There is no telling who the College Football Playoff Committee will prioritize when it releases its inaugural rankings in a couple of weeks. Still, we will have much more clarity after a dazzling Week 8. There are five Top 25 matchups on this week’s slate, meaning there will be some dramatic shifts in the standings come Sunday. But before we get there, we have a tantalizing 11-game main slate that features some of the premier talents in the country.
We’ve got you covered for DFS purposes, highlighting our preferred players from Saturday’s main slate.
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Let’s dive into this week’s slate!
CFB DFS Quarterback Picks
Taylen Green (Arkansas Razorbacks): $9,100 DraftKings
Defense remains a limiting factor for the Arkansas Razorbacks, but that has only amplified the ask on offense. Taylen Green continues to operate one of the most efficient offenses in the country, and we expect the senior to be at his best in Saturday’s clash versus the Texas A&M Aggies.
Green has been nothing short of sensational this season. The Razorbacks’ pivot has thrown for 1,654 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 63.0% of his passes. Those benchmarks lend themselves to the second-best QBR in the country, with Green reserving his best performances for the Arkansas faithful at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Predictably, all of Green’s metrics improve at home. His completion percentage goes from 61.0% on the road to 65.2% at home, his TD-INT ratio improves from 4-2 to 10-3, and his yards per carry jump from 5.4 to 9.8. As expected, that results in a seismic shift in his quarterback rating, creating almost a 25-point difference between his home and road benchmarks.
Granted, Texas A&M has held up defensively this season. Still, we have seen them struggle on the road. While it may not be enough to secure the outright upset, we expect Green will be given free rein to let the Razorbacks’ offense fly. We’re betting he has no problem reaching his fantasy ceiling and ending the day as one of the top performers on the main slate.
Haynes King (Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets): $8,300 DraftKings
Call us the Presidents of the Haynes King fan club, if you want, but we’re anticipating another Heisman-esque performance from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ quarterback in Week 8. The senior has become more unstoppable with each passing week, and we like King’s chances of leading the Yellow Jackets to victory again in Week 8.
Haynes King does everything right. Through six games, he’s completing 71.2% of his passes for 7.4 yards per pass attempt. Moreover, the dual-threat quarterback is well on his way to surpassing his previous career high of 737 rushing yards. So far, King has accumulated 440 yards on 87 carries, yielding 5.1 yards per carry and nine touchdowns. The scary part is, we could see a sharp increase in his throwing metrics over the coming games.
Heading into Saturday’s ACC clash, King is operating below expected levels in terms of passing. His 7.4 yards per pass attempt is below his career average of 7.6 and even further off last season’s high of 7.9. At the same time, he’s fallen short of his 2024 completion percentage, with a diminished touchdown percentage of 5.2%, currently operating at 3.0%.
Duke’s passing defense is one of the worst in the country. The Blue Devils rank 113th in the FBS, giving up an alarming 236.3 passing yards per game. That plays into King’s anticipated progression, pointing toward another solid performance on Saturday. It may not be a typical rushing-first effort, but we like King’s chances of reaching his pinnacle versus Duke.
CFB DFS Running Back Picks
Adam Randall (Clemson Tigers) $6,700 DraftKings
The Clemson Tigers and SMU Mustangs are both fighting it out for crucial positioning in the standings and potentially a spot in the ACC Championship Game. The winner of Saturday’s battle in Clemson puts themselves in the driver’s seat as both teams look to continue their ascent up the standings. The Tigers enter the contest as short home favorites, and they’ll turn to their lead back to put some distance between themselves and the visitors.
Adam Randall has been one of the more underappreciated fantasy assets this season. The senior has stabilized Clemson’s offensive attack, serving as an every-down back for the formerly fourth-ranked team. Through six games, Randall leads the team with 404 rushing yards on 75 rushing attempts, adding 163 receiving yards on 22 targets and 19 receptions. More relevantly, the Tigers’ running back has been a scoring machine, hauling in three receiving touchdowns and running into the endzone for four more.
Randall can be expected to reach his peak production against the Mustangs. SMU ranks as one of the worst defenses in the country, getting burned for 423.2 yards per game. While they’ve stacked up reasonably well against the run, they have yet to be challenged by a back of Randall’s caliber. SMU’s stiffest rushing challenge came against Baylor, one of the nation’s best passing offenses, and Bryson Washington still churned out 115 rushing yards.
Clemson will deploy Randall in his usual capacity, and we expect him to torch the Mustangs. He can be counted on for production on the ground but will also be a featured receiver in the passing game. Randall is a must-roster on Saturday’s main slate.
Kevorian Barnes (TCU Horned Frogs) $4,900 DraftKings
Purveyors of value will want to seek out Kevorian Barnes on this week’s main slate. Like Randall, the TCU Horned Frogs’ running back is an asset in both rushing and passing attacks, and he’s poised for a strong showing against the defensively corrupt Baylor Bears.
Barnes is the lead rusher in a three-headed attack. He’s deployed next to Trent Battle and Jeremy Payne but has taken the lion’s share of the workload early this season. Barnes leads the team in carries, yards, and yards per carry but has yet to match his teammates’ touchdown production. Additionally, he’s seen an increase in his passing game usage, absorbing seven targets over his last two outings.
As we’ve seen week after week, Baylor has no interest in playing defense. The Bears give up an average of 402.8 yards per game, with 177.2 of those coming on the ground. Like a festering boil, those holes have grown in recent weeks. Kansas State hung 501 yards on the Bears last time out, with the lowly Oklahoma State Cowboys putting up 448 the week prior.
Barnes and the Horned Frogs will have no problem trampling Baylor in Week 8. There is little doubt that the senior will soar past the implied value of his salary and put together one of the most unexpected performances of the weekend.
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CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks
O’Mega Blake (Arkansas Razorbacks) $7,000
Inarguably, Taylen Green and O’Mega Blake have formed an unbreakable connection. The Razorbacks’ wide receiver has become Green’s most reliable pass-catcher, nurturing an increased role with each passing week. As noted, we’re expecting big things from Green on Saturday. Naturally, he will bring O’Mega Blake along with him.
Blake’s receiving metrics are nearly double the next closest Razorbacks receiver. His 35 receptions and 464 receiving yards trump Raylen Sharpe’s respective totals of 21 and 249. That gap is even wider in terms of targets. Blake has had 55 balls thrown his way this season, more than double Sharpe’s 27. Further, 31 of those targets have come over the previous three weeks, with Blake hitting double digits in each one of those contests.
Blake’s home-road splits are less pronounced than Taylen Green’s. Still, there is a clear divide, with Blake’s best performances coming at home. The senior pass-catcher has more receptions at yards at Razorback Stadium, demonstrating more efficient production with the home crowd at his back. Blake’s yards per reception jumps from 12.1 on the road to 14.3, with two of his three touchdown passes coming at home.
The Razorbacks have gone over the total in four of their past five, a trend that is likely to persist in Saturday’s test versus Texas A&M. Arkansas will be forced to keep pace, necessitating more involvement from Taylen Green and O’Mega Blake. We like their chances of responding, and stacking both Razorbacks players will net DFS players maximum return.
Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State Sun Devils) $7,700
The Arizona State Sun Devils will find themselves in a similar position to the Razorbacks in Week 8. ASU hosts the unstoppable Texas Tech Red Raiders, and the Sun Devils will need to unleash their offense to keep pace. With that, Jordyn Tyson stands out as a premier wide receiver to target on the main slate.
Arizona State was without Sam Leavitt in Week 7, and it showed. The 21st-ranked Sun Devils were humbled by Utah, dropping a 42-10 decision. With Leavitt projected to be back in the starting lineup, we are predicting a resurgent effort from Tyson and the rest of the offense.
While they get credit for their stout defensive play, the Sun Devils’ offense continues to move the chains. The Utah embarrassment notwithstanding, Arizona State has gone north of 400 yards per game in three straight, averaging 443.7 yards per game over that stretch. More impressively, Tyson has accounted for 275 of those total yards while crossing the century mark in two of three.
From a DFS perspective, Tyson continues to separate himself from the pack with his innate scoring ability. He’s found the endzone seven times already this season, including being held without a touchdown in last week’s loss. Leavitt is back in the fold, though, and Tyson is keen to resume his elite play. Reaching 100 receiving yards with multiple scores is well within reach.
Jeremiah Smith (Wisconsin Badgers) $9,000
We would be remiss if we did not mention Jeremiah Smith as a top receiving candidate on Saturday’s main slate. Granted, we missed with him last week, but Smith is more than capable of climbing the fantasy mountain against the sadsack Wisconsin Badgers.
Ohio State enters its Big Ten showdown as substantive -25.5 chalk. While that seems steep against a conference foe, the Buckeyes have had no problem dismantling better defenses than the Badgers. They are now a perfect 6-0 straight up and against the spread, thanks in part to their elite offensive play. Smith is an integral part of those successes and should make his presence felt in Madison.
While Carnell Tate has stolen the show in recent weeks, Jeremiah Smith remains the preferred passing option. The sophomore leads the team in targets, receptions, and yards, biting off a meaty 31.9% target share. That dominance is even more evident in terms of scoring. So far this season, seven of Julian Sayin’s 15 passing touchdowns have been thrown to Smith, with all of those scores coming across the last five games.
Wisconsin gave up 37 points to Iowa last time out, representing the third time in four games that an opponent has eclipsed 27 points. That represents the low bar of what to expect from the Buckeyes, as they continue to run their championship-caliber offense over anyone who stands in their way. Assuredly, Smith is better than the 42 receiving yards he put up last week, and we’re betting on a monumental fantasy performance against the Badgers.
Pictured: Haynes King
Photo Credit: Imagn
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