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Mike Marteny's college football DFS lineup picks for DraftKings. Week 5 Thursday Slate (10/1/26). CFB daily fantasy lineup picks and DFS sleepers for Friday.
It took a month, but we finally have another Thursday slate of college football on DraftKings. The Western Kentucky-New Mexico State tilt in Las Cruces may not be much to write home about, but the nightcap in Tulsa is a good one. North Texas is heading to Tulsa to face the team that took down Oklahoma State in Week 1.
We know what Oklahoma State has gone on to do since. Baylor Hayes is back for Tulsa, so that changes everything. If only he could have played last week.
In this article, I'll share my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/1/26, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. I’ll give multiple player suggestions for quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, aiming to highlight one option at the salary scale's high, middle, and lower end. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Tayven Jackson, North Texas ($7.7K)
Jackson isn't as much of a threat on the ground as he was at Indiana or Central Florida because the offense doesn't require it. That's not to say that he can't run. He just doesn't have designed runs anymore.
Jackson has made significant steps as a passer under Neal Brown at North Texas. He has six touchdowns to only two interceptions and is 12th in FBS with 1,187 passing yards. There is a lot to like here.
Drew Mestemaker and Oklahoma State struggled against Tulsa in the opener, but both KJ Jackson and Landyn Locke have topped 300 yards passing against Tulsa since then.
The best game on right now is North Texas vs. Texas State, and it’s not even close. The Mean Green tied it 28-28 on fourth down just before halftime.
Tayven Jackson and Brad Jackson have combined to go 35-for-41 for 506 passing yards and 5 TDs in the first half. pic.twitter.com/Fxabn9GgKv
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) September 19, 2026
Jackson has at least a puncher's chance of the 300-yard passing bonus and multiple touchdowns here.
Trey Hedden, New Mexico State ($7K)
I don't like what's happening with the quarterback situation at Western Kentucky, so I'm staying away from both of them. Even with official news of who starts or not, I feel like both of them will play, and the leash will be short on either of them.
I'm looking to the other sideline in this game. Hedden was awful against New Mexico, but we know that defense is legit. He threw for 272 yards on Florida State and 256 on Hawaii.
The Hilltoppers have faced both Indiana and Georgia this year, but neither team was interested in throwing the ball on them. They were content to run. Georgia's quarterbacks did throw five touchdown passes in that game.
Western Kentucky has allowed 10 passing touchdowns in four games. Hedden should end up with two or three touchdowns and flirt with 300 yards. That's a nice return for the cheapest quarterback on the slate.
Also consider: Brock Glenn ($8.4K) or Rodney Tisdale Jr. ($8K), Western Kentucky; Baylor Hayes, Tulsa ($7.3K)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Jahiem White, North Texas ($7.4K)
Jahiem White breaks free and takes it 47 yards to the end zone! ?
? | @ESPNCFB #BuiltToRise x @MeanGreenFB pic.twitter.com/SByhzPOSHq
— The American (@American_Conf) September 27, 2026
White has been nothing short of dominant this year. He has at least 22 DraftKings points in every game. Yes, that includes the Indiana game.
White has multiple touchdowns in all but the Indiana game (he only had one) and has 19 receptions in four games. That's nearly five free points a game. When you add the six points for the conservative estimate of one touchdown, his floor is 11 points without yardage.
White will be in nearly every lineup, but I'll get different elsewhere. The ceiling is too high to fade, even in GPP formats. If he can have a good game against Indiana, he can against anyone.
James Jones, New Mexico State ($6.5K)
Jones was the only bright spot for the Aggies against New Mexico last week. He had 112 rushing yards on just 14 carries. It should be much easier against Western Kentucky tonight.
The Hilltoppers allowed 790 rushing yards in the first three games of the season with 11 rushing touchdowns. Sure, Georgia and Indiana are likely elite teams, but the Nevada team that lost to Montana State ran for 323 on the Tops.
Also consider: Ajay Allen, Western Kentucky ($7.2K); Damari Alston, Tulsa ($5.5K)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
TK King, New Mexico State ($5.8K)
King's 34 targets are 18 more than the next player on the team. His 265 yards are nearly 100 more than anyone else on the team. He and Myles Libman are the only Aggies with multiple touchdown receptions.
I do think that Hedden has a good game here. If he does, King should have himself a monster as well.
Corri Milliner, North Texas ($4.9K)
Justin Stevenson gets most of the attention, but Milliner's production has been nearly identical. This isn't really a price issue. Milliner is only $400 cheaper. This is more about the number of lineups each player will be in.
Stevenson only has two more targets and three more receptions for 14 more yards. Milliner also seems to have a higher floor. He has at least 9.5 DK points in every game. Stevenson has two games under 7 DK points.
Jonathan Stafford Jr. Western Kentucky ($4.2K)
Stafford has been the target hog with last year's leading receiver, K.D. Hutchinson, out with a knee injury. He has been "making progress," but still has not played in a game this year.
At this point, even if Hutchinson plays in the game, he will likely be limited. Stafford has 11 more targets than Cameron Flowers and is much cheaper. He hasn't caught a touchdown yet, but those will come.
We don't even need it at this price. Stafford is averaging 7.9 receptions per game for 39.5 yards. That's a 12-point floor at a very low price. Anything else is just a bonus.
Myles Libman, New Mexico State ($3.9K)
Brodie Malone-Bradford was out for the Rio Grande Rivalry last week and is still listed as questionable with an undisclosed injury. Libman picked up the slack with Malone-Bradford out, catching four passes for 52 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Make sure to keep an eye on this before kickoff. If Malone-Bradford is out, Libman looks like an elite play. I would even play him over King.
Also consider: Justin Stevenson, North Texas ($5.3K); Oran Singleton Jr., Tulsa ($5.K); AJ Williams III, New Mexico State ($4.4K); TJ Chukwurah, North Texas ($3.3K)
DraftKings CFB Stacks
New Mexico State
Some of Western Kentucky's stats are skewed because of games against Indiana and Georgia, but lost under that smoke screen is what a mid-level Nevada offense did to them.
Hedden and Jones are going to be the popular stack, but I'm adding receivers as well. King and Libman will be in a lot of my lineups if Malone-Bradford is out. If he's in, I'll likely run Malone-Bradford with King. AJ Williams III is worth a look regardless of the status of Malone-Bradford if you're looking for a five-man stack.
Also consider: Tulsa, North Texas
