Daily Fantasy College Football Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Saturday Early 9/5/15

Welcome back to the wonderful world of College Football. Hope you are as excited as we are. We've been gearing up for CFB with a bunch of offerings. At the bottom of the page you'll can sign up for our free e-book "8 Things You Need to Know Before Playing Daily Fantasy College Football". Just enter an email and it'll land in your inbox.

We're also selling lineups and cheatsheets for every CFB slate. This week they include 2 DraftKings and 2 FanDuel lineups along with a cheatsheet of write ups on a number of different player. They are $5 and are separate from our membership subscription.

Quarterback

Taysom Hill
At this point you should start to see a trend, dual threat quarterbacks are a cash game's best friend. In our Ebook and the Thursday article we discussed the safety derived by deploying a multidimensional signal caller. The defense has to play honest against a guy who can beat you in more than one way, and if they are over aggressive it's off to the races. Devoid of major NFL talent as a supporting cast, Hill is essentially a one man wrecking crew. His season was cut short last year due to a broken leg, but Mr. Hill says he's 100% healthy and ready to get back on the field. BYU certainly isn't easing into the season by opening on the road against a tough Nebraska team, but I think Hill is more than ready to get rolling. Mitch Matthews is the only legit receiver Hill has to throw the ball too, but at 6'5" Matthews can be a matchup nightmare, especially in the Red Zone. His usage rate should be very high week 1 as they look to pull off the upset. BYU is getting six points on the road with a total in the mid 60's so the game should be back and forth wire to wire. I fully expect Hill to do damage on the ground and through the air. His price is steep, but the safety he offers is real. He's a set it and forget type guy.

Jaquez Johnson
Continuing the theme of dual threat quarterbacks, JJ is a great fit and at a discounted price compared to Hill. Johnson probably doesn’t have the same ceiling as Hill, but at his price he arguably has the higher floor. Like Hill, Johnson is a do-it-all type athlete who is the unquestioned centerpiece of the offense. This will be Johnson's third year under center for the Owls. So at this point he should fully grasp the offense and will look to improve upon last year's results.  Johnson saw his rushing numbers decrease about 33% from 2013 to 2014, but I think that’s just a sign of how much more polished he is as a passer. His ability to get outside of the pocket and make things happen with his feet hasn’t suddenly vanished he just doesn’t rely on it as often. FAU has enough firepower to hang with Tulsa and if Johnson is on his game he will have little trouble moving the ball. I love his price point and floor. Don’t expect to see Jaquez on Sunday's, but since we're not really worried about that you can play him all day, on Saturday that is.

Running Back

Jalen Hurd
Hurd is my RB1 for the Saturday early slate. He was up and down last season and he saw his carries range from a low of 2 to a high of 24. That’s not the consistency I look for in a back, but there are some very explainable reasons why his usage had such a variance. He was a freshman playing with mostly underclassmen in the SEC. He played in all 13 games, but only started 9. He fought through a shoulder injury in October and left the Vanderbilt game in the 1^st quarter with a head injury. Hurd finished with 1120 total yards on 225 touches along with 7 touchdowns. He rushed for over 100 yards in his last 5 games and only put the ball on the carpet once all year. Not bad for a guy that went from high school to the SEC. Hurd bulked on 15 lbs and insists he’s just as fast, as any athlete would, but I believe him. The Vols also have much more experience across the O-line and they should be able to do a much better job creating space so Hurd can get his giddyup on. I don’t expect Hurd to finish as the best back in terms of actual points or value, but I love his floor compared to price in a juicy matchup.

Paul Perkins
If you’re looking to spend up at running back Double P is where you want to be. The other backs in his price range have some things that make me a little iffy. UCLA is a healthy 17 point home favorite and shouldn’t have much trouble handling their business in the opener. That’s not to say they are going to be up 30 at halftime either. The Bruins have a lot going for them this season, but the elephant in the room is who will replace Brett Hundley? The Bruins are going with 5 Star recruit Josh Rosen to start the season. You can bet UCLA will use Double P to control the game and ease their future All-American signal caller into the college game. Perkins was a machine last year quietly amassing almost 1600 yards. There isn’t a ton of NFL talent at the offensive skilled positions, but UCLA returns basically every offensive starter not named Hundley or Brett. Perkins should see heavy usage in week 1 and could also be the beneficiary of a few extra dump off passes as the young QB feels his way around. A solid, although not spectacular, cash game play with just enough upside to use in GPP’s as well.

Zack Langer
Consider this guy your modern day Rudy. His game is built on effort and not his boringly average skill set. He’s a grinder, but he’s also the unquestioned starter who will see plenty of volume. Tulsa runs an uptempo spread offense so Lasker typically won’t face eight man fronts. There is a significant price difference between the two sites with DraftKings offering much more value at $4500. Tulsa enters the game as a touchdown favorite with a total around 67. His price on FanDuel should make you pause, but I view him as a very strong cash game play on Draftkings. There’s simply too much opportunity in this game at that price.

Justin Stockton
GPP special. Coach Leach says Stockton will split RB1 duties with D. Washington. This game is going to get ugly and fast. If you think Stockton stands a chance of seeing more action in the second half he could finish as one of the highest ROI players of the day.

Wide Receivers

Keevan Lucas/Keyarris Garrett
Both guys represent strong value here and I would venture to say Lucas is the only big money receiver I’m targeting. Lucas finished last season with 101 receptions and given Dane Evans is under center again he should pick up right where he left off. Tulsa is another fast-paced, pass first offense so there is enough volume to stack them in cash games. Tulsa sits right around a touchdown favorite with a total of 62, which indicates a high scoring, reasonably close game. The competitiveness of the game and tempo will result in plenty of opportunity for both guys. The Golden Hurricanes are going to have their hands full with FAU so they won’t take the foot off the gas one bit. Lucas will surely draw the defense’s attention, but they won’t be able to stop him. Garrett is more of a wingman, but at 6’4” 210lbs he can hold his own and will also play a consistent role in the offense. One or both will see most of my lineups.

Washington State Receivers
Okay, so that’s basically a blanket statement, but you need a blanket to cover all the receivers the Cougars are going to rotate in and out. The game itself is expected to be a one sided sh@# show, but there is no chance they stop passing. In fact, Washington State averaged 64.25 pass attempts per game last season. The next closest was ECU at 49. That’s insane, like really insane. The trick here is the distribution of passes, as always, but it can be even more daunting when a lopsided victory is in store. In theory the starters won’t see as much run and therefor it probably doesn’t make sense to pay up for the big boys. So while it’s doubtful I will spend the dough on Cracraft I’m most certainly going to have one or more Cougar receivers in every lineup.

Sneaky Play – Robbie Anderson missed all of last season for the Temple Hooty Owls due to academics, but he’s back and fills a major void for Temple at wide receiver. Anderson led Temple receivers in 2013 with 791 yards and 9 touchdowns (all in last 5 games) and all thrown by PJ Walker. The matchup against Penn State is basically terrible, but at minimum price it’s hard to imagine he will sink your battleship. He is almost a must start on Draftkings, but a complete stay away on Fanduel.

Tight End

Austin Hooper
Hooper is clearly the best option, but I cant say that means a whole lot. I’m not convinced his tag is worth it considering how tight the money is on Fanduel, but if you are able to squeeze him in he is the way to go. If you don't want to spend the money and you were born before 1985 you probably remember lawn darts. You know you throw this 10” steel dart across your yard aiming for a 3’ yellow hoop. Sometimes you get a bullseye and sometimes you spear your neighbor’s dog. Always fun to throw, but results vary.

We're selling lineups and cheatsheets for every CFB slate. This week they include 2 DraftKings and 2 FanDuel lineups along with a cheatsheet of write ups on a number of different player. They are $5 and are separate from our membership subscription. Click here to purchase using PayPal.