College football action stretches across five days in Week 1. Included in that is Friday’s eight-game slate, featuring a handful of teams with bowl aspirations.
Among those are the 15th-ranked Michigan State Spartans. They enter their in-state contest against the Western Michigan Broncos as -22 chalk, a battle of Big Ten teams, and a non-conference matchup between the TCU Horned Frogs and Colorado Buffaloes.
We’re breaking down the top fantasy plays from our projections for Friday night’s slate.
College football is new to FantasyLabs this season. Inside our Player Models, you’ll be able to utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups for your DFS contests.
Or if cash games are more your speed, you can build your lineups alongside our projections with our Lineup Builder. From there, you can hand-build your lineup or lock in a few guys and let the builder optimize the rest based on our projections.
Let’s dive into this week’s slate!
CFB DFS Quarterback Picks
Taylor Powell (Eastern Michigan Eagles): $7,500 DraftKings
The Eastern Michigan Eagles versus the Eastern Kentucky Colonels is not the most glamorous matchup on the board, but it does feature the quarterback with the highest fantasy ceiling. Taylor Powell makes his Eagles debut on Friday night and should torch the FCS foes.
Powell spent three seasons with the Missouri Tigers before transferring to the Troy Trojans last year. There, he threw for 1,251 yards in six games before Gunnar Watson usurped him on the depth chart, resulting in his transfer to Eastern Michigan this past offseason. Through his first four starts of the season, Powell looked good while throwing for 1,008 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
In their lone FBS contest last year, the Colonels gave up 284 passing yards to the lowly Louisville Cardinals. Worse, they went 2-3 in true road games throughout the season, allowing an average of 320.8 passing yards per game. Powell is set up for success in his Eagles’ debut against an inferior Colonels passing defense.
Payton Thorne (Michigan State Spartans): $8,100 DraftKings
Payton Thorne enters the season as the starter for the second straight year, looking to improve off his remarkable sophomore campaign. He gets a gentle introduction to the upcoming season with a contest against the Western Michigan Broncos that lost starters on both sides of the football.
Thorne finished last season with the 23rd-most passing yards in the nation, averaging 8.3 yards per attempt, which also put him in the top 36. Overall, he ranked 17th in QBR, thanks partly to his impressive 27-10 touchdown to interception ratio and 60.3% completion percentage.
The junior pivot did his best work at Spartan Stadium, averaging a better completion rate, more yards, and a higher quarterback rating. Based on our projections, Thorne will thrive under the bright lights on Friday and pick up where he left off in 2021.
Jalon Daniels (Kansas Jayhawks): $9,400 DraftKings
As a program, the Kansas Jayhawks have struggled to attract enough talented players to compete in the Big 12. Although they lack continuity throughout their program, the Jayhawks get the most out of Jalon Daniels, who will be the driving force behind their offense.
In six games last year, Daniels completed 69.2% of his passes for 860 yards, seven touchdowns, and just three interceptions. Included in that sample is the Jayhawks’ surprise win over the Texas Longhorns, in which Daniels went off for three touchdowns on a 70.0% completion rate and 202 yards. That was the first of three consecutive Big 12 starts in which he threw for at least 200 yards and completed more than 68.0% of his passes.
Daniels’s fantasy ceiling is reflected in his salary, as he leads the Jayhawks into battle as the highest-priced quarterback. Don’t let that deter you from rostering him, as his projections match his implied value.
CFB DFS Running Back Picks
Chase Brown (Illinois Fighting Illini): $5,000 DraftKings
Illinois Fighting Illini running back Chase Brown burst onto the fantasy scene in Week 0, compiling 167 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. That was just a glimpse of what to expect from Brown, who once again rates as the top running back available on Friday’s docket.
In the season opener, the junior running back toted the ball 19 times for 151 years and two scores, adding 16 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air. His 22 touches represent 28.6% of the offensive plays ran by Illinois, although his usage tapered as the game became out of reach.
Brown stands to see an increase in usage in their first conference game as the Fighting Illini look to get past the Indiana Hoosiers in their first Big Ten action of the season. That’s reflected in our modeling, in which Brown leads the median and ceiling projections.
Blake Watson (Old Dominion Monarchs): $4,000 DraftKings
If we infer from salaries, DraftKings doesn’t believe Blake Watson will replicate last year’s metrics against a stingy Virginia Tech Hokies defense. Our projections suggest otherwise, as the Old Dominion Monarchs’ running back rates as one of the best available.
Watson closed out his sophomore campaign as a workhorse for the Monarchs. The C-USA Honourable Mention running back totaled 1,112 yards on 215 carries, eclipsing the 100-yard mark in six of his last eight games. He’ll assume a similar role this season and will be the featured player on offense throughout the season.
The Hokies have deservingly earned a reputation as a defensive powerhouse; however, their metrics against the run weren’t particularly good. Virginia Tech allowed 165.8 rush yards per game, ranking in the bottom half of the ACC. Watson comes at a discounted rate and should exceed the implied expectations of his low salary.
Jalen Holston (Virginia Tech Hokies): $6,300 DraftKings
With a new quarterback under center, the Virginia Tech Hokies could turn to their oft-used running game more frequently than usual. That should lead to big things from Jalen Holston, who projects as a top rusher on Friday.
Holston enters his senior year with a more well-defined role with the team. V-Tech moved on from dual-threat quarterback Braxton Burmeister and their top running back from 2021, Raheem Blackshear, landed in the NFL, leaving 250 carries up for grabs. Holston is in line to absorb most of those touches, particularly early this season, as Malachi Thomas is out with a foot injury.
However, it is worth noting that Holston is listed as a game-time decision after incurring a “minor injury” leading up to the start of the regular season. Still, if Holston is cleared to play, he’s worth a flyer against the Monarchs and could easily surpass his projected ceiling.
CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Hassan Beydoun (Eastern Michigan Eagles): $7,800 DraftKings
Inevitably, a wide receiver will emerge as a top fantasy option with a highly-touted quarterback. That’s the case with Eagles’ wideout Hassan Beydoun, who stacks well with Powell against the Colonels.
Last year, Beydoun was the preferred target, falling just short of the century mark in receptions, hauling in 97 catches and 1,015 yards. The senior was a high-volume receiver towards the end of the campaign, totaling 11 or more receptions in four of his last nine games and not dipping below five catches in any contest.
Powell’s success is contingent on Beydoun’s production, and the duo appears ready to set the Colonels defense on fire.
Jayden Reed (Michigan State Spartans): $7,300 DraftKings
Similarly, Michigan State Spartans receiver Jayden Reed enters the Friday fold as an elite play and correlates well with the Spartans’ expected success.
Michigan State ranked in the middle of the pack in terms of an aerial attack, calling passing plays 47.2% of the time in 2021, but that was with Kenneth Walker III in the backfield. With Walker III on to the NFL, we should see increased emphasis on the passing game, resulting in more involvement from Reed.
Nevertheless, Reed led the Spartans in receiving last year and will again be a substantive fixture on offense. His 17.4 yards per catch ranked seventh in the nation among receivers with at least 50 grabs. There’s little that the Broncos defense can do to limit that production.
Quentin Johnston (TCU Horned Frogs): $8,000 DraftKings
Last year, opponents threw the ball freely against the Colorado Buffaloes, averaging 242.3 passing yards per game, second-worst in the Pac-12. The TCU Horned Frogs can remind the Buffaloes of their shortcomings when they open the 2022 season on Friday.
Since he landed in Fort Worth in 2020, Quentin Johnston has led the Horned Frogs in receiving in each of his first two seasons. The junior wideout set the high mark in yards and yards per catch in both seasons, improving his metrics year over year.
Johnston is ready to shine and will be the go-to option for Max Duggan throughout the year. That starts Friday night, as Johnston sits fourth in the FantasyLabs ceiling projections among wide receivers.
