San Jose State vs. Texas
- Point-Spread: Tex -37
- O/U Total: 51
- Implied Score: Tex 44 – SJSU 7
- Weather: 85 degrees / 9% rain / 3 mph winds
San Jose State:
Top Play(s) – WR Danny Scudero ($5,600) All offseason we said there won’t be another Nick Nash, there won’t be another Nick Nash. Well, there might be another Nick Nash. Scudero backed up the glowing offseason reports with 9-189-1 on 13 targets in the loss to Central Michigan last week. Texas is obviously a few steps up in class, particularly when they’ll be motivated coming after a loss to OSU. Scudero is the only SJSU player of mild interest.
Fade – QB Walker Eget ($5,700) and WR Matthew Coleman ($4,900) Wouldn’t surprise us to see Eget get replaced at some point in the year after his disappointing opener. Coleman was relegated to backup slot receiver and fifth among wideouts in snaps played vs. CMU. The dream is probably dead there.
Bargain Bin – TE Jackson Canaan ($3,600) The senior tight end played 57 of 72 snaps, converting on all five of his targets in Week 1. Texas had no issues blanketing Ohio State’s Max Klare last week, though, limiting him to a single catch.
Pivot Play – WR Leland Smith ($5,200) The outside receiver simply doesn’t present as much value in the Spread N’ Shread as Scudero will in the slot, but Smith did have an impressive touchdown reception in Week 1 and played every single offensive snap against CMU.
Best of the Rest – WR Malachi Riley ($4,000) The Arizona transfer played just 28 of 72 offensive snaps, splitting time with WR Kyri Shoels ($3,000) at the second outside receiver position, and was targeted just twice for minimal yardage. The only receiver we truly want to target, if any this week, is Scudero.
Injury Notes – n/a
Texas:
Top Play(s) – QB Arch Manning ($9,600) The salary + projection doesn’t make this seem feasible to play Manning this week, but he’s the one Texas option that we KNOW is going to have the ball in his hands on Saturday. The backfield carries are split, and it didn’t look like Texas had a legitimate WR1, at least for one week, against Ohio State. 4-5 touchdowns to 4-5 different players wouldn’t surprise us in the slightest.
Fade – RB Tre Wisner ($8,300) We’re going to see this all across the country with playoff contending teams ala Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, etc. Teams expecting to play 14-15 games in a season are not going to run any of their RBs into the ground, particularly when you have ample depth to avoid that. Texas has it, especially with a healthy RB CJ Baxter ($6,400) as we saw a week ago. Going cheap at RB (see below) is the better route.
Bargain Bin – RB Christian Clark ($3,000) or RB Jerrick Gibson ($3,400) I considered making Clark my top play on the Texas side as we’re likely to see 3-4 running backs play Saturday for the Longhorns. Clark, another Texas back coming off injury, was having an outstanding offseason with some insiders thinking he’d have a chance at claiming the RB1 role at some point in the year. He’s the best min priced option on the slate.
Pivot Play – TE Jack Endries ($6,200) The transition from Gunnar Helm to Jack Endries looked seamless, with the Cal transfer finishing with a team-best 50 receiving yards with four receptions on five targets. It should’ve been 5-for-5 if it hadn’t been for Manning’s inaccuracy throughout the game.
Best of the Rest – WRs. Not expecting to see Emmett Mosley again this week against a G5 opponent, so we’re anticipating the same rotation of Ryan Wingo, DeAndre Moore Jr. and Parker Livingstone through the first half at least. Wingo led the Longhorns in targets vs. Ohio State (8), but if we’re expecting the starting group to only play 2-3 quarters here, Moore might make the most sense at his $4.8k salary.
Injury Notes – WR Emmett Mosley (Questionable)
Florida International vs. Penn State
- Point-Spread: PSU -41.5
- O/U Total: 54.5
- Implied Score: PSU 47 – FIU 6.5
- Weather: 70 degrees / 14% rain / 8 mph winds
FIU:
Just one player – QB Keyone Jenkins ($5,100) – projected to score more than seven fantasy points, and we’re not playing a QB with a projected total of 11 points on a Main Slate. Penn State coaches will be getting after their defenders this week for even allowing 11 points to Nevada last Saturday. FWIW – WR Alex Perry ($4,500) did play significantly-more snaps than any other wide receiver vs. Bethune Cookman in Week 1, and the Nittany Lions did allow 7-76-1 to Nevada WR1 Marcus Bellon.
Penn State:
Top Play(s) – WR Kyron Hudson ($4,200) Penn State showed off their shiny new toys, paid and sponsored for by NIL, as Hudson posted 6-89-1 on a team-best eight targets. WR Trebor Pena ($5,800) also had eight targets and was very productive in the middle of the field, but we’ll take a pricing discount with Hudson as the top option. Both are viable.
Fade – TE Luke Reynolds ($6,100) We didn’t think there would be a Tyler Warren-esque player this year for the Nittany Lions, and now that feels all but confirmed even after one week. Reynolds is supremely talented, but was targeted just twice vs. Nevada, and it appears that the wide receivers for the Nittany Lions will have a bigger role this year. Can’t justify this pricing at all.
Bargain Bin – RB Cam Wallace ($3,000) It was with 14:47 left in the fourth quarter that Wallace saw his first carry of the game. Wallace and fellow backfield mate Corey Smith would both finish the day with five carries each. Assuming the game script plays out the same way against another inferior opponent, both will see the field again on Saturday in the second half.
Pivot Play – QB Drew Allar ($8,200) Extremely efficient performance from Allar against Nevada, completing 85% of his passes with zero turnovers. The touchdowns will come, and the implied team total of nearly seven TDs this week signals they’re arriving on Saturday. Like Allar as one of my two QB options this week.
Best of the Rest – RB Nick Singleton ($9,000) Tough to envision the workload for Singleton or RB Kaytron Allen ($7,500) changing drastically against FIU this week. What’s the point with an even bigger point spread this week. It is a good opportunity to continue to work on the passing game with the new receivers and get some younger backs like Cam Wallace and Corey Smith in the game. Volume simply won’t be there to warrant spending this capital.
Injury Notes – n/a
Baylor vs. SMU
- Point-Spread: SMU -3
- O/U Total: 65
- Implied Score: SMU 34 – Bay 31
- Weather: 79 degrees / 20% rain / 7 mph winds
Baylor:
Top Play(s) – QB Sawyer Robertson ($7,700) In an optimal scenario, Robertson isn’t throwing the ball 48 times as he did in a trailing position last week vs. Auburn. But the results were great for fantasy, throwing for 419 yards and three scores. The Bears also didn’t run the ball effectively against the Auburn front. Too soon to jump to conclusions for the Baylor running game moving forward, but SMU will provide another test. Too cheap at $7.7K for a proven quarterback in a game where points are expected.
Fade – WR Louis Brown IV ($3,600) The Colorado State transfer caught just one pass on minimal targets and just 21% of snaps as a secondary option behind Josh Cameron on the outside.
Bargain Bin – TE Michael Trigg ($4,300) We’ll see this week if it was just a matchup advantage that allowed for Trigg to record 99 yards and a touchdown on 16 (!) targets or if this is a constant moving forward. We’ll lean towards that performance for Trigg being a one-off, but this is a very reasonable price for the senior tight end.
Pivot Play – WR Josh Cameron ($6,000) Not ready to jump ship quite yet after a disappointing opener with just 2-54-0 on four targets. If Cameron wasn’t out there, it’d be a different story, but the senior wideout played 70 of the team’s 79 offensive snaps. If Cameron’s number do regress, it’s because of Baylor having ample firepower with WR Ashtyn Hawkins ($5,000) and WR Kole Wilson ($4,600) both looking impressive last Friday. Wilson, in particular, was arguably the top target for Robertson in the middle of the field, with eight receptions and over 100 yards coming out of the slot.
Best of the Rest – RB Bryson Washington ($8,900) If deciding to start or sit Washington this week, we’ll probably lean towards the latter after a disappointing outing against Auburn, averaging just 3.9 YPC on 14 attempts. Game script played a role, and the advanced stats don’t show that Baylor’s run blocking was that bad. There’s just ample options at RB on the slate that we don’t have to spend up here.
Injury Notes – n/a
SMU:
Top Play(s) – QB Kevin Jennings ($8,000) Treating SMU similarly to our Texas writeup above. In that…we have a team that is going to put up points on Saturday, but our top option is the guy that we know for a fact will have the ball in his hands. Running back looks like a committee and wide receiver is still a relative unknown. 26 fantasy points as a projection at this price for a QB is strong.
Fade – RB Derrick McFall ($4,700) The converted WR got the start on Saturday and looked like a WR playing RB, rushing for just 22 yards on nine attempts. This looks like a committee to start the year with RB TJ Harden ($5,000) and RB Chris Johnson Jr. ($3,200) but Saturday’s performances indicate that McFall might be the least intriguing of the three RB candidates. Harden looked good, despite only being with the team for a month now, rushing for 42 yards on eight attempts. Johnson, a former Miami transfer, averaged over seven yards per attempt. Expect all three to get carries, but we could see this rotation shink at some point.
Bargain Bin – WR Jalen Cooper ($3,000) The 4-star freshman filled in for the injured Jordan Hudson, and was exceptional in his debut performance with 5-73-1 on six targets. Assuming Hudson does not play, which he’s considered day-to-day according to Rhett Lashlee, Cooper enters the equation as a top bargain on the slate.
Pivot Play – TEs. RJ Maryland and Matthew Hibner were relatively quiet against Baylor with four combined catches for minimal yardage. But guaranteed they watched the film of Michael Trigg against this Baylor back seven in coverage last week. More involvement for both on Saturday is anticipated. Don’t play them in the same lineup, though.
Best of the Rest – WR Romello Brinson ($4,800) or WR Yamir Knight ($5,600) Brinson might be the true WR1 SMU has been searching for the last few years after a 121-yard performance in Week 1. Knight was third among SMU receivers in snaps played coming out of the slot, but his involvement is limited as he’s sharing the middle of the field with RJ Maryland who’s moved into a WR / TE hybrid role. Brinson and Cooper are the top pass-catching options for SMU.
Injury Notes – WR Jordan Hudson (Questionable)
Iowa vs. Iowa State
- Point-Spread: ISU -3
- O/U Total: 41
- Implied Score: ISU 22 – Iowa 19
- Weather: 88 degrees / 50% rain / 6 mph winds
Iowa:
There are folks that spent actual hard-earned dollars this offseason on QB Mark Gronowski ($5,600) winning the Heisman this year. An Iowa quarterback. Safe to say they ripped up the tickets after one week. As with most years with the Iowa offense, our interest is solely in the backfield. We don’t have a Kaleb Johnson, though, this year so it is a bit more difficult to parse. RB Kamari Moulton ($5,700) is not on the Week 2 depth chart, so we’re likely to see some combination of RB Terrell Washington ($3,100) and RB Xavier Williams ($3,000). Washington came in second behind Moulton in Week 1, and is listed atop the depth chart, but it is Williams that provided the boost to the offense, averaging over 11 yards per carry and a touchdown vs. Albany. Both are playable at this cost, but lean Williams as he looks like the better player of the two.
Iowa State:
Top Play(s) – TE Gabe Burkle ($4,300) or TE Benjamin Brahmer ($3,900) Fitting that our top plays for Iowa State come against what used to be TEU in the Hawkeyes. There isn’t a worthwhile receiver for the Cyclones this season, that much is clear after two games played. Less WR usage has resulted in the tight ends being heavily targeted, including last week with the duo combining for 11 receptions and three touchdowns. Definitely wouldn’t start both together in a lineup, but having one makes sense.
Fade – WR Chase Sowell ($5,100) I’m beginning to wonder if we see Sowell re-enter the transfer portal before the 4-game limit this season. The ECU transfer has been a colossal bust thus far, and we’ll never been rostering G5 to P4 transfers again in the future. Sowell saw increased playing time last week vs. South Dakota, but the stat-line didn’t change. One target, zero receptions. Yikes.
Bargain Bin – RB Dylan Lee ($3,000) Not saying that Lee has overtaken RB Carson Hansen ($5,400) as the team’s top back, but the latter has not been impressive to start the year, averaging just 3.6 YPC through two games and just 19 yards against Albany in Week 2. Lee, meanwhile, had 80+ yards and a touchdown. Iowa probably isn’t the opponent to test this experiment against, but could we see Lee move up the depth chart down the road? Possible.
Pivot Play – WR Brett Eskildsen ($4,000) If there’s been one consistent performer at WR so far, it’s been Eskildsen who caught a touchdown in the opener, followed by 2-77-0 against South Dakota. Our preference is still the tight ends, but Eskildsen is at least an option.
Best of the Rest – QB Rocco Becht ($6,500) Becht scored 18.1 fantasy points last year against the Hawkeyes. His projection from theCFFSite for this week – 18.5. We’d look towards other options at QB this week.
Injury Notes – n/a
Kent State vs. Texas Tech
- Point-Spread: TTU -48
- O/U Total: 59
- Implied Score: TTU 53.5 – Kent 5.5
- Weather: 70 degrees / 24% rain / 9 mph winds
Kent State:
What are we doing here, DraftKings? First week we include UMass vs. Temple on the Main Slate. Now we’re getting a matchup with a seven-touchdown point spread and a Kent State implied team total at 5.5. In fact, I hear DK is already planning on having Chattahoochee Valley Community College on the Week 2 slate. With that said, there actually might be someone of interest in RB / WR Cade Wolford ($3,000) as the dart throw of all dart throws. Ran just six receiving routes against Merrimack, but two of those went for touchdowns with over 100 yards receiving. That kind of production may earn more playing time.
Texas Tech:
Top Play(s) – RB Cameron Dickey ($7,300) It’s just one game against an FCS opponent, so rotations aren’t cemented in stone for the rest of the year, but Round 1 goes to Dickey, holding a 13-7 rush attempt advantage over RB J’Koby Williams ($8,600). Both were productive in their respective cases, but 94 yards and a touchdown for Dickey jumps off the page just a bit more. We’ll take the price discount here with Dickey if selecting between the two.
Fade – High-priced WRs. Texas Tech has a solid trio of starting receivers in Caleb Douglas, Reggie Virgil and Coy Eakin. But is there any reason to think the targets won’t be spread out again like they were vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff in Week 1? No receiver had more than four receptions. Not worth the price of admission if this week is similar.
Bargain Bin – TE Terrance Carter ($3,800) Carter wasn’t high on our college fantasy rankings as this is an offensive system under OC Mack Leftwich that doesn’t utilize the position much. Carter might be one of the system trend buckers (not sure that’s a saying but it applies) after catching two touchdown passes in Week 1.
Pivot Play – QB Will Hammond ($8,300) Is there any reason to play Behren Morton with this kind of game spread if he’s already questionable? In short, no. Hammond is next in waiting behind Morton as the likely QB1 in 2026 and does have game experience having started the bowl game vs. Arkansas. I wish he was priced down a bit more here, though. Could see low ownership % if the news is late breaking on Saturday morning.
Best of the Rest – RB Adam Hill ($3,500) Texas Tech has zero depth behind Dickey and Williams once Quentin Joyner was lost for the year due to injury. Hill stepped in as the RB3 last week and rushed for 78 yards on just seven attempts. With the point spread the way that it is, Hill figures to get more work on Saturday.
Injury Notes – QB Brehren Morton (Questionable)
Illinois vs. Duke
- Point-Spread: Illini -3
- O/U Total: 50
- Implied Score: Illini 26.5 – Duke 23.5
- Weather: 84 degrees / 2% rain / 6 mph winds
Duke:
Top Play(s) – WR Sahmir Hagans ($4,300) The Duke WR room looks to be a real strength after one game, with the three starters all scoring over 15 fantasy points against Elon. Hagans did not garner the headlines the other two received as returnee from last season but ran the second most routes and caught two touchdowns in the opener. And he’s the cheapest of the bunch.
Fade – TEs. If game one is any indication, Duke could go as far as five deep at receiver. The top five wideouts combined for 27 targets on 33 passes thrown in the contest.
Bargain Bin – RB Jaquez Moore ($4,400) Promising start for the Duke rushing attack in Week 1, averaging over seven yards per carry on 23 attempts, led by Moore who started the game. After one game, Duke’s offensive run blocking grades ranked 27th in the country according to Pro Football Focus. Yes, it was Elon, but that’s a step of progress at least after finishing 95th in the same category a year ago.
Pivot Play – QB Darian Mensah ($6,200) The Blue Devils have also improved at quarterback, spending a good chunk of change to acquire one of the most proficient QBs in college football last year in Mensah. Three touchdowns, 389 yards and 80% completion rate on 34 attempts. 18-point projection isn’t extremely high, so if rostering Mensah, you’ll want to pair him with a Duke WR, and probably some Illinois exposure for a potential game stack.
Best of the Rest – WR Que’Sean Brown ($5,900) or WR Cooper Barkate ($4,900) Duke threw the ball 55% of the time in 2024 and tossed 34 attempts against Elon. So yea, we’re very interested in this talented group of receivers with or without Mensah. Barkate gets the slight nod because of the price differential, and was a tad more productive in the opening week, but can’t go wrong with either.
Injury Notes – n/a
Illinois:
Top Play(s) – RB Aiden Laughery ($4,400) Carries were split in the Illini backfield last Friday, but it’s clear that Laughery is ahead of the other two backs in the pecking order after getting the start and rushing for 100+ and two scores. Too early to know how good / bad the Duke run defense is, but Laughery is really trending upwards dating back to last season now with six rushing TDs in his last four games played.
Fade – Transfers. Justin Bowick did catch two touchdowns on the day, but outside of that, both he and Hudson Clement simply weren’t on the field that much. Clement caught just one of his two targets for minimal yardage with a drop. Going to take some time for the transfers and Altmyer to gain a rapport.
Bargain Bin – WR Hank Beatty ($3,800) Seems like a mistake that there’s a $1.7k difference between Beatty and Collin Dixon after the former went for over 100 yards in the opener. Not saying Beatty will be the next Isaiah Williams, but we’ve seen the Illinois slot receiver succeed in the past in college fantasy.
Pivot Play – RB Kaden Feagin ($5,100) This has generally been a two-back system the past two seasons, and if you’re going to roster Feagin, you might as well early in the year when he’s healthy. Strong opening performance with 74 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts. Mostly a GPP play as he’ll have zero ownership with everyone trying to roster Aiden Laughery.
Best of the Rest – QB Luke Altmyer ($6,400) We’re probably shying away from Illinois all together, but Altmyer has a 21-point projection, which is higher than Mensah actually, for just $200 more. Altmyer was efficient in the opener, completing 77% of his throws for three touchdowns, but we’ll be watching his yards per attempt averages with the new receivers. 9.9 YPA is not good.
Injury Notes – n/a
Virginia vs. NC State
- Point-Spread: NC St -3.5
- O/U Total: 53.5
- Implied Score: NC St 28.5 – UVA 25
- Weather: 84 degrees / 2% rain / 6 mph winds
Virginia:
Top Play(s) – WR Cam Ross ($3,500) Remember another UVA transfer that went under the radar a few years back in Malik Washington? The guy for finished with 1,400 receiving yards and was the No. 1 fantasy receiver in all of college football? Not saying Ross will lead the country in receiving, but we’ve already seen the slot receiver in this system have profound success. Ross is off to a great start with over 100 yards receiving and a team-best nine targets in Week 1 coming out of the slot. Too cheap here for what could be UVA’s WR1 this season.
Fade – RBs. Preferably don’t start any of the three UVA running backs between J’Mari Taylor, Xavier Brown and Harrison Waylee despite combining for three touchdowns in Week 1. Virginia hasn’t had a running back rush for more than 500 yards in the last three seasons since this coaching staff took over, and averaging 4.1 YPC against Coastal Carolina doesn’t inspire much confidence that’ll change in 2025.
Bargain Bin – TE Dakota Twitty ($4,100) The former WR turned TE was hyped up during the offseason but didn’t translate to production on the field in the opener with just 15 receiving yards. Twitty did have four targets vs. Coastal Carolina, third on the team, and was also third in routes run so he was on the field plenty.
Pivot Play – WR Trell Harris ($5,600) Ross was the preferred target last Saturday, but Harris did lead the team in routes run, and was productive in his own right with 93 yards on five targets. Think Malik Washington and Malachi Fields from two years ago. Perhaps Ross and Harris are that combination for 2025.
Best of the Rest – QB Chandler Morris ($6,300) The North Texas transfer did suffer an injured vs. Coastal, but all signs point to Morris being at or near 100% health heading into Saturday. NC State limited a potent East Carolina offense to just 17 points in Week 1 but also gave up 366 passing yards to Katin Houser. Morris is playable at this salary.
Injury Notes – n/a
NC State:
Top Play(s) – RB Hollywood Smothers ($6,500) Smothers averaged just 3.5 yards per carry in the opener vs. ECU, but from a pure volume standpoint, there’s not much more you could ask for from the sophomore running back. 22 carries with the next closest NC State running back getting just three rushing attempts. And then four targets in the passing game.
Fade – WR Teddy Hoffman ($3,200) Maybe not a fade, so much as a slight warning for Hoffman at this pricing. There’s a chance the true freshman has higher ownership than he should have after his breakout performance in Week 1 with 93 receiving yards on five receptions. His increased involvement had much ado with WR Noah Rogers’ ($5,600) who left in the first half of the contest. He’s since been cleared to play on Saturday and HC Dave Doeren expects him to be full-go.
Bargain Bin – WR Wesley Grimes ($4,700) The former Wake Forest transfer had a breakout performance with 121 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. When CJ Bailey looked downfield, it was typically in Grimes’ direction, averaging over 30 yards per carry with an aDOT over 21 yards. WR Keenan Jackson ($3,900) started in the slot, running the most routes of any NC State wideout, but didn’t amount to much production.
Pivot Play – TE Justin Joly ($5,500) Joly had a quiet performance against East Carolina with just 27 yards receiving, but converted on all five of his targets, ran the most routes of any NC State pass-catcher on the roster and played over 80% of the snaps. Joly won’t remain quiet for long.
Best of the Rest – QB CJ Bailey ($7,000) 25-point projection at this pricing makes Bailey one of the better QB options on the slate. The weapons at receiver looking good in Week 1 certainly boosts Bailey’s future outlook, as that was one of the major question marks coming into the year. Bailey also was utilized in the ground game with 20 yards and a score on nine attempts. Putting the added weight he gained in the offseason to good use.
Injury Notes – n/a
Connecticut vs. Syracuse
- Point-Spread: Syr -7
- O/U Total: 58
- Implied Score: Syr 32.5 – UConn 25.5
- Weather: Dome
Connecticut:
Top Play(s) – WR Skyler Bell ($5,700) In just one half of football, Bell went for 135 yards and two touchdowns vs. Central Connecticut State. He’s the undisputed WR1. If you’re worried about the matchup, look what Bell did a year ago vs. P4 opponents. 58 yards on seven catches vs. Duke. 141 yards vs. Maryland in last season’s opener. And 113 yards on 10 catches against this very Syracuse team. Counter argument against Bell would be this defensive coordinator will undoubtedly be game planning around stopping UConn’s best offensive player.
Fade – RB Victor Rosa ($3,800) 2022 seems like forever ago when Rosa rushed for 11 touchdowns for the Huskies as a freshman. Rosa did find the end-zone on Saturday but appears to be relegated to fourth-string these days.
Bargain Bin – WRs Shamar Porter ($4,200) or WR Reymello Murphy ($3,400) Porter only had six receiving yards but was the team’s leader in routes run in Week 1. Murphy started in the slot and found the end-zone on five targets which was tied for the team lead. They’ll start alongside Bell.
Pivot Play – QB Joe Fagnano ($5,900) Unlikely to be an option for us on the slate, but in credit to the senior QB, he’s scored 20+ fantasy points in each of this last three of his last four starters. The time that he did not was against North Carolina in which he threw 2 touchdowns and zero INTs in a bowl game win. Last time out against Syracuse, Fagnano threw the ball 48 times for 228 yards and two scores.
Best of the Rest – RB Cam Edwards ($5,900) Edwards is an explosive running back that has now found the end-zone in five consecutive games, including 100+ yards rushing in Week 1, AND 87 yards on just eight carries in Week 13 last season vs. this same Syracuse squad. Volume likely won’t be there because UConn tends to rotate 2-3 backs each week, but Edwards can hit value regardless.
Injury Notes – n/a
Syracuse:
Top Play(s) – RB Yasin Willis ($6,300) There were questions in the offseason about whether or not Yasin Willis would see a LeQuint Allen-like workload in 2025. Well, he did in Week 1, in matchup with Tennessee where he should have been game-scripted out with the Orange trailing by double-digits most of the game. Very promising for his outlook moving forward in a much better fantasy environment this week.
Fade – Backups. 23 to 9 advantage for Willis in rushing attempts over the RB2. 28 of 36 targets went to Syracuse starters in the passing game vs. Tennessee. Spread of -7 is close enough to where we believe it’ll be more centralized production among Syracuse’s top players.
Bargain Bin – TE Dan Villari ($4,700) In a similar vein to Willis above, we were very skeptical whether or not Villari would see the kind of usage that Oronde Gadsden did in 2024. We’re still not expecting 100 targets or 900 receiving yards, but five receptions on seven targets is way above our predictions coming into the year. Tight end usage looks to be a thing still in this Syracuse offense.
Pivot Play – WR Darrell Gill Jr. ($6,500) Disappointing performance from Gill in the opener for a player we have ranked in the top 25 at receiver coming into the year. That said, that will arguably be the best secondary Syracuse faces all year. And secondly, Gill was on the field plenty, with the most routes run of any player on the team. There’s still hope and should be a GPP as he’ll see very low ownership.
Best of the Rest – WR Johntay Cook ($6,100) Cook looks primed for the Trebor Pena role coming out of the slot as he led the Cuse in targets (10) vs. Tennessee. WR Justus Ross-Simmons ($4,700) is the forgotten third man typically but was second in targets (7) and second in routes run. QB Steve Angeli ($6,800) should post better numbers this week, and while the game script dictated it, we do like that he had 40 pass attempts. This was a team that was top five in the country last year in passing volume. If rostering Angeli, you should have at least one Cuse receiver in the lineup.
Injury Notes – n/a
Mississippi vs. Kentucky
- Point-Spread: Miss -10.5
- O/U Total: 51.5
- Implied Score: Miss 31 – UK 20.5
- Weather: 73 degrees / 20% rain / 8 mph winds
Mississippi:
Top Play(s) – RB Kewan Lacy ($5,300) Lacy was the trending name all through fall camp and it played out on the field, rushing for 108 yards and three scores on 16 carries. He looks to be the most trustworthy player on the Ole Miss offense for the time-being. The issue is the salary where if you spend a few hundred bucks more, you have RBs in Whittington and Yasin Willis in better matchups. High floor / low ceiling play against an opponent that is going to slow the pace down considerably.
Fade – RB Logan Diggs ($4,500) Diggs made sense last week against a MAC opponent. Not so much this week against an SEC defense as what looks to be the clear RB2 now behind Lacy.
Bargain Bin – TE Caleb Odom ($3,000) The Alabama transfer and converted receiver was excellent in his debut, posting 4-57-1 on six targets. And that was with fellow TE Dae’Quan Wright ($4,400) in the lineup with Odom. Wright is now questionable, so Odom could have the position all to himself Saturday (Wright was also questionable last weekend and played, though).
Pivot Play – QB Austin Simmons ($7,300) Simmons’ threw for 341 yards and three scores last week, while adding another 20 yards on the ground on six attempts. We know this game will be close, as three of the last four matchups between the two teams has been decided by three points or less. The chances are much higher that this game is a slugfest, rather than a shootout with Kentucky trying to slow the pace. The lower priced QBs on the slate like Jalon Daniels or CJ Bailey are more intriguing.
Best of the Rest – WRs It’ll likely be a weekly conundrum who to choose from among the Ole Miss receivers between Cayden Lee, De’Zhaun Stribling and Trey Wallace. From a projection and pricing standpoint, Wallace stands above the other two given his Week 1 performance with over 100 yards and a score vs. Georgia State. In GPP, Lee or Stribling may make some sense given their salaries and limit production last week, likely seeing extremely low ownership.
Injury Notes – TE Dae’Quan Wright (Questionable)
Kentucky:
Top Play(s) – RB Seth McGowan ($3,400) DK seems to always do this early in the year. Player A, in this case McGowan, has a big week, rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown, and DK lowers his price tag even more. Workload was split between McGowan and RB Dante Dowdell ($4,100) against Toledo, but it was the former that started the game vs. the Rockets and is considered the RB1. Dowdell did have 129 yards on 14 attempts but 79 of those yards came on a single carry. He’ll remain the short yardage back of the two.
Fade – QB Zach Calzada ($5,500) If you’re running 1,000 lineup combinations on Saturday, Calzada should not be in a single one of them. If the Kentucky offense struggles out of the gate vs. Ole Miss, we’re expecting to see backup Cutter Boley at some point.
Best of the Rest – WRs. Seeing the way Calzada threw the ball last week, the best plan of attack with the Kentucky receivers is…nobody. But if needing to fill a final roster spot, the starters appear set here in Kendrick Law ($4,800), Ja’Mori Maclin ($4,900) and Hardley Gilmore ($4,100) who all played more than 50% of the snaps vs. Toledo. In the On3 preview, the beat writer hinted at UK making more of a concerted effort to get Law the football this week, so he’d be the selection of the three.
Injury Notes – n/a
Kansas vs. Missouri
- Point-Spread: Mizzou -6
- O/U Total: 51
- Implied Score: Mizzou 28.5 – KU 22.5
- Weather: 72 degrees / 1% rain / 6 mph winds
Kansas:
Top Play(s) – QB Jalon Daniels ($6,600) The way Jalon Daniels has played through two weeks makes you wish he was fully healthy each of the last two seasons. 24 fantasy points in the Week 0 matchup with Fresno, followed by 29 fantasy points last weekend against Wagner. Step up in competition, but Daniels has been excellent and is very appealing at this cost.
Fade – TE DeShawn Hanika ($4,000) Low ceiling / low floor. Just three receptions through the early going, as the passing game is funneling through the talented group of receivers that Kansas has compiled from the transfer portal.
Bargain Bin – WR Levi Wentz ($3,300) Wentz has been the nominal third starter at receiver and was targeted six times this past week vs. Wagner. He was on the field more than Cam Pickett last week but would be surprised if Wentz is anything more than the WR3.
Pivot Play – RB Daniel Hishaw ($5,100) Hishaw’s ownership likely drops this week with Leshon Williams expected back in the lineup. The drop off from Devin Neal hasn’t looked that steep through two weeks, with Hishaw averaging close to six yards per carry. You just can’t anticipate anything more than 15 carries or so with Williams available. The Tigers run defense was very shaky in the opener against Central Arkansas with the team averaging close to five yards per carry.
Best of the Rest – WR Emmanuel Henderson ($5,500) or WR Cam Pickett ($5,000) Seems to be one or the other through two weeks. In Week 0, Pickett was the star with multiple touchdowns against Fresno State. The Ball State transfer hit paydirt again in Week 1, but it was Henderson who topped 100+ yards with a team-best seven targets. I’d choose one or the other for your lineups, and avoid stacking.
Injury Notes – RB Leshon Williams (probable)
Missouri:
Top Play(s) – QB Beau Pribula ($6,100) The second-highest scoring QB of the weekend who entered the game against Central Arkansas still in a quarterback competition with Sam Horn. That battle is officially over, not only because of the performance, but also that Horn will be out an extended period of time due to injury. Pribula was highly efficient through the air with 283 yards and a pair of scores while also adding the rushing element we knew he had in the bag, adding two TDs on the ground. The price is too good to pass up here for a QB that has multiple paths to success.
Fade – RB Jamal Roberts ($3,400) Was the starter in name last week, not the starter in talent. Hardy will take over this backfield sooner rather than later.
Bargain Bin – TE Brett Norfleet ($4,200) or WR Joshua Manning ($4,200) Low-end options as we suspect the Missouri passing game to revolve around two individuals. That said, Norfleet was targeted four times with a touchdown in the opener. Manning held off a 4-star freshman to keep his starting job and converted all four of his targets for 53 yards.
Pivot Play – RB Ahmad Hardy ($7,000) We’re tentative on transfer running backs (see Makhi Hughes), but less so at Missouri after watching Hardy run against Central Arkansas, topping 100 yards on just 11 attempts. He’s clearly the top back on the roster and expect his workload to improve over the course of the season as his knowledge of the playbook grows.
Best of the Rest – WR Marquis Johnson ($5,700) or WR Kevin Coleman Jr. ($6,100) The passing volume won’t be high enough to stack the two together in a lineup, but Johnson and Coleman are the clear 1 / 2 in the passing game, though debatable who is which after the opener. Coleman led in targets (7), while Johnson posted his second-straight 100+ yard performance, including last year’s bowl game. Both are of interest.
Injury Notes – n/a
Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
- Point-Spread: Oreg -27.5
- O/U Total: 57.5
- Implied Score: Oreg 42.5 – OK St 15
- Weather: 72 degrees / 4% rain / 7 mph winds
Oklahoma State:
Top Play(s) – WR Terrill Davis ($4,700) Davis was our projected WR1 coming into the season, and he looks to be a firm part of the rotation at the very least, leading the Cowboys in targets (6), yards (75) and routes run last week. Zane Flores at QB is a downgrade to the offense, but he is slightly better throwing the ball than Hejny which could benefit the WRs.
Fade – QB Zane Flores ($5,300) Did complete 65% of this throws against UT-Martin but failed to throw a touchdown in his extended work after the Hejny injury. This passing game – and offense as a whole – is a major work in progress.
Bargain Bin – RB Kalib Hicks ($3,000) There’s better $3k options on the slate, but hard to ignore a perceived starting running back that had 21 attempts in the opener. Hicks went nowhere with his carries, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry against UT-Martin, so difficult to imagine him having much success against Oregon’s front. Doesn’t sound like Rodney Fields will play this week, Freddie Brock barely played, and Trent Howland is in the doghouse. There are no other options.
Pivot Play – WR Gavin Freeman ($3,900) Caught the lone touchdown for Oklahoma State last week and was tied with Davis for the team-lead in targets (6).
Best of the Rest – WR Christian Fitzpatrick ($4,500) Minimal production for the Marshall transfer but was second on the team in routes run and tied for second among receivers in snaps played. Maximum one OK State receiver per lineup, but preferably none.
Injury Notes – QB Hauss Hejny (OUT), RB Rodney Fields (Questionable)
Oregon:
Top Play(s) – RB Noah Whittington ($5,500) The safest bet as of now, until we see otherwise, is assuming the program veteran in Whittington is RB1 moving forward after leading the team in rushing attempts vs. Montana State. The Oklahoma State run D wasn’t overly impressive in the opener against UT-Martin, allowing 116 yards on the ground. Between Whittington and some of the other RB options on the slate, you can really spend down at the position.
Fade – RB Makhi Hughes ($8,700) We’ve seen some things over the years in College Fantasy. Unreported injuries. Mysterious absences. Nowadays, the G5 to P4 transfer pipeline. What happened to Makhi Hughes over the weekend might top the list of most bizarre occurrences in the game we love. Transfers seem to be struggling to adjust more than ever in college fantasy, but a back-to-back 1,200-yard rusher not getting in until the 4th quarter is just inexplicable. Unfortunately, until we see a more concrete backfield rotation, Hughes is unplayable at this price.
Bargain Bin – RB Jordan Davison ($3,000) With the spread being nearly four touchdowns, it wouldn’t surprise us to see 3-4 running backs getting carries on Saturday. The true freshman was impressive in his debut, running for three touchdowns on just six attempts. Could those red-zone carries also go to Makhi Hughes this week instead? Who knows what Dan Lanning is thinking, so there’s risk involved here.
Pivot Play – TE Kenyon Sadiq ($6,300) Quiet day for the star tight end but did find the end-zone on Saturday with three targets. In a slightly more competitive game environment, we’re anticipating Sadiq getting more involved in the offense.
Best of the Rest – QB Dante Moore ($8,500) The former 5-star looked the part in his Duck debut, tossing three touchdowns and nearly completing 80% of his throws. I’m liking Moore and the Oregon side a bit more after Mike Gundy’s commentary about the Ducks’ NIL spending ways. Dan Lanning didn’t seem too pleased about them, and he’s not shy about running up the score on anyone. If pairing Moore with a pass-catcher, Sadiq gets the first nod but would lean towards WR Gary Bryant Jr. ($4,800) or WR Malik Benson ($4,700), both of whom found the end-zone on Saturday. Those two, along with WR Dakorien Moore ($6,600) played the most out of the Oregon receivers last weekend.
Injury Notes – n/a
South Florida vs. Florida
- Point-Spread: UF -17.5
- O/U Total: 54.5
- Implied Score: UF 34.5 – USF 17
- Weather: 92 degrees / 26% rain / 5 mph winds
South Florida:
Top Play(s) – WR Chas Nimrod ($4,400) Keshaun Singleton got the headlines with the TD reception on the fake punt, but Nimrod was equally as impressive with 96 yards on five targets. Those two wideouts were on the field, by far, the most among the USF receivers, and we’ll favor Nimrod here with the discount pricing. He’s already very familiar with SEC opponents as a Tennessee transfer.
Fade – RB Cartevious Norton ($4,200) Byrum Brown was the running game for USF last week against Boise State. Take out his 70 yards and two scores and the USF running backs combined for 70 yards on 14 attempts – 49 of which came on one run by the backup. Suffice to say we’re not interested in Norton against an SEC opponent this week.
Bargain Bin – WR Mudia Reuben ($4,300) Extreme longshot play that we probably wouldn’t even bother running out there. But the Stanford transfer did record four targets vs. Boise State and was third in routes run as the clear starter in the slot.
Pivot Play – WR Keshaun Singleton ($5,100) For most of the reasons we like Nimrod, we also don’t mind Singleton either. Second in routes run vs. Boise State, tied for first in targets (5) and 100% catch rate. 74% of USF’s receiving yards in Week 1 went to either Singleton or Nimrod.
Best of the Rest – QB Byrum Brown ($6,700) A healthy Byrum Brown is amazing news for college fantasy football as a true dual threat. We just question how far the USF coaching staff will push their QB1 in a game with a 17.5-point spread. Remember, South Florida’s season last year came to a screeching halt after the Brown injury. Does USF risk their QB1 as a heavy underdog? We’ll look to future matchups in AAC play to roster Brown in DFS.
Injury Notes – n/a
Florida:
Top Play(s) – RB Jadan Baugh ($6,200) The sophomore is off to a fast start with 104 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries in Week 1. Florida is really lacking depth at the running back position this year beyond Baugh and RB Ja’Kobi Jackson ($5,100) so we’re likely to the majority of carries go towards the top two backs. USF’s run defense was good in Week 1, giving up just 3.9 yards per carry to Boise State, but there clearly wasn’t an Ashton Jeanty in that backfield anymore.
Fade – WR Eugene Wilson III ($6,800) There may not be a more puzzling player in college football than Wilson. Wilson caught all five of his targets and added a touchdown last week against LIU. Great news, right? Those five catches went for -1 yard with an aDOT of -0.8 yards. Never seen that kind of stat-line before. Before long, it would not surprise us to see this WR room turned over to the talented freshman in Brown and Dallas Wilson when healthy.
Bargain Bin – WR Vernell Brown ($3,400) Debated putting Brown as our top play for the Gators after his impressive debut performance with 79 yards on four targets, running the most snaps of any Florida wide receiver. With Dallas Wilson likely not playing on Saturday, the expectation is the Brown will continue to see an elevated role, per the team beat writer at 247Sports.
Pivot Play – QB DJ Lagway ($7,200) Couldn’t ask for a better start from Lagway, completing 83% of his passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns in just a half of work. A 22-point projection at $7.2k is fine, but the issue for fantasy purposes is how often Lagway will become a runner following an offseason riddled with injuries. We don’t see that happening much early in the year, so preferably we’ll look at other QB options this week.
Best of the Rest – TE Hayden Hansen ($3,600) Hansen ran the most routes of any Florida pass-catcher last week, converting on all three of his targets and found the end-zone. Sounds like big things are expected from Hansen this year. WR J. Michael Sturdivant ($5,500) did catch a touchdown, but his two catches resulted in just 12 yards with an aDOT of only 7.0. Just one Florida pass-catcher per lineup is the maximum.
Injury Notes – WR Dallas Willson (doubtful), WR Aidan Mizell (questionable)
Mike’s DK Core Four:
- RB Yasin Willis, Syracuse
- RB Hollywood Smothers, NC State
- WR Cam Ross, Virginia
- QB Beau Pribula, Missouri
Mike’s FD Core Four:
- QB Arch Manning, Texas
- RB Bryson Washington, Baylor
- QB Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
- WR Emmanuel Henderson, Kansas
