DraftKings CFB DFS Lineup Picks: Daily College Fantasy Football Thursday Slate (10/9/25)

October 9, 2025

Mike Marteny's DraftKings daily fantasy college football lineup picks for the Thursday (10/9/25) slate in Week 7. His CFB DFS lineup picks and DFS sleepers will help you win.

We've got a big Thursday night for the first time since Week 1, and I'm here for it! We've got some Weekday Conference USA action with most of the rest of the league in action. It's still better than the NFL, and so is the DFS. I will die on this hill.

We start in Kennesaw, Georgia, with the Owls hosting CUSA favorite Louisiana Tech. Up next is East Carolina at Tulane for some AAC action. Southern Miss heads to Statesboro to take on Georgia Southern. We finish in Huntsville, Texas, with Sam Houston hosting Jacksonville State.

In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for the DraftKings slate on 10/9/25, starting at 7 pm Eastern. I’ll give 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

Katin Houser, East Carolina ($8.1K)

I expect the Pirates to be playing from behind against Tulane. Houser has at least 250 passing yards in every game, even the games where ECU wasn't trailing. There are a lot of good options tonight, but Houser is the safest of the expensive ones.

Caden Creel, Jacksonville State ($7.7K)

Creel dazzled in the second half against Southern Miss, but not because of his passing stats. He only threw for 109 yards and threw two picks. He ran for 161 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown. He's a high-volume running back who will also get you a handful of points from throwing the ball around.

Slippery as a snake 🐍
Caden Creel slips his way into the end zone to earn the Gamecocks another touchdown!

📺: @ESPNPlus@JaxStateFB
| #NoLimitsOnUs pic.twitter.com/6kCa5ysJfw

— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) September 28, 2025

Gavin Wimsatt is still listed as the first-string QB, but I don't see how Creel doesn't play after that performance. If you're in a GPP, Creel can win it for you. In cash games, Wimsatt is still projected to start the game. We all know how college injury reports are, though.

Also consider these QBs:

• Braylon Braxton, Southern Mississippi ($8.7K)
• Jake Retzlaff, Tulane ($8.3K)
• JC French IV, Georgia Southern ($6.8K)

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs

Cam Cook, Jacksonville State ($8K)

Cook has at least 75 rushing yards in every game and has scored five touchdowns in five games. His lowest DraftKings output is 15.8 points. Pay up. Cook is worth it, especially against Sam Houston.

Jeffery Pittman, Southern Mississippi ($5.2K)

Jeffery Pittman is dangerous in the backfield for Southern Miss as he averages 5.6 yards per touch.

Southern Miss uses the short passing game to get the backs in space. He has 25 touches for 140 yards. pic.twitter.com/PSWucl0GQ5

— USMVoice (@USMVoice) September 12, 2025

Pittman has scored four touchdowns in the last two games. The yardage total may not be what we want, but Pittman also has 11 receptions out of the backfield. The Eagles have found ways to get him the ball.

Also consider these RBs

• Coleman Bennett, Kennesaw State ($5.7K)
• Alton McCaskill, Sam Houston ($4.6K)

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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers

Anthony Smith, East Carolina ($6.8K)

East Carolina’s Katin Houser is one of the more underrated G5 QBs. Has the Pirates cruising early vs. Army (ft. a helmet catch from Anthony Smith).

Houser, a Michigan State transfer, came into today with 27 big-time throws since taking over at ECU. pic.twitter.com/H3osuvN0zy

— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) September 25, 2025

I want a guy who makes catches like that in my DFS lineups. That was Smith's first touchdown, but I'm sure it won't be his last. Smith caught 23 passes in the first three games of the season. In a game like this against Tulane, we should see another strong showing out of Smith. The Pirates will have to throw to stay in it.

Camden Brown, Georgia Southern ($6.4K)

Brown has been a big-play machine for Georgia Southern this year. He has five touchdowns in five games and has topped 100 receiving yards in back-to-back games.

Brown may not have the volume of the past two games in a game that is expected to be close, but he's a good bet to score another touchdown.

Gabriel Benyard, Kennesaw State ($5.5K)

The Kennesaw quarterback situation is not ideal, but Benyard has produced no matter who is throwing him the ball. He has scored a touchdown in three straight games and has 15 catches for 209 yards in that span. It's no coincidence that they are all Kennesaw wins.

Benyard has feasted against non-Power 4 schools. The Indiana game was the only game in which Benyard was held under 15 DK points.

Qua'Vez Humphreys, Sam Houston ($3K)

Being the leading receiver for Sam Houston doesn't mean a whole lot. After a slow opener and an injury against UNLV, Humphreys was back to his 2024 form against New Mexico State. It takes a leap of faith to believe in any part of the Sam Houston passing game, but Humphreys should be back in his old role and is the minimum price.

Also consider these WRs:

• Dalen Cobb, Georgia Southern ($6.5K)
• Yannick Smith, East Carolina ($5.9K)
• Brock Rechsteiner, Jacksonville State ($5.3K)
• Shazz Preston, Tulane ($4.1K)

DraftKings CFB Stacks

Jacksonville State vs. Sam Houston

Sam Houston is easily the worst defense on the slate. Figuring out how to attack it could decide who cashes and who doesn't. It starts at quarterback. Gavin Wimsatt is listed as the starter, and coach Charles Kelly said there would be competition between him and Caden Creel this week.

There has been nothing said publicly about who will start, and the depth chart has the dreaded "or" on it. If stacking Jacksonville State, we'll need to keep a close eye on who is taking snaps with the first team during warm-ups.

Cam Cook is the biggest lock on the entire slate. If Andrew Paul can play in this game, we can use him along with Cook. Brock Rechsteiner is the only Jacksonville State receiver that we can safely use. There is no fifth option for this stack.

I do like Alton McCaskill as a runback option, but there isn't another player on Sam Houston that I trust. Humphreys is a solid price saver if you need it.

Southern Mississippi vs. Georgia Southern

The Eagles just held James Madison last week, so Southern Miss is a little bit of a tough sell. Braylon Braxton is the most expensive player on the slate and has the highest ceiling. Pittman is a great play if Robert Briggs missed this game as well.

If not, Pittman is still priced reasonably enough to use. He gets most of the carries out of the backfield. Matt Jones will be the backup, but he doesn't usually see enough work to use. There is a path to use Jones here if you think Southern Miss gets a lead.

Carl Chester and Micah Davis should get enough work, but sometimes Braxton plays hero ball. This stack is probably best left for GPPs. Jones would be the fifth piece if you want a full stack.

Also consider these other stacks:

• Louisiana Tech
• East Carolina (GPP only)

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