NCAAF

College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 10/28/22

Matt Hiatt Oct 28th, 2022
Jaren Hall and the BYU Cougars host the East Carolina Pirates in a game that should be filled with fantasy goodness. Who else should we consider targeting?

College football is entering Week 9, and FanDuel's college football DFS main slate on Friday includes two 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 Friday's main slate, which locks at 8:00 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

Jaren Hall, BYU ($11,500) – The Brigham Young Cougars' signal caller ranks within the top 15 nationally in passing yards (2,101) and touchdown passes (19). Hall also provides dual-threat upside (122 rushing yards this season). I wouldn't be surprised to see a ceiling game on Friday night. The Cougars' opponent, the East Carolina Pirates, has one of the nation's worst pass defenses. They are allowing 280.5 passing yards per game, including 9.01 yards per pass attempt (both the worst on the slate).

Holton Ahlers, East Carolina ($10,500) – Like his counterpart, Jaren Hall, Holton Ahlers is also one of the nation's top passers. Ahlers ranks 6th nationally with 2,435 passing yards this season. He has accounted for 21 total touchdowns through eight games. There is a solid chance the senior lights up the box score. BYU is allowing 422.2 total yards per game to opposing offenses. The Cougars' defense has surrendered 31 touchdowns through eight games.

Grayson James, Florida International ($8,000) - James is flat-out under-salaried against Louisiana Tech's porous defense. The Bulldogs rank 129th out of 131 FBS teams in total defense this season. They are allowing a mind-boggling 490.3 total yards per game to opposing offenses. James is a dual threat at quarterback and is coming off his best career game. James threw for 306 yards, ran for 53 yards, and accounted for 3 total touchdowns in last week's win over the Charlotte 49ers.

Running Backs

Keaton Mitchell, East Carolina ($9,800) – Mitchell is easily the top running back on this slate. He has a massive role, and the matchup is phenomenal. Mitchell has rushed for 687 yards and 8 touchdowns through seven games. Lately, the sophomore has been actively involved in the passing game. He has racked up 15 receptions over the last three games. Meanwhile, BYU's defense has struggled against the run. The Cougars are allowing 203 rushing yards per game, which ranks 117th nationally.

Lexington Joseph, Florida International ($7,200) – Joseph has been rotating at running back with EJ Wilson ($5,500). However, I prefer Joseph since he is also involved in the passing game. Joseph has 14 receptions, 105 receiving yards, and 2 touchdown receptions on 14 targets through seven games. Additionally, Joseph received a season-high 17 carries in the Panthers' last game. Florida International Golden Panthers' running game is in a great spot. The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have been throttled for 19 rushing touchdowns this season.

Miles Davis, BYU ($6,200) - Starting running back Christopher Brooks is out. Davis and Lopini Katao ($7,500) should have large roles against the Pirates on Friday night. For whatever reason, BYU seems hesitant to give Katao a large rushing role. I believe Davis will be the lead back for that reason. We've already seen Davis succeed this season as the lead back. The freshman ran for 131 yards on 13 carries in a win over the Wyoming Cowboys back on September 24th. Katao is viable and he will likely be significantly less popular than Davis.

Wide Receivers

Puka Nacua, BYU ($9,200) – BYU has started to utilize their playmaking wide receiver as a runner in recent games. Nacau has 10 carries over the last two games. It's likely that he'll be utilized in the running game on Friday night with Brooks sidelined. As a pass catcher, Nacua has been unstoppable over the last two games. He has 11 receptions, 255 receiving yards, and 2 touchdown receptions on 22 targets during that time span.

Tyrece Chambers, Florida International ($7,500) - Chambers is the Panthers' top pass catcher. After missing one game, Chambers returned to the lineup in Florida International's last game. He promptly dropped an eye-opening stat line of 10 receptions and 143 receiving yards on 12 targets. As noted above, this is a fantastic matchup for the Florida International offense.

Ryan Jones, East Carolina ($6,000) - The Pirates' tight end is averaging five receptions per game over the last four games. He ranks second amongst the East Carolina pass catchers with four touchdowns receptions. Most importantly, he provides plenty of salary relief on Friday night.

General Notes

Louisiana Tech hasn't announced a starting quarterback. Parker McNeil ($9,200) is injured, and his availability is unknown. If he can't play, the Bulldogs will either turn to Landry Lyddy ($9,200) or Jack Turner ($4,000). Running back Marquis Crosby ($7,200) is in a good spot. Florida International is allowing 4.53 yards per carry to opposing ball carriers. Meanwhile, wide receiver Cyrus Allen ($6,800) has an eye-opening 21.3 aDOT.

BYU's leading receiver Kody Epps is out on Friday night. Meanwhile, Gunner Romney ($5,500) is questionable after missing two straight games. If Romney is able to play, he'll be a popular option at his salary. We also can't forget about tight end Isaac Rex ($5,600). The sophomore has 15 career touchdown receptions. Keanu Hill ($6,600) is leading BYU with an aDOT of 15.1. He leads the Cougars with 225 routes run this season.

East Carolina's CJ Johnson ($9,000) and Isaiah Winstead ($8,600) are both great options. Johnson is a boom-or-bust play. He has eight touchdown receptions through seven games. Winstead leads the slate with 59 receptions and 808 receiving yards on 86 targets.

Florida International's Kris Mitchell ($5,900) is worth a look if you need salary relief at wide receiver. He led the Panthers with 64 routes run over the last two games (leading receiver Bracey was out for one of those games).


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.