College Football DFS: Friday Slate Week 1

Today we'll be tackling the seven-game DFS slate for Friday as the college football season swings into high gear.  For those of you new to CFB DFS, there are some significant format differences between college and NFL game play.  A detailed summary of those differences can be found here.

To begin, let's have a look at what Vegas is telling us about Friday's slate.

Utah State at Wake Forest (-3)  O/U: 60

Wisconsin (-13) at South Florida O/U: 58.5

Tulsa at Michigan State (-23.5)   O/U: 47.5

Massachusetts at Rutgers (-15.5)  O/U: 65.5

Colorado State at Colorado(-13.5) O/U: 65.5

Purdue(-11) at Nevada O/U: 58.5

Oklahoma State  (-14) at Oregon State O/U: 72

I'm going to take a cue from the numbers and limit my exposure to the Tulsa-Michigan State matchup.  Although the margin is a little wider than I'd like, the Oklahoma State-Oregon State O/U line beats the other matchups by a mile, so my aim will be to search for value in that game.

Quarterback

Although I'd love to pluck an Oklahoma State Cowboy from the list, I have to stay away despite Spencer Sanders' chart-topping price.  Coach Mike Gundy still hasn't officially made up his mind between Sanders and Dru Brown, and I expect both guys to see action on Friday. That's too much variance for me.

Jordan Love, Utah State ($7,700 DK, $9,900) @ Wake Forest

I consider Love to be a no-brainer here, as his output is as safe as you'll find among the available QB pool. Forget that the Aggies ranked 15th in the nation in total offense last season behind Love's arm. Forget that he passed for 32 touchdowns and just six interceptions.  Just lay your eyes on Wake's atrocious defensive numbers last season, and you'll quickly see why I'd be taking Utah State and the points all the way in this one. Wake's passing defense was 128th in the nation in 2018, and I don't see any evidence that the numbers will change.

Elijah Sindelar, Purdue($6,800 DK, $7,800 FD) @ Nevada

Sindelar no longer has to worry about sharing snaps with David Blough, and we saw last year just how good the Boilermakers can be.  They boasted a Top 20 passing offense last season, and although Sindelar missed much of last season due to a leg injury, his 2017 numbers reflect a lot of potential as he directs this high-powered passing attack. Although they're ok against the run, Nevada's secondary was their Achilles heel and I expect Sindelar to have his way with the Wolf Pack defense.

Running Back

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin($9,400 DK, $10,400 FD) @ South Florida

I'm a genius, right?  Seriously, I think you'll fall behind the pace if you don't fire up Taylor in a matchup that could prove to be fairly even despite the spread.  The Heisman candidate keeps racking up 2,000-yard seasons, and this year should be no exception.  There's always a chance that this game gets out of hand, but Taylor will likely be a major catalyst in that outcome. I think we'll see over 100 yards and a couple of scores before he takes a seat.

A worthy alternative to Taylor is Oklahoma State's Chuba Hubbard ($8,100 DK, $9,700 FD) against Oregon State.  It's still anyone's guess as to who earns the mantle at QB for the Cowboys, and I expect them to lean on Hubbard, who closed out last season with a trio of 100-yard games. Oregon Stare was an abysmal 301st in the nation versus the run, which is only good news for Hubbard.  I want to give you a cheaper option, however.  Let's give you a less expensive pick to consider.

Raheem Blackshear, Rutgers ($6,900 DK, $8,800 FD) vs. Massachusetts

Rutgers is known to be a pass-first team, but one look at UMass' rushing defense numbers (295th in the nation against the run) makes you think that Blackshear will be used early and often to exploit this porous defense.  The junior also caught 44 passes out of the backfield last season, so he'll be featured in the passing attack as well. Blackshear turned in some mediocre games against worthy opponents last season, but I think that's mostly due to Rutgers' focus on the pass.

Wide Receiver

Laviska Shenault, Colorado ($8,200 DK, $10,300 FD) vs. Colorado State

This is more of a DK play as I think FanDuel overpriced him a bit, but Shenault is unquestionably worthy of a high salary. He had a great game against Colorado State last season, and looks to be 100 percent after having surgery on his toe last December. Stacking Shenault and QB Steven Montez might also be a sneaky way to go in your cash lineups if you want to fade Love and Sindelar.

Scotty Washington, Wake Forest($5,600 DK, $6,200 FD) vs. Utah State

I need to give you some cheaper picks, so I'll fall to Washington. With no Greg Dortch to compete with, I expect Washington to have a decent year.  He looked 100 percent in camp despite undergoing shoulder surgery in the offseason. He struggled with that injury for most of 2018, but we can look to his 2017 numbers (45 receptions for 711 yards) as a good indicator of his talent.  As I said before, I like Utah State in this game, and I think Wake will be playing from behind in the closing minutes. That's good news for Washington.