The Slate (Odds Via DraftKings Sportsbook)
6:00pm - North Carolina (-5.5) @ Virginia Tech – 64.5 O/U
7:00pmp - Duke (-6.5) @ Charlotte—60.5 O/U
7:00pm - Old Dominion @ Wake Forest (-32)—63 O/U
8:00pm - South Dakota @ Kansas (-13.5) – O/U- 56 O/U
9:00pm - Northern Colorado @ Colorado (-38)—56.5 O/U
9:00pm - Michigan State @ Northwestern (-3)—46 O/U
9:00pm - South Dakota State @ Colorado State (-3)—52.5 O/U
Highest Implied Team Totals
- Wake Forest- 47.5 (Old Dominion)
- Colorado- 46 (Northern Colorado)
- North Carolina- 35 (Virginia Tech)
- Kansas- 34.25 (South Dakota)
- Duke- 32.5 (Charlotte)
Quarterbacks
Sam Howell, North Carolina ($8,400)
Howell came into his own last season as he became a much more well-rounded passer and is now a Heisman-hopeful as a junior. He led the program to its highest scoring average ever at 41.7 points per game and broke passing yard records among Tar Heel sophomore quarterbacks. He put up huge numbers with 3,586 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and only seven interceptions but even more importantly, he gets better as the game goes on. Over the last two seasons he has completed 102 of 155 passes (65.8%) for 1,587 yards, 19 touchdowns and ZERO picks in the fourth quarter. UNC returns pretty much his entire offensive line and will be facing a Virginia Tech defense that had trouble stopping the pass last season with a PFF pass defense grade of 72.2. As a 5.5-point favorite in a 63-point total, expect Howell to be airing it out quite often and the most popular play at the position.
Brandon Lewis, Colorado ($6,600)
Lewis is not a household name but finds himself in a solid spot against Northern Colorado. As a freshman last season Lewis saw limited action but did impress in the Alamo Bowl where he had 95 yards passing, 73 rushing yards, and a touchdown on the ground. Last year’s starter Sam Noyer was a late transfer and Lewis found himself in the driver’s seat after JT Shrout went down with a major knee injury two weeks ago. Normally a young inexperienced quarterback like Lewis would not even be in the DFS conversation but when you are a 38-point favorite in a 56.5-point game total, and your team should be playing the entire game, you become a solid value.
Chris Reynolds, Charlotte ($5,000)
Reynolds should be back to full strength this season after tearing his labrum on the first play of the season in 2020 and playing through it for the entire year. It affected him greatly as he threw for only 1,305 yard in six games, but he has shown flashes of talent after a program-best 28 touchdown season in 2019. Reynolds can extend plays with his legs and can wing the long ball as he has gone deep (20 yards or more) on 18% of his passes in 2019 and 2020. Plus, he has his top three receivers back including one of Conference USA’s best receivers in Victor Tucker who has been leading the 49ers in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns since 2018.
Also Consider:
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest ($8,900; GPP Only)
Gunnar Holmberg, Duke ($6,300; GPP Value Play)
Running Backs
Jarek Broussard, Colorado ($7,900)
Broussard was the definition of a bell cow for Colorado last season. He carried the ball 156 times in only six games for 895 yards and five touchdowns. He had a career game against Arizona when he carried the ball 25 times for 301 yards, and we can expect nothing but good things again this year from the reigning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. Broussard is close to a cash game lock on this slate, but I may look elsewhere in GPP’s due to the blowout factor.
Ty Chandler, North Carolina ($5,200)
We know that the Tar Heels also like to run, and Michael Carter and Javonte Williams combined to average almost 7.5 yards per carry and scored 28 touchdowns last season. Both stars are gone but enter Ty Chandler from Tennessee. Chandler led the Volunteers in rushing in 2018 and 2019 and finished his four-year career with the fifth-most all-purpose yards in the program’s history. Coach Mack Brown describes him as the kind of runner that fits between Williams and Carter; a runner that can take it up inside, has good hands and has the speed to score when he gets in space. $5,200 is far too cheap for the lead runner in a program that is built for its backs to succeed and going against a rush defense that allowed 181.5 yards per game last year.
Christian Beal-Smith, Wake Forest ($6,400)
CBS is the unquestioned starter this season after Kenneth Walker and his 13 touchdowns bolted to Michigan State. Expect big things from the junior who can be a workhorse after three 100-yard games last season and leading the team with 732 yards on the ground and five scores. Wake Forest will be going up against Old Dominion, a Group of Five program that has not fielded a team in over a year and has not won a game in over two years.
Also Consider:
Mataeo Durant, Duke ($7,200)
Velton Gardner, Kansas ($5,800)
Pierre Strong, South Dakota State ($5,000)
Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State ($4,700)
Caleb Hood, North Carolina ($4,600; GPP)
Wide Receivers
Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest ($8,600)
Roberson developed into a star last season after catching 62 passes for 926 yards and eight touchdowns. The slot receiver makes for one of the most potent QB-WR combinations in the ACC with Sam Hartman. He finished the 2020 season with four straight 100-yard receiving games and five of his last six. With exceptional after-the-catch ability Roberson posted the second-best receiving grade in the entire country in 2020 only behind Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith. Blowout factor does exist here as Wake is a 32-point favorite playing a team that has not played football for nearly two years but if Old Dominion makes any kind of game of this Roberson will be the top receiver of the slate.
Dante Wright, Colorado State ($6,000)
Wright is a solid cash play at a reasonable price in a game that should be tight all four quarters. He caught at least five passes for 60 yards in each of the three games that he played in 2020 ending the season with 20 receptions, 315 receiving yards and a 35% target share. This is an electric player that is a downfield threat and has the ability to make big plays. He has averaged 8.6 yards after the catch and in 14 career games Wright has had at least five receptions in nine of them and four games over the 100-yard mark. The Rams have two of the best offensive weapons in the MWC with Wright and tight end Trey McBride and both are DFS viable.
Victor Tucker, Charlotte ($5,300)
Tucker has led the team in receptions and receiving yards every season since 2018. He averaged almost 18 yards per catch in 2019 along with 909 yards and seven touchdowns. An explosive player who has the ability to score any time that his hands touch the ball Tucker also has the third-most receptions of 15-plus yards of any receiver in C-USA since 2018. He had two huge games in 2020 when he torched WKU for 111 yards and Florida Atlantic for 118 yards and there should be more on the way in 2021 with a healthy Chris Reynolds running the offense.
Tre Goode, Charlotte ($3,000)
Goode didn’t catch a single pass last season but he finds himself listed as a starting slot receiver on the Charlotte depth chart. Any time a player is listed as a starting receiver at the minimum price, especially against a defense like Duke, it makes him a punt option to at least consider.
Also Consider:
Emery Simmons, North Carolina ($6,400)
Josh Downs, North Carolina ($7,200) GPP
Trey McBride, Colorado State ($6,300) GPP
Jalen Nailor, Michigan State ($5,000)
Antoine Green, North Carolina ($4,600)
Kody Case, South Dakota ($4,300) GPP
DraftKings Example Cash Lineup
QB - Sam Howell
RB - Ty Chandler
RB - Christian Beal-Smith
WR - Dante Wright
ALT- Antoine Green
WR - Victor Tucker
WR - Jaquarii Roberson
FLEX - Pierre Strong
ALT- Jarek Broussard
SuperFlex - Chris Reynolds
DraftKings Example GPP Lineup
QB - Sam Hartman
RB - Jarek Broussard
RB - Ty Chandler
WR - Taylor Morin
WR - Jaquarri Roberson
WR - Tre Goode
FLEX - Kenneth Walker III
SuperFlex - Chris Reynolds
FanDuel Example Cash Lineup
QB - Sam Howell
RB - Pierre Stromng
RB - Ty Chandler
WR - Dante Wright
ALT - Josh Downs
WR - Jaquarii Roberson
WR - Emery Simmons
ALT - Trey McBride
SuperFlex - Brendon Lewis
ALT - Chris Reynolds
FanDuel GPP Example Lineup
QB - Chris Reynolds
RB - Pierre Strong
RB - Jarek Broussard
WR - Emery Simmons
ALT - Tre Turner
WR - Victor Tucker
ALT - Taylor Morin
WR - Jaquarii Roberson
SuperFlex - Sam Hartman