RADIO
We are still in the midst of the greatest 50 days of the year for any football fan. October 8 was the first of 50 consecutive days of either FBS or NFL football. What a time to be alive! For all of the evil things the Mouse does, one thing that is right about all of this is ESPN gobbling up the TV rights to Conference USA, the Fun Belt, and the MAC. Instead of putting those games on ESPN+ on Saturdays, they did the right thing for everyone and gave us mid-week football. The ESPN money may have destroyed the Pac-12, but it also gave us this.
Our Tuesday starts in the mountains of Virginia with Middle Tennessee State paying a visit to Liberty. A half-hour later, Jacksonville State's defense tries to hold down Western Kentucky's high-flying offense in Alabama. We end the night further south in Alabama with Southern Miss taking on South Alabama in Mobile.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/17/23, locking at 7 PM Eastern. I’ll provide multiple player suggestions 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.
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College Football Betting Picks October 17:
I don't have the full odds article done yet, so we are just going to do this here. That's what Tuesday games do to me. You know the drill!
Middle Tennessee State at Liberty (-14.5)
Betting Confidence Factor: 2
I don't like that hook. MTSU looked better last week, but is it enough to can hang with Liberty? I have my doubts. I'll take Liberty and lower the bet.
Western Kentucky (-6.5) at Jacksonville State
Betting Confidence Factor: 4
This is flatlined at -7 at most books, but it opened at -6.5, so I get the benefit of the doubt here. I would still take the Hilltoppers at 7.5, so now I can just bet more. Give me WKU.
Southern Mississippi at South Alabama (-17.5)
Betting Confidence Factor: 3
Another hook that gives me pause, but not enough to move off the Jags. Give me USA for a slightly lower bet.
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Kaidon Salter, Liberty ($8,600)
Jacksonville State was able to keep Kaidon Salter out of the end zone on the ground, but he still threw two touchdown passes, and that gave him a solid stat line. The going should be much easier against Middle Tennessee State. They held Western Kentucky under 300 passing yards (barely...they had 297). Salter will be under that mark as well, but the Blue Raiders have only picked off four passes all season and have allowed ample rushing yards. Salter should still have a safe floor.
Carter Bradley, South Alabama ($7,100)
Southern Miss is more susceptible to the run than the pass, but Carter Bradley has topped 250 passing yards in four of six games for the Jaguars this year. He only missed the mark against Tulane and Oklahoma State, both of which have strong pass defenses. I don't expect a ceiling game out of Bradley, but there is solid upside for the price.
Also consider: Austin Reed, Western Kentucky ($9,000); Nicholas Vattiato, Middle Tennessee State ($7,000)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Quinton Cooley, Liberty ($6,900)
Quinton Cooley has four 100-yard rushing games in the last five games, capping that off with a season-best 163 last week against a pretty good Jacksonville State defense. Cooley is getting more carries and is starting to find the end zone. He has three touchdowns over the last two games after not hitting paydirt in the first four games. The Flames love to run and with a guy like Cooley on the team, who can blame them? Expect another good workload here.
Frank Gore Jr., Southern Mississippi ($5,100)
Everyone, myself included, expected a breakout season from Frank Gore after he went berserk in the bowl game last year. That has not come to fruition. However, Gore is still getting a ton of chances on offense, both in carries and receptions. He's too cheap for what he means to this offense. I say this all the time, but volume is king in DFS. There's a lot of volume for the price here.
Also consider: La'Damian Webb, South Alabama ($6,200); Jaiden Credle, Middle Tennessee State ($6,000); Anwar Lewis, Jacksonville State ($4,200)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky ($7,800)
Austin Reed threw for 297 yards last week. Malachi Corley had 207 of those yards and all three touchdowns. Don't overthink this one.
Holden Willis, Middle Tennessee State ($6,300)
Holden Willis is expensive for a tight end, but you can't deny that he has been worth it. Willis has 23 receptions for 388 yards and two scores over the last four games since he missed Week 3 due to injury. Nicholas Vattiato seems more comfortable throwing shorter passes and Willis is clearly a favorite target. It feels like volume is going to be key on this slate, so I'm chasing the volume.
Perry Carter, Jacksonville State ($5,700)
The quarterback situation for the Gamecocks went from annoying to good to critical within the span of two quarters against Liberty. Zion Webb left with a concussion, ceding the full-time job to Logan Smothers, who then suffered an ankle sprain. Webb is likely out. Smothers is still questionable, but part of his success is based on running. That could leave Ashton Frye as the starter. He struggled some against Liberty, but Carter is a reliable receiver. With Frye working with him in practice, this could blossom into DFS success.
Also consider: Caullin Lacy, South Alabama ($7,000); CJ Daniels, Liberty ($6,000); Easton Messer, Western Kentucky ($5,800); Sean Brown, Jacksonville State ($4,700)
DraftKings CFB Stacks:
Liberty
Middle Tennessee State is worse against the pass, but Liberty is a team that loves to run. With a guy like Kaiden Salter, they can do both. Liberty is going to do what they do, but they might pass a little more. I'm comfortable with a Salter/Cooley/Daniels stack here. Billy Lucas will see some work, but I think this could be a game to use two receivers. Treon Sibley is looking better and better.
Also consider: South Alabama, Western Kentucky
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