Who’s ready for some college football?! I know I am as a university student. I know it’s not quite the same as NFL football, but hey I’m itching for some pigskin flinging. Please bear with me as I am new to CFB DFS this fall, so we can learn the grind together! If you have any questions or anything you’d like to add to my picks, please hit me up on Twitter @FantasyRam. Let’s hop into the picks for Thursday night’s opening slate of college football!
Quarterbacks
Trevone Boykin (TCU) – $10,500
An obvious choice for cash games is Heisman favorite Trevone Boykin, who gets a week one matchup against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. Boykin was in the top-10 in all major passing categories last season, and he should ascend into the top 5 in those categories this year. He also ran for a cool 707 rushing yards and 8 TDs in 2014. Even though this is a road game for the Horned Frogs, I don’t think they’ll be phased by the foreign environment. TCU opens as 14 point favorites over Minnesota, however the team up north is expected to keep the game close so that is certainly good for DFS purposes. As good of an option as the TCU senior is, he’s a bit out of my price range and I’ll be using a QB that’s a tad cheaper. He is still an elite option on Thursday night and throughout the season.
Marquise Williams (UNC) – $10,100
The Tar Heels figure to be one of the best teams in the ACC this season, and Williams will be a pivotal cog in that predicted success. Williams rushed for more yards than Boykin last season, and he had a great completion percentage of 63.1%. USC had a porous rush defense last season, allowing almost 220 rush yards per game. This dual threat production is very valuable in cash games, and the South Carolina defense was about average last season. They allowed 433 total yards per game, and I think Williams could surpass that number easily with his total yardage. I could see a lot of people being on Boykin and perhaps Solomon tomorrow but I think Williams is a great under-the-radar play in cash games and I think I’ll be rostering him.
Running Backs
Leon Allen (WKU) – $9,000
Allen rushed for an impressive 1542 yards in 2014, but was also a good pass receiver with 51 receptions on the year. Allen’s backup, Anthony Wales is doubtful for the contest tomorrow night against Vanderbilt which is great news for the lead Hilltopper’s potential workload. Allen averaged 24.9 FPPG in 2014 and I think he can easily surpass that total this year. Look for him to be a reliable, stud back all season long on Fanduel.
A.J. Ouellette (OHIO) – $8,900
The sophomore Bobcat rushed for an impressive 785 yards with seven touchdowns during his freshman season, and he looks to have the clear #1 duties under control at Ohio. The Idaho Vandals’ defense is very suspect; it was 116th in the nation last season against the rush. Ouellette has the ability to catch it out of the backfield, so that can add a lot of appeal to his value. I don’t think that senior Daz’mond Patterson will be a threat to his carries, as Ouellette is the #1 back by a wide margin. I would play Ouellette in both cash and GPP tournaments tomorrow night.
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Wide Receivers
Pharoh Cooper (SOCAR) – $9,100
Still only a junior, Cooper is locked and loaded for another great season of production in the SEC with the Gamecocks. He is quite the jack-of-all-trades, as he threw for, ran for, and caught at least 2 TDs each! South Carolina’s lackluster defense will have them playing from behind more often than not, so the Gamecocks will be doing a lot of passing, presumably to Pharoh Cooper. Look for him to be a stud all season long and he definitely profiles as a slam dunk DFS picks in all games.
David Glidden (OKST) – $5,400
Here’s a value play at WR for you if you’re trying to fit in an elite QB and WR/RB to your lineup, David Glidden of Oklahoma State. Glidden led the Cowboys in receptions last year, but he did only contribute two TDs to that production. That being said, with Fanduel awarding 0.5 points per reception plus the yardage he has gained, Glidden could be a viable cash game option who can probably hit value and help you afford the heavy hitters.
Tight Ends
Tyler Higbee (WKU) – $3,500
This should be an interesting position to decide on all season long… It seems as though there’s going to be a lot of uncertainty here and I would honestly just pick a cheap TE where the O/U for his game is high (if that’s a thing in college football). I expect Western Kentucky to put up a lot of points on Thursday evening, and if senior tight end Tyler Higbee can be a little part of it he will be a great asset to our team. With Brandon Doughty at the helm, look for a lot of Hilltoppers pass catchers to be happy when they’re looking at their stats after the game.
Tonight’s Lineup
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