Daily Fantasy College Football Picks for DraftKings - Week 2 - 9/8/18

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Quarterback

Khalil Tate
Arizona
DK 10,400 Opponent - Hawaii
Let's jump right into things with my top QB play and arguably top play on the slate. Tate failed to deliver the goods last week against a stingy BYU front and I really hope people are scared off from last week’s dud because this is the same dude that ran for over 1400 yards last year. Last week he ran for 14. Houston’s defense looked very suspect against an inferior Rice team. Now it’s hard to say if they were just asleep at the wheel, but Vegas doesn’t think so by tabbing this game with a total of 71. Both teams run a fast-paced offense with plenty of talent at the skilled positions. If things are clicking this game could easily push the total by the 3rd quarter. Like last week, I prefer spending at QB opposed to other positions and Tate is a great place to dump salary. He is the center of the Arizona offense and I wouldn’t let last week be a concern. Tate is the quintessential cash play QB with his dual-threat ability, but there is plenty of upside to roster him across all formats.

Dwayne Haskins
Ohio State
DK 10,800 Opponent - Rutgers
I do think more people will play Haskins and I will certainly have my own exposure, but it's all for good reason. He’s not quite the runner like Tate, but he plays on a much better team with a much better offense. The Buckeyes dropped an eye-popping 77pts last week. That’s double 7s people! You could also say that's 11 touchdowns, of which Haskins threw 5. Ohio State has talent for days and is likely to drop 50+ again this Saturday. That total could creep up if the holes in OSU’s defense we saw last week don’t get fixed. Oregon State gashed them on the ground for 200+ yards and the Buckeyes allowed long touchdowns of 49, 78, and 80 yds. Regardless if OSU fixes their defense I fully expect their offense to score plenty making Haskins one of the safer players on the board. Sidenote: Urban Meyer has been coaching the team this week at practice, but cannot attend games.

Shea Patterson
Michigan
DK 8,200 Opponent - Western Michigan
Oh Shea, how you disappointed me last Saturday. I was all over Michigan and Shea Patterson against Notre Dame. Was I wrong? Patterson was efficient but ineffective. He struggled to move the ball down the field and put points on the board. He also had very little time thanks to a dominant front 4 from the Irish. This week will be different, very different. Western Michigan hardly presents the same kind of challenge Shea faced last week and I expect adequate time in the pocket won’t be a concern. Michigan is a heavy 28pt favorite with an implied total of 42. The Wolverines are likely to take out some frustration this Saturday, but I also think Harbaugh will want to get this new passing game going. Patterson was tabbed as the missing link for the Wolverine offense, only it was still missing last week. It’s hard to make a case he is a cash play as I stand firm it’s wise to spend up, but he makes a great GPP play in what could be an overlooked game.

Nate Elliot
North Carolina
DK 8,600 Opponent - East Carolina
Elliott’s table was set last week and he answered the dinner bell by starting the 4th quarter off with his 4th pick of the day leaving the Tar Heels down 24-3. It was ugly. That said, in the final 12:42 Elliott passed for 83 of his 137 yards and a score along with 30 of his 58 rushing yards. That’s good for 10.32 DK pts over the final quarter of play. Now if he can perform like that for an entire game you have yourself a GPP winning play. This week he will face off against the lowly East Carolina Pirates who just dropped their opener to North Carolina AT&T. As with Patterson, I’d have to say Elliott is more of a GPP play given the way the salaries work out, but man this is a good spot for him. He was downright atrocious last week which should scare most folks away. ECU is awful and presents little to no challenge for the Tar Heels. Look for Elliott to bounce back in a big way against the Pirates.

Running Back

Jonathan Taylor
Wisconsin
DK 10,100 Opponent - New Mexico
I don’t like his salary, but I love everything else. Taylor is the Badger workhorse and as evidenced last week should receive a healthy dose of carries, regardless of how inferior the opponent is. Taylor was fed the ball 18 times before fumbling at the four-minute mark of the 3rd quarter. He racked up 145 yards and two scores with his 18 carries and had it not been for the fumble may have eclipsed 200 yards. Last week was against Western Kentucky, not exactly a pillar of defensive prowess, but this week is not different with New Mexico coming to town. This is a cake matchup for the Badgers and a blowout is likely, but Taylor is about as safe a bet there is to be a major part of that blowout. A repeat of last week is absolutely within reason here and if he runs super hot with early scores your afternoon will be much brighter. You will need to pay up to roster him and I don’t think it’s overly difficult to do so. His ceiling may be a bit limited at this price tag, but for cash purposes, I’ll happily take his floor.

Rodney Anderson
Oklahoma
DK 9,400 Opponent - UCLA
Rodney is arguably the best back in the nation and had it not been for the lack of volume last week I would have him at the top of this list. Nevertheless, it’s really hard to ignore the matchup and potential. Last week Anderson rumbled for 100 yards and two scores, which is fantastic, but he did only get 5 carries. The Sooners will host UCLA this Saturday and as of now sit as 30 pt favorites, which frankly may be conservative. All signs point to this game getting out of hand and in a hurry. Given he only received 5 carries last week there is some concern here, but I feel much of the volume (or lack thereof) was the result of how productive he was with his carries. I wouldn’t expect Oklahoma to be shy about getting him the ball and with an implied total of 47 there should be plenty of opportunity for Anderson to hit value before being lifted for the underclassmen.

Jeremy Larkin
Northwestern
DK 8,600 Opponent - Duke
The rub with the guys mentioned above is volume, which is far from an issue with J-Lark. My man got the ball early, often and everything in between last week against Purdue, and finished with 26 carries for 143 yards and two scores to go along with 4 receptions for 20 yards last week. Larkin was one of the best plays on the board, and there is approximately zero reason to expect anything different this week. Okay, maybe the exact touches & production won’t be the same, but you can fully expect Northwestern to get him the ball, and often. Especially intriguing is the fact he was used at the goal line, as evidenced by his two short-yardage scores, and Northwestern lined him up in the Wildcat formation handling direct snaps. Duke presents an interesting challenge and with a Vegas total of just 48, this certainly isn’t the most explosive game on the board. I really like how he dominates the offensive volume and I like how Northwestern appears fully dedicated to figuring out new ways to get him the ball.

KirVonte Benson
Georgia Tech
DK 6,000 Opponent - South Florida
Benson is the lead back for the Yellow Jackets which can be a very lucrative fantasy position to be in as long as the volume is there. Last week Benson only received 10 carries, but that was good for 75 yards and 2 scores, albeit against Alcorn State. Part of the reason he only received 10 carries was the fact he was suspended for the 1st quarter, which will not be the case this Saturday when Tech faces off against South Florida. Georgia Tech currently sits as 3.5 favorites with a total of 62. The game script and step up in competition should result in Benson receiving a much heavier workload. If you project Benson for 20ish carries, and I do, he offers solid value at this price range.

Wide Receiver

Anthony Ratliff-Williams
North Carolina
DK 7,600 Opponent - East Carolina
I wasn't a big fan of the receiving options last week when considering price and this week is no different. ARW is still a guy I would consider largely based on the same thought process as to why I like Nate Elliott. North Carolina’s entire offense was out of sync last week until the 4th quarter. Elliott’s lone moneyball went to ARW and with this week’s opponent presenting a much easier challenge the two should connect again. It’s hard for me to call him a cash play as I simply prefer to get out of the position cheaply, but there is no denying the upside and potential separation he offers. North Carolina will be on the road for a second straight week, but with the Pirates just losing to NC AT&T I think the Tar Heels will be just fine. Vegas agrees as they have the Tar Heels as 17 point favorites with a total around 60.

Laviska Shenault Jr
Colorado
DK 5,900 Opponent - Nebraska
KD Nixon
Colorado
DK 4,800 Opponent - Nebraska
I suspect one or both of these guys could be a rather chalky play. Laviska exploded last week for a line of 11/211/1 which is simply fantastic. Nixon was no slouch in his own right posting a 6/112/1 line. Both are reasonably priced where they offer a decent floor and high ceiling. On the road against Nebraska poses a far different challenge compared to facing off against Colorado State, but with the middling salary, I feel the volume alone keeps them in play. Nebraska’s game was actually canceled last week, which may give a slight edge to Colorado having had a game to knock off any rust. Vegas has Nebraska as 3.5 pt favorites with a total pushing 65 and it’s that total that has me drawn to these guys.

East Carolina Receivers
Trevon Brown DK 6,900
Deondre Farrier DK 3,900
Terrell Green DK 3,700
Blake Proehl DK 3,600
Opponent - North Carolina
I’m going back to the well of the UNC vs ECU game, but for very different reasons. ECU comes into the game as healthy underdogs at +17, but considering they just lost to NC AT&T it’s understandable. With an implied total of just over 21 points you may be wondering why I am targeting this wide receiving corp. Well, they threw the ball 65 times last week and that was in a close game. This week they are expected to be trailing before they come out of the locker room. It’s hard to imagine they throw the ball more, but the indicators are there that they will. Trevon Brown is by far the best wide receiver on the team, but his price makes him extremely risky. The other 3 guys fill a very valuable DFS role, affectionately known as the punt play. Last week Farrier, Green, and Proehl combined for a 24/207/2 stat line, hardly anything to sneeze at. At sub $4k salaries it’s easy to consider any of the three with Proehl being my personal preference. The scoring opportunity may not be there for these guys, but the volume will be and they allow you to get out of the position cheap. Stack away!