Let’s take a look at Draft King’s Thursday Lineup:
QB: Tyler Johnston III ($9,300)
RB: Spencer Brown ($7,500)
RB: Jermaine Brown Jr ($5,200)
WR: Austin Watkins Jr ($8,000)
WR: Jalen Tolbert ($5,100)
WR: Lujuan Winningham ($4,700)
FLEX: Hayden Pittman ($4,100)
SF: Desmond Trotter ($6,000)
This is a two-game slate to kick off the CFB DFS season.
Both UAB and Southern Miss are big favorites with below-average posted totals.
Quarterback:
I went with UAB’s Johnston, who is the chalk at QB. He should score with his legs and his arm in this one against a UCA defense that showed vulnerabilities to both in last week’s game against Austin Peay. At $7,000, I like Jack Abraham as well, but using him didn’t free up enough elsewhere to excite me. I went with USA’s QB Desmond Trotter at SF for $6,100. The dual-threat should be playing from behind all game in a high-paced affair. In the final four games of 2019, he ran 12, 12, 14, and 14 times. While his passing volume was meager in two of those affairs, I believe that game script will pull him towards the finale where we saw him throw 31 times, run 14, and account for four touchdowns.
Running Back:
This is a weak slate for running backs. I don’t trust anyone other than UAB’s dynamic duo of Brown and Brown. Considering that they should have a significant lead, I think that both guys get a ton of work in this game. USM appears to be going RBBC, UCA doesn’t have a shot at running the ball, and the game script for USA means that Davis’ best hope for scoring should come as a pass-catcher, but there has been talk that they will divvy up the carries between a few guys.
Wide Receiver:
If USM didn’t make an OC change, I would be more inclined to prioritize their receivers, but I will avoid them in this opener. It seems that Tim Jones and Jason Brownlee should be the primary targets for them, but I don’t expect we see a typical USM WR season from either guy. Austin Watkins needs no introduction for UAB. He is going to pulverize the UCA secondary with his speed and guile. I went cheap at the other spots. UCA’s Lujuan Winningham is a legit talent that was targeted 15 times against Austin Peay. Easy smash for $4,700. USA’s Jalen Tolbert has a great rapport with Desmond Trotter after the duo hooked up for 5-144-4 in the ’19 season finale! He and Baker could both pop in this one, and they are going to be trailing, so it’s an attractive offer for his $5,100 price. Lastly, I went with another cheap option in UAB TE Hayden Pittman. I was considering trying to roster another UCA WR, Tyler Hudson, who was targeted nine times in the opener, but I think that Pittman is a strong candidate to grab a TD in the red zone. Unlikely to be a target hog, this offense has involved TEs and should be on the field for most of the game.
