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Mike Marteny's college football DFS lineup picks for DraftKings. Week 5 Friday Slate (10/2/26). CFB daily fantasy lineup picks and DFS sleepers for Friday.
This Friday's slate is a little smaller than last week, but it makes up for it elsewhere. We have an ACC tilt and the patented Big Ten Friday tilt. We'll find out if Northwestern is for real and whether Mason Heintschel can throw a touchdown against a good team.
On the other side of that, we have James Franklin's new team in what should be a ranked vs. ranked matchup between Pitt and Virginia Tech. Franklin's old team is trying to shake off a stunning loss to Wisconsin. It's a small slate, but it has big storylines...and very good players for DFS.
In this article, I'll share my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/2/26, starting at 7 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
Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech ($7.8K)
Guess what? There's rain in the forecast for another Pitt game. Virginia Tech played in a wicked Nor'easter against Boston College in Boston last weekend and escaped with a win.
Those games aren't great for fantasy stats, but it's far worse for Mason Heintschel than Grunkemeyer. Heintschel couldn't find the end zone in either rain game for Pitt. Grunkemeyer threw one touchdown in a downpour last weekend.
Whenever the rain comes to Blacksburg, it's not going to be like it was last week in Boston. I don't know if I want to avoid this game when it comes to quarterbacks, but there is only one I'm considering using. I'm using the guy who hasn't thrown an interception yet this year.
I was interested in just how notable a Virginia Tech QB throwing for 300 yards is
Turns out it’s pretty rare
Ethan Grunkemeyer is in rare territory as far as the percent goes
*since 2004
**games “played”=games appeared in pic.twitter.com/R79P3XL2oH— ? Mostly Virginia Tech ??️ (@JagerHokie) September 21, 2026
Aidan Chiles, Northwestern ($7.1K)
Gone is the little palace by the lake. Northwestern's brand new Ryan Field opens tonight after a lengthy and expensive renovation. It doesn't even look like the same place.
Northwestern’s new $850M+ stadium opens next week, and the first look inside is absolutely insane
This place is something else
?: @Timioke28 pic.twitter.com/eZqOc5GQ7a
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) September 24, 2026
Chiles has yet to commit a turnover this year and has accounted for 10 touchdowns (six passing and four rushing). He is the closest thing to a dual-threat quarterback on the slate.
Chiles has at least 22 DraftKings points in every game this year. That includes a game against No. 6 Indiana. Chiles may not be the household name on this slate, but he's the one that I trust the most.
Also consider: Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh ($8K); Rocco Becht, Penn State ($6.9K)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Jeffrey Overton Jr., Virginia Tech ($6K)
Overton was the star of the Nor'easter last week in Boston. He ran for 209 yards and also had three receptions for 19 yards. It was a career day for Overton.
He is still "behind" Marcellous Hawkins on the depth chart, but I'll believe it when I see it. Overton is the star of this backfield, and he was even before last week's eruption.
7️⃣6️⃣ YARD HOUSE CALL
? @accnetwork x @HokiesFB pic.twitter.com/E7o1oQ5vth
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) September 26, 2026
Caleb Komolafe, Northwestern ($5.5K)
Both Komolafe and Joseph Himon II were duds against Indiana. Before that game, Himon had gotten more work in the passing game and more traction in the run game than Komolafe.
Komolafe still gets most of the carries, but this is a rough situation right now. Himon is more explosive, and former Oklahoma and Florida State back Gavin Sawchuk is cutting into the workload of both.
Komolafe was the star last year, and I'm willing to take the chance in GPPs. He's cheap and has a lot of potential despite the slow start.
Also consider: Ja'Kyrian Turner, Pittsburgh ($6.1K); James Peoples, Penn State ($5.6K); Joseph Himon II, Northwestern ($4.7K)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Griffin Wilde, Northwestern ($6.1K)
Aiden Chiles to wide open Griffin Wilde making it a 2-point game ? pic.twitter.com/tQcQO0Hv71
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 26, 2026
Wilde only has 16 targets this year, but that still leads the team. He has caught 14 of those for 245 yards. Both of his touchdowns came last week against Indiana.
When the competition got tougher, Chiles relied on Wilde. He has at least 13 DK points in every game this season. Northwestern probably won't start regularly flying the friendly skies, but when they do throw, it's heading to Wilde, and he's going to catch it.
Luke Reynolds, Virginia Tech ($5.8K)
Do you guys remember Tyler Warren and what he did in his last two years at Penn State? Luke Reynolds is in the same mold, and James Franklin is using him the same way.
Reynolds already has 30 receptions in four games. That is by far the most receptions for a tight end and is in the top 10 of FBS. Last week was the first week that he didn't find the end zone.
Most of the Virginia Tech receivers have sporadic production. Reynolds is the reason why. Just use him and forget about the rest.
Benjamin Brahmer, Penn State ($4.7K)
The loss of Koby Howard hurt the Penn State passing game. Chase Sowell saw the biggest uptick in production, but Brahmer is the guy I have my eye on. He is only one target behind Sowell and has three touchdowns to Sowell's one.
Alex Honig, Northwestern ($3.4K)
Star tight end Luke Dehnicke has been downgraded to doubtful for this game, so it should be Honig's time to shine. Dehnicke had a big game against Indiana, but Honig also had three receptions for 54 yards. What can he do when he is getting all of the tight end targets for the full game?
Also consider: Censere Lee, Pittsburgh ($5.7K); Que'Sean Brown, Virginia Tech ($5.3K); Carson Kent, Pittsburgh ($4.3K); Ayden Greene, Virginia Tech ($4K)
DraftKings CFB Stacks
Northwestern
I'm going to preface this by saying that both of these games could be low-scoring. Most of my stacks will be mini stacks instead of full five-man stacks. Any stacks over three players will be run in large field GPPs only.
For Northwestern, my main stack will be Chiles and Wilde. Komolafe and Honig will be the ones I add for GPP formats. Himon is the true wild card, but he carries a significant amount of risk. The Penn State defense hasn't been bad with the exception of six minutes against Wisconsin.
Virginia Tech
This game has the higher implied point total, but it's also going to be played at least partially in the rain. The Penn State offense is really hard to pin down right now. Koby Howard was the only sure thing, and he's injured.
At least with Virginia Tech, we know where to look. I will have several Grunkemeyer/Overton/Reynolds stacks. I'll add some Hawkins in larger GPPs. I will even run a five-man with Grunkemeyer, Overton, Hawkins, Reynolds, and Que'Sean Brown.
Also consider: Pittsburgh, Penn State (GPP only)
