FanDuel College Football: Week 5 Picks

We have hit Week 5 of the college football season and have some handy tools at your disposal for the upcoming FanDuel slates. Included among those is our always handy lineup optimizer, the weekly rankings by position and some tools to explore on your own like targets, team trends,odds and Defense vs. Position. With all of this information at your disposal, we aim to arm you as much as possible each week.

With conference play firing up or in the second week depending on the league, many of the over/unders, spreads and implied points are beginning to normalize. A pair of SEC teams on the slate in Alabama and Auburn avoid conference opponents and should benefit in fantasy terms as a result. The Crimson Tide lead the group in implied points (58.5) against Louisiana-Lafayette, with Auburn (40.0) sitting fifth in the category. These games also have the biggest spreads, suggesting some of the backups could return value in mop up duty.

A full picture of some key statistical categories can be seen in the table below:

Note: Passing and rushing stats are opponent defensive stats.
YPA=Yards Per Attempt

Without further adieu, the following are some of the players I may target in the main slate this week.

Quarterback

Elite ($9,500+)

Will Grier, West Virginia (at Texas Tech) $10,600

Although the Mountaineers rank eighth on the slate in terms of implied points, the Texas Tech defense has been torched by most of the good offenses its faced this season, including 284 passing yards and two touchdowns per contest. Grier has the talent and weapons to take full advantage of that in what figures to be a shootout with an over/under of 73.0 that leads the slate. He's the highest-priced quarterback on the slate, but the difference between him and the other elite plays on the slate is minimal enough to make it worth paying up.

Secondary Pick: McKenzie Milton, UCF ($10,400)

Mid-Tier ($8,600-$9,400)

Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (vs. Syracuse) $9,000

Lawrence and the Tigers welcome the uptempo Syracuse offense to Clemson on Saturday. With Kelly Bryant now officially out of the picture, Lawrence will take full command of the offense and faces a juicy matchup to break in the new full-time gig. Through four games this season, the Orange defense has allowed 255.3 yards per game and 7.6 yards per attempt to opposing quarterbacks despite facing some lackluster offenses. When mixed with a decent rush defense and the fact that it's a conference game, Lawrence should remain under center for the vast majority of Saturday's contest and is coming off of a four-touchdown performance against a triple-option Georgia Tech offense that generally slows the tempo.

Tournament play: Charlie Brewer, Baylor ($9,100)

Bargain Bin (<$8,600)

Jack Abraham, Southern Miss (at Auburn) $7,700

I'm not a huge supporter of any of the bargain quarterbacks on this slate, but the best option under $8,600 in my mind is Jack Abraham and Southern Miss on the road against the Tigers. Auburn's 6.6 yards per attempt and 211.0 passing yards allowed per game both sit middle of the road on the slate and includes games against FCS Alabama State and a horrendous Arkansas offense that has exceeded 210 passing yards against only FCS Eastern Illinois this season. Abraham also has pass volume on his side, having chucked the rock at least 27 times in each of the first three games and at least 34 when excluding a Jackson State blowout game in which he didn't play the entire game. He's also racked up a combined 806 passing yards in his last two contests, suggesting there's some upside with an expected game script that involves Southern Miss trailing most of the game.

Running Back

Elite ($9,000 and up)

Qadree Ollison, Pittsburgh (vs. UCF) $9,100

Ollison generally leads the Pitt rushing attack, and that should be an emphasis during Saturday's game against UCF as the Panthers look to slow the tempo and limit UCF's possessions in the contest. The Golden Knights defense has allowed that to happen in 2018, surrendering 239.0 rushing yards per game (highest on slate) and 4.8 yards per carry. He does split some time with Darrin Hall in the backfield, which could impact his ownership, but Ollison has racked up yards against similar and better defenses and the high-powered UCF offense should push the score up.

Secondary picks: Trey Sermon, Oklahoma ($9,000), J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State ($9,300)

Mid-Tier ($7,500-$8,900)

JaTarvious Whitlow, Auburn (vs. Southern Miss) $8,800

Whitlow has clearly taken over the lead back duties for the Tigers as the season has progressed, receiving more than half the team's carries against LSU in Week 3 and 37 percent last week against Arkansas. Although Southern Miss' raw rushing yards per game allowed (132.3) rank toward the bottom end of the spectrum -- which could scare some away from him -- the defense's 4.9 yards per carry allowed suggests volume is largely at play. The Golden Eagles haven't faced a rushing attack like Auburn's yet, either.

Secondary pick: Otis Anderson, UCF ($7,900)

Bargain Bin (<$7,500)

Joshua Jacobs, Alabama (vs. Louisiana-Lafayette) $6,900

Game script is what I'm banking on in this matchup. Jacobs sits third in the pecking order in Alabama's backfield, but, with the highest implied total on the slate and a 49-point spread, the Crimson Tide should take a large enough lead in the second half that Jacobs receives a decent amount of run. His value is largely touchdown-dependent, but Jacobs should have a good chance to score his first touchdown of the season.

Secondary pick: Aeris Williams, Mississippi State ($6,000)

Wide Receiver

Elite ($9,000 and up)

Antoine Wesley, Texas Tech (vs. West Virginia), $9,800

A look on the other side of the slate's highest projected game in terms of scoring, Wesley leads the Red Raiders with 10.5 targets per game through four contests this season. With T.J. Vasher -- the team's second-leading receiver -- doubtful for the game with a knee sprain, Wesley's volume could increase as a result. Facing a high-powered West Virginia offense, the Red Raiders will likely be forced to pass early and often against a Mountaineers defense allowing 7.1 yards per attempt.

Secondary pick: David Sills V, West Virginia ($10,000)

Mid-Tier ($7,500-$8,900)

Amari Rodgers, Clemson (vs. Syracuse) $7,700

A nice complementary piece to Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, it was Rodgers who was the most targeted wideout in Lawrence's first start last week. He also has a team-high 5.3 per game so far this season. Syracuse's up-tempo offense should lead to more possessions, which will benefit Clemson players as well. The Tigers have played some closer games than expected this season as well, so the starters could be in the full four quarters in this one.

Bargain Bin (<$7,500)

Zach Austin, Texas Tech (vs. West Virginia) $6,600

Freshman quarterback Alan Bowman loves to throw the ball around. Despite being in mainly in four-receiver sets last week, Austin racked up seven catches for 69 yards against Oklahoma State. With T.J. Vasher doubtful, Austin is expected to move into the starting slot receiver spot for the Red Raiders, and with increased reps comes the potential for a big game.

Secondary pick: Chase Claypool, Notre Dame ($7,200)