DraftKings has given us a massive $300k GPP this Saturday with $100,000 up top! It is a $10 buy in and a great way to welcome the first massive Saturday slate of the year! This article goes over a few players on each team that I am looking to have in my player pool. If completely new to the game, give my CFB research article a look. I’ll give you a better grasp on where to find some of this CFB information before building your lineups.
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Mississippi / Texas Tech (-2.5) (Total 67)
Mississippi – QB Jordan Ta’amu ($9,900) averaged over 300+ passing yards in all 5 of his starts last season and is a dual threat QB. You will want some of him at this price and a close spread. He is one of the top QBs of the slate in GPPs, just not sure I am going there in cash yet. RB D’Vaughn Pennamon and RB Eric Swinney are both out, leaving the backfield to RB Scottie Philipps ($5,100). This JUCO transfer should get a ton of run here and a fantastic value and a cash game lock. WR AJ. Brown ($10,800) is an absolute and will be low owned here due to the fact people will pay up for 2 QBs on this slate I think. WR DaMarkus Lodge ($5,900) and WR D.K. Metcalf ($6,200) are much cheaper and worth a look if not going up to Brown. This is a great game to target.
Texas Tech – QB McLane Carter ($8600) is listed as the co-starter for TT so its hard to get excited about that. I will fade that just not knowing what will happen. RB Da’Leon Ward ($5,400) is listed atop the depth chart and is worth a look with RB Tre King ($5,300) who will be his backup. Both are in play here and they should roll out 3 backs this game. They are all GPP plays. WR T.J Vasher ($9,400) is by far your top option as he is a fast 6’6” monster that should get a lot of work in this game. WR Antoine Wesley ($5200) and WR Ja’Deleon High ($4,100) are also good tournament plays at their price.
Coastal Carolina / South Carolina (-29.5) (Total 57)
Coastal Carolina – They have a team implied total of only 14 points and will be playing from behind. They rotate QBs like crazy so I don’t want any part of that. The only play that is worth it is their #1 WR Malcolm Williams ($4,800) who should see the volume and is fairly priced.
South Carolina – Gamecocks QB is a fade as he is overpriced at $9,100. WR Deebo Samuel ($8,000) is their stud WR and Bryan Edwards ($6,900) is a nice red zone target and are both in play but just a tad expensive. I think you sprinkle them in GPPs. The most tilting thing on this team is the RBs as this stinking coach has “OR” tagged on all of his RBs. RB Rico Dowdle ($5,100) is the most talented of the group but coming off a major injury. You can play any one of these 4 because they could all see run and one of them could go off. I will have all 4 sprinkled around my GPPs.
South Carolina Depth Chart
Oregon State / Ohio State (-39) (Total 63)
Oregon State – A big fat no here.
Ohio State – I really do not like this spot for Ohio Sate. They are going to win and probably by a lot, but I don’t see them running the score up with everything going on with their coach. Urban Meyer is sidelined with the scandal and their players are just priced too expensive for my liking. If this game stays close somehow I’ll eat the L, but I just don’t see that happening. WR is the only position I would look at and its WR Parris Campbell ($5,800).
Florida Atlantic / Oklahoma (-21) (Total 72)
Florida Atlantic – Just let me start by saying you need a part of this game as its the highest Vegas total of the week at 72! The problem with Florida Atlantic right now at the QB position is I am not sure who to play at QB as they could be rotating them out. We need to keep up on news and see if we get a clear cut starter. RB Delvin Singletary ($7,100) had a crazy 32 TDs last year and get a lot of run! He is not a must play by any means against Oklahoma, but I will have a heavy share of him and see how he fits in my cash lineup. WR Willie Wright ($5,400) led the team in receiving last year with 6 TDs and over 650 yards receiving, but the punt I like is the West Virginia transfer WR Jovon Durante ($3,900) due to his price and could smash this price tag.
Oklahoma – BOOOOOOMER SOOOOOOOONER! I am not a big Oklahoma fan, but it reminds me of my old military buddy that we called BIG HEAD who went to school there and constantly yelled it. His damn head was so big he had neck pains! Anyway, let’s look at Oklahoma here. QB Kyle Murray ($11,900) has huge game potential but $11,900 for a QB is a lot to ask for and I will have a few shares incase he goes off. We still need to see what the coaching staff does because I could not find a depth chart as of today (Wednesday). RB Rodney Anderson ($9,700) is expensive as well but could also blow up. I would not roster both the QB / RB combo on this team at that price. I don’t see how they would be in the optimal together. WR Marquise Brown ($8,200) and WR CeeDee Lamb ($7,200) are great options but you are paying for them as well. They are all good plays, but just all expensive. I would mix and match them if making multiple lineups here as you want a piece of this game.
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Southern / TCU (-43) (Total 55)
Southern – Hard hard fade here.
TCU – QBs are a fade for me here as the spread is too high and I don’t think they reach value. RB Darius Anderson ($7,300) is an OK play, but again how much run will he actually see here. A tournament play, but I won’t play him in cash. WR Jalen Reagor ($7,700) is in play any other week, but he is going to need a lot of volume to pay that off. I will take a shot at the other 2 WRs on the team just because they are slated at the top of the depth chart at min salary WR Jarrison Stewart ($3,000) and WR Dylan Thomas ($3,000).
Texas / Maryland (+13.5) (Total 56.5)
Texas – QB Sam Ehilinger ($8,800) can run and pass so you will want some tournament exposure here, but I wouldn’t go to him in cash games. I would not play the running backs on this side of the ball as they will have a committee approach which sucks for DFS. The WRs are in play and you can look at WR Collin Johnson ($7,400) and WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey ($5,100).
Maryland – The coaches that won’t tell us who they will play at QB piss me off and it really takes both of them off the table. If this was a 3 game slate then maybe we take a chance, but I just don’t see the need here. Maryland also plays at a slow pace where Texas plays fast. I see no need to take that chance. The only play on this entire team I think you could take a dart throw at is WR Tavion Jacobs ($6,100). The runnings backs are not that great as Texas is stiff and was ranked top 5 YPC last year.
Furman / Clemson (-46) (Total 55)
Furman – Don’t do this to yourself.
Clemson – QB Kelly Bryan ($10,100) and QB Trevor Lawrence ($9,500) are just priced too high for a matchup like this. They should be up by 4 TDs by half and it is hard to think that either of them reach value. RB Travis Etienne ($8,100) and RB Tavien Feaster ($5,600) are both viable in tournaments but good luck predicting who will score and how much. Same can be said about all of the receiver core as tournament plays only WR Tee Higgins ($7,900), WR Hunter Renfrow ($6,500) and Amari Rodgers ($4,800). These huge blowout games are so hard to predict and especially with a team like Clemson who has a top defense who could score themselves. I would try to look at getting some of the cheaper pieces in your tournament lineups just in case they go off and will probably have a sprinkle of everyone else just in case, but no cash plays here.
Washington / Auburn (-1.5) (Total 45.5)
Washington – This game already is not that great with this low total. RB Myles Gaskin ($8,500) is the one play I would look at, but Auburn is stout on D and I think he is too expensive for this matchup. This side of the ball is a pass for me.
Auburn – Coach is probably going to be playing more than one running back here and this should be a slow paced game. NO reason to waste your time on this game IMO.
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Austin Peay / Georgia (-42) (Total 56)
Austin Peay– Please just look elsewhere.
Georgia – QB Jake Fromm ($8,200) is fine, but I don’t think you need to go here on this slate. There are better options when Georgia is favored by 42 points. They are going to run the hell out of the ball here. RB DeAndre Swift ($9,300) is a stud and should have every chance to put up a massive game. They are such favorite though that he is going to need a big game to pay it off. I will have some of him, but just worried that maybe RB Elijah Holyfield ($5,600) and James Cook ($4,300) get some work in the 2nd half here. I think you will want all 3 of them if making a ton of lineups and yes James Cook is the brother to MIN Vikings running back Dalvin Cook. I really don’t want any part of the passing game as they will blow App State out, but Riley Ridley ($3,700) is cheap and if he happens to break one long could pay off that salary.
West Virginia / Tennessee (+10) (Total 61.5)
West Virgina – QB Will Grier ($10,500) is a Heisman candidate going into this season and is someone you are going to want to focus on this season. WR David Sills ($10,000) and WR Gary Jennings ($7,600) are back for him this year which should help him continue put up big numbers. It is crazy if you look at last year stats for these WRs as Still had less catches at 60 but put up freaking 18 TDs! Jennings on the other hand caught 97 balls but only 1 TD. I think that is baked into their price here and both are in play but Grier and Sills are expensive. The third WR that should get looks is a transfer from Alabama in WR TJ Simmons ($4,100). RB Kennedy McKoy ($5,700) is in play as well, but I am not overly high on him as I want a piece of the air attack if focusing on this game at all.
Tennessee – I am starting to dislike when I see the “OR” word on depth charts at positions when the coach is not committed to one guy or the other. This is the case at QB here so I don’t want any part of it on a 16 game slate. The receivers are where the value is on Vols side as they will be playing from behind and they will need to throw the ball to catch up. WR Jujuan Jennings ($5,600) , WR Brandon Johnson ($4,100), and WR Marquez Callaway ($4,900) make up this crew and are definitely in play. Tennessee is also probably rolling out multiple backs this game, so I plan on staying away from that situation as well.
Washington State / Wyoming (+1) (Total 45)
Washington State – The Air Raid has a few ways to put points up on the board and one of them is RB James Williams ($7,700). He led the team in receptions last year with 71 which was most by any RB in the country. He had 500 receiving yards with those 71 receptions to include 3 TDS, as well as just shy of 400 yards rushing and a TD, so he is definitely worth a look. RB Keith Harrington ($4,800) is worth a look as well with his 46 career receptions, but only a deep gpp play. WR Davontavean Martin ($6,400) caught 31 balls last year for 6 TDs, but for the most part Washington State spreads the ball around as they averaged a national-best 9.6 receivers a game catching a pass in 2017. That is hard to predict who is going to get the ball. QB Gardner Minshew II ($8,900) was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Army Educational Foundation award list, however Mike Leach has not named the starter for this game on his depth chart. That is extremely tilting, but I am going to guess that Minshew is going to be the starter just with him being on that award list. You will need to keep paying attention to this but QB Minshew and RB Williams are my favorite plays on this team.
Washington State Depth Chart – https://twitter.com/TheoLawson_SR/status/1034258571230212098
Wyoming – Wyoming is one of the few teams we actually were able to see so far this year as they played last Thursday in a 29 – 7 win against New Mexico State, so I am not going to go into them much. It was the RB Nico Evans ($4,500) show last week with his 2 TDs and 198 yards. He is by far one of the best values on the slate at that price and expected work load. I am not too excited about QB Vander Waal ($5,100) or WR Austin Conway ($4,800) after what I saw last week. There are better places to go.
Northern Illinois / Iowa (-10.5 / Total 48.5)
Northern Illinois – QB Marcus Childers ($6,300) started the last 8 games of the 2017 year and threw for over 1600 yards and rushed for another 400 to include 16 passing TDs and 5 rushing TDs, which landed him MAC Freshman of the Year honors. I don’t have a lot of interest in this team.
Depth Chart
Iowa – Tight ends will not be featured in this article much, but TE Noah Fant ($5,500) is a Preseason All-American with 12 career touchdowns. He caught 11 of QB Nate Stanley’s ($7,500) 26 TD passes last year, so he should be looked when constructing lineups. WR Nick Easley ($5,300) is the top WR of the bunch but I would look elsewhere for production. RB Toren Young ($5,700) and RB Ivory Kelly-Martin ($7,000) only carried the ball 45 and 20 times respectively so not a lot to go off there. We know Iowa likes to run the ball and slow the game down, so maybe you want a shot at one of the RBs, but I will probably stay away or take a shot or two with TE Noah Fant ($5,500). He is a bit expensive so I won’t go wild here.
Appalachian State / Penn State (-24 / 54)
Appalachian State – QB Zac Thomas ($5,500) takes over as the starting QB this year as Lamb’s 4 year reign is gone. RB Jalen Moore ($5,400) has back-to-back 1000 yard seasons and is reasonably priced as is QB Zac Thomas, however they should get shelled by Penn State. WR Thomas Hennigan ($4,800) was a standout WR last year in his freshman year and is the most expensive of the lot. Everyone else is min price and maybe you can look at WR Malik Williams ($3,000) or a WR Jalen Virgil ($3,500) to fill in as a cheap play but only deep GPP plays for me.
Depth Chart
Penn State – QB Trace McSorley ($9,800) is an absolute stud as a preseason All-American and Heisman candidate and should take Penn State at a shot at the National Championship if things go well. Penn State only lost 4 offensive starters last year, however they all play on Sundays now. The other guys to look out for on Lions are RB Miles Sanders ($8,300 , WR Juwan Johnson ($7,500) and WR DeAndre Thompkins ($5,700).
UT Martin / Missouri
UT Martin – QB Dresser Winn ($4,600) will get the starting nod for UT martin this year and is dual threat QB. We don’t have a lot to hang out head on from last season but he did put up 210 passing, 2 TDs / 61 rushing, 1 TD in his season finale. QB Joe Hudson is another dual threat QB that could steal the show later in the season if Winn falters. RB Jaimiee Bowe ($3,000) is returning from his Achilles injury last year and will play 2nd fiddle to RB LaDarius Galloway ($3,600) who took the majority of the carries last year. Galloway is the play here if picking a piece of this team, but I might take a stab at Bowe just in case. WR was pretty week last year, but hoping that JUCO All-American WR Terry Williams ($3,000) can jump start the group. Coach spoke very highly of him and said he was one of the best practice players they have ever had, for what that is worth. I think they are a fade against Missouri, but they are cheap enough to take a stab if running a ton of lineups.
UT Martin Depth Chart
Missouri – QB Drew Lock ($9,500) – It all starts and stops with the senior who could of entered the NFL draft after his JR year. He had a massive year last year throwing for 44 TDs and breaking all sorts of records, as well as being named to 5 different award watch lists in 2018. He should light up the score board again this year and should be looked at heavily when building rosters. The one concern is a New offensive coordiantor that will run a pro-style offense instead of the spread, so please be aware of that. WR E. Hall ($8,400), WR J. Johnson ($7,000), and WR Nate Brown ($4,400) are all in good spots to put up points. You get some great value in Brown who led Missouri in receiving in 2015, but they are all in play. TE Albert Okwuegbunam ($6,600) caught 11 TDs last year and is also worth a look, but my guess is production will be spread about to these guys.
Depth Chart – pulled from https://mutigers.com/documents/2018/8/28/Depth_Week_1.pdf
North Carolina / California (-7 / 61)
North Carolina – QB Nathan Elliott ($7,600) will be the starting QB for the Tarheels this year. He only saw 5 games of action last year and passed for 10 TDs. Coach Fedora used a running-back-by-committee approach to his backfield last year and stated that will be the case this game as well in a press conference. This takes the RBs out of play for me with that approach and statement, as he will probably just ride the hot hand. I am not overly excited about the North Carolina side of the ball as nobody stands out in production even though it’s a high over/under and a tight spread. You could take a chance at anyone on this team, but I think we can pinpoint production elsewhere on a 16 game slate.
California – QB Ross Bowers ($7,000) will be back under center for the Bears where he went threw for over 3000 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions last year. He did however hang 4 TDs last year on North Carolina in a 35 – 30 victory. RB Patrick Laird ($8,900) (team captain) is on the watch list for the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award. He ran for over 1100 yards and 8 TDs last year in only 191 attempts. He is a stud to look at this slate. The two wide receivers to look at are WR Vic Wharton III ($5,800) and WR Kanawai Noa ($5,400) who are both on the Biletnikoff Award list this year. Warton III caught 67 balls for 871 yards and 5 TDs last year and Noa snatched 56 balls for 788 yards and 4 TDs. The other WRs to maybe look at are true freshman WR Nikko Remigio ($3,000) a 4 star recruit, WR Moe Ways ($3,000) a Michigan transfer and WR Jordan Duncan ($3,000).
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UNLV / USC (-26.5 / 63.5)
UNLV – UNLV are returning 7 starters on the offensive side of the ball this year to include QB Armani Rodgers ($6,100) who was the 2017 Mountain West Freshman of the Year who set the school freshman season rushing record and is also on the Maxwell Award watch in 2018. Armani Rodgers averaged 78 yards a game on the ground last year, including a school record 193 yard rushing game against New Mexico. This is the type of QB we want to roster to give us those DK points. RB Lexington “Lightening” Thomas ($5,200) was a 2017 All-WMC first team selection as he ran for 1336 yard last year and 17 TDs last year, as well as being named a 2018 Doak Walker Award Watch list candidate and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list. He only caught 8 balls out of the backfield, so we are relying on him to bust a long one or grind out yards. He is one of the best RBs in the country and is in play even as a big underdog here.
UNLV Depth Chart
USC (AP #15) – The Trojans are starting true freshman QB JT Daniels ($8,700) against UNLV this weekend, who threw for 4123 yards, 52 TDs and only 4 interceptions last year before being named Gatorade National Player of the Year. WR Tyler Vaughns ($8,800) had 57 receptions for 809 and 5 TDS in 2017, WR Michael Pittman ($7,100) who was All-PAC-12 first team in special teams, and WR Tyler Petite ($3,700) who caught 23 balls last to round out the WR core who will be starting on Saturday. The Trojans will be looking to Pittman and Petite to fill the void left by Deontay Burnett who had 86 catches for 1114 yards and 9 TDs last year. One other WR to watch for who is behind Pittman on the depth chart is true freshman WR Amon-Ra St. Brown ($,4800) who was a high school teammate of JT Daniels. He has a great connection with JT Daniels and helped him with the starting QB job while putting up an impressive scrimmage catching 3 TDs. He is not listed as the starter, but did win the punt job and who knows maybe we will see him at some point in this game. RB Aca’Cedric Ware ($5,000) , RB Vavae Malepeai ($4,200), and RB Stephen Carr ($9,100) will look to step up to fill in for departed RB Ronald Jones who went for 1550 yards and 19 TDs in 2017. USC is favored heavily in this matchup with UNLV, but we will need to see how they react with losing their leading passer, rusher, and receiver from last year.
USC Depth Chart
Before I Go…
Overall, I hope you enjoyed this breakdown for this slate. Please if you haven’t checked out the research article, please do so as I will be adding to it as I find more information to help you become a better DFS player.
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