College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 8/31/23

With daily fantasy football being so popular, it was only a matter of time before it translated to the college level.

FanDuel now offers college football daily fantasy contests now in most states, and there's a twist on the NFL ruleset. You select a quarterback, two running backs, three wideouts (which can include tight ends), and a "SuperFLEX" that can be any of those positions.

Finding target data for pass-catchers in college can be difficult, so finding out which players are on the field and getting work can make all the difference. Naturally, there are also more lopsided outcomes in college, so balance game scripts appropriately! Your running back's monstrous first half could lead to a bagel in the second.

This Thursday slate has a few ranked (or fringe-ranked) schools and elite fantasy players, so let's give it a whirl. After all, it's almost Labor Day weekend, and college football is back. Now is the time to move!

Note: All stats are from PFF.com. All tables are sortable by any category.

The Slate

This slate has three semi-competitive games with totals below 50 points and a projected blowout with the largest total (56.5). That makes the four about equally valuable -- except for one squad.

That's the Kent State Golden Flashes, who were decimated by the transfer portal and might have a hard time keeping pace with the Central Florida Knights despite UCF's known defensive woes.

In the game of the day, the Florida Gators travel to the Utah Utes in a rematch of last year's Week 1 barnburner, but both teams will have different QBs than we saw last year in Gainesville.

A new-look North Carolina State Wolfpack offense will have a road test against the Connecticut Huskies to open 2023, and Matt Rhule's Nebraska Cornhuskers are also headed for what is likely a defense-first battle against P.J. Fleck's Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Quarterbacks

Key Takeaways

• The single most important news to digest is that Utah's Cam Rising ($9,500) is not expected to play on Thursday. The dual-threat signal-caller would have been excellent value at a sub-$10,000 salary.
  • The Utes are to be avoided at QB with Bryson Barnes ($6,000) and Nate Johnson ($6,000) expected to alternate in his place.
• Averaging 77.4 rushing yards per game last year, John Rhys Plumlee ($12,400) has more stable production than a normal quarterback in a blowout. He's still a solid option.
• Brennan Armstrong ($10,500) has transferred from the Virginia Cavaliers to the Wolfpack, and perhaps the change of scenery can return him to the QB who averaged 8.9 YPA in 2021. He dropped to 6.8 under Tony Elliott in 2022.
• Though still efficient last year (8.0 YPA), Graham Mertz ($7,000) might have more upside if asked to throw more at Florida than he did with the Wisconsin Badgers. Projected to trail on the road, he's tremendous value.
• Though it's unknown what type of offensive philosophy Matt Rhule will bring to Nebraska, former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets signal-caller Jeff Sims ($7,700) added 56.4 rushing yards per game on the ground last year. His improvisation could be huge against a Minnesota D that's tough to beat in structure.

Running Backs

Key Takeaways

• Minnesota's 2022 running back, Mohammad Ibrahim, led college football in carries per game (27.5), so Sean Tyler ($8,800) transferred in from the Western Michigan Broncos to join the fun. He averaged 17.3 last year at WMU, so expect another monstrous RB role from the Gophers in 2023.
• Last year, RJ Harvey ($9,500) split reps with Isaiah Bowser, but he's the one-man show in Orlando now. He's still at risk to be vultured by Plumlee at the goal line, but his salary is forgiving with the opportunity for multiple early scores.
  • Though I rarely target backups with late scores in mind, I imagine Johnny Richardson ($6,600) will get attention from others as a value plug.
• Anthony Grant ($7,200) was brought in by Nebraska's old regime, but he had a 61.6% rush share in 2022. It's hard to see them not leaning on the productive senior given the youth on the depth chart behind him.
• Last year, Utah was a better rush defense (58th in YPA) than pass defense (107th), but the salaries are low enough to still target Montrell Johnson Jr. ($7,800) and Trevor Etienne ($5,800) when the two soaked up a large majority of UF's snaps last year. Anthony Richardson's departure also increases their goal-line equity.
• The last offense we'd want to target is N.C. State, but Jordan Houston ($8,500) and Michael Allen ($6,800) split work fairly evenly last year. Houston earned 11.5 carries per game to Allen's 10.0. Considering salary, it's hard to not prefer the sophomore.

Wide Receivers

Key Takeaways

• UCF can basically name their score today, so that makes Kobe Hudson ($8,800) and Javon Baker ($7,800) a bit difficult to target in a run-first offense (55.5% rush-play percentage in 2022).
  • Baker (7.3 targets per game last year) earned more looks than Hudson (4.7), but the two both averaged 27.2 routes per game, and Hudson caught seven touchdowns to Baker's five.
• Likewise, Daniel Jackson ($8,000) won't get a ton of looks, but he is second on the slate in target share from last year (25.9%).
  • Only Geordon Porter ($5,100) is ahead of him, but Porter transferred from the weaker New Mexico Lobos to UConn. He's still an intriguing value play when listed atop the depth chart.
• Brennan Armstrong spread the ball around at UVA, so it's tough to know if he'll lean on anyone specifically. As salaries would indicate, senior Keyon Lesane ($7,700) is probably the favorite to do so.
• Graham Mertz is more of a traditional pocket passer, which could open up more receiving work for Ricky Pearsall ($6,600) in the slot for Florida.
  • Week 1 depth charts are a crapshoot, but Khaliel Jackson ($4,900) is also listed as their top starter outside. I'll likely avoid the perimeter guys with no reason to take that chance and save salary.
• Nebraska also appears to be trending toward a run-first approach, but Billy Kemp IV ($5,200) might try to replace Trey Palmer for Big Red. He transferred from UVA after Tony Elliott put him in the doghouse, but Kemp eclipsed 700 receiving yards with 6 touchdowns for the Cavs two years ago.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.