As we flip our calendars to September, may your only troubles for the rest of this year be fantasy football related, and daily fantasy college football specifically, if you're reading this column. In those moments of trying to figure out how you can squeeze in a tight end for half of their salary, be mindful that week after week, there's at least one player in every position ripening their skills and becoming a sure-thing pick overnight. Your objective should be to predict these players before they make their splash. Supplementing your lineup with one or two properly researched underdogs is not just money well spent, it could be the only way to meet the salary cap and stand a chance.

With the NCAA college football season finally upon us, there is nothing better than a little Daily Fantasy Football on DraftKings. Below are our favorite DraftKings daily fantasy picks for the first night of the college football season on September 3rd.

Editors Note:Our partner DraftKings is hosting a $1 Million Daily College Football Championship, with great prizes including a three day trip to Miami and 250K to first place.  Sign up now and get a 100% bonus on your first deposit along with a FREE RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass (just email us with your DraftKings username to redeem your free RotoBaller subscription).

Daily Fantasy College Football Picks for DraftKings CFB Tournaments - 9/3

Quarterback Travis Wilson (Utah Utes)

Travis Wilson is kicking off his season for the third year in a row as the Utah Utes' starting quarterback. His improvement has been slow, but steady. Wilson's favorable, unconventional size for his position at 6'6 240lbs gives him a significant advantage in his running game, and Michigan's defense had better have all their ducks in a row if they have plans to sack the quarterback. It's taken some field experience, but Wilson has reached new plateaus as a quarterback who is to be taken seriously.

Last season, he threw 75% less interceptions than he did in 2013, and completed nearly 7% more touchdowns. He's got a strong arm, is comfortable in his playbook, and is kicking off the season at home. He is going for almost a third less than Thursday's priciest quarterback, Treyvon Boykin of TCU, who will be leading his offense at an away game in Minnesota.

There is a positive correlation between the sequence of the games and the number of fantasy points he averages per game, which brings his FPPG (fantasy points per game) average to half of Boykin's. Additionally, Wilson was benched several times which is not pardoned in those numbers. As a result of an imperfect grading system, we find the loophole where Travis Wilson's salary undervalues him, and we can be confident in our selection, therein increasing the budget to draft recievers.

Running Back Shaquille Powell (Duke Blue Devils)

The Blue Devils are entering the season without their star running back, Josh Snead, who has since graduated from Duke University. Despite the team not utilizing a feature back, Snead saw more carries and totaled more rushing yards than both Powell and fellow running back, Shaun Wilson. However, the smoke of fall camp is clearing and Powell is the only man in his position left standing; Jelani Duncan, Joseph Ajeigbe and Shaun Wilson are all benched with injuries.

Quarterback Nico Pierre has since converted to running back to add depth, but it looks as though the committee has quickly downsized to a feature back. As a result, Powell will likely have all the opportunity in the world to rush, receive and succeed. Duke has steadily been stocking their playbook with lots of zone reads over the last 3 years, and much of the execution will rely heavily on Powell in the early parts of the season.

Running back: Rodrick Williams Jr. (Minnesota Golden Gophers)

The Minnesota Golden Gophers running back will be starting his season at home, going up against TCU, who is arguably second best school in the Big 12. It's been said that the Gophers have lost a big working part of their team of recievers when tight end Maxx Williams declared for the draft a season ahead of schedule. However, Quarterback Mitch Leidner, last we saw, has a lot to work on in terms of his passing game.

TCU's O-line is too hard, fast and poised for Leidner to keep running the ball himself, and there hasn't been significant noise about Leidner making any major improvements on those deep throws he struggled with last season, which could certainly explain him using Maxx Williams as a crutch. In 2014, Rodrick Williams played in only six games and was out due to a foot injury and a suspension for much of his season. However, he is not only starting, but he is the lead back in a committee with 2 others: a speed back and a redshirt freshman.

Rodrick Williams hasn't kept it a secret that he is determined to break the schools single-season rushing record of 1,626 yards, set by former Gophers tailback, David Cobb, last season. Williams will likely declare for the draft at seasons end, and he is all about upping his stock.

Wide Receiver: Kenneth Scott (Utah Utes)

It's safe to say that Kenneth Scott carried the weight of the Utah Utes' passing game on his shoulders last season. Scott is surrounded by young receivers, and at 6'3, 208lbs, is a nice full size and likely to give opposing Pac 12 defenses a bit of a workout. With Quarterback Travis Wilson improving on his passing game, it's likely that Scott will get much of the glory as the go-to wide receiver. Although he is going up against a team that ranked well defensively last year, his speed and ability to get outside and make plays will likely reflect in his points on Thursday.

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