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UTSA vs. Texas A&M
- Point-Spread: A&M -23.5
- O/U Total: 57.5
- Implied Score: A&M 40.5 – UTSA 17
- Weather: 88 degrees / 50% rain / 6 mph winds
UTSA:
Top Play(s) – WR David Amador II ($5,500) Amador was particularly impressive late in the year, hauling in 29 of his 30 receptions over the final four games as the starting slot receiver. Particularly in DK’s full-point PPR scoring format, Amador is an appealing mid-tier option for a game setting where UTSA will likely have to throw.
Fade – RB Robert Henry ($4,700) The entire UTSA offense was cooking late last season, including Henry who close the year with 240 rushing yards over the final two games. The senior back like opens the year as RB1, but the coaching staff added several P4 transfers over the offseason in A’Marion Peterson and John Emery Jr. The staff is also very high on Will Henderson, who might be the fastest player on the team. UTSA has been a committee for the last several years, and this isn’t the matchup to use a running back in a timeshare.
Bargain Bin – TEs UTSA has the best pair of tight ends at the G5 level who will likely be playing at P4 schools next year when they inevitably enter the transfer portal as every good G5 player does in this day and age. TE Houston Thomas ($3,900) and TE Patrick Overmyer ($3,400) combined for close to 100 targets and six touchdowns last season.
Pivot Play – WR Devin McCuin ($5,400) Amador gets the headlines because of how he closed last season, but McCuin still finished atop the team leaderboard in targets, receptions and touchdowns, and did so in just eight games played. We’re rolling with Amador as WR1, but its by the slimmest of margins over McCuin.
Best of the Rest – QB Owen McCown ($5,900) There’s an outside shot this game gets a little wacky, with UTSA being arguably the best G5 offense in the entire country. That starts with quarterback Owen McCown who turned out to be an upgrade over Frank Harris, finishing the year with 3,400 passing yards and 28 total touchdowns. His standing in CFF was boosted by an increased emphasis by UTSA throwing the football, ranking 35th nationally in pass rate. McCown will also benefit by having arguably the top WR room in the AAC.
Injury Notes – n/a
Texas A&M:
Top Play(s) – QB Marcel Reed ($8,200) Offense wasn’t the issue last year, as A&M averaged 29 points per game in SEC play, and topped 30 points in five of eight conference matchups, spearheaded by emerging talent Marcel Reed. The sophomore quarterback started eight games, scoring 27+ fantasy points in six of them, with the only exceptions coming against the SEC’s No. 2 and No. 5 scoring defenses. With another offseason of development and a stronger receiving corps, Reed could emerge as one of college fantasy’s top dual-threat quarterbacks.
Fade – RB Amari Daniels ($5,000) The depth chart listed Owens ahead of last year’s backup in Daniels as it sounds like A&M wants to get the former 5-star a bit more involved in the offense this year. Not to mention he offers a differing skillset to Le’Veon Moss as a receiver out of the backfield. Seems like Daniels may have been relegated to RB3 duties.
Bargain Bin – WR Ashton Bethel-Roman ($4,000) Cheapest starting option on the A&M side, though ABR is listed in an OR situation with the versatile WR/RB Terry Bussey ($4,200) A&M receivers, particularly the third and fourth options, aren’t necessarily high on our priority list as this is a run-first offense.
Pivot Play – WR KC Concepcion ($7,200) or WR Mario Craver ($5,700) Naturally, for an offense that intends to run the ball 60% of the time, receivers are unlikely to hold much fantasy value. In OC Collin Klein’s three years as a play-caller, the highest finish for a receiver is WR101, averaging just 12.6 FPPG. That said, the pair of transfers are expected to garner the lion’s share of the target distribution with a lack of proven depth in the WR room behind them. Fine with rostering either receiver, but make sure to not stack A&M wideouts in a lineup together. The Aggies don’t throw enough for that.
Best of the Rest – RB Le’Veon Moss ($7,000) Before suffering the leg injury last season, Moss was on pace for a breakout season, leading the Aggies with 765 rushing yards in 10 touchdowns in just eight games. The offensive line should be one of the best in the country, returning 87% of its snaps played from last season and a group that was 23rd in line yards. A&M will be facing a UTSA defense that lost most of its key playmakers from last year.
Injury Notes – n/a
New Mexico vs. Michigan
- Point-Spread: Mich -34.5
- O/U Total: 48.5
- Implied Score: Mich 41.5 – NM 7
- Weather: 69 degrees / 0% rain / 3 mph winds
New Mexico:
No player projected to score more than 10 fantasy points this week so we’ll pass here for now. But read up on our New Mexico thoughts below for what to expect this season. They’ll have a handful of players for future DFS slates to consider.
For the second consecutive year, the Lobos find themselves in rebuilding mode after head coach Bronco Mendenhall departed for another job within the conference, and its top three playmakers hit the transfer portal in search of P4 destinations and bigger pay days. In to replace Mendenhall is former Idaho head coach Jason Eck who amassed a 26-13 record in three seasons with the Vandals. Joining Eck is long-time associate Luke Schleusner as offensive coordinator as the two have spent the last nine seasons together at both Idaho and South Dakota State.
Their offensive philosophy has generally been geared towards the run at a 58% clip over the last five years, featuring multiple 1,000-yard rushers in that timeframe. Makes sense then that Eck brought in four transfer running backs in the offseason, most notably Montana State transfer Scottre Humphrey who rushed for over 1,300 yards a year ago. During the spring, Eck called him the best back he’s seen in the last three seasons in the Big Sky conference. Humphrey is undoubtedly the headliner, but Eck also added his leading rusher from a year ago in Deshaun Buchanan, Sam Houston transfer D.J. McKinney who was the C-USA Freshman of the Year in 2024, as well as Weber St. transfer Damon Bankston who topped 1,100 yards on the ground last season. A four-way committee is very much on the table. This coaching staff has also produced four straight 1,000- yard receivers since 2021 with an average target share of 26%. P4 transfer Keagan Johnson (Kansas State) is the most recognizable name of the group but was infrequently mentioned in spring reports.
Michigan:
Top Play(s) – RB Jordan Marshall ($6,200) Alabama transfer Justice Haynes has been the preferred option of the two in fantasy drafts all offseason, but don’t forget Marshall rushed for over 100 yards in the team’s bowl game victory over Alabama. This is likely to be a 1A / 1B situation and would not surprise us in the slightest to see Marshall as the 1A given he’s been with the program. Both RBs will be productive on Saturday against this inferior competition.
Fade – n/a. All Michigan starters are playable at pricing.
Bargain Bin – TE Marlin Klein ($4,000) Don’t expect Colston Loveland type production here, but Klein likely has the position to himself on Saturday with Hogan Hansen unlikely to play a critical role. Hansen has been in and out of practice this month due to injury. New offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey featured the tight end position at North Carolina with Bryson Nesbit.
Pivot Play – WR Donaven McCulley ($4,800) This passing game was a wasteland a year ago, one of the worst in the entire country. That’ll change with a 5-star now at quarterback, and Michigan also has an undisputed WR1 in McCulley, a former Indiana transfer. Don’t expect mind-blowing numbers, Michigan hasn’t had a top 75 fantasy receiver in the last seven years, but 50 yards and a touchdown is very achievable for Michigan’s newest top wideout.
Best of the Rest – QB Bryce Underwood ($6,700) Cam Newton 2.0. That’s the belief (or hope) from this Michigan fan author of what Underwood can be right out of the gates. 20-point projection at this price is playable on DK, and our projection might even be conservative with 12 rushing yards projected. His prop line is all the way up to 36 rushing yards. Expect Michigan to let it loose a bit with its freshman in preparation for the big matchup next week with Oklahoma.
Injury Notes – TE Hogan Hansen (Questionable)
LSU vs. Clemson
- Point-Spread: Clem -4
- O/U Total: 57
- Implied Score: Clem 30.5 – LSU 26.5
- Weather: 75 degrees / 21% rain / 2 mph winds
LSU:
Top Play(s) –
Heisman Members can view the full write-up here (click).
To become an All-American or Heisman member of theCFFsite, click here.
