DraftKings CFB DFS Lineup Picks: Daily College Fantasy Football (8/31/23)

Mike's DraftKings daily fantasy college football lineup picks for Thursday (8/31/23). His CFB DFS lineup picks and DFS sleepers will help you win.

We officially close out August with the real opening weekend of College Football. The Gods have given us a glorious smorgasbord of college games for each of the next five days. NFL fans will never know this kind of bliss. The last great college season is underway, and I'm glad you're here to celebrate with me. This is my Christmas. It's the only thing that comes close to the excitement you felt as a kid for Christmas morning.

We have a massive 11-gamer tonight featuring teams from every conference you can think of, and some that you can't. Wake Forest opens up against Elon. Kent heads to Orlando to dodge a hurricane and maybe get some football in. Rhode Island heads south to take on Georgia State. Western Michigan hosts St. Francis of Pennsylvania (I thought they only had a basketball team!). NC State heads to Storrs to take on UConn, a team they have never lost to. South Dakota heads to Columbia to take on the trendy Tigers. Nebraska opens up the Matt Rhule era in Minneapolis. Tulsa hosts neighbor UAPB. UAB hosts North Carolina A&T. They somehow snuck Florida and Utah in here. We end in the desert with Arizona State taking on Southern Utah.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/31/23, 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.

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks

Brennan Armstrong, North Carolina State ($8,900)

Reunited, and it feels so good! Armstrong get back with coordinator Robert Anae to try and duplicate the magical season that he and Armstrong had at Virginia in 2021. Armstrong was stuck in a system with the Hoos last year that didn't love him the way Anae's system does. Expect the sparks to fly over Hartford as we see the effect of this reunion. Armstrong might be the highest scorer on the entire slate.

Darren Grainger, Georgia State ($7,400)

The only "bad" game that Grainger has for DFS purposes last season was a 12.54-point disappointment against Coastal Carolina. Grainger cleared 20 against Army and nearly hit 30 against North Carolina. It feels safe to project him somewhere in that range tonight, which is a nice return with almost no risk. The Panthers aren't in any real danger of losing this game and Grainger has been the starting quarterback on this team for 2.5 seasons already. Did I mention that he led the Panthers in rushing last season? There is a lot to like about Grainger at this price.

Matthew Downing, Elon ($5,700)

Downing is no stranger to major college football. He is rising from the ashes at Elon. Downing began his career at Georgia in 2018, completing eight of 10 passes. He was on to TCU as Max Duggan's backup for 2020 and 2021, completing 20 of 34 passes in his TCU career. Downing resurfaced at Louisiana Tech last year and lost his job by Week 2. We shouldn't expect miracles from Downing, but he has played in big games (he started for the Bulldogs last year against Missouri) and provided serviceable numbers. Elon should be playing from behind, giving Downing some good potential for the price here.

Also consider: Jaden Rashada, Arizona State ($9,800); Brady Cook, Missouri ($7,900); Treyson Bourguet, Western Michigan ($6,800); Jacob Zeno, UAB ($6,100)

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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs

Keshawn King, Western Michigan ($7,500)

Sean Tyler rowed the boat over to Minneapolis, leaving King in charge of the backfield in Kalamazoo. King racked up 443 yards last season behind Tyler's 1,000-yard season. Both are in action tonight, but it's Tyler, not King, that finds himself in a committee to begin the season. Western Michigan won't overwork King here against St. Francis because they won't need to. However, we should see a 100-yard game out of him like we got against Old Dominion in the opener last year.

Cameron Skattebo, Arizona State ($5,900)

Skattebo was the leading rusher in the Big Sky Conference last season for Sacramento State, running for 1,372 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 7 yards-per-carry. He won't do that in the Pac 12, but he might do that against Southern Utah. I don't fully trust Skattebo's workload thanks to a loaded backfield that is trying to carve out roles on this team, but his status as the starter shouldn't be ignored.

Braylin Presley, Tulsa ($4,600)

Presley is listed and priced like a backup running back, when in actuality he is the starting slot receiver for Tulsa. The Oklahoma State transfer hasn't had a ton of experience but is a favorite to be leaned on by returning quarterback Braylon Braxton. However Tulsa decides to use Presley, he promises to be a big part of this offense. For this price, I'm jumping in.

Also consider: Cody Schrader, Missouri ($7,000); Jermaine Brown, UAB ($6,200); Jordan Ford, Tulsa ($5,300); Marcus Carroll, Georgia State ($4,500)

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers

Luther Burden III, Missouri ($6,800)

Burden was one of the highest rated recruits of last year's class. He shined at times for the Tigers last year, showing an ability to make plays from all over the field. It is often electric players like Burden who make huge plays against overmatched teams. That's what I'm counting on here. The top flight of receivers on this slate is full or risks. Burden feels less risky, but still offers big upside.

Keyon Lesane, North Carolina State ($5,000)

Lesane will be one of the benefactors of having Armstrong in town. This offense is predicated on getting many receivers involved, but Lesane seems to be the top guy right now. At the very least, we should get a few receptions and some yards out of Lesane tonight. I want to see how the offense works before I go off the deep end on NC State, but we have a good idea of what to expect based on Virginia in 2021. We just don't know who Armstrong's go-to guy will be.

Isaiah Wooden, Southern Utah ($3,900)

Wooden operates as a Swiss-Army knife for the Thunderbirds. He had 21 carries and 39 receptions last year with 10 total touchdowns. I'm not sure just how overmatched the Thunderbirds are with Arizona State looking like a rebuilding team this season. The Sun Devils are going to be working out the kinks in this one, so Wooden is going to get his share of touches as the most dangerous player that the Thunderbirds have.

Also consider: Taylor Morin, Wake Forest ($6,200); Caleb Douglas, Florida ($4,500); Marcus Washington, Nebraska (4,000); Brant Kuithe, Utah ($3,700)

DraftKings CFB Stacks:

Arizona State:

Jaden Rashada is an intriguing prospect starting at quarterback for the Sun Devils. I don't think he'll play poorly enough to get benched here, but stranger things have happened. Cam Skattebo and DeCarlos Brooks look good at running back. They are expected to split carries, but Skattebo should have the upper hand, at least right now. Elijhah Badger will be serving a targeting penalty from the Territory Cup last season and won't play in the first half. That should open things up for Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall. It will also keep me from paying the premium for Badger.

UAB

The Blazers are cheap against the Aggies and will be breaking in a few starters. I'm a big fan of Jermaine Brown, who ran for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns with DeWayne McBride out for the Bowl game. Jared Zeno has always had the talent, but he kept losing out to other quarterbacks. For his price against this team, I'm on board. I'm not sure how much UAB is going to throw in this game, but Tejhuan Palmer looks safe. I think I would rather pair him with backup RB Isaiah Jacobs than another receiver though.

Also consider: Western Michigan, Tulsa

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