College Football DFS Picks: Week 0 CFB DraftKings Main Slate Breakdown (Saturday, August 29th)

For the past eight months, we’ve wandered aimlessly through the college football offseason. Satiated by transfer portal news, spring games, and eventually fall camps, our craving for meaningful game action has left an unquenchable thirst. Like an oasis in the desert, Week 0 lies ahead, and now is the time to fill our cups. We’re embracing the 2026 college football season from start to finish, including breaking down the modest opening-week slate.

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We’ve got you covered for DFS purposes, highlighting our preferred players from Saturday’s main slate.

College football is back at FantasyLabs. Inside our Player Models, you’ll be able to utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups for your DFS contests.

Or if cash games are more your speed, you can build your lineups alongside our projections with our Lineup Builder. From there, you can hand-build your lineup or lock in a few guys and let the builder optimize the rest based on our projections.

Here’s a brief snippet of what our models look like:

Let’s dive into this week’s slate!

CFB DFS Quarterback Picks

Jayden Maiava (USC Trojans): $9,000 DraftKings

Not only do the USC Trojans enter Week 0 as the heftiest chalk on the board, but they also have the highest total. Naturally, that points us toward some of their top offensive producers in their non-conference clash versus San Jose State. Jayden Maiava has the keys to the offense, and we expect him to drive away with this one.

The Trojans’ quarterback enters his senior season, coming off 3,711 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. Maiava’s best work came in the friendly confines of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where he threw for 1,759 yards and an immaculate 15-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Moreover, he completed a whopping 76.8% of his passes, showcasing his elite accuracy. In total, that works out to 251.3 passing yards and 2.1 touchdowns per game at home, benchmarks that Maiava should have no problem topping against an inferior San Jose State defense.

Last season, the Spartans were one of the worst defensive units in the country, and we don’t expect them to improve in 2026. They finished dead last in the MWC in points allowed per game, giving up 32.5. They were porous in all facets of the game, but particularly in their pass defense. Opponents threw for 245.3 yards per game despite a 43.7% passing play percentage.

Clearly, Maiava and the Trojans are set up for success in their season opener. The senior quarterback is worth the investment and should have no problem reaching his fantasy ceiling against this inferior opponent.

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Beau Pribula (Virginia Cavaliers): $7,100 DraftKings

Beau Pribula is looking to atone for an underwhelming junior season with the Missouri Tigers. The upperclassman started his career with Penn State, where he was used only in mop-up duty for two years, before taking over Mizzou’s starting gig last season. Things didn’t go as planned, and Pribula transferred to the Virginia Cavaliers this offseason. We’re predicting big things from him in the season opener versus the NC State Wolfpack.

Consistency was a limiting factor for Pribula last season. Against premier defensive competition in the SEC, the Pennsylvania native threw for 1,941 yards and just 11 touchdowns. Still, there are some positives to focus on ahead of his foray into the ACC. In non-conference matchups, Pribula averaged 258.0 yards per game and 2.0 touchdowns per game. More impressively, his completion percentage jumped to 72.8% at home, which included a few tough intra-conference matchups.

The FantasyLabs projections are strengthened by Pribula’s rushing prowess. Across parts of three seasons, the newly minted Cavaliers’ quarterback has totaled 868 rushing yards on 189 carries for a respectable 4.6 yards per carry and 16 touchdowns.

Surely, Pribula will have the opportunity to put up yards against NC State. They gave up 411.9 yards per game last season, with 273.2 of those coming through the air and 138.8 via the ground game. That gives Pribula and the Cavaliers multiple avenues to rack up fantasy points throughout this ACC showdown. We expect Beau Pribula to operate at peak efficiency in this one.

CFB DFS Running Back Picks

Micah Ford (Stanford Cardinal) $6,300 DraftKings

Some of the shine has worn off the Stanford Cardinal recently. Formerly a top contender, Stanford hasn’t finished with a winning record since 2018. We’re still cautiously optimistic about their chances heading into the 2026 campaign. The Cardinal upgraded their quarterback via the transfer portal, and continuity out of the backfield should alleviate some of the offensive pressure. With that, it’s Micah Ford‘s time to shine in SoCal.

Ford was the featured runner out of Stanford’s backfield last season. As a sophomore, he tallied 643 yards on 145 carries, churning out a slightly underwhelming 4.4 yards per carry. Nevertheless, he flaunted his game-breaking skills on a few occasions. Over half of his offensive production came in just three games, including a season opener against Hawaii. Across that modest sample, Ford put up 420 yards on 72 carries, equaling 5.8 yards per carry. Moreover, those games accounted for three of his four touchdowns on the season. Now expected to shoulder more of the workload, Ford should produce similar numbers throughout the entirety of his junior campaign.

Hawaii remains a middling Group of 6 program, which is well-suited for the Cardinal. They gave up 133.8 rushing yards per game last season, inflating to 174.6 on the road. That sets the bar for what to expect from Micah Ford in this non-conference tilt. He’s our preferred running back option on the Week 0 main slate.

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Jai’den Thomas (UNLV Rebels) $7,800 DraftKings

If it weren’t for the pesky Boise State Broncos, we would have been talking about the UNLV Rebels as a College Football Playoff team. Two of the Rebels’ three losses came against the Broncos, including another unflattering showing in the MWC Championship Game. UNLV is a Group of 6 contender, and we expect the Rebels to put their best foot forward in Week 0. Assuredly, that includes a heavy dose of Jai’den Thomas.

Thomas is a spectacular running back. The senior has spent his entire career in Las Vegas, going from 503 rushing yards as a freshman to 1,036 yards as a junior. Throughout that time, he’s improved all of his underlying metrics while maximizing fantasy production at the goal line. Thomas went from 4.7 yards per carry in 2023 to 7.0 yards per carry last year, totaling 31 scores across the three-year span. That upward trajectory carries him into what should be another dominant campaign.

Memphis saw more turnover than any other team in the country, negatively impacting its outlook ahead of the season opener. While they targeted upperclassmen, all 11 of their starters are incoming transfers. It takes time to gel on the field, and without being battle-tested as a unit, we have serious apprehensions about their ability to replicate last year’s success.

Jai’den Thomas was a fantasy darling last season, and we anticipate an even more productive senior year. The Rebels will be looking to prove they belong in the CFP, and Thomas will be leading the charge.

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CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks

Duce Robinson (Florida State Seminoles) $7,000

After lingering through two seasons with USC, Duce Robinson had a breakout season with the Florida State Seminoles last year. He will be Ashton Daniels‘ go-to receiver throughout the campaign and should end Week 0 as one of the top fantasy producers on the main slate.

Robinson picked up momentum as the 2025 season progressed and ended the year as one of the top pass-catchers in the nation. The 6’6″ wideout put up a whopping 1,081 receiving yards, 11th-most in the country, including 124 or more yards in three of his last five outings. Altogether, he crossed the century mark on five occasions, using his massive frame and huge catch radius to decimate opposing secondaries.

That skill set will be on full display against an ineffective New Mexico State defense. The Aggies couldn’t hold their own against CUSA competition, going 4-8 on the season and 2-6 in conference play. They gave up north of 400 yards per game, with the bulk of that coming through the air. More concerningly, New Mexico State gave up an average of 34.1 points per game in losses, with most of those coming against lesser Group of 6 foes.

Florida State is trying to reclaim the glory from its 2023 season, and Duce Robinson definitely has the Seminoles pointed in the right direction. The Noles’ wide receiver will command the fantasy world’s attention, especially on a light Week 0 slate.

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Kaikai Carvalho (Hawaii Rainbow Warriors) $3,000

Some DFS players won’t scroll far enough down the WR list to see Kaikai Carvalho‘s name. Let us assure you, he’s worth the investment in Week 0 and should become a more prominent fantasy producer as the season progresses.

As is typically the case for mid-range prospects, Carvalho watched from the sidelines in 2025, making him a redshirt freshman this season. His timing couldn’t be better. The Rainbow Warriors lost four of their top five pass-catchers from last season, meaning there will be plenty of targets up for grabs. Moreover, Micah Alejado proved to be one of the more competent quarterbacks in the Group of 6 last season, throwing for 3,106 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 66.3% of his passes. The offense runs through Alejado, and they need some receivers to step up. Additionally, with Pofele Ashlock‘s status up in the air due to injury, Alejado will be looking for one of Hawaii’s underappreciated wideouts to step up.

Carvalho is a prototypical slot receiver. A three-star prospect out of high school, he stands 5’6″, is a top-end route runner, and features blazing speed. While Carvalho could get bottled up by superior defenses, he won’t face that problem against Stanford. The Cardinal gave up 288.9 passing yards per game last season, an attainable benchmark for Alejado and company.

Hawaii sought four new wide receivers via the transfer portal this offseason, all of whom could be at a disadvantage compared to Carvalho. The redshirt freshman ranks as the top value candidate on the Week 0 main slate.

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Trent Mosley (USC Trojans) $5,700

It’s time for Trent Mosley‘s triumphant arrival to the college football scene and the USC Trojans. The four-star recruit lands on campus at a time when the Trojans are desperately looking to replace their lost production and should be a featured player from Week 0.

The Trojans lost Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane to the pro ranks, a duo that accounted for nearly 130 receptions, 2,000 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns. Mosley should assume Lemon’s role and will be a heavily targeted receiver out of the slot. The freshman features the same quickness, burst, and agility as his predecessor, meaning he should have all of Jayden Maiava‘s attention early in his pass progressions.

USC features a lightly tested receiver room, with three freshman pass-catchers fighting to earn their piece of the pie. Thankfully for Mosley, the Trojans’ offensive schemes were predicated on slot routes, thanks to Lemon’s contributions last season. We predict that Mosley will be the most heavily targeted receiver early, cementing his position as a fantasy threat in Week 0 and beyond.

This could be the shortest salary we see on Mosley throughout the campaign, and he’s the premier stacking option with Jayden Maiava.

Pictured: Jayden Maiava
Photo Credit: Imagn