College Football DFS - Optimal DraftKings Picks for Week 2 CFB

September 4, 2018

Kevin Luchansky looks at Week 2 College Football DFS sleepers, value picks and lineups for DraftKings and Fanduel on September 8th These players are great picks in CFB DFS tournaments and cash games.

Week One was quite a rush, and DraftKings have given us a slate that could deliver even more thrilling and tilting experiences for Week Two. There's a 15 game Main slate, beginning at Noon Saturday, with the latest games on the slate kicking off at 3:30 ET.

Before I jump into picks, it's imperative that we look at a few Vegas lines as of mid-week. Games with high over/unders are attractive certainly, but it's better to hone in on ones that also feature low spreads. Blowouts in DFS are not our friends, as it's optimal to have both offenses trying to sniff out the end zone for all 48 minutes. Here are a handful of games I'm targeting due to high projected point totals and single digit spreads - Arizona at Houston (O/U of 72, Spread of 3), Colorado at Nebraska (O/U of 65, Spread of 4.5), Nevada at Vanderbily (O/U of 63, Spread of 9), and last, but not least, Georgia Tech at USF (O/U of 63.5, Spread of 3.5)

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/8/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @kpLuch.

DraftKings DFS Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert - QB, vs Portland State ($9,900)

Herbert put up some video game numbers in week one, connecting on five touchdown passes and rushing for another. The big righty is two-way threat - he can get it done with his live arm and he's a threat on his feet, too. He isn't likely to keep up that touchdown pace, but hitting on just 10 of 21 pass attempts does also leave room for improvement - and that was all in the first half. There's a little risk of blowout here, but it appears the Ducks will be using Herbert as a primary weapon in their offense this season and mix in talent around him. Eight different receivers had catches in week one, but none had more than three. For that reason, I'm not in love with stacking any receviers inparticular with him, but I do think against an way inferior opponent that he's going to be able to pay off this tag fairly easily.

D'eriq King - QB, vs Arizona ($,9700)

King is a tremendous athlete coming off an outstanding week one performance where he completed 17 of 24 pass attempts for more than 300 yards and three scores, and added another 33 yards and a score on the ground. I've got big interest in him this week in tournament formats as this game features an incredibly high over/under of 72 points and a tight spread of just three. In addition to King's playmaking ability and Major Applewhite's playcalling, there is interest here from the opponent perspective as well. One Pac-12 coach described the Wildcasts defense as a "one-man show" and while that might not entirely be true, I've never shied away from targeting a Kevin Sumlin defense.

Ty Gangi - QB, at Vandy ($8,000)

Gangi and his air-raid offense are going up against a strong group of Vanderbilt defensive backs in week two, which takes him out of cash play for me but he's squarely in my sights in tournament formats. Gangi and Wolf Pack offense are fully committed to the pass, so despite the tough matchup, I think there is big upside here as the ownership level should be low and the passing volume is still going to be quite high. Gangi and their offensive coordinator are working on short drops and getting the ball out quickly into the hands of their playmakers, and the guys in Vegas are expecting a lot of points here.

Also Consider: Steven Montez - QB, at NEB ($8,500)

DraftKings DFS Running Backs

Antonio Williams - RB, at East Carolina ($6,400)

Williams seems like a steal at this price relative to his ceiling and his expected volume. UNC has this very weird rule where they don't comment on player injuries unless the injury is season ending, but multiple local reports out of Chapel Hill are saying that lead back Michael Carter has a broken wrist that will sideline him for 4-6 weeks. The injury appeared to happen early in their season opener, and from there out Williams got the bulk of the workload, carrying the ball 17 times and catching two passes out of the backfield. He should be the feature back in week two, and I think we can expect the same volume of carries - if not more - against a very soft East Carolina defense in week two. Vegas is also projecting a lot of points here, and with a spread of only 16, worries of a blowout aren't too high.

Elijah Holyfield - RB, at South Carolina ($4,500)

It can be tough to find plays under 5k who have a safe points floor (based on expected involvement in the offense - in the form of targets or touches), but I think that's what we have here with Elijah Holyfield. The enormous Georgia back had only five carries in week one, but gained 24 yards and found the end zone once. However, that game's box score shouldn't be indicative of what's to come when they're facing real competition, as they do in week two with an SEC opponent. Eight different backs had carries for Georgia in their week one blowout win, but the backfield show is expected to be led by D'Andre Swift and Holyfield. While Holyfield may take a back seat to Swift in respect to carries volume, Holyfield is going to get his touches, and his size and power should deliver him many more red zone and goal line opportunities than Swift.

Also Consider: Karan Higdon - RB, vs Western Michigan ($7,500)

DraftKings DFS Wide Receivers

Courtney Lark - WR, vs Arizona ($6,700)

Lark didn't have a big target volume in week one, but he sure was efficient as two of his four catches (82 yards in total) went for six. The senior is an a really advantageous system for racking up fantasy points as Houston looks to pass early and often, and Lark is one of two prominent receivers in the system that should get the lion's share of the targets. There's a huge expected point total in this game and as I mentioned earlier, Kevin Sumlin offenses aren't ones to fear. I really like the idea of stacking Lark, other wideout Marquez Stevenson and quarterback D'eriq King together on Saturday. Lark is well positioned to succeed in cash games and the expected high scoring affair makes him a fine tournament option as well.

McLane Mannix - WR, at Vandy ($8,300)

McLane's price is a little steep, but the former Freshman All-American is a stud in the Wolf Pack air raid offense and he should be on your tournament radars for Saturday. He had a breakout performance in week one, hauling in four passes for 132 yards and three scores. The matchup is certainly tougher this weekend against the Vandy defensive backfield, but their offenses focus on quick hitters should grant him the opportunity for high targets and getting him the ball in space.

Also Consider: Marquez Stevenson - WR, vs Arizona ($6,600)

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