College Football Black Friday Plays, Nov. 29, 2013
This week’s set of college football games is always exciting to follow because they are spread out over several days. The day after Thanksgiving is no exception, as several of the daily fantasy sites are running Friday only contests.
Since Dan will have Saturday covered with his picks, and I will cover Saturday players on Grinders Live on Saturday morning, I felt like I would do my column a little differently this week and cover the Friday games so that they aren’t neglected. Therefore, this will be a daily plays column that focuses only on the Friday game set. I’ll have the traffic light plays back in full force for future weeks or bowl game sets.
Without further ado, let’s break down some players you’ll want to target on Friday. I’ve listed players that are available on all sites. FanDuel is offering an expanded game set, so I have included a FanDuel only pick at each position as well.
QUARTERBACK
Marcus Mariota – Oregon – Mariota has not looked very good the last couple of games and he was tested for a concussion after last week’s contest. The good news is that he’s been fully cleared, and he will be all systems go in the Civil War against Oregon State. Oregon is a hefty favorite and this game has a high total, so Vegas isn’t concerned about Mariota’s health. His price is now very affordable on several sites, and this is the game I think you have to pounce on it. On DraftKings, I think he’s the top overall option. On FanDuel, he’s just slightly behind Derek Carr, who will cost you an extra $1,500.
Neal Burcham – SMU – Burcham gets the start with Garrett Gilbert’s injury. He is virtually bare minimum price on every site, and SMU runs a spread air-raid offense. Houston’s defense is solid but gambles a ton, and SMU’s receivers are super-talented. I expect Burcham to hold his own and hit a big play or two in this one. He’s a perfect QB2 but could even be play in GPP’s on single QB sites.
FanDuel only pick – Rakeem Cato, Marshall – A high scoring game is projected with Shane Carden and ECU in town, and Cato has been playing very well lately, flashing vintage 2012 fantasy goodness.
RUNNING BACK
Bishop Sankey – Washington – Sankey is easily the top running back option on this day. The problem is that he is super expensive everywhere. However, I think you need to have some exposure to him if you are playing any type of heavy volume. Washington State has a terrible defense and Sankey is a bonafide workhorse. He’s a super safe option with extreme upside in all game sets.
DeAnthony Thomas – Oregon – I will be rostering Thomas on a lot of teams. He looked explosive and “back” last week. In addition, Byron Marshall was in a walking boot this week and is extremely questionable for this game. That leaves Thomas Tyner as the only other healthy back for Oregon outside of Thomas. I expect him to get his biggest workload of the season, and he can make your fantasy day with just one or two big plays.
FanDuel only pick – Kareem Hunt, Toledo – Check out his game logs when Fluellen is out. Fluellen is doubtful for this game. Enough said.
WIDE RECEIVER
Deontay Greenberry – Houston – SMU has an abysmal pass defense, but their quarterback situation is murky to say the least. John O’Korn has been nothing short of awful over the past three games, albeit all of them were against solid defenses. However, Greg Ward got four full series of action last week, and their coach plans to keep him involved this week. I would avoid the QB mess and target the Houston receivers as better plays. Greenberry is a stud and his WR-mate Daniel Spencer makes a solid cheap play too.
Bralon Addison – Oregon – Why is Bralon Addison priced so low on every DFS site? I mean, the guy has been the #1 WR for Oregon for a while, and he’s $3,000 on DraftKings? I know I am picking a lot of Oregon guys here, but I think it has merit as they are projected to top 40 points with not a super-high spread. Addison is a safe play for H2H and 50/50 games, but he’s going to be super highly owned…. and rightfully so.
FanDuel only pick – Davante Adams – Fresno State – He can win you games by himself. Some of his games are just ridiculous. You’ll have to pay to get him but he will likely be worth it against a bad San Jose State defense.
TIGHT END
Austin Seferian-Jenkins – Washington – ASJ is the only elite level tight end in play on this Friday on most sites, except for FanDuel where Gator Hoskins is in the player pool. I don’t have a strong feeling about whether you need to roster him or not, because Washington is asking him to block a lot more this year. If Keith Price starts, that is a significant upgrade to ASJ’s value this week. It certainly helps that they are facing a horrid Washington State defense as well. He will be on about half of my teams on this day.
C.J. Fiedorowicz – Iowa – If you want a playable punt, take Fiedorowicz. He’s a red zone target machine — think the college version of a Joseph Fauria. He can find the end zone on any week but won’t get a ton of yards, but the touchdowns are what you are hunting with your TE punt.
FanDuel only pick – Tyreese Russell – Eastern Michigan – Obviously Gator Hoskins is in play too, but Russell is a freak athlete. The problem is that Eastern Michigan has no passing game. They completed one pass for four yards in their last contest. When they do complete passes, Russell is often times the beneficiary. He’s my favorite cheap TE on FanDuel today.
Good luck today!