode well for your early-season DFS. Therefore, go with Plumlee and watch him crush the narrative that he can’t throw accurate passes.
QB: Malik Cunningham, Louisville ($10,500)
All that said about Cunningham, the rest of the quarterback options are — at this point — no-goes. Boise State backed Hank Bachmeier through ups and downs before, and despite his lackluster showing against Oregon State, it’s still up in the air in terms of how much Bachmeier or Taylen Green will play.
Don’t get me wrong. If Green plays the entire game, he’s in play for your DFS lineup next week, but we’re talking Week 2, Friday night.
Cunningham is as dynamic as anyone else is with the ball in his hands, but the fact remains that Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield wants him to stand in the pocket and throw more. That limits his high-end rushing upside and pushes him here to the second-best option at QB. If the play breaks down, however, expect to see Cunningham run the rock a fair amount of times. They cannot go 0-2 after all.
RB: Isaiah Bowser, UCF ($10,000)
Sean Tucker gashed the Louisville defense for 184 total yards and two touchdowns last week, so we should expect to see a heavy dose of Isaiah Bowser on the ground against the Cardinals. Bowser ran for two touchdowns last week a season after running for nine TDs last year despite an injury-shortened season. He’s a bruising back who should dominate the point of attack against Louisville’s depleted defense.
RB: Sherod White, New Mexico ($5,600)
Clearly a factor in the Lobos’ offense, Sherod White’s value is terrific on Friday night. Despite averaging just 4.5 yards a carry against Maine, White got the touches at the marquee moments and was featured in their passing attack out of the backfield.
He’s a dual-threat who is an elusive back to boot. Boise State allowed Oregon State to march up and down the field on their defense last weekend but kept it close because of untimely turnovers from the Beavers. New Mexico may not get the win, but White is the only play from this game.
WR: Braden Smith, Louisville ($4,900)
One of the fastest players on the field on Friday night will absolutely be Braden Smith. Held without a catch last week for Louisville, Smith still contributed with a reverse pass that he completed for 45 yards.
Smith is still a big part of this offense, lining up from the slot where he can use his speed mismatch on UCF’s linebackers for a potential big evening. Aside from Smith, the options are slim. Each of Louisville’s other top targets hold a much bigger value and/or were held to fewer than two points last week.
WR: Tyler Hudson, Louisville ($8,700)
Making a splash in his debut performance with the Cardinals, Tyler Hudson’s 6’2″ frame yields an even bigger catch radius. He caught eight passes for 102 yards — more yards than all other players on Louisville’s roster combined. Hudson can be unstoppable as he showcased last season with his 1,229-yard season for Central Arkansas.
WR: Ryan O’Keefe, UCF ($8,100)
Speaking of speed mismatches, Ryan O’Keefe should give the Cardinals secondary fits all game long. O’Keefe is a focal point of the UCF offense, catching three passes and rushing the ball twice in limited action against South Carolina State.
With Plumlee distributing the ball well, O’Keefe’s targets will surely be on the rise, but his ability on the ground is not to be overlooked. It drives his price up here, but O’Keefe is a DFS lock at this rate because of his target share and workload overall.
