Welcome to college football Saturday, week two. Hopefully you got off to a good start with my daily fantasy college football picks from yesterday and finish strong with the Thursday-Friday slate tonight. (Looking at you, Canes' skill guys.)
As I mentioned in my last post, I'm going to rely pretty heavily on high floor, safer-bet playmakers and a lot of these picks will be heavily influenced by Vegas projections, whether it be game props, spreads or over/unders. Last year's statistics can help in some cases, but with the high turnover rate of some rosters and coaching changes, I can't rely solely on those numbers.
NCAA College Football FanDuel Picks for 9/12
Most of the guys I outline below will be solid cash game picks, but I've listed a few sleepers for GPP play as well. There are a ton of games Saturday, broken into three different slates - noon, 5pm and 8pm. Let's get to it, shall we?
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CFB DFS Quarterback Picks for FanDuel
Sefo Liufau (QB, Colorado) - $8,100
Liufau is a returning starter and until last weekend, he had a streak of 20 games with a passing touchdown. While that streak ended, he still aired it out 40 times and carried it 18 times for 81 yards on the ground. This weekend, he gets a weaker defense in a game with one of the highest projected point totals (62.5) of the weekend. The spread is currently at 13, with the Buffaloes favored, but there has been some sharp action on the Minutemen, who have a talented receiving core. What I'm trying to say is that Liufau is going to have the ball in his hands a lot, has the ability to make plays through the air or on the ground, and the team should have the pedal to the floor on offense all game. Shootout!
Greg Ward, Jr. (QB, Houston) - $8,000
I like Ward Jr. not only because of his incredible play-making ability as a duel threat guy, but also for his value (he's moderately priced) and because his team is an underdog in a game with high score projections. The offense should be on full blast all game and coach Tom Herman trusts Ward with the rock, both through the air and on the ground. He finished week one with 400 yards of total offense and while Louisville poses a tougher matchup for the Cougars, I think he's a safer bet for a high point total than some of the quarterbacks playing in projected blowouts that might not return to the field after two quarters.
Blake Frohnhapfel (QB, UMASS) - $7,600
Simply put, Frohnhapfel is the engine for this high-powered, air attack offense at Umass. He's got a great receiving core, led by Tajae Sharp, and there's no cap on the number of times this team may throw the ball. As I mentioned above, this game has a real high projected total and some sharp bettors in Vegas are projecting the Minutemen to hold their own against the Buffaloes.
Jared Goff (QB, Cal) - $8,100
Goff is a real intriguing play because he's got a big arm, Cal likes to air it out and he was able to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in just two quarters of play in week one. This week, they host SDSU at home and the game has a high over/under (60) and a close enough spread (-14) that we may see Goff on the field through the fourth quarter. His new favorite target is WR Kenny Lawler, so if you're playing GPP, that could be a nice mini-stack in which to target.
Nate Sudfeld (QB, IU) - $7,700
I was a little tentative about listing Sudfeld at first. Not because he doesn't have a great arm, not because he doesn't run the spread and not because he doesn't throw the ball a ton - he has all of those things. The tentativeness was because the Hoosiers play an FIU squad this week that returns nearly all of their starters on defense in what was already a strong unit for them in 2014. I think Sudfeld is a nice GPP play because the Hoosiers won't ever stop throwing the ball, they run a quick (often times no huddle) offense and since the IU defense is so terrible, the offense should get the ball back in their hands quickly and often.
CFB DFS Running Back Picks for FanDuel
Alex Collins (RB, Arkansas) - $9,300
Sure it was a weak opponent, but Collins was impressive in week one, totaling 127 yards and a score on just 12 carries. The best thing going for him week two is that running back Jonathan Williams, who Collins was expected to share the load with this season, is done for the season due to injury. His carries should only increase in week two against Toledo.
De'Veon Smith (RB, Michigan) - $6,900
Smith was not that impressive in week one, but there weren't really any bright spots in Michigan's offense outside of Jake Butt's big day. Still, Smith received 17 carries and should continue to get the bulk of them. He's facing a much softer front seven this weekend against Oregon State.
Ish Witter (RB, MIZZOU) - $6,400
Witter is a high-risk, high-reward sleeper tomorrow night. With Mizzou's main back Hansbrough still sidelined, Witter saw more carries than any other Tiger running back in week one with 13. If and when he gets the rock in his hands, he's a threat to score for the Gary Pinkel squad that loves to control the game with the ground attack. The game has a fairly high point total of 58 and the Tigers are favored by just 10.5 in a rare road game at Arkansas State.
Paul Perkins (RB, UCLA) - $7,800
Perkins is an absolute stud and may even outperform and outscore the uber-talented freshman QB for the Bruins, Josh Rosen. Perkins led all running backs in rush yards in the Pac 12 for 2014 and he's poised for another big season. This weekend, he faces a weak defense in UNLV that is particularly awful against the run.
Patrick Skov (RB, GTech) - $5,900
Skov is pretty irresistible at this price. He's the clear cut number one back for the Yellow Jackets and he's capable of busting long runs and will be relied on to get in the end zone with his team in the red zone.
CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks for FanDuel
Tajae Sharpe (WR, UMASS) - $6,900
With a lot of aspects considered - matchup, talent, targets, price, Vegas projections - Sharp is my clear cut #1 guy tomorrow. Some outlets even have him listed as a pre-season All-American candidate and I'd be shocked if he doesn't see at least 15 targets in the high-powered passing attack the Minutemen run.
Ricky Jones (WR, Indiana) - $6,400
Jones and his QB Nate Sudfeld make for a nice mini-stack option in GPP contests. Jones, a former cornerback turned wideout, has blazing speed and quickly emerged in week one as Sudfeld's favorite target, catching six passes for 186 yards and a score. As the Hoosiers might have trouble running the ball, expect Sudfeld to not just look in Jones' direction often, but to air it out downfield as well. Jones proved in week one he's got the hips to be dangerous after the catch and over the middle, too.
Shaq Washington (WR, Cincy) - $5,900
Washington is a bit of a risk as his quarterback Gunner Kiel likes to spread it around, but his numbers and week one performance suggest he's going to get a lot of looks downfield. Temple is pretty stout defense, but I still like his upside and potential, especially at a price below 6K.
William Fuller (WR, ND) - $7,900
Next to Tajae Sharp, Fuller is my favorite wideout option in the early slate. In week one, he looked like a future early round NFL draft pick - going for 142 yards and two scores on seven catches. Quarterback Malik Zaire throws a beautiful deep ball and I think he's found his favorite threat in Fuller. The price is pretty reasonable considering the damage Fuller is capable of against Virginia.
Keon Hatcher (WR, Arkansas) - $7,200
Hatcher exploded onto the 2015 scene last weekend with six catches, good for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He's going to be the primary target at wideout for the Razorbacks this season, and the opportunity in week two is ripe against a week Toledo defense.
Demarcus Ayers (WR, Houston) - $5,700
I don't buy Ayers as a cash game option - at least not yet (needs to show consistency) - but I do like him as a high ceiling GPP option. In week one, he lit it up with 10 catches and 121 yards. The defense will be much tougher to breakthrough against Louisville, but I do expect him to get a lot of looks as the clear number one receiver.
Leonte Carroo (WR, Rutgers) - $7,400
The only thing that stopped Carroo in week one? A first half suspension. But even that couldn't keep him from eclipsing the century mark or finding the end zone. Carroo had just three receptions, but found the end zone in each, racking up 129 yards along the way. The Scarlet Knights take on a very weak WSU defensive secondar this weekend, so expect Carroo to find a lot of openings and exploit.
CFB DFS Tight End Picks for FanDuel
Jake Butt (TE, Michigan) - $3,700
It's no secret that Butt was the favorite target of new UM quarterback Jake Rudock in week one. Butt hauled in eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown in their loss to Utah. He's quite a play maker at tight end, has begun to build a rapport with Rudock and we all know Harbaugh likes to get the tight end involved in his conservative offense. I like Butt's chances to find the end zone again in week two.
Jake McGee (TE, UF) - $3,600
Continuing the Jake theme at tight end. McGee is one of the most expensive tight ends on the board today, but for good reason. He had just two catches for 18 yards in week one, but UF head coach Jim McElwain has previously stated he loves to get tight ends involved in his offensive schemes. I'm expecting him to have a bigger role in week two.
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