College Football DFS: Friday Week 1 Picks and Strategy for DraftKings and FanDuel

College Football DFS: Friday Picks

Week 1 of the college football season continues to roll on, and what a glorious week it is. Friday is the second of five straight days of college football, and there's plenty to dissect with multiple Power Four matchups and an abundance of exciting players in action. 

DraftKings and FanDuel are both up and running Friday night, and below we break down some of the best plays on each slate.

Friday College Football DFS Slate Overview 

The headlining Power Four game on tap — Auburn at Baylor — has plenty of intrigue. Still, our betting information tells us that the 9:30 ET clash between Sam Houston and UNLV carries the highest scoring production, while Appalachian State versus UNC Charlotte figures to produce the most fantasy points. 

Georgia Tech at Colorado is the other Power Four matchup on the slate, a game featuring two dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in what's expected to be one of the tighter contests of the evening (the visiting Yellow Jackets are 4.5-point favorites). 

Elsewhere, other Power Four teams like Michigan State and Wake Forest are set to defend their home turf as heavy favorites. Both offenses are projected to produce over 30 points in games that Vegas expects to be blowouts, making these games worth perusing as well. 

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

DraftKings College Football DFS Picks for Friday, August 29

QB Walker Eget, San Jose State ($8,500) vs. Central Michigan ($10,400 on FandDuel)

At quarterback, Eget is staring at you right in the face for the DraftKings slate. He's got the highest projected point total of quarterbacks (24.56), but he's only the fifth-most expensive gunslinger. Our model indicates San Jose State is expected to score 32.5 points, the third-highest total of the slate. Central Michigan had one of the most formidable defenses against quarterbacks in the MAC last season, but Eget still looks like a bargain here. 

QB Aidan Chiles, Michigan State ($7,500) vs. Western Michigan ($10,000 on FanDuel)

This is a sneaky one, as Chiles is well down the list on both slates in terms of prices for quarterbacks. But if you're looking for a sleeper, the Spartans' gunslinger could be hiding in plain sight. First of all, Western Michigan's secondary was one of the worst in the MAC last season against quarterbacks, allowing 23.5 points per game. It also allowed 8.4 yards per attempt, the highest of any defense on this slate. With two full-time starters gone and a mass influx of transfers, the secondary will likely need some time to gel. Chiles has been wildly inconsistent, but if there's a defense he could light up, it's the Broncos. 

RB Rashod Dubinion, Appalachian State ($5,500) vs. UNC Charlotte ($8,100 on FanDuel) 

UNC Charlotte's run defense was comically bad last season. It allowed 210 yards per game, 5.2 yards per carry, and 2.4 rushing touchdowns each game. The 49ers' defense is largely rebuilt this fall with just three returning starters, meaning it could take some time for cohesion to set in. Dubinion, meanwhile, looks like a bargain at $5,500, and I would expect him to exceed his projected 12.77 points. He logged 6.0 yards per carry last season at Arkansas and is also a threat to get involved in the passing game. 

WR Nick Marsh, Michigan State ($6,600) vs. Western Michigan ($8,400 on FanDuel)

In a similar vein to Chiles, I'd bet on the talent here with the true sophomore Marsh. If it wasn't for the generational Jeremiah Smith, he likely would've been the best freshman wideout in the Big Ten last fall with 41 catches for 649 yards and three scores. Simply put, I'm not confident any defensive back on Western Michigan can cover the physical specimen Marsh. He's one of the more expensive wideouts on the slate, but you feel better banking on him than some of the other questionable passing attacks (ahem, Wake Forest). 

FanDuel College Football DFS Picks for Friday, August 29

QB Anthony Colandrea, UNLV ($9,600) vs. Sam Houston ($7,700 on DraftKings)

This is another sneaky play. Colandrea may be flying under the radar because he split time with Alex Orji in the first half of UNLV's win over Idaho State in Week 0. Though both quarterbacks are still listed as co-starters, Colandrea played all of the second half and performed well, tossing for 195 yards and a touchdown on 71.4 percent completion, also rushing for 93 yards on 13 carries. Sam Houston's defense, meanwhile, just gave up 41 points to Western Kentucky and let Hilltoppers' quarterback Maverick McIvor toss for over 400 yards and three scores. Colandrea could be your play if you're looking for a cheap quarterback option. 

RB Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest ($10,300) vs. Kennesaw State ($8,600 on DraftKings)

I'm absolutely not sold on Wake Forest's passing game this season, mainly due to a lack of trust in gunslinger Robby Ashford. He simply hasn't impressed as a passer at either of his previous two programs, Auburn and South Carolina, and though he faces a weak Kennesaw State defense, I want a piece of the Demon Deacons' running game in this one. Claiborne is the best player on Wake Forest's offense, and he's coming off a 13-touchdown, 1,303 all-purpose-yard performance last fall. Meanwhile, Kennesaw State's defense surrendered 175.9 yards each game last season, along with 2.1 rushing touchdowns per game. 

RB Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech ($9,900) vs. Colorado ($7,600 on DraftKings)

Haynes is the third-priciest running back on both slates, but he looks worth the cost. Georgia Tech loves to run the ball, and there's no reason it shouldn't have success against a Colorado front that was middling as a defense last season, at 71st nationally in terms of yards per game allowed on the ground. The Buffaloes also weren't great at limiting running backs from a fantasy perspective, surrendering 23.8 points per game to tailbacks. Haynes' ability as a receiver (28 catches last season) simply sweetens the deal. 

WR Leland Smith, San Jose State ($5,100) vs. Central Michigan ($5,900 on DraftKings)

Smith offers some serious value here at just $5,100 despite being projected as the third-highest scoring receiver on the slate. San Jose State boasted a strong passing game last season, which produced a Biletnikoff candidate in wide receiver Nick Nash. The quarterback who authored that passing attack, Walker Eget, returns, as does offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann, a pass-game specialist who runs the "Spread-and-Shred" offense. Smith only caught six passes for 72 yards last season, but his time is now, and he's in an offense that's very favorable to receivers. He's worth a pairing with Eget at this salary, or even as a standalone piece if you'd rather go elsewhere under center.