College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 10/27/22

College football is entering Week 9, and FanDuel's college football DFS main slate on Thursday includes three games.

In case you're unfamiliar with how it works, you can check out the rules and scoring on FanDuel, where you can hit the lobby each week to see the full array of slates and contests being offered.

As for the basics, your roster consists of a quarterback slot, two running backs, three wide receivers (which also includes tight ends), and one "Super FLEX". In the Super FLEX spot, you can insert one player from any position, including quarterbacks.

Here, our goal is to help you field a roster full of fantasy goodness, and in true numberFire fashion, we'll use our DFS projections and game projections to tackle as many slates as possible in the lead-up to the College Football Playoff. In this piece, we are breaking down Thursday's main slate, which locks at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Let's look at which players are in great spots as well as identify some players with low salaries who will allow you to roster the high-salary players. All stats come from PFF unless otherwise noted.

Quarterbacks

Cameron Rising, Utah ($11,500) – Rising will be the most popular player on the slate. The Utah Utes signal-caller has an absurd ceiling due to his unique athletic ability. The senior has accounted for 21 total touchdowns through seven games. He is averaging 255.0 passing yards and 43.7 rushing yards per game. Rising should have no issues with the Washington State Cougars pass defense. The Cougars are allowing an average of 243.6 passing yards per game (89th nationally).

Cameron Ward, Washington State ($10,200) – Ward enters Thursday night having topped 300-plus passing yards in three out of the last four games. The sophomore has recorded 16 touchdown passes through seven games. Additionally, this is a good spot for Ward and Washington State's passing game. Utah has struggled on the defensive side of the ball this season. They are allowing 7.32 yards per pass attempt (tied for slate high) and have surrendered 11 touchdown passes (slate high) through seven games.

Ben Wooldridge, Louisiana ($9,500) - Wooldridge has seemingly cemented himself as QB1 for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns. The junior has seven touchdown passes over the last two games. He also has dual-threat upside. Wooldridge has tallied 50 rushing yards in his two starts this season.

Running Backs

Frank Gore Jr., Southern Mississippi ($9,000) – The sophomore has at least 15 carries in four straight games. He has cleared 90 rushing yards in two straight games. The matchup with Louisiana is a solid spot for Gore and the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles' rushing attack. Louisiana has coughed up 10 rushing touchdowns through seven games (second-most on the slate).

Micah Bernard, Utah ($7,200) – Bernard has been splitting time with Tavion Thomas ($7,600) in the Utes backfield. However, there is speculation that Thomas could be in the doghouse after taking off his pads and leaving early in the Utes' upset win over the Southern California Trojans. Despite playing in a timeshare, Bernard has been productive as both a pass catcher and ball carrier. The sophomore has 217 rushing yards, 194 receiving yards (20 receptions) and 2 touchdowns through seven games. If Thomas is limited or out, Bernard would operate as the lead back.

Jaylen Jenkins, Washington State ($7,000) - Jenkins will operate as the lead back from the Cougars' with Nakia Watson sidelined. The freshman has tallied 299 rushing yards, 101 receiving yards (12 receptions), and 3 touchdowns despite splitting time in the backfield.

Jordan Houston, North Carolina State ($6,000) – Houston's workload has been heavy over the last two games. The junior has 36 carries and five receptions during that span. Additionally, Houston's backfield mate, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye ($6,500), may miss his second straight game. Houston is in an advantageous situation as the Wolfpack's opponent, the Virginia Tech Hokies, have allowed 11 rushing touchdowns (slate-high).

Wide Receivers

Dalton Kincaid, Utah ($9,200) – Kincaid has emerged as the Utes' top option in the passing game with Brant Kuithe sidelined. Since Kuithe was lost for the season, Kincaid has posted 23 receptions, 318 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns on 25 targets (in three games). Devaughn Vele ($8,400) is also an outstanding option. He is averaging six receptions per game over the last three games.

Jason Brownless, Southern Mississippi ($8,000) - Brownlee is the most targeted pass catcher on the slate (60). Most of his targets are occurring down the field; he is posting an aDOT of 12.5. The lanky wide receiver is averaging six receptions per game over the last three games.

Kaleb Smith ($7,100) - Smith is the classic boom or bust play. Due to the matchup with North Carolina State (allowing a slate low of 188.4 passing yards per game), he'll likely fly under the radar. Smith is the Hokies' deep threat on offense. He is posting an aDOT of 14.5 and leads the Hokies in targets (42).

Donovan Ollie, Washington State ($6,200) - Ollie is significantly under-salaried given his current role. The Cougars' pass catcher leads the team in targets (50) and receptions (33). Additionally, he has run 99 routes over the last two games, which is also a team high. Renard Bell is also out, which could flush some more targets Ollie's way.

General Notes

Jack Chambers ($7,500) is viable at quarterback since he brings dual-threat ability to the table. Chambers is expected to share snaps with MJ Morris ($5,500). Also, Wolfpack starting wide receiver Devin Carter ($5,900) is questionable.

Jakarius Caston ($5,800) will likely be available on Thursday night after missing one game. Caston is the second-most targeted Eagles' pass catcher (30 targets in six games). He is a contrarian salary-saving option at wide receiver.

De'Zhaun Stribling ($7,800) led the Cougars with 60 routes run in the Cougars' last game. He leads Washington State with four touchdown receptions. Stribling will be popular at his current salary. Leyton Smithson ($5,400) will fly completely under the radar, though, and he looks like the primary replacement for Renard Bell. Smithson ran 52 routes in the Cougars' last game.

Dontae Fleming ($6,300) has benefitted from Ben Wooldridge starting at quarterback for the Ragin' Cajuns. Fleming has three touchdown receptions over the last two games, and his participation has also increased during that span. Fleming has run 36 routes over the last two games, which only trails leading wide receiver Michael Jefferson ($7,400) by two. Jefferson is also a solid contrarian play.

Matthew Hiatt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matthew Hiatt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username easternmh. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.