This article is part of our DraftKings College Football series.
CFB DFS Picks: DraftKings College Football Week 0 Picks and Plays
Do you hear that? That faint War Chant in the distance as FSU fans descend on Dublin to kick off the season against Georgia Tech? I sure do. College football is back, folks, and I couldn't be more excited.
Week 0 is always a bit of a tease as we just get a few games to take in before the floodgates open next weekend. That's alright, the whiplash of a full slate right away would be a lot to handle. This year's Week 0 slate certainly provides a nice appetizer before the main course.
Unlike last year when the kickoff game in Dublin was a snoozefest between Notre Dame and Navy, we actually have a matchup with some legit juice to it right off the jump. Florida State, which narrowly missed out on the CFP last year, gets to prove that 2023 was no fluke as it opens up against a Georgia Tech team that is inching closer to real relevancy under Brent Key.
This is more of a betting observation, but it's worth noting that Florida State was a 12-point favorite just 10 days from kickoff and now the line sits at just 10.5. The magnitude of that line movement is significant and is a signal to us that both sides are in play for DFS.
Of course, we've got two other games to break down on this slate with New Mexico sitting as 13.5-point underdogs against Montana State of the FCS. And rounding it out, we have SMU favored by 24.5 points on the road against Nevada. Sadly, the Hawaii-Delaware State game is not included on the main slate but frankly I'm not sure how I'd be able to handicap Delaware State players making a 15-hour trip to Paradise only to get shellacked anyway.
With the preamble out of the way, let's see what's on the docket for this slate and find ourselves some plays.
Slate Overview
You can find this table on our college football DFS matchup info page to sort things how you like. I've gone ahead and sorted the table by expected score to make things simple.
Obviously, SMU leads the pack with an implied total of 40.0 points -- nearly a full touchdown clear of the next-highest IT. This makes it an offense to build your lineups around. There's a catch, however. On3 reported earlier this week that while Preston Stone will start for the 'Stangs, backup Kevin Jennings is also expected to see some time.
DraftKings has made parsing this situation all the more difficult with Stone ($8,900) being expensive while Jennings ($7,500) isn't exactly a bargain considering we don't know how much he's going to play.
This creates an interesting dynamic on such a small slate, though. Can you really fade the SMU quarterbacks altogether when they're going to score 40+? Could the winning lineup Saturday include one of Stone or Jennings? How will this impact roster % for each and will that have a ripple effect on roster % for the other starting quarterbacks on the slate?
Moving on, we have the most interesting matchup on the slate for actual football watching with Florida State and Georgia Tech squaring off at a neutral site across the pond. This matchup being in Week 0 really ups the stakes because Florida State ranks 89th in total returning production (87th in offensive production, 84th in defensive production). The offense has major turnover for our purposes with Jordan Travis, Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson, Trey Benson and Jaheim Bell all in the NFL and the defense lost game-wrecker Jared Verse off the edge.
Taking over will be DJ Uiagalelei, who is on his third team in as many years. He has tons of experience under his belt but this is still a new system for him to learn and a new skill group to jell with.
Florida State's not hurting for talent -- they never are -- but they will need to be ready to hit the ground running because Georgia Tech ended the year on a high note and brings back a ton, especially on offense (9th).
Lastly, there's the X-Factor game on this slate with New Mexico checking in as huge underdogs to an FCS program. I've done some digging on Montana State...
and while they lost their offensive coordinator to Akron, they promoted from within so the offense should roughly have the same DNA and ethos. That's notable because Montana State ranked second in FCS in points scored per game (39.9) and second in rushing yards per game (291.0).
The Lobos better have their chinstraps buckled because they coughed up 5.08 yards per carry and 172 rushing yards per game last season. The defense struggling is particularly problematic when the offense ranked 130th in returning production.
It may be shocking at first to see an FCS program favored by two scores on the road against an FBS opponent, but a closer look clarifies some things.
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CFB DFS Picks By Position
Quarterback
Tommy Mellott ($7,000) 
Montana State at New Mexico
Mellott being just $100 cheaper than Haynes King creates a tough call for drafters. Whereas King has a potential catch-up script in play that will keep him busy, Mellott is at the helm of a big favorite.
Mellott appeared to struggle with passing efficiency on the road last season (54%, 6.9 YPA) compared to his strong home split (71%, 10.9 YPA) and this will be a road environment. Still, Mellott's appeal has less to do with gaudy passing numbers and more with his rushing prowess. Mellott ran for 690 yards and five scores last year, which boosts his floor.
In a setup like this, it all comes down to Mellott's ability to make it happen on the ground. Modest pass production along with ~60 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown will make him a strong play.
His rostership is a trickier question to get a hold of but if the field is targeting the FSU-GT game and the SMU quarterbacks, Mellott could be a leverage play. If nothing else, I feel much more confident in playing a starter who can run like Mellott at $7K over Jennings at $7,500 with a much murkier role. Not to say that the Jennings angle can't pay off. It depends on your risk tolerance and entry volume as to whether you want to explore that one.
Haynes King ($7,100) 
Georgia Tech vs Florida State
I like the salary on King almost as much as anything else about his game. Relative to the other legit starters, he's a bargain.
King is another quarterback on this slate with plus rushing upside. He racked up 737 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. That's not his only positive trait, though. He also threw for 27 touchdowns with a palatable 7.7 YPA. He'll need to rein in the picks this season (16 in 2023) but meltdown games against Clemson and Boston College accounted for nearly half that total.
Rostering King puts you in good position because we're confident that he has the job security, and with Tech as a 10.5-point 'dog, he will have plenty of opportunity both through the air and on the ground as Tech tries to keep pace and pull off the upset. He also has rushing floor, and the $7100 price tag gives you some flexibility to spend up elsewhere.
Preston Stone ($8,900) 
SMU at Nevada
We're working with a thin margin for error here as Stone's going to need to get it done on a truncated workload with the report that he'll cede some playing time to Kevin Jennings on Saturday. Whether it's those two rotating series or simply Stone being pulled when the game is out of reach is the big question. If they're rotating, it could be difficult for either to settle into a rhythm and therefore, difficult for SMU to get to that lofty implied total.
Stone playing up until garbage time is what we will need for this play to work. It's not earth-shattering to note that Stone fueling a blowout to where SMU can empty its bench would likely mean that he returned some DFS value.
There's little to think Nevada can do much to slow SMU in this spot. And it could be a spot where SMU is comfortable racking up some style points before the new ACC schedule kicks in and things get tougher in a hurry.
I wouldn't fault any DFS player for fading the SMU quarterbacks and instead trying to target the pass-catchers to cut out the QB question entirely. Still, I have a feeling that one of the SMU quarterbacks will put people in position to cash, and I have to roll with the starter in Stone.
Running Back
Roydell Williams ($7,100) 
Florida State vs Georgia Tech
Getting the right Florida State running back might be the key to this slate. I've stated my optimism for Georgia Tech keeping this one competitive and have my concerns about Florida State's passing game clicking right away. One cure to that for the 'Noles would be pounding the rock against a Georgia Tech defense that coughed up 221.31 rushing yards per game (131st) on a 5.38 YPC clip last season.
This might be one instance where it's actually good that Georgia Tech ranks 109th in returning defensive production. That linebacker room needs to air out.
Back to Williams and the FSU backfield. Lawrance Toafili is the top-billed running back at $7,700 and that's all well and good. He's the most experienced 'Nole at that spot and has some explosiveness along with pass-catching chops. He's also never had more than 14 carries in a game and doesn't profile as well for volume or between-the-tackles work as Williams does.
I expect both to get a decent amount of run in a favorable setup, but I'll side with the guy with goal-line upside at $600 cheaper and that's Williams.
Those looking for cheaper exposure to the FSU backfield will want to keep freshman Kam Davis ($4,900) on their radar. He was an elite running back recruit in this year's class and is a co-backup to Williams on the Florida State Week 0 depth chart. He may be a particularly good play if this one goes sideways for Georgia Tech and the 'Noles shift to a run-heavy approach late.
Scottre Humphrey ($4,600) Montana State at 
New Mexico
This is probably the chalk play of the week. Last year's starter, Julius Davis, is reportedly out for this one so Humphrey is sliding in as the starter. As mentioned earlier in the article, this Montana State offense is built around the ground game. Montana State is also heavily favored and facing a porous run defense. It's too good of a setup, especially at $4,600.
Another cheeky play from this backfield would be Adam Jones ($4,400). He's slightly cheaper and less of a lock for volume but this is a situation where Montana State could be feasting on the ground all afternoon.
Jaylan Knighton ($6,600) SMU at 
Nevada
Knighton was once a big-time recruit for Miami who has found a nice home at SMU. He averaged 30 percent of the rushing share last year and piled up 745 yards and seven scores. Knighton should have little resistance against this Nevada defense. There is a volume concern given the potential for a blowout, but $6,600 is still justifiable when Knighton can do the requisite amount of damage needed on fewer than 15 carries.
Backup LJ Johnson Jr. ($5,500) is an interesting pivot from Knighton who may see the bulk of the work late in this one. He commanded 20 percent of the rushing share last season and was just about as efficient as Knighton was (5.28 YPC). With Camar Wheaton out and Tyler Lavine gone, SMU is short on proven depth in the backfield and therefore the carries should be concentrated between Knighton and Johnson.
If there's a wild card here, it's Miami transfer Brashard Smith ($3,600) who is listed as a running back after primarily playing receiver in Coral Gables. Miami gave him nine carries last season and he turned them into 132 yards and a touchdown. I'll have at least one lineup with Smith.
Wide Receiver
SMU Pass Catchers
Getting this right is also going to be important for this slate. Here's a snapshot of the target distribution last season
Pretty spread out with no real target hog in sight. Jake Bailey is the priciest ($6,300) but you hardly need to break the bank to roster him. Jordan Hudson ($6,000) tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns (7) along with tight end RJ Maryland ($5,400).
I don't think you can go wrong with any of these options or even using 2-3 SMU pass-catchers. I'll have the most exposure to Maryland for price and floor reasons but will concede that Hudson is awfully appealing too.
Eric Singleton ($5,300) Georgia Tech vs Florida State
For better or worse, this will likely be my most-rostered receiver on the slate. Singleton is a legitimate talent who commanded a 22% target share as a freshman last season and racked up 48 grabs for 714 yards and six touchdowns.
Florida State always has talent in the secondary but Singleton can match it in his own right and we can be confident he'll draw a high target volume. This is critical on a full-point PPR site like DraftKings. It wouldn't shock me if he set new career-highs in targets, catches and yards in his first game as a sophomore. Lock him in.
Luke Wysong ($4,700) New Mexico vs Montana State
With new coach Bronco Mendenhall and some familiar names on the coaching staff, the Lobos should be putting it in the air Saturday. It also helps that the Lobos are two-touchdown 'dogs at home. The challenge is finding the right answer among this group of pass-catchers.
Wysong returns after missing most of last season. In 2021 and 2022, Wysong led New Mexico in receptions. He's less of a big-play target than Caleb Medford ($5,000) but Wysong appears to have a solid target projection here on a day where New Mexico will lean on the passing game.
Medford is interesting in his own right -- he had a 20% target share last season and turned 30 receptions into 551 yards and two touchdowns. 30 catches on 70 targets is of course far from ideal but it's forgivable considering the circumstances. It also shows that Medford's role is downfield-oriented and when he comes down with a catch, it's usually for big yardage.
Other GPP Darts
Jaden Smith, Nevada ($4,600); Moochie Dixon, SMU ($4,400); Jalen Brown, Florida State ($4,800)
