College Football DFS Playbook & Core Plays: Week 0 Main Slate Top DraftKings & FanDuel CFB DFS Picks
The 2022 college football season is finally here and we're back to break down the Week 0 CFB DFS main slate on Saturday. Check out all of the CFB DFS top plays below as you build those college football daily fantasy lineups. Since we don't have many big-name players or power conference programs in action, there are plenty of ways to go when building college football DFS lineups. Saturday's Week 0 main slate kicks off at 12 pm ET and you can build CFB DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. This playbook focuses on the main slate of games, but be sure to keep an eye out for a breakdown of the night slate too. 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 0 or beyond, ask away in the Fantasy Alarm Discord chat all the way until lineup lock. Without further ado, let's get into the CFB DFS top plays for Week 0 college football.
College Football Week 0 Betting Odds
- 12 pm ET – Austin Peay at Western Kentucky (-27) – 66 O/U
- 12:30 pm ET – Nebraska (-13) vs. Northwestern – 50 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Idaho State at UNLV (-21.5) – 52 O/U
- 4 pm ET – Wyoming at Illinois (-11) – 44 O/U
- 4 pm ET – UConn at Utah State (-27) – 60 O/U
- 5 pm ET – Duquesne at Florida State (-38.5) – 56.5 O/U
- 7 pm ET – Charlotte at Florida Atlantic (-7) – 59 O/U *FD ONLY*
College Football Week 0 Implied Team Totals
- Florida State – 48
- Western Kentucky – 46.5
- Utah State – 43.5
- UNLV – 36.25
- Florida Atlantic – 33.5
- Nebraska – 31.5
- Illinois – 27.5
- Charlotte – 26.5
- Austin Peay – 19.5
- Northwestern – 18.5
- Wyoming – 16.5
- UConn – 16.5
- Idaho State – 15.75
- Duquesne – 8.5
CFB DFS Quarterbacks Week 0
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Austin Reed | WKU | APSU | 9000 | 33.5 | 11700 | |
| With Bailey Zappe off to the NFL, in comes Austin Reed to lead the pass-happy and high-scoring Western Kentucky offense. Zappe was a CFB DFS stud any time he was on the slate last year and Reed should follow suit starting this week. The WKU offense averaged 44.2 points, 433.7 passing yards, and 5.3 pass TDs per game in 2021. Though Reed doesn’t profile to be as good as Zappe, he should put up a big stat line against Austin Peay’s FCS-level defense. Fade at your own risk in all formats. | ||||||
| Jordan Travis | FSU | DUQ | 8800 | 22.04 | 11200 | 21.14 |
| At his best, Jordan Travis can be the best DFS QB on any slate because of his dual-threat upside. He had 100+ rushing yards in three of the six games where he played the bulk of QB snaps last season. This year, Travis is Florida State’s clear starter and he gets an easy matchup against Duquesne to kick things off. The only worry is the blowout factor as FSU should win big and may rest starters in the second half – which may have people staying away in cash. | ||||||
| Casey Thompson | NEB | NW | 7200 | 18.27 | 9600 | 17.44 |
| The Texas transfer is now the starter in Nebraska and he could be in line for a huge season after showing flashes a year ago. The Cornhuskers offense should take a big step forward with former Pitt OC Mark Whipple now running the attack. We’re not saying Thomspon will put up Kenny Pickett-type numbers, but he could easily outperform his price tag on both sites. With Nebraska as double-digit favorites over Northwestern, we may see Thompson throw for 300+ yards and multiple TDs with similar DFS points to Reed, Travis or Bonner priced above him. | ||||||
| Chris Reynolds | CHAR | FAU | 8600 | 21.46 | ||
| If you’re playing on FD, don’t overlook Reynolds at his price point. The Charlotte QB showed the upside of 30+ DFS points multiple times last season and he’ll be in a tight, higher-scoring matchup here with FAU. Reynolds could be a nice GPP option as he’ll be lower rostered compared to other QBs in action. | ||||||
| Harrison Bailey | UNLV | IDS | 4500 | 7.44 | 7500 | 7.44 |
| Simply put, Bailey is way too cheap on DK and should be a lock for your Super-Flex if he’s announced as the starter. The Tennessee transfer is listed as a co-starter with Doug Brumfield on the UNLV depth chart and the head coach said he won’t reveal the starter until game time. So, unfortunately, we may not know if Bailey is the guy until warmups or shortly before this 3:30 pm ET kickoff. If he’s starting, then the savings on DK are hard to pass up with UNLV as big favorites over FCS school Idaho State. | ||||||
Other QBs to Consider:
- Logan Bonner – Utah State ($8,600 DK / $10,600 FD) – GPP if starting
CFB DFS Running Backs Week 0
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Calvin Tyler Jr. | UTST | UCONN | 8100 | 13.12 | 10000 | 11.17 |
| On the surface, Tyler should be a slam-dunk play as the lead RB for a team that’s expected to light up the scoreboard in a soft matchup against UConn. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect 100+ rushing yards, a TD or two, and 20-25 DFS points for Tyler – which would make him tough to fade even as the highest-priced RB. Still, the blowout factor is in play here and it could result in Tyler not living up to the price tag. Expect him to be popular in cash either way, but you can look elsewhere for GPPs. | ||||||
| Chase Brown | IL | WYO | 7900 | 17.07 | 8800 | 15.17 |
| Brown is back as Illinois’ lead RB after being a workhorse at times last season. There were some weeks where he saw 25-30 carries and racked up big yardage totals, like his 223 rush yds vs. Penn State. That proven ceiling makes him an attractive GPP play on this slate, especially if he’s being fed carries in the second half as Illinois is a double-digit home favorite against Wyoming. Still, the low-total game environment and inconsistent play week-to-week a year ago keeps him in GPP range instead of cash territory. | ||||||
| Treshaun Ward | FSU | DUQ | 6100 | 9.93 | 9000 | 8.93 |
| After backing up Jashaun Corbin last year, Treshaun Ward is in line to be FSU’s lead back this season. The Seminoles also have Lawrance Toafili and Trey Benson who should be involved in the backfield, but Ward is expected to be the top option. The price differential of Ward between the sites is pretty wild and makes him an attractive option in all formats on DK. The only worry with Ward and the rest of FSU’s starters is how much they produce DFS-wise before getting pulled in a blowout win over Duquesne. Before he exits, though, Ward may already have 20-30 DFS points. | ||||||
| Rahmir Johnson | NEB | NW | 5400 | 12.42 | 5300 | 12.37 |
| Unfortunately for us DFS folk, the Nebraska backfield is expected to be split to start the season with multiple guys in the mix. There’s a real chance that Anthony Grant, Rahmir Johnson, Gabe Ervin Jr., Jaquez Yant, and Ajay Allen will all see the field at some point this week. That’s the last thing we want to hear for fantasy purposes. Until we see how the workload shakes out among them, Johnson is the best DFS option at his price point compared to the others. He’s the best pass-catching back on the team and is the top returning RB from last year’s squad. Johnson will likely have the same amount of touches as Grant but is a lot cheaper – though limit to GPP. | ||||||
| Larry McCammon III | FAU | CHAR | 5200 | 2.54 | ||
| Your first instinct might be to target Johnny Ford in the FAU backfield, and the higher price tag would suggest that as well. However, Larry McCammon is listed as the starting RB on the Owls’ depth chart after his impressive camp. It appears McCammon will be the early-down back in the offense while Ford could be the pass-catching/third-down guy. Considering the $3,100 price differential between the two on FD, the value with McCammon is clear. | ||||||
| Aidan Robbins | UNLV | IDS | 3300 | 10.1 | 7300 | 10.10 |
| On DraftKings, expect Robbins to be extremely chalky in cash games. The Louisville transfer is listed as the starting RB on UNLV’s depth chart and is basically min-price on DK. Then you consider how UNLV should have the lead early and often against Idaho State, which could lead to plenty of rushing work for Robbins. Even if he busts, everyone will be rostering him in cash games. | ||||||
Other RBs to Consider:
- Anthony Grant – Nebraska ($6,700 DK / $6,900 FD) – high-upside GPP play until we see how the backfield shakes out
- Titus Swen – Wyoming ($6,000 DK / $7,800 FD) – GPP, could see a ton of volume but the offense could struggle overall on the road vs. Illinois as double-digit dogs
CFB DFS Wide Receivers Week 0
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Malachi Corley | WKU | APSU | 7600 | 13.04 | 9500 | 10.91 |
| Corley is Western Kentucky’s top returning pass-catcher with Jerreth Sterns and Mitchell Tinsley gone. He had 73 receptions, 691 yards and seven TD last season and should be a top target for new QB Austin Reed. Even though he’s the most expensive WR on both sites, Corley will likely be popular in cash as the top wideout on a pass-heavy offense like WKU. You can pair Corley with Reed pretty easily on this slate with so much value elsewhere. | ||||||
| Grant DuBose | CHAR | FAU | 8700 | 13.58 | ||
| If you’re going with Reynolds at QB on FanDuel, then Grant DuBose is the best option from Charlotte’s receiving corps to pair in GPPs. He was the team’s leading WR last season and should continue in that role again in 2022. This game vs. FAU could be sneaky good for DFS on the FD slate with a one-score spread and a total around 60. You can also look at Victor Tucker as a cheaper avenue to Charlotte’s receiving production. | ||||||
| Mycah Pittman | FSU | DUQ | 7500 | 4.53 | 6800 | 3.70 |
| The Oregon transfer is expected to be Florida State’s top receiver now and he makes for an attractive pairing with Jordan Travis in DFS. Although he never did much at Oregon last year, Pittman will likely be one of FSU’s top playmakers on offense. If you want a cheaper WR from FSU, you can look at Malik McClain or Johnny Wilson on both sites. Pittman, though, is the only starting WR without an “OR” designation on the depth chart and he’s also the team’s top kick/punt returner – which should tell us something about how much the team values his playmaking ability. On FD, Pittman is a value compared to other top wideouts on the slate. | ||||||
| Trey Palmer | NEB | NW | 6200 | 8.24 | 8300 | 6.29 |
| We mentioned above with Casey Thompson how the Nebraska passing offense should be better with Mark Whipple in town. Remember that stud WR at Pitt last season in the Whipple offense? Does Jordan Addison ring a bell? Well, apparently Trey Palmer will be playing the Addison role for Nebraska as a versatile playmaker out of the slot. If that’s the case, then the LSU transfer won’t be $6200 on DK for long and his FD price tag is well worth it. On FD, you can consider Omar Manning for the savings as a pairing with Thompson too. | ||||||
| Brian Cobbs | UTST | UCONN | 6000 | 4.9 | 6700 | 3.62 |
| The Utah State WR corps is a big unknown as to how the workload will shake out. Last year, it was Deven Thompkins headlining with Brandon Bowling and Derek Wright doing plenty behind him as all three had big statistical seasons. We now have Justin McGriff as the top returning pass-catcher with those guys gone, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be the leading receiver. Local reporters think it could be Brian Cobbs, a Maryland transfer who should take on a ton of the receiving production left by Thompkins/Bowling/Wright. He’s at a pretty nice price tag on both sites. | ||||||
| Ricky White | UNLV | IDS | 5100 | 0 | 6900 | 11.10 |
| White, a Michigan State transfer, has reportedly been uncoverable in camp and looks poised to be UNLV’s best receiver this year after not playing last season. He really shouldn’t be so much cheaper than Kyle Williams on both sites and it should make him more popular in cash. Interestingly, White has a connection to Harrison Bailey as the two played together in high school. If Bailey is starting, he may look White’s way early and often. | ||||||
| Daewood Davis | WKU | APSU | 4800 | 12.11 | 7800 | 11.19 |
| Considering how often the Hilltoppers’ offense throws the ball and how many points they’re expected to score, multiple WKU pass-catchers should return value in DFS lineups this weekend. We mentioned Corley above as the top option, but any of Jaylen Hall, Michael Mathison, Joshua Simon and Daewood Davis could easily end up with the best stat line. As for Davis, he’s way too cheap on DK and should be popular in cash. There are a ton of targets and receiving yards up for grabs with WKU’s top two receivers gone from last year’s squad. Davis is one of those who’s expected to take a step forward. | ||||||
| Drae McCray | APSU | WKU | 4700 | 17.62 | 7500 | 24.30 |
| Rostering players on massive underdogs is always a risky proposition, but there’s always someone on the bad teams worth playing. In Austin Peay’s offense, McCray is really the only guy to consider. We know the team will be trailing pretty much the whole game and passing a ton, so at least that helps the receivers. McCray was Austin Peay’s top WR last year and he could see enough receiving volume to return value on DK at sub-5k. | ||||||
| Keelan Marion | UCONN | UTST | 4600 | 10.84 | 6100 | 7.31 |
| Speaking of rostering playing on huge underdogs, here we have a wide receiver from UConn. We could just copy-and-paste from above because Keelan Marion’s situation is very similar to McCray. As for Marion, he was UConn’s top receiver last year as a true freshman and could see a ton of targets with his team trailing early and often against Utah State. Plus, he’ll be even more important to the Huskies offense now that Cameron Ross is out for the season. On FD, the price differential from McCray to Marion is very notable if you want to go that route. | ||||||
| Kyle Van Leeuwen | UTST | UCONN | 4200 | 3.58 | 5500 | 2.58 |
| If you want cheap exposure to the Utah State offense, Van Leeuwen is the guy to target. He’s expected to be the starting slot receiver and be a top target for QB Logan Bonner this year. Even though the Utah St depth chart lists three guys with “OR” designations at the slot, Van Leeuwen has been making plays in practice and scrimmages and reporters say he’s the guy. Van Leeuwen is expected to take on a much bigger pass-catching role after not doing much last year while sitting behind Thompkins, Bowling and Wright. He’s a big bargain on both sites. | ||||||
| Marcus Washington | NEB | NW | 3800 | 8.67 | 6000 | 6.96 |
| While Palmer and Manning are the headliners in the Nebraska WR corps, Washington should not go overlooked. The Texas transfer already has a connection with Casey Thomspon and could easily be a favorite target of the Cornhuskers' new QB early on because of their familiarity. Two of Thompson’s best games last year at Texas also featured big games by Washington, who had seven catches for 70 yards one week followed by five grabs for 100 yards and two TDs just two games later. He’s way too cheap on DK at sub-4k and might be popular in cash. | ||||||
Other WRs to Consider:
- Omar Manning – Nebraska ($6,900 DK / $7,100 FD) – GPP, better play on FD
- Justin McGriff – Utah State ($6,800 DK / $7,100 FD) – GPP, better play on FD
- Jaylen Hall – Western Kentucky ($6,600 DK / $7,000 FD) – GPP, better play on FD
- Michael Mathison – Western Kentucky ($5,600 DK / $6,600 FD) – Cash
- Johnny Wilson – Florida State ($4,100 DK / $6,300 FD) – Cash on DK, just GPP on FD
- NyNy Davis – Utah State ($3,900 DK / $4,300 FD) – GPP/Cash, should be the 4th WR at times out of slot
- Deuce Spann – Florida State ($3,200 DK / $4,500 FD) – GPP, could see more snaps in blowout
CFB DFS Core Plays
DraftKings Cash:
- Austin Reed – Western Kentucky ($9,000)
- Daewood Davis – Western Kentucky ($4,800)
- Aidan Robbins – UNLV ($3,300)
FanDuel Cash:
- Jordan Travis – Florida State ($11,200)
- Chase Brown – Illinois ($8,800)
- Larry McCammon III – FAU ($5,200)
DraftKings GPP:
- Calvin Tyler Jr. – Utah State ($8,100)
- Trey Palmer – Nebraska ($6,200)
FanDuel GPP:
- Rahmir Johnson – Nebraska ($5,300)
- Mycah Pittman – Florida State ($6,800)
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