Slate Breaker: College Football Week 3 (Friday)

Game Picks

UNLV @ Kansas

Do not panic Kansas fans, it has only been two weeks. Yes, that game against Illinois was a hard watch, but it has to get better. First of all, how does Devin Neal only get 14 touches in a losing effort. Kansas will learn from this mistake and feed him the ball this week. I do not believe Jalon Daniels is this bad either. The 4 turnovers were rough and he barely completed more than 50% of his passes, but this is a guy who passed for 227 yards and 1.9 TDs per game while rushing for 42 yards and .6 TDs per game. Turnovers were never part of his game either as the most interceptions he had thrown in a season was 4 so expect Daniels to have a huge bounceback game as he returns to his normal form. UNLV is a well coached team so they could surprise some people, but there is just too much talent on the Kentucky side. Kentucky all the way.

Arizona @ Kansas State

The spread seems a little misleading on this one with K State being 7.5 point favorites. This Arizona offense is very good while the K State passing game has left a lot to be desired with Avery Johnson passing for less than 200 yards per game. The K State run game is very good however so expect them to lean on DJ Giddens, Dylan Edwards and Avery Johnson's legs. This will be a very exciting game as both of these defenses have gotten torched by subpar offenses (Tulane and New Mexico) so this could very easily turn into a track meet. Ultimately, the talent on the Arizona offense will prevail but it will come down to the wire.

Player Spotlights

Quarterbacks

Play of the Day: Avery Johnson, Kansas State (vs Arizona)

This is all about Johnson's rushing abilities. The Arizona defense got exposed in their season opener as New Mexico QB Devon Dampier did whatever he wanted on the ground rushing for 130 yards and 2 TDs. If Johnson can get half of that rushing production, he will be an excellent play. Until Arizona proves they can limit the rushing abilities of the opposing QB, you have to start whichever rushing QB they face. With a shootout imminent, Johnson will be very productive this week following a mediocre start to the season.

Noah Fifita, Arizona (@ Kansas State)

Fifita is by far the most talented QB on this slate, but he does have a limited ceiling as a fantasy QB. Fifita just does not rush the ball with 19 rushing yards being his career high and no career rushing TDs. He will throw for 300 yards and multiple scores, but do not expect him to have a monster game where he pushes for 40 fantasy points. He is a safe play though as he is the only QB who is guaranteed to not leave you empty handed.

Jalon Daniels, Kansas (vs UNLV)

Daniels is the ultimate X Factor on this slate. When Daniels is on top of his game, he is an elite fantasy QB with multiple 40 point games under his belt, but he is nowhere close to his peak right now. He has topped 21 points just once in his last 5 games. Daniels is a high risk high reward play, but if he hits he can win you a tournament and he will hit sooner rather than later. I just have no confidence that it will be this week.

Running Backs

Play of the Day: Quali Conley, Arizona (@ Kansas State)

I just do not see how you build a lineup without Conley in it unless you are just trying to get different. Sure RBs like DJ Giddens and Devin Neal are fantastic players, but they both share their backfield with talented RBs. While there is no definitive confirmation that Jacory Croskey-Merritt will be truly ineligible, it is obvious that Arizona does not want to risk it until they hear back from the NCAA and they have not yet so this is Conley's backfield. Conley has looked great acting as both a hard nosed runner and fleet-footed pass catcher. Conley will easily see over 20 touches and will not have to worry about getting TDs vultured by his QB at the goal line so fire him up with absolute confidence this week.

DJ Giddens, Kansas State (vs Arizona)

Giddens is a premier RB. He has rushed for over 100 yards in 6 straight games while also scoring 6 times over that span. That is as consistent as it gets as I love when you can just pencil in 15+ points into your lineup. He is also a fantastic pass catcher where his big play ability really shines with a robust 11.1 yards per catch over his career. Giddens does have one big issue though with K State also loving fellow RB Dylan Edwards. K State wants to get the ball in Edwards's hands on crucial downs whether that be on 3rd down or near the goal line and this gameplan has already led to big games for Edwards with 3 TDs through their first 2 games. Edwards does not have stand alone value, but he does limit Giddens upside which makes his slate high price a bit less appealing.

Devin Neal, Kansas (vs UNLV)

I cannot believe that I do not have Neal as my Play of the Day, but Conley really is that appealing. Neal is an uber-talented RB who likely is amongst the top 5 RBs in the country. His usage has been puzzling to begin the year as he has handled just 22 touches through their first 2 games, but that has not stopped him from producing, with 213 yards and 2 scores on the year. It is only a matter of time until Neal's usage ratchets up and when it does, watch out because he will put up some monster numbers. Neal saw at least 14 touches in 11 games last year and in those games the talented back averaged 21.2 fantasy points. Neal already has a safe floor with two 100 yard games under his belt and the scary part is he could get way better. You need this guy in your lineups.

Wide Receivers

Play of the Day: Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona (@ Kansas State)

I do need to acknowledge my bias here....I love T-Mac. How could you not though? He is the best WR in the entire country and is paired with a QB who absolutely feeds him. This guy is the Polynesian Julio Jones. He is huge standing at 6'5" and has speed to match with a 4.5 40. Even on a full slate, I am playing T-Mac, but on a small slate like this he is an absolute must play. Sure, he is coming off an abysmal game where he had just 2 catches for 11 yards, but they were playing Northern Arizona. If you are driving a Ferrari on the highway and a Honda Civic tries to race you, are you going to risk your Ferrari and push it to 200 just to beat a Civic....no, that is reckless. With McMillan set to get his first action of conference play, expect him to rev his engine early and often. Just look how this guy ended his 2023 season with 127 yards and 8 catches per game over his final 8 games. And I have not even mentioned how he had one of the greatest games of all time to open the season with 10 catches for 304 yards and 4 TDs....video game numbers. Get T-Mac in your lineup or you will be left behind.

Ricky White, UNLV (@ Kansas)

White will go as far as his QB will take him. He is an elite talent, but not an elite fantasy option. White's fantasy outlook is marred by the play of his QB as a lesser Houston defense held UNLV QB Matthew Sluka to just 71 yards. I expect Sluka to struggle again against this Kansas defense, but there is a chance that he can connect with White on a deep ball or two. White is worth a dart throw, but do not get your hopes up.

Luke Grimm, Kansas (vs UNLV)

Grimm has been a target monster to begin the year with 21 targets over the first two weeks, but these are not the most valuable targets with all of them coming close to the line of scrimmage. He handled a large workload last week with 9 catches but ended with just 40 yards. If you want a safe floor, Gimm's usage provides a solid 8 point floor, but his lack of downfield work does limit his upside.

Jayce Brown, Kansas State (vs Arizona)

The K State passing has struggled out of the gates, but once it gets going, Brown will be a star. In games where Brown catches at least 4 balls, Brown has averaged 76 yards to go along with 3 TDs over those 6 games. The usage has been nothing close to a guarantee for Brown lately, but if it is there, Brown is a great fantasy option.

FanDuel DFS Dream Team

QB: Jalon Daniels, Kansas (vs UNLV)

RB1: Devin Neal, Kansas (vs UNLV)

RB2: Quali Conley, Arizona (@ Kansas State)

WR1: Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona (@ Kansas State)

WR2: Lawrence Arnold, Kansas (vs UNLV)

WR3: Jayce Brown, Kansas State (vs Arizona)

Flex: Avery Johnson, Kansas State (vs Arizona)

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