Week 4 brings a heavyweight college football slate, and the DFS pick ’em board reflects it. With several top-25 matchups scattered across the SEC and Big Ten, every window has a game that could matter when the College Football Playoff rankings arrive in November. That’s why all three picks here come from top-25 showdowns.
The first name to watch is JJ Buchanan, and the number feels reachable. He’s already posted a breakout moment this season with his game-winning touchdown catch against Western Michigan in Week 1, but the production has kept rolling beyond that highlight.
Buchanan is averaging more than 80 receiving yards per game and has become one of the most heavily used pass catchers in the country. He’s already seen 24 targets, and that kind of volume is the backbone of the play here.
Against Iowa, the expectation is that he keeps turning chances into yardage and gets past 58.5 receiving yards.
On the other side of the board, DeSean Bishop is the under I’d lean on. The Tennessee back is clearly talented and should see enough work in most weeks to challenge this kind of line, but 81.5 rushing yards is asking a lot against this opponent.
Bishop has rarely stacked up 80-plus yards against elite defenses. He did it four times in SEC games last season, yet only once - against Vanderbilt - came against a defense that finished in the top 35 in rushing defense.
The matchup with Texas points in the other direction, and the Longhorns should be able to keep him from putting up a big number.
The third play is Kamario Taylor under 254.5 passing yards, and this is more about the price than the player. Taylor has been on a strong run lately and looks every bit like a future potential No. 1 overall pick, but the line still feels inflated.
Mississippi State has leaned on Fluff Bothwell and the ground game on early downs, and Taylor has averaged just 24 pass attempts per game against P4 opposition this season. Even if he continues to pile up efficient throws, Mizzou’s defense gives this under some real life.
The Tigers enter ranked 31st nationally in opponent-adjusted EPA-per-play allowed, and their secondary has looked especially sharp, even if the competition hasn’t been elite. With the number set this high, the defense doesn’t need to be perfect - just steady enough to keep Taylor from blowing past it.
In Other News...
Mississippi State Just Lost A Former Commit In Florida's Backyard
A former Mississippi State commitment has landed much closer to home, as four-star safety Cyion Smith announced he is headed to Florida for the 2028 season. Smith, an in-state recruit from Blountstown, reopened his recruitment in May before taking a scholarship offer from the Gators, giving Florida a win on a prospect the Bulldogs once had in their class.
The timing only sharpened the spotlight, with Smith's commitment coming on the same day Florida hosted Ole Miss at The Swamp. For Mississippi State, it is another reminder of how quickly recruiting momentum can shift once a prospect starts weighing familiar ground against an SEC offer, and the Bulldogs now have to turn the page on a player who looked like part of their future not long ago. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Already Faces A Kamario Taylor Question Fans Wont Like
Kamario Taylors fast start has already made him one of the more intriguing stories around Mississippi State, and not just because of what he has done on the field through the first three games. The Bulldogs have a quarterback who has shown enough early promise to get people talking, and when Nick Saban weighed in on ESPN, it added another layer to a situation that already feels bigger than a standard early-season breakout.
Sabans comment about what he would do in Taylors place was a reminder of how quickly college football can turn into a business conversation in the NIL era, even for a young player still trying to establish himself. Mississippi State now has to navigate not only a demanding schedule but also the possibility that a strong start could invite outside attention, leaving Taylors future as one of the more delicate questions hanging over the season. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Finally Gets A Week 4 Test Fans Can Believe In
Mississippi States Week 4 trip through the SEC is suddenly carrying a little more weight, and not just because the Bulldogs are getting one of the better early-season measuring sticks on the schedule. With ranked games dotting the country, including heavyweight showdowns in the SEC and Big Ten, there is no shortage of results that could shape the postseason conversation before the calendar even turns fully to conference play.
Missouris visit to Starkville stands out because it gives Mississippi State a chance to see where it really stacks up against a team with its own ambitions. In a week packed with attention-grabbing matchups like Texas-Tennessee, Ole Miss-Florida and LSU-Texas A&M, this one has a place in the same bigger picture: a test with real implications, the kind that can validate an early run or expose how much work still remains. [Read more 🡒]