FREE This Week Only! CFB DFS DraftKings Main Slate Breakdown: Week 0
Using his experience as a former scout and staff member at Central Florida under Josh Heupel, Jordan Vanek takes an in-depth look at the upcoming CFB DFS main slate on DraftKings for Week 0. Formerly of The 33rd Team and 4for4 Fantasy Football, Jordan’s deep dive into the best stacks, running backs, and wide receivers is a must-read before you start building your lineups.
This is my second year having the opportunity to provide RotoGrinders subscribers with my analysis for CFB DFS, and I couldn’t be more excited to be back for another year!
With the constant changes in NIL, coaching moves, and shifting rosters, I’ve put even more preparation into this year than usual. To be blunt, last season doesn’t matter much for most teams, and I can’t wait to start working with fresh data. For now, we’re leaning on news, game film, and our projections. Normally, my work leans heavily into deeper analytics, but for Week 0, this will be a more speculative piece based on the information I’ve gathered and what I’ve seen firsthand.
Our CFB DFS projections are especially valuable on a slate like this, where ownership can get planted without any real data to lean on. Chalk is more fragile in Week 0 than at any point during the season, and that creates opportunity. In fact, you’ll see below why I’m fading what I think will be one of the most popular plays on the slate, though I’m fully prepared to be wrong. The truth is, there are no “bad plays” this week. Everything is speculative. What I can provide though are informed, educated, and studied takes that I believe give us an edge heading into kickoff.
CFB DFS DraftKings Picks: Top Stacks, RBs, & WRs for Week 0
Last season’s data can certainly provide some guidance as we head into the 2025 season, but with so many changes across the landscape, there are only a handful of teams whose trends I truly put weight into when looking at the above graph. To start, I expect Stanford to maintain their high rates of zone coverage. They’ve retained the same defensive coordinator for the past 3 seasons, and this scheme has become the backbone of his defensive identity. On the other side, I believe Hawaii is a team worth monitoring closely. Their offense thrives on quick passing concepts, which makes keeping eyes on the quarterback a crucial point of emphasis when evaluating their approach.
Stanford is once again the team I’ll point to here, largely because their heavy reliance on Single-High coverage creates opportunities I can look to exploit later with stacking strategies. They ran Cover 3 at one of the highest rates in the country, and I expect that tendency to remain consistent this season. The design of their defense is built to funnel throws toward the middle of the field rather than allowing easy access to the sidelines, forcing quarterbacks to operate in tighter windows between the hashes.
Game Stacks
Jalon Daniels ($7,800, QB, Kansas)
Daniel Hishaw Jr. ($5,300, RB, Kansas)
Emmanuel Henderson Jr. ($6,100, WR, Kansas)
Bryson Donelson ($6,700, RB, Fresno State)
Josiah Freeman ($4,800, WR, Fresno State)
I’m fully buying into the Kansas onslaught stack with Daniels, Hishaw, and Henderson. I want all of the rushing and goal-line work, which I expect to be split between Daniels and Hishaw. This matchup sets up for Kansas to push for 40+ points against Fresno State, and if that happens, this stack could easily pay off its entire price. While selling a Daniels WR is usually tough, I love Henderson this week. He’s my favorite WR on the slate, and his price plus expected lower ownership makes him stand out. Originally recruited as an RB at Alabama, Henderson transitioned to WR before transferring to Kansas. Reports out of camp have him as the fastest player on the roster – possibly of the entire Lance Leipold era. With his speed, RB background, and a step down from SEC competition, he has the tools to be a difference-maker, and he’s already flashed with big-game receptions, including one against Georgia.
For Kansas to keep scoring, Fresno State needs to push back, and that’s where Donelson and Freeman come in. Donelson profiles as the goal-line back and should see plenty of work inside the red zone with E.J. Warner ($6,200, QB) lacking rushing ability. Freeman has been labeled the clear WR1 and has reportedly developed strong chemistry with Warner, making him the safest receiving option in this offense. With limited certainty around the rest of Fresno’s skill players, these two provide the most reliable bring-back options.
Micah Alejado ($9,300, QB, Hawaii)
Nick Cenacle ($5,900, WR, Hawaii)
Brandon White ($3,500, WR, Hawaii)
Micah Ford ($4,700, RB, Stanford)
The Timmy Chang offense should have one of the highest pass rates in the country, and with Alejado, I see a unique angle on this slate. In a small sample against Single High coverage (see chart below), Pofele Ashlock ($6,900, WR) was rarely the target, and given his skill set, that makes sense. At his size, Alejado struggles to see over the line, so the staff schemes windows for him to throw. Ashlock wins primarily in the short and intermediate middle of the field, which doesn’t always fit that profile. That’s why I like Cenacle, who can win vertically, and also White, who brings similar upside. White, a Kentucky transfer with reported 4.3 speed, profiles as a weapon both deep and in space on short touches. For me, fading Ashlock and pivoting to Cenacle and White is the unique path to building around Alejado.
On the other side of this game, I’m not entirely sure what to expect from a Frank Reich offense, but what I do know is that Hawaii’s run defense was atrocious to close last season. They gave up over 290 rushing yards in 3 straight games. While Stanford isn’t built like a dominant ground-and-pound team, Ford showed enough as a true freshman to earn a meaningful workload. On a slate without a clear top RB option, this matchup alone makes him an intriguing play.
Maverick McIvor ($8,500, QB, Western Kentucky)
K.D. Hutchinson ($6,600, WR, Western Kentucky)
Jairus Mack ($4,600, WR, Western Kentucky)
Elijah Green ($5,900, RB, Sam Houston State)
Rick Bowie takes over as Western Kentucky’s OC, bringing McIvor with him from Abilene Christian. Together, they ran one of the top passing offenses at the FCS level and even put up big numbers against Texas Tech last season. The WR room for Western Kentucky is messy, but similar to Hawaii, I see a contrarian angle by fading Matthew Henry ($6,400, WR) in stacks. His contested-catch style doesn’t project well to the FBS level, especially without elite size. Instead, I prefer Hutchinson, who hasn’t broken out yet but offers a more explosive after-the-catch profile, and Mack, a cheaper option with proven production at Charlotte, including 3 games of 100+ yards (against Maryland, Tulsa, and North Carolina). With McIvor’s passing upside, double-stacking makes sense, and Mack and Hutchinson give me more confidence than Henry.
On the other side, I’m not buying into the Sam Houston State depth chart and expect Green to lead the backfield. Green, who transferred from Indiana after previously playing at North Carolina under Phil Longo, has multiple games with meaningful touches on his résumé. While this game comes with plenty of uncertainty, that volatility creates upside. It’s my 3rd-favorite game stack of the slate – not the safest, but one with clear ceiling potential.
Top Running Back Plays
Below are some of the best RB plays on the slate whom I have not yet discussed.
Leshon Williams ($4,500, Kansas)
Williams transfers from Iowa and has the most vulture opportunity on the slate. He’s had some really good games as a lead RB and even carried Iowa over Wisconsin when Kaleb Johnson went down. I don’t even hate the idea of playing both Kansas RBs in this matchup and stacking with the other games.
Shane Porter ($3,600, Sam Houston State)
Porter has true home-run ability, but North Texas doesn’t typically lean on its RBs, which limited his workload. Nearly half of his production came in just 2 games, both fueled by multiple runs of 40+ yards.
Top Wide Receiver Plays
Below are some of the best WR plays on the slate whom I have not yet discussed.
Qua’Vez Humphreys ($5,400, Sam Houston State)
The 2nd-best WR on this team last season was Humphreys, and his 19.3 yards per reception was outstanding. He clearly brings big-play ability, but the uncertainty at quarterback and the unknowns of a Phil Longo offense in Year 1 make him harder to trust. If Malik Philips ($4,500, WR) is the slot WR, I will be intrigued to play him for the better role, but we do not have that information pre-game.
Sam Roush ($3,800, Stanford)
Roush feels like a safe play at this price, with a clear path to paying it off. I expect Stanford to lean on the run game, which should set up play-action opportunities in the red zone, and those are prime spots for Roush to get involved. While CJ Williams ($4,500, WR) may be considered the “leader” of the WR room, I prefer Roush as the better option in Week 0.
Final Thoughts
It’s Week 0! The season is finally here, and we no longer have to speculate – we get to see it all play out on the field. I love this slate because the uncertainty is off the charts, which means almost anything is possible. Coaches lie all offseason, but once the games kick off, we finally see the real rotations and usage. My goal for this Week 0 slate is to lean into some speculative takes and embrace the chaos. I’m aiming to identify two sub-10% plays for my lineups, and this article should help guide you toward who those might be. Staying on top of the news will be key, and making sure you’re plugged into the RotoGrinders Discord will be crucial.
For more CFB DFS content and access to all of our data and tools, head to the CFB Content Schedule. To sweat your lineups and bets with us, go to our RotoGrinders Discord and find the CFB channel!
Image Credit: Imagn