I don’t know how much full writing I am going to do for CFB this season and NFL specifically I am dialing the content way back while focusing on just the tools here on the site. But come Saturday’s in the fall I know, and you know, and we all know that we’re gonna be itching for the best DFS sport out there with all the Saturday slates, so lets fire the tailgate up and give out some plays for Week 0.
Obviously with three games on the slate it’s easier just to outline each game and the path forward with each one. The slate balance is fairly good as all three games feature totals around the same mark (55.5, 55.5, 54.5 as of Friday afternoon) and all three have double digit “road” favorites.
Florida State vs Georgia Tech
This game is going to be in Ireland and the Yellow Jackets are easily the best underdog to back on this slate both betting and for DFS purposes. They have a three-man core we can back with QB Haynes King (7100), RB Jamal Haynes (6300) and speedy WR Eric Singleton (5300).
Florida State new QB DJ Uiagalelei returns to the East Coast after a year out West and we’ll see if he can be more of the Oregon State DJ and less of the Clemson DJ. He does still have the rushing upside and the Yellow Jackets 2023 defense was poor vs the rush — however a new DC (former Duke DC) is looking to change that. I’m backing the Rambling Wreck…
SMU vs Nevada
SMU is the team everyone should want to team stack but probably will be tilting the balanced usage across the board. There still appears to be no clear winner in the RB situation with Jaylan Knighton maybe being the name folks use in DFS but BRashard Smith and LJ Johnson are going to get usage as well.
On a bigger slate, we would take some shots with SMU. On the shorter slate, I am fading the QB and RB outside of Brashard Smith (see below) and just looking at a one off WR.
Nevada has zero plays IMO.
Montana State vs New Mexico
The mid-afternoon game could wind up being the gem for DFS. Both Quarterbacks are borderline CORE plays. Montana State QB Tommy Mellott is not a terrible play but probably has a ceiling on him even as a heavy favorite, while New Mexico QB Devon Dampier brings a nice dual-thread upside which could really be a slate changer.
It’s worth using 2 QB on this slate and you might find that using the cheaper ones leads to leaving money on the table.
- Devon Dampier (New Mexico – $6100)
- Haynes King (GT – $7100)
- Preston Stone (SMU – $8900)
- Tommy Mellott (Montana State – $7000) … Prefer using him WITH Dampier.
- Jamal Haynes (Georgia Tech – $6300) … I don’t see a path for the Yellow Jackets to win without King or Haynes scoring 2 TD and it’s gonna be easier to score in the RZ on the ground than the air vs Florida State.
- Brashard Smith (SMU – $3600) … Miami transfer who was used in the kicking game and also as a pass catcher plenty of times. They have him listed as RB1, which I think is more about showing that they want to use him and less about him being the feature back.
- Roydell Williams (Florida State – $7100)
- Eric Singleton (GT – $5300) … Singleton led Georgia Tech last season in targets, receptions, yards (avg over 15 yards/catch), and touchdowns. With this game likely to produce a good amount of possessions, the game script should favor plenty of passing opportunities and he will clear 2x in a heartbeat.
- Ty McCullouch (Montana State – $4900) … Montana State leans heavily on the run, which means you might not see a ton of targets heading McCullouch’s way. But, in a slate where reliable volume is scarce, his efficiency is a standout. Facing New Mexico, who’s in a bit of a rebuild with a new coaching staff, McCullouch has a favorable matchup. The Lobos allowed 15.1 yards per catch last season, ranking near the bottom nationally, making this a prime spot for McCullouch to capitalize on his big-play ability.
- Caleb Medford (New Mexico – $5000) … Medford emerged as the leading/go-to guy down the stretch for NM and returns as the most likely WR1 for a team without much returning identity.
- RJ Maryland (SMU – $5400) … Tons of options here in the SMU passing game but the TE Maryland is going to be the heavily owned chalk option becuase his target share seems the most reliable and the rest are a spinning wheel guessing game. Jake Bailey & Jordan Hudson are the other viable options with Jordan Hudson ($6000) being someone I would use for TD upside.
DraftKings CORE
QB – Devon Dampier
RB – Jamal Haynes
WR – Eric Singleton
BETS
Georgia Tech +10.5
New Mexico +13.5
SMU/Nevada under 54.5