DraftKings CFB DFS Lineup Picks: Daily College Fantasy Football (10/16/24)

I'm loving these weeknight slates. You only need to be one or two players away from a chalk lineup to win a GPP. This is where the RotoBaller optimizer really comes in handy. Ownership is high on many players, with only four teams in action. The optimizer can tell you who you need to pivot off of.

Both games are in Texas tonight. We start in East Texas with Sam Houston hosting Western Kentucky. We end in El Paso with UTEP hosting Florida International.

In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/16/24, locking at 7 p.m. Eastern. I’ll provide multiple player suggestions for players at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, aiming to highlight one option at the salary scale's high, middle, and lower end. Good luck, RotoBallers.

College Football Betting Picks - October 16

Since we have DFS slates this week and not just single-game showdowns, I'll go ahead and add the betting picks here instead of posting them on X. It's one-stop shopping this week!

Western Kentucky at Sam Houston (-2.5)

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

Don't look now, but the Bearkats are 5-1 with their only loss to Central Florida. They are getting a lot of respect for ousting Texas State. Both of Western Kentucky's losses are to Power Four teams, and they beat a solid Toledo team. I'll take the Hilltoppers, but I'm likely leaving this alone.

Florida International (-7.5) at UTEP

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

This is not a good betting night. That hook is enough to keep me off of FIU. The Panthers are 0-3 on the road this year and lost at home to Monmouth. The second coming of Cade McConnell is going much better for the Miners, but he might be out tonight. If McConnell is out, I'm flipping to FIU.

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks

Hunter Watson, Sam Houston ($8.9K)

Hunter Watson’s TD pass to Michael Phoenix II was on SC Top 10 this morning at No. 7. #EatEmUpKats pic.twitter.com/GaCC8WCkEV

— Sam Houston SportsTalk #PackBowers (@SamHoustonST) October 4, 2024

Like Gio Lopez last night, Watson is the top dual-threat quarterback on this slate. UTEP contained him running the ball, but Watson threw for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help the DFS score. He had back-to-back 100-yard games against New Mexico State and Texas State. He is on 100-yard watch against the Western Kentucky defense tonight.

Keyone Jenkins, Florida International ($6.7K)

The problem with Jenkins continues to be ball security. However, he has thrown for more than 200 yards in four straight games. UTEP has only forced three turnovers in six games, so Jenkins has a little more upside than usual. He's not much of a runner, but over 200 yards and a couple of touchdowns work for his price.

Also consider:  Caden Veltkamp, Western Kentucky ($8.2K); Skyler Locklear, UTEP ($5.3K, if McConnell is out)

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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs

Ezell Jolly, UTEP ($5.5K)

Jolly has 44 carries and three receptions in his two games. That has turned into 195 rushing yards and 26 more through the air. Volume is king in DFS, and no one else will get close to Jolly's volume at running back tonight. He's a steal for this price.

DJ McKinney, Sam Houston ($3.8K)

Some standout performances from Week 6:

Sam Houston State RB DJ McKinney single-handedly put UTEP over his knee last Thursday, crushing the Miners with 138 (ONE HUNDRED & THIRTY EIGHT) rushing yards from just 14 carries... ?@DeonMacJr1 | @BearkatsFB pic.twitter.com/RlC6fYT5LO

— Simon Carroll (@NFLDraftSi) October 9, 2024

The redshirt freshman has nearly split the workload with Jay Ducker over the past month. He turned in his first 100-yard game against UTEP last week. I still expect Ducker to have better numbers, but there will be plenty of carries for both backs in this one. McKinney should still have a strong night for the price.

Also consider: Elijah Young, Western Kentucky ($6.5K); Kejon Owens, Florida International ($4.4K)

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers

Kisean Johnson, Western Kentucky ($6.7K)

Kisean is catching a lot of grief for his dropped touchdown against UTEP last week, but he still turned in a strong night with five catches for 82 yards. Johnson still gets most of the targets and should at least have the chance to score another touchdown tonight.

Eric Rivers, Florida International ($5.5K)

Rivers has at least four receptions and at least 95 years in each of the last four games. The bad news is that he only has two touchdowns to show for it. That's baked into the price, though. UTEP has allowed over 40 points in each of the last two games and 27 or more in every game. I'll say that Rivers finds the end zone tonight with somewhere around 100 yards.

Easton Messer, Western Kentucky ($4.8K)

Despite the large target share of Johnson, Messer still has at least three receptions in every game and four or more in all but the Alabama game. He topped out at 106 yards last week. It's not often that you find 100-yard potential in this price range.

Also consider: Kenny Odom, UTEP ($6.5K); Dean Patterson, Florida International ($5.2K); River Helms, Western Kentucky ($3.3K)

DraftKings CFB Stacks

Florida International

The UTEP defense is bad, so I plan on smashing the props on Owens and Rivers as well. I'll have at least one four-man FIU stack of Jenkins, Owens, Rivers, and Patterson.

Also consider: UTEP, Western Kentucky

More College Football Analysis

More DFS Lineup Picks