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CFB DFS: Friday, November 6th, 2020

We’ve got a three-game slate for Friday night on DK. Here is the lineup I played with some thoughts on the card:

Miami @ NC State (+10.5/58)

SJSU @ SDSU (-9/48.5)

BYU @ Boise State (+3.5/61.5)

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CFB DFS: Thursday, November 5th, 2020

We’ve got a two-game slate for Thursday night on Draft Kings. Here is the lineup that I played, with some brief thoughts:

Utah State @ Nevada (-17.5/56.5)
Wyoming @ Colorado State (+3.5/54.5)

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DraftKings Main Slate First Look: Cheap Value/Punt Plays for 11/7/20

The NCAA and DraftKings finally cut us a break this week and finally released game times and slate salaries respectively early in the week. This gives us more time to mull over top prospective players to target, games to stack, and one of my favorite aspects to analyze – cheap plays that can meet value and free up salary in your lineups. For the purpose of this exercise, we’ll mostly focus on sub-5k plays with a few exceptions.  

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CFB DraftKings Halloween Day DFS, Saturday, October 31, 2020

The Halloween noon slate on DraftKings is an eerie hodge-podge of matchups this week. There are multiple complete cross-offs and not nearly as many games with sky high over/unders, as in previous weeks. As such, there’s likely to be a lot of variance in lineup scoring across contests. Some late week injuries and COVID positives have opened up some value, but don’t be surprised if more announcements come out on game day. Be willing and flexible to adjust your lineups on Saturday morning.

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CFB DFS: Friday, October 30, 2020

We’ve got a four-game slate on DK that was reduced to three after Marshall/FIU was postponed. We saw the late new break last night with Dante Wright being ruled out, so this year more than any, stay vigilant if you are playing for more than entertainment value. ECU is rumored to have several players out due to the rona, but we may not know who they are until too late.

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CFB DFS: Saturday, October 24, 2020

Here is a look at the DK main and night slates. I play with an emphasis on cash, so here goes some thoughts and lineups. Per usual, you can find extended thoughts on the games here:

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CFB DFS: Saturday, October 10, 2020

We are taking a slightly different approach this week and bringing our resident tourney aficionado, Pidge Stefan (@DW_Clayton) into the fold. He will be covering our tourney players, and I will handle your cash game needs in two separate articles. Take a look at my weekly breakdown thread.

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CFB DFS: Saturday, October 3rd, 2020

Hey everybody, had the primary job overwhelm me this week. Wanted to get this out Friday night to honor the west coast folks with an early Saturday kick. As such, I’m only gonna be posting bare bones this week. I haven’t been able to study the card as in depth as I would prefer, but here are a few lineups that I’ve built for the main, afternoon, and evening slates on Draft Kings. Check out my weekly twitter thread to get some additional insight on the matchups

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CFB Conspectus: September 21, 2020

conspectus

\ kən-ˈspek-təs \

noun

1: a usually brief survey or summary (as of an extensive subject) often providing an overall view

Each week, Greg Brandt and/or Brad McDaniel will write a review from the week of football that was.

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CFB DFS: Saturday, September 12th, 2020

Saturday offers our first significant slates on both DraftKings and Fan Duel. I’m going to link some extended thoughts that I gave on twitter and share some lineups below https://twitter.com/FranchiseKF/status/1302956622940078083?s=20

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BAG MAN: September 4th, 2020

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”

-Nelson Mandela

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2020 CFF Rankings: Franchise Wide Receivers

I dislike making rankings. My brain isn’t wired to think in terms of numerical lists, but I understand how desirable and popular rankings are. As such, I’m going to include a bit of commentary and context into my rankings of each position group. In this final of four installments, I’ll cover the wide receivers.

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2020 CFF Rankings: Franchise Running Backs

I dislike making rankings. My brain isn’t wired to think in terms of numerical lists, but I understand how desirable and popular rankings are. As such, I’m going to include a bit of commentary and context into my rankings of each position group. In this third of four installments, I’ll cover the running backs.

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2020 CFF Rankings: Franchise Tight Ends

I dislike making rankings. My brain isn’t wired to think in terms of numerical lists, but I understand how desirable and popular rankings are. As such, I’m going to include a bit of commentary and context into each position group’s rankings. In this second of four installments, I’ll cover the tight ends.

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BAG MAN: August 28, 2020

I recently read Steven Pressfield’s book, Gates of Fire, which detailed the Spartan exploits in battle. Here are two quotes that more poetically detail my thoughts on this relationship,

“The hardship of the exercises is intended less to strengthen the back than to toughen the mind. The Spartans say that any army may win while it still has its legs under it; the real test comes when all strength is fled, and the men must produce victory on will alone.”

“Habit will be your champion. When you train the mind to think one way and one way only, when you refuse to allow it to think in another, that will produce great strength in battle.”

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2020 CFF Ranks: Franchise Quarterbacks

I dislike making rankings. My brain isn’t wired to think in terms of numerical lists, but I understand how desirable and popular rankings are. As such, I’m going to include a bit of commentary and context into my rankings of each position group. In this first of four installments, I’ll cover the quarterbacks.

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BAG MAN: August 21, 2020

Who’s an underrated flex player on a CUSA / Sun Belt team who has some upside in fantasy this season? @Wvschorn

Here are five skill guys that I think could have big seasons. 

BJ Emmons, FAU, RB
Marcus Williams, App State, RB
JJ Holloman, FIU, WR
Sterling Palmer, FIU, TE
Isaiah LIkely, Coastal Carolina, TE

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Franchise Guys: 2022 Eligible

We see people planting flags on Twitter every day. We see discussions about who was first on a player every draft season. We all have our favorite players. That’s part of the reason we play Devy. It’s easy to fall in love with a player AFTER he proves himself as one of the top talents at his position, but I like to pick My Guys early, usually as they are making the transition from high school to college. Watching as many incoming freshmen as we do for our annual Devy Watch publication gives us an incredible head start on each class and helps us find guys we are willing to pound the table for earlier than normal.

Listed below – by position – are My Guys in the 2022 draft-eligible class. This is a mix of players that highly value in Devy formats, players that I’ve targeted in CFF, or generally enjoy watching them play. 

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BAG MAN: August 7, 2020

“Close your eyes… Picture Clyde Edwards-Helaire… Make an internal review of the discussions you’ve had in regards to him on Twitter over the past two weeks. If you feel angry when you think about him and/or you’ve engaged in numerous vitriolic debates about him and other NFL running backs, please allow me to make some unsolicited suggestions: Unplug from Twitter. Start with 72 hours. If you are still enraged when you return, take a longer break. Instead of logging on, do something that brings you joy. Go outside. Seek out legitimate face-to-face or mask-to-mask interactions. Sweat. Laugh. Breathe. Picture yourself five years from now… Will you be glad you spent time arguing on the internet about fantasy football running backs and degrading others with a contrasting viewpoint or will you wish you spent that time with your significant other or your children? You are probably a kind person; there is no reason to be mean to another human over something this trivial. It’s gonna be okay!” – Friar Franchise

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Franchise Guys: 2023 Eligible

Listed below – by position – are My Guys in the 2023 draft-eligible class. I don’t typically draft freshmen in Devy, so this is a mix of players that I’ve spent extended time scouting for the publication, or I’ve targeted them in Campus 2 Canton leagues. Full disclosure: I usually don’t take strong positions on lots of players that haven’t taken a snap in college. While it can be fun to be “first,” it typically doesn’t help bolster my fantasy teams, which I’m most concerned about. I’ve got a strategy that I try to stick to in both Devy and CFF, and that typically doesn’t include targeting the high profile, incoming freshmen. 

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BAG MAN: July 31, 2020

How many wins does Jeremy Pruitt need to be considered better than Dan Mullen? @atldan

A Gnat flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull. After he had rested a short time, he made ready to fly away. But before he left, he begged the Bull’s pardon for having used his horn for a resting place. “You must be very glad to have me go now,” he said. “It’s all the same to me,” replied the Bull. “I did not even know you were there.” – The Gnat & the Bull

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BAG MAN: July 24, 2020

“As all born teachers, he was primarily a student.”

― Steven Pressfield, Gates of Fire

What team is the best landing spot for Brock Purdy when he does leave for the NFL? @LeviRStev

I’m going to roll with four teams. This is a combination of my perceived personnel match as well as the practicality of where teams may be targeting a QB in the 2021 or 2022 drafts. 

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2020 CFF Previews: Sun Belt

Tony Petersen had one main thing to tell Shawn Clark when the former interviewed to become Appalachian State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Whether you hire me or not, Petersen recalled, don’t change a thing. “I’ll bring my little things here and there, but we’re going to run App State’s offense,” Petersen said after the first day of spring practices on Feb. 18. “Same thing, in three or four years, someday if I’m gone or somebody’s gone or one of the coaches, it’s still going to stay App State’s offense.”

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2020 CFF Previews: CUSA

Charlotte 49ers head football coach Will Healy has announced the promotion of quarterbacks coach Mark Carney to Offensive Coordinator. Carney will also retain his role as quarterbacks coach. “Mark was such a critical part of our success last season,” Healy said. “He is incredibly deserving of this opportunity, which we believe gives us the best chance to provide continuity and take additional steps on offense. I greatly value Mark’s friendship and who he is as a person and a coach. This is someone I have trusted and thought highly of since I played for him in college, and it’s been a joy to have Mark and his family on this journey with us.” Carney, who has 16 years of collegiate coaching experience, including five as an offensive coordinator, was the quarterback’s coach during Healy’s playing career at Richmond. He served as offensive coordinator at both Baldwin-Wallace and Virginia State before being named quarterbacks coach for the 49ers. “Coach Healy and I have a long history together, and I know what a fantastic coach and person he is,” Carney said. “I’m humbled and grateful that he is entrusting me with this position and I can’t wait to continue what we began a year ago. I know our personnel and what we are capable of and I’m excited to get to work with these guys in 2020.”

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2020 CFF Previews: MAC

From Fansided, “ Few teams in college football bring back a more experienced offense than Akron in 2020. According to Bill Connelly’s returning production rankings at ESPN, the Zips return 89 percent of their offensive production from last season, third-best across the FBS. As a veteran group gets a second year of experience in offensive coordinator Tommy Zagorski’s scheme, they should show massive improvement. Of course, there is no direction to go but up after the way the unit performed last season. Akron ranked dead last in the FBS in scoring offense, averaging only 10.5 points per game. No team at the top level of college football gained fewer yards per game than the 243.2 that the Zips averaged in 2019, and their running game also ranked 130th out of 130 teams in the country at only 47.6 yards per game. Two places where the Zips really must improve is in limiting negative plays and turnovers. Akron finished 2019 last in the FBS in sacks allowed and 128th in total tackles for loss conceded. They also struggled to hold on to the football, coughing up 14 interceptions and 12 fumbles to rank third from last in the FBS in turnover margin.

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2020 CFF Previews: MWC

Donald “DJ” Hammond is a terrific QB. Seemingly every year, I want to like the AFA quarterback in CFF, but it’s usually not a great gamble. Hammond is a rare athlete for the position, due to his passing abilities. He’s not a great passer by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s much more capable than the majority of option quarterbacks. I believe that 20 fantasy-points-per-game is a reasonable floor for Hammond, but his ceiling doesn’t reach much higher. I can see some appeal in him in a deep, best-ball league, but I don’t think he should be rostered in most standard-sized leagues. As a senior, I’m excited to see him, purely as a football fan.

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2020 CFF Previews: Independents

“Among the service academy trio highlighted, Army arguably has the taller task of attempting a 180-degree change from last year’s 5-8 season. With the losses of Kelvin Hopkins, Kell Walker, Cole Christiansen, and Connor Slomka, among others, that leaves a breadth of options to examine on the field. While the Black Knights managed with a challenging season, a number of younger players did have the chance to show their skills giving the coaching staff room to observe. At quarterback, Kelvin Hopkins Jr. finished his career with 1,679 passing yards and 24 touchdowns but a mid-season injury meant career starts for Jabari Laws and Christian Anderson.

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2020 CFF Previews: Big-12

Baylor Bears

Old HC: Matt Rhule
New HC: Dave Aranda

Old OC: Glenn Thomas
New OC: Larry Fedora

From ESPN, “At Clemson, there’s already a blueprint for a championship. There’s a coaching staff that retained all but one major asset. There’s the elite QB (Trevor Lawrence), the superstar tailback (Travis Etienne) and a wealth of veteran talent. Take a trip down to Waco, Texas, however, and life is a bit different.

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2020 CFF Previews: PAC-12

Arizona Wildcats

HC: Kevin Sumlin

OC: Noel Mazzone

From The Athletic, “Though Sumlin didn’t outright confirm it in spring practice, it’s safe to say Grant Gunnell will be the man behind center for the Wildcats in 2020. The former four-star recruit out of St. Pius X High in Houston entered last season No. 2 on the depth chart behind Khalil Tate, who is now on the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster as an undrafted free agent.

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2020 CFF Previews: ACC

Boston College Eagles

Old HC: Steve Addazio
New HC: Jeff Hafley

Old OC: Mike Bajakian
New HC: Frank Cignetti

“When the new offensive coordinator does eventually get to work, he has an idea of what he will be bringing to Boston College. He wants to blend the best of NFL, college, and high school offenses in his offensive system.

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2020 CFF Previews: SEC

Alabama Crimson Tide

HC: Nick Saban
OC: Steve Sarkisian

“Steve Sarkisian returned to head coach Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in January of 2019 after two years coordinating the Atlanta Falcons offense. Sarkisian served as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator for the 2017 College Football Championship Game after spending the 2016 season with Alabama as an analyst prior to being promoted.

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BAG MAN: May 1, 2020

“Young money
Ya dig
Mack I’m goin’ in

I’m a Millionaire
I’m a Young Money Millionaire, tougher than Nigerian hair” – Weezy

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THE BAG MAN: April 17,2020

“And they call me Bill, ’cause I’m all about a dollar
I ain’t selling makeup, but you know I got that product
You could call me Brady, ’cause that money I got a bunch” – Kodak

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