theCFFsite • DFS
CFB DFS: Week 3 – Saturday Main Slate
Matchup-by-matchup analysis with top plays, fades, pivots, bargain options, injury notes, and Mike’s Core Four.
★ Top Play
↓ Fade
↔ Pivot
$ Bargain Bin
+ Best of the Rest
! Injury Notes
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IMPLIED SCORE
UL 30.5 – SMU 29
WEATHER
95 degrees / 4% rain / 5 mph winds
SMU
★Top Play(s) – QB Kevin Jennings ($8,200)
Extremely underpriced here for a QB that leads the country in total offense through two weeks. Jennings has also dominated this Louisville defense in his time at SMU, completing 50-of-58 passes for 584 yards and three touchdowns in two career matchups. Trinidad Chambliss threw for 336 yards and three scores against this Louisville secondary in the opener.
↓Fade – RB Derrick McFall ($4,300)
McFall should not have the same salary as RB Dramekco Green ($4,300) or be in the vicinity of RB Kendrick Raphael ($4,800) despite leading the team in rushing with 46 yards last week against UC Davis. Neither Green nor Raphael played in the second half of that contest, and McFall didn’t record a single carry in SMU’s one competitive matchup against Florida State. As for how to approach the entire SMU backfield, might be wise to avoid despite the low cost. Raphael started the opener, Green was RB1 against UC Davis. We’re going to see a split until someone separates.
↔Pivot Play – Multiple SMU WRs.
We only have a one-game sample size here because SMU completed a pass to 16 different players last week in the UC Davis blowout. The top three seemed to be established against Florida State with WR Yannick Smith ($4,000), WR Yamir Knight ($4,100) and WR Jalen Cooper ($3,900) combining for 15 receptions on 22 targets with a pair of scores. Because of the pricing, and the QB throwing the football, and the high total, stacking two of the starting trio in a lineup is a viable strategy.
$Bargain Bin – TE Randy Pittman Jr. ($3,600)
SMU is utilizing Pittman just as Florida State did last year, lining him up at tight end, H-back, and as a wildcat QB, which offers a variety of ways to accumulate fantasy points at such a low cost. 5-75-1 on five targets in the opener for Pittman, playing in an offense that has featured plenty of TEs in the past with the likes of RJ Maryland and Matthew Hibner.
+Best of the Rest – WR Jalen Hale ($3,400)
The Alabama transfer was thought to be a starter for much of the offseason but was surpassed in fall camp by Yannick Smith. Hale only played 49% of the snaps vs. Florida State but has found a way to be effective with 121 total receiving yards in two games on just three receptions.
Louisville
★Top Play(s) – QB Lincoln Kienholz ($7,400)
Highest projected QB on the slate at theCFFSite at just $7.4k. Feels like a lock, right? Well, it is, but it will be for everyone else as well. 78 fantasy points in two games for Kienholz, including 40 against an SEC opponent so we have some proof of concept this works against a top-tier team like what he’ll face this week in SMU.
↓Fade – TE Brody Foley ($4,000)
The Tulsa transfer did play a handful of snaps vs. Villanova last week, catching one pass, but is pretty clearly the TE2 behind TE Jaleel Skinner ($3,700) who has 137 receiving yards over the first two games. Another cautionary tale of a G6 transfer moving up to the P4 and falling into obscurity.
↔Pivot Play – RB Isaac Brown ($7,600)
Disappointing start to the year for Brown with just 97 rushing yards in two games. Strange to see a player like Brown averaging just 3.3 YPC after being one of the most explosive backs in the country over the last two seasons. Brown is the ultimate pivot with folks most likely focused on the passing game components. The RB1 could see an increased workload if Keyjuan Brown does not play after being knocked from the game due to injury last week vs. Villanova.
$Bargain Bin – WR Lawayne McCoy ($4,600)
We’ve always wanted the WR1 in CFF under the Jeff Brohm offense, and that’ll undoubtedly be Tre Richardson this year. But the WR2 spot can be productive in this scheme as well, especially with the way Kienholz has been slinging it the first few weeks. McCoy is second behind Richardson in targets (10) through two games with a pair of touchdowns, leading the team with a 29 YPC average and an absurd aDOT of 22.4 yards. Stacking McCoy and Richardson together is viable.
+Best of the Rest – WR Tre Richardson ($6,100)
Jeff Brohm’s WR1 is undefeated. 181 yards and a touchdown in two games as Richardson is on pace for a 1,000-yard season in 2026. There’s WR options all over the board on this slate, both high, low and in the middle, but Richardson offers one of the safest floors with his early-season usage.
!Injury Notes –
RB Keyjuan Brown (Probable)
MEMBERS-ONLY ACCESS
theCFFsite’s
Heisman Members can view the
full article, and
Heisman/All-American Members can access the
Weekly Player Projections. Become an
All-American or Heisman Member for our exclusive members-only content and access to theCFFsite Discord, or access this week’s DFS write-up and Player Projections with a
one-week membership pass.
See 2026 membership options here.
