Week 1 action continues with a Sunday Showdown featuring Notre Dame against Florida State, and DraftKings and FanDuel have great contests for this slate of games. This CFB DFS breakdown will look at each team and provide information about each skill position player of note within the contest. Make sure to check out our projections, depth charts and datasheets for more information. Also check out the Awesemo YouTube channel for more CFB DFS picks and tips from myself and Ben Rasa. With that said, let’s dive into the first iteration of the college football DFS picks for Sunday’s matchups.
College Football DFS: Week 1 Sunday CFB Picks
Notre Dame vs. Florida State
Notre Dame (31.5 Implied Total)
Plays/Game – 74.3 (38th)
Pass Rate – 43.39% (88th)
Notre Dame is a moderate favorite with continuity among the coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees returns, and while Notre Dame prefers a run-heavy approach, they play uptempo and ranked 38th in plays per game last year. However, Notre Dame replaces a lot of production, with only three returning starters on offense and six on defense. This includes a completely revamped offensive line.
Quarterback Jack Coan ($15,900) transfers in from Wisconsin. In his career with the Badgers Coan was a game manager, with a 68% completion percentage and 7.5 yards per attempt. He is not very mobile, with -11 cumulative yards rushing in his career. He also plays on a run-first team behind an inexperienced offensive line.
Notre Dame returns All-Conference rusher Kyren Williams ($14,700). Williams dominated the Notre Dame backfield, with 211 carries for 1,125 yards and 35 receptions for 313 yards. He is an excellent play, but the Irish will not hesitate to rest Williams on occasion when they play with a lead. This makes backups Chris Tyree ($10,200), C’Bo Flemister ($3,900) and potentially even Audric Estime ($1,500) viable in certain roster constructions. Tyree carried 73 times as the primary backup, but Flemister also saw 58 carries. Estime is an incoming four-star freshman and the No. 14 running back in the 2021 class.
Notre Dame’s top returning pass catcher is athletic sophomore tight end Michael Mayer ($11,400). Mayer ranked second on the team in receiving, with 42 catches for 450 yards. The starting receivers will be Braden Lenzy ($8,100), Avery Davis ($10,800) and Kevin Austin ($6,300). Davis will play primarily in the slot and ranked fourth on the team in receiving last year, catching 24 passes for 322 yards. Lenzy ranked eighth, while Austin struggled through injury and caught just one pass. Expect Lawrence Keys ($5,400) and Joe Wilkins ($7,200) to rotate in on occasion. Mayer is the top pay-up option, with Lenzy and Austin providing more value.
Notre Dame returns their kicker Jonathan Doerer ($6,000). With the higher implied team total, Doerer is a solid option for Showdown contests.
Florida State (24 Implied Total)
Plays/Game – 73.2 (47th)
Pass Rate – 49.49% (45th)
Florida State also has rare continuity among the coaching staff, particularly on offense where they return Kenny Dillingham at OC. Unlike Notre Dame, Florida State brought back 10 starters on offense and seven on defense. This includes their entire offensive line, with 100 career starts among the group.
At quarterback Florida State landed McKenzie Milton ($15,600) as a transfer from UCF. He was listed as co-starters with Jordan Travis ($15,000). Travis is an electric rusher, running for over 500 yards last year, but he only completed 55% of his passes for 1,056 yards. Milton has not played since suffering a devastating knee injury at the tail end of 2018. When healthy, he completed 61.8% of his passed for 8.5 yards per attempt. He also rushed for at least 300 yards in both his seasons as a full-time starter. The injury will be Milton’s biggest obstacle moving forward.
At running back Florida State listed two starters in Jashaun Corbin ($12,000) and Lawrance Toafili ($9,600). They also have solid depth with Auburn transfer D.J. Williams ($3,600) and Treshaun Ward ($2,700) rotating in situationally. Corbin carried 81 times for 401 yards and caught 19 passes for another 115. Toafili only carried 37 times, but he rushed for 356 yards, averaging an absurd 9.6 yards per carry. These two will form a committee, making Toafili a better price-adjusted play.
At receiver they secured a solid transfer from Kansas in Andrew Parchment ($6,600). He will start alongside Ontaria Wilson ($13,200) and Keyshawn Helton ($8,700). Wilson led the team with 30 catches for 382 yards last year. Parchment’s biggest season came in 2019, where he caught 65 passes for 831 yards with Kansas. Camren McDonald ($4,500) will hold down the tight end position and looks like a decent, cheaper dart throw. He ranked third on the team in receiving, with 23 catches for 263 yards. Florida State will also rotate receivers, with players like Kentron Poitier ($1,500), Ja’Khi Douglas ($2,100) and Malik McClain ($3,000) playing situational roles. With Wilson coming in expensive, potentially looking at a cheaper option in Parchment or McDonald could make sense.
Florida State held a kicker battle between Parker Grothaus ($5,700) and Ryan Fitzgerald ($5,700). Fitzgerald narrowly won the job, but Florida State used both kickers at times last year, making them riskier options today.
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