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Mike Marteny's DraftKings daily fantasy college football lineup picks for Friday (8/29/25) in Week 1. His CFB DFS lineup picks and DFS sleepers will help you win.
The greatest weekend in college football rolls on with another packed Friday slate. There are some intriguing matchups in these seven games, but there aren't as many good defenses as on last night's slate. We should see some higher scores out there.
Unlike last night's slate, all seven games are included in the main slate. We have a couple of my favorite sleeper teams for 2025, as well as a few teams that don't often appear on DFS. That's where we find the hidden gems that can make or break our lineups.
In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/29/25, starting at 7 p.m. Eastern. I’ll provide multiple player suggestions for quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers, aiming to highlight one option at each end of the salary scale, from the highest to the lowest. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Haynes King, Georgia Tech ($9.8K)
Much has been made of Haynes King vs. man coverage, but Colorado played man a lot last year because of Travis Hunter. They don't have Travis Hunter this year. I don't expect a high passing total for King, but he could run for 100 yards on this defense. Colorado was torched by running QBs last year. King is an elite play thanks to the rushing upside.
Walker Eget, San Jose State ($8.5K)
Eget is a volume play. In all but one of his seven starts last season, he threw over 30 passes. He threw more than 50 passes three times. He had three 300-yard passing games in seven tries. The Spartans were willing to let Eget throw as much as he wanted. This year, San Jose State added former Hawaii offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann. The Spartans might throw even more!
Shoutout to Walker Eget. For much of his career at SJSU he saw no playing time and easily could have hit the portal. Instead, he just put his head down and went to work. When his opportunity came along, he made the most of it. It’s no doubt who QB1 is this year🔥⚔️ https://t.co/r1FRMy3tPY
— Barstool San José State (@BarstoolSJSU) April 21, 2025
This is a game that San Jose State is likely to win, so I expect his volume in the low 30s instead of closer to 50, but he could still flirt with 300 passing yards.
Conner Harrell, Charlotte ($6.6K)
The North Carolina transfer will start for the 49ers to open the season. In a game that will likely have Charlotte trailing early and often, there is significant upside for Harrell. The Mountaineers only picked off four passes in the entire 2024 season.
Also consider: Hunter Watson ($8.2K), Sam Houston; Anthony Colandrea ($7.7K), UNLV; Robby Ashford, Wake Forest ($7.4K); AJ Swann, Appalachian State ($6.9K)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest ($8.6K)
Kennesaw allowed 175.9 rushing yards per game last year and allowed a staggering 25 touchdowns on the ground. Claiborne had at least 18 carries in every ACC game last year. There is a chance this game gets out of hand and limits Claiborne's carries, but Claiborne will help it get that way. There is considerable potential against this defense.
Jai'Den Thomas, UNLV ($7K)
Word on the street is that Colandrea and Alex Orji are still going to operate at a 70/30 split despite Colandrea outplaying Orji by a large margin in Week 0. With the UNLV offense, I'm going with things we can control. Thomas ran for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Week 0 win.
UNLV’s Jaiden Thomas takes it 70 YARDS TO THE CRIB 💨🔥pic.twitter.com/wWY5DY4T22
— LIGHT ON COLLEGE SPORTS (@LightOnSports) August 23, 2025
He'll have a little less room against Sam Houston. The Bearkats only allowed 105 rushing yards on 35 carries to Western Kentucky. However, the Hilltoppers still managed to run for two touchdowns, and they have no back of the caliber of Thomas. I still like the upside here.
Alton McCaskill, Sam Houston ($4.9K)
Sam Houston used both McCaskill and Green in the opener, but Green only had 10 rushing yards. However, he was the leading receiver, so he will still get chances. McCaskill is the home run threat. He finished with 72 yards on 12 carries. If you recall 2021, McCaskill ran for 961 yards and 16 touchdowns as a true freshman for Houston. There is a lot of potential for the price.
Also consider: Bryson Washington, Baylor ($9K); Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech ($7.6K); Floyd Chalk IV, San Jose State ($6K); Rashod Dubinion, Appalachian State ($5.5K)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Danny Scudero, San Jose State ($6.5K)
San José State transfer WR Danny Scudero went for 664 rec. yards last season at Sac State on his way to FCS freshman All-American honors.
Fittingly, the South Bay product found the end zone last season at CEFCU. What kind of numbers will he put up in the spread and shred? 👀 pic.twitter.com/qKqOvIw03G
— The Spartan Spotlight (@SpartySpotlight) July 31, 2025
Scudero operated primarily out of the slot last year. So did Nick Nash. You know...the guy who caught 104 passes (on a crazy 171 targets) for 1,382 yards and 16 touchdowns in this offense last year. I'm not sure if Scudero is as talented as Nash, but he will get every chance to prove himself. He'll be the target hog of this slate.
Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech ($6.1K)
I tend to think that Tech goes at the Ralphies more on the ground, but Rivers is too talented to ignore. He put up good numbers last year at Florida International with a below-average quarterback. He could put up some huge numbers with Haynes King throwing to him. Colorado doesn't have Travis Hunter and Shilo Sanders in the secondary this year. I wouldn't be shocked if Rivers got loose a couple of times.
Dre'Lon Miller, Colorado ($4.6K)
According to reports, Dre'Lon looked better in camps than the other Miller (Omarion) and is expected to be the lead receiver for Colorado. We do know that this offense likes to spread the ball around, and that won't change with Kaiden Salter taking snaps. Both Millers are solid plays here, but paying the little extra for Dre'Lon makes sense if the reports can be trusted.
Eric Singleton Jr., Auburn ($3.6K)
Singleton may be the best play on the entire slate. His thigh injury has kept him from practicing fully, but Auburn said he will be good to go for this game. Singleton had 754 receiving yards at Georgia Tech last year, playing alongside Malik Rutherford. I'm not concerned about target share, especially at this price. Singleton should be in every lineup you make.
Also consider: Cam Coleman, Auburn ($7.9K); Josh Cameron, Baylor ($6.2K); Leland Smith, San Jose State ($5.9K); Jaden Barnes, Appalachian State ($3.9K); Jaden Bradley, UNLV ($3.7K)
DraftKings CFB Stacks
Georgia Tech
Colorado had enough questions on defense last year, and that was with Travis Hunter in the fold. Georgia Tech is one of the most veteran offenses out there. King, Haynes, Rivers, and Rutherford are all strong plays.
San Jose State
This was a potent offense last year, and most of the pieces return. The only big one that doesn't is Nash, but Scudero could be close to as good. Surround Scudero with Eget, Chalk, Smith, Riley.
Also consider: Appalachian State, Wake Forest, Michigan State (GPP only)
