Week 1 of college football rolls on into a glorious Friday night as more and more Power Four teams begin to kick off their seasons. As per usual, we're back with more DraftKings and FanDuel DFS picks for what should be another tremendous night of college football.
CFB Week 1 Slate Overview for Friday, September 4
A good portion of Friday's games feature heavily favored Power Four teams looking to start hot against an overmatched smaller school. Only one of the five spreads on the slate is fewer than 10 points; Eastern Michigan (-2.5 against San Jose State) is expected to be a narrow contest, although that matchup is only available on FanDuel. We can still find value in the bigger schools' buy games, where scoring is aplenty. Could USC, which surrendered 26 points to San Jose State in Week 0, allow Fresno State to find the end zone a few times? What can Toledo do against a middling Michigan State squad, where they're only 10.5-point underdogs in East Lansing? Then you have a game like UTEP at Oklahoma that figures to be more of a bloodbath; that's one where you'll want to avoid the G6 school altogether.
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- DraftKings College Football Optimizer
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College Football DFS Picks for Friday, September 4
Quarterback
Darian Mensah, Miami ($8,200 DK,
Week 1 of college football rolls on into a glorious Friday night as more and more Power Four teams begin to kick off their seasons. As per usual, we're back with more DraftKings and FanDuel DFS picks for what should be another tremendous night of college football.
CFB Week 1 Slate Overview for Friday, September 4
A good portion of Friday's games feature heavily favored Power Four teams looking to start hot against an overmatched smaller school. Only one of the five spreads on the slate is fewer than 10 points; Eastern Michigan (-2.5 against San Jose State) is expected to be a narrow contest, although that matchup is only available on FanDuel. We can still find value in the bigger schools' buy games, where scoring is aplenty. Could USC, which surrendered 26 points to San Jose State in Week 0, allow Fresno State to find the end zone a few times? What can Toledo do against a middling Michigan State squad, where they're only 10.5-point underdogs in East Lansing? Then you have a game like UTEP at Oklahoma that figures to be more of a bloodbath; that's one where you'll want to avoid the G6 school altogether.
CFB DFS Tools
- DraftKings College Football Optimizer
- FanDuel College Football Optimizer
- Weekly CFB Matchup Info
- CFB Targets
- CFB Stats
- CFB Team Trends
- CFB Advanced Team Stats with Plays per Game, Pass %, Run % and more
College Football DFS Picks for Friday, September 4
Quarterback
Darian Mensah, Miami ($8,200 DK, FD $10,800) at Stanford
Miami should be one of the best offenses in the country this season, and the Hurricanes have a great chance to prove it immediately against what should be something of a hapless Stanford defense. The Duke transfer Mensah has two receivers (Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate) who surpassed 1,100 yards receiving last season, the latter of whom he threw to in Durham. The Hurricanes also have a strong ground game with Mark Fletcher and CharMar Brown, and they shouldn't need to throw the ball all that much to beat the Cardinal handily. Still, Stanford ranked dead last in the FBS last season with 288.9 passing yards per game allowed; Mensah is too tempting here, and he's just the third-priciest quarterback on both slates.
Luke Weaver, San Jose State ($10,100 DK, N/A on FD) at Eastern Michigan
This game is only available on the DraftKings slate, but if that's what you're playing Friday night, Weaver could be a steal at quarterback. As just the fourth most-expensive gunslinger, he's a bargain considering how well he played last week even in the loss to USC, tossing for 234 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions on 66% completion, adding 42 yards and a score on the ground as well. Now, he gets to face a significantly weaker defense in Eastern Michigan. If Weaver can put up 276 yards and three scores against the Trojans, he should be able to carve up the Eagles as well.
Running Back
Running backs are a more site-specific position. While both DraftKings and FanDuel have Miami's Mark Fletcher as their top back, it gets more discretionary after that. Below, we'll highlight good plays for both slates and for each site more specifically.
King Miller, USC (DK $8,700, $7,300 FD) vs. Fresno State
Miller is a top-three back on both slates; he's not exactly a deep sleeper. But in terms of value, the Trojans' sophomore back should deliver. He led the way on the ground in Week 0 and was easily the top ball-carrier with 15 carries. USC should once again roll over an overmatched foe, meaning there should be plenty more carries up for grabs in Week 1. If you're looking to spend bigger at running back, look no further.
CharMar Brown, Miami (DK $5,000, $7,600 FD) vs. Stanford
A backup tailback against a heavy underdog opponent, in a game that could be over by the first half whistle? Sign me up. As mentioned, the Hurricanes' starter Fletcher is the top back on both slates, but there's no reason to give him more than 10-12 carries if Miami's offense is rolling the way it should. Brown proved capable last fall after transferring from North Dakota State, and while both backs should eat Friday night, Brown is clearly the better value. He's an especially great play on DraftKings, where he's the No. 13 back in terms of price point, but quite affordable on FanDuel as well.
Cam Edwards, Michigan State (DK $6,200, $9,100 FD) vs. Toledo
Edwards was unstoppable at UConn last fall, amassing 1,427 total yards and 16 touchdowns. Now atop the Spartans' backfield, he should get every chance to shine against Toledo in Week 1. This game isn't expected to be a complete romp given Michigan State's recent ineptitude, and Toledo did have a solid run defense last fall. But I expect the Spartans to simply wear the Rockets down in the trenches, leaning on Edwards heavily. The back is a better value on DraftKings where he's the sixth-priciest ball-carrier, but he should deliver even if you do end up paying a pretty penny for him on FanDuel.
Wide Receiver
There's largely a general consensus in terms of the top-ranked wide receivers on this slate. Miami's Malachi Toney is the superstar, but he's also predictably the priciest on both slates. But another young wideout caught my eye (and many others) with a dominant performance in Week 0 and looks primed for another big game Friday night.
Trent Mosley, USC (DK $5,900, $8,600 FD)
Considering he's the top option in a high-flying passing attack facing a G6 opponent, Mosley being just the third or fourth-priciest receiver on FanDuel and DraftKings, respectively, is enticing. Last week in his collegiate debut, he notched seven catches for 118 yards and one touchdown in the win over San Jose State, immediately assuming the Trojans' top receiver role. With Tanook Hines and Terrell Anderson still big question marks for Friday night, there should be no shortage of targets headed Mosley's way once again.
Cooper Barkate, Miami (DK $6,200, $7,900 FD)
Barkate is another instance of a No. 2 player on an offense that should absolutely feast against a lesser opponent, which once again provides great value. DraftKings is higher on the Duke transfer as he's the third most-expensive wideout, but on FanDuel you can scoop him up as just the sixth-priciest receiver. Barkate has the built-in chemistry with Mensah from last fall at Duke, and while the Hurricanes have too many weapons for defenses to account for, Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher have to be the top two priorities. Barkate could be a great value as the WR2 in Coral Gables all season long.
