This article is part of our Fantasy Elite Football series.
Rules: Live draft, add/drops allowed after draft, two- or three-team leagues, various buy-ins, players cannot be on multiple teams, $105,000 salary cap, roster of nine, broken down as two quarterbacks, two running backs, two wide receivers, three flex.
FRIDAY PRIME TIME 1
Fresno State at Boise State, Michigan State at Indiana, Western Michigan at Bowling Green, Texas A&M at Alabama
QB - Zander Diamont, Indiana, $5,000
There may not be a much worse opponent to make your collegiate debut against, but that's what Diamont will do Saturday against Michigan State. But, that's what's happening, and it gives you a cheap option to start your draft with. None of the signal callers are overly expensive, as Texas A&M's Kenny Hill checks in at as the most expensive at $22,989, which is also likely the cheapest he's been since Week 1. I like Bowling Green's James Knapke at $18,134 as well.
The running back group looks very, very deep and offers plenty of bargains, so we're going to bunch this all together. The top tier (Jay Ajayi, Tevin Coleman and Jarvion Franklin) check in above $23,000. There's not much reason to spend on those, but if you do, I prefer Franklin and am staying away from Coleman, who has a first time quarterback against a solid defense. The next tier down (Travis Greene, Jeremy Langford, Marteze Waller) are between $12,000 and $16,000 and I'm all in on Langford. From there, I really like the Alabama duo of T.J. Yeldon ($9,735) and Derrick Henry ($7,245) and adding Nick Hill ($7,786) to a team with Langford is appealing as well.
WR - Shane Williams-Rhodes, Boise State, $10,972
Williams-Rhodes has taken over as the Broncos' top receiver following the loss of Matt Miller for the year. He's yet to top 67 yards in a game, but has at least four catches in every contest, and has scored in consecutive weeks. He's also added at least one rushing attempt in all but one game this season.
WR - Ronnie Moore, Bowling Green, $9,183
In his last three games, Moore has 22 catches, 317 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, his last outing was just a four-catch, 30-yard showing. He's a gamble, but one that could provide huge returns while not breaking the bank. As previously noted, the running back options are vast, and sticking with a few cheaper receivers and loading up with ball carriers for your flex slots seems ideal.
WR - Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M, $9,439
Reynolds priced dropped considerably this week, so it's only right to include him as a bargain choice. He's the team's leading receiver with 29 catches, 476 yards and eight touchdowns, and has scored in five straight and six of seven games this year.
FRIDAY PRIME TIME 2
Rutgers at Ohio State, Temple at Houston, Clemson at Boston College, Oklahoma State at TCU
The quarterback slot here is tricky. Ohio State's J.T. Barrett checks in at a whopping $39,144, which could be the highest price of any player this season. To draft Barrett, you'd be allotted an average of $8,232 for your remaining eight players, and would likely have to take all eight of those first to insure you could afford Barrett.
I don't trust Clemson's Cole Stoudt ($12,439) so I think the best course of action under center is to snap up Oklahoma State's Daxx Garman ($17,803) and TCU's Trevone Boykin ($17,152) quickly, and move on.
RB - Jon Hilliman, Boston College, $5,000
Lock this in as your first selection, and don't think twice. Hilliman has at least 19 carries in four straight games, scoring seven times in that span. He is simply mispriced.
RB - Adam Choice, Clemson, $8,006
Choice appears to have emerged from the pack here, and with Stoudt back under center, a more conservative approach from Clemson can be expected. There's the potential for a breakout game from Choice, who has just 46 carries, 205 yards and one touchdown thus far.
RB - Desmon Peoples, Rutgers, $7,469
Peoples is seeing more work than Justin Goodwin, and while the matchup is less than ideal, he's another player valued under the average cost. Maybe there is enough value here to buy J.T. Barrett?
The top two running backs aren't overly high priced with Ezekiel Elliott and Desmond Roland checking in around $15,000. You're going to have to spend your money somewhere, so if it's not on Barrett, these top running backs should fit in nicely.
WR - Greg Ward Jr., Houston, $18,082
Ward's price clearly takes into account his position change, while his actual position eligibility does not. Ward will make his second start at quarterback for the Cougars, and while his production may not warrant his price tag, adding a third QB to your roster is a tremendous advantage. If he were a quarterback in this game, I'd value him below Garman and Boykin. Ward is very raw as a passer, but will run the ball often.
WR - Artavis Scott, Clemson, $9,324
Scott has shown the ability to make plays in space, and with Cole Stoudt back under center, Scott should see a few short passes, and I'm banking he turns one or two of those into 20+ yard gains.
WR - Markeith Ambles, Houston, $6,863
The more I've gone through the options in this slate, the more I'd entertain trying to put J.T. Barrett on my team. I'm not in love with any of the receivers here, so why not gamble on Ambles? He has just 11 catches and 137 yards on the year, but caught two balls for 40 yards and his first touchdown last week with Ward making his first start. Maybe the two have some chemistry. The Cougars lost their second-leading receiver, Daniel Spencer, to a torn ACL last week, further giving hope with Ambles.
SATURDAY SEC
Georgia at Arkansas, Tennessee at Ole Miss, Missouri at Florida, Kentucky at LSU
Kudos to the folks at Fantasy Elite for making this conference-specific pairing. It may alienate some, but a straight SEC contest is new, different and challenging. If you disagree, then explain to me why Florida's Jeff Driskel is the second highest-priced quarterback at $20,026.
And as such, the quarterback position looks like a disaster. Ole Miss' Bo Wallace represents the highest priced option at $26,339, while LSU's Brandon Harris bottoms out the potential playable options at $13,805. If I had to choose two here, which apparently I do, I like Mizzou's Maty Mauk ($19,198) to bounce back and Arkansas' Brandon Allen ($15,849) to provide modest production.
When selecting your backfield, Alex Collins is thrust into the top selection, possibly overall. At $8,571, his potential is way higher than his risk. Collins' disappointing production last Saturday was the result of two missed practices, which appear to be a miscommunication, and while he could be limited in his initial reps, Collins is too good to not see significant opportunities. Freshmen Leonard Fournette ($13,338) and Jalen Hurd ($10,510) look like bargains compared to Todd Gurley, who checks in as the highest priced player at $30,395 despite his continued suspension.
There's a clear lack of guaranteed success across positions, and that's painfully obvious at the wide receiver position, where Laquon Treadwell checks in as the most expensive selection at $11,552. There really aren't any savings options here as there aren't any opportunities to splurge, but Marquez North ($9,436) and Keon Hatcher ($7,653) could provide value.
SATURDAY PRIME TIME 1
Nebraska at Northwestern, Colorado at USC, New Mexico State at Idaho, Georgia Tech at North Carolina
Under center, the cheapest options look sound. Don't be scared away by Justin Thomas' ($14,659) removal last week – he remains the Yellow Jackets starter and faces a bad UNC defense. Matt Linehan ($17,997) and Trevor Sielman ($16,034) have favorable matchups that are worth exploiting.
In the backfield, Zach Laskey looks like my favorite selection at $9,453, as he's seen increased carries over the past few weeks and offers a no-nonsense style that will provide steady yardage. Incorrectly named Elijah Wood (Elijah Hood) has taken control of the UNC backfield over the past two weeks, and at $5,000 is well worth the buy as he should see short yardage carries, at least.
Nelson Spruce ($20,760) continues to decimate secondaries, and is worth the purchase price. I'm feeling Quinshad Davis ($12,552) more and more each week despite not catching more than three passes, as he simply has a knack for the end zone. Teammate Ryan Switzer ($8,062) seems overdue for a return score or a screen pass that goes the distance, while Mack Hollins ($8,916) actually leads the Tar Heels in receiving yards. I had no intention of stacking Tar Heel receivers, and I don't think I'd take all three, but each has a favorable matchup and could provide fair value.
SATURDAY PRIME TIME 2
Washington at Oregon, Stanford at Arizona State, Notre Dame at Florida State, Iowa State at Texas
It's late ... here are the picks
QB Cyler Miles, Washington, $12,676
Miles is too cheap to pass on. I'd pair him with any of Jameis Winston ($25,004), Everett Golson ($23,075) or Marcus Mariota ($27,156). It's likely a low price for Mariota, while Winston looks like an even bigger bargain, and would be my selection after seeing what UNC's Marquise Williams did to the Irish last week.
The backfield offers too many options. Matchup be damned, D.J. Foster should never be priced as low as $13,673. The Oregon trio of Royce Feeman ($12,794), Thomas Tyner ($9,281) and Byron Marshall ($7,267) bring appeal. Remound Wright ($12,743) actually looks overpriced coming off of a breakout game, but may finally provide the Cardinal with a trustworthy rusher. Looking deep, Dalvin Cook ($5,000) could break a play or two. Karlos Williams is returning from an ankle injury while Mario Pender will sit the contest out, leaving Cook as the team's backup rusher.
Rashad Greene being the third-highest priced receiver seems like a robbery, as he checks in at $13,974. He's been a rock all season long, and shows up in big games. He is going to produce as though he should be priced over $20,000. On the cheaper side, I've been a big fan of Allen Lazard ($8,300) and he is finally coming off of a breakout performance where he caught a career-high eight passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
