CFB DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks For 10/18: Week 8 Playbook

The 2025 college football season rolls on this Saturday, October 18th, with a full Week 8 slate of games. Let’s dive into the top CFB DFS Picks as you build lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. In this article, we’ll discuss the best plays at each position with CFB DFS projections factored in. 

As you read over our CFB DFS Picks, take advantage of Fantasy Alarm’s College Football DFS Ownership Projections for both DK and FD. Plus, you can use our Weekly Player Projections and CFB DFS Lineup Generator. 

CFB DFS Picks, Daily Fantasy Playbook & Schedule: October 18th

Before we discuss top CFB DFS picks this week, let’s take a look at the slate. DraftKings has a 12-game main afternoon slate on Saturday. Meanwhile, FanDuel has a 14-game slate that includes 5 night games. For the write-ups, we’ll focus on top players and value CFB picks for games on both slates. However, check out our specific DraftKings and FanDuel core plays below. Here’s a look at the Week 8 CFB DFS schedule with betting lines and odds: 

DraftKings Main Slate: 

• 12 pm ET – LSU at Vanderbilt (-3) – 49.5 O/U
• 12 pm ET – Arizona (-1.5) at Houston – 47.5 O/U (DK Only)
• 12 pm ET – Baylor at TCU (-3) – 64.5 O/U
• 12 pm ET – Georgia Tech at Duke (-1.5) – 60.5 O/U
• 12 pm ET – Washington at Michigan (-4.5) – 50.5 O/U
• 12:45 pm ET – Oklahoma (-5.5) at South Carolina – 42.5 O/U
• 3:30 pm ET – Texas A&M (-7.5) at Arkansas – 59.5 O/U
• 3:30 pm ET – Ole Miss at Georgia (-7.5) – 56.5 O/U
• 3:30 pm ET – SMU at Clemson (-5.5) – 50.5 O/U (DK Only)
• 3:30 pm ET – Ohio State (-25.5) at Wisconsin – 41.5 O/U
• 4 pm ET – Texas Tech (-7.5) at Arizona State – 51.5 O/U

FanDuel Only Games: 

• 7 pm ET – Texas (-12.5) at Kentucky – 43.5 O/U
• 7:30 pm ET – Tennessee at Alabama (-8.5) – 59.5 O/U
• 7:30 pm ET – USC at Notre Dame (-9.5) – 60.5 O/U
• 7:45 pm ET – Missouri (-1.5) at Auburn – 43.5 O/U
• 8 pm ET – Cincinnati (-21.5) at Oklahoma State – 58.5 O/U

CFB DFS Lineups: Top Plays

Haynes King, QB, Georgia Tech 

DK: $8,300 | FD: $12,500

The Georgia Tech vs. Duke matchup has one of the highest totals and tightest spreads of this week’s CFB DFS slate. It should be a back-and-forth offensive shootout, so you may notice a trend with our top plays. It starts with Haynes King, who’s averaging 32 DK PPG this year. The Yellow Jackets’ dual-threat QB has such a strong floor because of his rushing. He’s averaging 88 rush yards per contest, with 100+ in three of five games, and he already has 9 rush TDs. King should be popular on DK, but is more of a GPP play on FD due to that expensive price tag. 

Nate Sheppard, RB, Duke 

DK: $6,600 | FD: $9,200

After beginning the season as a backup, Nate Sheppard has established himself as Duke’s top running back. The freshman has put up 96, 81, 201, and 97 total yards over the past 4 games. He’s also averaging 8.0 yards per carry and is seeing 16.3 touches per game over the past three contests. Despite his recent DFS price increase, Sheppard should be worth it this week. Georgia Tech’s rush defense ranks 105th in the country while allowing 4.9 ypc vs. FBS opponents (112th). 

Eric McAlister, WR, TCU 

DK: $7,200 | FD: $11,200

The highest total on the early slate features TCU hosting Baylor in an old-fashioned Big 12 shootout. TCU wideout Eric McAlister has quickly emerged as one of the top wide receivers for DFS with some monster performances recently. It started with the 54 DK explosion last month, including 254 yards and 3 TDs. Then, after missing a game, he caught 2 TDs in Week 6 before going off for 156 yards and 2 scores last week. McAlister is a legit big-play threat, and he’s built some chemistry with QB Josh Hoover. Both have tons of upside at home this week against Baylor’s subpar defense. 

CFB DFS Lineups: Value Plays

Will Hammond, QB, Texas Tech 

DK: $7,200 | FD: $8,000

There’s a real chance Will Hammond starts at quarterback for Texas Tech this week. Behren Morton is questionable after suffering a leg injury last game. That uncertain status, combined with early-week line movement towards Arizona State, suggests Hammond gets the start. If so, then he’s a solid Super-Flex option. He put up 18 DK points in relief of Morton last week, largely due to his 61 rushing yards and 2 rush TDs. That dual-threat ability should give Hammond a decent cash floor. When he replaced an injured Morton last month, Hammond finished with 20 DK, including 61 rush yards as well. Plus, the ASU defense just gave up 42 points to Utah last week, with QB Devon Dampier running for 120 yards and 3 scores. 

Rueben Owens II, RB, Texas A&M 

DK: $4,400 | FD: $8,400

Expect Rueben Owens to be popular on the DK slate as an elite value play. The Texas A&M running back also has the potential to outperform many higher-priced guys on FD as well. Le’Veon Moss is now sidelined with a significant injury, so Owens steps into the bell-cow role in A&M’s backfield. When Moss went down last week, Owens took on 17 carries as the lead back. Plus, the week before, he went off for 142 yards on 21 carries. He now faces a poor Arkansas defense that’s allowing 184 rushing yards per game (115th in FBS). 

Que’Sean Brown, WR, Duke 

DK: $3,900 | FD: $6,400

If you want some cheap exposure to the Georgia Tech vs. Duke matchup, this is a good way to do so. Cooper Barkate may be the headliner in Duke’s receiving corps, but Que’Sean Brown isn’t far behind. In fact, Brown’s 28 receptions currently lead the team, and his 404 receiving yards barely trail Barkate’s 475. Last time out, Brown went for 104 yards and a score on 6 receptions. He can do enough to return value at some cheap prices on both sites, especially with plenty of offense expected in this game. 

Core CFB DFS Lineup Picks: QBs, RBs & WRs