CFB FanDuel DFS Breakdown for Week 2
We head into Week 2 with a slate chalked full of power-conference clashes on the main slate. The lone exception to this rule involves Texas Tech, who is the heaviest favorite on the slate (-26.5) and boasts a 40 expected score.
Only Oregon (39) also boasts an expected score above 35, while Tennessee (33.5), Texas A&M (32.5), Pitt (32) and Syracuse (30) cross the 30-point expected threshold.
Only Texas Tech-Oregon State (26.5-point spread), Oregon-Oklahoma State (23.5-point spread) and Texas A&M-Arizona State (14.5-point spread) -- favorites listed first -- are greater than two-touchdown favorites this week, so there are plenty of close matchups on the table this week.
On top of that, 10 of the 14 contests on the slate sit within the 49.5-56.5 band of expected game totals, so there should be a healthy contingent of teams in play from a fantasy perspective.
College Football DFS Weather (winds 15+ MPH, precip. chance 50-plus percent and hot/cold temps noted)
Arizona State at Texas A&M - Temps could reach mid-90s
UCF at Pittsburgh - Chance for rain in this one
Alabama at Kentucky - Chance for storms early
Texas Tech at Oregon State - Significant rain chance throughout the game
Ohio State at Texas - Temps sitting possibly mid-to-high 90s
Notable College Football Injuries/Absences for Week 2
QB
None
RB
Aiden Flora, Iowa State - Was helped off the field last Saturday but was only dealing with cramps. Presumably good to go
Sione Moa, BYU - Out for season after suffering a torn MCL and PCL
Carter Vargas, California - Doubtful due to a leg injury
Tory Blaylock, Oklahoma - Expected to give it a go Saturday
Ismail Mahdi, Arizona - Cleared to play in Week 2
Simeon Price, Oregon - Missed opener, status unclear
WR
Carlos Hernandez, Wake Forest - Good to go after missing opener
Jayshon Platt, Illinois - Unlikely to play in Week 2
Javen Nicholas, Duke - Hopeful to make Week 2 return, still seems questionable
Duane Thomas, UCF (Central Florida) - Likely a GTD
Derek Eusebio, Arizona State - Was seen practicing this week, could be back
Eddie Freauff, Oregon State - Missed opener, status unclear for Week 2
Iverson Hooks, Oregon - Expected to be back in Week 2
TE
Hogan Hansen, Michigan - Attempting to integrate into practice, status TBD
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 2 CFB DFS Plays on FanDuel
Quarterback
Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State ($11,200) at Minnesota
The big scorers in Week 1 have a big fantasy cost this week, including Faizon Brandon and Mason Heitschel, who both sit at the top of the fantasy cost board after 40-plus fantasy-point efforts in their respective openers. While I don't see Taylor replicating his four passing-touchdown effort in the opener, he's more than capable of besting the ground game showing he put together despite a more-than-respectable tally of 59 rushing yards and a score on six carries.
Taylor put his athleticism on display in the final two contests of 2025, racking up a combined 236 yards and three rushing scores on 38 carries, and I suspect we'll see a healthier dose of him running the rock this week against a more formidable foe.
Dante Moore, Oregon ($10,500) at Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State likes to play fast under new HC Eric Morris, which should lead to plenty of offensive snaps for a Ducks team heavily favored to take control of this contest, with a 39-point expected score. You know what doesn't get fixed by the new scheme? Defense. And boy, it was a struggle for the Cowboys against Tulsa in the opener, yielding a whopping 9.5 yards per pass attempt. The Ducks had a shaky opener versus Boise State, so I expect them to put the foot down in this one and not let up until it's well in hand.
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State ($8,500) vs. Oregon
You know who else likes to play fast? Oregon. And the Ducks' defense wasn't overly impressive last week, surrendering 181 passing yards and three passing scores versus Boise State. That bodes well for Mestemaker and a Cowboys offense expected to play from behind a lot in this contest. Mestemaker's debut with the Cowboys wasn't particularly inspiring, racking up just 241 passing yards with a 1:2 TD:INT ratio versus a lackluster Tulsa team, but I expect things to go a bit better on the offensive side this week, despite the sizable upgrade in competition.
Mestemaker threw for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns last year and has similar weapons as a year ago, plus some other intriguing additions, so look for this offense to click a bit more going forward.
Running Back
The Top Dogs
Nate Sheppard, Duke ($10,600) at Illinois
Sheppard proved in Week 1 that he's going to be the focal point of Duke's offense in 2026, racking up a whopping 35 carries for 227 yards and a pair of scores while reeling in three passes for another 19 yards. The Blue Devils are an underdog in this one, but the spread (5.5 points) isn't scary enough for me to shy away from using a back who led the FBS in carries last week. On top of that, he squares off against an Illini run defense that showed some cracks in the opener, yielding 4.2 and 4.3 yards per carry to UAB's top two running backs. Duke's rushing attack is even more formidable, and I wouldn't be shocked to see another big output from Sheppard, even if the Blue Devils don't ultimately pull it out.
DeSean Bishop, Tennessee ($9,000) at Georgia Tech
Despite facing an inferior opponent last week, Bishop still handled a 30 percent carry share in the opener, turning 14 carries into 97 yards and a score. Georgia Tech's defense proved leaky against the run last season, yielding 4.6 yards per carry and 164 rushing yards per game, and a Colorado squad that averaged just 3.73 yards per carry as an offense last year saw its top four backs combine for 40 carries for 184 yards and a touchdown last week (4.6 YPC). I don't think that front is fixed, and Bishop and the Vols should run over them Saturday.
Another to consider: Adam Mohammed, California ($9,400) at Syracuse
Mid-Tier Targets
Cameron Dickey ($8,800) and J'Koby Williams ($7,700), Texas Tech at Oregon State
The Red Raiders' backs run at a discount this week after an opening game that didn't see any of them light up the scoreboard. The weather in Corvallis is expected to be rainy, and they have a quarterback coming back from a significant knee injury in 2025. The Beavers are aiming to play uptempo this season, which allowed Houston to run 72 plays last week. The Red Raiders also want to play fast, so expect plenty of plays on both sides.
Despite limited production, Dickey was the clear No.1 in the backfield, handling 41 of 76 offensive snaps, while J'Koby Williams logged 31 and Quinten Joyner played only 15. Joyner may be easing back in after a significant injury in 2025, but I want to see it before I have any faith the rotation will change in a major way.
The Beavers let up 190 rushing yards and two scores to Houston's backs last week, adding three catches for 17 yards, and I expect the Red Raiders to utilize a heavy dose of the ground game in this one as well.
Ty Clark, Wake Forest ($7,100) vs. Purdue
Clark emerged as the heir apparent to Demond Claiborne in the Demon Deacons' backfield this offseason and wasted no time racking up yardage in the opener, compiling 105 rushing yards on just seven totes last week in a one-sided game versus Akron that saw Wake Forest jump out to a 28-3 lead at half.
While the Demon Deacons will assuredly throw the ball around plenty again, I would be surprised if we don't see a bit more of him and the ground game in Week 2 versus a Purdue defense that yielded 4.73 yards per carry (107th nationally) and 29 rushing touchdowns over 12 games last season.
Clark has also shown to be a more than capable receiver out of the backfield, compiling 17 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown last year, so I'm looking for him to break out in this one.
Bargain Options
Caleb Hawkins, Oklahoma State ($6,600) vs. Oregon
I understand the matchup in this contest isn't a good one, but Hawkins ran for 1,400 yards at North Texas last season and touched the ball 24 times in the opener (18 carries and six catches on nine targets). This seems like a bit of an overcorrection in the salary, and I'm going to jump on board for a guy with a pretty safe floor and upside despite a low expected scoring output from the Cowboys.
Ismail Mahdi, Arizona ($5,400) at BYU
Mahdi has been given the green light to return, and he has been given the green light to give it a go Saturday versus BYU. Fortunately, Mahdi has been practicing with the team while his eligibility was sorted out, so there shouldn't be much concern about his readiness to handle a full workload. Mahdi led the Wildcats' backfield with 133 carries for 853 yards and three scores a season ago, and I'd expect him to receive a healthy share of touches in Saturday's tilt at a discounted price.
Syracuse running backs vs. California
The problem is sorting out which backs will get touches for the Orange. The most expensive is Shavne Anderson ($7,500), who I'm likely bypassing.
Despite a solid output in the opener, he logged just 18 snaps in the contest, so I'm not counting on him for major production. Tylik Hill ($6,700) was the clear leader on the snaps front, logging 46, and he did nothing to suggest his role should be reduced, turning in 15 carries for 90 yards and a score while adding a catch for five yards.
Matt Outten ($5,500) logged 14 snaps in the opener and turned them into just 44 yards, so he's likely not a target I'm looking at either.
Then, we turn to Ju'Juan Johnson ($5,300) and Ahmad Miller ($4,100), who both sat out the opener. Johnson transferred in from LSU this offseason and seemed a likely candidate for a regular role in the offense, while Miller was viewed by many as the leading candidate to head the backfield.
Both missed the opener, and it's unclear exactly how they will fit into the scheme moving forward.
The matchup is a juice one versus a Cal defense that allowed 8.7 yards per carry and 277 total rushing yards last week versus UCLA (including six rushing touchdowns), so there's certainly something of interest to look into here. It's just unclear where exactly to turn. Hill, Johnson and Miller would be the names worth considering in my mind.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
The Top Dog
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State ($10,500) at Texas
Smith is the alpha of this room and is in his key year with the 2027 NFL Draft in his sights, and this is a spotlight game. I expect him to deliver in a big way this season, and the opener was the first step on that path. Smith garnered a team-high nine targets against Ball State and didn't waste them, racking up eight grabs for 151 yards and a pair of scores. While I wouldn't expect that same efficiency against Texas, he doesn't need it to deliver value at a $10.5K salary. 2-2.5x is firmly within reach here, and there are some options to save up at other positions this week.
Anthony Evans, Mississippi State ($9,100) at Minnesota
Evans was another wideout who saw heavy target volume in the opener, accounting for 10 and turning them into seven grabs for 118 yards and a score. Minnesota does tend to slow the game down a bit with its heavy rushing volume , but the Golden Gophers' defense allowed 74 yards per pass attempt last year. The Bulldogs are favored in a close one here, so the passing game should remain in play throughout the contest, and Evans is the only established option and has the trust of Taylor.
Mid-Tier Targets
Wyatt Young, Oklahoma State ($7,500) vs. Oregon
I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here, but it seems like the Oklahoma State offense is being torn to shreds from a fantasy standpoint this week. To be fair, it did only put up 10 points against Tulsa last week, but Young was targeted nine times in that contest, and I'd expect him to be heavily involved in the passing attack again Saturday in a game the Cowboys are expected to trail a good amount of the time. Young racked up 1,264 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last season, so it's not time to totally discount that after one game.
Ian Strong, California ($7,200) at Syracuse
While Strong was outproduced by Chase Hendricks ($8,100) a bit in the fantasy department in the opener, that was mostly thanks to a touchdown that eluded Strong. In the long run, I expect Strong to lead the team in touchdowns overall, and he still topped the team in both targets (10) and receiving yards (94). I'll take the $900 discount here for a player I feel is a bit more talented overall, and target a defense that allowed 252.8 passing yards per game last year.
Bargain Options
Evan Stewart, Oregon ($6,700) vs. Oklahoma State
Stewart was once upon a time a high-caliber NFL prospect, but an injury in 2023 and another one that cost him all of 2025 have taken some of the shine off him. While he may no longer fit that bill, especially in a loaded 2027 wide receiver class, he's still a talented wideout playing for a high-scoring Ducks offense. Stewart tied Jeremiah McClellan for the most targets (nine) in the opener, yet he'll run you less than both McClellan and Dakorien Moore by a considerable margin. I don't think either Moore or McClellan is quite at the superstardom level yet, and I think Stewart will etch out his own production each week. Give me the discounted Oregon wideout here.
DJ Vonnahme, Iowa ($5,300) vs. Iowa State
Vonnahme emerged on the scene midway through 2026 and turned up the heat late after returning from injury, boasting a position-best 24.7 percent target share from Week 11 on and turning in 19 catches for 370 yards and three touchdowns over three games. Iowa State's defense was nothing to write home about last year, and I expect there to be an emphasis on corralling Kamari Moulton and the rushing attack after seeing him run wild in last week's opener. Vonnahme was targeted eight times in the opener and should serve as a safety blanket again for inexperienced quarterbacks in the first big test of the season for the Hawkeyes.
