RADIO
Mike Marteny's college football DFS lineup picks for DraftKings. Week 0 (8/29/26) CFB daily fantasy lineup picks and DFS sleepers for Saturday.
We have waited over eight months for this! Where did the time go? Wait...no one is saying that. College football is finally back! I'll be with you every step of the way this season with DFS picks for every slate, ESPN College Pick 'Em picks, top 25 rankings every week, and every game picked against the spread. That's right...every single one!
Our opening salvo of the 2026 college football season is a fun Week 0! All eight games feature FBS vs. FBS matchups. The two newest FBS schools, North Dakota State and Sacramento State, are even on here! The only thing missing is the Aer Lingus Classic from Dublin. DraftKings chopped that off the slate, which is unfortunate. Still, we have college football, and it still matters (for now). Let's do this!
In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/29/26, starting at 3 p.m. Eastern. I’ll give multiple player suggestions for players at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, aiming to highlight one option at the salary scale's high, middle, and lower end. Good luck, RotoBallers.
Featured Promo! Save 50% on any PGA Premium Pass using discount code MASTERS, this week only! Win more with our DFS and Betting Packages, get expert tools and advice from proven winners including the Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, betting/props cheat sheet and more. GAIN FULL ACCESS HERE
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Jayden Maiava, USC ($9K)
That's a hefty tag on Maiava against an overmatched team, but that's where a lot of DFS players can go astray. We don't need to avoid blowouts on this slate. One of Maiava's biggest games last year came against Georgia Southern in a 39-point September win.
Maiava accounted for four touchdown passes despite only 24 attempts. He also had a season-high 412 passing yards despite not playing the whole game. This USC offense returns both running backs, Maiava, and the entire offensive line. He'll get his points.
CJ Bailey, North Carolina State ($6.6K)
I usually won't hang around in the low end of quarterbacks for both slots, but this opening slate could be an exception. Given the dreaded "two QBs will play" statement from UNLV and Davis Warren starting at Stanford, I'm leaving both of those alone.
The crazy thing is that Bailey is cheaper than all three of those quarterbacks! Bailey threw for 3,105 yards, 25 touchdowns, and ran for six more touchdowns last year. His opponent is one of the tougher ones on the slate, but Bailey put up 28.4 DK points on the Hoos last year.
Micah Alejado, Hawaii ($6.5K)
It's not often that we get Hawaii on a slate. It's even less frequent that we get a Hawaii quarterback at a bargain price. Alejado combated injuries last season, but he threw at least 34 passes in eight of his nine starts.
He's going to be throwing the ball all over the place against a Stanford defense that allowed 288.9 yards per game last year and only picked off three passes in 12 games. Alejado is a gift at this price.
Micah Alejado showing off the wheels!! @HawaiiFootball pic.twitter.com/Sg5NVEqaPF
— CBS Sports College Football ? (@CBSSportsCFB) August 24, 2025
Also consider: Ashton Daniels, Florida State ($8.5K); Noah Kim, Eastern Michigan ($7.4K); Carson Conklin, Sacramento State ($6K)
Want some more CFB DFS tools? If you like what you see here, don't forget to sign up for your RotoBaller CFB DFS Premium Pass. Use code MARTENY and receive 10% off your purchase! You'll love the College Football DFS Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheets, and Premium Slack Chatrooms to help you out in real time.
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Waymond Jordan, USC ($8K)
#USC Split Backs G/T Counter w/ RB arc
This run is a perfect example of who Waymond Jordan is, he has it all. Great patience, vision and burst. Make-you-miss ability, contact balance and watch how physical he finishes the run. https://t.co/NAMA2BqTNb pic.twitter.com/iDQj7AjsFj
— Kendell Hollowell (@KHollowell_) September 21, 2025
Jordan was a monster in September last year, posting nearly 20 DK points per game until he was hurt in the Michigan game on October 11 and missed the rest of the season.
Reports out of camp say that Jordan is as explosive as he was last year. King Miller emerged in Jordan's absence last year and will likely take some carries this year, but a two-back system isn't as horrible in college as the NFL.
San Jose State allowed 25 rushing touchdowns last year. I don't see a scenario where Jordan doesn't get at least one touchdown in this game, making him a great cash play.
Jamar Curtis, Sacramento State ($6.8K)
Curtis was among the top FCS running backs heading into 2025, but injuries limited him to just four games last season. His final (and only full) game of 2025 was a 105-yard game against UC Davis at the end of the season.
Eastern Michigan was one of the worst run defenses in FBS last year, allowing 232.08 yards on the ground and a staggering 29 rushing touchdowns. Curtis gets a chance to prove that the UC Davis game wasn't a fluke with a soft landing at the FBS level.
Cam Barfield, Hawaii ($5.8K)
Despite not starting last year, Barfield played in all 13 games. He caught at least one pass in every game and had multiple receptions in seven games. That's a lot of free points in a PPR format such as DraftKings.
Barfield is the starter this year and should see even more opportunities out of the backfield. This is a classic air-raid scheme where short passes to the running backs are basically the run game. Barfield will stack up a lot of points on receptions and the yardage that comes with those alone.
Also consider: King Miller, USC ($7.7K); Micah Ford, Stanford ($6.3K); Dallan Hayden, Memphis ($5.4K)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Tanook Hines, USC ($6.5K)
Hines exploded for two monster games at the end of 2025. He piled up 304 yards on 12 receptions against Oregon and in the bowl game against TCU. The UCLA game in between was pedestrian (three catches, 31 yards) but still wasn't a total bust.
Hines is expected to be the leading receiver on the team this year. USC has the most dangerous offense on the slate and one of the best matchups. Stack away!
TK King, New Mexico State ($5.3K)
The Aggies will be playing from behind for the entire game. King missed four games last year, but was still second on the team in receptions and yardage. He averaged 73.5 yards per game, which was the best on the team in 2025.
King had 22 receptions in the final three games of 2025 for 304 yards and three touchdowns. That was more than half of his production from last season. He comes into 2026 as the biggest threat on the Aggies' offense.
Audric Harris, Hawaii ($4.4K)
Harris was behind many good receivers for Washington last year. He suddenly finds himself as the focal point of the Hawaii offense with Pofele Ashlock expected to miss the first game (he hasn't even practiced yet) and Jackson Harris in Baton Rouge.
Every single Hawaii receiver is too cheap on this slate. Harris and Tama Uiliata could be in for monster games since Hawaii throws on more than 60% of offensive snaps.
Ethan Feaster, USC ($3K)
Boobie Feaster had pLAces to be ?️? pic.twitter.com/kJvb9YzmaR
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) August 13, 2026
The speedy freshman has been the talk of camp, and not just because he was 16 when he showed up on campus. He reached the ripe old age of 17 on May 23. Feaster has been one of the best freshmen at camp so far.
There's always a chance that Feaster is buried on the depth chart and doesn't play much, but this game is going to be a blowout. We should see Feaster get a few chances in this one. His speed and minimum price tag make him an interesting GPP option.
Also consider: Duce Robinson, Florida State ($7K); Deondre Johnson, Jacksonville State ($5.2K); Nick Devereaux, Eastern Michigan ($4.9K)
DraftKings CFB Stacks
Hawaii
Hawaii is cheap and fits nicely with an expensive USC stack. Alejado, Barfield, Harris, and Uiliata will set you back only a total of $20,600. That leaves plenty left over for a USC sweep of Maiava, Jordan, and Hines.
USC
There is more than enough value on the slate to run whatever USC players you would like. A USC/Hawaii stack is going to be very popular, but you can get different by using both Jordan and Miller in the USC backfield.
Maiava, Jordan, Miller, and Hines will run you $31,200. That doesn't leave much left over, but you can still grab Alejado and Harris and drop down to a cheaper flex player to differentiate your stack.
Also consider: Florida State, Eastern Michigan, Stanford (GPP only)
