Happy Friday, football fans.
Whether your alma mater is in action or your fantasy football league is drafting (or better yet, both), this is sure to be a loaded holiday weekend. Winners Club has you covered with extensive fantasy draft prep and a snapshot of Week 1 in the world of college football.
But first, a quick update: As September begins, our newsletter schedule is going to ramp up to three times per week. You can expect to find the top stories from SI Fantasy and SI Betting in your inbox on Monday and Wednesday mornings in the same format you’ve seen all summer. And on Fridays, look out for a more in-depth edition to get you ready for the weekend ahead.
In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:
Tools to Take Into Your Draft
All summer long, the SI Fantasy team has been adding to our Fantasy Draft Kit, which has, well, everything you need for your draft. Busts and breakouts, the easiest and toughest schedules, insider reports, even funny fantasy team names — it’s all in there!
I highly recommend perusing it yourself before your draft (or drafts) begin, but in case you’re pressed for time I’ll hit some of the highlights below:
Player Rankings
Prioritize your top targets at each position with Michael Fabiano’s extensive rankings and compare players across different positions with his top 200 PPR rankings.
Positional Tiers
Tiers differ from rankings in that they group together players of similar value at the same position so you can find alternative options in case your queued player gets picked. (It happens to the best of us!)
QB Tiers | RB Tiers | WR Tiers | TE Tiers
Draft Strategies
Different players project to be available at each pick depending on your draft slot. I navigated the first five rounds from four different pick groupings in search of the best strategy to pursue from each slot based on average draft position data.
Picks 1-2-3 | Picks 4-5-6 | Picks 7-8-9 | Picks 10-11-12
Sleepers
Who doesn’t love a good, old-fashioned sleeper? We’ve got picks at each position as well as recommendations for late-round rookies who might pop this year.
QB Sleepers | RB Sleepers | WR Sleepers | TE Sleepers | Rookie Sleepers
Mock Drafts
Analyzing draft boards can help inform your own perspective on which avenue to take once you’re on the clock. The SI Fantasy team got together for a few different types of drafts and Fabiano added commentary for each team.
10-Team PPR | 12-Team PPR | Two-QB
Once your draft is over, you can sit back and admire your team, but the work is far from over. Fabiano has five recommendations for managers immediately after a draft is complete. I certainly agree with him that it’s never too soon to start trading…
Welcome to Week 1
FBS action got going Thursday night and it doesn’t let up until Monday. For as much good football as there will be over the next few days, there’s only one top-25 matchup on the schedule.
That would be No. 5 LSU vs. No. 8 FSU. The Seminoles left New Orleans with a 24-23 win in 2022, and now the series shifts to Orlando where the Tigers are 2.5-point favorites. Quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Jordan Travis are both legitimate Heisman candidates responsible for leading two of the top title contenders. Which team will leave Week 1 with a top-10 win on their resume?
There’s one other almost-top-25 matchup: No. 21 North Carolina vs. South Carolina, which came in at No. 27 in the preseason poll. UNC is a 2.5-point favorite in Charlotte, though the Gamecocks got the best of the Tar Heels when they last met in 2021 before Drake Maye and Spencer Rattler were starting for their respective teams. Can South Carolina pick up where it left off? Or will North Carolina turn things around?
For more in-depth breakdowns of those two games, check out my College Football Week 1 Betting Preview. And for a rundown of a few more matchups, consult Pat Forde and Richard Johnson’s Week 1 picks.
Other Games for Your Consideration
Saturday, 3 p.m. ET (ABC): Boise State vs. No. 10 Washington (-13.5) | Total: 58.5
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPNU): South Alabama vs. No. 24 Tulane (-6.5) | Total: 52.5
Monday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 9 Clemson (-13.5) vs. Duke | Total: 55.5
National Championship Odds Watch
No. 1 Georgia, the two-time defending national champion, is the favorite to execute a rare three-peat this season. Though the odds are in the Bulldogs’ favor, history isn’t. No team has won three straight titles since the 1930s and only eight of the last 50 preseason No. 1 teams have gone on to win the championship, including just two this century.
UGA (+225) has by far the best odds to win it all despite another offseason of turnover in Athens. The closest competitors, according to SI Sportsbook, are No. 4 Alabama (+600), No. 3 Ohio State (+600) and No. 2 Michigan (+1000). The next group of contenders includes No. 6 USC (+1400), No. 5 LSU (+1600), No. 8 Florida State (+1800) and No. 9 Clemson (+1800).
In Other News
The NFL’s Best Skill Position Groups, Ranked: Now that rosters are set, see where the Chiefs stand and find out which team takes the top spot in Gilberto Manzano’s rankings.
Ja’Marr Chase Weighs in on Joe Burrow’s Return: The Bengals’ franchise quarterback returned to practice this week and his top receiver said, in part: “He doesn’t look like he’s having any problems.”
Colts’ Chris Ballard Talks Jonathan Taylor Saga: Indianapolis’ general manager expressed his disappointment in the ongoing situation with the team’s top running back. Taylor was not traded before Tuesday’s deadline and the 2021 rushing leader remains on the PUP list.
That’s all for today. Enjoy your holiday weekend and best of luck with your draft(s)!
