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Welcome back, college football faithful! Another highly anticipated CFB season has arrived! A decent “week zero” served as a nice appetizer last weekend, and there is plenty of CFB action kicking off on Thursday and Friday. But we’re preparing for the real deal -- the first true college football Saturday of the season! We’re getting some elite matchups right out of the week one gates with Ohio State vs. Texas and Clemson vs. LSU representing the two big Saturday headliners. And plenty of other exciting matchups await, so it’s time to shake the cobwebs and get back into the college football DFS action!

As has been the case in previous seasons, the focus of these CFB newsletters will be geared toward the Saturday main slate on DraftKings, which will typically begin at noon ET. Unlike most other sports, game selection on college football slates varies considerably between DraftKings and FanDuel from week to week, so it simply isn’t optimal to attempt to focus on both sites in one newsletter when many games are only going to apply to one DFS site’s slate and not the other. With that being said, if you’re playing CFB DFS primarily on FanDuel, feel free to keep some of the highlighted players and information in mind since there is still plenty of overlap between the DK and FD main slate game selection.

College Football DFS Tips & Strategy 💡

Let’s give a quick rundown on some general strategy and nuances when it comes to CFB DFS compared to NFL DFS.

If you’re a seasoned CFB DFS vet, feel free to skip past this section.

There is a huge edge to be had in college football DFS if you do the research and stay on top of things leading up to a slate kicking off. Few DFS services offer reliable CFB projections or even cover college football at all, at least not as extensively as LineStar, so you’re in the right place if you’re looking for a profitable CFB DFS season.

The lack of CFB support in the DFS industry is largely due to a shortage of resources and dependable information, which professional sports like the NFL, NBA, and MLB provide in droves. There are also a TON of players to go through each week, injury news can be extremely vague or simply non-existent, depth charts are constantly changing week-to-week, and there may be some weeks where a certain team appears on a specific slate and then you’ll never see them show up again for the rest of the season. College football injury news can be difficult to find and is oftentimes not made public until the very last minute, if at all. Fortunately, plenty of key info is shared in the LineStar chat, so try to hang around for the latest news and rumors as we get closer to each slate kicking off… I cannot stress how much this sort of info can help you on any given slate. And don’t hesitate to share any sliver of news you come across as well. Sometimes it takes a community effort to gain an informed edge against the field!

From a strategy standpoint, many approaches you would take in NFL DFS lineup builds are identical to what you should be doing in college football builds -- things like QB + pass catcher stacking, finding high-volume offensive players facing poor defenses, predicting game scripts, targeting players on both sides of a match-up that has a high total and close spread, etc. The 2025 LineStar NFL Strategy Guide will be released within the next week, but feel free to post any inquiries in the chat if you have questions about general football DFS strategies and insights.

A unique aspect of traditional CFB lineup construction is the inclusion of an “S-FLEX” roster position, aka a “Super Flex.” For the uninitiated, that means you can place any skill position player in that roster slot, including quarterbacks. Since quarterbacks have the highest fantasy floors and excellent ceilings, rolling out two QBs, one being your Super Flex, is often a wise strategy to implement on most slates, especially for cash game lineups. On average, college point totals are drastically higher than NFL totals, and quarterbacks really do reign supreme at this level of football. Many more QBs can also add value running the ball at the collegiate level compared to the NFL. Securing two quarterbacks with high floors/high ceilings can often be the optimal route in both cash & GPP lineup builds. Another thing you may notice is the lack of dedicated tight end and D/ST roster spots. DraftKings essentially just groups both receiving positions together, so all players who are technically TEs will be labeled as WRs. As for defense and special teams, I believe most of us can agree that being forced to play a D/ST in CFB lineups would just end up being a hassle.

Fire away with any questions you may have about CFB DFS, and either I or one of our other knowledgeable staff or members will be happy to help!

Main Slate Rundown 🏈

Now it’s time to get down to business! Before diving into this huge Saturday of games, here is another reminder that these newsletters are geared toward the DraftKings Saturday main slate, which features 12 games and kicks off at noon ET. The FanDuel Saturday main slate also kicks off at noon ET but consists of 14 games, and since FD also dips into some evening games, there will only be seven mutually shared match-ups with the DK slate. Usually, there are going to be eight or nine mutually shared games between the DK and FD main slates. However, there will still be some information and recommended plays that FanDuel players should find helpful in this newsletter. The general focus will remain on the set of games for DK.

To begin, let’s get a look at the 13 teams with a 24+ implied point total on this slate. The majority of our preferred DFS plays will be found on these rosters:

On the flip side, we’ll want limited-to-no exposure to teams who are expected to struggle to score 20+ points. These teams generally either find themselves completely out-matched versus their upcoming opponent, they don’t possess a capable offense, their matchup is expected to be a low-scoring affair, or it’s some combination of those three factors. Unless a specific player is priced down, has near-matchup-proof talent, and is guaranteed high volume, we should lean toward avoiding these seven teams on the slate:

Obligatory: Vegas spreads and totals aren’t the be-all, end-all but they do give us a solid amount of information to use as our research ‘jump-off point’ on any given slate.

Main Slate Match-Ups

Week One Core Targets 🎯

QB Blake Shapen, MSST | $6,800 | at USM

We’ve got some Heisman candidates available at the top of QB pricing on this week one slate, but we’ll dip down to a more affordable signal caller in Blake Shapen. Many may remember Shapen being a big transfer “get” for the Bulldogs, coming over from Baylor ahead of the 2024 season. He started the first four games of last season before a fractured scapula ended his campaign. Shapen doesn’t possess the biggest arm, but he is accurate on short/intermediate passes, and his 68.5% comp% in his limited action last season was precisely on par with his career completion percentage, which spans 31 games (mostly with Baylor). He also takes care of the ball, with an 8:1 TD:INT ratio in 2024, and a 44:14 ratio for his career. Shapen isn’t much of a dual threat, but he has enough mobility to extend plays outside of the pocket, and he is capable of being a threat to score near the goal line -- he had two rushing TDs in those four games last year. As most may know, sack yardage counts against a QB’s rushing yards at the collegiate level. As long as he stays upright in the pocket, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Shapen racks up around 20-30 yards on the ground this Saturday with a chance at scoring a rushing tuddy, which would be a nice DFS scoring bonus on top of whatever he does as a typical passer.

Southern Miss is coming off an abysmal 1-11 season in 2024, where their defense ranked 122nd out of 134 FBS teams. Plenty of questions still surround this team and its defense, which returns only one starter from a season ago. However, the lack of returning starters may not be a bad thing for SMU, considering how awful the defense was. In total, Southern Miss brought in 25 defensive players via the transfer portal this offseason, along with plenty of coaching turnover. Regardless of how much the Golden Eagles may be improved defensively, if at all, Mississippi State is still the superior team here. That said, the matchup isn’t expected to be an utter blowout with the visiting Bulldogs being 13.5-point favorites. That may mean starters, like QB Blake Shapen, could be in line to play the entirety of four quarters in a semi-competitive game atmosphere. Miss State also possesses the fifth-highest implied point total (37.5) on the slate, and this game is tied for the slate lead with a 61.5 over/under. Overall, I’d say that Shapen is just underpriced given his level of experience, DFS floor, and matchup-driven upside -- for reference, he is $10,700 and the seventh-most expensive QB over on the FanDuel main slate (which has a deeper selection of top-flight QBs to begin with).

RB Devin Mockobee, PUR | $6,300 | vs. BALL

There is no shortage of murky RB situations or likely committees on this slate, but Devin Mockobee is one player that I feel confident will receive the lion’s share of their team’s backfield touches. Purdue was the doormat in the Big Ten in 2024, going 1-11 overall and 0-9 in conference play. Despite having negative game scripts nearly every week, Mockobee was able to carve out a respectable season, averaging 57.3 YPG and 5.0 YPC while also contributing as a viable pass catcher. The YPG average may not be very impressive, but again, Purdue was getting their doors blown off regularly and were forced into pass-heavy scripts early and often. Mockobee, now a senior, is one of the few proven returning playmakers in this offense, and he has the chance to surpass Mike Alstott as Purdue’s all-time rushing leader -- he’ll need 1,170 yards this season to do so.

The Boilermakers may still be among the bottom feeders in their conference, but they’ll head into week one as hefty 17.5-point favorites over Ball State, along with a quality 33.5 implied point total. Ball State was 118th nationally in 2024 in yards per rush allowed (5.21), and they gave up over 200 rushing YPG on the road. In a positive game script, Mockobee should be in line for 15-20 touches with strong touchdown equity.

You will find more RBs that I’m targeting on this slate listed in the cheat sheet below, but, for now, Mockobee will be my only core play at the position.

WR Jeremiah Smith, OSU | $9,000 | vs. TEX

With a cheaper QB and mid-range RB spotlighted as core plays up to this point, we’ve got salary to spend. I’ll choose to lay out the primo bucks on superstar WR Jeremiah Smith. Smith heads into 2025 with the top Heisman odds (+1100) among non-QBs and, while the term gets thrown around a little too much, he is every bit of a generational talent. As a true freshman and the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, Smith hauled in 76 receptions on 105 targets for 1,311 yards and 15 TDs. Ohio State was involved in quite a few decisive wins, so, with more competitive games, Smith’s freshman receiving numbers could have been even gaudier. OSU will be breaking in a new starting QB with redshirt freshman Julian Sayin taking the reins. There are sure to be some growing pains, but, like many players on this OSU roster, Sayin was a highly-touted five-star prospect coming out of high school and has all of the tools necessary to develop an elite connection with Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeyes’ second-leading receiver from 2024, Emeka Egbuka, has also taken his talents to the NFL as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first-round selection in this year’s draft. So Jeremiah Smith could very well take on a heftier target share than he had last season (23.1% TGT%), and he can no doubt take any downfield reception to the house; Smith owns -120 odds to score a touchdown, and +500 to score 2+ touchdowns, in this game. Personally, I believe there is value on both of those bets.

The matchup against Texas will not be a cakewalk. The Longhorns are one of the few teams in college football that can go toe-to-toe with Ohio State in terms of blue chip player capital. Texas ranked as the #7 pass defense in 2024 (173.8 pass YPG) and should be among the nation’s best in 2025. But this game is about as big as it gets, with Texas and Ohio State being ranked as the top two teams in the country by many media outlets. So, in could be a potential 2025 National Championship preview, look for the stars to shine in an expected nail-biter that has the home team Buckeyes as slight 1.5-point favorites.

WR Elijah Sarratt, IU | $7,100 | vs. ODU

I’d expect Sarratt to be among the highest-owned players on this slate, but he is a known quantity that provides peace of mind in DFS lineups in week one. He showed up as a big play receiver last season, averaging 18.1 yards per reception, which ranked 26th nationally. Now, entering his senior season, Sarratt will continue to operate as Indiana’s top receiving threat while developing rapport with new Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza (junior transfer from Cal).

Indiana (-23.5 favorites) is expected to come out firing with some potent offensive play against Old Dominion, and the Hoosiers rank 3rd on the slate with a 38.5 implied point total. ODU was 102nd in the FBS in total defense and pass defense a season ago, and, like most teams, they will have to address some key departures. With 20th-ranked Indiana being favored by over three touchdowns at home, and loftier season-long goals ahead of them, we may not see the IU starters play the entire four quarters. But if Elijah Sarratt hits the bench early due to a blowout, he will likely already have provided a stellar individual stat line.

WR Michael Jackson III, PUR | $3,000 | vs. BALL

There are almost always going to be some cheap punts that we can take a shot on early in the season, and Michael Jackson III gets the nod here at the stone minimum $3,000 on DraftKings. Jackson enters 2025 as a redshirt senior. He has made a marginal impact in his collegiate career up to this point, which has previously been spent at USC (2021-2023) and Georgia (2024). Competition is much stiffer at those two schools and Jackson has never received a consistent starting opportunity, combining for only 508 yards on 47 receptions with five TDs over his career. But Jackson has made plenty of noise at Purdue’s fall camp and has garnered buzz as the Boilermakers’ “go-to” receiving option heading into 2025. Fellow Purdue WR De’Nylon Morrissette (undisclosed) is considered “out” for Saturday’s game, which opens up more opportunity for Jackson in week one. Purdue’s wide receiver room has also undergone significant turnover, with the aforementioned RB Devin Mockobee representing the top returning “receiver” from the 2024 season -- Purdue’s remaining five leading receivers from last year are no longer on the team. There is plenty of conjecture baked into this Jackson pick, but the upsides far outweigh the downsides at this min-salary price point.

DraftKings Week One CFB Cheat Sheet 📝

Click the cheat sheet above to view a higher quality direct image.

Alternative Cheat Sheet Direct Image Link

Best of luck on Saturday!