CFB DFS DraftKings Main Slate Breakdown: Week 1

by Jordan Vanek (vanekjordan) Last Updated 2025-08-29 16:27:10 Premium Content Part of the product CFB Premium

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 1. 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.

Every college football Saturday for as long as I can remember, I’ve turned on College GameDay with one burning question: who is Corso going to pick?

Lee Corso has fueled passion for generations of college football fans. He’s played the game, he’s coached the game, and for decades, he’s entertained us. This piece is my attempt to pay tribute to him – sprinkling in as many “Corso-isms” as possible to honor someone who helped me fall in love with football. And if you think this article is just going to be filled with catchphrases and nostalgia – not so fast, my friend. We’ll also deliver the in-depth analysis you’re looking for right here at RotoGrinders.

Our CFB DFS projections are projecting over 1,000 players this week, and that’s a big shout-out to Dan Gaspar (aka MrTuttle05) for putting in the time to account for every beat writer note, playing-time situation, and hype piece.

This week feels a lot like Week 0; there really aren’t many “bad” plays. The key is accepting what we don’t know and weeding through the hype articles. In the RotoGrinders Discord prior to Week 0, I highlighted Dominic Overby over Chase Sowell in Showdown contests because I felt the industry was over-projecting Sowell as a direct replacement for Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. That kind of assumption can burn you – teams don’t always replace high-level talent on a one-for-one basis.

Projecting for this season and not last season is what matters most.

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CFB DFS DraftKings Picks: Top Stacks, RBs, & WRs for Week 1

Man vs. Zone coverage rates play a huge role in facilitating targets, and the reality is that we have to estimate how these new coaching schemes will look heading into this season. Jim Knowles left Ohio State for Penn State, and I expect Penn State’s coverage distribution to start resembling what Ohio State ran under him – likely a little less man coverage than last season. For Ohio State, with Matt Patricia now in charge, I anticipate a shift toward more man-heavy looks. With the secondary talent they have, plus Patricia’s tendency to blitz, this is a logical approach. That’s how you test a young quarterback like Arch Manning: play aggressive, let Caleb Downs roam as a center fielder, and force the ball into tight windows. The biggest question becomes whether Texas can consistently win against man coverage or if Steve Sarkisian will have to scheme his players open with motion. And if so, how does Ohio State handle passing off those motion players in coverage?

Meanwhile, Florida State hired Tony White, who has historically run some of the highest man-coverage rates of any defensive coordinator in the country. The real question is whether FSU has the personnel to execute his scheme and slow down Alabama’s passing attack.

Ultimately, these coverage tendencies and projected shifts can help guide us, but understanding potential changes is just as important as knowing last season’s numbers. Starting in Week 4, I’ll fully rely on 2025 data and disregard the 2024 data.

Purdue was forced into single-high safety looks last season because they were constantly getting blown out and couldn’t stop the run. That weakness showed up in the numbers, as they gave up 33 rushing touchdowns. With Barry Odom now taking over as head coach, those tendencies should shift dramatically, bringing Purdue’s coverage profile closer to teams like Kentucky and Toledo on the chart. In Week 1, against a Ball State team they’re favored over by 17.5 points, I’d expect to see more two-high looks since game script should allow them to play balanced.

On the other end of the spectrum, Georgia will remain high on the two-high chart, as they won’t need the extra defender in the box against Marshall. Meanwhile, a team like Maryland is a strong candidate to lean even more into two-high coverage against FAU, whose passing offense is built to air it out. These charts are fun to gauge where teams are going to be at, but the early season is a lot of estimation to where they are going.

Game Stacks

Caden Veltkamp ($7,600, QB, FAU)

Easton Messer ($7,500, WR, FAU)

Jabari Smith ($3,300, WR, FAU)

Nolan Ray ($7,000, RB, Maryland)

Jalil Farooq ($6,300, WR, Maryland)

I believe FAU will have one of the top passing offenses in the country this season, and it starts in this opener against a Maryland secondary that allowed 7.5 yards per attempt last season. Head coach Tom Herman brought in the architect of Western Kentucky’s 2021 passing attack (62 passing TDs), making this system one to target, and he also happens to be the youngest head coach in the country. The top two options are Messer, who already has chemistry with Veltkamp, and Smith, who showed plenty of promise last season. Smith also provides valuable salary relief to help pay up for the other side of this matchup.

On the Maryland side, I’m not sure who will start at QB, but I’m confident the offense will run through Ray and Farooq. Ray is a home-run hitter who looked better than Roman Hemby and was poised to take his job before Hemby transferred to Indiana. Farooq, once a DFS staple, has battled injuries but could bounce back with a healthy season. With head coach Mike Locksley’s track record of feeding his top WRs, I expect Farooq to command a heavy target share and lead the way.

Ryan Browne ($5,200, QB, Purdue)

Devin Mockobee ($6,300, RB, Purdue)