DFS: Saturday's College Football Lineup Optimizer

The biggest question for college Daily Fantasy surrounds LSU running back Leonard Fournette. At this point, he's basically where Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was last season for NBA, as he just keeps building on great performances that nobody else can really touch.

Westbrook's price reached record highs last NBA season, while it feels like Fournette's hasn't really risen nearly enough; at $10,000, he has still provided 3X value in each game this season, and five straight going back to last year's bowl game. With how well he's playing, you're almost left with a Catch-22 when setting a lineup for a tournament; if you start him, you won't stand out, and if you don't you're probably missing out on 40 points.

It seems like you have no choice but to play Fournette at this point, and the Lineup Optimizer agrees.

Here is the Optimal Lineup for FanDuel's early CFB slate, as of 12:00 p.m. ESTFriday.

Note: The Optimizer will produce multiple lineups throughout the week based on news and other factors leading right up to kickoff. The lineup Chris spotlights in his column may be significantly different than the lineup you receive from the Optimizer later.

QB Texas Tech Patrick Mahomes vs. Iowa State $8,600
Key Stat: Scores 25-plus FD points in 80 percent of simulations

This isn't the top player at the position, but at No. 2, he isn't far off. Seth Russell is projected for three more points, however, he also brings a price of $1,200 more than Mahomes, which makes it a lot tougher to fit other good pieces into your lineup. Mahomes is no slouch, of course, averaging 36.2 FD points this season, and he might be in for a better matchup. Russell and Baylor are projected to score 62 points, but their projected margin of victory is also 50; Texas Tech is expected to be in a much closer contest, with the optimizer seeing a 40-29 shootout win over Iowa State. With less of a chance to get pulled early, Mahomes might have just as much upside as Russell this week.

RB LSU Leonard Fournette @ South Carolina $10,000
Key Stat:Worth value in 99 percent of simulations

How high would Fournette's cost have to go to not start him? According to the optimizer, higher even than this, since he returns value on his price in nearly every simulation; considering you need 30-plus FD points from him, that's an impressive mark. Of course, he has done that in five straight games dating back to last year's bowl game, so why bet against him? In a matchup against Georgia's All-World running back Nick Chubb earlier in the season, the Gamecocks gave up 159 yards and a pair of scores to Chubb. That might be Fournette's floor at the pace he is on.

RB Iowa Jordan Canzeri vs. Illinois $5,800
Key Stat: Scores 15+ FD points in 80 percent of simulations

Canzeri is off to a great start, with his 14.4-point effort last week versus Wisconsin his worst showing to this point. At $5,800, that is pretty tremendous value, especially since he is averaging 22.2 overall. The Hawkeyes haven't really played anyone tough so far, and that probably won't change this weekend either; they are projected to put up 30 points on Illinois. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry the last time he faced Illinois in a limited role, and this looks like another good opportunity for Canzeri to keep producing.

WR Texas Tech Jakeem Grant vs. Iowa State $6,900
Key Stat: Has hit value in 62 percent of games last 12 months

Grant has been a bit up-and-down this season, but what is nice about him is, the down moments haven't been too low. He has caught at least six passes in each game, with his worst performance still netting 9.9 FD points. Paired with Mahomes, Grant has a great chance to go for a big game.

WR Iowa Matt VandeBerg vs. Illinois $5,200
Key Stat: Hits value in 55 percent of simulations

VandeBerg needs to snap out of a recent slump here, because he has just 130 receiving yards over the last three games. He came out of the gates like a bat out of hell with 15 receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns in the first three games. In a game in which quarterback C.J. Beathard is projected to toss a couple of touchdowns, VandeBerg has a chance to get back on track.

WR UMASS Marken Michel @ Bowling Green $5,000
Key Stat: Scores 15+ FD points in 21 percent of simulations

Michel is coming off his best performance of the season, a 113-yard, two-touchdown game against Florida International, and has been a consistent part of the Minutemen offense in each game so far. He isn't the top option in the passing game, but with Blake Frohnapfel projected for 275 passing yards, there is more than enough to go around.

TE UMASS Rodney Mills @ Bowling Green $3,100
Key Stat: No. 5 projected player at the position

Speaking of UMass, Mills put together a huge performance in the season opener before a leg injury kept him out of the next two games. If he can get back on the field this weekend, Mills should have a role in the offense, and is projected for 45 yards and a 52 percent chance to score. A good sign: the last time Mills faced Bowling Green, he went for 61 yards and a score.