College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 10/15/21

Week 7 of college football is here! FanDuel's college football DFS main slate on Friday includes four 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 (tight ends are included in this group), and one "Super FLEX" slot. In the "Super 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. This week, we are only breaking down Friday's main slate, which locks at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Let's break down which star players are in great spots, as well as identify some players with lower salaries who will provide value to get to them.

Quarterbacks

Grant Wells, Marshall ($10,500) - Wells is averaging 332.0 passing yards per game (7th nationally) while operating the Marshall's pass-heavy offense. Wells has attempted at least 30 passes in all six games this season. It also helps the freshman was given a vote of confidence by his head coach this week after throwing four interceptions over the last two games. Wells in a classic bounce-back spot on Thursday night as the Thundering Herd travel to North Texas. The Mean Green have struggled on defense this season; they've allowed 11 touchdown passes through five games.

DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson ($9,500) - It's been a struggle for the former five-star prospect and the Clemson offense this season. DJ U has only topped 200 passing yards in one game this season. He has only recorded three touchdown passes through five games. On the plus side, DJ U has eclipsed 46 rushing yards in three straight games. Expect Uiagalelei and the Clemson offense to come out firing on all cylinders on Thursday night after having time off to prepare for the second half of the season. The Tigers opponent, the Syracuse Orange, have struggled with conference opponents. Syracuse has been drilled for point totals of 33 and 40 to kick off ACC play.

Austin Aune, North Texas ($8,900) - After splitting time with Jace Ruder early in the season, Austin Aune appears to have established himself as the North Texas Mean Green starting quarterback. Aune racked up 305 passing yards, four touchdown passes, and two interceptions in his first complete game of the season last week. The dual-threat signal-caller also recorded 59 rushing yards on 15 carries. He should be able to keep the good times rolling as the Mean Green welcome in Marshall. Marshall ranks 77th nationally in total defense. They're allowing 389.8 yards per game to opposing offenses.

Others to Consider: Anthony Brown ($11,000), Chase Garbers ($8,100)

Running Backs

Rasheen Ali, Marshall ($11,500) - It's only a matter of time before Ali receives national recognition. The freshman running back leads the nation with 11 rushing touchdowns in six games. He's averaging 20.2 carries per game over the last four games, and up next is a date with the Mean Green's porous run defense. North Texas is allowing 200.0 rushing yards per game, which ranks 111th nationally. Additionally, they've allowed nine rushing touchdowns through five games.

Kobe Pace, Clemson ($9,000) - Pace should make his second consecutive start with Will Shipley injured. Pace ran for 125 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries in Clemson's win over Boston College two weeks ago. Additionally, he's in an advantageous spot; Syracuse's defense has struggled in ACC play. Through two conference games, Syracuse is allowing 171.5 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns per game.

Travis Dye, Oregon ($8,700) - Dye is expected to start at running back with leading rusher CJ Verdell sidelined for the rest of the season. Despite playing behind Verdell, Dye has topped 85 rushing yards in three straight games. I'd expect Dye to shoulder a huge workload on Friday night. The three freshmen running backs behind Dye on the depth chart have all logged less than 10 snaps this season.

Others to Consider: Greg Bell ($10,200), DeAndre Torrey ($8,500), Sean Tucker ($8,200), Sheldon Evans ($5,200)

Wide Receivers

Corey Gammage, Marshall ($8,800) - Gammage has formed a significant rapport with quarterback Grant Wells. The junior wide receiver has six-plus receptions in five out of six games this season. He leads the Thundering Herd with 58 targets. Moreover, Gammage has eclipsed 75 receiving yards in all but one game this season. His salary remains friendly because Gammage has only one touchdown reception, and that could change this week. Gammage and the Marshall pass game could light up the box score against the Mean Green's vulnerable pass defense.

Roderic Burns, North Texas ($7,300) - Burns owns an impressive 28.6% target share. He's drawn 48 targets this season, which is 27 more than the next most targeted Mean Green pass catcher. Additionally, Burns has recorded at least five receptions in all but one game this season. Last year's second-leading wide receiver, Deonte Simpson, was dismissed from the program this week. Burns' usage will only increase moving forward this season.

Willie Johnson, Marshall ($6,900) - Johnson is the Thundering Herd's deep threat. He leads Marshall with an ADOT (average depth of target) of 20.7. Johnson has eclipsed 50 receiving yards in four consecutive games. I like his chances of lighting up the box score this week. North Texas is allowing a slate-high 8.33 yards per pass attempt.

Mycah Pittman, Oregon ($5,700) - Pittman is a former four-star prospect and is blessed with track-star speed. Unfortunately, the receiving opportunities in Oregon's run-heavy offense have been relatively scarce. However, this matchup with Cal calls for the Ducks to open up the passing game. California has been solid defending the run (allowing 119.2 rushing yards per game), but they struggle defending the pass. The Golden Bears are allowing 281.4 passing yards per game (116th nationally; slate high). They've also surrendered 12 touchdown passes through five games. Pittman carries a low floor, but he'll carry virtually no ownership in GPPs with a light workload in 2021 thus far. If Pittman can realize his upside, he can help separate your lineups as well.

Others to Consider: Justyn Ross ($9,100), Shadeed Ahmed ($8,000), Joseph Ngata ($7,800), Xavier Gaines ($7,200), Trevon Clark ($7,100), Anthony Queeley ($6,700), Derek Deese Jr. ($6,600), Kekoa Crawford ($6,600), Damon Ward Jr. ($6,500), Johnny Johnson III ($6,500), Isaiah Hamilton ($6,300), Jaylon Redd ($6,100)

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.