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Best CFB Week 1 Projections (Thursday Slate)

Sep 23, 2023; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) runs against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first quarter at Ryan Field.
Image Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

As a sneak peek to the Week 1 main slate of CFB this Saturday, we have our best plays from the matchups on Thursday, Aug. 29.

Check out our best CFB Week 1 projections and stay tuned for even more content as the college football season rolls on.

Best CFB Week 1 Projections (Thursday Slate)

Below we’ll uncover the top projections for the Thursday, Aug. 29 CFB slate at Sleeper Fantasy.

Darius Taylor More Than 68.5 Rushing Yards 

My first play of CFB Week 1 comes on Thursday night as Minnesota hosts North Carolina. There are a few angles to this play.

We’ll start with the fact that Darius Taylor got banged up in practice, and potentially won’t play here.

PJ Fleck is one of those coaches who hates giving out any injury info, and if the NCAA didn’t require an injury report two hours before the game, we wouldn’t know until kickoff. However, he did say “the good thing is, it’s nothing serious.” Maybe he is practicing and is ready to go. At 100% though, this number is way too low.

This UNC defense a year ago was BAD. They allowed over 400 yards per game and on average gave up 163 rushing yards. They return three starters on the d-line, one of their LBs, and three starters on the back end. They also lost their leading tackler, Cedric Gray, but bring back most of their defense from a year ago. This unit doesn’t scare me. They were brutal a year ago and unless they all took a BIG step forward, they won’t be much better this year.

On the other side, Minnesota returns everybody on an offensive line that ranked 37th in run blocking a year ago. They boast an offense that averaged over 37 rushing attempts a game for an average of 158 yards per game. They have a new QB from New Hampshire, who will probably be playing in the biggest game of his career. Everyone knows what the likely game plan will be: run, run, and more run game.

I don’t think Fleck plays his RB1 in Week 1 of the season if he isn’t 100%. He either plays and hits for us, or he’s out and this play voids (refunded). 

Where to play: Darius Taylor More Than 68.5 Rushing Yards | Sleeper Fantasy

Shedeur Sanders More Than 295.5 Passing Yards 

Now I know this looks like a “hype” play, but I think there is a very good angle behind this projection. Colorado brought in a few transfer WRs: Lajohntay Wester (from FAU) and Will Sheppard (from Vanderbilt). They also bring back Jimmy Horn and Travis Hunter in an absolutely loaded WR core.

The entire o-line is revamped and should be much better than last year. I think North Dakota State can hang a bit in the trenches, so it might be tough getting the run game going. Colorado Head Coach Deion Sanders will want to showcase this new-look Colorado offense after a disappointing end to last season. They aren’t the team that’s going to abandon the passing game if they get up, so Sanders will have plenty of attempts to surpass this number.

Sanders missed the last two games of last season, but in Weeks 1-10, they averaged 42 passing attempts per game for an average of 315 yards per game. You’ve got to believe that the Colorado game plan will be to stretch out this NDSU defense and use their speed on the edges to their advantage with lots of jump balls and deep passes.

Both teams operate at an insanely high pace, so we should see quick possessions and tons of explosive plays. 

Where to play: Shedeur Sanders More Than 295.5 Passing Yards | Sleeper Fantasy

Another pick ’em site, Underdog Fantasy, is running a special promotion attached to Sanders for tonight.

More info in the embedded tweet below!

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Author: Kyle Krogstad