College Daily Plays: Week One

Editor’s Note: Make sure you enter the DLF FanDuel Football Championship, exclusively for followers of DLF. Seriously. We have a $20,000 prize pool here, folks.

With the return of college football this Thursday, comes the start of the daily college football season. FanDuel is offering a great slate of contests for the opening night of the season. Below is a list of names for each of the skill positions broken down into three different categories; high, medium and low cost for their respective positions I like for this upcoming slate of games. The key when playing daily fantasy is to try and create a lineup in which you maximize the value of your selections based on their cost.

Quarterbacks

High Cost: $8,500-$10,500

Trevone Boykin, TCU ($10,500)

Boykin is one of the elite quarterbacks in college football who can pick up yards quickly via the air and on the ground. With an over/under of 57 points versus Minnesota this week, Boykin should lead TCU to plenty of scoring as they try to cement themselves as one of the elite teams in college football this season. The cost is steep, but if you can find other areas to save money, he should be worth the price to build your team around.

Others to consider: Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State ($9000)

Medium Cost: $6,500-$8,400

Justin Holman, UCF ($7700)

Holman looks to improve upon his up and down season last year, but all reports have been that he looks sharp and UCF is expecting a big season from his this season. Holman must overcome the loss of his top playmaker in Breshad Perriman, but UCF has enough weapons at the skill position to do so. I like Holman’s chances this week as they are 14 point favorites against overmatched Florida International.

Others to consider: Travis Wilson, Utah ($7,500), Cooper Rush, Central Michigan ($6,500)

Low Cost: under $6,500

Thomas Sirk, Duke ($5,100)

[inlinead]With Anthony Boone no longer under center for the Blue Devils, the attention turns to Sirk. As a dual threat option, Sirk could easily be the best value on the board for Thursday night. Duke is a nine point favorite over Tulane and I expect Sirk to put up at least a total of three touchdowns via the ground and the air.

Others to consider: none

Running Backs

High Cost: $8,500-$10,500

Devontae Booker, Utah ($9,300)

Booker is one of my favorite prospects in college football. He is the focal point and the foundation of the Utah offense. Booker should be busy rushing and receiving as they open up their season as five and half point favorites versus Michigan. I would expect Booker to lead his team to victory and accumulate over 150 total yards and a few scores to start the season.

Others to consider: AJ Ouellette, Ohio ($8,900), Nick Wilson, Arizona ($10,100)

Medium Cost: $6,500-$8,400

William Stanback, UCF ($7,600)

Similar to his quarterback, Holmon, Stanback had an up and down sophomore season for UCF. During the year he dealt with some injuries that caused him to miss some games and limit his touches during others. When fully healthy, he was a very productive back, totaling just under 700 yards rushing and ten touchdowns. I expect him to take his game to the next level this year and expect a big effort on opening night against FCU. With Holman and Stanback both on this list, I am fully all in on UCF putting up points this week.

Others to consider: Elijhaa Penny, Idaho ($6,500), Brandon Wilds, South Carolina ($7,700)

Low Cost: under $6,500

Martez Walker, Central Michigan ($4500)

Walker is one of my favorite sleepers for the season and his price this week may be the lowest we see it all season, so enjoy it while it lasts. While most expected Devon Spalding to replace Thomas Rawls, now of the Seattle Seahawks, in the starting lineup, it is Walker that is getting the first crack. At only 5’8” and 183 pounds, Walker is a small back, but he’s fast and can be a dangerous weapon out of the backfield. Central Michigan has a tough first opponent in Oklahoma State, but with that price tag, it will be hard not to have Walker in all of my line ups this week, as he presents just too good of a value.

Others to consider: De’Veon Smith, Michigan ($6200)

Wide Receivers

High Cost: $8,000 or more

Jared Dangerfield, Western Kentucky ($8,100)

With questions lingering about the availability of Leon Allen, the star running back for Western Kentucky, Dangerfield and the passing game may become the focal point of the offense. With an over/under of 64.5 points this week versus Vanderbilt, Dangerfield is a guy I will try to fit into all of my lineups. While the price tag is high, I expect a big game from him opening night and providing great value.

Others to consider: Josh Doctson, TCU ($8300), Cayleb Jones, Arizona ($8100)

Medium Cost: $6,000-$7,900

Quinshad Davis, UNC ($7000)

Davis is one of the more polarizing prospects in college football. He has some elite traits at the receiver position, but his stats and production have gone down each season since his freshman year. As he enters his senior season, he has one more chance to put it all together. I believe the skill set is there to become a big time college player. While the price tag is a tad high this week for a player that has often been inconsistent, UNC versus South Carolina has one of the biggest over/under of the week at 64 points.

Others to consider: Brandon Sheperd, Oklahoma State ($7,300), James Washington, Oklahoma State ($6,000), Samajie Grant, Arizona ($6,400)

Low Cost: under $6,000

Kolby Listenbee, TCU ($5,900)

With Deante Gray looking like he will miss this week’s game versus Minnesota, Listenbee becomes the best value of all the TCU receivers. Listenbee is a dangerous vertical threat with great speed who can easily get behind the coverage for a few big touchdown catches. As I explained when discussing Boykin, I expect TCU to come out ready to send a message to all of college football. I expect TCU will put up over 40 points this week and will want to have some shares in this offense.

Others to consider: Jesse Kroll, Central Michigan ($5,200)

Tight Ends

High Cost: $3,500 or more

Jake Butt, Michigan ($3,500)

Butt is one of my favorite tight ends for this upcoming season. I expect him to be used in many of my lineups throughout the season. Butt seems to be fully healthy after offseason knee surgery and with Jim Harbaugh now in Michigan, he could become one of the focal points of the offense. At 6’6” and 248 pounds, Butt could become a difference maker in the red zone and in the middle of the field to keep the chains moving.

Others to consider: Braxton Deaver, Duke ($3500)

Medium Cost: $3,000-$3,400

Deon Watson, Idaho ($3400)

At 6’4” and 240 pounds, Watson is an interesting player. Idaho converted him to tight end, from wide receiver. Last season, he had 37 catches for 343 yards and one touchdown. As nine point underdogs to Ohio, Idaho could be playing from behind often in this one, increasing the chances that Watson sees more targets and opportunities throughout the game.

Others to consider: none

Low Cost: under $3,000

David Morgan, UTSA ($2,600)

Morgan is a great sleeper this week and comes in a fantastic price. Last season, Morgan missed five games but still caught 20 passes for 255 yards. This week UTSA plays Arizona, who last season, Morgan had his best game of the year catching five passes, for 76 yards and a touchdown. In a game that UTSA is 31 point underdogs, expect a lot of pass attempts in the second half, which will give Morgan a chance to accumulate some stats.

Others to consider: none

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