We are still in the midst of the greatest 50 days of the year for any football fan. October 8 marked day one of 50 consecutive days of either FBS or NFL football. What a time to be alive! For all of the evil things the Mouse does, one thing that is right about all of this is ESPN gobbling up the TV rights to Conference USA, the Fun Belt, and the MAC. Instead of putting those games on ESPN+ on Saturdays, they did the right thing for everyone and gave us mid-week football. The ESPN money may have destroyed the Pac-12, but it also gave us this.
I could really get used to these Conference USA Wednesdays! We have another pair of interesting games tonight starting off in Miami with Jacksonville State in town to take on FIU. We finish the night in Huntsville with Sam Houston hosting UTEP still looking for their first FBS win. Jacksonville State's first FBS win was against UTEP, so it's only fair, right?
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/25/23, locking at 7 PM Eastern. I’ll provide multiple player suggestions at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, aiming to highlight one option at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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College Football Betting Picks for October 25
I don't have the full odds article done yet, so we are just going to do this here. That's what Wednesday games do to me. You know the drill!
Jacksonville State (-7.5) at Florida International
Betting Confidence Factor: 2
I don't like that hook, but considering Jacksonville State has wins over Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, and Sam Houston this year, they are certainly capable of winning. That half is causing me to lower the bet though.
UTEP at Sam Houston (-3.5)
Betting Confidence Factor: 3
Vegas thinks the Bearkats will finally get that win. Honestly, I do too. It's going to be a hell of a party in Huntsville when they do!
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Zion Webb, Jacksonville State ($6,800)
While Webb has more rushing yards than backup/co-starter Logan Smothers, Smothers has more touchdowns. However, after Webb's explosion in the upset win over Western Kentucky, I'm guessing that Smothers is firmly the backup now. Webb has at least 30 DraftKings points in two of the last three games. He left the Liberty game early because of a concussion, but he wasn't particularly effective while in the game either. His rebound against Western Kentucky should keep him in the starter's role.
Keegan Shoemaker, Sam Houston ($6,600)
It's unfathomable how bad Sam Houston's offense was in the first two games. The benching of Shoemaker didn't help the team, but it certainly helped him. Since Shoemaker regained the starting job in Week 5, he has at least 250 passing yards in every game and at least 30 rushing yards in three of the four outings. He's still throwing a few interceptions, but not enough to scare me off. He has at least 19 DraftKings points in all four of those games. That's a floor I can live with.
Also consider: Keyone Jenkins, Florida International ($6,200); Cade McConnell, UTEP ($6,000)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Anwar Lewis, Jacksonville State ($5,900)
There is a chance that Malik Jackson plays. If he does, I'm switching all shares of Lewis to Jackson. While Lewis gets some carries when Jackson is healthy, he doesn't get enough to pay off this price tag. The running quarterbacks take most of the chances from the backup running backs on this team. They even siphon some carries away from Jackson.
Deion Hankins, UTEP ($5,700)
Torrance Burgess is priced $500 more than Hankins, but Hankins entered the season as the starter and has out-touched Burgess in back-to-back weeks. With Hankins back to full strength, it appears that he is going to see a few more touches than Burgess. It's still about a 60/40 split though, so both are good options. I do prefer Hankins and his constant threat of a 100-yard game.
Also consider: Torrance Burgess, UTEP ($6,200); Kejon Owens, Florida International ($5,300)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Noah Smith, Sam Houston ($6,900)
40 of Smith's 47 receptions on the season have come in the last four games alone. He scored four touchdowns in that time and carried the ball 13 times out of the backfield with another touchdown. The Bearkats are going to get Smith the ball any way they can. I'll take that volume over stats skewed by big plays in cash games. Actually, the volume is hard to ignore in any format.
Al' vonte Woodard, Sam Houston ($5,100)
The Texas transfer didn't even see his first game action until Week 4, but he has worked his way into a key part of the Sam Houston offense. Woodard has 14 receptions for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns over the last three games. Woodard is clearly second fiddle to Noah Smith, but he's not priced like a number-one receiver either. SHSU throws the ball around more than enough for Smith and Woodard to both have nice games.
Tyrin Smith, UTEP ($5,000)
If Smith plays, he is my favorite play on the entire slate at this price. He was a game-time decision last week and was almost able to play. With another week of practice and healing under his belt, I would think Smith is active in this one. If he is, I'm avoiding all other UTEP receivers. If he sits, Jermaine Ballard is a suitable option if you want to go to this team for a receiver.
Also consider: Kris Mitchell, Florida International ($7,400); Kelly Akharaiyi, UTEP ($6,000); Malik Phillips, Sam Houston ($5,300)
DraftKings CFB Stacks
Jacksonville State
Logan Smothers doesn't carry an injury designation into the game, but Webb should start and the leash should be longer. If you don't want to mess with the quarterback, I don't blame you, but the run game is most of this offense. Both quarterbacks would separate you, but that is a massive risk since if Webb plays well, he likely won't leave the game aside from a few plays designed for Smothers.
I'm going with Webb and either Jackson or Lewis. Again, I don't think both will be optimal. Rich Rodriguez rides the hot hand and he always has. The only easy call in this stack is Perry Carter as the receiver. With everything else, we will be watching the news on Twitter right up until kickoff.
Also consider: Sam Houston, UTEP
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