For one brief moment, college football captivates the entire nation’s attention. A week away from NFL action, all eyes will be focused on Saturday’s full slate of action. The schedule features a bevy of action, including nearly every Top 25 team, some intriguing intra-state matchups, and a few marquee schools looking to move up the rankings.
We’ve got you covered for DFS purposes, highlighting our preferred players from the main slate.
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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.
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Let’s dive into this week’s slate!
CFB DFS Quarterback Picks
Bo Nix (Oregon Ducks): $10,100 DraftKings
Since he arrived in 2019, Bo Nix has been touted as a highly regarded quarterback. Although he struggled with the Auburn Tigers, Nix has unlocked his full potential with the Oregon Ducks. The senior had a banner year in 2022 and is looking to go out with a bang this year.
Nix set career benchmarks in virtually every category last year. The Alabama native tossed for 3,593 yards while completing 71.9% of his passes for 29 scores. The resulting 85.1 QBR was the best of his college career, putting him eighth among all FBS QBs. Still, there’s an argument to be made that he did his best work with his legs. Nix carried the ball 89 times for 510 yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns.
Nix and the Ducks will have no problem picking up where they left off in Week 1. Oregon hosts FCS foes, the Portland State Vikings, in what will undoubtedly be a one-sided affair. The only factor working against Nix is the Ducks may be up too big that he comes out early.
Michael Penix Jr. (Washington Huskies): $8,400 DraftKings
Two mid-season losses de-railed an otherwise wildly successful Washington Huskies football campaign last year. The Pac-12 holdovers went a mighty 11-2 after knocking off the Texas Longhorns in the Alamo Bowl. With most of their top performers coming back for another season, the Huskies could be a low-key, fly-under-the-radar contender. That’s reflected in their Week 1 salaries, with Michael Penix Jr. coming in at an undervalued $8,400.
Penix Jr. was sensational last year. The now senior pivot aired it out 554 times, completing 362 passes for a 65.3% completion rate. Accounting for his 4,641 yards, Penix Jr. averaged 12.8 yards per completion (8.4 per attempt) for 31 TDs. He had two go-to receivers, Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan, both of whom finished over 1,000 yards receiving. Both wideouts are back for another season, setting Penix Jr. and the Huskies up for success.
Overall, the Boise State Broncos allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards per game last year. But they looked much worse when adjusted for opponent. They had just one Power 5 meeting, giving up 292 passing yards to the Oregon State Beavers. Also, they allowed over 300 yards to the Utah State Aggies and BYU Cougars. Penix Jr. will remind them of those woes early this season.
CFB DFS Running Back Picks
Braelon Allen (Wisconsin Badgers): $6,700 DraftKings
There’s always something that just hits differently with Big Ten running backs. That’s particularly true with Braelon Allen. Through two seasons, the Wisconsin Badgers’ halfback has been a resounding success, piling yards and carries year-over-year. Entering his junior campaign, we could see a new bruising side of the upperclassman.
Allen has eclipsed 1,200 yards in each of his first two seasons, biting off a more significant piece of the offensive pie last year. In 2022, the Wisconsin native toted the ball a career-best 230 times for 1,248 yards, coming up painfully short of his freshman gains. But with a new quarterback under center, the Badgers plan will be to feed the ball to Allen as often as possible, alleviating the pressure on the passing game.
The Buffalo Bulls enter this non-conference matchup as +28 underdogs and cannot stop the wrecking ball that is Allen. Saturday will be the first glimpse of how the Badgers plan on deploying Allen. We anticipate his salary only goes up from here.
Jonathan Brooks (Texas Longhorns): $5,300 DraftKings
Another run-first school takes to the field on Saturday’s main slate, with the Texas Longhorns hosting the Rice Owls. Bookmakers have the Longhorns out in front as -35 chalk, thanks partly to Jonathan Brooks and the rest of the Longhorns offense.
Brooks takes over the Longhorns backfield after Bijan Robinson and Roschon John landed on NFL squads. And there’s a lot to like about Brooks. The sophomore was used sparingly in his first season, accumulating 197 yards on 30 carries. Still, his 6.6 yards per carry was the best of the trio, and he found paydirt five times for an alarming 16.7 TD rate.
Without Robinson and Johnson in the fold, Brooks has one of the highest fantasy potentials week after week. Last year, Texas turned to the run 52.6% of the time, a decrease from the 55.0% the prior year. Brooks could easily end the season in Heisman contention, starting with a big opening game against the Owls.
Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss Rebels): $5,300 DraftKings
You’d be forgiven for losing sight of Quinshon Judkins. A seemingly neverending amount of talent is coming out of the SEC, with marquee programs consistently stealing the spotlight. But overlook Judkins at your own peril.
The Ole Miss Rebels running back was an absolute beast in his freshman campaign. Judkins ran for the seventh-most yards in the nation, totaling 1,567 on 274 carries. This is no easy feat for any player to accomplish, let alone a freshman against NFL-caliber defenses of the SEC. With a year of experience under his belt, we could see the sophomore take a giant leap forward in his development in 2023.
Like most programs, the Rebels dip their toes in the competitive waters early in the season rather than jumping straight into the deep end. The Mercer Bears gave up 156 rushing to the North Alabama Lions in Week 0, ensuring Judkins makes a big splash in Week 1.
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CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State Buckeyes): $9,100 DraftKings
This probably doesn’t have to be said aloud, but big things are coming from Marvin Harrison Jr. this season. The Ohio State Buckeyes wideout set the FBS on fire with an assertive sophomore campaign. A year later, as an upperclassman, we’re anticipating an even higher ceiling for Harrison Jr.
Harrison Jr. finished last season with the sixth-most yards and fourth-most touchdowns despite compiling the 18th-most receptions. That discrepancy highlights his big play tendency and breakaway speed, which will be a hallmark of the Buckeyes offense again in 2023.
Defense has never been the Indiana Hoosiers’ forte, especially against the pass. They allowed the eighth-most passing yards against FBS opponents last year, giving up an average of 280.5. They will end on the wrong side of that spectrum again once Harrison Jr. and the Buckeyes are through with them.
Bru McCoy (Tennessee Volunteers): $4,800 DraftKings
There are some yards to replace in the Tennessee Volunteers’ passing game. Jalin Hyatt is onto the professional ranks, leaving 67 receptions, 1,267 yards, and 216.7 fantasy points to be replaced. Bru McCoy is the next man up and the presumptive primary receiving option in Tennessee.
Even behind Hyatt, McCoy had a respectable campaign. In his junior season, McCoy totaled 667 yards on 52 receptions, including three 100-yard receiving games. Now, the California native is set to absorb most of the additional workload and ratchet up his production to another level.
The biggest gap left by Hyatt is his 14 touchdowns. Altogether, we should see improvement in all aspects of McCoy’s game, making him a standout fantasy producer at a discounted price.
Jalen McMillan (Washington Huskies): $6,900 DraftKings
Our roster wouldn’t be complete without stacking one of the aforementioned Huskies receivers with Penix Jr. You wouldn’t be wrong with stacking, either. Still, we’ve deferred to Jalen McMillan for a couple of reasons.
First, McMillan was the preferred option last year. He had an edge over Rome Odunze in target share, outpacing him by a 21.4% to 19.8% advantage. Although modest, McMillan had more 10-plus target games and outpaced Odunze in eight contests. Further, McMillan outscored Odune, crossing the goal line nine times, compared to Odunze’s seven.
Secondly, McMillan comes with a slightly more affordable $6,900 salary. That extra cash could make a difference for rostering other top-end players in different positions. Alternatively, you wouldn’t be wrong to stack both with Penix Jr., avoiding the pitfalls of potentially choosing incorrectly.
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