College football DFS picks September 5: Ride the Ponies to cash

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 12: Brady White #3 of the Memphis Tigers throws a pass against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field on October 12, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

College football DFS quarterback picks September 5:

Top Tier:

Shane Buechele has the highest ceiling on the slate, but SMU is also very likely to blowout the Bobcats. That could lead to the Ponies taking it easy with Buechele and trying to figure out who is the lead RB with Xavier Jones in the NFL. I like Buechele, but there’s risk here. I wont be all in on him, but I will have some exposure.

North Texas still has not decided who will succeed Mason Fine, arguably the most successful QB in Mean Green history. Jason Bean and Austin Aune have been named co-starters. This is a messy situation, and given he price on both, it’s hard to take this kind of a risk. This is a plus matchup for both, but if one gets hot and the other doesn’t play, you could be in trouble. Playing both isn’t out of the question either. For what it’s worth, Bean has a little more experience. That wont matter against Houston Baptist though.

Middle Tier:

UTEP is a run-first team with a shaky QB at the helm against a Stephen F. Austin team that really should be favored here. I see no reason to pay that price for Hardison. Just use Christian Anderson as a third running back. You’ll come out much further ahead.

Grant Wells will get to throw his first FBS pass against a shaky Eastern Kentucky defense. This is a nice matchup, but DraftKings really botched the price on Brady White. Memphis gave Penn State a fight and only lost one regular season game by a whole two points. Yes, Memphis loves to run, but White is a very good quarterback with some excellent receivers. I think he’ll have a larger role with the opt-outs and graduations at RB. White is an absolute steal at this price. I’ll own him everywhere!

Since Army’s quarterbacks mostly operate as running backs, we will likely see Jabari Lewis get some carries. However, I don’t know how much he cuts into Anderson’s action and his price is awfully high for someone who’s only going to see action sparingly.

Arkansas State announced a timeshare between last year’s starter to open the season, Logan Bonner, and Alabama transfer Layne Hatcher, who started the last eight games for the Red Wolves. Going into a game against Memphis is not a time that you want to be undecided at QB. I prefer Hatcher, but honestly, both are very risky with little upside. We should be able to do better.

Bargain Shoppers:

Trae Self should be a cautionary tale. He threw as many interceptions as touchdowns last year for the Lumberjacks and likely has a short leash against one of the worst FBS teams. Go with Asher O’Hara instead. Yes, Army has a good defense, but O’Hara is very cheap and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s also a runner, which helps his floor.

Memphis transfer Brady McBride will start at QB for Texas State with Tyler Vitt popping positive for the Rona. In all truth, he had the leg up on Vitt anyway before Vitt contracted COVID. SMU’s defense was a sore spot last year and will be again. I like McBride to put up good numbers for his price here.

For what it’s worth, Parker McKinney and Bailey Zappe are the starters for Eastern Kentucky and Houston Baptist. With McBride only marginally more expensive, I don’t see a reason to drop this low. If you do though, go with Zappe. McKinney has a tough matchup.