A brief peek back at what went right and what went wrong in Week 8:

Good Calls

Another mostly good week: Stud QB Mac Jones (28.04 points) torched Miss State for 4 TDs and was actually outscored by Value QB DJ Uiagalelei (30.18 points) in his first start for Clemson. The other Stud calls also were top performers: Tylan Wallace (36.2 points) finally had his showcase game but his Cowboys couldn’t take down Texas, while Virginia Tech RB Khalil Herbert (20.7 points) was a true bell-cow with 21 carries to lead the Hokies to a high-scoring win over Louisville

Bad Calls

I didn’t expect Mississippi State to do much against Alabama, but thought there’d at least be some garbage time TDs, but the Crimson Tide shut out the Bulldogs and my Value RB Jo’quavious Marks (9 points). He did have 70 yards and 8 catches, so not a total bust, but he lost a fumble and obviously didn’t score. My Value WR Slade Bolden (3.5 points) didn’t take advantage of the opportunity due to Jaylen Waddle injury, earning just 20 yards.

Let’s look forward to the best plays for Week 10:

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TCU (-8.5) vs. Texas Tech, O/U: 61.5

Although TCU isn’t included for Single Game contests, the Frogs are back on the Main Slate this week, in a prime spot to put up big points. This is the 2^nd highest total on the slate and these defenses have been willing to allow scoring and yards. The prices are way too low for almost everyone in this game, so you could probably fill your Main Slate lineup with Frogs and Red Raiders and feel pretty confident about the results.

Stud

Max Duggan, QB TCU ($9,500) – The Tech pass defense is averaging 339 yards allowed per game and 41 points per game. If the TCU coaching staff and play calling decide to #LetMaxCook, then Duggan should have an explosive game here. We know that game script is far from a certainty, but the likelihood is high enough that Duggan is worth paying Stud price to roster on the Main Slate

Value

Henry Colombi, QB Texas Tech ($7,800) – Look, I don’t know a whole lot about Colombi and haven’t watched enough of Tech to have a true opinion, but someone who presumably has watched Colombi play has claimed that Max and Henry are equals and their matchup is “a wash.” Given that expert opinion it must be stated that Colombi is a massive value at a $1,700 discount. As an underdog with a high game total, the game-script should be in his favor, and with the injuries in the secondary and the lack of pass rush for TCU’s defense, he should have every opportunity to make good on that statement.

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Main Slate

Reminder: your Main Slate roster will include 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, and a Super Flex (any offensive player, including QB). The Main Slate this week explodes with 14 games to choose from, including first looks at top PAC-12 teams. Injuries have taken some of the shine off of Houston-Cinci and Clemson-Notre Dame, but it’s still a strong slate with the additional games.

Stud QB

Kedon Slovis ($9,100): USC (-11) vs. Arizona State, O/U 63 – It’s totally fair to stay away from this game – it’s the first we’re seeing these teams and is being played at 9:00 AM local time. But if Slovis and the Trojan offense can break out of hibernation to pick up where they left off last season, he should put on a show. Slovis will be supported by perhaps the best receiving trio in the nation (Drake London, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Tyler Vaughns), so even if he isn’t perfect, it’s likely these guys can help deliver big stats for their QB. If you’re feeling squeamish about taking a QB in his first game of the season, pay up a bit for Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder ($10,000) who has put up super-stud numbers in his last two games

Value QB

Davis Mills ($7,600): Stanford (+8) vs. Oregon, O/U 51 – We all think of the Cardinal as having a beefy slow em down and beat em up style of play, but if Stanford intends to compete in this game, they’ll need Mills to sling the ball around to his talented receivers. Over the last 4 games of the 2019 season, Mills averaged 40.25 pass attempts per game, so we know Coach Shaw has given him the opportunity before. Oregon had 3 starting defensive backs opt out for 2020, so if given enough time against a mean D-Line, Mills could take advantage of that loss of depth for the Ducks. Again, if looking to stay away from the PAC-12 in its first game, turn to WVU’s Jarret Doege facing a Texas defense that has given up 37 points and 294 passing yards per game in Big 12 play.

Stud RB

Leddie Brown ($9,400): West Virginia (+6.5) vs. Texas, O/U 54.5 – Brown is a virtual guarantee for 20+ touches for over 100 yards and a score. Even in a game as road underdogs, we’d still expect Brown to get fed often. The Longhorn defense has been better vs. the run than the pass, but that’s just because they’ve been so extremely giving through the air. Volume will be king for Brown and if he can turn it into a couple scores, you’ll be sitting pretty.

Value RB

DeaMonte Trayanum ($6,000): Arizona State (+11) vs. USC, O/U 56.5 – This may be digging too deep into the value well, but I think Trayanum is the perfect candidate to catapult your lineup to the top of the scoreboard. The 4-star true freshman may not get the first carry – he is listed as the co-starter with transfer Raschad White – but he will get the meaningful carries. Trayanum is the big body of the Sun Devils RB room, listed at 230 lbs, so he’ll likely get the goal line and early down work. He has legit speed too and could shed a few tackles to break a big run. I can’t imagine the USC defense will be too excited to tackle this freight train at 9:00 AM.

Stud WR

Rashod Bateman ($9,200): Minnesota (-7) vs. Illinois, O/U 61.5 – The Gophers have not looked good as a team and the offense has been very disappointing outside of Mo Ibrahim. However, I think there was some heavy bad luck that have put them in bad situations and they haven’t been able to overcome those situations. Enter the Illinois pass defense: giving up 310 yards per game including allowing 2 Purdue receivers to go over 100 yards last week (…star Purdue WR Rondale Moore didn’t play). Bateman must put up a huge game here or he’ll be really regretting opting-out of his opt-out. Thought of as a lock top-50 pick in the 2021 Draft, Bateman has yet to reach the end zone. He will at least once this week.

Value WR

Charlie Kolar ($6,600): Iowa State (-14) vs. Baylor, O/U 47.5 – It’s a tiny game total and a large spread – looks like it should be another game where Breece Hall runs wild. Kolar has been solid but disappointing in comparison to expectations. I’m looking for Kolar to have his return-to-form game where he records season-highs in receptions, yards, and TDs.

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Weekly Contest

Note: you will need a FanDuel account, but you do not need to make a deposit to join this contest, all these games are free and just for bragging rights.

Can you defeat me and the competition this week? Only the Main Slate contest this week. Join by copying the below URL into your browser.

For the Main Slate contest: https://www.fanduel.com/entry/51524-239842237?

Good luck!