theCFFsite • DFS
CFB DFS: Week 9 – Saturday Main Slate Preview
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
↓ Fade
↔ Pivot
$ Bargain Bin
+ Best of the Rest
! Injury Notes
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.
Arizona
WEEK 9
VS
Texas Tech
SPREAD
Texas Tech -3.5
O/U
54.5
IMPLIED SCORE
Texas Tech 29 – Arizona 25.5
WEATHER
64 degrees / 0% rain / 10 mph winds
Arizona
★ Top Play(s) – WR Isaiah Mizell ($6,400)
Arizona was again without Gio Richardson and Chris Hunter against Iowa State, but Mizell looks like the Wildcats’ new WR1 regardless of their availability. He topped 100 yards for the second straight game, highlighted by a 71-yard touchdown on Arizona’s first pass play. We’ll always have strong interest in Noah Fifita’s top receiving option.
↓ Fade – RB Kedrick Reescano ($5,100)
A running back with touchdowns in three straight games should be appealing, right? Not against a Texas Tech defense ranked 16th in rush defense success rate that has allowed just one rushing touchdown all season. Add in a three-way committee with RB Antwan Roberts ($4,200) and RB Quincy Craig ($4,300), and this backfield offers little upside or reliability.
↔ Pivot Play – QB Noah Fifita ($8,300)
Fifita is close to matchup-proof, averaging 294.9 passing YPG with 18 touchdowns, just four interceptions and the nation’s eighth-best QB rating. Texas Tech’s defense is a downgrade from last year, surrendering 37 fantasy points to JC French last week after allowing Mikey Keene to throw for 256 yards and two scores. Overall, Tech is giving up 21 FPPG to opposing quarterbacks.
$ Bargain Bin – WR Brandon Phelps ($3,800)
Phelps disappointed as a popular bargain play last week, scoring just 8.3 fantasy points on 33 receiving yards. But we’re willing to go back to the well with Arizona’s depleted WR room. Even in a blowout against Iowa State, Phelps played 68% of the snaps and finished second behind Mizell with seven targets.
+ Best of the Rest – WR Caleb Smith ($3,500)
Smith flashed with 86 receiving yards against Washington State in Week 4 and played a season-high 59% of snaps against Iowa State despite modest production. We want exposure to at least one Arizona receiver, with a two-WR stack viable in GPPs against a Texas Tech defense allowing over 48 FPPG to opposing receiving corps.
! Injury Notes –
WR Chris Hunter (Probable), WR Gio Richardson (Probable)
Texas Tech
★ Top Play(s) – WR Kenny Johnson ($4,900) or WR Coy Eakin ($4,100)
Johnson is trending up with seven catches on eight targets in each of his last two games, totaling over 200 yards against Arizona State and Cincinnati. Eakin is less appealing but ranks second on the team in routes and targets while playing 73% of snaps. Arizona has been vulnerable to both slot and boundary receivers, so no strong preference between the two.
↓ Fade – QB Will Hammond ($5,900)
Will Hammond should be playing for Texas Southern, not Texas Tech. Yes, I say this as a salty DFS player that had him in several lineups last week. Very little reason to think things turn around against the 23rd ranked scoring defense in the country. Arizona allows just 18.2 FPPG to quarterbacks this season.
↔ Pivot Play – WR Micah Hudson ($3,600)
We’d love to cross Hudson off entirely, but he’s still playing nearly two-thirds of the snaps with multiple receptions in four straight games. The ceiling is low, the floor even lower, but the playing time keeps him on the radar.
$ Bargain Bin – TE Terrance Carter Jr. ($4,100)
Normally we’d say fade Carter against an Arizona defense that is giving up only 4.2 FPPG to the tight end position. But the Wildcats haven’t faced a tight end this season that ranks inside the top 50 at the position in college fantasy. Just 22 receiving yards in the last two weeks, but Carter does have three rushing attempts so there’s several pathways to fantasy value.
+ Best of the Rest – RBs.
This backfield is a wait-and-see situation, if not an outright fade. RB Cam Dickey ($4,500) is expected back after missing two games, but we prefer seeing him healthy before rostering him. RB J’Koby Williams ($8,200) is expensive and disappointed against Cincinnati. Arizona allows just 19.2 FPPG to opposing backfields, making a full fade reasonable. Whatever you do, don’t roster two Tech RBs in this matchup.
! Injury Notes –
RB Cam Dickey (Questionable)
SMU
WEEK 9
VS
Syracuse
SPREAD
SMU -9.5
O/U
58.5
IMPLIED SCORE
SMU 34 – Syracuse 24.5
WEATHER
Dome
SMU
★ Top Play(s) – RB Kendrick Raphael ($7,600)
Raphael is one of the slate’s top plays, combining strong production with an excellent matchup. Syracuse ranks 94th in rush defense success rate and 118th in explosive runs allowed, surrendering over 31 FPPG to opposing backfields. Raphael has topped 100 rushing yards in consecutive games, handling 22 carries against both Cal and Virginia.
↓ Fade – RB Christian Rhodes ($4,400)
The talented true freshman has seen the field the last two weeks with Dramekco Green out for the season. Rhodes carried the ball twice in a 10-point win over Virginia. Rhodes had seven attempts and two touchdowns in a 39-point victory over Cal last week. The spread is just 9.5. Raphael should see 95% of the rushing attempts.
↔ Pivot Play – SMU Receivers.
SMU receivers have been hit-or-miss under Rhett Lashlee, from Rashee Rice’s 1,300-yard season to this year’s offense, where no wideout commands more than a 22% target share. Syracuse has struggled against boundary receivers, allowing Jordan Shipp and Lawayne McCoy to combine for over 200 yards the last two weeks. WR Yannick Smith ($4,300) and WR Jalen Hale ($3,400) are our preferred options, with Hale scoring twice in his last two games.
$ Bargain Bin – TE Randy Pittman ($3,800)
Pittman has found the endzone in four of seven games this season and caught multiple passes in all but one game. Syracuse is giving up 10.9 FPPG to the tight end position. There’s just not a ton of upside here with SMU utilizing multiple tight ends weekly.
+ Best of the Rest – QB Kevin Jennings ($8,500)
Steady Eddie. Jennings has topped 20 fantasy points in five of seven games, throwing multiple touchdowns in all but one. Syracuse is tougher against the pass than the run, allowing just 18.7 FPPG to quarterbacks, so we prefer Raphael in this matchup. Still, Jennings’ consistency makes him a perfectly viable DFS option. Jennings is also playable as a standalone option without pairing an SMU receiver with him.
! Injury Notes – n/a
Syracuse
★ Top Play(s) – WR Umari Hatcher ($7,800)
Another tough matchup on paper for Hatcher, but does it even matter? He’s topped 100 receiving yards in four straight games with six touchdowns, ranking as the WR4 in college fantasy behind only Jesse Legree, Malachi Toney and Jeremiah Smith. Elite company. SMU allows just 27 FPPG to opposing receiving corps, though that number is largely inflated by a soft schedule.
↓ Fade – RB Tylik Hill ($4,700)
See below. No reason Hill and Ahmad Miller should have the same salary.
↔ Pivot Play – WR Calvin Russell III ($4,400)
5-star gunna 5-star. Russell found the endzone for the second straight week, while hauling in eight receptions on 10 targets against North Carolina. That’s 19 targets over the last two games. This Syracuse passing game is now concentrated to where whoever is at quarterback is primarily looking in just three directions.
$ Bargain Bin – TE Daunte Bacheyie ($3,700) or QB Steve Angeli ($5,300)
Bacheyie has emerged as the third option behind Hatcher and Russell, with 12 of his 19 receptions coming over the last three games. He’s also scored four touchdowns in seven games. Angeli projects for a modest 18.2 points against an SMU defense allowing just 17.3 FPPG to quarterbacks, but he threw for 256 yards and two scores against UNC last week. At $5.3k, 17–20 fantasy points would easily pay off his salary.
+ Best of the Rest – RB Ahmad Miller ($4,700)
If it wasn’t clear last week, it is now that Ahmad Miller is the clear RB1 for the Cuse after rushing for 130 yards on 33 attempts vs. North Carolina. Miller has scored four touchdowns in the last three games. SMU’s run defense is not that strong analytically, ranked 88th in rush D success rate and 106th in explosive run plays allowed.
! Injury Notes –
QB Amari Odom (Out), QB Malachi Nelson (Questionable)
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.
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