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College football returned last week with 5 days of nonstop entertainment. Now entering Week 2, we’ll see a Saturday slate loaded with huge games.
Here are 5 DFS plays to consider for Saturday and beyond. Everything below can be found inside the Sleeper Fantasy app. New users who sign up with the promo code SOUTHXL will get a deposit match up to $100.
NC State WR Kevin Concepcion more than 78.5 receiving yards
Concepcion earned Freshman All-American status last season after setting school records for receptions and receiving touchdowns by a freshman. He dominated the receiver targets, with a share of 52.2% among all NC State wideouts. In the Week 1 win over Western Carolina, he had 14 targets and 9 receptions. No other Wolfpack player drew more than 5 targets, signaling he should have just as much success with Grayson McCall as he did last year.
Concepcion’s Week 1 outing was his fourth career 100-yard outing. He should be able to add to the hot start; I suspect NC State will be throwing it a ton against Tennessee.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe more than 49.5 rushing yards
In a blowout of Western Kentucky in Week 1, Milroe had 10 rushing attempts for 79 yards and 2 scores. He had 531 rushing yards last season — including 4 games with at least 50 yards on the ground after his benching against USF.
Coach Kalen DeBoer won’t ever force a square peg into a round hole when it comes to building his offense. He’ll make the most of what he has; that’s what he has done throughout his career. With a quarterback like Milroe, that means embracing the rushing ability he provides.
North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton more than 114.5 rushing yards
After losing Max Johnson to a season-ending injury, North Carolina should be leaning hard into its ground game against Charlotte. That means Hampton, who had a massive workload in the Week 1 win over Minnesota, should once again get a healthy share of touches.
Hampton had 30 carries and 5 receptions against the Gophers. He led all Carolina players in both categories. No other player had more than 6 rushing attempts. It’s clear the Tar Heels are going to ride their star tailback until the wheels fall off. Against a Charlotte team that gave up 30 points and 194 rushing yards in Week 1, Hampton’s a safe bet to eclipse the century mark again.
SMU RB Brashard Smith more than 0.5 anytime touchdowns
Smith has 21 rushing attempts and 3 rushing scores through his team’s first 2 games. LJ Johnson has gotten 17 carries, but Smith has been the far more efficient back, averaging 8.5 yards per carry so far. A former receiver at Miami, Smith also had 2 catches in the opener against Nevada.
SMU struggled to separate from Nevada in its opener before rolling Houston Christian last weekend. The Mustangs haven’t had a problem generating chunk plays, though. The ground game alone produced 13 explosive runs a week ago. BYU’s run defense has questions, and Smith should be able to take advantage.
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava more than 0.5 interceptions
Since the start of the 2021 season, NC State has recorded at least 1 interception in 30 of its 38 games. Across those 38 games, NC State has recorded 51 total interceptions — the second-most of any FBS team during the same span. Two different players dropped interceptions in the opener against Western Carolina.
For the Wolfpack to win this game, their secondary has to be stout. Iamaleava wasn’t exactly tested in Week 1, when he completed 22 of his 28 passes for 314 yards in one half. Trust that NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson will have a strong gameplan for the redshirt freshman passer.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
