Dr. Saturday's daily fantasy picks and advice for Saturday's games

This week I’m looking at two different FanDuel contests, the Early, which includes games through 4 p.m. ET, and the Late, which includes the games after that.

Here’s a quick look at the players I like for this week’s daily fantasy:

QUARTERBACK

EARLY

Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati ($8,200): Kiel threw for 427 yards and two touchdowns against Temple last week, but he also threw four interceptions that led to the loss. I expect him to avenge that day with a stellar performance against a Miami-Ohio team that allowed Wisconsin, a team not known for its passing, to throw for 263 yards and four scores.

LATE

Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech ($8,200): If there’s one thing we know about the Texas Tech quarterback, it’s that he likes to throw the ball. And against Arkansas, he’s probably going to be throwing the ball a lot. Toledo quarterback Phillip Ely had 237 passing yards against the Razorbacks and I expect even grander numbers for Mahomes, who already has 786 yards this season.

RUNNING BACK

EARLY

De’Veon Smith, Michigan ($7,700): Smith rushed for more than 100 yards and three touchdowns last week against Oregon State and should find similar success this week as the Wolverines’ top back. UNLV gave up 185 rushing yards and three touchdowns to Northern Illinois and 273 yards and two scores to UCLA last week. Expect another 100-yard game for Smith.

Jahad Thomas, Temple ($7,700): Thomas has been one of the bigger surprises this year. He’s rushed for 328 yards, which is just 64 yards away from the season-high he set a year ago, and three touchdowns. UMass gave up nearly 400 rushing yards to Colorado last week, so look for Thomas to play a big role in this contest.

LATE

Alex Collins, Arkansas ($8,600): Collins didn’t have the greatest rushing performance against Toledo last week, but he did find the end zone. He should have better success against a Texas Tech defense that gave up 227 rushing yards to UTEP and 317 to Sam Houston State.

Kenyon Drake, Alabama ($5,800): We all know Drake isn’t the primary rushing target, but he has become the team’s top dual-threat. Drake leads the team in receiving after catching five passes for 91 yards and a score against Middle Tennessee. He also had 40 rushing yards in the game. Drake’s ability to get yards in both receiving and rushing makes him invaluable in fantasy formats.

WIDE RECEIVER

EARLY

Geronimo Allison, Illinois ($5,800): Allison has become quarterback Wes Lunt’s favorite target with 10 catches for 181 yards and a score this year. North Carolina’s defense hasn’t been tested much this year, but look for Lunt to test the secondary early and Allison to be the first guy he looks for.

Tajae Sharpe, UMass ($6,700): Sharpe has picked up where he left off last year, as quarterback Blake Frohnapfel’s favorite target. Sharpe had 11 catches for 138 yards against Colorado. The only problem is he didn’t find the end zone. Don’t expect the same outcome against a Temple defense that was shredded by the pass last week.

Keevan Lucas, Tulsa ($6,800): Tulsa has been throwing the ball a lot through two games this season and expect Saturday’s game against Oklahoma to be more of the same. Lucas leads Tulsa with 14 catches for 258 yards, but most importantly, he has three touchdowns. He’ll be quarterback Dane Evans’ top target in a tough contest.

LATE

Gabe Marks, Washington State ($7,000): Washington State is going to have a lot of success against Wyoming’s porous defense early and expect Marks to be one of the receivers getting in on the action. So far he’s been quarterback Luke Falk’s top target with 20 catches for 222 yards and two scores. Look for another 100-yard game against the Cowboys.

Dom Williams, Washington State ($6,600): Similar to Marks, Williams has a chance to have a big game against the Cowboys. Washington State is averaging 55 pass attempts per game. Williams has collected five catches in each game for a total of 157 yards and a score. If you don’t like this option, River Cracraft, another Wazzu receiver, works as well.

Jakeem Grant, Texas Tech ($6,400): Devin Lauderdale might have more touchdowns, but Jakeem Grant is getting the more consistent targets and yards. The scores will come — he had his first against UTEP — and look for him to be the Red Raiders’ top target against Arkansas this weekend.

TIGHT END

EARLY

Ryan Malleck, Virginia Tech ($2,000): The Virginia Tech offense settled down against Furman and got into a little bit better rhythm. It should have similar success against Purdue. Malleck is the fourth-leading receiver for the Hokies with six catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. At the very least, he’s a safety valve for quarterback Brenden Motley.

LATE

Chad Olsen, Fresno State ($2,200): Olsen has five catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns so far this season, which makes him first in scoring among Mountain West tight ends. And at this price point, he’s the best option. And remember, Utah allowed Michigan tight end Jake Butt eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 26 yards to Utah State’s Wyatt Houston.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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