This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.
College Football DFS Picks: FanDuel Main Slate Picks and Lineup Strategy for Week 9
The Week 9 FanDuel main slate is fully loaded with 14 games on tap. The Big Kahuna on this docket is TCU at West Virginia with a total of 68.5 but Pittsburgh at UNC looks like one to target as well (65.5). Aside from that there are just some generally good games on the schedule - somewhat underrated too like Notre Dame at Syracuse and Cincinnati at UCF aside from your Michigan State/Michigan and Florida/Georgia rivalry games. The regular season is dwindling before our eyes so let's see what week 9 has in store.
College Football DFS Tools
- DFS Lineup Optimizer
- Matchups Page (Vegas odds, opponent averages, etc.)
- Advanced Lineups Page
- Stats
- Team Trends
- Targets
- Defense vs. Position
- Team Rankings
- Advanced Team Stats
FanDuel CFB DFS Picks: Quarterback
Drake Maye has a 40.8 projected ceiling on Saturday against Pittsburgh so you'll pay for the UNC QB ($11,700). Hendon Hooker's ($11,000) Heisman chances might take a hit here against a good Kentucky defense, but he's also been matchup proof this season
Malik Cunningham ($10,600) Louisville 
vs Wake Forest
Optimizers say Malik Cunningham has a 46 point ceiling on Saturday at home against #10 Wake Forest. He's had a down year (5 TD passes, 9 TD runs) in what was supposed to be a possible Heisman campaign, but the Demon Deacons are middle of the pack defensively and have a quick strike offense that will leave Cunningham and the Cardinals a lot of opportunities on offense. We'll take what the UL QB did against Wake last year with 309 yards passing and 2 TDs to go along with 2 TDs on the ground for a 37 fp day.
Adrian Martinez ($10,200) Kansas State 
vs Oklahoma State
This might be more of a GPP play considering Adrian Martinez is a GTD (leg) and K-State's kickoff with Oklahoma State isn't until 3:30 PM ET. That being said if Martinez does give it a go he's got a great matchup with a Cowboys team that is in letdown mode after their 41-34 win over Texas last week and also has a really horrible defense. Despite losing the game, Texas threw for 319 yards and ran for another 204 as OSU has dropped to the 2nd worst team in the country vs. the pass (329.3) and 74th vs. the run (156.8). Martinez has a 52 fp ceiling game this season so he's worth a look - if healthy.
Will Levis ($9,100) Kentucky 
at Tennessee
The Will Levis pricing had dropped as low as $8k last week against Mississippi State, but he's back up there this Saturday night in Rocky Top. Levis has had a down year by his standards but still has multiple TD passes in 4 of 6 games this season and although the Volunteers are up to #3 in the country they also have the nation's worst pass defense giving up 332.0 ypg to FBS opponents. Levis had his best game of the season last year against Tennessee, throwing for 372 yards with 5 total TDs (3 pass, 2 run) in a 42-45 shootout loss.
FanDuel CFB DFS Picks: Running Back
People are paying up for Illinois' Chase Brown on Saturday ($10,700) and why not considering he's topped the century mark in every game this season and plays a Nebraska team in the bottom 25 of rush yards allowed (193.0). Michigan's Blake Corum is also on the main slate ($10,600) as is Pitt's Israel Abanikanda so three of the top 7 rushers in the country provide some choices at RB.
Raheim Sanders ($9,000) Arkansas 
at Auburn
Right outside of the top three of Brown, Corum, and Abanikanda is Raheim Sanders who gets a great matchup against not-your-fathers Auburn defense. The Tigers are still pretty stout vs. the pass (186.6 ypg) but boy do they get exploited on the ground. Ole Miss ran the ball 68 times for 448 yards in Auburn's last game two weeks ago. Three different Rebels topped 100+ yards vs. the Tigers in that game and although QB K.J. Jefferson will steal a chunk of Sanders' yards here, RB1 is still going to have a good day.
Deuce Vaughn ($9,000) Kansas State vs Oklahoma State
Kansas State has some QB issues with Adrian Martinez leaving after the first drive last week and backup Will Howard also questionable this week. That means Deuce Vaughn should be loose - which he should be anyways against an Oklahoma State defense that just allowed 140 yards on 24 carries to Bijan Robinson last week and another 73 on just 5 totes to Texas' Roschon Johnson. Vaughn has seen his carries dip the last two games, but he should get back into workhorse mode with this matchup.
Charles McClelland ($8,700) Cincinnati 
at UCF
Desmond Ridder isn't coming out of that locker room and although Ben Bryant has been solid (15 TDs, 6 INTs) the way Cincinnati beats UCF on Saturday afternoon is by running the football. That's what East Carolina did last week to the tune of 33 carries for 147 yards which opened Keaton Mitchell up for a 105 yard, 2 TD day on just 16 carries. Charles McClelland needs the rock as he's averaging 154 yards rushing the last two games with 3 TDs.
FanDuel CFB DFS Picks: Wide Receiver
Jalin Hyatt has 170+ yards and a total of 7 TD catches the last two games but it's hard to spend $10,000 on a WR in a 14-game main slate with so many options. Plus Tennessee has a matchup with a tough Kentucky defense so there are plenty of ways to pivot.
Xavier Hutchinson ($9,600) Iowa State 
vs Oklahoma
Xavier Hutchinson looks like the easiest sure thing on the WR slate considering he has 10+ targets in 4 of the last 6 games including 18 against Kansas in week 5. Hutch also has a matchup with an Oklahoma defense that gave up 4 TD passes to Jayhawks QB Jason Bean in their last game and rank 74th in the country in pass yards allowed.
A.T. Perry ($8,500) Wake Forest 
at Louisville
A.T. Perry has a TD catch in four straight games, a trend that should continue in a game with a 64.5 betting total. Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman threw the ball 40 times last week, and that was in an easy 43-15 win over Boston College so he'll be launching in what is expected to be a closer contest at Louisville. The Cardinals defense gave up 454 total yards to that same BC squad so they can be exposed.
Ronnie Bell ($7,000) Michigan 
vs Michigan State
It's no shocker the Wolverines are going to try to run the ball with Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards on Saturday, but Michigan State knows that too. The Spartans should try to make Michigan beat them through the air, which can easily be done as MSU ranks 107th in the country in pass yards allowed per game (269.0). That creates a great opportunity for a big day from WR Ronnie Bell, who had a 14 target day two weeks ago against Indiana catching 11 balls for 121 yards.
College Football DFS GPP Plays
J.J. McCarthy ($7,500) Michigan vs Michigan State
Michigan doesn't seem likely to take the ball out of RB Blake Corum's hands in a possible Heisman campaign, but the way you beat rival Michigan State is through the air. C.J. Stroud threw for 361 and 6 TDs vs MSU a couple weeks ago, Taulia Tagovailoa went for 300+ prior to that and Minnesota's Tanner Morgan had no problem dicing the Spartans secondary with a 23/26 passing day in week 4. We should see J.J. McCarthy's first 30+ fp game of the season in this spot.
Logan Diggs ($5,400) Notre Dame 
at Syracuse
The Fighting Irish backfield might be one of the most loaded in the country with Audric Estime, Chris Tyree, and Logan Diggs all fighting for carries. We may have seen Diggs emerge as the feature back last week though as he had 28 carries against UNLV against 10 for Tyree and just 3 for Estime. Those other two are always in danger of stealing TDs, but if you can get a possible Fighting Irish RB1 at this price you take it even if Syracuse does have a pretty good defense.
Trey Palmer ($8,300) Nebraska 
vs Illinois
The Fighting Illini defense is putting up somewhat unprecedented (for them) defensive numbers, leading the nation in total yards allowed (225) and giving up just 8.9 ppg. That's going to obviously driver ownership away from Nebraska's Trey Palmer but that's just fine after he caught 7 balls for 237 yards last game and added another 60 yards rushing. You pay to see that type of upside.
