DraftKings CFB DFS Lineup Picks: Week Zero Daily College Fantasy Football (8/27/22)

August 24, 2022

Mike's DraftKings daily fantasy college football lineup picks for Week 0 (Week Zero) on 8/27/22. His CFB DFS lineup picks and DFS sleepers will help you win.

We have finally reached the regular season! Well...kind of. It's week 0. That's not to say that there aren't enough games to entertain us! If you want access to all of our premium college football content for 2023, the folks at RotoBaller are offering it FREE to the winner of our ESPN College Pick Em group! Sign up here! One entry per person, please. I will be posting my picks for ESPN College Pick Em all season long and updating you on the standings. The winner at the end of the season wins the free RotoBaller premium college football package for next year giving you exclusive access to our DFS lineup optimizer, DFS picks, and our Slack/Discord to give you real-time answers to your college fantasy questions!

Week 0 annoys me, but you already know that. However, the NCAA did us a solid and gave us a few good games on this slate. Austin Peay and the high-flying Western Kentucky offense kick this one off. A half-hour later we have Nebraska and Northwestern from Dublin. The afternoon gives us Idaho State heading to Vegas to take on the new-look Rebels. Wyoming takes on Illinois in Champaign. UConn is back on the football field in Logan. We close out with Duquesne heading down to Tallahassee for a beating.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/27/22 locking at noon 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 Picks - Quarterbacks

Austin Reed, Western Kentucky ($9,000)

Reed wasn't expected to beat out West Virginia transfer Jarret Doege, but he had the edge and Doege transferred again...this time to Troy. Maybe the fourth time's a charm for Doege. Meanwhile, Reed gets the keys to the Corvette. The Hilltoppers were second in the nation in scoring with 44.2 points per game. Bailey Zapppe threw for a staggering 5,967 yards and 62 touchdowns. Those aren't typos. Reed isn't quite the quarterback that Zappe is, but he will have plenty of chances to sling the ball around. His ceiling is astronomical against the Governors.

Casey Thompson, Nebraska ($7,200)

The Wildcats allowed 34 points per game in conference play last season, including a season-high 56 to Nebraska. Call me a pessimist, but I don't think going to a different country is going to alleviate that kind of lopsided loss. The Wildcats only scored seven points in that game. I think it will be closer this year, but Nebraska is going to want to prove to the fanbase that this team is different. They're going to come out swinging here.

Also consider: Jordan Travis, Florida State ($8,800); Logan Bonner, Utah State ($8,600); Ta'Quan Roberson, Connecticut ($5,700); Harrison Bailey, UNLV ($4,500)

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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs

Calvin Tyler, Utah State ($8,100)

UConn gave up nearly 200 rushing yards per game last year and the defense hasn't improved much. I could see Tyler getting pulled early if this game gets out of hand. History indicates it might, but the Huskies played fairly well in the middle of last season with Tyler Phommachanh under center. He didn't win the starting gig, but maybe his successor is good enough that UConn can hang around long enough to let Tyler pad his stats a little more. I also have to think that the presence of Jim Mora is going to improve UConn. It won't happen overnight, but they might have a little more fight in them than for much of 2021.

Titus Swen, Wyoming ($6,000)

Swen filled in nicely after Xazavian Valladay went down last year, including a monster game against Utah State. Valladay transferred out of Laramie and the quarterback situation here is still up in the air as well. We should see Swen get as much work as he can handle in what likely will be a close game against the Illini.

Aidan Robbins, UNLV ($3,300)

The transfer from Louisville won the starting RB job and apparently, DraftKings didn't get the memo. This is yet another team that is having their quarterback battle carry over into the regular season. UNLV should win this game going away, but there is at least a puncher's chance that they don't. At any rate, Robbins is going to see plenty of work for this price tag. It may be the only time I recommend a UNLV player all season, so enjoy it!

Also consider: Chase Brown, Illinois ($7,900); Treshaun Ward, Florida State ($6,100); Josh Samuel, Austin Peay ($5,200); Gabe Ervin, Nebraska ($4,900)

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers

Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky ($7,600)

Jerreth Sterns graduated and Mitchell Tinsley hit the transfer portal, so that leaves Corley and Oregon transfer Daewood Davis as the leading returning receivers. Davis is one of my favorite value plays on the slate, so you get a bonus pick for this one. Corley is more the possession receiver though, so he has the higher floor. Who knows how much the Hilltoppers are going to open it up against Austin Peay. A vanilla playbook would be better for Corley, so he's the safer pick.

Omar Manning, Nebraska ($6,900)

Casey Thompson has to throw it to someone. Samori Toure is gone, leaving Manning as the most likely to take over as the leading receiver. LSU transfer Trey Palmer is going to be a factor as well, but Manning's knowledge of the playbook should help his young quarterback get acclimated. I expect Manning to be the one Thompson looks to more, at least early in the season.

Malik Washington, Northwestern ($5,300)

Washington had a solid game against Nebraska last year, hauling in three passes for 64 yards. What has me leaning towards Washington over the other Northwestern receivers is his 20 receptions over the last five games. That means QB Ryan Hilinski was looking at Washington more and more as the season went on, culminating in six receptions for 74 yards against Illinois. His lack of touchdowns is a problem, but this price is right if he catches 4-6 passes again. He'll rack up a half dozen points on receptions alone.

Winston Wright, Florida State ($3,800)

The Seminoles haven't released an official depth chart yet, but the West Virginia transfer should be a starter on this team. Oregon transfer Mycah Pittman is the more heralded of the transfer portal gifts to the Seminoles, but Wright is an excellent possession guy. He had at least three receptions in all but one game last season. I tend to think he'll be pretty heavily involved for Florida State this year, even in the cake matchup as he gets his bearings with his new team.

Also consider: Mycah Pittman, Florida State ($7,500); Justin McGriff, Utah State ($6,800); Kyle Williams, UNLV ($6,300); Drae McCray, Austin Peay ($4,700); Keelan Marion, Connecticut ($4,600)

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