Welcome back, college football fans! It’s been a long offseason waiting for CFB DFS to return but we’re glad to say that Saturdays (and Thursdays and Fridays) will again be dominated by college football action all day long. Hopefully you cashed in Week 0 and on Thursday’s Week 1 slate, but if not - we’re back for a Friday night full of intriguing matchups. 

Both DraftKings and FanDuel have 7-game slates that kick off at 7 pm ET with two Top 25 programs in their respective matchups. No. 18 Michigan State will host Tulsa while No. 19 Wisconsin travels to South Florida. For DFS purposes, Vegas projects the highest-scoring game will be Oklahoma State-Oregon State to cap off the night. 

Now, let’s dive into the specific players that are worth rostering in both cash game and tournament lineups for this Week 1 Friday slate!

QUARTERBACK

Jordan Love - Utah State ($7,700 DK / $9,900 FD)

Unlike most CFB DFS slates, the quarterback position is a bit uglier than usual and Love becomes the top play by default. However, the Utah State QB has more upside than you’d think and he makes for a strong QB1 in all formats. The Wake Forest defense gave up the nation’s 10th-most passing yards per game last year (274 yards) and Love threw for more than 3,500 yards with 32 passing touchdowns a season ago. He tossed more than 300 yards in seven of 13 games in 2018 and had at least four passing scores in five different weeks. Utah State’s matchup with Wake Forest is projected to be the closest game on the slate - Wake is favored by 4.5 with a 60-point total - so we can expect the Aggies to lean on their redshirt junior all night long as the offensive catalyst. 

Jake Luton - Oregon State ($5,600 DK / $7,500 FD)

This Oklahoma State-Oregon State matchup will likely be the slate’s highest-scoring game and Luton is the only sure thing at quarterback from both teams. Oklahoma State has yet to announce a starter and could roll out two QBs throughout the game, but Luton has a stronghold on the Beavers’ starting job. He’ll face a defense that allowed 258.3 passing yards per game last season (24th-most in the nation) as the Cowboys routinely played in back-and-forth scoring contests all season long with not much defense being played. Luton missed the beginning of the 2018 season due to injury but he finished the year strong while starting the final five games and averaging 257.6 passing yards and nearly two passing scores per week. He makes for a nice bargain on DK especially, but can be used on both sites pretty safely. 

Collin Hill - Colorado State ($4,700 DK / $7,600 FD)

K.J. Carta-Samuels is no longer in the picture and Hill has earned the Rams’ starting job over the summer after he took over as the starter last season in Carta-Samuels’ place. His extremely low price tag on DK makes him an ideal Super-Flex play to save salary and pay up at RB and/or WR. Last season, Hill won over the starting job in Colorado State’s offense in mid-October and threw for over 280 yards in three of his four starts to end the season. There are a ton of changes from the Rams offense of last season, but Hill at least has the experience of playing in big moments in 2018 to help him lead the charge this time around. 

Also Consider:

Steven Montez - Colorado ($7,800 DK / $10,200 FD)

Jamie Newman - Wake Forest ($6,600 DK / $8,500 FD

RUNNING BACK

Jonathan Taylor - Wisconsin ($9,400 DK / $10,400 FD)

College football’s best running back a year ago is a legit Heisman contender this season and he’ll see a ton of volume on Friday night to begin his junior campaign. The price tag is surely hefty if you want to jam Taylor in - but paying up should be worth it as Wisconsin’s run-heavy offense will run through him. Taylor’s 2,194 rushing yards led the country in 2018 as he routinely saw 25-30 carries every week and only had one game where he failed to reach at least 100 rushing yards. This game will be a challenge for the Badgers right out of the gate having to travel to Florida and play in a climate with a ton of rain expected - so expect Taylor to be fed all night long as Wisconsin leans on its workhorse back. Taylor could easily be the slate’s highest-scoring RB as the South Florida defense allowed 244.7 rushing yards per game last season (ninth-most in the nation). Expect Taylor’s ownership to be very high tonight - despite the expensive price tag - because the casual college football fan surely knows who he is. 

Chuba Hubbard - Oklahoma State ($8,100 DK / $9,700 FD)

If you’re not paying up for Jonathan Taylor on this slate, the next-best high-end option is Hubbard. With Justice Hill off to the NFL, Oklahoma State will look towards Hubbard to be the bell-cow back in a high-scoring offense. The redshirt sophomore burst onto the scene late in the season in 2018 after Hill went down for the year - and he proved he can handle a big workload. Hubbard had four 100-yard rushing performances in the final five games of the year and he saw 20-25 touches once he stepped into the lead back role in place of Hill. Last season, the Oregon State defense allowed the nation’s second-most rushing yards per game (281.8) - which bodes well for Hubbard, who is the clear lead back on the offense projected to score the slate’s most points. He’s a safe play in all formats and is the ideal cash game RB1 to start your lineups with. 

Alex Fontenot - Colorado ($4,900 DK / $8,300 FD)

The price differential for Fontenot is massive between the two sites tonight, which makes him a very appealing value play on DK but likely a fade at his FD tag. The sophomore won over Colorado’s starting running back battle this summer over incoming freshman Jared Mangham - and he should see the majority of snaps at least to begin the season. Despite only having 11 career rush attempts, Fontenot is actually the most experienced in the Buffaloes’ backfield as the four other scholarship backs are either redshirt or true freshmen with zero combined carries. The Colorado State defense allowed 219.5 rushing yards per game last season (19th-most in the nation) and we could Fontenot get a ton of second-half carries with his team favored by nearly two touchdowns. On DK, he’s an ideal RB2 at his cheap price tag. 

Also Consider:

Jermar Jefferson - Oregon State ($7,900 DK / $9,400 FD)

Connor Heyward - Michigan State ($7,100 DK / $9,300 FD)

Zander Horvath - Purdue ($4,200 DK / $7,700 FD)

WIDE RECEIVER

Tylan Wallace - Oklahoma State ($8,800 DK / $10,100 FD)

The best receiver on the offense projected the score the most points tonight? That would be Wallace, who was a consistent WR1 on many winning DFS lineups last year. If you’re paying up at wideout, it’ll be tough to look past Wallace in all formats because of how productive he was in 2018. He racked up at least 100 receiving yards seven different times last season and eclipsed the 200-yard mark twice. The only pause we should have in rostering Wallace at his expensive price tag is the uncertainty Oklahoma State currently has at quarterback. Head coach Mike Gundy has yet to announce a starter and it’s possible we see both Spencer Sanders and Dru Brown in the game at different times. Wallace had a clear connection with Taylor Cornelius a year ago - but it’s tough to predict how productive he’ll be without a clear starting quarterback in Week 1. 

Laviska Shenault, Jr. - Colorado ($8,200 DK / $10,300 FD)

If you’re staying away from Tylan Wallace tonight, pivoting to Shenault on the high-end may be the next best option with potentially more upside. Unlike Wallace, Colorado’s top receiver from last year will have his quarterback returning in Steven Montez - meaning there are no concerns with connection issues and we can more confidently base projections off his 2018 numbers. Over the first six weeks last season, Shenault had at least 120 receiving yards and a touchdown in each game - including 11 catches for 211 yards a score in the opener against Colorado State. The junior will be one of the top wideouts taken in next year’s draft for a reason. His DFS floor is particularly high as well after he had at least nine receptions in seven of nine games a year ago. Shenault is coming off toe surgery in December, but all reports have him back fully healthy and ready to go for Week 1. 

Warren Jackson - Colorado State ($4,900 DK / $7,600 FD)

Colorado State lost its top two receivers from last year (Preston Williams and Olabisi Johnson), which leaves Jackson as the best returning wideout with 32 receptions and 405 receiving yards a season ago. The Rams’ receiving corps will likely need a few weeks until we know how it will shake out the rest of the way - but Jackson currently sits atop the depth chart and should be the top target for quarterback Collin Hill. With Nate Craig-Myers expected out tonight, the other two starting WRs opposite Jackson will be Brendan Fulton and E.J. Scott - who combined for just 10 receptions last season. On DK, this sub-5k price tag is very appealing and should be safe for cash game builds. 

Tyjon Lindsey - Oregon State ($4,800 DK / $6,400 FD)

We’ve mentioned already how high-scoring this Oklahoma State-Oregon State matchup will be - so we’ll need to find exposure on the Beavers’ side of the ball as well. At his price point on both sites, Lindsey may be the best bargain play considering what his role will be in Week 1. The Nebraska transfer has earned a starting role right away for Oregon State and his skillset could end up in a ton of targets tonight. Lindsey is a quick, shifty possession receiver and he’ll ideally complement the bigger Isaiah Hodgins in the receiving corps. Playing time has opened up for the Beavers’ wideouts with Trevon Bradford out for Week 1 and Lindsey will see an increase in snaps to prove his talent. 

Also Consider: 

Rondale Moore - Purdue ($8,400 DK / $10,200 FD)

Kendall Hinton - Wake Forest ($5,300 DK / $6,500 FD)

Jordan Nathan - Utah State ($4,300 DK / $6,700 FD)

EJ Scott - Colorado State ($3,900 DK / $5,100 FD) 

Quintez Cephus - Wisconsin ($3,000 DK / $4,000 FD)
 

Example Lineup on DraftKings:

QB: Jordan Love - Utah State ($7,700)

RB: Chuba Hubbard - Oklahoma State ($8,100)

RB: Connor Heyward - Michigan State ($7,100)

WR: Laviska Shenault - Colorado ($8,200)

WR: Warren Jackson - Colorado State ($4,900)

WR: Jordan Nathan - Utah State ($4,300)

FLEX: Alex Fontenot - Colorado ($4,900)

S-FLEX: Collin Hill - Colorado State ($4,700)

Example Lineup on FanDuel: 

QB: Jordan Love - Utah State ($9,900)

RB: Jonathan Taylor - Wisconson ($10,400)

RB: Zander Horvath - Purdue ($7,700

WR: Tyjon Lindsey - Oregon State ($6,400)

WR: Tylan Wallace - Oklahoma State ($10,100)

WR: Warren Jackson - Colorado State ($7,600)

S-FLEX: Jake Luton - Oregon State ($7,500)