Florida Football: Gators to start and fade against Kentucky on DraftKings

Sep 9, 2023; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) hands the ball to Florida Gators running back Trevor Etienne (7) during the second half against the McNeese State Cowboys at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 9, 2023; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) hands the ball to Florida Gators running back Trevor Etienne (7) during the second half against the McNeese State Cowboys at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Last week, Florida football wasn’t listed on either of the main daily fantasy sites as one of the games that could be played. It was probably for the better, as the Gators had an unimpressive offensive performance that probably would have lost Gator fans money.

This week, Florida fans do have an option to utilize Gator players.

We are going to be looking at the 12 game afternoon slate of games on DraftKings that has Florida vs Kentucky along with:

  • Clemson at Syracuse
  • USC at Colorado
  • Texas A&M at Arkansas
  • Penn State @ Northwestern
  • Arizona State @ California
  • Kansas @ Texas
  • Georgia @ Auburn
  • Indiana @ Maryland
  • Michigan @ Nebraska
  • Illinois @ Purdue
  • Boise State @ Memphis

Florida Football: Start or fade?

  • Graham Mertz
    • $5,900
    • 16.7 FPPG
    • Rotowire Projection:11.32 Points

We referenced this ahead of Florida’s matchup against Tennessee. Graham Mertz has been a perfectly fine QB for Florida for actual results, but it is hard to trust him for daily fantasy purposes.

He is once again one of the cheapest QBs you can play, but even with that, RotoWire is not convinced he is going to score enough to justify him in the QB slot.

Depending on the lineup you build, he may wind up having value as a superflex, but keep in mind this game is expected to be low scoring as a whole.

  • Ricky Pearsall
    • $7,400
    • 18.6 FPPG
    • RotoWire Projection: 12.48 points

Ricky Perasall should have an effective day and get a normal target volume. We would expect Kentucky to load up the box to stop Florida’s run. That doesn’t automatically mean that Billy Napier is going to opt to pass the ball.

The problem with playing Pearsall is that he is the most expensive receiver of this slate of games, but his actual fantasy production doesn’t quite justify what is projected on Saturday.

We have previously recommended Pearsall but recommend steering away from him this week.

  • Caleb Douglas
    • $5,100
    • 8.3 FPPG
    • Rotowire Projection: 11.08 points

If Douglas actually scores 11 points on Saturday, his price tag of $5,100 is a decent value.

The problem is that Douglas has had outings of zero points, 4.0 points, and 6.7 points since the Utah game.

He is a case of a player we would like to see highlighted more, but unless he hauls in a touchdown, it is hard to give any confidence he is going to reach double-digit points.

  • Eugene Wilson
    • $4,700
    • 9.0 FPPG
    • RotoWire Projection: 7.7 Points

Where Caleb Douglas seems to be overvalued by the computer models, Eugene Wilson seems to be still flying under the radar based on the models.

Against Tennesee, Wilson had over 10 points in essentially one-quarter of play.

Listed as healthy this week, Napier will continue looking for ways to feed Wilson the ball.

Of Florida’s three main receivers, Wilson would be the one we recommend playing.

  • Montrell Johnson
    • $6,100
    • 15.0 FPPG
    • RotoWire Projection: 13.7 points

Last week, Johnson was the workhorse running back for Florida football, taking the ball 16 times for 63 yards, along with two catches for -1 yard.

But what is evident is that Trevor Etienne is the better on-the-field running back of the two this season.

Our instincts tell us that Napier gave Johnson the bulk of the carries last week because he wanted to save Etienne for this week.

Look at his usage of Nay’quan Wright last season as an example of fading a running back out.

Johnson is capable of finding the endzone, but given his price tag, there is a better option for the Gators.

  • Trevor Etienne
    • $5,200
    • 14.9 FGGP
    • RotoWire Projection: 16.3 points

For what it is worth, Trevor Etienne is the one player from Florida football that RotoWire advises putting into lineups that want to maximize their points for Saturday.

Given that he is far cheaper than Johnson and has a far higher upside than Johnson this Saturday, we too recommend Etienne as the Gator to play on DraftKings.

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