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Penn State vs. Clemson
- Point-Spread: Clem -3.5
- O/U Total: 48.5
- Implied Score: Clem 26 – PSU 22.5
- Weather: 35 degrees / 61% rain / 10 mph winds
Penn State:
Top Play(s) – ***RB Kaytron Allen ($7,700) Allen being listed as our top play comes with the biggest asterisk that you could ask for as there’s very little incentive for the senior running back, with an NFL future, to play in this meaningless game. Interim HC Terry Smith has already hinted at some Penn State players playing only limited reps in the game. Allen is only to be considered if there’s some confirmation before Saturday that he’ll play the entire game.
Fade – QB Ethan Grunkemeyer ($7,300) There’s enough eligible options on the slate to not consider a quarterback that failed to score more than 14 fantasy points in any of his four starts this season.
Bargain Bin – RB Corey Smith ($4,000) No Penn State running back outside of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen carried the rock during B1G play, so it’s difficult to decipher which underclassmen running back would get the starting nod if Allen were to opt out. Smith was the first name out of Terry Smith’s mouth when discussing the running back position to the media last week, and On3 mentioned that “it appears Smith will be the first one up. How the carries shake out from there is anyone’s guess.” Clemson will be without 7 of its top 12 defensive players based on snap counts in this game, many of which from the front seven.
Pivot Play – WR Koby Howard ($3,200) Longshot dart throw play because it sounds like all three starting receivers for PSU are expected to suit up Saturday. That said, both On3 and 247Sports spotlighted Howard as another player to watch, as the new coaching staff should make it a priority to keep the freshman in the fold. Howard had just five catches this season but averaged just under 20 YPC.
Best of the Rest – TE Andrew Rappleyea ($3,200) Rappleyea caught a pair of touchdowns in the final two games of the regular season, including a season-best 75 yards in the finale vs. Rutgers. Clemson allowed over 11 FPPG to tight ends this season, and we’d prioritize Rappleyea for our lineups over any Penn State wideout.
Opt Outs / Injury Notes – RB Nick Singleton (out)
Clemson:
Top Play(s) – A Clemson WR. The Clemson passing game should look relatively normal on Saturday with most of the components expected to play. WR TJ Moore ($4,800) will serve as the team’s WR1 with Antonio Williams declaring for the NFL and Bryant Wesco remaining out due to injury. WR Tyler Brown ($3,400) will start in place of Williams in the slot, where he filled in during Week’s 2-3 earlier in the year when Williams was nursing an injury. Brown was targeted seven times in those two games, compiling six catches for 52 yards. Nothing about that jumps off the page but could do a lot worse for a WR at $3.4k that now has 76 career receptions under his belt. WR Tristan Smith ($3,900) will likely start with Cole Turner announced out on Friday. All three Clemson WRs are playable.
Bargain Bin – TE Christian Bentancur ($3,600) Strong close to the year for the 4-star redshirt freshman with 17 combined fantasy points in the last two games. He’ll start again most likely with Olsen Patt-Henry out due to injury.
Pivot Play – QB Cade Klubnik ($8,400) At this stage in the year, even on a 7-game slate, we’re looking for certainty with our lineups, and there are several QB situations that remain up in the air as of mid-week. Clemson is not one of those. Penn State allowed just around 20 FPPG to quarterbacks this season and were torched in the season finale by Athan Kaliakmanis for 338 yards and three touchdowns. Penn State will be without its defensive coordinator who took the same job at Tennessee and will be without multiple starters due to opt outs.
Best of the Rest – RB Adam Randall ($6,100) Teams can run on Penn State, as the Nittany Lions finished 93rd in rush D success rate, 69th in explosive run plays allowed, 68th in stuff rate and 13th in the B1G in yards allowed on the ground. What’s unknown currently is how Clemson plans to divvy up carries between Randall and prized freshman RB Gideon Davidson ($4,200). Dabo could give Randall a heavy workload as he did against South Carolina in Week 14 with 24 rushing attempts, or do we see a 50-50 split with the coaching staff looking to the future? Both should be considered.
Opt Outs / Injury Notes – WR Antonio Williams (out), WR Bryant Wesco (out), TE Olsen Patt-Henry (out), WR Cole Turner (out)
Connecticut vs. Army
- Point-Spread: Army -8.5
- O/U Total: 44.5
- Implied Score: Army 26.5 – UConn 18
- Weather: 31 degrees / 36% rain / 8 mph winds
Connecticut:
Top Play(s) – WR Skyler Bell ($7,900) Another asterisk for a star player on the slate. Bell committed to the Senior Bowl already, so it was thought that he might skip out on the game considering a makeshift coaching staff and to protect his future. As of Tuesday writing this, though, Bell plans to play this weekend and is trying to convince other Huskies already in the portal to play too. Bell finished the year as the No. 1 fantasy wide receiver in all of college football, ranking third in the country in targets (141), second in receptions (102), second in receiving yards (1,282) and second in touchdowns (13). Playable against any opponent.
Fade – QB. Murky situation here. Joe Fagnano is in the portal – we are projecting him out at the moment unless his teammates convince him to play. QB Nick Evers, our projected currently, is a transfer portal candidate which could alter his availability. If both are out, UConn could be down to its 4th stringer. No thanks. Army allowed just 17 FPPG to quarterbacks this season.
Bargain Bin – TE Louis Hansen ($3,600) The former Michigan transfer went six games this season without recording a single catch but left his best for last with 7-86-0 on eight targets in the finale vs. Florida Atlantic. Hansen is the full-time starter at tight end Saturday with Juice Vereen hitting the portal this week.
Pivot Play – RB Cam Edwards ($6,200) Edwards hit the portal after the coaching change but confirmed he will play on Saturday. That could change between now and then but operating under the information we have. And Edwards could be in for a full dosage of rushing attempts, with UConn’s RB2, RB3 and RB4 in the transfer portal. Army ranked 88th in rush D success rate and 111th in stuff rate but did finished 15th in explosive run plays allowed which is Edwards’ bread and butter. Good play but need confirmation he’s full go.
Best of the Rest – WRs. Probably won’t consider any WRs outside of Bell, unless we get surprise news that he’s out or Fagnano is in. WR Reymello Murphy ($4,000) and WR Shamar Porter ($3,200) will be the two starters running alongside Bell. Army did not allow a single 100-yard receiver all season long, fwiw.
Opt Outs / Injury Notes – QB Joe Fagnano (out), RB Victor Rosa (portal), RB Mel Brown (portal), RB MJ Flowers (portal), TE Juice Vereen (portal), WR John Neider (doubtful)
Army:
Heisman Members can view the full write-up here (click).
To access to all of theCFFsite’s DFS content, including Weekly Player Projections, become a Heisman member. Click here for membership options.
For one-week access to theCFFsite’s DFS content and Weekly Player Projections, select that option from the 2025 Membership Options.
