CFB DFS Top Plays: Week 0

Editor’s Note: We may not write up every player we consider to be a top play. Be sure to consult the chart at the bottom of the page. This page will be updated as necessary.

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Understanding optimal lineups for cash games is extremely important, even if you only play tournaments. Players in our cash pool are the ones we believe are the most underpriced, have the best floor/ceiling combo, and typically feature a relatively tight range of outcomes. These are the best plays on the board when considering price, context, and positional scarcity. These are usually pretty good options for GPPs as well.

The optimal GPP lineup will typically mix some of these cash-type plays with higher-variance options, often in correlated lineups. In cash games (where roughly 50% of the field gets paid out), we don’t worry about ownership, game stacks, or correlation. In large-field tournaments, we should be much more mindful of ownership. For more tournament content, check out our projections, and Friday’s live show, Establish The Show: The College Years, with Alex Hardin and Sean Newsham.

These are our Top Plays considering the following factors: mean projection, matchup, upside, and value. Ownership is NOT considered here. Generally speaking, these players are what we consider to be “head-to-head and 50/50 considerations”.

They are listed in price descending order (NOT ranked by “best play”). At the bottom, you’ll find suggested rankings by site once salary is accounted for.

QUARTERBACK

Preston Stone (SMU – DK $8,900) – Stone draws the premier matchup of the slate with a massive team total of over 40 points (SMU are ~24 point favorites) and faces a Nevada team that allowed 440 yards per game and 33.5 points per game last season. All that sounds great for Stone, except backup QB Kevin Jennings is expected to see some playing time, although the specifics are unknown. As noted in the SMU press conference by the head coach, “When it comes to quarterback, Preston’s earned the starting job, so Preston will start. Kevin has deserved and earned the right to play though, so he will play, but Preston’s our starter.” The uncertainty as to how many snaps Stone could lose to Jennings adds risk to using him in cash games. However, given the other quarterback options and how soft pricing is on the slate, Stone still provides a useful floor in cash. GPP Recommendation: 1 to 2 pass catchers in stack.