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Mike Marteny's college football DFS lineup picks for DraftKings. Week 1 Thursday Slate (9/3/26) CFB daily fantasy lineup picks and DFS sleepers for Saturday.
Last week was a solid appetizer. Week 0 came and went without any major upsets at the FBS level. Some teams looked better than we thought they would. Some looked awful. Some of those teams are back in action this week.
We have a whole new slate of players for Thursday. There are a total of 11 games on Thursday, but DraftKings is taking a new approach this year. When they first started college DFS, they had players score .75x normal points against FCS opponents. The last few years, they priced up the players so it was hard to use them. Early this season, they are ignoring those games altogether, even though two ranked teams (Utah and Missouri) are in action on this slate. It's interesting. Let's see where it takes us. The four games all feature FBS vs. FBS opponents.
In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/3/26, starting at 6 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.
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Dylan Lonergan, Rutgers ($7.7K)
? ACC POTW: QB — Dylan Lonergan
? 34/45, 390 yards, 4 TDs vs Michigan State
? Most BC completions since 2020 (34)
? 8 TDs, 0 INTs through 2 games — first since 2018@BCFootball | @BCEagles | #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/aXmOg8p9Ed— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) September 9, 2025
The former Boston College quarterback won the Rutgers job and has by far the best matchup on the slate. UMass has been back in FBS since 2012. The Minutemen are 26-134 since returning to the FBS level. They've never won more than four games and went winless in 2025.
UMass allowed at least 21 points in every game last year. The closest loss to an FBS opponent was 18 points to Western Michigan. UMass allowed more than 40 points in eight games, including the last four of the season.
Lonergan had some big games early in the season last year before he was benched in early October. We won't see a benching in this one. This is going to be one of Lonergan's big games.
Gio Lopez, Wake Forest ($7.5K)
I know, you're all scarred for life after watching Gio at North Carolina last year. I get it. He was a square peg in a round hole. Things will be different this year.
Lopez is reunited with offensive coordinator Rob Ezell, who was the OC at South Alabama for Lopez's outstanding 2024 season. This is a soft landing for Ezell and Lopez's second tour. We should see the Lopez that was excellent at South Alabama in 2024.
Julian Lewis, Colorado ($6.7K)
Lewis had his ups and downs as a true freshman last year, but he performed reasonably well in his three starts. Lewis threw four touchdowns and didn't turn the ball over in starts against Arizona, Arizona State, and West Virginia in November.
First career touchdown for Julian Lewis as a Colorado Buffalo @JulianLewis10 x #GoBuffs
?: FS1 pic.twitter.com/BdR7gZiU4e
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) November 2, 2025
Reports out of camp have been great for Lewis. He's priced lower on this slate because he has zero rushing upside. Still, he's a solid value at QB running Colorado's "go-go" offense.
Also consider: Katin Houser, Illinois ($8.3K); Alberto Mendoza, Georgia Tech ($7.2K)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Antwan Raymond, Rutgers ($8.9K)
Raymond is the highest-priced player on the slate, and with good reason. UMass allowed a staggering 221.3 rushing yards per game and 30 rushing touchdowns in 12 games.
Rutgers RB Antwan Raymond has a great blend of agility and contact balance
Should end up as a top 5 RB for me pic.twitter.com/ws7TmiYdFA
— Big Hank (@HankKnowsBall) April 29, 2026
There is no part of that UMass defense that is better. Raymond was a tank for Rutgers last year, rushing for 1,241 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has a better offense around him this year.
Raymond is a must-play in cash games, but the upside is so high that you can't really fade him in GPPs either. He's going to be rostered around 80%, but get different elsewhere. This is a dream matchup for Raymond.
Ca'Lil Valentine, Illinois ($6.3K)
Akron showed improvement in 2025, but run defense was still a sore spot. Duquesne ran for 178 yards on the Zips last season. Nebraska, Toledo, Central Michigan, and Ball State all topped 200.
Kaden Feagin, who shared the backfield with Valentine and Aidan Laughery in 2025, has moved to tight end. That will mean fewer shared carries this season.
Valentine is still going to lose some carries to Laughery, especially in a game like this, but Valentine's initial volley should get him to triple digits and the end zone. That's not bad in this price range.
Clay Thevenin, Rutgers ($6K)
This game is going to get out of hand, and Rutgers isn't going to want to waste Raymond in a laugher. My guess is that the Louisiana Tech transfer will get most of the second half to himself in the backfield and could end up scoring around the same number of points as Raymond.
Also consider: Justice Haynes, Georgia Tech ($8.1K); Ty Clark III, Wake Forest ($6.4K); Jordan Gant, Akron ($6.2K)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
KJ Duff, Rutgers ($8K)
Duff is going to be quite literally unguardable against UMass. The only question I have is how many times Rutgers will throw the ball. Duff is an absolute monster at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds.
— Performances (@NotPerformances) November 30, 2025
Duff had 1,084 receiving yards last year with Ian Strong on this team. Strong transferred out, so this is Duff's WR room now. He's in for a huge year, and it starts here.
Carlos Hernandez, Wake Forest ($6.9K)
Hernandez had a huge last month for the Demon Deacons in 2025. Over Wake's last four games, Hernandez caught 23 passes for 463 yards and three touchdowns.
He should pick up where he left off in 2025. Lopez still has a good arm, regardless of how much damage he did to your psyche with North Carolina last year.
DeAndre Moore Jr., Colorado ($4.6K)
Moore has been recruited by new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion since he was at Texas. Moore generated a ton of camp buzz and may be the most comfortable receiver in this offensive scheme.
We saw what kind of arm Lewis has last November. There should be plenty of balls to go around in this offense. Danny Scudero was a target hog at San Jose State last year, but his counterpart, Kyri Shoels, still had a strong year.
Moore is the Shoels to Scudero this year, except the QB has a stronger arm and Moore is more comfortable in the offense.
Dalen Penson, Georgia Tech ($3.3K)
Penson switched from CB to WR in the offseason. He played well enough to be listed with the starting receivers for Tech. The issue is that Tech also listed four running backs as starters.
We don't know how seriously we can take the depth chart, but there is a good chance that Colorado and its new offense start fast, leaving Tech to pass more than expected. Penson should be involved in the offense in some capacity.
Honestly, if we get 3-5 receptions and 40 yards or so, we can be happy at this price. That seems feasible in what should be a close game.
Also consider: Danny Scudero, Colorado ($6K); Hudson Clement, Illinois ($4.8K); Kaleb Brown, UAB ($4.5K); Joseph Griffin Jr., Massachusetts ($4.2K)
DraftKings CFB Stacks
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights are expensive, but are expected to be worth it. The big three of Raymond, Lonergan, and Duff will set you back $24,600, which is nearly half the salary cap.
That will lead most to run with that three-man stack. Adding Thevenin is a good way to get different, but at $6K, he's still pricey for a backup. The WR room isn't well defined behind Duff, but adding Ben Black III or Michael Thomas III is a good way to save and differentiate your stack.
Wake Forest
I may be expecting a lot out of Lopez, but the matchup won't get any better this season. Wake is Rutgers lite on this slate. The implied total isn't quite as high, but Wake's starters may be in the game longer.
Lopez, Clark, and Hernandez can be had for $20,900, which is a significant savings over Rutgers. Kam Shanks is an intriguing slot option, especially since this will operate much as South Alabama's 2024 offense did.
The Wake WR rotation is still a bit in flux after Hernandez and Shanks, so I would limit any Wake stack to four players.
Also consider: Illinois, Colorado (GPP only), Akron (GPP only)
