College Football DFS: Week 9 Friday Slate Picks and Lineup Strategy

SLATE OVERVIEW

BYU (-3) vs. East Carolina O/U: 63.5

Louisiana Tech (-6) @ FIU O/U: 57.5

It's fairly obvious where the bulk of the treasure lies here, and it's with the Cougars and the Pirates. We're going to have endorsements across all four games, but the projected total for ECU and BYU is too good to pass up, and may very well go well over this total.

WEATHER REPORT

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QUARTERBACK

Holton Ahlers, East Carolina (DK $7,500, FD $10,500) @  BYU

Aside from a wrinkle that I will mention in a bit, there's no need to get cute at quarterback today. We want to place all of our focus on the higher-scoring matchup, and Ahlers is the first guy off the board for me. BYU's defense is vulnerable, and Ahekrs is capable of putting up monster numbers. In his last game against UCF, he shredded their defense by completing 83 percent of his passes on the way to a 311-yard game. He sports an excellent 18:5 TD/INT ratio and has three touchdowns on the ground.

Jaren Hall, BYU (DK $8,000, FD  $11,500) vs. East Carolina

Hall's TD/INT ratio (19:3) is better than Ahlers, but Hall's coming off an embarrassing loss to Liberty, and he sometimes comes up short in games where they should have been more competitive. Hall was contained against Oregon and Arkansas but kept things close before losing to Notre Dame.  Granted, you can't blame Hall for these losses, but BYU is known for superior quarterback play, and Hall hasn't been universally great. His numbers are still excellent, and he's facing an ECU passing defense that ranks 267th in the FBS.

GAME-TIME CALL: Parker McNeil, Louisiana Tech (DK $5,300, FD $9,200) @ FIU

McNeil will be a game-time decision, so if you have the time to wait, this could be a great way to get unique at the top of your lineup. As the signal-caller for the Bulldogs, he's accumulated 1,624 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

RUNNING BACK

Keaton Mitchell, East Carolina (DK $6,800, FD $9,800) @ BYU

I won't stray from the top of the pecking order here because both salaries are pretty reasonable, especially given Mitchell's numbers this season. BYU has struggled against other excellent running backs, and this week should be no different. Mitchell is looking for his third consecutive 100-plus-yard game, and he should be able to score his ninth touchdown in this contest. 

Lopini Katoa, BYU (DK $5,000, FD $7,500) vs. East Carolina

The injury To Christopher Brooks (hamstring) leaves the door wide open for Katoa to take over the job Saturday. Miles Davis will also play a role, but the every-down job is Katoa's to lose for as long s Brooks is out. The salaries are well=placed, and Katoa looks like a green light for DFS.

Marquis Crosby, Louisiana Tech (DK $3,000, FD $7,200)@ BYU

Don't look now, but I think DraftKings misclicked here. This salary discrepancy is such a big error that even though they would never do it, it almost demands a 'we goofed' email and a salary adjustment.  How they could put the Bulldogs' starting running back this low is beyond me. The FanDuel salary falls more in line with what you'd expect. Sure, he's in the midst of a touchdown drought, but he's coming off one of his best games of the season. This is a huge bonus for DraftKings because you can get a lot closer to rostering Ahlers and Hall by slotting Crosby in.

WIDE RECEIVER

Isaiah Winstead, East Carolina (DK $7,000, FD $8,600) @ BYU

I didn't want to look at Winstead's salaries, but I was pleasantly surprised to see where they sat. As a result, it should be pretty easy to afford Holton Ahlers' primary target.  Although he only has three touchdowns this season, he's one of the nation's top receivers in catches and yards, with 59 grabs and 803 yards over eight games. Do the math - that's just over 100 receiving yards, per game, and we've already discussed the plum spot that Ahlers is in against the Cougars.

Tyrese Chambers, FIU (DK $6,400, FD $7,000) @ Louisiana Tech

Chambers is our only official endorsement for FIU, but there's a way to go unique if you want to risk playing Gunnar Holmberg for a FIU stack. In bulk entries, it's worth a few plays, but Chambers is a good addition for any lineup situation, especially for FanDuel.It's tight to get to Ahlers and Hall on FD, but Chambers' favorable salary could go a long way to getting you there.

Puka Nacua, BYU (DK $5,800, FD $9,200) vs. Louisiana Tech

Nacua is a little expensive on FanDuel,  but a smash play on DraftKings. Nacua has only 19 catches, but six of those have resulted in touchdowns, so while not a PPR beast, he can break for a big play. If Gunner Romney is able to play, I would give Nacua a slight downgrade, and I am also totally fine with endorsing Keanu Hill (DK $5,000, FD $6,600) as well in this prolific passing attack. 

Also consider: Tre Harris, Louisiana Tech (DK $5,300, FD $ 9500) @ BYU