RADIO
Welcome back, my friends! It has been a long, cold, dreary eight months (never mind the endless string of 100+ degree days this month) without college football. That ends now! We get a nice five-game slate as a warm-up for next week's college football extravaganza.
We start in Nashville with Iowa and Kentucky facing off (again) in the Music City Bowl. Next up is the Sugar Bowl from Nawlins between Alabama and Kansas State. The afternoon takes us to the desert for the Fiesta Bowl between Michigan and TCU. We close out in Athens West with the Peach Bowl between Georgia and Ohio State. How's that for a slate?
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/26/23, locking at 7 PM Eastern. I’ll provide multiple player suggestions for players at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, aiming to highlight one option at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Caleb Williams, USC ($9,900)
Don't just dismiss this as a game where the Trojans should roll. San Jose State returns all of the starters at the skill positions from a 7-win team last year. This is a team that almost beat Auburn and Fresno State. Yes, USC is a different animal, but there will be some resistance here.
That's good news for those of us who want to use Williams. Even in a trouncing of Rice in last year's opener, Williams put up 24.76 DraftKings points. Only Washington State and Oregon State held him under that the rest of the season. It doesn't get any safer than Caleb on this slate.
Diego Pavia, New Mexico State ($7,400)
Pavia won the starting job outright over Gavin Frakes this year. He made his first start of 2022 against UMass last year and led the Aggies to a 23-13 victory, throwing for both touchdowns the Aggies scored in that game. Pavia also racked up 56 yards on the ground in that one. He has come a long way since that first start and is looking like a really nice GPP option here.
Also consider: Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose State ($6,300); Taisun Phommachanh, Massachusetts ($4,800)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Sieh Bangura, Ohio ($7,200)
Bangura was one of the best true freshmen in college football last year, and most of you have no idea who he is. Bangura ran for 1,078 yards in his inaugural campaign with 15 touchdowns. He topped 100 yards against a tough Wyoming defense in the bowl game last year. San Diego State has a strong run defense, but the dual action of Bangura and quarterback Kurtis Rourke could wear the Aztecs down. We should still see a solid game from Bangura even if a ceiling game isn't in the cards.
Charvis Thornton, Louisiana Tech ($5,400)
The normally crowded Bulldogs backfield could be a M*A*S*H* unit tonight with Marquis Crosby and Tyre Shelton both expected to miss the game. That means a whole lot of carries for Thornton against a Florida International team that allowed a staggering 191.75 rushing yards per game last year and 31 rushing touchdowns in 12 games. Sign me up!
Also consider: Marshawn Lloyd, USC ($7,400); Kenan Christon, San Diego State ($5,600)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Tahj Washington, USC ($6,800)
Washington was second to Jordan Addison in receptions and yards in the loss to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship and led the team in the bowl loss to Tulane. Arizona transfer Dorian Singer and Colorado transplant Brenden Rice add more to an already loaded WR room, but Washington's experience should give him an upper hand early. USC is going to have to pass to put the Spartans away and I expect Tahj to haul in a lot of those.
Will Sheppard, Vanderbilt ($5,000)
Vandy is going with a committee at running back, so I'm leaving that alone. I'm not sure how much they'll pass against Hawaii, but the Hawaii run defense was one of the few bright spots on the team last year. Sheppard picked up 18.9 DraftKings points against Hawaii last year out in paradise thanks to a pair of touchdowns. We can't count on the touchdowns, but we can count on Sheppard being a target in the passing game. That's good enough for me at this price.
Tyler Foster, Ohio ($3,300)
If this is a normal San Diego State game, points should be at a premium in this one. Foster scored four touchdowns on just 13 receptions last season, but the absence of Rourke down the stretch did him no favors. Foster is a solid bet for a cheap touchdown against a San Diego State team that covers well down the field. That should leave the underneath open for Foster to get some work.
Also consider: Smoke Harris, Louisiana Tech ($6,500); Jonah Panoke, Hawaii ($5,400); Justin Lockhart, San Jose State ($4,800); Kordell David, New Mexico State ($4,700); Mark Pope, Massachusetts ($3,900)
DraftKings CFB Stacks:
USC:
The Trojans are expensive and will be a tough stack outside of Caleb Williams simply because we don't know who will produce. They have as many as six wide receivers who could play in the NFL one day. Austin Jones and Marshawn Lloyd are both good backs. If I were to stack this, I would use Williams and Tahj Washington with both running backs. I think USC is going to try to wear the Spartans down on the ground with two good backs.
Louisiana Tech
FIU allowed 55 offensive touchdowns in 12 games last season. Boise State transfer Hank Bachmeier gives the Bulldogs a threat at quarterback again where they really didn't have one last year. You know how much I like Thornton and Miami-Ohio transfer Tyre Shelton if he plays. However, Bachmeier's presence has me high on Smoke Harris and Cyrus Allen in this one if you want to run a full Bulldogs stack.
Also consider: New Mexico State, Vanderbilt
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