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Mike Marteny's college football DFS lineup picks for DraftKings. Week 8 Saturday Main Slate (10/24/26) CFB daily fantasy lineup picks and DFS sleepers for Saturday's main slate.
We have another 12 games on the main slate this week. The marquee games are at night this week, but we still have some good ones. We have the Tiger Bowl at Jordan-Hare, the great offense of West Virginia against the great defense of TCU, and the inverse in the same game. We have the Disappointment Bowl in Champaign with Oregon in town. And we have Floyd. Floyd is among the kings of all trophies. You don't mess with a 98-pound bronze pig, or those who pick it up and run around with it.
These gargantuan slates can be tougher to navigate. That's where I come in. I've been playing DFS for about 15 years now, exclusively on DraftKings for the last 10 years. I've been playing college football DFS for as long as it has been available. I will try to help out as much as I can.
In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for the Main DraftKings Slate on 10/24/26, starting at noon 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
Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia ($9.7K)
Michael Hawkins Jr. put up 540 yards and 5 TDs to win it for West Virginia ?
25/33, 464 YDS, 3 TDS, 0 INT, 2 RUSH TDS vs Cincinnati
A career-high 464 through the air, and 26 carries on the ground. WVU's first Big 12 win, sealed on a field goal with no time left. https://t.co/KmWx7kPPNY
— CFB Performances (@performancesCFB) October 17, 2026
First off, Hawkins has almost no chance of replicating this against TCU's defense. TCU's defense is in the top 10-20 of every metric you can find. As far as the schedule, yeah, North Carolina, Grambling, Baylor, UCF, and Arkansas State don't strike fear into anyone.
It's also worth noting that TCU's defense held BYU much better than Notre Dame did. The game was in Fort Worth, but it's still worth mentioning.
The point is that TCU hasn't faced a player quite like Hawkins. His upside is enormous, and he can break any slate that he's on. Hawkins is the perfect GPP play since most will avoid him at this price. Hawkins hasn't been held under 24 DraftKings points all season. That's still a nice floor.
Bear Bachmeier, BYU ($8.2K)
We knew that the price hike was coming soon. Bear putting up 38.1 DraftKings points on Iowa State, and 37 on Notre Dame means this is what BYU is without LJ Martin.
This is Bear's world now, and we're all just watching it from the outside. He's quirky, gritty, tough, and he makes at least one play per game that leaves you scratching your head. He's also an elite DFS play with Martin out.
Byrum Brown, Auburn ($7.3K)
That was the game that I was waiting to see from Brown. Even though he only had 150 passing yards, Brown topped 100 yards rushing for the second straight game. Auburn is finally letting him do what he did at South Florida.
Brown was successful against a defense that is widely regarded as one of the best in the nation. It's not going to be easy against LSU, but Brown scored 27.1 DK points on Tennessee and 30.5 on Georgia. He's underpriced no matter how you look at it.
Jaden Craig, TCU ($6.4K)
There's no way to be nice about this. Craig has been a failure against Power 4 teams. His 17.6 DK points against Baylor last week were by far the most against a power team.
Well, West Virginia is still a power team, and their defense is ghastly. It's worse than any haunted house you'll go through this year if you're a West Virginia fan. The Mountaineers are allowing 483.9 yards per game, and that's with FCS Tennessee-Martin on the schedule.
West Virginia has allowed more than 570 yards of total offense three times. TCU probably can't hit that mark, but they should be comfortably into the 400s, and they aren't priced as if they will be.
Will Hammond, Texas Tech ($5.8K)
Tech nuked Arizona State last weekend, but Hammond still didn't have a huge game. We may see from Hammond what we got from Hawkins last week against the Bearcats.
The Cincinnati pass defense is 136th out of 138 FBS teams in passing yards allowed (319.4). Hammond is going to be in a lot of lineups, but I don't see a way to get around it. Just play him with a lower-rostered player such as Hawkins in GPPs.
Also consider: Sam Leavitt, LSU ($8.7K); Keelon Russell, Alabama ($8K); Dylan Raiola, Oregon ($6.8K); JC French IV, Cincinnati ($6.7K); Ty Dieffenbach, UCLA ($5.2K)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Dilin Jones, LSU ($8.2K)
Dilin Jones was everywhere in Death Valley ?
14 CAR, 8 REC, 142 YDS vs Mississippi State
Eight catches out of the backfield and the engine of a 16-play, 8-minute drive to open the second half. https://t.co/skPBaTGLZB
— CFB Performances (@performancesCFB) October 18, 2026
LSU hasn't been running Leavitt as much outside of the red zone, so that has meant more carries for Jones. He also has 15 receptions in the last two games alone.
With Trey'Dez Green back, that could change, but it looks like Jackson Harris will be out. There is still plenty of room for Jones to shine in this offense. He has at least 17 DK points in all but the Louisiana Tech and McNeese games, which LSU handled easily.
J'Koby Williams, Texas Tech ($7.9K)
We knew that last week was the last time we could get Williams at a discount. As Tech's featured back for the first time this season, he racked up 33.3 DK points on Arizona State.
Williams is going to be a force against a Cincinnati defense that was gouged by West Virginia. Even if Tech elects to go at them through the air, Williams is an elite receiver. The sky is the limit for Williams in this one.
Cole Tabb, Cincinnati ($6.6K)
Tabb's usage has gone up in every game this season because he is an efficiency monster. There's a chance that Gi'Bran Payne misses this game. I know that Texas Tech has a strong defense, but Tabb has scored 10 touchdowns in six games.
If Cincinnati finds the end zone once or twice, Tabb is the guy most likely to find it. Tabb is almost a must-play if Payne is out, but I like him in GPPs regardless.
Preston Rex, BYU ($4.8K)
The BYU RB room is in flux with Martin out. Rex led the team with 10 carries against Notre Dame, picking up 66 yards. He also has seven receptions over the last three games.
As long as you don't expect Rex to break the slate, he's a solid punt. It is worth noting that Sione Moa is back from a knee injury this week. I might take a flier on him once for $4K, but BYU is probably not going to push him. Rex is probably still the guy.
Also consider: Wayne Knight, UCLA ($8.6K); DeSean Bishop, Tennessee ($8.1K); Turbo Richard, Indiana ($7.3K); Jeremy Payne, TCU ($6.5K); Lloyd Avant, Oklahoma ($6.4K); Aidan Laughery, Illinois ($6.1K); Javian Mallory, Miami (FL) ($5.7K)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Malachi Toney, Miami (FL) ($9.3K)
Every Malachi Toney TD so far
He's 19. https://t.co/PDkWAAFDhf
— CFB Performances (@performancesCFB) October 20, 2026
After a pedestrian game against Clemson, Toney erupted against rival Florida State. There's a big chance of a blowout against a Pitt team with a backup quarterback, but if it gets that way, Toney should be a big reason why. Hawkins is the only one who matches Toney's upside.
Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma ($6.6K)
If it doesn't happen now, it never will. This is Oklahoma's best matchup since the UTEP game. Sategna by far leads the team with 50 targets. Rocky Beers is the next closest at 33.
This is either the game where Oklahoma gets some swagger back, or John Mateer loses his job. I don't think there's an in-between.
Dakorien Moore, Oregon ($6K)
I would like this play a lot more if Dante Moore were playing, but so it goes. Oregon is going to be without Evan Stewart and Jeremiah McClellan. That leaves Moore and Messiah Hampton as the two receivers in a great matchup.
Jordan Dwyer, TCU ($5.3K)
Welcome back, Jordan Dwyer. Dwyer caught six passes for 150 yards in his return against a Baylor defense that hasn't allowed more than 19 points in a game this season.
West Virginia is leaking points and yards everywhere they go. Dwyer's upside is at least as high as Johnson's. We don't need to pay up for high-priced receivers. There is a lot of meat in the $5K area.
Kenny Johnson, Texas Tech ($4.9K)
Johnson had a huge game last week, and the potential is there for a bigger game this week. Cincinnati's pass defense has been abysmal, and Johnson has by far the most targets on the team. He could nuke the slate for less than $5K!
Trey'Dez Green, LSU ($3.8K)
Guys, I think DK may have forgotten just how big of a part of the LSU offense that Green was before he got hurt. He put up 45.9 DK points in three games before he got hurt against Mississippi.
Green wasn't even listed as questionable on the injury report. If he's a full go as the injury report suggests, Green is WAY too cheap.
Also consider: Collin Dixon, Illinois ($8.2K); Charlie Becker, Indiana ($8K); Lotzeir Brooks, Alabama ($5.9K); JV Gibson, Cincinnati ($5.4K); Kyler Kasper, BYU ($4.6K); Messiah Hampton, Oregon ($4.4K)
DraftKings CFB Stacks
Alabama
This feels like a get-right game for the Tide, but who do we stack with Keelon Russell? The backfield is still a straight committee, but Trae'shawn Brown has been scoring the touchdowns.
With Ryan Coleman-Williams done for the season, both Lotzeir Brooks and Rico Scott are worth playing. I want Russell with two receivers. Tight end Marshall Pritchett is an intriguing option if you don't want to mess with the running backs.
Texas Tech
I'm all-in on Texas Tech again, and they are still super cheap. Hammond, Williams, Johnson, and Terrance Carter Jr. will only cost you a total of $22.8K. Stack away!
Also consider: West Virginia, Miami (FL), Oklahoma (GPP only), Indiana (GPP only), LSU (GPP only)
Favorite mini stacks:
- Indiana (Josh Hoover/Becker)
- LSU (Leavitt/Jones/Green)
- Cincinnati (French/Tabb/Gibson) - GPP only
- TCU (Craig/Payne/Dwyer)
- Miami (FL) (Darian Mensah/Toney)
- Oklahoma (John Mateer/Sategna/Beers) - GPP only
- Iowa (Jeremy Hecklinski/Kamari Moulton)
- BYU (Bachmeier/Kasper)
