Ivan Herrera 
Welcome back to another exciting season of CFB! We are starting Week one action on Thursday with a big 11-game slate. There are many great matchups, but the highlight of the slate is Florida visiting Utah in a rematch of last year’s exciting matchup.
*All prices listed are for DraftKings 11-game slate. I like the players listed in my article that are part of FanDuel’s four-game slate as well, but I’ll post my notes on Discord Thursday morning for that slate specifically.
Core Plays:
The QBs:
John Rhys Plumlee (UCF) $10,600: The best and highest-priced QB on the slate. Plumlee last season had four games with over 35 DK points and then had another two with at least 22 DK. Of the 22 starting quarterbacks on the slate, Plumlee has the safest floor and the highest ceiling. Similarly to the QB I’ll talk about next, Plumlee’s team is a heavy favorite, but unlike the other QB, I don’t see the game being won by such a large margin.
Braylon Braxton (TLSA) $9,500: Braxton didn’t have the best season last year, but he did have a strong finish. In Tulsa’s last two games, Braxton scored 35.4 and 38.7 DK points, respectively. He gets a weaker Pine Bluff side that allowed 440 total yards last season. There is a slight chance Braxton doesn’t play all four quarters since Tulsa shouldn’t have too much difficulty against Pine Bluff, but in the time he is on the field, he should be producing fantasy points.
Mitch Griffis (WAKE) $8,300: Taking over the starting job from Sam Hartman, Griffis has big shoes to fill. But luckily for him, three of Wake’s top four receivers last season are still with the team, and they all had over 550 yards. Griffis only had one start last season, which was against VMI, where he threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns. His matchup against Elon should ease him into the starting role, as the Phoenix struggled to slow down the top QBs they faced last season.
The RBs:
Cam Skattebo (ASU) $5,900: My favorite RB on the slate. Skattebo is a transfer from Sacramento State. In his last game with the Hornets, Skattebo had one of the best games of his career. He ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns, as well as six catches for 76 yards. While playing at ASU will be a step up in competition, the matchup against SSU is right around the level of competition he is used to. A true freshman starting should also allow Skattebo to get more touches out of the backfield in the passing game to alleviate the pressure on the quarterback.
Jermaine Brown Jr. (UAB) $6,200: Brown Jr. is my favorite RB on the slate; the matchup against NC A&T will be rough, but Brown should be up to the challenge. Last season, Brown Jr. and McBride made UAB’s rushing attack one of the deadliest in CFB. This season, Brown Jr. will be without his partner, who moved on to the NFL. But that shouldn’t affect his ability to improve on his 948 yards and eight touchdowns. He is now going to be the main threat in the rushing attack.
Montrell Johnson/Trevor Etienne (UF) $6,700/$5,000: Going duo Gator RBs with this one. Johnson and Etienne are both back after having successful seasons last year. The two had over 115 carries last season, and I expect both of them to split carries once again this season. This matchup against Utah is a tough one, as the Utes have one of the better defenses. But these two RBs combined for 18 carries, 139 yards, and a touchdown last season when these two teams met. With Graham Mertz joining the team to replace Anthony Richardson, I fully expect the Gators to ease him into the role of quarterback by relying heavily on their two-headed monster.
The WRs:
Taylor Morin (WAKE) $6,200: Morin takes over the WR1 spot at Wake Forest after AT Perry’s move to the NFL. As the WR2 for Wake last season, Morin had 575 yards and nine touchdowns. The numbers should go up this season, especially against a team like Elon. Similarly to his QB, Morin comes with blowout potential, but like Griffis, he should put up points during his time on the field.
Xavier Townsend (UCF) $4,800: Townsend is the cheapest of the three starters listed on UCF’s depth chart. The slot receiver didn’t have the best season last year, only catching 23 passes for 127 yards. But UCF’s main receiver from 2022, O’Keefe, transferred out, so his 73 receptions from last season will be split up among the new WR core. Townsend will see an uptick over the season, and that’ll start on Thursday.
Brant Kuithe (UTAH) $3,700: Utah has a good trio of WRs: Devaughn Vele, Money Parks, and Mycah Pittman, who are all going to get opportunities for Utah on Thursday. But I like the value that Utah’s starting TE has. The Utes are one of the best schools when it comes to using their TEs. Over the past three seasons, Utah TEs have averaged 7.2 receptions and a touchdown per game.
The Pivots:
The QBs:
Darren Grainger (GAST) $7,400: The senior is in a good spot to start his final year at GAST. The dual-threat QB threw for just under 2500 yards and ran for 734 yards to go along with his 24 total touchdowns. This game should be closer than most think, so Grainger should use both parts of his game to avoid being upset by Rhode Island.
Kasim Hill (URI) $5,400: Hill is entering his third year as a Rhode Island starter after throwing for 4,862 yards and 37 touchdowns in his first two. In those two seasons, Hill faced two Division I schools and threw for 392 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception. His matchup against Georgia State should prove to be a good matchup for him, as the Panthers were ranked 74th against the pass last season.
Jaden Rashada, QB (ASU) $9,800: A true freshman making his first start at the college level. Rashada was listed as a four-star recruit on 247Sports. He’s a pocket QB, but he has the ability to become mobile if the situation calls for it. At his $9800 price, he is a risky play because we don’t know what his college floor is. But if his 3055 yards passing and 32 touchdowns his senior year are anything to go off of, he has a high ceiling.
Other QBs to consider: Brennan Armstrong (NCST) $8,900. Justin Miller, QB (SOUT) $6,000.
The RBs:
Sean Tyler (MINN) $7,300: The Western Michigan transfer is getting a great matchup to start his Gopher career. Last season with the Broncos, Tyler ran for 1027 yards and scored eight touchdowns. Nebraska’s rush defense last season gave up 189.1 yards per game, which had them ranked as the 23rd worst rush defense. The only thing that scares me in Week 1 is that Minnesota has said they’ll start the season with a committee in the backfield, so early on, Tyler may not see the carries he will later in the year.
Ja’Quinden Jackson (UTAH): $6,500: Jackson missed a lot of time last season, but when he was rolling, he was one of the top backs in CFB. He finished his last three games of the 2022 campaign with 74.1 DK points. While he is still splitting carries with Micah Bernard, the loss of starting QB Cam Rising to start the year will give both backs more carries to lower the pressure on new starter Bryson Barnes.
Other RBs to consider: RJ Harvey (UCF) $5,200. Cody Schrader (MIZZ) $7,000. Marcus Carroll (GAST) $4,500
The WRs:
Isaiah Wooden (SOUT) $3,900: Wooden is SUU’s big-play WR, as last season he averaged over 20 yards per reception. Like mentioned up top in the Rashada section, this game involves two strong passing teams playing against shaky pass defenses, so we will be seeing the ball flying all over the field.
Jalin Conyers (ASU) $4,100: The second TE on this list, Conyers can be a sneaky way to get exposure to the ASU offense. In ASU’s last five games last season, Conyers had over five receptions in four of them and scored five touchdowns as well. With a true freshman, Jaden Rashada, being named the starting QB, Conyers should be used as a big-bodied safety blanket. Conyers’ production will also be helped by ASU’s top receiver being out for the first half of the game.
Other WRs to consider: Kahtero Summers (URI)$3,900 (Summers favorite Value Play). Luther Burden lll (MIZZ) $6,800. Chris Atman-Bell (MINN) $5,000
Drago’s Best Bets:
- Kent State +35.5 vs UCF
- Minnesota -7 vs Nebraska
- Utah vs Florida Largest lead in the game under 14.5
- Utah vs Florida Ja’Quinden Jackson anytime TD
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