CFB DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks For 9/12: Week 2 Playbook

Week 2 of the 2026 college football season has arrived, and it's headlined by an absolute monster: No. 1 Ohio State traveling to Austin for a College GameDay showdown with No. 5 Texas. Beyond that primetime clash, Saturday is loaded with high-scoring, DFS-friendly matchups from coast to coast. Let's dive into the top CFB DFS Picks as you build lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. In this article, we'll discuss the best plays at each position with CFB DFS projections.

As you read over our Week 2 CFB DFS Picks, take advantage of Fantasy Alarm's College Football DFS Ownership Projections for both DK and FD, plus our Weekly Player Projections and CFB DFS Lineup Generator.

CFB DFS Picks, Daily Fantasy Playbook & Schedule: Saturday, September 12th

Before we get to the top CFB DFS picks this week, let's take a look at the slate. DraftKings has a 12-game main slate concentrated in the early-to-mid afternoon window, headlined by an SEC clash in Alabama-Kentucky, a Big Ten/SEC crossover in Michigan-Oklahoma, and two more cross-conference games in Mississippi State-Minnesota (SEC vs. Big Ten) and Texas A&M-Arizona State (SEC vs. Big 12). FanDuel's 14-game slate spans both the afternoon and night, adding the standalone No. 1 Ohio State at No. 5 Texas showdown at 7:30 p.m. ET, along with Tennessee-Georgia Tech, Iowa State-Iowa and Texas Tech-Oregon State. For the write-ups, we'll focus on top players and value picks for games that overlap both sites. However, check out our specific DraftKings and FanDuel core plays below, including the Ohio State-Texas pieces that are FanDuel-exclusive this week.

CFB DFS Lineups: Top Plays

Kamario Taylor, QB, Mississippi State

DK: $8,300 | FD: $11,200

Taylor took over as Mississippi State's full-time starter this season and made an immediate statement, throwing for 354 yards and four touchdowns while adding 59 yards and a rushing score in a 62-13 demolition of Louisiana-Monroe. Now he heads to Minnesota for a Big Ten-SEC crossover that opened with the Gophers as slight favorites before the line moved toward Mississippi State earlier this week, with the total sitting around 55.5 as of midweek (check current numbers on game day). Minnesota's defense is solid but has already shown it will give up plenty of short-to-midrange throws, and Taylor's dual-threat profile makes him a top play on both sites in a game that projects to be a shootout.

Nate Sheppard, RB, Duke

DK: $8,200 | FD: $10,600

Sheppard was a workhorse in Duke's Week 1 win over Tulane, carrying 35 times for 227 yards and two touchdowns behind stout defense in a 17-3 result. He's the highest-salaried running back on both sites this week, and the price tag is earned given that volume. Illinois enters with a brand-new defensive coordinator in Bobby Hauck running a 3-3-5 look that struggled against downhill running in Week 1, allowing UAB to rush for 194 yards on 48 carries. That profile plays right into Duke's power run game, making Sheppard a premium, bell-cow option in cash games and GPPs alike.

Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State

DK: Not in DK player pool (Ohio State-Texas is FanDuel-exclusive this week) | FD: $10,500

Ohio State's star junior has been nearly unstoppable over the past two seasons, leading the nation in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches since he arrived on campus, but Texas is the one team that has held him in check, limiting him to a combined seven catches for 46 yards and no touchdowns across two meetings. That storyline, paired with a marquee primetime setting and a Texas secondary that will get all of the attention, makes Smith one of the highest-ceiling plays on the entire slate for FanDuel rosters. Just note that this one won't be usable on DraftKings, since Ohio State-Texas isn't part of DK's 12-game main.

Mason Heintschel, QB, Pitt

DK: $7,600 | FD: $10,800

Heintschel's Week 1 line needs to be seen to be believed: 453 yards and seven touchdown passes without an interception in a 59-14 rout of Miami (OH), spreading the ball to seven different receivers in the process. UCF's defense is at its best in the secondary, which could make life tougher than Miami (OH) did, but the Knights also have to worry about stopping the run, and Pitt's up-tempo attack should still generate plenty of volume in what's expected to be a back-and-forth, high-possession affair. Heintschel offers some of the best stacking equity on the board this week.

CFB DFS Lineups: Value Plays

Katin Houser, QB, Illinois

DK: $7,400 | FD: $10,300

The Michigan State and East Carolina transfer posted the highest QBR in the country in Week 1, completing 13 of 17 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns (plus a rushing score) in a 42-23 win over UAB, including a 54-yard Hail Mary to end the first half. Duke's pass rush will need to get home to slow him down, and Illinois' offensive line didn't allow a sack in the opener. At a discount compared to the QBs above, Houser is a strong value option in a game that projects to lean pass-heavy for the Illini.

Darius Taylor, RB, Minnesota

DK: $7,800 | FD: $8,400

Taylor scored three touchdowns on just 14 carries in Minnesota's 59-7 rout of Eastern Illinois, and he's the engine of P.J. Fleck's offense when healthy. Mississippi State's defense was actually stout in its own opener, holding Louisiana-Monroe to just 138 rushing yards and 278 total yards under new coordinator Zach Arnett, so this is a tougher run-game matchup than a first glance at the schedule suggests. Even so, Taylor's receiving work keeps his role diversified regardless of box counts, and his salary sits well below the Nate Sheppards and Kamario Taylors of the world on both sites, making him one of the better points-per-dollar plays at the position in a game that still projects to be one of the highest-scoring on the slate.

Collin Dixon, WR, Illinois

DK: $5,500 | FD: $8,600

Illinois' senior captain opened the year with six catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns against UAB, clearly established as Katin Houser's top target after their connection had months to develop since Houser arrived in January. Duke's defense held up well against Tulane in Week 1 but hasn't had to deal with a passing attack like Illinois' yet, and Dixon's volume and red-zone role make him a cheap, productive piece on DraftKings and a strong price relative to his role on FanDuel.

Dierre Hill Jr., RB, Oregon

DK: $7,100 | FD: $6,400

Hill is the clear No. 2 back in Oregon's rotation behind Jordon Davison right now, as the pair combined for 22 carries and 126 yards in the opener against Boise State with Davison handling 12 of those totes for 90 yards and a score. That timeshare is exactly why Hill is priced a full tier below Davison on both sites (and notably cheaper on FanDuel), but he led the Big Ten in yards per carry as a true freshman a year ago, and Oregon-Oklahoma State projects as one of the highest-scoring games on the entire slate. In a track meet like this one, touches tend to go around, and Hill's price makes him an easy pivot off the more expensive Oregon backfield piece.

Jamari Johnson, TE, Oregon

DK: $4,500 (WR-flex eligible) | FD: $6,600 (TE/WR-flex eligible)

Johnson is technically a tight end, but he's flex-eligible at WR on DraftKings and both TE and WR on FanDuel, and he was the first Duck to find the end zone in the opener, hauling in a 27-yard touchdown from Dante Moore right before halftime to go with a 22-yard gain on the drive before it. With Jeremiah McClellan and Dakorien Moore drawing the top cornerback attention, Johnson's red-zone role in an offense that projects to score a bunch against Oklahoma State makes him one of the cheapest touchdown-equity plays on the board.

Core CFB DFS Lineup Picks: QBs, RBs & WRs

The tables below break down the Week 2 player pool by salary tier on each site. Use them alongside the write-ups above to round out cash lineups and GPP builds.

DraftKings

FanDuel