College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 12/11/20

Week 15 of college football is here! FanDuel's Friday college football DFS main slate 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 back slots, three wide receiver slots (which also includes tight ends), and one super flex slot. In the flex, 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 in-house projections as well as betting totals and advanced statistics to tackle as many slates as possible in the lead-up to the College Football Playoff. Today, we are only breaking down the Friday slate, which locks at 6:00 p.m. EST.

Let's break down which players are in great spots as well as identify some players with cheap salaries who will allow you to roster the high-dollar players.

Quarterbacks

Jason Bean, North Texas ($10,500) – I debated between writing about Bean and Nevada Wolf Pack quarterback Carson Strong. However, I choose Bean because of his dual-threat ability. He's split time behind center for most of the season with Austin Aune. However, Bean appears to have "won the job" after playing the entire game for North Texas last week. While his passing game is inconsistent at this point in his young career, he's dynamic in the running game. The sophomore ranks third amongst the Mean Green with 343 rushing yards (five rushing touchdowns). Bean's ceiling is unmatched on this slate; he has one 50-point FanDuel game this season.

Nick Starkel, San Jose State ($8,200) – After spending most of his college career playing in the SEC, Nick Starkel has succeeded as a quarterback in the Mountain West Conference. In the four full games that Starkel has played in, he's averaging 283.5 passing yards and 2.75 touchdown passes. He's tossed at least two touchdowns in all four of those games.

Grant Hardison, UTEP ($6,200) – With all the high-salaried talent on this slate, we need to save somewhere. Hardison has struggled this season, but the salary and matchup are worth investing in on this slate. The Texas-El Paso Miners' opponent, North Texas, has been scorched through the air this season. They're allowing 274.6 passing yards per game. Additionally, they've been throttled for 22 touchdown passes in eight games. Will Plummer ($6,700) would make for a fine pivot/alternative if he starts for the injured Grant Gunnell (albeit at a slightly higher salary than Hardison).

Others to consider: Carson Strong, Jayden Daniels, Grant Gunnell (if he starts, Will Plummer if Gunnell is OUT).

Running Backs

Deion Hankins, UTEP ($8,400) – Hankins is averaging 17.8 carries per game over his last four games. In six games, the freshman has run for 493 yards to lead the Miners. He's also scored seven touchdowns. He's in a phenomenal spot on Thursday night as North Texas has been destroyed by opposing ball carriers. The Mean Green are allowing an eye-popping 236.4 rushing yards per game. Additionally, they've been flattened for 22 touchdowns in eight games.

DeaMonte Trayanum, Arizona State ($8,000) – Trayanum looks like he's pulled ahead of Rachaad White as Arizona State's lead ball carrier. After running for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns in the season opener, Trayanum out-carried White 15 to 7 last week. Trayanum turned his 15 carries into 108 yards in last week's loss to the UCLA Bruins. The freshman encounters a weak Arizona Wildcats run defense. The Wildcats are allowing 273.5 rushing yards per game. Moreover, they've surrendered 12 rushing touchdowns in four games this season.

Gary Brightwell, Arizona ($7,800) – The Arizona offense runs through workhorse Brightwell. The senior has topped 100 rushing yards in two out of four games. In total, Brightwell has run for 341 yards and a touchdown on 71 carries this season. He is in a great spot as the Wildcats host the rival Sun Devils. Arizona State is allowing 173 rushing yards per game, and they've coughed up four rushing touchdowns in two games. If you're in need of a cheap running back, North Texas' Nic Smith ($5,900) led all Mean Green ball carriers with 16 carries and 96 yards rushing in last week's game.

Others to consider: DeAndre Torrey, Toa Taua, Tyler Nevens, Oscar Adaway III, Kairee Robinson, Nic Smith, and Devonte Lee.

Wide Receivers

Jaelon Darden, North Texas ($10,800) – Darden has been one of the top wide receivers in the nation this season. He has at least one touchdown reception in eight games this season. Per Pro Football Focus, he's been targeted 100 times on 269 pass attempts by North Texas quarterbacks (37.2% target share). UTEP has little hope of stopping the productive Darden. The Miners are allowing 232.1 passing yards per game. They've surrendered 14 touchdown passes in seven games. Romeo Doubs ($10,000) is a fine play, as well. Doubs has cleared 100-yards receiving in six out of seven games this season.

Bailey Gaither, San Jose State ($8,700) – I must say, this slate is loaded with intriguing wide receivers. Gaither has piled up 29 receptions, 471 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns on 40 targets, per Pro Football Focus. He gets to tee off on a Nevada pass defense that has allowed impressive box scores to opposing wide receivers in each of the last two games. Fresno State wide receiver Keric Wheatfall had 5 receptions, 113 receiving yards, and a touchdown against Nevada last week. The week prior, Hawaii wide receiver Calvin Turner racked up 10 receptions, 77 receiving yards, and a touchdown against Nevada.

Frank Darby, Arizona State ($6,900) – Blessed with blazing speed, Darby is the Sun Devils' deep threat. He's only caught 6 balls for 46 yards and 1 touchdown on 12 targets through two games, per Pro Football Focus. However, it's only a matter of time before the senior catches a long touchdown reception. Darby had 31 receptions, 616 receiving yards, and 8 touchdowns last season, and that was with Brandon Aiyuk around. His teammate, LV Bunkley-Shelton ($5,100), is a great source of salary relief. He leads the Sun Devils with 14 targets through two games, per Pro Football Focus.

Others to consider: Romeo Doubs, Cole Turner, Tre Walker, Justin Garrett, Tory Horton, Stanley Berryhill III (if Gunnell starts), Deonte Simpson, Jacob Cowing, Isaiah Holiness, Ricky Pearsall, and LV Bunkley-Shelton.

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.