DraftKings CFB DFS Lineup Picks: Daily College Fantasy Football (9/28/23)

We have three games on Thursday to take our minds off of the NFL. All three of them are conference tilts and all three start within a half-hour of each other. On top of that, this slate features the two FBS newcomers in 2023 facing each other.

We start off with Middle Tennessee State heading to bourbon country to take on Western Kentucky. Temple finds their way down to Tulsa to take on the Golden Hurricane. We end with the two newcomers (Jacksonville State and Sam Houston) facing off in Huntsville (Texas, not Alabama). This is going to be fun!

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/28/23, locking at 7:30 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.

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks

Austin Reed, Western Kentucky ($8,800)

Reed has dealt with two solid defenses in the last two games against Ohio State and Troy, so that has caused the dip in price. I'm all-in here. Middle Tennessee was picked apart by true freshman Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi in the loss to Colorado State last week. What do you think the super-senior Reed is going to do to them?

E.J. Warner, Temple ($5,800)

Warner turned heads last year as a true freshman but has had some issues early in this season. The talented defenses of Rutgers and Miami have put a dent in his stats. Through four games, Warner has as many turnovers as touchdowns. I'm still on board at this price. Tulsa's defense was torn apart by pass-happy teams Washington and Oklahoma. I'm not saying that Warner is Michael Penix or Dillon Gabriel, but I am saying that Warner also has a cannon for an arm and can have a big game if he makes good decisions.

Also consider: Nicholas Vattiato, Middle Tennessee State ($8,400); Logan Smothers, Jacksonville State ($7,100)

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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs

Anthony Watkins, Tulsa ($6,100)

Jordan Ford was the leader of this backfield in the first two games, but Watkins has quietly become the main back over the last two games. I have a feeling that Ford will still get most of the work on passing downs, but Tulsa is going to want to run on a Temple team that got trampled by Miami (323 rushing yards) last week. Tulsa's line isn't Miami's, but they are good enough to give Watkins room to pile up yards on this defense.

John Gentry, Sam Houston ($4,200)

Starter Zach Hrbacek was spotted on crutches after the Houston game, so it seems unlikely that he would be able to suit up for this one. That should leave Gentry as the starter, for whatever that's worth. Sam Houston has been the worst offense in FBS and it's not close. North Texas transfer Grant Gunnell was supposed to stabilize the Bearkats' attack, but he didn't. I wouldn't abandon ship after the Houston game, but every SHSU player is a risk right now. Gentry had been getting work in the passing game anyway (eight receptions), so I'm comfortable with the risk for the price.

Also consider: Davion Ervin-Poindexter, Western Kentucky ($5,800); Frank Peasant, Middle Tennessee State ($5,400); Jekail Middlebrook, Middle Tennessee State

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers

Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky ($6,700)

Corley has hauled in 17 passes in the last two games against elite defenses, so we know that he is going to get fed no matter who the opponent. He missed part of the Week 1 game and all of Week 2, so he is just getting back up to speed. This is what we expect from Corley. He is worth paying for whether you stack him with Reed or not.

Amad Anderson, Temple ($5,400)

Anderson was the lone bright spot for the Temple offense in the blowout loss to Miami. He hauled in 10 of his 13 targets for 117 yards. Even though he didn't score the touchdown, this is an elite target share for Anderson. The going is much easier this week against Tulsa. I expect a big game out of Anderson here. If Dante Wright returns it will hamper Anderson's production, but his big game against a good Miami secondary should still leave him with a good target share even if Wright is out there.

Holden Willis, Middle Tennessee State ($4,600)

The South Florida transfer had his best game as a Blue Raider last week with nine receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown. It took Willis a bit to get up to speed, but with the struggles of D.J. England-Chisholm, MTSU needed someone to step up. It was Willis in a big way even though it was in a loss. Willis is really cheap if he is going to continue to get this many looks.

Also consider: Marquis Shoulders, Tulsa ($6,300); Easton Messer, Western Kentucky ($5,600); Devan Williams, Tulsa ($4,900); Elijah Metcalf, Middle Tennessee State ($4,000)

DraftKings CFB Stacks:

Western Kentucky

This is an elite offense, but they are also priced like it. Reed, Corley, and Messer are my targets. You can get different by running USC transfer Markese Stepp, but this isn't a strong running team, and Davion Ervin-Poindexter is the pass-catching back. Everything past the top three are a risk, so I'm ending my stack there.

Middle Tennessee State

This passing game got going last week against Colorado State. There is a reason that the surface stats don't look great yet. This team played Alabama and Missouri in their non-conference schedule. Vattiato looks good in this offense, and I liked what I saw from Willis and Metcalf in the last game. You can pair those two with Vattiato for a cheap MTSU stack and pay up for WKU on the other side. Then you just have to figure out the running backs on a slate that is going to be difficult for them.

Also consider: Temple, Tulsa

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