College Football DFS Playbook & Core Plays: Week 1 Thursday Slate Top DraftKings & FanDuel CFB DFS Picks
College Football Week 1 gets underway on Thursday night with a full slate of games for our CFB DFS lineups. After getting a taste of CFB daily fantasy last weekend, we're back for more as tonight kicks off five straight days of college football games. You can build college football DFS lineups on DraftKings with their 11-game slate and for FanDuel's 7-gamer. Some top offensive teams like Tennessee, Fresno State, UCF and Wake Forest headline the action on Thursday. Remember, you can access all of our College Football DFS coverage with a Fantasy Alarm All-Pro Subscription. If you have any questions about CFB daily fantasy lineup strategy for Week 1 or beyond, ask away in the Fantasy Alarm Discord chat. Without further ado, let's get into the CFB DFS top plays for Thursday night's Week 1 college football action.
College Football Week 1 Thursday Night Betting Odds
- 7 pm ET – Ball State at Tennessee (-35.5) – 66 O/U
- 7 pm ET – Central Michigan at Oklahoma State (-21.5) – 58 O/U
- 7 pm ET – West Virginia at Pittsburgh (-7.5) – 51.5 O/U
- 7 pm ET – South Carolina State at UCF (-41) – 57.5 O/U
- 7:30 pm ET – VMI at Wake Forest (-32) – 67.5 O/U *DK ONLY*
- 8 pm ET – Louisiana Tech at Missouri (-20.5) – 61.5 O/U
- 8 pm ET – Penn State (-3.5) at Purdue – 53.5 O/U
- 8 pm ET – Eastern Illinois at Northern Illinois (-35) – 54 O/U *DK ONLY*
- 9 pm ET – New Mexico State at Minnesota (-36.5) – 53 O/U
- 10 pm ET – Northern Arizona at Arizona State (-27) – 51.5 O/U *DK ONLY*
- 10:30 pm ET – Cal Poly at Fresno State (-40.5) – 57.5 O/U *DK ONLY*
Top Implied Team Totals
- Tennessee – 50.75
- Wake Forest – 49.75
- UCF – 49.25
- Fresno State – 49
- Minnesota – 44.75
- Northern Illinois – 44.5
- Missouri – 41
- Oklahoma State – 39.75
- Arizona State – 39.25
- Pittsburgh – 29.5
- Penn State – 28.5
- Purdue – 25
- West Virginia – 22
- Louisiana Tech – 20.5
- Central Michigan – 18.25
CFB DFS Quarterbacks Week 1 Thursday
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jake Haener | FRES | CPS | 9100 | 25.2 | ||
| On the DK slate, we have Jake Haener back for another season leading the high-scoring Fresno State offense in a soft matchup. Against Cal Poly last year, Haener went off for 47 DK points with 380 passing yards and six total TDs. Fresno St should win big and we don’t have to worry about their starters being benched in a blowout as much as the power conference teams on this slate. He’s expensive, but there’s enough value to fit in Heaner with other top guys in either cash or GPP. | ||||||
| Hendon Hooker | TENN | BALL | 8900 | 25.69 | 11500 | 23.45 |
| Hooker is usually a very solid DFS QB to roster as a dual-threat who can provide that rushing floor. Since taking over as Tennessee’s starter last year, he was pretty reliable for 25-30 DFS points per week outside of a couple bad games against Florida and Georgia. Hooker and the Vols get an easy matchup against Ball State to begin the season and the starters should put up 30-40 points before getting pulled. Similar to FSU’s Jordan Travis last week, rostering Hooker comes with risk because it’s a matter of how much DFS production he provides before going to the bench. He can still give you 30 DK points in the blowout and should be popular in cash. | ||||||
| Rocky Lombardi | NIU | EASTI | 8100 | 20.71 | ||
| The Northern Illinois offense could go overlooked on the DK slate, but don’t ignore a team that’s projected to score 40+ points as massive favorites over an easy opponent. That fact alone makes Lombardi a solid play as the headliner of NIU’s attack. Not only does he bring some rushing and dual-threat ability into the mix, but Lombardi could easily toss 300+ yards with multiple scores for a healthy DFS performance. He put up 46 DK last year in his easiest matchup and may do the same here. | ||||||
| John Rhys Plumlee | UCF | SCST | 7400 | 4.95 | 10600 | 3.70 |
| After playing wide receiver for Ole Miss last year, Plumlee beat out Mikey Keane to be the starting QB at UCF. This is very intriguing for DFS purposes because of Plumlee’s legit dual-threat skillset while also being the signal-caller for a high-scoring UCF offense. When he was OIe Miss’ starting quarterback in 2019, he racked up 1,023 rushing yards and 12 rush TDs. UCF should win comfortably over SC State here and Plumlee’s upside for a big game is there, but the blowout risk also has to be considered. | ||||||
| Matthew Downing | LT | MIZZ | 5000 | 1.24 | 7600 | |
| Downing was named Louisiana Tech’s starting QB following his transfer from TCU this offseason. Even though he’s playing for a sizable underdog against an SEC program, Downing is an attractive value at his cheap price tag on both sites. Missouri’s defense was very suspect last year and Louisiana Tech is projected to score 20 points or so in this matchup – even if they do lose by double-digits. We could see Downing throwing a bunch in the second half to play catch up and these cheap prices are very affordable for the possible 20-25 DFS points. | ||||||
| Seth Morgan | VMI | WAKE | 4800 | 17.91 | ||
| Can I interest you in the QB at the Virginia Military Institute? At sub-5k on the DK slate, Seth Morgan presents a very cheap option for your Super-Flex spot in cash or GPP. We know Wake Forest will win big, but VMI is projected to score 2-3 touchdowns on its own and contribute to an over/under close to 70. If Morgan is throwing a bunch in the second half and tosses a TD or two, he could realistically reach 15-20 DK points and be a solid S-FLEX value. Plus, the Wake defense was questionable last year and likely isn’t much better. | ||||||
Other QBs To Consider:
- Mitch Griffis – Wake Forest
- Brady Cook – Missouri
- Spencer Sanders – Oklahoma State
- Aidan O'Connell – Purdue
- Daniel Richardson – Central Michigan
CFB DFS Running Backs Week 1 Thursday
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jordan Mims | FRES | CPS | 7900 | 15.42 | ||
| Mims is expensive on the DK slate, but he should have a big game as Fresno State’s clear starting RB with Ronnie Rivers now gone. In the three games where Mims was the lead back last year, he went for at least 34 DK points in each. As mentioned above with Jake Haener, the Fresno offense should have a ton of success against Cal Poly and Mims can rack up 20-30 DK points easily if he’s getting the work. | ||||||
| Jabari Small | TENN | BALL | 7500 | 14.49 | 9000 | 12.11 |
| Even in a split backfield last year, Small racked up 792 rushing yards and 9 TDs on 141 carries for a healthy 5.7 ypc. He’s expected to lead the Tennessee RBs again and should have a good game here against a poor Ball State rush defense. Like with Hooker above, the only question is how much he does before the starters hit the bench in a blowout. We may see Jaylen Wright and talented freshman Dylan Sampson get more second-half work than Small. On that note, Sampson is an interesting value play if you want to stack up Small, Wright and/or Sampson in some fashion – similar to Florida St last week. | ||||||
| Lew Nichols III | CMU | OKST | 7000 | 30.56 | 10200 | 28.01 |
| If you’re familiar with Lew Nichols at all, you know he'll surely get the rushing volume. As a workhorse last year for Central Michigan, he racked up 341 carries over 13 games for an insane 26.2 attempts per game average. He even added 40 receptions as the CMU attack looked to get him the ball as much as possible. Expect the same this season, but this matchup against OK State’s defense is a tough one. The Cowboys’s rush defense ranked 5th in the country last year and will stack the box against Nichols. The volume is nice, but it might not result in much DFS production. He’s a great GPP option though. | ||||||
| Israel Abanikanda | PITT | WVU | 6100 | 12.75 | 8000 | 11.65 |
| The Pitt running game was annoying for DFS last year in a pass-centric offense with three guys sharing carries every game. This year, the coaching staff has talked up Abanikanda like he could be one of the best RBs in the ACC and the Panthers offense is expected to feature much more running. It starts this week against a middle-of-the-road WVU defense. If he gets the volume we expect, Abanikanda could easily outperform his price tags. | ||||||
| Johnny Richardson | UCF | SCST | 5700 | 11.84 | 6600 | 11.15 |
| Richardson and Isaiah Bowser are co-starters at RB on UCF’s depth chart after they split work last year. Both bring different skill sets to the table, but Richardson’s speed and athleticism will present a huge mismatch against SC State. Bowser is way too expensive on both sites, but Richardson offers a cheaper avenue to the UCF attack and he could break off a long TD at any point. He’s the flier in GPPs if you want an RB in the mid-range. | ||||||
| Trey Potts | MINN | NMST | 5400 | 20.72 | 8500 | 18.72 |
| First off, Mohamed Ibrahim is way too expensive on both sites and isn’t worth rostering in cash. There’s a good chance Potts gets more touches and ends up with a better stat line in this game than Ibrahim, who’s coming off an Achilles injury last season. Potts is coming off an injury of his own, but all reports are good in camp. Minnesota has no reason to put Ibrahim in harm's way in what will be an easy win over New Mexico State. Potts is very affordable on DK. | ||||||
| Antario Brown | NIU | EASTI | 5000 | 11.1 | ||
| On the DK slate, Brown looks like a great value in any format if you want a piece of the NIU run game. With Jay Ducker gone, Brown and Waylee are expected to split work in the backfield after both flashed at different points last year. Honestly, both should have good games against a weak FCS defense and NIU likely having a ton of success on the ground. Brown, though, is the cheaper of the two and he was listed as the starting RB on the depth chart this week. He averaged 6.6 ypc last season and has been getting buzz in camp. Waylee is coming off an injury last year, so Brown probably ends up getting more carries in this game. | ||||||
| Cody Schrader | MIZZ | LT | 3200 | 0 | 8200 | |
| The Missouri backfield is expected to be split this season with Nathaniel Peat, Elijah Young and Cody Schrader all listed as co-starters. All are options on this slate with Mizzou being sizable favorites against a subpar LaTech rush D, but Schrader stands out as the clear value on DK. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz recently said Schrader has been the most consistent among the RBs in camp. Amazingly, he’s $8200 on FD but just $3200 on DK for an insane 5k difference. Peat dealt with a couple soft tissue injuries in camp and may not get much playing time in this opener. Meanwhile, Young is a solid play on both sites but a better value on FD compared to Schrader. | ||||||
Other RBs To Consider:
- Xazavian Valladay – Arizona State
- Elijah Young – Missouri
- Dominic Richardson – Oklahoma State
- Dylan Sampson – Tennessee
CFB DFS Wide Receivers Week 1 Thursday
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Cedric Tillman | TENN | BALL | 8500 | 21.59 | 9800 | 15.96 |
| Like Hooker and Small above, Tillman will be a huge part of the Tennessee offense this season and it starts this week with the Vols expected to post a huge total. Ball State’s secondary will struggle to cover Tillman, Jalin Hyatt and Bru McCoy all night and we should see Hooker connect with all of them plenty. The blowout risk is in play, but hopefully Tillman goes off for 100+ yards and a TD or two before he hits the bench. The Hooker-Tillman pairing could be popular in cash. | ||||||
| Jalen Cropper | FRES | CPS | 8300 | 20.66 | ||
| If you’re playing Jake Haener, then Cropper is the natural pairing to get top-end exposure to the high-scoring Fresno State offense. Cropper was regularly a favorite target of Haener’s last year and should have an even better season in 2022 with that solidified connection. Cal Poly won’t have the secondary talent to defend Cropper or the Fresno passing attack and we could see 30-40 DK points at his ceiling. Nikko Remigio at $5100 on DK is also worth a look. | ||||||
| Cole Tucker | NIU | EASTI | 7300 | 13.61 | ||
| With Trayvon Rudolph now out for the season, Cole Tucker will be the clear top target for Rocky Lombardi in this NIU offense. Tucker proved to be a reliable receiver for Lombardi a year ago and the two should connect early and often in this easy Week 1 matchup. On the DK slate, the Lombardi/tucker pairing could go overlooked but they could easily match Hooker/Tillman or Haener/Cropper in combined DFS points. | ||||||
| Smoke Harris | LT | MIZZ | 5500 | 15.42 | 7800 | 12.13 |
| As mentioned with Matthew Downing above, the Louisiana Tech passing game could be an under-the-radar source of DFS points while playing catch-up against a suspect Missouri defense. Smoke Harris is LaTech’s top receiver and he’s especially affordable on DK. Though he doesn’t usually have big yardage games, Harris is a PPR machine and could easily have 5-8 catches in this game with the offense passing a ton in the second half. The cash floor should be there for Harris. | ||||||
| Taylor Morin | WAKE | VMI | 4400 | 9.87 | ||
| A.T. Perry and Donovan Greene are the headliners in the Wake receiving corps, but Taylor Morin is too cheap on the DK slate. He could end up being a safety valve for fill-in QB Mitch Griffis with Sam Hartman out for now. Morin is expected to take a step up and fill the void left by Jaquarii Roberson in the Wake offense. He caught a TD from Griffis in a recent Wake scrimmage and could see targets early to return value this week. | ||||||
| Shemar Thornton | NIU | EASTI | 4200 | 3.85 | ||
| If you want slightly cheaper exposure to the NIU offense, look at Shemar Thornton at a very affordable price tag. The FIU transfer is expected to take on a bigger role now with Trayvon Rudolph out for the season. He’s an explosive athlete like Rudolph and will fill that playmaking void to complement Cole Tucker. Thornton could easily break the slate with a big game and a TD or two at his cheap DK price. | ||||||
| Bru McCoy | TENN | BALL | 4000 | 0 | 6500 | |
| Tennessee should score enough on a weak Ball State defense for multiple Vols to be viable DFS options. That brings us to Bru McCoy, who just received eligibility to play after transferring from USC. Though he didn’t play at all in 2021 after waiver and off-the-field issues, the talent is still very much there. McCoy will help replace the lost production of Velus Jones Jr. in the Tennessee offense and he’s way too cheap on both sites for the upside of 20+ DFS points. | ||||||
| Carlos Carriere | CMU | OKST | 3900 | 12.66 | 6200 | 10.67 |
| If the spread is correct, then Central Michigan may be passing a ton in the second half while trailing OK State. On that note, CMU’s receivers are all cheap enough to consider from a PPR aspect. As for Carriere, the Maryland transfer could step into a ton of vacated targets with Pimpleton and Sullivan gone from last year’s CMU receiving corps. Dallas Dixon is also a tad too cheap as the top returning WR from last season. | ||||||
| Javon Baker | UCF | SCST | 3500 | 7.7 | 5700 | 6.53 |
| The Alabama transfer has been making plays in camp and could see a career resurgence now that he’s at UCF. He’s way too cheap compared to the other UCF starting wideouts and can easily smash his price tags with a TD or a big game. The UCF offense should light up SC State and there will be enough scoring and offensive production to go around. Baker may not be this cheap the rest of the season and, who knows, he could end up being a favorite target for Plumlee. | ||||||
| CJ Donaldson | WVU | PITT | 3000 | 0 | 4500 | |
| This is the big wild card of the slate at min price on both sites. Also note that Donaldson is listed as a WR on DK but a RB on FD, so use the value wisely depending. WVU head coach Neal Brown has said Donaldson will be involved in the backfield, whether it’s as a runner or pass-catcher. The true freshman converted from tight end this summer and has been getting buzz in camp at his new RB position. WVU is trying to replace the workhorse Leddie Brown from last year and it sounds like it’ll be a committee effort, which makes Donaldson a value compared to Tony Mathis or Justin Johnson. Still, it’s a risky play because we have no idea what the role will be in Week 1. | ||||||
Other WRs To Consider:
- A.T. Perry – Wake Forest
- Ryan O'Keefe – UCF
- Luther Burden – Missouri
- Mitchell Tinsley – Penn State
- Nikko Remigio – Fresno State
- Jalin Hyatt – Tennessee
- Jayshon Jackson – Ball State
- John Paul Richardson – Oklahoma State
- Jared Wayne – Pittsburgh
CFB DFS Core Plays
DraftKings Cash:
- Cody Scharder – Missouri ($3,200)
- Trey Potts – Minnesota ($5,400)
- Jake Haener – Fresno State ($9,100)
FanDuel Cash:
- Hendon Hooker – Tennessee ($11,500)
- Cedric Tillman – Tennessee ($9,800)
- Javon Baker – UCF ($5,700)
DraftKings GPP:
- Lew Nichols – Central Michigan ($7,000)
- Rocky Lombardi – NIU ($8,100)
- Javon Baker – UCF ($3,500)
FanDuel GPP:
- Johnny Richardson – UCF ($6,600)
- Matthew Downing – Louisiana Tech ($7,600)
- Bru McCoy – Tennessee ($6,500)
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