FanDuel College Football DFS Picks: Saturday Main Slate for Week 1

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Updated on August 31, 2024 3:36AM EST

CFB FanDuel DFS Breakdown for Saturday Main Slate

With the appetizer of Week 0 in the rearview, we get our first main course of the year Saturday, featuring a bevy of intriguing matchups from around the country. The main slate features a whopping eight games throughout the day with varying lines of expected outcomes. Oregon and Ohio State sport expected scores north of 50, while Alabama and Texas are also expected to reach into the 40s in the scoring column. There are five games with lines of 27.5 or more and only four games with single-digit spreads. These are all factors that should be taken into account when considering different options on the slate.

College Football DFS Weather (winds 10+ MPH and precip. chance 50-plus percent noted)

UNLV at Houston: Chance for storms early and/or showers late

Notable College Football Injuries/Absences for Week 1

None

Trevor Etienne, Georgia Georgia - Could face one-game suspension. Status for Saturday unclear

Jam Miller, Alabama Alabama - Expected to play against Western Kentucky

Mark Fletcher, Miami Miami - Appears good to go for opener

Roderick Robinson, Georgia Georgia - Likely limited or out altogether

Steven McBride, Hawaii Hawaii - Still absent from depth chart following legal matter

Gary Bryant Jr., Oregon Oregon - Could be available Saturday

Jabre Barber, Texas A&M - Wasn't included on season-opening depth chart. Possible he's just buried but was super productive at Troy last season

Colbie Young, Georgia Georgia - Should be ready to go despite hamstring issue

Andy Jean, Florida Florida - Expected to miss extended period due to wrist injury

Terrance Ferguson, Oregon Oregon - Was wearing a wrap around one of his hands during practice earlier this week

Garrett Miller, Texas A&M - Not included on team depth chart

College Football DFS Tools

Week 1 CFB DFS Plays on FanDuel

Quarterback

Jalen Milroe, Alabama ($11,700) vs. Western Kentucky

Milroe takes command of a new offense in 2024 under the direction of Kalen DeBoer, whose Washington squad made it to the championship game last year. Looking back at the 2023 schedule, Washington had one obvious blowout special game against Tulsa on the docket. In that game, Michael Penix still threw for 409 yards and three touchdowns. Milroe may not have quite the same level of star power at wideout this year as Penix did at Washington last year, but Alabama certainly has plenty of talent at the position. Add to that Milroe's capabilities as a runner, tallying 468 yards and 12 rushing scores last year, and the fact that DeBoer seems willing to leave his starters in for a while in a blowout, and Milroe is worth taking a shot at.

Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech ($9,800) at Vanderbilt

Drones is a player I've been a fan of all draft season, and he gets a power-five matchup to open up the 2024 regular season. That said, Vanderbilt is coming off a 2-10 season with wins over just Alabama A&M and Hawaii, so they are a power-conference team more in name than in practice. The Hokies are just 13.5-point favorites in the contest but are expected to put up 31 in the game, and Drones should be at the front and center of that output. He finished last season with 24.7 or more points in each of the last three games, and the offense returns the majority of its production from a season ago. I expect Virginia Tech to cover this spread and Drones to open the year with a big night.

GPP Low Roster Pct. Play: Nick Evers, UConn ($6,500) at Maryland

Before we go any further, know that the Huskies sport an expected score of just 12.0 points in the opener. If that moves you off Evers, I totally understand, and it makes sense. Maryland's defense should be solid again in 2024 as well, so it may be a struggle. I just wanted to look for a quarterback down the list I thought could surprise and provide some value, and Evers has the physical tools to do it. A two-time transfer from Oklahoma and Wisconsin, Evers finally found a home with the Huskies and won the starting job out of fall camp. The fact that he couldn't win the job at two different power-conference programs doesn't instill confidence, but he's still known to have the athletic ability to make a difference, so that's what I'm banking on. If he can tally a rushing touchdown or two and deliver one through the air, there's a path here for Evers to reach the necessary fantasy value to allow you to spend up elsewhere.

Running Back

Donovan Edwards, Michigan ($10,000) vs. Fresno State

It's finally Edwards' time to shine as the lead back for the Wolverines after three years of playing behind Blake Corum. Now, he still notched 119 or more carries in each of the last two seasons, but he hasn't performed true lead-back duties since late in 2022 following an injury to Corum when Edwards rushed for 520 yards and three touchdowns in a three-game span. Another player gone: J.J. McCarthy. While Edwards has experience in the backfield, Alex Orji, the presumed starter for the Wolverines has one pass attempt in his career. A 20.5-point favorite in the contest, this seems like a good game to get Orji some experience without overloading him, and I anticipate the Wolverines going fairly vanilla with the playcalling to not reveal the entire playbook. Assuming that's the case, Edwards should get plenty of work and against a Bulldogs defense that yielded 4.3 yards per carry last season.

Jaydon Blue, Texas ($9,100) vs. Colorado State

Blue was expected to enter 2024 as the second back in the rotation behind C.J. Baxter, but a season-ending injury for Baxter during fall camp opened the door for Blue to seize control of the lead role. Blue was expected to have a significant role behind Baxter as well, but where there was an obvious backup in Blue behind Baxter, there isn't that same sure option behind Blue. Given that, and the fact that Texas should win this one comfortably, I expect Blue to receive a significant dose of carries early and to produce at a fantasy-worthy level. The Longhorns lost both Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell to the NFL as well, so there aren't as many proven options out wide. Look for Sark to keep things rather vanilla in this one with the playcalling, similar to Michigan, and Blue should handle a significant workload until the starters exit the game.

Parker Jenkins, Houston ($7,000) vs. UNLV

Jenkins toted the rock double-digit times in only four game last year. However, Houston won only one game comfortably of the team's three wins all season. That game was a 38-7 win over Sam Houston that saw Jenkins rush 20 times for 105 yards and a trio of touchdowns. Houston is only a three-point favorite in this contest, but it's also worth noting that starting quarterback Donovan Smith is coming off of offseason shoulder surgery, so it seems unlikely the coaching staff will want to put Smith in harm's way frequently in his first game of the year. I expect Jenkins to claim a heavier share of the carries again Saturday versus a UNLv defense that yielded 157.9 rushing yards and 1.6 rushing touchdowns per contest a season ago.

Branson Robinson, Georgia ($5,500) vs. Clemson

This is a Georgia backfield worth keeping an eye on as the contest approaches, but Roderick Robinson is expected to be limited, at best, if not out altogether, and Trevor Etienne could face a suspension of some kind due to an offseason arrest. We should have some more clarity on the situation before lineups lock, as Georgia-Clemson is part of the noon ET window of games, but things seem to be setting up well for Robinson to potentially lead this backfield. The Bulldogs like to keep the offense somewhat balanced, and Robinson would be well worth the value here and is likely a player I'll take a chance on at such a low salary.

GPP Play: Keegan Jones, UCLA ($5,200) at Hawaii

While a lot of the attention will likely be paid to Robinson in a potential lead role, a name that has and could continue to fly under the radar is Jones. TJ Harden returns from as the leading back from last year, but head coach DeShaun Foster reached out to Jones and convinced him to return for a reason. Reports during spring and into the fall suggested that Jones was working as essentially a 1B to Harden as 1A. Jones is also a weapon in multiple facets, playing wide receiver last year before moving back to running back this offseason, so I anticipate him getting involved in multiple ways Saturday against a Hawaii defense that allowed north of 200 rushing yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry last season.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

GPP: One of Tez Johnson ($10,000) or Evan Stewart ($9,700), Oregon vs. Idaho

One of these two players is going to go off in the game, but you have to take your guesses as to which one it'll be. If I'm playing it overly safe in a non-GPP, I'm just avoiding the situation simply out of caution due to the number of weapons in the offense and the expected blowout that should lead to additional work for backups, but guessing right in a GPP here will pay dividends. These two should both have sizable fantasy contributions all season, but one of these two will likely far exceed value, while the other will likely not, so there is a risk factor.

Ricky White, UNLV ($9,300) at Houston

White is among the most heavily targeted players from the 2023 campaign, posting a 34.8 percent target share and averaging nearly 10 per contest. While the loss of Jayden Maiava can't be understated, White is just too good of a target to ignore in a matchup versus a Houston defense that yielded 278.6 passing yards per game (second-most on slate) and 2.5 passing touchdowns per game (most on slate) last season.

Xavier Restrepo, Miami ($8,100) at Florida

Restrepo was a popular pick on fantasy draft boards this offseason, and it's easy to see why. Despite shaky quarterback play from Tyler Van Dyke, Restrepo finished 2023 with 85 grabs for 1,092 yards and six touchdowns. He topped 100 receiving yards five different times and finished the year with 25 grabs for 409 yards and two touchdowns over the final three games, averaging 21.8 FanDuel points. The Hurricanes landed prized quarterback Cam Ward through the transfer portal, and he'll make his debut Saturday against a Florid defense that yielded 7.7 yards per attempt last season. He'll be the go-to option at receiver again this year, and Ward's added threat under center should yield big results. At $8,100, I'm definitely throwing my hat in the ring here.

Pofele Ashlock, Hawaii ($7,300) vs. UCLA

While the Rainbow Warriors' receivers may rotate in more this year, Ashlock is the one established member of the group to receive healthy run regularly, tallying nine targets in the season opener against Delaware State. It's certainly a tough matchup here for Hawaii in Week 1, but UCLA still surrendered 273.5 passing yards per game, 7.3 yards per attempt and 1.9 passing touchdowns per contest. Ashlock's pure volume gives him a safe floor, and he's a solid bet to reach pay dirt as well after notching nine receiving touchdowns a season ago.

Ali Jennings, Virginia Tech ($7,100) at Vanderbilt

Jennings is a player I feel has flown under the radar leading up to the season. As I've stated, I really like Drones to produce this season, and Jennings is a wideout who stands to benefit from that production. He transferred to Blacksburg prior to the 2023 season and started out hot, posting five catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns in the opener before a season-ending injury occurred early in Week 2 versus Purdue. Well, he's back in the mix, and I'm expecting big things from Jennings in his second year. Again, Vanderbilt is on the low-tier spectrum of power-conference opponents, yielding slate-worst marks of 8.7 passing yards per attempt and 290.5 passing yards per game, not to mention second-worst 2.4 passing touchdowns per game, so there's a lot to like, and target, here with Jennings.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Benzine plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Crispy272001, DraftKings: Crispy27.