Football Saturdays are back and are already rolling into the second full day of CFB DFS action! And, this week is especially special because it represents the first true football weekend of 2022 with the NFL kicking off Week 1. It’s the annual Sunday where we can all be disappointed in the 11 fantasy teams we drafted at halftime of the early games. But, before that fun begins let’s sample some DK lineups as a little Saturday appetizer to celebrate the return of full football weekends for the rest of the year.

The purpose of every post I make here is to attempt to identify value for any particular slate. I am never going to offer the most expensive, obvious, and essentially best players as my “suggestions” or “picks” for a slate. I’m trying to point out options that could help you afford those players and/or options that I believe could provide similar results at a cheaper price based on logic and statistical evidence. That said, let’s talk some of my favorite plays for the Week 2 Saturday afternoon slate!

Michael Mayer | TE | Notre Dame $3,900

In some of the more fringe DK contests you can sometimes tell that they don’t have a knowledgeable human being reviewing prices that their algorithm is assigning to players for accuracy. This, is one of those times. Besides Georgia’s Brock Bowers, Mayer is arguably college football’s best tight end heading into the 2022 season. And, he is definitely the top option for quarterback Tyler Buchner in the Irish passing game as he displayed last week as the only player to record more than one catch in the defensive struggle against Ohio State.

The good news in Week 2 is that Notre Dame is back at home in an early season cupcake matchup against Marshall. Without the DK pricing system adjusting accordingly, Mayer is a no brainer at this price along with the rest of major players on offense in South Bend. Buchner at 6k is one of the top paydown options at the quarterback position as is Chris Tyree at running back. Fellow tailback Audric Estime looked to be very involved against Ohio State leading all RB’s in carries and scoring the Irish’s lone touchdown. At $3,800 in a game that should have plenty of positive game script for running, he could be an exceptionally shrewd play for this slate.

Ja’Tavion Sanders | TE | Texas $3,000

Let me be the first to say last week’s targets of Arik Gilbert and Dante Wright were complete busts. There are no excuses. Simply put, in the words of Dr. Jake Houseman….

Now with that out of the way, let’s see if I can earn back some trust with this contest minimum price (CMP) candidate. In their opener against UL Monroe, Sanders was the clear favorite for all world recruit Quinn Ewers at quarterback notching a 6-85-1 line. Of course, with the Tide rolling into Austin, throwing lanes will be tighter and getting separation will assuredly prove to be more difficult so anything close to a repeat performance is unlikely. But, at this price you don’t need one.

And, what makes Sanders different from the Gilbert and Wright selections is that there is much less speculation here. We have one game of actual results to understand without a doubt that Sanders has a role in the passing game, and potentially, a significant one. Without the proper price adjustment by DK, it’d be irresponsible of me not to suggest this CMP for consideration. All we need is 3-4 catches from this Texas native and we’ll be cooking with gas for the afternoon contest. Unlike last week’s low cost targets, I can say with somewhat certainty that Sanders will be bagel proof for your lineups Saturday.

Tyler Van Dyke | QB | Miami $6,400

Along with aforementioned Buchner for the Irish, the Cane’s Van Dyke is an excellent value at the quarterback position for this slate. Vegas projections are indicating that Miami is scheduled for 6-7 touchdowns in their matchup at home against Southern Miss. Last season, this Connecticut native routinely put up productive CFB DFS lines throwing for three or more scores in his final six games as the starter. With that kind of performance at 6’4″ 225, it’s not surprising to see him mocked on many main stream platforms as a 1st rounder in the 2023 NFL draft. If he can manage 75-80% of someone like Bryce Young’s DK points in this creampuff matchup, Van Dyke would be well worth rostering.

Diving even deeper at QB, Wake Forrest and Vanderbilt have one of the highest totals on the board setting up for a 40-27ish Vegas projection. Commodore dual threat quarterback Mike Wright is priced at a dirt cheap $5,400 for this slate. Last season, the Demon Deacon defense averaged allowing over 30 points per game to opponents. Their entire philosophy of tempo and out scoring their opposition as opposed to stopping anybody should assist Vandy in getting to their Vegas point total producing 3-4 scores. It should be a solid spot for anyone in Wright’s position to at least crack double digit DK points with decent upside to get into the 15-20 point range. At his price and position, that’s a win.

Good luck in Week 2! Follow me on twitter @realBobbyAdcock compliments and insults are always appreciated.