Congratulations on making it through the offseason all the way to the first full-sized slate of the DFS season. It’s Week One of DraftKings DFS. Once again, we’ll jump into Tiering Up the Competition! Here, you’ll find players we want to call out for good/bad reasons at each pricing level, helping you build your very best lineups for DraftKings Main and Night slates! Today, we’ll look at the SaturdayMain Slate. Let’s take a look at our options….
Quarterbacks
High-Priced
The expensive options at QB this week are compelling, and you have a good amount of dual-threat options at your disposal. Kyron Drones ($8,300) is my favorite play on the slate. Virginia Tech comes into the weekend two-touchdown favorites against Vanderbilt and the upside for this offense is immense.
Will Howard ($8,500) and Quinn Ewers ($8,900) are also great options, as they helm the two teams with the highest implied team totals. The rationale behind playing either is clear: their teams will score points.
Dylan Raiola ($8,200) gets his first start of his college career but should have a chance to look pretty sharp against UTEP. If you want exposure to this game, QB and WR are your best shots, as they will likely deploy four RBs in a committee for this one. Cam Ward ($9,000) is an option against a Florida team that doesn’t scare me. However, I am concerned about his touchdown equity, as they have a strong committee of RBs around the goal line.
Middle of the Pack
A bit down the list in pricing, Kyle McCord ($8,000) and Parker Navarro ($7,400) are nestled in for a decent value. Both have a path to a decent game; however, each has a considerably low floor to consider. We don’t know a bunch about what either of their offenses will look like, but the Vegas total for the game is a bit conservative. There’s a chance these two teams will get things cooking, and we will see more points than expected. Navarro’s legs are a particularly enticing part of his game.
If we get confirmation that Billy Edwards ($7,000) is the starting QB for Maryland, his rushing usage immediately gets him into the conversation. But as with many Week One options, there’s risk in the fact that even a starting role is not secure.
Bare Minimum
If you’ve got the stomach, starting UConn QB Nick Evers ($4,800) will give you some extreme savings. However, the depth chart was released with multiple quarterbacks and three sets of “OR” s. Tread carefully.
Running Backs
High-Priced
Ollie Gordon ($9,100) is the slate’s most expensive RB. As CFFs RB1 overall, that makes sense. However, we heard about Gordon dealing with a hip injury about two weeks ago. While it doesn’t appear to prevent him from suiting up against San Diego State, his price tag suggests the assumption of full health. With that in mind, a fade wouldn’t be an outrageous thing to consider.
Quinshon Judkins ($7,900) and TreVeyon Henderson ($7,500) represent the most overpowered backfield in college football, and both are easily atop the list of options at the RB position this weekend as the Buckeyes look to cover a 50-point spread. Damien Martinez ($6,900) is another high-priced option at the position. Rolling him in your lineups this week suggests you’re buying into Miami’s offense and their ability to score, as he’ll need good touchdown equity to pay off his high price tag.
Middle of the Pack
Another Big Ten RB tandem in play this week is that of Penn State. Nicholas Singleton ($6,300) and Kaytron Allen ($5,900) are great options in this price range. The addition of Andy Kotelnicki as offensive coordinator suggests that he can replicate the high-powered running game that he ran at Kansas.
Bayshul Tuten ($6,500) has the same argument we outlined for Drones. Tech should be able to put up points easily while still facing tough enough competition that they should have their starters playing most (if not all) of the game.
Jaydon Blue ($6,200) is one of the best values on the board, along with LeQuint Allen ($5,100). Blue should legitimately be one of the most expensive options in the slate, and Allen’s production last season warranted around $1,000 in his salary. Both should be seen as great options.
Don’t entirely avoid Phil Mafah ($5,600) due to his matchup. He’s got elite usage and will be given every opportunity to find space against Georgia. Don’t go crazy, but he’s not an auto-hide from your player pool.
Bare Minimum
The committee of Rodney Hammond ($4,900) and Desmond Reid ($4,600) is very intriguing as Pittsburgh takes on Kent State. If either of them sees a significant opportunity, they have the potential to score 25-30 points. Rickey Hunt ($4,800) has been a Campus2Canton darling this offseason. He does come into this matchup with an OR next to him and Anthony Tyus III ($4,200) but Hunt had a massive Bowl Game last year and is a P4-talent in the eyes of many.
Wide Receivers
High-Priced
Even the high-priced options at WR this week won’t entirely break the bank. Jahmal Banks ($7,500) is surprisingly the most expensive option at the position. As mentioned above, QBs and WRs are the best way to get exposure to this game if that is your intention.
Emeka Egbuka ($7,000) and Xavier Restrepo ($6,700) possess the safest floors out of any of the receiving options today. Both project as alphas in successful offenses. Miami will likely never be able to abandon the passing game this week, but Ohio State may very well ice their game by the half. Both of these options could be slate-breakers.
Isaiah Bond ($6,500) and Brennan Pressley ($6,800) are WR1s who should both see sufficient usage. Pressley was a PPR machine last year and is expected to pick up right where he left off. Tory Horton ($6,900) is a fantastic CFF WR but has an incredibly difficult draw. He could win you a slate during garbage time, but he also has a million ways he could disappoint.
Middle of the Pack
We’ll re-tread many of the offenses listed above with their cheaper peers here. Silas Bolden ($6,200), Johntay Cook II ($4,800), Carnell Tate ($5,900), Jeremiah Smith ($5,400), Rashod Owens ($5,200), and De’Zhaun Stribling ($4,800) are all cheaper ways to get exposure to high-powered offenses this week. Each of them has the potential to go off. Ali Jennings ($5,600) is thought by some as the Hokies’ WR1 this year and is not priced accordingly.
Bare Minimum
Oronde Gadsden II ($3,500) is this week’s most mid-priced player on the slate. He should be very heavily owned. Fellow TEs Tyler Warren ($4,500), Thomas Fidone ($4,500), and Kole Taylor ($4,400) are all good TEs with red zone potential. DeAndre Moore ($3,200) is potentially a huge value, and some speculate he could crack the top three in the Longhorns’ WR rotation. He will join Gadsden as this week’s chalk if he’s a starter.
