CFB FanDuel DFS Breakdown for Saturday Main Slate
Fall is in the air, and with it comes football season. We got a small taste of the action in Week 0, followed by a smattering of contests Thursday and Friday, but now it's time for our first full-course meal of games. There are plenty of headliners to choose from on Saturday's slate, but the headliners don't always produce the most fantasy-friendly lines. Case in point, Ohio State-Texas sports the lowest expected total (46.5) of the 14-game main slate Saturday.
At the top of the list, we find Mississippi State-Southern Miss, Utah State-UTEP and Ole Miss-Georgia State all at 60.5-point totals, with USC-Missouri State trailing closely behind at 59.5. Now, that doesn't mean we should rush out and take players from both sides of each game, as the lines vary widely. USC is a 36.5-point favorite in its contest, while Ole Miss is a 36.5-point favorite. Penn State (-43.5) leads the way in the blowout factory, with Georgia (-38.5) and Michigan (-34.5) marking the other 30-plus-point favorites on the slate.
The Nittany Lions lead the way with 49.5 expected points, but there are plenty of 40-plus point scorers expected. USC (48.0) is next in line, followed by Ole Miss (47.5), Georgia (45.5), Michigan (42.0) and Texas A&M makes its first entry of the article to round out the group at exactly 40.0 expected points.
College Football DFS Weather (winds 15+ MPH, precip. chance 50-plus percent and hot/cold temps noted)
Mississippi State at Southern Miss - Chance of rain for the opener, expected to be humid
Alabama at Florida State - Good chance of rain in the contest, expected to be humid
UTSA at Texas A&M - Warm to start with chance of rain to start
Missouri State at USC - Expected to be a litle humid
Notable College Football Injuries/Absences for Week 1
QB
None
RB
Jam Miller, Alabama 
- Collarbone injury that is expected to sideline him until conference play
Ja'Vin Simpkins, Coastal 
- Missed the end of last season due to injury. Seems likely to be a regular in the rotation, but little info about him has surfaced in general this offseason. Presume he's likely healthy
WR
Trell Harris, Virginia 
- Should be good to go for opener
Corey Thompson Jr., Utah State 
- Was working through a shoulder injury
Squirrel White, Florida State 
- Was working through injuries midway through camp, unclear if there are any issues leading up to the opener
Emmett Mosley, Texas 
- Unlikely to see many snaps in the opener if he plays as he continues to recover from injury
Chris Brazzell, Tennessee 
- Had an injury and a run-in with the law leading up to the season, but the charges were dropped, and the inury was from earlier in camp, so he could be good for the opener.
TE
Josh Cuevas, Alabama - Wasn't a full participant in camp a little over a week ago. Status for opener unclear
College Football DFS Tools
- FanDuel Lineup Optimizer
- Matchups Page (Vegas odds, opponent averages, etc.)
- Advanced Lineups Page
- Stats
- Team Trends
- Targets
- Defense vs. Position
- Team Rankings
Week 1 CFB DFS Plays on FanDuel
Quarterback
Jayden Maiava, USC 
($11,200) vs. Montana State
This is going to be a rude welcome to the FBS level for the Grizzlies, and Maiavan should be at the center of the offensive explosion for the Trojans. He'll have a wideout room at his disposal that features two potential first-round caliber receivers in Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane, plus a promising freshman Tanook Hines, who laid claim to a starting gig based on the initial depth chart released by the team. Oh, and Maiava can get it done on the ground a little, too, amassing three rushing TDs in four game when he finally took hold of the starting job over the last four weeks of 2024 despite facing Nebraska, UCLA, Notre Dame and Texas A&M in those contests. He averaged 25.4 FanDuel points in those games.
Bryson Barnes, Utah State ($10,000) vs. UTEP
Barnes was a force to be reckoned with as a runner last season, amassing 530 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 68 carries over just eight games. He'll take on a Miners squad that surrendered 180 rushing yards and 2.1 rushing touchdowns per contest a season ago, and the Aggies are favored by 5.5 points in the contest. I could see this game surpassing that total, as neither of these defenses is particularly prolific, and Barnes has the potential to account for numerous scores.
Malachi Nelson, UTEP 
($8,500) at Utah State
When chasing a shootout, it's never a bad idea to turn to both sides of the quarterback room. The Aggies were equally bad against quarterbacks last season, allowing 28 passiging touchdowns and 2,001 passing yards (7.8 yards per attempt) to opposing QBs. Nelson isn't one to really beat you on the ground, but he can punch one in here or there, and he's a former five-star recruit who will finally get his chance to prove his worth.
Running Back
The Top Dogs
Penn State running backs vs. Nevada
Waymond Jordan, Utah State ($8,500) vs. UTEP
Tyler Warren is off to the NFL, and there is no need to get fancy here for the biggest favorites on the slate. I expect the Nittany Lions to keep the ball on the ground early and often with one of the better backfields in the country in Nicholas Singleton ($10,500) and Kaytron Allen ($9,200) en route to a comfortable win. Either of the duo could be worth the price, and it's tough to really discount either of them. Franklin should let both backs eat here, and the Wolfpack defense will likely oblige, allowing 23 rushing scores by opposing running backs over just 12 games last year.
Jordan is an interesting pivot if you elect to pivot away from the USC passing attack, though he doesn't HAVE to be a pivot. The Lincoln Riley offense involves plenty of passing to the running back. Woody Marks amassed 47 catches on 57 targets a season ago, and Jordan should claim the lead role in this backfield heading into 2025. Jordan is the No. 1 option on the depth chart released by the Trojans leading up to the contest, and this is a matchup that could get out of hand quickly. Jordan could easily find paydirt a time or two before the backups enter.
Mid-Tier Targets
Jordan Marshall, Michigan 
($7,600) vs. New Mexico
Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss 
($6,300) vs. Georgia State
Michigan should handle this contest against the Lobos pretty easily, and the backfield situation in camp has been described as a "1A-1B" between Marshall and Justice Haynes, who checks in with a $9,400 price tag for the opener. New Mexico surrendered a whopping 5.4 yards per carry to opponents last year, plus 2.3 rushing touchdowns per contest and a total of 18 rushing scores to running backs, 32.2 fantasy points per game. Michigan is heavily favored here and will have little reason to reveal a ton of their playbook. Look for a conservative approach, especially breaking in a true freshman quarterback, and Marshall should see ample run.
I might be even a little more bullish on Lacy. While the Rebels didn't release an official depth chart, much of the buzz around camp is that Lacy is likely headed for lead back duties in this room, and we've seen what a good lead back can do in the Lane Kiffin offense in the form of Quinshon Judkins, who ran for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. Now, I'm not expecting a 271-carry season out of Lacy, but he should handle the most totes in the contest while it's within reach, and he faces a porous Georgia State front in this one.
Bargain Options
Fluff Bothwell, Mississippi State 
($5,500) at Southern Miss
Rueben Owens, Texas A&M 
($5,100) vs. UTSA
Second/third-string RBs in blowout games
The air raid days in Starkville are over (RIP legendary coach Mike Leach), and Jeff Lebby showed last season he wants to pound the rock more, with the top two backs amassing a combined 260 carries last season. While Davon Booth ($8,700) returns, the Bulldogs' staff targeted Bothwell in the portal after Bothwell turned in 111 carries for 832 yards and 13 rushing scores as a true freshman last season at South Alabama. The duo was listed as co-starters on the opening, and I expect (both to be well)-fed, and the Golden Eagles should score enough to keep them within reach for a while. Bothwell doesn't break the bank nearly as much, and Southern Miss' defense is still lacking.
In a similar vein, Owens is also listed alongside Le'Veon Moss ($10,000) as co-starters on the opening depth chart. Moss has seen minimal contact in fall camp due to injury, and it wouldn't shock me if the coaching staff takes it easy on him early against an overmatched opponent. Owens would be the primary beneficiary on that front, and the Roadrunners have a sneaky offense that should be able to make some noise in the American, so it wouldn't shock me if they keep it within shouting distance for a little while here.
There are numerous expected blowouts on the slate this week, as mentioned, and the backups in those contests tend to see plenty of run when the game gets out of hand. So, don't hesitate to look down the depth chart for backs on some of those teams who come in at a steep discount.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
The Top Dogs
De'Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss ($9,100)
To be frank, there are typically too many good values at lower price points in the WR/TE room for me to recommend too many top-end targets here, so I'll just give my possible best of the bunch. Stribling is viewed as the possible Tre Haris replacement from a season ago. While he may not command quite the same level of target share as Harris, this is a matchup he can exploit in the Lane Train's offense, and I'd give this one a shot if I'm looking at the wideouts near the top of the board.
Mid-Tier Targets
Kam Thomas, UTEP ($6,600) at Utah State
Mike Matthews, Tennessee ($5,900) vs. Syracuse
T.J. Moore, Clemson 
($5,300) vs. LSU
I'm going to keep these short and sweet to avoid going overboard. Thomas is the presumed top guy here for UTEP and should be a solid pairing option for the Miners if you are looking to stack with Nelson as one of your quarterbacks. He averaged 7.7 targets per contest a season ago and could boast even better outputs in 2025 as the Miners turn to a more pass-centric QB.
Matthews was a highly-regarded wideout coming out of high school, and he's expected to take the leap to become the team's top option in the room in 2025. While Joey Aguilar under center isn't the same as Nico Iamaleava, Matthews gets a matchup against a Syracuse defense that is expected to be among the worst in the power conferences. That's great news for Matthews and company, and the Vols are expected to toss 32.5 points on the board, according to Vegas, so there should be plenty of scoring available.
We've finally reached a spot to include one of the marquee matchups of the slate. this Clemson wideout room is arguably among the best in the nation, and while Antonio Williams ($8,200) led the way last season, and I'm a Bryant Wesco ($7,200) stan for season-long fantasy, the salary difference here for Moore shouldn't be nearly as dramatic as it is.
Bargain Options
Luke Reynolds, Penn State 
($4,700) vs. Nevada
Parker Livingstone, Texas ($4,400) vs. Ohio State
Tanook Hines, USC ($4,000) vs. Montana State
As mentioned, Tyler Warren is off to the NFL. Enter Reynolds, who is the expected heir apparent to the receiving tight end role. Now, don't expect a similar versatility from Reynolds, lining up under center, taking handoffs or otherwise, but he's certainly a capable receiving weapon in the passing game. Reynolds could get overlooked as the expected No. 2 on the depth chart, but Khalil Dinkins is a blocking tight end, and Reynolds is really the one to target. There's potential here for some output with possible minimal rostership.
With the news that Mosley is likely to see minimal snaps in the opener, it's been reported that Livingstone is expected to play a heavy role in this contest. Texas likes to distribute the ball and has a star wideout in Ryan Wingo who is expected to lead the room this season, but in a one-game sample, darts like Livingstone are ones to throw, especially in GPPs, if you are looking to separate from the pack.
While Livingstone's expanded role may be temporary, Hines may have secured himself a spot for regular reps as a true freshman. The initial depth chart release lists him as the third starting wideout for the Trojans alongside Lemon and Lane. While the other two are projected first-round picks, Lincoln Riley's offenses typically have plenty of targets to go around. If Hines can even claim a decent share in the opener, there's potential for a big play or two against the Grizzlies, and at a minimum salary to boot.
