Early DraftKings CFB DFS Lineup Picks: Daily College Fantasy Football (10/21/23)

The last great college football season rolls into Week 8 this week. We have a smaller slate with 12 games on tap for the early main slate on DraftKings. There is a playoff game on here in the nooners with Penn State heading to The Shoe. Oklahoma hosts Big 12(14) newcomer Central Florida. Arkansas brings in Mississippi State. Memphis heads to Birmingham to take on UAB. Air Force heads to Maryland to take on Navy. We even have some MAC flavor with Ohio hosting Western Michigan.

We start the afternoon in Morgantown with Oklahoma State in town. Oregon tries to exact revenge on the other Washington team in Eugene. Tennessee heads down to Tuscaloosa to take on the Tide. Wisconsin heads to Champaign to take on the Illini. The battle for Floyd takes place in Iowa City. We close this out in Houston with the Longhorns in town for a conference game.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/21/23, locking at noon 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.

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks

Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma ($9,300)

There may not be any hard feelings between Gabriel and UCF, but him losing his job there because of injury has to hurt at least a little. Gabriel has resurfaced in Norman and is putting up some huge numbers this year. UCF's defense is better than last year, but that's not saying a lot. The 16 passing touchdowns to just two interceptions keeps Gabriel's floor high, but I'm here for the four rushing touchdowns in the last three games. That's a lot of extra points on the ground.

Seth Henigan, Memphis ($8,300)

Henigan might be the best cash game on the entire slate. He has between 24 and 28 DraftKings points in every game this season. UAB certainly presents an opportunity for a better game, but I expect Memphis to grab the lead and try to grind it out. Other games that have followed that script this year still worked out in Henigan's favor, but it does cap the upside.

Kurtis Rourke, Ohio ($5,700)

It feels like a gift to have a dual threat like Rourke priced this low. Western Michigan's defense has struggled this season. Rourke and Ohio struggled against Northern Illinois last week, but they'll get right here. Prior to the NIU game, Rourke had six touchdown passes in the previous two games and added another on the ground. Rourke's ceiling is really high for the price here.

Also consider: Bo Nix, Oregon ($9,300); Quinn Ewers, Texas (8,600); KJ Jefferson, Arkansas ($7,600); Braedyn Locke, Wisconsin ($6,600); Will Rogers, Mississippi State ($5,800)

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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs

Braelon Allen, Wisconsin ($7,700)

The absence of Chez Mellusi is going to return Braelon Allen to workhorse status like he was in 2022. Since Mellusi went down two games ago, Allen has 55 carries and six receptions. That's right around 20 touches per game. Give Allen 20 touches against a defense like Illinois, and he can do a whole lot of damage.

Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State ($7,200)

Good things happen when Oklahoma State has a running back that can carry the load. That guy is Ollie Gordon. It took him a bit to separate himself from this pack, but Gordon's 274 yards of total offense and a pair of touchdowns last week prove that the offense runs through him. Gordon won't have a ceiling game against this defense, but with as many touches as he'll get, Gordon could still have a strong day.

Emmanuel Michel, Air Force ($5,800)

Air Force is the biggest misnomer in college football. They run a lot! Michel has 101 carries in the last four games, so it's clear that he is the guy who carries the load. With Zach Larrier out, the Falcons might run even more. Michel has eight touchdowns in the last four games. Combine the scoring output with the carries, and Michel is a superb option at this price.

Also consider: Jonathon Brooks, Texas ($7,400); Jermaine Brown, UAB ($6,200); Leshon Williams, Iowa ($5,600); Jordan James, Oregon ($5,400); Jalen Buckley, Western Michigan ($5,000); Rashod Dubinion, Arkansas ($4,500)

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers

Troy Franklin, Oregon ($8,200)

Hawaii is the only team that has "held" Franklin under 100 yards this season. They are also the only team that held Franklin under six receptions. Franklin is a big play waiting to happen and he has a quarterback that can get him the ball in stride. He is Oregon's lethal weapon. Franklin's upside is the best on the slate against Washington State.

Xavier Worthy, Texas ($6,500)

The emergence of Adonai Mitchell has taken some volume away from Worthy, but Houston's pass defense is so bad that there is a path for both of them to have a big game. Worthy is still the most targeted Texas receiver. If Houston manages to keep this game close, Worthy could break the slate.

Roc Taylor, Memphis ($5,800)

Taylor has three consecutive 100-yard games. He has only found the end zone once in those three games, but the 19 receptions eases the pain quite nicely. Taylor is performing well beyond his price tag lately. I feel the field is going to be under on Taylor. I will not be. He's one of my favorites in a loaded price range at receiver.

Demeer Blankumsee, Memphis ($4,700)

The Toledo transfer has firmly established himself as the second option on this Memphis team. He has 17 receptions over the last three games for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Memphis is still a pass-first team. Even though Seth Henigan sometimes throws ill-advised passes, his receivers aren't docked for that. Often it means even more targets for them.

Also consider: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State ($8,400); Matthew Golden, Houston ($6,700); Sam Wiglusz, Ohio ($6,400); Andrew Armstrong, Arkansas ($6,000); Kyle Williams, Washington State ($5,700); Nic Anderson, Oklahoma ($5,200); Bryson Green, Wisconsin ($3,700); Addison Ostrenga, Iowa ($3,200)

DraftKings CFB Stacks:

Memphis

UAB has struggled defensively all season. With Blake Watson likely limited and possibly out for this game, expect the passing game to put up some big numbers. Henigan's consistency makes him easy to put in a stack with Taylor and Blankumsee. A Memphis passing game stack is cheap enough that you can still play whoever else you want.

Texas

Houston is allowing almost 370 yards per game on the season. They have allowed 13 rushing touchdowns in six games. Most of the touchdowns have been allowed on the ground, but Texas has a lot of talented receivers. Ewers, Brooks, Worthy, and Mitchell are a great way to start your Saturday!

Also consider: Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon

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