We have another action-packed prime-time slate for Week 3 of the 2023 season. We don't have a playoff game this week, but 14 of the 16 teams in play in this window are Power Five teams. That makes for a fun slate! We start off in the Swamp with Tennessee trying to avoid getting eaten by a Gator. Northern Illinois heads to Nebraska in the best chance left for a MAC team to beat a Big Ten(14) team for the 18th consecutive year (besides 2020 when the Big Ten(14) didn't play non-conference games).
Next up is Georgia Tech heading to Oxford. We have the Backyard Brawl in the state of West Virginia for the first time in a dozen years. Purdue lures the Orange out of the dome. BYU goes hog hunting in Fayetteville. Kentucky is slumming a little bit when they host Akron. We end in Houston with the Toadies in town to take on the Cougars.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/16/23, locking at 7 PM Eastern. I’ll provide multiple player suggestions for players 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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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Jaxson Dart, Mississippi ($9,500)
Jaxson Dart had a strong game against a good Tulane defense. We all saw what Louisville did to Georgia Tech, right? The game was on national television with nothing else going on. We saw what a decent Louisville offense did to Tech. What is this super-talented Mississippi team going to do to the Bees D?
Donovan Smith, Houston ($8,000)
Remember what Shedeur Sanders did to TCU in the opener? Donovan Smith has more speed and a less effective deep arm, but those routes are still going to be open. Smith scored three touchdowns on the ground against Rice last week.
Haynes King, Georgia Tech ($6,600)
Haynes King has seven touchdowns to just one interception over the first two games of the season. He has grown up a lot since his days at A&M. He's making better decisions, but it has also been against inferior competition. This has the potential to be a high-scoring game. If it is, King is going to pay off this price in a big hurry.
Also consider: Devin Leary, Kentucky ($8,700); Garrett Schrader, Syracuse ($7,300); Garrett Greene, West Virginia ($7,000); Hudson Card, Purdue ($6,100)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Ray Davis, Kentucky ($6,800)
Call him Re'Mahn or Ray Davis. I just call him really good. Davis has six receptions in two games already, which further increases his value. This is a dream matchup for Davis against Akron. Kentucky was pedestrian against Eastern Kentucky last week, but I believe in Davis even if I don't really believe in the rest of the offense.
CJ Donaldson, West Virginia ($6,200)
Don't pay any mind to his below-average game against Duquesne. The Mountaineers were just getting the starters some light work before the Brawl. Look more at the solid numbers that CJ Donaldson put up in the opener against a good Penn State defense. If Donaldson can run for 81 yards on Penn State, he should be good for at least a buck and a quarter against Pitt.
Trey Sanders, TCU ($4,800)
This backfield situation has all the makings of a DFS nightmare. Trey Sanders scored three touchdowns in the opener, then ceded a ton of carries to Emani Bailey last week. I trust what I saw more against the FBS opponent, so I still believe this to be a pretty even timeshare. If I'm right, Sanders is severely underpriced. About 15-18 touches against Houston and he might break the slate at this price.
Also consider: Quinshon Judkins, Mississippi ($8,500); Trevor Etienne, Florida ($5,900); AJ Green, Arkansas ($5,500); Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech ($4,500)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Samuel Brown, Houston ($6,400)
He's not Tank Dell, but hey, few are. Matthew Golden has been picking up the touchdowns, but I'll trust the volume with Samuel Brown. It's a fluke that he hasn't scored a touchdown yet. I'm happy with the 15 receptions for 244 yards. The floor is higher than Golden's, and I feel that first touchdown coming.
Jordan Watkins, Mississippi ($6,300)
UTSA transfer Zakhari Franklin is still wearing a non-contact jersey in practice and Tre Harris didn't even practice this week. It seems unlikely that either one will play, which opens up a whole lot of targets that Jordan Watkins will get the first crack at. DK didn't drop the ball on pricing here, but if Ole Miss keeps the pass volume where it has been, Watkins should pay off this price anyway.
Kacper Rutkiewicz, Northern Illinois ($5,400)
Kacper Rutkiewicz has hauled in 11 passes already in the first two games. Nebraska's secondary is somewhere in between as good as they looked against the Gophers and as bad as they looked against Colorado. I'm guessing closer to the latter than the former. Whatever the case, Rutkiewicz is by far the most targeted NIU receiver and the Huskies aren't going to be able to run. There's a lot of potential here.
Isaac Rex, BYU ($3,900)
Le Grande Rex already has 14 targets through the first two games and logged his first 100-yard receiving game last week. I'm not concerned about him coming up empty against Sam Houston. That defense is really, really good. Expect a lot of targets for Isaac Rex again. If he catches even half of them, he'll be a great bargain tonight.
Also consider: Ricky Pearsall, Florida ($6,600); Devin Carter, West Virginia ($5,800); Isaiah Jones, Syracuse ($5,400); Dane Key, Kentucky ($5,000); Billy Kemp, Nebraska ($4,800); Dayton Wade, Mississippi ($3,800)
DraftKings CFB Stacks:
Mississippi
The over/under on this game is already at 64.5 points. Expect a lot of fireworks in this one, most from the Ole Miss side. Dart and Judkins are the easy picks. With Franklin and/or Harris out, Watkins is an excellent pick. I really like Wade on the cheap as he had a big game against Tulane once Harris departed. This four-man stack is surprisingly affordable.
Kentucky
The Cats fell flat against an Eastern Kentucky team that they should have blown off the field. There is a lot of speculation on whether Akron's DJ Irons will play after he left in the second quarter last week and didn't return. That could make this even worse. A three-man stack of Leary, Ray Davis, and Dane Key is very affordable and can be comfortably stacked with just about anyone.
Also consider: Houston, Syracuse
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