CFB DFS Top Plays: Week 3 – Saturday Main

Editor’s Note: We may not write up every player we consider to be a top play. Be sure to consult the chart at the bottom of the page. This page will be updated as necessary.

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Understanding optimal lineups for cash games is extremely important, even if you only play tournaments. Players in our cash pool are the ones we believe are the most underpriced, have the best floor/ceiling combo, and typically feature a relatively tight range of outcomes. These are the best plays on the board when considering price, context, and positional scarcity. These are usually pretty good options for GPPs as well.

The optimal GPP lineup will typically mix some of these cash-type plays with higher-variance options, often in correlated lineups. In cash games (where roughly 50% of the field gets paid out), we don’t worry about ownership, game stacks, or correlation. In large-field tournaments, we should be much more mindful of ownership. For more tournament content, check out our projections, and Friday’s live show, Establish The Show: The College Years, with Alex Hardin and Sean Newsham.

With all that said, these are our Top Plays considering the following factors: mean projection, matchup, upside, and value. Ownership is NOT considered here. Generally speaking, these players are what we consider to be “head-to-head and 50/50 considerations”.

They are listed in price descending order (NOT ranked by “best play”). At the bottom, you’ll find suggested rankings by site once salary is accounted for.

Quarterback

Jayden Daniels (LSU – DK $8,600) – Given concerns with Jordan Travis (weather) and Jalen Milroe (role), Daniels is the most appealing higher-priced QB on the slate given his rushing upside and just overall market share of the LSU offense.

Riley Leonard (DUKE – DK $6,700) – At $3,000 in price savings compared to Jordan Travis, Leonard should be a popular option Saturday due to a favorable matchup versus Northwestern (solid 33-point team total) and his running ability. Last season, Leonard ran for over 600 yards and 11 touchdowns, something that was on display in their big season-opening upset win over Clemson where he went for 98 rushing yards and a score. Northwestern showed some sign of offensive life last week, so if you use Leonard you are hoping the Wildcats can keep this game relatively competitive.  GPP Recommendation: 0 to 1 pass catchers in stack.

Nate Johnson (UTAH – DK $4,500) – The Cam Rising saga continues this year as he has yet to play a snap but has dressed for games and has practiced “fully”, except for contact, according to the team. Reports have suggested he is waiting for full clearance from his surgeon, which has yet to happen. Nate Johnson has been announced as the starter if Rising is not available. This creates a sticky situation that we have to monitor as the week goes on because Johnson is an electric athlete who certainly is way underpriced all the way at the floor quarterback salary. GPP Recommendation: 0 to 1 pass catchers in stack.

Running Back

Braelon Allen (WISC – DK $7,500) – Allen’s usage on base-down runs was a bit perplexing last game with Chez Mellusi out-carrying him 12 to seven. The negative game script did not help, as Wisconsin threw the ball 40 times compared to 29 rushes. The encouraging part was Allen’s continued high usage in the passing game, where he had seven targets, which definitely helps him bank floor points even when things don’t go well on the ground. In a game where Wisconsin is a solid favorite, we are expecting Allen’s rush volume to improve here, putting him in a great spot to bounce back from a disappointing week.