RADIO
The biggest weekend in college football rolls on with another good sized slate for Friday night. DraftKings picked out seven games for us to chew on. We have two 1-AA teams in action, one team that hasn't played since 2019, and one FBS program that might be worse than the 1-AA program it's playing. The Big Ten(14) tilt is the cherry on top. It's not as big as the Ohio State-Minnesota cherry from last night, but it will have to do.
We have old faces in new places. We have new starters. We have tried and true DFS players. This slate features a little bit of everything and is going to be a fun one! Come on in!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/3/21. 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.
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DraftKings CFB DFS Quarterbacks
Sam Howell, North Carolina ($8,400)
I don't necessarily think we have to pay up at QB tonight, but despite the seven-game slate. QB is pretty weak. Howell is mostly a game manager type, but the Tarheels lost most of their rushing attack. Ty Chandler is a good back, but he's used to being in a timeshare as well. Howell put up 24.18 DraftKings points against the Hokies last year in a game in which 101 points were scored. I don't see a huge ceiling for Howell, but he's the best cash game play out there.
Anthony Russo, Michigan State ($6,800)
Mel Tucker says that he has chosen a quarterback, but he gave no indication of who it is. Temple transfer Anthony Russo makes sense. The Spartans are used to being a running team, but this was a team that ran with very little efficiency or effectiveness last season. A guy like Russo, who threw for 5,444 yards as a freshman and sophomore for the Owls, could really open up things for this offense. The receiving corps look better than the backs right now anyway. If Russo starts, he could be a bargain at this price. If Peyton Thorne starts, look elsewhere.
Gunnar Holmberg, Duke ($6,300)
The fact that Holmberg couldn't beat out Chase Brice last year is a bit concerning and the loss of TE Noah Gray is going to hurt. That said, this is a nice matchup for the Duke offense to work out some kinks. They know what they have at running back. QB is a bit of a question mark. Holmberg looked impressive when the North Carolina game was out of reach, and he did throw three passes against Charlotte last year. Holmberg only had six incompletions in his 25 passes attempted last year, so there is hope he can have a solid season. If he does, it will start here.
Also consider: Sam Hartman, Wake Forest ($8,900); Brendon Lewis, Colorado ($6,600); Mark Gronowski, South Dakota State ($5,900); Carson Camp, South Dakota ($5,000)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Running Backs
Jarek Broussard, Colorado ($7,900)
Broussard ran for nearly 150 yards per game last season. With Colorado breaking in a new QB and a receiver or two, we could see Broussard have a nice game here. He wont play the entire game, but I fully expect triple digit yardage and at least one touchdown before he departs. Broussard is a must in cash games, but I understand a GPP fade. He's very talented, but likely wont play at least one quarter of this game. That caps his upside.
Mataeo Durant, Duke ($7,200)
Durant ran for 104 yards on just 12 carries against the 49'ers last year. Two of those went for touchdowns. When the dust cleared, Durant had 25.4 DraftKings points and a nice long rest at the end of the game as Duke walked off with a 34-point victory. There may be some learning curve with Holmberg now the starter, but unlike so many new starting QB's this year, Holmberg didn't transfer in. He is a senior and has been in this offense the entire time. We could have some nice DFS games from Duke while they remain mostly underpriced.
Ty Chandler, North Carolina ($5,200)
Wow, this price is too low. This team is built to run. That was clear last year with Javonte Williams and Michael Carter. The Tarheels will likely try to find balance with their tailbacks again at some point this season, but Chander comes in looking like the clear starter. We've seen the kinds of numbers backs in this North Carolina backfield can put up. I like true freshman Caleb Hood for some salary relief as well. I have no issues running both here if you don't want to pay up at running back. The Hokies allowed an uncharacteristic 181.5 rushing yards per game last year. There is an avenue to success for both Chandler and Hood.
Raheem Blackshear, Virginia Tech ($3,600)
There is a lot of uncertainty in the Virginia Tech backfield and the coaching staff has done nothing to alleviate this. Jalen Holston,Blackshear, and Keshawn King are all listed as co-starters on the depth chart. Holston has seniority, so he figures to get first crack at the job. Blackshear is the better receiver of the three, so he should see guaranteed snaps on passing downs. King is the wild card. He played in 11 games as a freshman in 2019 before missing last season. He could wind up being the better of the three, but he'll have to prove it and if Holston starts out strong, he may not get a chance to this game. Blackshear is the safest of the three.
Also consider: Christian Beal-Smith, Wake Forest ($6,400); Velton Gardner, Kansas ($5,800); Tru Wilson, Northern Colorado ($4,400); Jalen Holston, Virginia Tech ($4,300)
DraftKings CFB DFS Wide Receivers
Josh Downs, North Carolina ($7,200)
With both Dazz Newsome and Dyami Brown now in the NFL, the Tarheels will have to break in some new receivers. Downs took on that role against Texas A&M in the bowl game, hauling in two touchdowns in his four receptions. There are a lot of targets to be accounted for with the top two options gone, but the bowl success and reports from camp suggest that Downs is ready to be the playmaker. If the Heels are forced to throw in this game, Downs could be in for a nice one.
Trey McBride, Colorado State ($6,300)
With Temple transfer Todd Centeio under center, it should open up the passing game for the Rams. McBride had 22 receptions in four games last year and Dante Wright had 20 in just three games. I give McBride the edge because Wright didn't score a touchdown. Wright was more the possession guy, but in a game against an overmatched defense, I want the guy who can break a short pass for a touchdown. That's not Wright. Wright is better suited for cash games.
Jalen Nailor, Michigan State ($5,000)
If you believe that the arrival of Russo is going to jump-start the passing game, you have to pair him with Nailor. Nailor closed the 2020 campaign with 100 yards against Penn State. Nailor had his two best games last year against pretty strong Iowa and Penn State defenses. There is a lot of potential here, especially if the Spartans are unable to find success in their running game again. Nailor went for 99 receiving yards against Northwestern last year with an inferior quarterback. I like him a lot here.
La'Vontae Shenault, Colorado ($4,500)
If the last name sounds familiar, it should. His older brother Laviska was a standout for the Ralphies before getting drafted by Jacksonville. The younger Shenault has yet to have that true breakout, and with the Ralphies breaking in a new quarterback, there could be a learning curve. Shenault is still alongside Dimitri Stanley on the depth chart, but hopefully that means he'll still see a large share of snaps. He's significantly cheaper than Stanley.
Also consider: Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest ($8,600); Tayvion Robinson, Virginia Tech ($6,800); Caleb Vander Esch, South Dakota ($5,500); Khafre Brown, North Carolina ($3,000)
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