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Week 0 annoys me, but you already know that. However, the NCAA did us a solid and gave us a few good games on the night slate as well. We have Charlotte taking on Florida Atlantic to kick this one off in an early C-USA battle. Florida A&M heads up to Chapel Hill for a paycheck. UTEP hosts North Texas before their week 1 "opener" in Norman. The new-look Nevada team heads east for a tune-up at New Mexico State. We close this off on the islands with Vanderbilt heading to paradise before getting beaten senseless in the SEC later this year.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/27/22 locking at 7 pm eastern. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard and forward, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. Good luck, RotoBallers.
DraftKings CFB DFS Quarterbacks
Drake Maye, North Carolina ($7,400)
Maye has earned the starting job as the successor to Sam Howell for the Tarheels this year. North Carolina has very little experience left on this team, but that's a good thing for DFS. Yes, the opponent is overmatched, but the coaching staff will likely leave the starters in longer so they can get game experience and work on plays. Maye played well in garbage time against Wofford last year, which is about the same level of competition as Florida A&M. He has substantial upside for the price here.
N'Kosi Perry, Florida Atlantic ($7,100)
The Miami transfer only threw 11 passes against Charlotte last year in a Thursday night game, but he racked up 22.6 DraftKings points in the process. FAU hammered the 49ers last year, and while that might be the case again this year, Perry will be front and center if they do. The Owls' offense will go as Perry goes once again as Willie Taggart tries to lead them to a bowl game.
Also consider: Chris Reynolds, Charlotte ($8,000); Mike Wright, Vanderbilt ($6,500); Gavin Hardison, UTEP ($6,400)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Running Backs
D.J. Jones, North Carolina ($6,400)
Jones got a little more work out of the Carolina backfield last year (60 carries for 253 yards) than Maye did backing up Sam Howell. I see Jones taking some of the pressure off of Maye in this one. He also caught 29 passes last year, so Jones is likely to be active in the passing game as well. With a couple of risky options ahead of Jones, I have no problem with him anchoring my backfield on this slate.
Ray Davis, Vanderbilt ($6,200)
Davis ran for 211 yards in the first three games of the season last year before a torn ligament in his toe relegated him to the role of cheerleader for the rest of 2021. Davis has reportedly looked good in scrimmages and should be the starting back once again for the Commodores. He's not all that explosive, but he's going to find plenty of room against a Hawaii defense that allowed 157 rush yards per game last year.
Larry McCammon III, Florida Atlantic ($3,400)
McCammon is apparently the starter for the Owls to start the season, surpassing Johnny Ford, who almost went for triple digits on the 49ers last year. This little bit of news is the only reason I'm not playing Ford. However, I have to think that McCammon's leash will be rather short if he starts slow against Charlotte. Ford is a proven commodity. If the reports are true and McCammon does start this game, he's a nice bargain at the price.
Also consider: Toa Taua, Nevada ($7,600); Shadrick Byrd, Charlotte ($5,800); Ronald Awatt, UTEP ($5,500); Devonte Lee, Nevada ($4,300)
DraftKings CFB DFS Wide Receivers
Josh Downs, North Carolina ($8,500)
Normally, I wouldn't shell out this much for a receiver in a game that is going to be a blowout. Here I will since Downs had big games against Georgia State, Duke, and Wofford – all blowout wins for the Tarheels last year. What better way for a young quarterback to get acclimated than with a receiver who hauled in 101 passes last year for 1,335 yards? I tend to think Downs is still going to be a huge part of the game plan even if he does only play for one half.
Grant DuBose, Charlotte ($6,800)
Charlotte returns all of the key components of their passing game this year, which should help them in their quest for a bowl berth. Both DuBose and Tucker had strong seasons last year. It was Tucker who had the better game against Florida Atlantic, but finding the end zone will do that for you. It's a toss-up between both Charlotte receivers, but both had good games against the Owls last year with Charlotte playing catch-up most of the game. The same could happen again.
Tyrin Smith, UTEP ($6,100)
Hardison is still the quarterback, but the transfer of Jacob Cowing frees up a ton of targets for the wide receiver corps in El Paso. Smith should step into a large share of those. 13 of Smith's 33 receptions came over the last two games and the bowl game last year. Hardison was already looking his way with Cowing grabbing the attention of most defensive backs. Smith should step into a larger role without a problem this year.
Zion Bowens, Hawaii ($5,800)
The Warriors underwent a massive overhaul among the receivers and have a three-headed monster at quarterback right now. Hawaii legend Timmy Chang is now the head coach, so everyone assumes that he will run an offense similar to the system that led Chang to 17,072 career passing yards. That means a lot of targets to go around. Bowens is the leading returning receiver for the Warriors, but local product Jonah Panoke is a great value pick as well if you need a cheap piece of this offense.
Jyaire Shorter, North Texas ($3,400)
Shorter has been limited over the last two seasons, only being healthy for four games in those seasons combined. He had 24 receptions for 473 yards and nine touchdowns in his only full season in 2019. The Mean Green offense is pretty much the same as it was then. Shorter made the opening depth chart as a co-starter, so I'm willing to take a flyer on him at this price in GPPs.
Also consider: Victor Tucker, Charlotte ($7,200); Will Sheppard, Vanderbilt ($6,400); LaJohntay Wester, Florida Atlantic ($6,300); Jamaal Bell, Nevada ($6,200); Dominic Gicinto, New Mexico State ($5,200); B.J. Casteel, Nevada ($4,900); Jayden McGowan, Vanderbilt ($3,000)
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