FanDuel College Football Picks For Early September 5

ByMike Marteny|

Jan 9, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the 2015 College Football Championship logo outside the Hilton Anatole hotel, home to the Ohio State University football team. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Since ESPN has axed their College Football Challenge, I have decided to take my prognosticating to FanDuel. The format is a little different at FanDuel since there is actually a salary cap, but being somewhat confined isn’t always a bad thing. It may make you look at some players that you would otherwise ignore.

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The options the best of the season so far this afternoon. Let’s see if there are any bargains hiding in here!

Here are my NCAA football FanDuel picks for early September 5:

Next: Should You Spend Big At QB?

Nov 29, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Josh Dobbs (11) runs for a touchdown during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback:

Best Bet:

Josh Dobbs, Tennessee ($10,000): Dobbs was nothing short of fantastic leading the Vols last year. Bowling Green isn’t exactly known for their defense. Dobbs is already a leader of this young team. Tennessee should put up some big numbers today against the Falcons, and Dobbs will be right in the middle of it.

Honorable Mention:

Jaquez Johnson, Florida Atlantic ($8,200): Tulsa was near the bottom in most defensive categories last year, and Johnson had some big games against questionable defenses last year. He put up almost 30 against Middle Tennessee State, and 46.5 against Western Kentucky. Oh, and 33 against Tulsa. He is a bargain for the price because of his ability to run the football as well.

Dark Horse:

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State ($6,000): Hackenberg had his best game of a disappointing 2014 in the bowl game against Boston College. Can he build off of that performance? The reviews have been very positive of him so far in 2015. He could be a big reward today, but he is not without risk.

My Pick: Johnson

Next: Who Is The Best RB?

Nov 22, 2014; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks running back Alex Collins (3) rushes against the Ole Miss Rebels at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas defeated Mississippi 30-0. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Running Back:

Best Bets:

Alex Collins, Arkansas ($9,400): Johnathan Williams is out, which means Collins will get all the carries he can handle. He ran for over 1,100 yards last year in a time-share situation. He is going to be huge in the early going, especially against a softer run defense in UTEP. Nick Chubb may outscore him, but I like Collins’s heavy workload. You know Chubb will cede plenty of carries to Sony Michel. Collins has the backfield pretty much to himself today.

Jalen Hurd, Tennessee ($8,300): I am surprised that Hurd is this cheap. Hurd is a huge, fast back, and is a matchup nightmare for any team. Bowling Green won’t know what hit them.

Honorable Mention:

Brandon Radcliff, Louisville ($7,100): Radcliff will have a larger role in the Louisville offense this year. He carries a risk because if Auburn gets up big early on, the Cardinals won’t run nearly as much as they would like to, but for this price, Radcliff could provide some nice points.

Zack Langer, Tulsa ($7,900): The Owls don’t have a strong defense, and Langer was one of the few bright spots in Tulsa’s offense last year. Expect a heavy dose of Langer as Tulsa tries to keep up.

Dark Horse:

Barry Sanders, Jr., Stanford ($4,500): Sanders is still second on the depth chart behind Christian McCaffrey, but Sanders should still see some carries in this one. He is a high risk, but he also carries a high reward. Especially if this gets out of hand.

My Picks: Collins and Hurd

Next: Next: The WR's

Oct 19, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Old Dominion Monarchs wide receiver Zach Pascal (6) runs after a pass reception against Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Ray Vinopal (9) during the third quarter at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh won 35-24. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receivers:

Best Bets:

Zach Pascal, Old Dominion ($8,000): Taylor Heinecke may be gone, but the offense is the same. The Monarchs are going to chuck the ball 50 times a game. You can expect Pascal to be the target on at least 30% of those.

Devon Cajuste, Stanford ($6,600): Cajuste is a favorite target of Kevin Hogan. Don’t expect that to change this year.

Honorable Mention:

Keevan Lucas, Tulsa ($9,800): Lucas had a monster year last year, scoring more than 10 FanDuel points in all but one game. Which game was that? The one against Florida Atlantic in week 2. Expect him to rectify that this year.

Mitch Mathews, BYU ($7,400): Expect the Cougars to go after the young Nebraska secondary in this one, and Mathews will be the top target of Taysom Hill. Lost in all of that athletic ability is the fact that Hill has a decent arm.

Dark Horse:

Canaan Severin, Virginia ($4,600): The Cavs need all the offense they can get against UCLA. Severin will likely be the top target of QB Matt Johns. It’s going to be tough sledding today, but expect Severin to see plenty of targets.

My Picks: Severin, David Washington, Josh Malone

Due to time constraints, I will forgo the TE for the early games. It’s a crapshoot anyway!

Next: ESPN College Pick Em Picks Week 1

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