theCFFsite • DFS
CFB DFS: Week 5 – Saturday Night 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
BYU 27 – TCU 20.5
WEATHER
74 degrees / 57% rain / 5 mph winds
BYU
★ Top Play(s) – QB Bear Bachmeier ($7,800) or RB LJ Martin ($7,500)
The game total doesn’t feel high enough to stack the backfield duo together, so its one or the other. Bachmeier had a strong outing in this matchup last year with nearly 300 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Martin is coming off his best game of the year with 176 yards and three touchdowns against a terrible Colorado State defense. Our slight lean is towards Martin coming off a bye week well-rested and a $7.5k salary that won’t hamper your lineup because of cost. TCU’s run defense is solid, but BYU should be able to run on everyone, ranked No. 1 in the country in rush success rate and 2nd in line yards. At the very least, you should have one of Bachmeier or Martin in each lineup.
↓ Fade – Backups.
BYU doesn’t rotate. You’ll see LJ Martin, the three starting WRs, and the Cougars top two tight ends. That’s it.
↔ Pivot Play – TE Walker Lyons ($3,600)
Roger Saleapaga is expected back, so he’ll share reps with Lyons at the position, but we’re intrigued by the USC tight end in this particular matchup. Lyons has at least two receptions in all three games this season and is facing a defense that’s had a tough time guarding tight ends. North Carolina’s Jelani Thurman posted 94 yards on four catches against TCU. The Horned Frogs allowed 30 yards and a touchdown to UCF’s backup tight end last week.
+ Best of the Rest – WRs.
64% of BYU’s receiving yards this season have come from either WR Legend Glasker ($4,600), WR Kyler Kasper ($4,200) or WR Jojo Phillips ($3,700) with the next closest Cougar wideout having just 45 receiving yards. Glasker is the preferred option with his usage on the ground, now with two rushing scores, but the top three rarely leave the field.
TCU
★ Top Play(s) – WR Jordan Dwyer ($4,700)
Dwyer immediately re-established himself as a major piece of the TCU passing attack in his return against UCF, catching five passes for 100 yards one nine targets. Pretty good for your first game back, right? A consensus top 15 fantasy wide receiver in the preseason, this feels like a spot to target Dwyer before his price eventually goes up. TCU likely be in a throwing script as near touchdown underdogs.
↓ Fade – QB Jaden Craig ($6,300)
The salary is tempting for a quarterback who has surpassed 300 passing yards in three consecutive games, but Craig hasn’t converted all of that yardage into fantasy points. Dismal performance this past week against UCF, throwing for 310 yards but resulted in just 12 fantasy points and multiple turnovers. Quarterbacks are averaging 12 fantasy points below their seasonal average when facing BYU this season.
↔ Pivot Play – RB Jeremy Payne ($6,000)
Payne is coming off a disappointing 48-yard rushing performance against UCF last week but did find the endzone for the second straight game and is dominating the team rushing share at 56%. Payne is also a factor in the passing game with 14 receptions on 16 targets, including six catches a week ago. That keeps him relevant if TCU fails to establish the run, which may be the case with BYU’s 2nd ranked run defense in the B12.
$ Bargain Bin – TE Kari Ashley ($4,400)
Ashley continues to be one of the more utilized tight ends in the country, entering this matchup with 19 receptions for 266 yards and three touchdowns through four games. He’s averaging nearly five receptions and 67 receiving yards per game, which is excellent production at $4.4k. Ashley is the second TCU pass-catching option beyond Dwyer, with BYU allowing over 13 FPPG to the tight end position this season.
+ Best of the Rest – WR Ed Small ($5,400)
Unfortunately for Ed Small fans, we immediately saw the impacts of Jordan Dwyer back in the lineup last week, with Small having a season-low five receptions for only 38 yards. At cost, we’d look to WR Jeremy Scott ($3,900) who wasn’t impacted, finishing the game vs. UCF a perfect 5-for-5 with 80 receiving yards.
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.
