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Mike Marteny's college football DFS lineup picks for DraftKings. Week 5 Saturday Main Slate (10/3/26) CFB daily fantasy lineup picks and DFS sleepers for Saturday's main slate.
We have another 12 games for the main slate this week. Unlike last week, there are elite pay-up options with great matchups at every position. How we handle those areas will determine the outcome of this slate.
These gargantuan slates can be tougher to navigate. That's where I come in. I've been playing DFS for around 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 10/3/26, starting at noon Eastern. I’ll give multiple player suggestions for players at 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
Keelon Russell, Alabama ($8.8K)
Keelon Russell was making NFL THROWS all game long against South Carolina.
Russell finished the game 21/27 (78%), for 365 passing yards, and 5 TOTAL TD’s.
The Alabama QB is one of the most talented QB prospects in PROGRAM HISTORY ?? pic.twitter.com/LNwW4LIqJu
— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) September 27, 2026
This is an elite game environment and an elite matchup for Russell. Mississippi State does a lot of things well, but getting after the quarterback isn't one of them. Austin Simmons had a big game because he wasn't pressured much at all.
Russell's elusiveness could be a cheat code against this defense. Alabama has let him throw more deep balls in the last couple of games with great success. Russell is already putting up good numbers, but there's still more talent locked away in there.
The only question is whether he can deal with the cowbells or not.
Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State ($8.1K)
Most of the things that are true for Russell are true for Taylor. Taylor already has 14 touchdown passes this season. We've seen teams get deep on Bama at times this year. This is DFS. We don't care if the Bulldogs lose.
All we care about is whether Taylor can throw for multiple touchdowns on this defense. Alabama has allowed eight passing touchdowns in four games and has allowed a combined 890 yards in the last two games to less talented quarterbacks.
Beau Pribula, Virginia ($7.6K)
Florida State has played two Power 4 teams. They allowed a combined 1,152 yards in those two games. The Seminoles have been absolutely nuked by any team with a good offense.
We saw what Virginia did to North Carolina State in the opener. Statistically, the Pack has better defensive numbers than Florida State. Most of the attention will be on the Alabama-Mississippi State game. Going off the beaten path in GPPs is not a bad idea.
Kenny Minchey, Kentucky ($6.1K)
I understand that Minchey isn't much of a runner, but this is cheap. We've seen what quarterbacks have done to South Carolina in the last two weeks. Minchey isn't as talented as Russell or Taylor, but he has a good arm and isn't making mistakes.
Minchey is an outstanding and low-risk value play. We don't often get value plays with this good of a floor.
Also consider: Julian Sayin, Ohio State ($9K); Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia ($8.5K); Aaron Philo, Florida ($7.7K); Faizon Brandon, Tennessee ($7.4K); Keyone Jenkins, Central Florida ($5.7K)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Jadan Baugh, Florida ($9.8K)
Jadan Baugh is one of the best PURE RUNNERS the NFL Draft has seen in a while.
Multiple NFL scouts reportedly believe Baugh could “finish” as a Top-15 overall player in the 2027 NFL Draft.
The Gators haven’t had a RB prospect like this in a LONG TIME ?? pic.twitter.com/eTvqB7PwgK
— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) September 17, 2026
We saw what Baugh did against another team that is not a great tackling team last week. Missouri tackles a little better than Ole Miss, but not much. The sky is the limit once again for Baugh.
The price is prohibitive, but he has scored 11 touchdowns in four games and hasn't scored less than 28 DraftKings points in a game this season. Where else can you find that floor?
Fluff Bothwell, Mississippi State ($7.1K)
Fluff is rarely talked about because all of the attention is on Taylor, and rightfully so. Bothwell has quietly put together a strong season. In the three games against major conference opponents, Bothwell has at least 17 DK points and has at least 19 touches. He'll get that kind of workload against Alabama as well.
Aiden Flora, Iowa State ($6.3K)
When a guy runs for 100 yards on that Utah defense, I pay attention. This backfield is unquestionably Flora's now, and he's very affordable in that situation. West Virginia has allowed 143 rushing yards per game.
That's middle of the pack, but Flora is averaging 6.1 yards after contact. That means he can get yards against anyone.
Ousmane Kromah, Florida State ($5.9K)
Kromah's usage is too high for him to be this cheap. Virginia has been strong against the run this year, but Kromah is option 1A and 1B in this offense. He'll get enough touches to hit value for this price.
Also consider: DeSean Bishop, Tennessee ($7.6K); Matt Fuller, South Carolina ($7.2K); Jekail Middlebrook, Virginia ($6.5K); CJ Baxter, Kentucky ($6K); EJ Crowell, Alabama ($5K)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State ($9.4K)
Jeremiah Smith just settled ALL DEBATES, he is the GREATEST WR prospect ever.
• 12 receptions (career-high)
• 217 receiving yards (career-high)
• 4 receiving TD’s (career-high)The Buckeyes WR was UNSTOPPABLE in the GREATEST game of his career ?? pic.twitter.com/DhJLDREfJc
— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) September 26, 2026
Ohio State decided to feature their Heisman candidate last week. Smith nuked the slate for 60.7 DK points. No one else has that ceiling at any price. I'm not even worried about the matchup because no one can cover him one-on-one.
Anthony Evans III, Mississippi State ($6.8K)
Yes, we are going back to that game again. Evans has at least 17.5 DK points in every game this season. He hasn't caught fewer than six passes in a game and has topped 100 yards in three of the four.
Missouri kept him out of the end zone last week for the first time this season, and Evans still had 21.9 DK points. You can play him with confidence, which is a luxury at the WR position.
Sanfrisco Magee, Mississippi State ($5K)
Evans gets the bulk of the work, but Magee has caught five touchdowns in four games. He has at least one touchdown reception in every game. He may be touchdown-dependent, but he is the clear red zone target of Taylor.
Alabama will likely limit the chunk plays, causing the Bulldogs to have to operate in the red zone more in this game. He's worth a GPP flier at this price.
Eric Singleton Jr., Florida ($4.6K)
The Gators could be without Vernell Brown III and Bailey Stockton in this game. Even if they play, they will likely be limited. That should open up more opportunities for Singleton.
Singleton returned from an ankle injury last week, but was only running deep routes. He should be more active this week and give the Gators another great deep option. That's very important if Brown is out.
Duce Robinson, Florida State ($4.1K)
Robinson's season numbers are low because he wasn't a big part of the offense in the first two games. He has made up for it in the last two. Robinson has eight receptions for 177 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the last two games. That is massive production in this price range!
Also consider: Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama ($7.4K); Cayden Lee, Missouri ($6.3K); Rico Flores Jr., Virginia ($4.5K); Nyck Harbor, South Carolina ($4.2K); Dominic Overby, Iowa State ($3.9K)
DraftKings CFB Stacks
Alabama/Mississippi State Game Stack
Both offenses are explosive, and both defenses have had lapses. Both quarterbacks and both alpha receivers are expensive, so we'll have to make concessions elsewhere to make this work.
Using Crowell as your Alabama back gives you the explosive piece at a low price. If you elect to use Bothwell, you're going to have to pass on either Coleman-Williams or Evans. I'm going to pass on RCW and use Lotzier Brooks instead.
Using both Magee and Brooks over RCW and Evans saves us enough to use both backs and leaves us $9.4K for the last WR slot and flex slot. Passing on Fluff and using both Evans and Magee is a good option as well.
The Mississippi State stack is fairly easy with Taylor, Fluff, Evans, and Magee. Add Zion Ragins as the fifth option if you want a full stack.
For Alabama, the backfield is a true committee. Using Russell, RCW, Brooks, Crowell, and Daniel Hill is a good way to get different, but you likely need a touchdown from both backs.
Florida
All of the WRs on the injury report make this a harder stack, but if you are around before lock to check news, you could win a tournament with a proper Florida stack.
I'll have a lot of Philo/Baugh minis with some Singleton thrown in. Dallas Wilson is an elite option in a four-man stack. For the fifth option, use Brown if he plays and Duke Clark if he doesn't.
Also consider: Virginia, Kentucky, Notre Dame (GPP only), Wisconsin (GPP only), Ohio State (GPP only)
Favorite mini stacks:
- Virginia (Pribula/Flores)
- Tennessee (Brandon/Bishop/Mike Matthews)
- Florida State (Kromah/Robinson)
- Houston (Conner Weigman/Amare Thomas)
- Ohio State (Sayin/Smith)
