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Dr. Saturday's daily fantasy picks and advice for Thursday's games

Dr. Saturday is getting in the daily fantasy game.

With the increase in daily fantasy popularity, we decided to use our college football knowledge to help you have a more fun — and profitable — college football season.

Unfortunately, Yahoo Sports does not offer a college football daily fantasy game, so we took our talents to FanDuel to compile the best lineups. Usually, this feature will post on Friday for Saturday games, but since Thursday is the opening day, we thought we’d add this weekday exception.

Good luck!

QUARTERBACK

Thomas Sirk, Duke ($5,100)
I debated about whether to spend big money on the quarterback position by grabbing Trevone Boykin or Brandon Doughty, but Sirk might be the best value pick on the board.

He’s a dual threat, which is always a nice find in daily fantasy. Last season, he averaged 5.1 yards per carry and scored eight rushing touchdowns. His passing stats aren’t nearly as prolific, but he did complete 10-of-14 passes for 67 yards and three touchdowns. Remember, these numbers are all as a backup. He’s now the unquestioned leader of the offense and coach David Cutcliffe has a lot of confidence in his new signal caller.

“Thomas Sirk is talented. Period,” Cutcliffe said in July. “He has played well in practice. He has a great ability that I trust to make practice like a game. He’s serious. He is prepared.”

RUNNING BACK

A.J Ouellette, Ohio ($8,900)
Ouellette finished the 2014 season with 785 yards and seven touchdowns, and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. Not bad for a guy who walked on during fall camp. And though many fear a sophomore slump, an opening game against Idaho sets Ouellette up perfectly for success. Idaho ranked 119th in the nation against the run last season, allowing 246.2 yards per game. Idaho is running an entirely new defense this year, so it’s unclear what to expect, but Ouellette torched the Vandals a year ago for 171 total yards and two touchdowns.

Brandon Wilds, South Carolina ($7,700)
There is no doubt this is a pick based on potential. Wilds is the starter in what might be a two-man backfield, but he figures to get a lot of touches in the opener as the Gamecocks' new quarterback Connor Mitch gets used to being a first-year starter. Wilds has been injured each of the past three seasons, but as a fifth-year senior, he’s eager to consistently maintain the form that earned him five touchdowns a year ago. I expect a big season for Wilds (if he stays healthy) and it starts against a North Carolina defense that surrendered 240.5 rushing yards per game a season ago.

WIDE RECEIVER

Dezmon Epps, Idaho ($5,900)
I went back and forth between Epps and TCU’s Kolby Listenbee and really it came down to the opposing defense — Minnesota was strong against the pass last year, Ohio was not. Epps was the Vandals’ leading receiver in 2013 before missing the 2014 season because of disciplinary issues. He returned this spring and looked amazing during the spring game. Idaho’s quarterbacks are new, but they’ve had a great rapport with Epps during fall camp. He’s their safety valve and they’re going go to him a lot.

Cayleb Jones, Arizona ($8,100)
Arizona is stacked at the receiver position, but there is little doubt Jones is the best of the lot. Jones finished the year with 1,019 yards and nine touchdowns and that was even with a hand injury that limited his production. This is a great game to see Jones shine. Quarterback Anu Solomon is going to want to get off to a good start after finishing the season so poorly a year ago. Jones had four catches for 143 yards and a touchdown in this game a year ago, and I’d expect a similar performance in 2015.

Antwane Grant, Western Kentucky ($5,200)
As noted above, quarterback Brandon Doughty likes to throw the ball a lot and he’s pretty good about distributing catches among his receivers. That’s what makes Grant the best option at this price point. Vanderbilt is still a team trying to find its way while Western Kentucky is poised for another Conference USA title. Grant was the team’s No. 4 receiver last year and still finished with 509 yards and six touchdowns. He figures to better that total with Willie McNeal out of the way. When you have limited money you have to go with the best option to score points and this is the best.

TIGHT END

Jonnu Smith, Florida International ($4,000)
Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with Smith. FIU’s 4-8 season didn’t warrant a lot of attention, but Smith was definitely the star of the show. He finished 2014 with 61 catches for 710 yards and eight touchdowns. He set school records for most catches and receiving yards for a tight end and broke T.Y. Hilton’s single-season touchdown record. Not going to lie, Central Florida is not a great matchup. The UCF defense was tough last year, but it did lose seven starters off the squad. Still, Smith was targeted in 27 percent of the Panthers passing plays a season ago, so it’s fair to assume he’ll see enough action to earn points.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook