We’re back for another slate of CFB DFS with the Week 2 night slate of games! This playbook focuses on the DraftKings contests for the 7-game night slate. Note, though, that FanDuel’s all-day slate includes some of these matchups as well. 

This slate features some of the best teams in the country (Oklahoma and Clemson) and thankfully, plenty of Big 12 and ACC teams in action. You’ll notice on the odds below that there are some massive favorites and only a couple of close games on the night docket. Let’s dive in! 

THE SLATE (betting odds via DK Sportsbook as of 9/11): 

  • 7 pm ET -- Missouri State @ Oklahoma (-44.5) -- 68.5 o/u

  • 7:30 pm ET -- Clemson (-34.5) @ Wake Forest -- 60 o/u

  • 8 pm ET -- UTEP @ Texas (-43) -- 58.5 o/u

  • 8 pm ET -- Western Kentucky @ Louisville (-12.5) -- 57 o/u

  • 8 pm ET -- Houston Baptist @ Texas Tech (-38.5) -- 74.5 o/u

  • 10 pm ET -- Coastal Carolina @ Kansas (-6.5) -- 56 o/u

QUARTERBACKS

Quarterbacks
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Sam EhlingerUTUTEP900030.021070028.64833323
Ehlinger is the price king on the entire slate as he’s the catalyst for a Texas offense projected to blow out UTEP tonight by at least five touchdowns. The expensive salary is certainly warranted after Ehlinger had a big statistical season in 2019 with numerous games of putting up 30+ DK points. Last year, he threw for 3,663 yards with a 32:10 TD:INT ratio and added 663 more rushing yards with seven scores on the ground. He’s a legit dual-threat QB and he was forced to do a ton offensively a season ago because of how bad the Texas defense was - which was good for us as DFS players. In this matchup, though, Ehlinger is a boom-or-bust GPP option because we just don’t know how much he’ll play in a blowout win. The ceiling is definitely there, though, as he could account for 400+ total yards and five scores on his own.
Spencer RattlerOUMZST88003.18  
The last three guys to quarterback Lincoln Riley’s OU offense ended up being DFS studs (Kyler Murray & Jalen Hurts) - and all signs point to Rattler being the next in line as yet another dual-threat in this prolific attack. The redshirt freshman is second in Vegas’ Heisman odds despite only having 11 pass attempts across three games last year in blowout mop-up duty. Still, there’s consistent proven success for the Oklahoma QB’s to be very valuable for DFS purposes - and we can bank on Rattler getting plenty of playing time in his first collegiate start. The Sooners are projected to win by at least 40 points vs. Missouri State tonight, and Rattler’s passing and rushing will likely be a big reason why that happens. It’s a small leap of faith because we’ve yet to see it from Rattler, but Riley’s QBs have been well worth the expensive DFS salaries in recent seasons.
Trevor LawrenceCLEMWAKE790027.061020025.67166646
Lawrence is the preseason Heisman favorite and the QB for a team favored by nearly five touchdowns over a conference foe - he needs to be in consideration solely for these reasons and the potential for him to toss four TDs. However, he’s only a GPP play this week because there is a legit chance the majority of Clemson’s offensive production comes on the ground via RB Travis Etienne and Lawrence ends up sitting in the second half with the game already in hand. It’s a trend we saw a lot from the Tigers last season in blowout wins where Etienne would score two or three times and Lawrence would only have 200 passing yards and a couple scores before he headed to the bench. It makes him tough to trust for cash games, but obviously the upside and pure talent is there for the future No. 1 overall pick to toss 300+ yards and four TDs in any given week.
Alan BowmanTTUHOUB730025.07  
If you’re looking for a high-upside Super-Flex play on this slate, Bowman is your guy as he heads a high-octane Texas Tech offense that loves to throw the ball. Bowman started the first three games of 2019 before a broken collarbone ended his season. In those three outings, though, he averaged 340 passing yards and 54 pass attempts per game with a 6:3 TD:INT ratio and 65.6% completion rate. The price tag for Bowman would likely be a lot higher if we got a full season from him and this is a spot to take advantage of for the potential 30+ DK points at a bargain. He should also benefit from facing a Houston Baptist defense that just gave up 361 passing yards and four passing TD’s to North Texas a week ago.
Bailey ZappeHOUBTTU510024.45  
At first glance, it may seem like rostering any Houston Baptist offensive players is a lost cause with the team projected to lose by nearly 40 points. If past performance is any indication, though, the Huskies’ passing attack should provide some clutch value on a slate filled with high-priced players. In the opener last week, Zappe put up 480 passing yards and three TDs in a 26-point loss to North Texas with much of that production coming in garbage time. He could very well repeat this performance (or get close to it) this week vs. a Texas Tech defense that allowed over 300 passing yards per game last season and ranked 128th of 130 FBS teams in pass defense. Baptist are huge underdogs in this one, but that should only mean Zappe is throwing a ton in the second half - just like he did in Week 1 en route to a huge DFS performance.
Also Consider

  • Micale Cunningham - Louisville ($7,100)

  • Tyrrell Pigrome - Western Kentucky ($5,700)

  • Sam Hartman - Wake Forest ($5,200)

RUNNING BACKS

Running Backs
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Travis EtienneCLEMWAKE760026.84970022.4350001
If you follow college football at all, you know about Clemson’s stud RB. Etienne could’ve been in the NFL by now but he chose to return for a third year in a row as the lead back on a national championship contender. He’s coming off back-to-back 1,600-yard rushing seasons and now has 3,707 rushing yards and 51 rushing scores in his collegiate career. He and Trevor Lawrence are both among the top 5 Heisman favorites and any touchdown Clemson scores will almost definitely involve one of the two. Etienne has the potential to explode for a big gain or a score on any given carry and that’s certainly the case in this matchup - where it’s not out of the question for him to have 100+ rushing yards and multiple TDs before halftime. When he faced Wake Forest last season, he “only” racked up 121 yards and a score in a 52-3 blowout win. This type of game flow forces us to temper expectations as to when Etienne may head to the bench with the game in hand - but he should hav plenty of production before that happens.
T.J. PledgerOUMZST74001.79  
It was just last season when T.J. Pledger found himself buried on the Oklahoma depth chart with so much talent in the backfield - but he’s now the lead back with a bunch of offseason movement. Kennedy Brooks has opted out, Trey Sermon transferred away and Rhamondre Stevenson is suspended. All three had more carries and yards than Pledger in 2019, but their absences only make him more attractive for DFS purposes because of the lack of competition and proven ball-carriers outside of Pledger. With OU expected to win big, we should expect a productive game from Pledger as the lead back in this high-powered offense. Plus, there’s a decent chance the coaching staff opts to leave him in there longer just to give him more game experience with only 10 carries all of last year.
Javian HawkinsULWKU690018.48900016.86363636
As a freshman in 2019, Hawkins exploded onto the CFB scene with his 1,525 rushing yards and nine TDs as the bell cow back in the Louisville offense. The Cards went through numerous QB changes last year and it meant Hawkins was leaned on for a ton of volume weekly - something that should happen again this season. Hawkins is one of the only top-priced RBs on this slate who finds himself in a close matchup, according to Vegas, with Louisville being only 12.5-point favorites. That means he should be on the field a lot more often than other stud backs from Clemson, Oklahoma and Texas - which gives us more trust in him for DFS purposes. He averaged 20 carries and 117 rushing yards per game last year and he could easily put up that stat line tonight.
CJ MarableC-CKU680023.25  
This might be the only time we recommend rostering a player from Coastal Carolina - but this matchup and potential workload for Marable is too good to ignore. Marable will face a Kansas defense that was gashed for 225 rushing yards per game last season, which was 124th out of 130 FBS teams. That’s the best matchup of the slate. Plus, this Coastal offense has an ongoing QB competition and it will likely result in Marable getting a heavy dose of touches to begin the year - his third straight as the lead back. He led the team with 1,085 yards and 11 TDs last year and we should expect even more volume in 2020. Furthermore, it’s very telling that Kansas is only a 6.5-point favorite in this game after they actually were upset by Coastal in the 2019 matchup. Marable seems like a solid cash game RB on this slate with more guaranteed volume than other starters playing in blowouts.
Lyn-J DixonCLEMWAKE48008.3162008.549999873
Dixon is Clemson’s backup RB to Heisman hopeful Travis Etienne - but that doesn’t mean he can be a viable cheap DFS play. The Tigers will surely blow out Wake Forest and if Vegas is correct, Etienne could be benched for the entire second half. This paves the way for Dixon to get a ton of carries and solid production with Clemson resting starters. Dixon was slated to be the starting RB this year before Etienne surprisingly chose to forgo the NFL Draft and return for another collegiate season. He has the talent to be a starting RB and we should expect Clemson to give him plenty of work to rest Etienne and preserve their star back for later in the year in tougher matchups and a potential Playoff. It’s a risk to play Dixon not knowing how many touches he’ll get, but there’s a good chance he finished with 100 rushing yards in a game where Etienne also rushed for 100+.

Also Consider

  • Keaontay Ingram - Texas ($7,200)

  • SaRoderick Thompson - Texas Tech ($6,400)

  • Pooka Williams Jr. - Kansas ($6,300)

  • Marcus Major - Oklahoma ($5,000)

WIDE RECEIVERS

Wide Recievers
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Charleston RamboOUMZST820011.27  
With CeeDee Lamb gone, it’s Rambo who’s now the Sooners’ leading receiver - coming off a 2019 campaign where his 43 receptions, 743 yards and five TDs trailed only Lamb. He’s now the #1 wideout in an offense that has proven to be very beneficial to those that have claimed the title in recent seasons (Lamb last year and Marquise Brown before that). Rambo has the skill set to have a big statistical season and eventually play his way into the early rounds of the NFL Draft - like Lamb and Brown - and we should count on new QB Spencer Rattler leaning on Rambo as one of the only proven pass-catchers from last year. The price is steep, but pairing Rambo with Rattler may be worth it because the two could connect for multiple scores in a blowout win over Missouri St. Plus, his name is Rambo for goodness sakes!
Tutu AtwellULWKU750022.76960018.13636364
In terms of national awareness, the talent of Tutu Atwell is very underrated when you put last year’s stats and production into perspective. In 2019, Atwell racked up 1,276 receiving yards and 12 TDs on 70 catches despite going through multiple QB changes and playing on an offense that leaned on RB Javian Hawkins a ton. Still, he was a DFS stud almost every week and that should continue with Micale Cunningham back under center. Last year, Atwell exploded against Western Kentucky with 39 DK points thanks to his three TDs and 141 receiving yards. We can’t reasonably expect a repeat of that, but it’s interesting that Louisville is only 12.5-point favorites in this game - which means we get a full game from Atwell and the Cards’ starters. That’s something that can’t be said about the Oklahoma, Clemson or Texas starting WRs.
Amari RodgersCLEMWAKE72008.6685007.240000153
With Tee Higgins off to the NFL and Justyn Ross suffering a season-ending injury already, it’s Rodgers who is now the top wideout in this high-scoring Clemson offense - which has been a really good thing for DFS purposes. Despite being the #3 WR last year, Rodgers took a major backseat to Higgins and Ross as he only had 30 catches for 426 yards and four TDs - and only one game with at least 100 receiving yards. Yet, he’s still a freak athlete whose time has finally come to be Trevor Lawrence’s top target in the passing game. The only risky thing about rostering Rodgers in this one is the potential for a bust DFS performance if Lawrence throws a couple TDs to other receivers before the starters are benched in the second half. Still, the GPP ceiling is definitely there with a ton of targets up for grabs in the absence of both Higgins and Ross.
Cornell PowellCLEMWAKE54003.9273002.844444487
As mentioned above, there are a ton of targets and receiving yards up for grabs in this Clemson offense with Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross out of the picture. The Tigers’ WR corps includes a ton of young, unproven players who now have their opportunity to become one of QB Trevor Lawrence’s top options in the passing game - and Powell is one of those looking to prove himself. The senior only had 15 receptions for 122 yards last season on a loaded offense, but he’s earned a starting role in camp and he could easily be the #2 receiving option behind Amari Rodgers. Youngsters Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson Jr. missed practice time recently with undisclosed injuries and their conditioning and familiarity with the offense may force Powell into more playing time than his price tag indicates here. He’s a great cheap way to get exposure to this Clemson offense that could have 4-5 different players scoring TDs.
Donavon GreeneWAKECLEM460013.22670011
With Wake Forest stud WR Sage Surratt opting out this season, we should see Greene have a much larger role in the offense as the top WR target for QB Sam Hartman. Greene only played in four games in 2019 to maintain his redshirt status, but he was productive when given the chance. In Week 14 last year, he exploded for 33 DK points thanks to his seven catches for 172 yards and a score - which coincidentally came when Hartman played in Jamie Newman’s stead. Wake will likely lose big to Clemson in this one, but that just means more passing from the offense - which benefits Greene even more with garbage-time production incoming. His sub-5k price tag seems very attractive in all formats as a one-off from this Wake offense.
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Jordan WhittingtonUTUTEP41003.756002.700000048
Welcome to the chalk of the WR position as Whittington could end up being the most popular play on the whole slate. Starting slot receiver Jake Smith is out with a hamstring injury and that should catapult Whittington into that starting slot role - which has proven very valuable for DFS. Texas QB Sam Ehlinger loves throwing to his slot WRs as evidenced by Devin Duvernay’s breakout season in 2019 from the slot position. In fact, 45% of Ehlinger’s pass attempts were targeted to the slot a year ago and Duvernay became a DFS stud. The price is way too cheap for what his potential role and target share should be - so load him up and don’t think twice in cash games.
Jerreth SternsHOUBTTU400022.01  
Although Houston Baptist is a massive 38.5-point underdog in this matchup vs. Texas Tech - there are some interestingly cheap DFS plays on their offense. Last week against North Texas, the Huskies put up 31 points with a ton of garbage-time production from the passing game - and Jerreth Sterns wound up with 11 receptions for 93 yards even though his team lost by 26. Texas Tech might seem like it would have a better defense than North Texas - but that wasn’t the case last year. The Red Raiders gave up 307.8 passing yards per game in 2019, which ranked 128th out of 130 FBS teams - meanwhile, North Texas came in at 57th. Tech is obviously the better team here and will win easily, but that doesn’t mean Sterns and this Houston Baptist passing attack can’t have success in DFS terms against a weak secondary. At this price tag, Sterns may be tough to fade in order to fit in all the studs on the slate.

Also Consider:

  • Obi Obialo - Oklahoma ($6,300)

  • Tarik Black - Texas ($6,300)

  • T.J. Vasher - Texas Tech ($6,000)

  • Frank Ladson Jr. - Clemson ($4,900)

  • Ben Ratzlaff - Houston Baptist ($4,600)

  • Marvin Mims - Oklahoma ($4,500)

EXAMPLE LINEUPS

Please note these lineups are not meant for plug and play but examples of lineups that can be created using the playbook.

DK Cash
Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
QBSpencer RattlerOUMZST3.18$8,800
Pivot     
RBTravis EtienneCLEMWAKE26.84$7,600
PivotT.J. PledgerOUMZST1.79$7,400
RBCJ MarableC-CKU23.25$6,800
PivotLyn-J DixonCLEMWAKE8.31$4,800
WRCharleston RamboOUMZST11.27$8,200
Pivot     
WRJordan WhittingtonUTUTEP3.7$4,100
Pivot     
WRJerreth SternsHOUBTTU22.01$4,000
Pivot     
FLEXCornell PowellCLEMWAKE3.92$5,400
PivotTutu AtwellULWKU22.76$7,500
S-FLEXBailey ZappeHOUBTTU24.45$5,100
Pivot     
      
DK GPP
Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
QBTrevor LawrenceCLEMWAKE27.06$7,900
PivotSam EhlingerUTUTEP30.02$9,000
RBT.J. PledgerOUMZST1.79$7,400
PivotSaRodorick ThompsonTTUHOUB16.99$6,400
RBJavian HawkinsULWKU18.48$6,900
Pivot     
WRAmari RodgersCLEMWAKE8.66$7,200
PivotTarik BlackUTUTEP5.94$6,300
WRDonavon GreeneWAKECLEM13.22$4,600
Pivot     
WRJordan WhittingtonUTUTEP3.7$4,100
Pivot     
FLEXBen RatzlaffHOUBTTU24.19$4,600
PivotCornell PowellCLEMWAKE3.92$5,400
S-FLEXAlan BowmanTTUHOUB25.07$7,300
Pivot