It’s time for Week 2 of the 2026 college football season.
Each week in this piece, I’ll make 3 DFS pick ’em predictions for the upcoming slate. I’ve surveyed DFS apps like PrizePicks, Underdog and more for the best values on the board.
College football DFS picks Week 2
Let’s break down 3 DFS predictions for Week 2:
John Mateer higher than 30.5 rush yards (via PrizePicks)
Before John Mateer suffered his thumb injury last season, he was running wild early in the year. He went for 63 yards against Temple and 74 yards against Michigan. He didn’t clear 30 rushing yards again until November, but the running game is a huge part of what makes Mateer effective when he’s healthy. I think we’ll see a heavy dose of it on Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Hollywood Smothers higher than 34.5 rush yards (via Underdog)
Texas brought in a pair of high-profile running backs this offseason in Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown. We only have one data point to go off of, but it’s notable to me that Smothers was primarily used on early downs (7 of his 10 carries were on first down) and Brown was used more often in the red zone (7 of his 11 carries were inside the 15) in Week 1. Brown ended up with 1 more carry overall, but Smothers barely played in the second half — his last rushing attempt came on Texas’s first drive of the third quarter. I suspect Smothers will have a slight usage edge over Brown on Saturday, which leads me to the high side of this projection.
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Drew Mestemaker higher than 218.5 pass yards (via Underdog)
In general, it’s a good idea to buy low and sell high — and this pick certainly qualifies as buying low on Drew Mestemaker. He was abysmal last week in a 24-10 loss to Tulsa. But he still threw for 241 yards and uncorked a whopping 49 attempts. I don’t expect this week’s game against Oregon to be particularly close, but I think Mestemaker will have enough pass attempts to get within striking distance of this projection through the first 3 quarters. If he gets a drive or 2 against Oregon’s backup defense, he should soar above 218 passing yards vs. the Ducks.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
