DraftKings CFB DFS Lineup Picks: Saturday Primetime Week 1 Daily College Fantasy Football (9/3/22)

Mike's DraftKings daily fantasy college football lineup picks for the Saturday Main Week 1 (9/3/22) slate. His CFB DFS lineup picks and DFS sleepers will help you win.

Week 1 finally begins in earnest this week. Labor Day weekend is a college football extravaganza! We have at least one college football game each night from Thursday until Monday! If you want access to all of our premium college football content for 2023, the folks at RotoBaller are offering it FREE to the winner of our ESPN College Pick Em group! Sign up here! One entry per person, please. I will be posting my picks for ESPN College Pick Em all season long and updating you on the standings. The winner at the end of the season wins the free RotoBaller premium college football package for next year giving you exclusive access to our DFS lineup optimizer, DFS picks, and our Discord to give you real-time answers to your college fantasy questions!

If you thought the massive main slate was a treat, wait until you get a load of this one! Alabama kicks off their season. Florida hosts a Utah team that is favored to win the Pac-12. Army heading down to Conway to take on the Chanticleers is a really underrated game. Memphis heads to StarkVegas after poaching the Leaches in Memphis last year. North Texas plays SMU somewhere in the middle of I-35E. Cap that off with Notre Dame in the Shoe, and we've got some fun for you!

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/3/22 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

C.J. Stroud, Ohio State ($9,500)

There's a reason why Ohio State is on everyone's short list for a playoff berth. Stroud threw for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns while throwing just six interceptions. He capped off a stellar 2021 with a staggering 573 passing yards against Utah. Yeah...that Utah. The ones that are favored to win the Pac-12. Notre Dame's defense is solid, but solid probably isn't enough. Stroud came up big in most of Ohio State's big games last year. I think he does here as well.

Will Rogers, Mississippi State ($8,500)

Yes, the Bulldogs lost to Memphis last year, but don't blame Rogers. He completed 50 of 67 pass attempts for 419 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover. Based on volume alone, Rogers is a strong play every week. He attempted less than 40 passes just twice all season. He threw 39 against Kentucky (with just three incompletions) and 34 in a blowout over Tennessee State. Mississippi State is going to lose some games, but Rogers is one of the least-risky DFS plays around. He's a cash game staple.

Malik Cunningham, Louisville ($7,200)

Cunningham had some huge games last season. He ran for 224 yards against Duke. That won't happen against the Orange. Their defense is pretty good. However, Cunningham accounted for five touchdowns against the Orange last year. He's far too cheap in this matchup. Syracuse will likely be a little better, but I can argue that Louisville has improved even more.

Austin Aune, North Texas ($5,700)

This is what the Mean Green wanted to see from Aune. They have been waiting for this. He threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns without making a mistake in the opener against UTEP. Mistakes plagued Aune last season. Maybe all he needed was another quarterback breathing down his neck. Whatever the case, Aune feels cheap against a SMU team that like to toss the ball around a lot. This is going to be a track meet. If North Texas can keep up, even for a while, Aune will put up big numbers at this price.

Also consider: Bryce Young Alabama ($9,200); Will Levis, Kentucky ($7,800); Spencer Rattler, South Carolina ($7,300); Cameron Rising, Utah ($5,700); Tyhier Tyler, Army ($5,200)

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 Premium Slack Chatrooms to help you out in real time.

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs

Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama ($8,300)

For those of you that don't pay attention to Georgia Tech (I don't blame you), Gibbs is a really good back that was in a really bad system for his skill set. Alabama's line and receivers are going to open things up for Gibbs. He's probably a little more talented than Brian Robinson, but Robinson's knowledge of the system was huge for him last year. The Tide are going to take this chance to let Gibbs get acclimated against a decent Utah State team.

Jo'quavious Marks, Mississippi State ($6,900)

So, why on earth would you use a starting running back that only had 106 carries last year despite playing in every game? Because Marks caught 83 passes for more yards (502) than he had rushing (416). That's 83 free points for Marks, or about seven per game. Mississippi State spreads it around a lot and that's not going to change. Marks has a safe floor and is perfect for cash games.

Kavosiey Smoke, Kentucky ($5,500)

Chris Rodriguez has been suspended for an undisclosed amount of time after a DUI arrest this offseason, that leaves Smoke as the lead back for at least one game. Smoke has been a strong runner when given the chance. He picked up 104 yards against LSU last year on just 12 carries. I would expect Smoke to share the backfield since he has never been much of a threat in the passing game. Still, this is a good price for a starting RB on a running team.

Chris Tyree, Notre Dame ($5,000)

Kyren Williams is playing on Sundays so that leaves Tyree as the elder statesman of the backfield. He had a huge game in the passing game against Oklahoma State in the Bowl game. Notre Dame is going to try to slow this game down, which should mean a heavy workload for Tyree. Ohio State can't score if they don't have the ball. The Buckeyes have some young players on defense, which should help Tyree's cause as well.

Also consider: TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State ($7,500); Tre Siggers, SMU ($7,200); Tiyon Evans, Louisville ($6,000); Reese White, Coastal Carolina ($4,600); Nay'Quan Wright, Florida ($4,300)

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State ($8,000)

Do you guys remember what Smith-Njigba did in his first game without Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave? Let me refresh your memory. He had 15 receptions for 347 yards and three touchdowns. That's not a typo. Most quarterbacks don't even throw for 347 yards in a game. I expect Smith-Njigba to have a monster season and it starts here. He did that against a pretty good Utah defense. I'm not scared of Notre Dame.

Josh Vann, South Carolina ($6,300)

Look out boys, Josh Vann has a quarterback! Marvin Mims had a big year as a freshman with Spencer Rattler throwing him the ball. The same could be true here for Vann. Vann can do everything you want a receiver to do, including getting carries out of the backfield. We won't see that against Georgia State, but we might see what putting a good quarterback on this team can do.

Brant Kuithe, Utah ($4,200)

Kuithe gets no love because he's a tight end, but he caught 50 passes for 611 yards and seven touchdowns last year. He scored in double figures in DraftKings points in nine of Utah's 14 games last year. Considering the tough matchup with Florida, I can see Kuithe being a big part of the offense in this one as the Utes try to escape Gainesville with a win.

Jake Bailey, SMU ($4,100)

The Rice transfer has been huge in Spring and Summer camps for SMU. He was the leading receiver on a Rice team that had bad quarterback play at best last year. Tanner Mordecai is going to help Bailey have a huge year this year. It likely starts in this game.

Also consider: Rashee Rice, SMU ($8,200); Tyler Hudson, Louisville ($7,200); Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State ($6,100); Roderic Burns, North Texas ($6,000); Mac Hippenhammer, Miami(OH) ($5,400);

More College Football Analysis

More DFS Lineup Picks