On Saturday, we gently tested the waters for the upcoming college football season, but tomorrow we canon-ball into the deep end. Thursday night kicks off three consecutive days of non-stop action, with a daily breakdown of all the football action.
We have 16 games to look forward to, including three featuring ranked teams, a Big Ten matchup, and a slew of non-conference tilts to dig into.
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
Hendon Hooker (Tennessee Volunteers): $8,900 DraftKings
The Tennessee Volunteers open their season with a non-conference battle against the Ball State Cardinals. That’s an ideal matchup for quarterback Hendon Hooker, as Ball State allowed the third-most passing yards among MAC teams last year.
More importantly, we saw Hooker emerge as the dual-threat quarterback he was thought to be when he landed with the Volunteers as a four-star recruit. The senior is coming off a career-best year in which he threw for nearly 3,000 yards, with an impressive 31-3 touchdown to interception ratio. Further, Hendon added 620 yards and five scores on the ground, amplifying his fantasy value against the overmatched Cardinals.
It is very intentional that the Volunteers started their season with a softball-quality opponent, and that benefits DFS players who roster Hendon on Thursday night.
Jake Haener (Fresno State Bulldogs): $9,100 DraftKings
Another standout senior takes to the field Thursday night when the Fresno State Bulldogs host FCS opponent, the Cal Poly Mustangs. FBS defenses couldn’t contain Jake Haener, and the Mustangs offer little resistance against the high-octane Bulldogs’ attack.
The last three games of last season offer a glimpse of what to expect from Haener this week and throughout the course of the upcoming season. Across that sample, the former three-star recruit completed 71.3% of his passes while averaging 309.7 yards per game and throwing for eight touchdowns and zero interceptions.
This is the second straight season in which the Bulldogs and Mustangs face off, and there’s little chance that Cal Poly improves on last year’s 63-10 drubbing. In that game, Haener threw for 380 yards and four touchdowns. A similar stat line is expected in the rematch.
Emory Jones (Arizona State Sun Devils): $8,400 DraftKings
Emory Jones‘ tenure with the Florida Gators came to an unceremonious end, with the junior pivot transferring to the Arizona State Sun Devils this offseason. Jones gets his fresh start against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, ensuring that his Sun Devils regime starts on the right foot.
Not unexpectedly, Jones has thrived against inferior competition. Last season, he threw for 484 yards and six scores against the Samford Bulldogs but also thrived against the Vanderbilt Commodores, Kentucky Wildcats, and Tennessee Volunteers. Across those four contests, Jones completed 75.4% of his passes for 13 touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Lumberjacks qualify as a lesser adversary, and according to our projections, Jones is expected to produce. The Sun Devils’ quarterback ranks third in our projections and should reach his fantasy ceiling in his debut.
CFB DFS Running Back Picks
Mohamed Ibrahim (Minnesota Golden Gophers): $9,500 DraftKings
For the second straight week, a Big Ten running back features prominently in our projections. This time, Minnesota Golden Gophers’ Mohamed Ibrahim is the must-have running back on Thursday’s slate.
An Achilles injury limited Ibrahim to just 30 carries and 163 yards in 2021, but the senior maintained his impressive standard. The soon-to-be 24-year-old averaged 5.4 yards per carry, just a shade below his career standard of 5.5. What’s even more noteworthy about his performance is that all those carries came in one game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Dating back to 2019, that was his ninth straight 100-yard rushing performance.
The Golden Gophers lean into Ibrahim, and we’re anticipating a classic performance from the star running back in his triumphant return to the gridiron. Ibrahim is the most expensive player available, but he’s worth every penny against the New Mexico State Aggies.
Antario Brown (Northern Illinois Huskies): $5,000 DraftKings
The abbreviated 2020 season notwithstanding, the Northern Illinois Huskies have churned out a 1,000-yard rusher in three straight campaigns. Antario Brown appears to be the next feature back to lead the team to glory, and that starts with an FCS matchup against the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
Last year, Brown finished third on the team in touches, toting the ball 81 times for 538 yards for 6.6 yards per carry. The sophomore has the tendency to break things off in big chunks, going for 30 or more yards in four of his nine outings. That game-breaking potential could have devasting consequences on a Panthers squad that went just 1-10 in 2021.
The Huskies’ offense should run through Brown, and this will be the best price you get on the running back for the rest of the season. Getting a low-cost player affords bettors plenty of wiggle room with the rest of their rosters. Don’t pass up this value.
Lew Nichols III (Central Michigan Chippewas): $7,400 DraftKings
The Central Michigan Chippewas enter Thursday’s season-opener as beefy +22 underdogs but don’t let that deter you from getting a piece of Lew Nichols III. The Chippewas running back terrorized opponents last year and will give the Oklahoma State Cowboys more than they could handle.
Although the Cowboys defense was one of the best in 2021, they were built for last year and should see a fallback in their metrics this season. They lost their top four tacklers, including their top two linebackers. That’s an unneeded advantage that Nichols III will exploit as he looks to improve off his NCAA-best 1,848 rushing yards from last year.
Nichols III is a high-volume performer and, irrespective of score will continue to be fed the ball. He will be looking to improve his draft stock, and there’s no better spotlight than shining against a ranked opponent.
CFB DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Jalen Cropper (Fresno State Bulldogs): $7,600 DraftKings
The Bulldogs’ pre-eminent wide receiver from last year, Jalen Cropper, is back for his senior season and ready to recapture the magic he had with Haener.
Cropper led the team in receiving yards and receptions in 2021, outpacing the next closest receiver by 33 catches. Still, Cropper’s yards per reception took a hit last year, dropping to 10.6 and falling below his career average of 11.8. The former three-star athlete creates space downfield, breaking off receptions of 24 yards or longer in nine of his 13 outings.
The connection between Cropper and Haener is well established, giving the duo a leg up against the Mustangs. Although, that chemistry will serve the Bulldogs well all season and is something DFS players should keep in their back pockets for later.
Cedric Tillman (Tennessee Volunteers): $8,500 DraftKings
Part of made Hendon’s 2021 campaign so successful was his outstanding receivers corps. The good news is, Hendon gets his top target back for another kick at the can. Cedric Tillman gets to build off his wildly successful junior season, in which he paced the Volunteers in catches and yards.
According to the projections, Tillman should pick up where he left off in the season opener. The senior is looking to replicate his 1,000-yard season, in which he averaged 16.9 yards per catch and scored 12 touchdowns. There’s a good chance he succeeds against a Cardinals team that allowed 246.7 passing yards per game and a 100-yard receiver in six of their last seven games to end the 2021 season.
Tillman enters the year on the Biletnikoff Award watchlist as the nation’s top receiver. After this week’s expected performance, we could see him become a focal point of the conversation.
A.T. Perry (Wake Forest Demon Deacons): $8,000 DraftKings
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons established themselves as an offensive juggernaut, finishing last year with the 12th-most passing yards per game. With the departure of a few key contributors from last year’s squad, junior wide receiver A.T. Perry is ready to take on a more prominent role on offense.
Perry was the team’s leading receiving option last year and stands to see a production increase in 2022. The wideout went off for 1,293 yards, finding pay dirt 15 times and averaging 18.2 yards per reception. There’s also addition by subtraction after fellow wide receiver Jaquarii Roberson departed after his senior year. That leaves 71 receptions to be replaced, and surely Perry will absorb some of that workload. Further, feature running back Christian Beal-Smith left for South Carolina, meaning there could be an increased emphasis on the passing game.
The Demon Deacons’ aerial attack was something to behold, and it’s conceivable that they increase their 37.7 pass plays per game from last season. Perry will factor heavily into those plans and reach his ceiling against the VMI Keydets.
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