CFB DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks For 8/31: Saturday Playbook

It’s that time of year where the college football season has finally started this week, though it actually began last Saturday. Week 1, however, began this Thursday with some exciting games, but Saturday promises a full day of action on the field!

As I’ve mentioned previously, the changes in college football due to the transfer portal make it tough to guess how teams will do at the start of each season. I mean, just look at how close the Western Carolina vs. NC State game was for instance. A ranked team against an FCS foe was truly battle-tested right out of the gates. That’s a part of the college football appeal!

CFB DFS Picks, Daily Fantasy Playbook & Schedule: August 31st

Week 1 has arrived, and it's time to reveal our top CFB DFS picks! In this first Saturday article, I’ll highlight CFB DFS projections for the games taking place during the main August 31st slate. Thursday gave us some solid matchups, but college football really shines on Saturdays.

A few games are particularly noteworthy, so without further ado, here are my CFB DFS picks for this Saturday!

CFB DFS Lineups: Quarterbacks

Cam Ward, Miami Hurricanes

The Washington State transfer has a chance to have a monster season for the Hurricanes. He was regarded as arguably the best transfer quarterback this offseason for a reason, but he’ll be faced with a tough defense in Florida in Week 1. He’s never been much of a runner, but he very well could use his legs to extend a few plays against the Gators.

Quinn Ewers, Texas Longhorns

Heisman hopeful. Future first-round NFL Draft pick. The best player on a team that was already on the CFP a season ago. Need I go on? A great way to start this campaign would be a huge performance against a much inferior team. In fact, that may be the only thing to say regarding skepticism of Ewers for this week’s CFB DFS picks: the blowout factor.

Billy Edwards Jr., Maryland Terrapins

All aboard the Billy Edward train! I’m fully convinced that this dude is going to have double-digit rushing touchdowns this season – yes, from the QB position. He has A LOT to prove as a passer (just 55 career collegiate attempts) but the 6 rushing touchdowns on 16 carries last season can’t be denied. Tremendous value here against a team they should be able to beat.

CFB DFS Lineups: Running Backs

Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State Cowboys

On the field, in the car, it don’t matter. Ollie go fast. Coach Gundy already publicly stated that the only “punishment” for Gordon, if any, pertaining to his DUI arrest this summer would be an ungodly workload in Week 1, something we love for CFB DFS projections. And against a really good FCS opponent like South Dakota State, they just might need him to carry much of the load.

Nick Singleton & Kaytron Allen, Penn State Nittany Lions

Arguably the best RB duo in the nation this season, both Singleton and Allen had solid seasons in 2023. I know we always do this, but the expectations for Penn State are also sky-high, with most assuming that these two put up the numbers they’re more than capable of.

Week 1 is a great opportunity for just that, against a solid WVU team. They’re plenty good enough to be out in front and feeding the ground game, but the Mountaineers are good enough to where it should stay within reach throughout (AKA, no blowout!). 

I’m happy plugging either of these guys into my lineups.

LeQuint Allen, Syracuse Orange

The Orange have fairly lofty expectations this season, at least for them. Kyle McCord should be okay at quarterback but watch out for Allen to really do a ton of damage in 2024. He’s coming off a 1,000+-yard, 9-touchdown season on the ground and has a chance to improve on that with an even better offensive line – starting right with our Week 1 CFB DFS picks.

Avery Morrow, Colorado State Rams

More of a dart throw here, but Morrow has been really good when healthy in his career. But that hasn’t been all that often. He amassed 800+ rushing yards in 2022 though, and now healthy heading into this season, could be on his way to a similar campaign in 2024. Let’s take advantage while we still can.

CFB DFS Lineups: Wide Receivers

Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State Buckeyes

Another guy who’ll be drafted in the first round next April, Egbuka is the next great receiver to come out of Ohio State. The talent is obviously there, but there still remains a question about his chemistry with new starting QB Will Howard, especially in the very first game. Other than that, though, he’s borderline a must-play.

Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech Hokies

Lane is a name many college football fans may not be familiar with, but he’s done plenty enough to warrant attention. The former MTSU Red Raider had a career-high 6 touchdowns last season, his first with the Hokies. Look for him to hover around that number again this season but be closer to the 800+ yards he had in his final season with MTSU in 2022.

A.J. Henning, Northwestern Wildcats

An electric athlete, Henning knows how to make people miss with the ball in his hands. He was recruited by and played at Michigan for a reason – he’s got talent. And he can do it in both the receiving game and rushing game. He compiled 470 total yards last season and 5 touchdowns, and now starts off 2024 with a solid matchup against Miami (OH).

Tai Felton, Maryland Terrapins

See above, but new Maryland QB Billy Edwards has to prove himself as a passer. Thankfully, he’s got a phenomenal receiver at his disposal in Felton. This is a guy with over 1,000 career receiving yards and could easily wind up being Edwards’ favorite target – and quick. The value here for CFB DFS picks and Felton is tremendous if everything comes together.

TJ Sheffield, UConn Huskies

Again, rounding out with more of a dart throw, CFB DFS projections for Sheffield in this UConn offense are quite unknown as he was a Purdue Boilermaker his first four years of college. What we do know is that Sheffield is an elite athlete with elite talent, and the Huskies would be wise to use that to their advantage as soon as possible.

Core CFB DFS Lineup Picks: QBs, RBs & WRs

Quarterbacks

• Cam Ward, Miami Hurricanes
• Quinn Ewers, Texas Longhorns
• Billy Edwards Jr., Maryland Terrapins
• Alan Bowman, Oklahoma State Cowboys

Running Backs

• Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State Cowboys
• Nick Singleton, Penn State Nittany Lions
• Kaytron Allen, Penn State Nittany Lions
• LeQuint Allen, Syracuse Orange
• Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh Panthers
• Avery Morrow, Colorado State Rams

Wide Receivers

• Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State Buckeyes
• Xavier Restrepo, Miami Hurricanes
• Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech Hokies
• A.J. Henning, Northwestern Wildcats
• Tai Felton, Maryland Terrapins
• TJ Sheffield, UConn Huskies
• Gavin Bartholomew, Pittsburgh Panthers

College Football DFS Player Pool: Saturday, 8/31