Appalachian State vs. Charlotte
- Point-Spread: App -6.5
- O/U Total: 50.5
- Implied Score: App 28.5 – Char 22
- Weather: 76 degrees / 17% rain / 4 mph winds
Appalachian State:
Top Play(s) – RB Rashod Dubinion ($5,500) The former Arkansas transfer has experience in this system under new head coach Dowell Loggains and fits the mold we like in college fantasy of a big fish (P4 transfer) in a small pond (G5 destination). Adding to Dubinion’s value is that backup Kanye Roberts suffered a season-ending injury, and the RB2 job seems to be up in the air as Khalifa Keith hasn’t seized that role. Could be a heavy workload for Dubinion on Friday.
Fade – QBs. No depth chart and still up in the air as to who will be QB1 between transfers AJ Swann (LSU) and JJ Kohl (Iowa State). Neither is expected to be a big fantasy contributor regardless of their starting status, so we’re not interested at all here.
Bargain Bin – TE Izayah Cummings ($3,000) We believe the Louisville transfer will get the start at tight end on Friday, though that isn’t confirmed. What is confirmed is the utilization of the tight end position under Loggains as we saw the last two years at South Carolina where the TE1 combined for 106 targets in that span. If Cummings is indeed the top guy, he’s an extreme value, but also comes with extreme risk.
Pivot Play – WR Jaden Barnes ($3,900) The Austin Peay transfer is the probable starter in the slot as the player with the most collegiate production on the team with over 1,000 yards receiving last year with nine touchdowns. There’s also some rumors that Barnes could see time in the backfield with the lack of depth behind Dubinion.
Best of the Rest – WR Dalton Stroman ($3,900) or WR Davon Dozier ($3,700) The two likely starters to join Barnes in the starting lineup. Stroman was WR3 for the Mountaineers last season with 20 receptions on 48 targets and five scores. Dozier has familiarity with Loggains, coming over from the SEC as an Arkansas transfer. Every App State pass-catcher is a complete dart throw without a depth chart.
Injury Notes – n/a
Charlotte:
Top Play(s) – QB Conner Harrell ($6,600) The only known starter on offense as there hasn’t’ been a depth chart release as of Wednesday night publishing this. Harrell, a UNC transfer, was announced as the team’s QB1 this week and is a fit for this offensive system under former Ohio head coach Tim Albin as he loves to get the QB involved in the run game. We saw exactly that last season with the Bobcats and Parker Navarro. Does that translate immediately with Harrell? We’d go very light on exposure as Charlotte is 131st nationally in returning production.
Fade – RBs. Without a depth chart, we admittedly don’t have much intel on how this will shake out. What we do know is that Albin commented back at AAC Media Days and mentioned the word committee. It wouldn’t shock us to see all four of Cameren Smith, Henry Rutledge, CJ Stokes and Rod Gainey Jr. get reps on Friday. Easy fade without any pregame information.
Bargain Bin – WR Jayden McGowan ($3,600) Charlotte’s WR room is a complete overhaul, replacing 90% of last year’s production. We know this system typically has “a guy” at receiver they’ll feed, as evidenced at Ohio with the likes of Coleman Owen and Sam Wiglusz. McGowan, a Vanderbilt transfer, is the expected starter in the slot where Owen and Wiglusz both played with the Bobcats.
Pivot Play – WR E.Jai Mason ($3,500) In terms of playing experience, Mason is next after McGowan, transferring over from Samford where he caught 51 passes and six touchdowns in 2024. The 9.0 yards per catch average, though, is less than inspiring.
Best of the Rest – WR Ta’ir Brooks ($3,000) The slot position is the one to own in this offense typically, so we’re most interested in McGowan of the projected starters at receiver. Brooks brings size at 6-foot-3, and experience having caught 22 passes and four touchdowns last season with Northern Arizona. Proceed with extreme caution with the entire Charlotte WR room if no depth chart is released.
Injury Notes – n/a
Kennesaw State vs. Wake Forest
- Point-Spread: Wake -17.5
- O/U Total: 52.5
- Implied Score: Wake 35 – KSU 17.5
- Weather: 75 degrees / 10% rain / 5 mph winds
Kennesaw State:
Top Play(s) – QB Dexter Williams ($5,900) There’s too much uncertainty with the Kennesaw State offense to invest much in our DFS lineups. New offensive coordinator Mitch Militello stems from the Tennessee staff under Josh Heupel but is a first-time play-caller so we don’t have an exact idea of how the scheme will look. Williams is a former P4 transfer, starting his career at Indiana, and we know he can run. So, that’s a start.
Fade – The offense. We’ll offer suggestions, but this is realistically a full-team fade given the circumstances. First-time play-caller. Limited intel. Head coach is a former position coach at the NFL level, so coaching styles are a mystery. And limited production from the projected starters.
Bargain Bin – WR Gabriel Benyard ($3,600) Benyard is a versatile piece, having spent time at running back and receiver during his career. He’ll start in the slot in this offense and had a strong spring game with a 70-yard receiving touchdown on the opening drive.
Pivot Play – RB Coleman Bennett ($3,900) Bennett has been the projected starter since the spring, so it was nice to see his name atop the depth chart without an OR designation. His numbers last season with Rice are not impressive, but Kennesaw State needs someone to step up as they lose 92% of their rushing production from a year ago.
Best of the Rest – WRs Lyndon Ravare ($3,000) or WR Christian Moss ($3,500) Projected starters on the depth chart and both are former transfers, coming over from Fresno State and Virginia Tech, respectively. Benyard should function as the WR1, though. Limit one (or better yet, zero) Kennesaw State receiver per lineup.
Injury Notes – n/a
Wake Forest:
Top Play(s) – RB Demond Claiborne ($8,600) I know DFS players will refrain from saying the word ‘lock’, but Claiborne is as close as you can get to one on this slate. Favorable matchup against a C-USA opponent. New head coach Jake Dickert has already thrown out quotes at media days stating he will give Claiborne the rock 40 times if he must. And he might have to, as Wake Forest is trotting out Robby Ashford at quarterback, who should’ve switched positions at this point in his career.
Fade – Backup RBs. See above. The spread isn’t large enough that we expect to see backups getting a significant amount of run.
Bargain Bin – WR Micah Mays ($4,700) Sterling Berkhalter will be a popular punt play at min pricing as he’s listed at the top of the depth chart, albeit in an OR situation with Karate Benson. If I’m rostering a Wake wideout, why not go with the 6-foot-2 sophomore in Mays who was 5th on the team in targets a year ago and drew heavy interest from P4 teams (Miami) in the transfer portal. If this offensive system is the same one that Rob Ezell deployed last year with South Alabama, he’ll feed his top target (31% target share).
Pivot Play – QB Robby Ashford ($7,400) We all know by now that Ashford is not a legitimate P4 quarterback and likely gets replaced at some point this season by Charlotte transfer Deshawn Purdie. But for now, Ashford will get the start, and we know he is an exceptional runner when he tucks the football and takes off. In his start against a G5 opponent last season, Ashford had 100+ yards on the ground and 40 fantasy points. So, he’s definitely playable on Friday.
Best of the Rest – WR Carlos Hernandez ($5,000) Limit one Wake wideout to a lineup with Robby Ashford at quarterback. Mays is our choice to be the team’s WR1, but not out of the realm of possibilities that is Hernandez either, as he has familiarity with the coaching staff coming over from Washington State.
Injury Notes – n/a
Western Michigan vs. Michigan State
- Point-Spread: MSU -20.5
- O/U Total: 50.5
- Implied Score: UCF 35.5 – WMU 15
- Weather: 64 degrees / 1% rain / 5 mph winds
Western Michigan:
Top Play(s) – TE Blake Bosma ($3,400) One of just two proven playmakers for the Broncos on the offensive side of the ball, finishing last season as TE25 in college fantasy with 403 yards and six touchdowns on 45 targets. Michigan State has routinely been one of the worst programs at defending the tight end position in the last five years or so.
Fade – QB(s) Yes, plural. HC Lance Taylor announced at his Monday presser that both Broc Lowry and Brady Jones will take snaps in the opener. That, combined with such a low total means we are way out here.
Bargain Bin – WR Tailique Williams ($3,400) We’re working blind as of writing this on Wednesday with no depth chart, so we’ll side here with the most proven of the WMU transfer wideouts in Williams. The Georgia State transfer had at least three receptions in all four games played a year ago and caught six touchdowns back in 2023 as a starter.
Pivot Play – RB Jalen Buckley ($6,300) WMU’s RB1 returns after rushing for nine touchdowns a year ago and won’t have the 55-45 timeshare in the backfield any more with Jaden Nixon now at UCF. Buckley gets a small boost as well with projected RB2 Cole Cabana unlikely to play. Would go light on exposure given the low team total.
Best of the Rest – WR Christian Leary ($3,300) or WR Egypt Nelson ($3,000) The other projected starters at receiver for the Broncos. Receivers haven’t been that profitable under OC Walt Bell in the past, with WR2s averaging just 8.1 FPPG.
Injury Notes – RB Cole Cabana (Questionable) Not expected to play.
Michigan State:
Top Play(s) – QB Aidan Chiles ($7,500) Chiles was erratic last year, but flashed fantasy potential, including a 363-yard performance at Maryland in Week 2. The optimistic view for CFF is that he had more rushing attempts and yards than DJ Uiagalelei did under Smith back in 2023, who finished as QB36. If Chiles can improve as a passer, and the rushing remains static, he can serve as a solid fantasy option.
Fade – RB Elijah Tau-Tolliver ($5,700) ETT was our projected starter coming into fall camp as he’s had the most experience among the contenders for RB1, rushing for 958 yards and seven touchdowns last season with Sacramento State. If you poke around some Michigan State content on the web, it looks as though Tau-Tolliver might possibly be third string. We’ll side with the cheaper options in RB Brandon Tullis ($4,500) or RB Makhi Frazier ($5,000) until the depth chart is crystalized.
Bargain Bin – TE Jack Velling ($3,600) Velling returns at tight end but saw his touchdown totals fall from eight to one, despite having more targets and receptions than he did in 2023. If Chiles improves, Velling could be a top 10 fantasy tight end. He tweaked his ankle early in fall camp, but videos around X show that Velling looks to be full go in practices.
Pivot Play – WR Nick Marsh ($6,600) Marsh looks to be the team’s WR1 after a solid debut season with 41 receptions on 63 targets and three touchdowns. He’s the big play threat of the group, averaging nearly 16 yards per catch with high upside, including a 33-point fantasy performance in Week 2 vs. Maryland last year.
Best of the Rest – WR Omari Kelly ($4,900) or WR Chrishon McCray ($4,400) MSU’s wide receiver room is exponentially better this year, adding a pair of transfers in Kelly and McCray that combined for 93 receptions a year ago. Marsh is the preferred play, but both Kelly and McCray are locked in as starters and should find success against an inferior MAC opponent. Limit one MSU receiver to a lineup.
Injury Notes – n/a
Auburn vs. Baylor
- Point-Spread: Aub -2.5
- O/U Total: 56.5
- Implied Score: Aub 29.5 – Bayl 27
- Weather: 86 degrees / 47% rain / 8 mph winds
Auburn:
Top Play(s) – WR Cam Coleman ($7,900) Coleman should be worth the spend-up at receiver, particularly with his sidekick potentially not playing much at all in Eric Singleton. Coleman is an elite receiver and should have an upgrade at quarterback Jackson Arnold. His talents shined in the last three weeks of last season, scoring a combined 80 fantasy points in that stretch.
Fade – WR Eric Singleton ($3,600) Seems like DK has already accounted for the Eric Singleton injury news, not just in a Questionable tag, but also his depressed salary. The word from beat reporters is that Singleton is practicing and will play, but not at 100%. Auburn’s WR room is among the best in the country, even beyond the top two, so there really isn’t much of a reason to play Singleton at all this week.
Bargain Bin – WR Malcolm Simmons ($4,500) There was a point in the offseason where it was thought Simmons would not be on the team after an arrest during the summer. Seems to be in good standing now, and back to full form in fall camp. He’ll serve as the No. 2 option on Friday behind Coleman with Singleton banged up. If Singleton doesn’t suit up, former 5-star Perry Thompson ($3,000) enters the mix as a possible option.
Pivot Play – QB Jackson Arnold ($8,900) If Payton Thorne can finish as QB43 in college fantasy, there’s no reason that Jackson Arnold can’t replicate or surpass that ranking. Arnold already showcased his dual-threat ability last season, racking up 444 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 150 carries – a key element of Freeze’s system which has featured a QB1 with 100+ rushing attempts in four of the past five seasons.
Best of the Rest – RB Damari Alston ($6,700) Auburn doesn’t have a Jarquez Hunter this season, so expect a group effort between Alston, Durell Robinson, Jeremiah Cobb and potentially true freshman Omar Mabson. Alston was named a team captain and is a projected starter, so gets top billing, but we’re expecting a committee here, which means very little interest.
Injury Notes – n/a
Baylor:
Top Play(s) – RB Bryson Washington ($9,000) The sophomore back broke out once he claimed the full-time starting job last season, scoring 29+ fantasy points in four of his final six regular season games. He was also a factor in the passing game – critical for backs in Jake Spavital’s system – with 21 receptions on 24 targets. Projected over a full season as the undisputed starter, Washington has legitimate top five fantasy potential. The Bears also return five of their top seven offensive linemen, providing stability up front. Adding to his value, backup Dawson Pendergrass suffered a season-ending injury in August. The total number of collegiate carries now on the depth chart behind Washington? Four.
Fade – WR Louis Brown IV ($5,200) Just not going to spend $5.2k on a transfer from the G5 level that is listed as a backup on the depth chart.
Bargain Bin – WR Ashtyn Hawkins ($3,700) The senior receiver is back after gaining a final year of eligibility from the NCAA after finishing second on the team last season in all receiving categories. Outside of Hawkins and Cameron, it’s mostly transfers within the WR room for Baylor, so expect QB Sawyer Robertson to lean on the receivers he’s already got a rapport with.
Pivot Play – TE Michael Trigg ($3,800) Tight ends aren’t utilized much in Jake Spavital’s offense, but Trigg broke that mold somewhat last season, finishing as TE37 in college fantasy – the best finish in a decade in this offensive system. Again, we’re focusing on pass-catchers early on in the year that Robertson is likely most comfortable with, and a returning senior tight end is just that.
Best of the Rest – QB Sawyer Robertson ($9,000) An early season change from Dequan Finn to Sawyer Robertson paid off for the Bears, with Robertson throwing for over 3,000 yards in 11 starts. Given the offensive talent surrounding him, it’s reasonable to expect similar production this fall. The biggest issue is pricing, where there’s good options at significantly less cost. WR1 Josh Cameron ($6,200) returns after leading the team with 750 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. There’s no reason to think he can’t duplicate those numbers this year.
Injury Notes – n/a
Georgia Tech vs. Colorado
- Point-Spread: GT -4.5
- O/U Total: 52.5
- Implied Score: GT 28.5 – Col 24
- Weather: 74 degrees / 60% rain / 5 mph winds
Georgia Tech:
Top Play(s) – RB Jamal Haynes ($7,600) In the backfield, Haynes offers a reliable fantasy floor, averaging 15 points per game over the past two seasons with 16 rushing touchdowns, though splitting touches with King limits his overall ceiling. The run game should continue to be the offense’s foundation with four of five starters returning on the offensive line, making Haynes a very high floor / low risk play.
Fade – WR Eric Rivers ($6,100) We’re going to let Week 1 play out before rostering any more wide receivers that are transferring up a level, with Rivers coming over from FIU. No doubt, Rivers was one of the best fantasy wideouts in the country a season ago, but we’re timid here after what occurred last Saturday with Chase Sowell. With an offense that typically doesn’t throw much anyways, we’ll look elsewhere at receiver.
Bargain Bin – WR Isiah Canion ($3,000) Listed starter on the depth start next to Rivers and Rutherford, giving the group the best size at 6-foot-4. Just a sophomore, any Georgia Tech article you read gives notion that the coaching staff is high on its young wide receivers. Canion beat out FIU transfer Dean Patterson for the starting role.
Pivot Play – QB Haynes King ($9,800) There’s several cheaper QB options on the slate that project well, so spending up for King is not a necessity. But a healthy King, which he wasn’t for a good portion of last season, is a Top 10 fantasy quarterback in the country due to his legs, rushing for 21 touchdowns over the last two seasons. As we’ve mentioned with Haynes, there’s not a lot of risk here with a proven commodity like King even if you spend up.
Best of the Rest – WR Malik Rutherford ($5,600) Early in the season, we prefer safety over risk, and we know that Rutherford has been productive in this same offense, as he’s posted a combined 150 targets and seven touchdowns over the last two season. Georgia Tech doesn’t incorporate the tight ends much at all in the passing game, so if wanting to pair King with a pass-catcher, look to one of the receivers first, preferably a high floor option like this.
Injury Notes – n/a
Colorado:
Top Play(s) – WR Omarion Miller ($4,000) These Colorado receivers are way too cheap, regardless of the quarterback situation. Miller emerged in fall camp as the perceived WR1 and has immense upside with multiple 40-point fantasy performances in his career already. Check his highlights against USC a few years back. Colorado is expected to be a bit more balanced in 2025 than year’s past, but it’s still in Deion’s nature to want to chuck the rock. The Buffs were second nationally in pass play rate in 2024.
Fade – Kaidon Salter ($8,800) Salter will start for the Buffs as announced by Deion Sanders, but there’s also rumors out there that 5-star freshman Julian Lewis could see snaps at some point. To make matters potentially worse for Salter, those rumors also include alternating series. Too much risk to play in this spot with other good options at the position.
Bargain Bin – WR Drelon Miller ($4,600) If Omarion is WR1, Drelon should be WR2 in the slot. There’s also rumors of Miller getting reps at running back to help out with Dallan Hayden unlikely to suit up on Friday. Could see some really nice usage if that is the case.
Pivot Play – RB Micah Welch ($4,800) Huge risk here given that Colorado was 133rd nationally in run rate a season ago. But there’s a couple things working in Welch’s favor. (1) Colorado should be more balanced offensively without Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, etc. (2) Dallan Hayden, the primary backup, is out. Could potentially see an uptick in workload on Friday.
Best of the Rest – WR Joseph Williams ($5,300) If this looks similarly offensively to last season, than the top three wideouts will dominate the target share with minimal looks to the tight ends and running backs, making Williams potentially valuable. The Tulsa transfer burst onto the scene in November of last year and was projected by some to be the team’s top target. That hype seemed to fade in August in favor of the Miller bros.
Injury Notes – RB Dallan Hayden (DOUBTFUL)
UNLV vs. Sam Houston
- Point-Spread: UNLV -9.5
- O/U Total: 61.5
- Implied Score: UNLV 35.5 – SH 26
- Weather: 79 degrees / 67% rain / 5 mph winds
Sam Houston:
Top Play(s) – QB Hunter Watson ($8,200) If fading the higher priced options like Sawyer Robertson and Haynes King, Watson is squarely in play after his performance in Week 1, scoring 23.55 fantasy points against Western Kentucky. As expected, the passing leaves plenty to be desired, and the receiving corps is not a strength, to put it lightly. But we saw what Watson is capable of on the ground, rushing for 91 yards and a score. Unless this UNLV defense flips the entire script in 6 days’ time after allowing 31 points to Idaho State, Watson should have a good week.
Fade – RB Elijah Green ($6,200) Green garnered more snaps played than RB Alton McCaskill ($4,900) but one performed far better than the other. While Green’s utilization in the passing game was promising, converting on all seven of his targets, he averaged just 1.7 yards per attempt. McCaskill looked like the young freshman back at Houston a few years back, averaging almost seven yards per carry. Go with the cheaper option.
Bargain Bin – WR Aviyon Smith-Mack ($3,100) As mentioned in the preseason guide, the slot position is typically the spot that is most profitable in a Phil Longo offense. We can’t confidently advise playing any Sam Houston receiver after Week 0, but ASM saw the most snaps in the slot and led the team with four receptions.
Pivot Play – WR Qua’Vez Humphreys ($4,400) Nine yards on one catch and two targets is gross. But Humphreys still played the most snaps of any receiver for Sam Houston in Week 0 and remains a starter on the depth chart. He’ll have zero ownership after his performance, which could work to your advantage in GPPs.
Best of the Rest – WR Grady O’Neill ($3,000) O’Neill shared snaps in the slot with Smith-Mack and was tied for the team lead at receiver with five targets vs. WKU. WR Darrick Bledsoe III ($3,000) is a listed starter on the Week 1 depth chart. Grasping at straws here.
Injury Notes – n/a
UNLV:
Top Play(s) – WR Jaden Bradley ($3,700) Strange that DK didn’t boost Bradley’s salary after his performance last week with 131 yards on seven targets in the win over Idaho State. Not only that, but Bradley also played the most snaps of any UNLV receiver in what was a surprisingly competitive game with Idaho State. Easy call here.
Fade – WR JoJo Earle ($4,900) We thought the former TCU transfer and 4-star recruit would be the top option for the Rebels and turns out he’s not even the top slot wideout. WR DeAngelo Irvin Jr. ($4,100) played nearly tripled the amount of game snaps over Earle in Week 0.
Bargain Bin – See top play above. Best sub-$4k option on the UNLV side.
Pivot Play – QB Anthony Colandrea ($7,700) If Nick Mullen didn’t know already, he does now. Alex Orji is a one-trick pony and is not a competent thrower of the football. Colandrea now sits atop the depth chart and likely has a hold of the reins for the rest of the season barring a surprise. We know Mullen’s system would incorporate the QBs in the run game, and that Colandrea could scoot a bit, but 13 carries for 117 yards in the opener was more than we expected…in a very good way.
Best of the Rest – RB Jai’Den Thomas ($7,000) We’re a bit cautious of how much we like Thomas after one game for his prognostication moving forward. On one hand, it doesn’t get much better than 147 yards and three touchdowns for fantasy output. On the flipside, 14.7 yards per carry isn’t sustainable and Thomas is sharing the rushing distribution not only with backup RBs but two QBs as well. Thomas is UNLV’s best player on offense, so he’s in the conversation of running back options, but won’t go overboard on exposure based off one performance.
Injury Notes – n/a
Central Michigan vs. San Jose State
- Point-Spread: SJSU -11
- O/U Total: 51
- Implied Score: SJSU 31 – CMU 20
- Weather: 76 degrees / 0% rain / 6 mph winds
Central Michigan:
Top Play(s) – RB Trey Cornist ($4,200) There was some debate as to who would land in the top spot at running back, and it wound up being the Tulane transfer in Cornist. Head coach Matt Drinkall has an offensive background, coming over from Army where he previously held titles as offensive coordinator and OL coach. Before that, Drinkall was the OC at Sioux Falls where he oversaw three 1,000-yard backs in four seasons. With Drinkall’s hire, expect the Chips to lean into the run game with the 215-pound Cornist.
Fade – QB Joe Labas ($5,500) New offensive coordinator Jim Chapin comes over from Eastern Washington where his offenses ranked in the top 10 in FCS in total offense, scoring and rushing. The scheme was balanced in 2022-23 with an even run-pass split but relied heavily on the run in 2024 with over 500 rush attempts. So, we could have a run-based offense with a non-running quarterback in Labas. Better options elsewhere.
Bargain Bin – WR Tommy McIntosh ($3,700) I’ve referenced this a few times in our writeups already, but make sure to go check out the G5Hive podcast as they interviewed the Central Michigan play-by-play announcer who has direct access to team practices. He spoke very highly of McIntosh, a former Wisconsin transfer, who likely is one of the top two pass-catching options on the team. Looking at Chapin’s offenses, tight ends and running backs aren’t featured much in the passing game, so look for the target share to be centered around the receivers.
Pivot Play – WR Tyson Davis ($4,300) Davis was a listed starter on the depth chart after missing the entire 2024 season due to injury. He led the team in receiving the previous year with 453 yards and four touchdowns.
Best of the Rest – RB Nahree Biggins ($4,000) If CMU shares duties at the running back position, Biggins is expected to be the complement to Trey Cornist in the backfield. Under Chapin’s direction at Eastern Washington, the RB2 averaged 8.5 rushing attempts per contest.
Injury Notes – n/a
San Jose State:
Top Play(s) – WR Danny Scudero ($6,600) The Sacramento State transfer landed in the enviable slot position where last year Nick Nash finished as the No. 1 receiver in all of fantasy football. Are we expecting 150 targets again from the WR1? No. But the slot role has been the money position in the Spread-and-Shread offense that San Jose State employs and Scudero has been described as “unguardable” in practices.
Fade – RB Floyd Chalk IV ($6,000) Chalk did dominate the running back volume share last year at 48% with 10 of the team’s 13 rushing touchdowns, but the Spartans ranked dead last in the country in rushing attempts per game. The team is said to also be very high on sophomore backup Lamar Radcliffe who will dip into the volume share a bit more in 2025. There’s other spend down options on the slate at RB who will get more carries than Chalk on Friday.
Bargain Bin – WR Matthew Coleman ($4,200) or WR Malachi Riley ($3,700) As we hinted at in the Scudero portion, we do not expect the WR1 to dominate the target share as Nick Nash did a year ago. And there’s plenty to go around for a team that averaged 42.1 pass attempts per game. Coleman was largely irrelevant last season until the finale, stepping in for Nick Nash in the slot, hauling in 12 receptions on 14 targets. He’ll be on the field plenty in 4-wide situations. Riley, an Arizona transfer, didn’t get as much hype in the offseason as some others, but has P4 experience and locked down one of the starting outside positions.
Pivot Play – WR Leland Smith ($5,900) The offseason talk was centered around the slot position between Scudero and Coleman, but the Purdue transfer was arguably the most consistent name to show up in preseason reports. He’ll assume the same role that Justin Lockhart had last season, who accumulated over 100 targets and five touchdowns. We’re option to pivoting away from the more popular Scudero play in favor of Smith or starting both. Two wide receivers is absolutely viable for a single lineup.
Best of the Rest – QB Walker Eget ($8,500) High upside / low floor play as Eget is a non-runner that scored 23 or more fantasy points in three of his final four starts in 2024. He also scored 8 fantasy points in a woeful performance in Week 13. We know he’ll be chucking it around, though. RB Lamar Radcliffe ($4,400) is the RB2 the staff is extremely high on. He closed last year on a high note, rushing for 65 yards and a TD vs. South Florida.
Injury Notes – n/a
Mike’s DK Core Four:
- RB Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest
- RB Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech
- WR Jaden Bradley, UNLV
- WR Danny Scudero, San Jose State
Mike’s FD Core Four:
- RB Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest
- RB Bryson Washington, Baylor
- WR Danny Scudero, San Jose State
- QB Haynes King, Georgia Tech
