CFB DFS: We are finally set to kickoff the 2019 College Football season with two games getting us started on Saturday night. Although it isn’t a full slate and technically we are treating it as “Week 0.” We still have two games to breakdown from both a betting and DFS perspective. This article is going to focus on the games themselves, including college football odds and a CFB Picks for DraftKings and FanDuel.
Looking for more CFB content? Check out our season previews below!
5 Big Questions for the 2019 Season
Miami vs Florida 7 PM EST ESPN : Florida -7 (ML -300) , O/U 47
Arizona at Hawaii 10:30 PM EST CBSSN : Arizona -11 (ML -425) , O/U 73.5
As you can see this two game slate wasn’t created equal as the Hawaii Arizona game has a total that is 73.5 while the Miami and Florida game is 26 points less sitting at 47. Clearly we are going to want to target more from the late game as the expected shootout should mean a ton of production and fantasy value up for grabs.
** There has been some talk about Florida possibly announcing suspensions right before kickoff so make sure to keep an eye on any late breaking news **
Quarterbacks
Khalil Tate is going to have as high of ceiling as anyone in the country this year if he is healthy, as his dual threat ability make him able to destroy teams in multiple ways. He comes in at 9k on DraftKings , while Hawaii’s Cole McDonald is right behind him at 8.8k. In the other game we have Felipe Franks at 7.2k for Florida, while Jarren Williams is your cheapest option at 6.1k.
McDonald is the safest play on the board as he is going to most likely be playing catchup, and with the lack of running game will be involved in any success Hawaii has tonight. Franks is going to be working behind a shaky offensive line, but has some experience while Jarren Williams draws the worst matchup and is a complete wildcard making him a very risky play. As I mentioned Tate’s ceiling is higher due to the rushing upside, and its not surprising that the two QB’s from the high total game make for the best targets under center.
Running Backs
One of the main differences between CFB and NFL DFS is that many college teams don’t utilize their running backs in pass catching roles which makes it incredibly valuable if we can target a back who can grab a couple of receptions raising that floor. J.J Taylor from Arizona is the top RB on the slate coming in at 7.7k on DraftKings and should be in line for a lot of work tonight. He only caught 16 passes last year, but rushed for nearly 1500 yards so the workload is secure and points are to be put up against this Hawaii defense.
Lamical Perine comes in at 6.2k and should also be in line for a lot of work as Florida is the most run happy team on this two game slate. The Florida backfield is a little deeper than most with Malik Davis and Dameon Pierce both quality backs and both should get some work in this game , especially if Florida gets the lead and really controls the clock.
Miami’s DeeJay Dallas at a reasonable 5.8k is also in play as he should be relied on with the Freshman QB being under center and that could mean some easy check downs to Dallas making his floor pretty secure. Hawaii really doesn’t run the ball enough for me to have any interest in Furuta or Holly so I’ll probably pass on target them.
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Wide Receivers
Not a surprise given how much Hawaii throws the ball but we have Cedric Byrd at 6.9k and JoJo Ward at 6k leading off the WR options on this slate. Both guys should see a ton of work from McDonald and really any pass catcher from Hawaii is in play with the way they run their offense so don’t be afraid to try and save salary with guys like Sharsh or Smart who are further down their depth chart.
From Arizona we have 5.9k Cedric Peterson projected as their top pass catcher and Tate’s favorite weapon, but after that it gets a little dicey. Arizona has a lot of bodies they can utilize in their second and third pass catching role so I wouldn’t look to guys like Casteel or Drew Dixon outside of tournament plays that have some upside if they get the targets.
Like both other positions we see the Florid and Miami players trailing behind, but I will say there are some interesting names to look at for pass catcher in this game. Van Jefferson at 5.1k for Florida should be Franks favorite target as he led the team in receptions last year. Florida does have a lot of guys that should see targets, and going against a Miami secondary that has more questions than answers could make for a quality spot for someone like Grimes or Swain to return value off a cheap price tag. For Miami the Freshman QB and the elite Florida secondary make it tough to target Jeff Thomas or Osborn and I will most likely stay away from them on the whole. You don’t need a tight end, but if you do want one Miami’s Brevin Jordan would be the place to go.
Final Thoughts
Its awesome to have College Football DFS back in business , but a two game slate doesn’t give us a ton to work with. Add in that one game clearly is the spot to target in Hawaii vs Arizona and you have a situation where its difficult to differentiate without being stupid. We do have a lot of unknowns with this being the first game of the year for all these teams so pairing up these top QB’s with some of the pass catchers that are down the depth chart could be the way to go in large field tourneys in the hope they get some targets and opportunities.
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Good Luck everyone!
