Don’t worry, I know y’all didn’t come here for the intro. I’ll keep it brief: Football’s back, and Draftkings is here with the opening Main Slate of the 2025 CFB Season. Let’s hop to it.
Quarterbacks
Arch Manning ($9,000), Drew Allar ($8,500), Fernando Mendoza ($8,200)
The top end of the Quarterback position is harder to get up for with this slate being relatively tighter with pricing than last season. Arch is a very compelling option as he’s in a game that should be competitive and require him to be an active part of the game plan for four quarters. He should be much more aggressive than Quinn Ewers was, and his legs are much more of a factor for his fantasy production; however, this game has more of a chance of being a defensive struggle than a shootout.
Drew Allar’s production is usually strong in non-con games against G5 competition. Last year against Bowling Green and Kent State, he combined for 30-513-5 through the air and two rushing touchdowns on top. So the ability for a 300-yard outing with three or four touchdowns is absolutely there against Nevada. The risk here is similar to risk across the board: the game script could dictate that he only sees two or three quarters of football. At his price tag, that risk is a valid concern.
Indiana’s offense shocked the world last year, but they won’t be sneaking up on anyone this season. Mendoza hops into the driver’s seat of this Curt Cignetti offense and should have an opportunity to flex his muscles a bit on Old Dominion. This option is my preference among the high-priced guys. ODU has an offense that can make some plays, so Mendoza will likely need to keep on things a bit longer than Allar, but faces much easier competition than Arch.
Caden Veltkamp ($7,600), Braylon Braxton ($7,500), Colton Joseph ($7,200), Blake Shapen ($6,800)
We’ll lump Veltkamp and Braxton together here because I think the same principles apply to each of their situations. They’re new QBs in pass-happy systems that are facing good-not-great P4 teams on the other side. These two passers you wish were just a little cheaper to really jam them in, but they’re just pricey enough to be a bit nervous. There’s a non-zero chance that both of these offenses stumble out of the gate, but if they start clicking early, each of them could circle the upset wagons this Saturday and make for tough competition and big days through the air.
The athleticism that Colton Joseph provides is the cheat code in his game. He is a great runner and excels in this system, which emphasizes QB fantasy production. Indiana’s defense could be in trouble if they’re sleepwalking into Week 1, but Joseph is a guy who can make plays even if they’re bringing their best. He’ll be a favorite this week for sure.
Jeff Lebby is a noted Kingmaker for Fantasy QBs. Blake Shapen enters his second year in this system and is looking to see the step forward that Matt Corral and Dillon Gabriel both took under Lebby, and with the aforementioned note of Southern Miss being able to air things out, Shapen and the Bulldogs could find themselves in a shootout if they’re not careful. Obviously, that’s what we’re rooting for.
Kiael Kelly ($5,700), Jake Retzlaff ($5,500)
If you know me, you know Kiael Kelly will always hold a special place in my heart. Ball State is not good, but neither is Purdue. So I think there’s a shot that Kelly can make some magic with his legs and keep some pressure on Purdue to score.
Jake Retzlaff was a late transfer this Summer, but he was able to lock up the starting job for Tulane. The Green Wave is up against Northwestern this weekend, so it’s not a particularly difficult matchup. Retzlaff is a good quarterback, but the question is how much they will let him sling the ball, being such a new addition (and in an offense that can make its way running the ball).
Running Backs
Nicholas Singleton ($8,800), Nate Frazier ($7,800), Kaytron Allen ($7,600)
The two Penn State RBs are ultra-expensive options this week as they face Nevada. These two will split the backfield, but there are enough points to go around for sure, as the Nittany Lions are expected to roll. Singleton is usually the one who has the higher ceiling, but taking the discount with Allen isn’t the worst idea if you’re not sold on a Singleton breakout.
Nate Frazier is the lead back for the Bulldogs this year, but Josh McCray and Roderick Robinson are capable backs to share some work in what’s expected to be a blowout against Marshall. Frazier is a talented runner, and it’s clear as day why he’s priced as such.
Nolan Ray ($7,000), DeSean Bishop ($6,400), Yasin Willis ($6,100)
Nolan Ray is an interesting piece as Florida Atlantic’s defense will likely be fairly overmatched, and the Terrapins should have a chance to play from ahead most of the day. He may be pricier than most are willing to pay, as he’s not a flashy name; however, I think this is a great play, especially if you’re buying an FAU stack at QB/WR.
Tennessee lost so much production between last year and this weekend that it’s hard to know exactly what they will look like. Still, DeSean Bishop is expected to be the lead back this season, and I feel like they will try to lean on him as they get Joey Aguilar up to speed in this offense. Syracuse is replacing a ton of production as well, so this game is a bit of a mystery to unlock.
A great example of that is on the other side of the ball with Yasin Willis replacing LeQuint Allen. Willis should see ample opportunity this season, but Week 1 is a particularly difficult matchup against the Volunteers’ defense. This offense is projected for 14 points, so this is a bet that spits in the face of Vegas a bit.
Seth McGowan ($3,700), Roydell Williams ($3,100)
Both of these backs are the same product in different wrappers: Co-Starting RBs that theoretically could pull away from Week One with the starting job in hand. Do I think that will happen for either of these backs? No. I don’t. That said, through God, anything is possible, so… write that down.
Wide Receivers
Ryan Williams ($9,100), Jeremiah Smith ($9,000), Easton Messer ($7,500), Elijah Sarratt ($7,100)
The elites of the elites with the two best WRs in College Football — Ryan Williams and Jeremiah Smith. They’re both in play absolutely every week of the year. Essentially, they have the chance to be matchup-proof, as they could put up 30 points on four catches. I fear I’ve already said more than necessary. You guys get it.
Messer is Veltkamp’s number one. It’s blatantly obvious, but could this offense just not be good enough to stand up to Maryland? For sure, especially up front. In PPR formats, Messer should really be considered with the likes of Smith and Williams, but there’s hesitation surrounding this entire FAU offense. So that’s why he’s discounted.
We don’t know for sure if Sarratt will be the number one option for Mendoza, but everything suggests he’s the alpha in this offense that should be slinging it all season long. All of the pros and cons mentioned for Mendoza also apply to Sarratt, but the positional pricing helps Sarratt more so.
Isaiah Horton ($6,600), Ryan Wingo ($6,500), Anthony Evans III ($5,800)
This is my favorite grouping of players in the entire write-up. The mid-range WRs are all a bit of a wild card, but have immense potential if they can hit their ceilings. Isaiah Horton is potentially the WR2 for Alabama if he proves more reliable than Germie Bernard — in this Ryan Grubb/Kalen DeBoer offense, that’s a very lucrative spot.
Ryan Wingo, straight up, appears to be the WR1 for Texas. This is a position that should likely be priced about $500-$1k more expensive, regardless of the matchup. There’s some hesitation to price him aggressively, I’d assume, since UT has multiple weapons and we’ve yet to see this offense truly unload with Arch at the helm. He’s a great option and a reasonably priced stack if playing Manning.
Anthony Evans III is the starting slot in a Jeff Lebby offense. We should take note of that and collect ownership accordingly. Again, DraftKings is PPR, and I expect Evans to eat with targets. This is a slam dunk under $6k.
Johntay Cook ($5,400), DeAndre Moore Jr. ($4,500), Jayvan Boggs ($3,800)
The lack of definition for this Syracuse offense could be seen as a benefit if Johntay Cook can finally live up to his excellent recruiting pedigree this season. I’m willing to invest a bit at this price against Tennessee, hoping he can find a big play or two. That said, the low expected team score is one to be careful with.
Lack of definition is a benefit for DeAndre Moore Jr. this week, as he’s priced relatively low but should be in the rotation of receivers to get a shot at building rapport with Arch. There’s enough speculation about this rotation and who might emerge that Moore is worth a flier or two this week.
Boggs benefits this week from the pricing being released before the depth charts emerge. Impressively, Boggs is the first true freshman to appear as a starter for Florida State since 2019. He’s impressed Norvell and his staff and will likely be used in the passing game this season, which is good because they’ll likely need to pass a good bit this week against Bama.
