College Football Week 8 is here and it's time to dive into top CFB DFS picks for Saturday's main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel! This Saturday's CFB Week 8 main slate is headlined by the Penn State vs Ohio State matchup, which actually may not have many college football DFS top plays to roster. Some other top games in Saturday's early afternoon window include UCF vs Oklahoma, Tennesee vs Alabama, Texas vs Houston, Washington vs Oregon, and Mississippi State vs Arkansas. In this CFB DFS Playbook, we'll break down top college football DFS picks for Saturday's main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel for the early/afternoon games. Check out Pete Cole's playbook for the night slate breakdown. The FanDuel main slate includes some night games as well, but you can check out these top picks when building CFB DFS lineups on both sites. All the CFB Week 8 odds listed below are via DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of this writing. Let's now get into the top CFB DFS picks for Saturday's college football Week 8 slate on October 21st.
College Football Week 8 Schedule
CFB DFS Saturday Main Slate DraftKings
- 12 pm ET – UCF at Oklahoma (-17.5) – 66 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Mississippi State at Arkansas (-6.5) – 48 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Penn State at Ohio State (-4.5) – 45 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Memphis (-6.5) at UAB – 61.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Air Force (-10.5) at Navy – 34.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Western Michigan at Ohio (-17) – 53 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Oklahoma State at West Virginia (-3.5) – 49.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Washington State at Oregon (-20) – 62.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Tennessee at Alabama (-8.5) – 47.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Wisconsin (-2.5) at Illinois – 41.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Minnesota at Iowa (-3.5) – 31.5 O/U
- 4 pm ET – Texas (-23.5) at Houston – 61 O/U
Let's discuss this CFB Week 8 slate on DraftKings before jumping into top plays. There are some clear games and offenses to target with some instant fades as well. The highest totals of UCF vs Oklahoma, Washington State vs Oregon, Texas vs Houston, and Memphis vs UAB are the top matchups to game stack or just target one-off plays from. On the other side, we have very low totals like Air Force vs Navy, Minnesota vs Iowa, and Wisconsin vs Illinois. Plus, that marquee matchup of Penn State vs Ohio State should also be a defensive battle more than anything. This slate with some clear games to target and obvious fades could make lineup-building easier in cash contests, but also forces us to be different in GPPs. Without further ado, let's look at top CFB DFS picks for both formats on DraftKings and FanDuel for the early Saturday games.
College Football Week 8 CFB DFS Picks
Top CFB DFS Quarterbacks
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Dillon Gabriel | OU | UCF | 9300 | 33.65 | 12100 | 30.99 |
| While UCF is above-average against the pass and terrible vs the run, Dillon Gabriel can still be top QB play this week. Oklahoma should put up one of the highest team totals on the slate and Gabriel has that 35-40 DK upside. We’ve seen 35+ DK from Gabriel three times in the past four games. If we’re talking cash floor, he has 25+ DK in every game so far. He’s a good play in all formats, though will likely go lower-rostered because of the expensive price tags – especially on FD. | ||||||
| Quinn Ewers | UT | UH | 8600 | 25.74 | 10600 | 23.99 |
| Coming off the bye week, Quinn Ewers and the Texas offense get a great matchup to rebound from that loss to Oklahoma. The Houston defense is allowing 267 passing yards per game (117th in FBS) and have been exposed by good passing attacks throughout Big 12 play. Ewers should have success in this spot, even on the road, and can post 30 DK or so to anchor cash lineups. The prices are pretty reasonable and also create some value for a QB with Ewers’ talent in a good matchup. | ||||||
| Jalen Milroe | BAMA | TENN | 8400 | 24.13 | 10100 | 23.63 |
| More often than not this season, Jalen Milroe has been a solid cash QB for us. He has at least 21 DK in five of six games this season and is still priced appropriately. Usually, Milroe’s rushing provides a strong DFS floor. Lately, though, he’s had negative rushing yards (due to sacks) in the past two games but was still a fine play with 5 pass TDs vs Texas A&M and Arkansas combined. The Tennessee defense will provide a tough test, but Milroe at home makes him a safer cash play again. | ||||||
| Seth Henigan | MEM | UAB | 8300 | 25.63 | ||
| UAB’s defense is arguably the worst on the DK slate, allowing 36.6 points (131st in FBS) and 428 total yards (116th) per game. It sets up well for the Memphis offense and Seth Henigan, who is very affordable considering the great matchup. Henigan has put up at least 24 DK in every game thus far and has been very consistent from a DFS perspective despite some turnover issues. His passing volume and underrated dual-threat ability usually provide a safe cash floor of production. This soft matchup boosts him up more and Henigan looks like a great cash option on the DK slate. | ||||||
| KJ Jefferson | ARK | MSST | 7600 | 19.03 | 8700 | 17.21 |
| Mississippi State’s bad pass defense presents one of the best matchups for opposing QBs on this slate. The Miss St defense is allowing 273 passing yards per game in conference play (99th in FBS) and gave up big games to Jayden Daniels and Spencer Rattler earlier this season. KJ Jefferson isn’t the best throwing QB, but he does bring upside at home with the favorable matchup. He had 28 DK against LSU’s poor secondary back in Week 4. With Rahiem Sanders out again, Jefferson will need to do more in the run game too. He's pretty affordable on both sites as a GPP Super-Flex. | ||||||
| Jacob Zeno | UAB | MEM | 7100 | 22.67 | ||
| While Seth Henigan is a good play on one side of this Memphis-UAB matchup, don’t overlook Jacob Zeno on the other side. UAB’s quarterback has 24+ DK in five of seven games this season, with one of those even coming on the road at Georgia. The UAB offense likes to play fast and it results in plenty of pass attempts for Zeno. He’s averaging 36 attempts and 272 yards per game while adding in 4 rush TDs. This game has one of the highest totals of the DK slate with a small-ish spread, so there are viable options on both sides. | ||||||
| Kurtis Rourke | OHIO | WMU | 5700 | 16.47 | ||
| Kurtis Rourke is really interesting as a cheap QB on the DK slate. He’s coming off a terrible performance last week, but can easily bounce back for 25-30 DK in this matchup. Western Michigan’s pass defense ranks 92nd nationally in yards allowed per game and has given up 16 pass TDs over seven games. Opposing QBs are having weekly success in this matchup and Rourke can follow suit with Ohio as double-digit home favorites. The sub-6k price on DK is really cheap for a guy wh had 35 DK two weeks ago and 22 DK the game before. | ||||||
| Jensen Jones | AF | NAVY | 5400 | 5.93 | ||
| Air Force starting QB Zac Larrier is out “for a while” after getting hurt last week. That puts Jensen Jones as an interesting GPP value play as the presumed starter now. We know Air Force runs it a ton with the triple-option attack and the QB tends to get enough rushing volume to be a viable DFS play. Larrier accounted for 473 rushing yards and 4 rush TDs this season with 26+ DK in three of six games. Jones is very much a wild card with little game experience, but the senior does have four years in this offense and could easily break out. Keep in mind, this will be low-scoring game vs Navy, but the upside is there with any dual-threat QB in the Air Force offense. | ||||||
Top CFB DFS Running Backs
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Braelon Allen | WISC | IL | 7700 | 22.83 | ||
| Braelon Allen was mostly held in check by Iowa’s tough defense last week. Even in a “down” game by his standards, Wisconsin’s workhorse back still saw 21 touches for 100+ total yards. That volume is a good sign of better DFS performances to come in easier matchups like this one. Illinois’ defense is allowing 163.6 rush yards per game (101st in FBS) with multiple opposing RBs having success against it. We know Allen will get the workload with Chez Mellusi out, and even more so now that Wisconsin QB Tanner Mordecai is out with a fractured hand. Expect the offense to lean heavily on Allen and the run game here, giving him a strong cash floor. | ||||||
| Bucky Irving | ORE | WSU | 7500 | 21.52 | 9900 | 18.52 |
| Though Oregon lost last week, Bucky Irving was excellent vs Washington. He had 127 rushing yards on 22 carries, 6 receptions for 34 yards, a TD and 31 DK. It was a great DFS play and should be again in an easier home matchup vs Washington St. Irving now has 20+ DK in four of six games with the only “duds” coming in blowout wins. While Oregon is favored big here, hopefully Wash St can keep it close enough to get a full stat line from Irving. He’s still just a GPP play because Oregon’s offense always has the threat to score/move the ball through the ball through the air more often than the run game. | ||||||
| Jonathon Brooks | UT | UH | 7400 | 24.77 | 10500 | 21.95 |
| Houston has one of the worst rush defenses this season, especially in Big 12 play. It’s giving up 214 rush yards per game in conference games (118th in FBS) with 8 rush TDs allowed over three games. Every opposing Big 12 lead back has been productive in this matchup and Jonathon Brooks will surely continue the trend. Brooks is on a roll with 28+ DK in three straight games while doing something similar to what Bijan Robinson did last year in this offense. He’ll be a weekly DFS stud and this matchup vs Houston is a tasty one. He’s a top cash RB play on both sites. | ||||||
| Jermaine Brown Jr. | UAB | MEM | 6200 | 19.54 | ||
| UAB’s backfield was split between Jermaine Brown and Isaiah Jacobs. It’s not Brown operating in a bell-cow role with Jacobs out for the season. In the two games with Jacobs out, Brown has put up 42 and 32 DK points with a pair of monster performances. He had 20 touches for 136 total yards and 4 TDs in one game and then 18 touches for 171 total yards and a TD in the next. His pass-catching is especially attractive on DK with six receptions (for 116 receiving yards last game). The Memphis run defense is being torched by opposing RBs right now and Brown should be the next to have a big stat line. He’ll likely go overlooked on the DK slate, but he can easily outperform some of the higher-priced guys. | ||||||
| Emmanuel Michel | AF | NAVY | 5800 | 17.28 | ||
| If you want a contrarian GPP RB play on the DK slate, check out Emmanuel Michel headlining the Air Force triple-option offense. Michel is getting heavy rushing volume lately with 28, 33, 18, and 22 carries in the past four games. That workload should keep his DFS floor safer even in a low-scoring battle with Navy. We’ve seen his 30+ DK upside recently with 3 rush TDs in two recent games. We should see a ton of work from Michel in this game with Air Force QB Zac Larrier out. | ||||||
| Marcus Major | OU | UCF | 5200 | 10.24 | 7000 | 9.24 |
| If you weren’t aware, UCF has a terrible rush defense this season. Over three conference games, it’s allowing 277 rushing yards per game (126th in FBS) with 13 rush TDs allowed and a 6.22 ypc against. Running backs for Kansas St, Baylor, and Kansas have all had success in this matchup. So, it’s Oklahoma’s turn. However, choosing which RB could go off is the slight issue. Jovantae Barnes remains out, so at least that narrows it down. Marcus Major and Tawee Walker are splitting carries lately and both could easily go for 100+ yards and a TD in this spot. Major gets the slight nod if choosing between them and he's cheaper on both sites. | ||||||
| Kaden Feagin | IL | WISC | 4900 | 6.1 | ||
| We suggested Kaden Feagin as a value last week and he came through for 84 rushing yards, a TD, and 17 DK points. Even with a slight price increase, Feagin is a viable GPP value again. The matchup vs Wisconsin is tougher than last week vs Maryland. Still, Feagin got 19 carries as Illinois’ lead back and can see a similar workload with Reggie Love out again. On volume alone, Feagin could return value with the upside to get into the end zone like last game. | ||||||
| AJ Green | ARK | MSST | 4100 | 5.79 | 5200 | 6.05 |
| Rocket Sanders is out again, so we have a pair of Arkansas RBs who could smash value at their cheap prices. Rashod Dubinion and AJ Green are both very affordable for the potential 5x return. With Sanders missing time this season, we’ve seen them split the workload with both having some good plays/games. Green has been the more productive back, averaging 6.3 ypc this season including 7.3 ypc last week on only six carries vs Alabama. Dubinion saw more work last game (14 carries) but wasn’t as efficient (1.9 ypc). Earlier this season when Sanders was out, Dubinion was getting more touches in the backfield. Again, though, Green is doing more with less and could get more carries this week. Either way, they’re both upside GPP plays. | ||||||
| Sutton Smith | MEM | UAB | 4000 | 7.82 | ||
| One of the big RB injuries to monitor is Memphis lead back Blake Watson, who’s day-to-day with an undisclosed injury suffered last week. If Watson plays, then he’s a high-upside GPP play at $7300 with the legit potential for 30+ DK points. If he sits, then Sutton Smith becomes a value RB with GPP upside of his own in this soft matchup. UAB’s defense is giving up over 200 rushing yards per game with 20 rush TDs allowed over seven games. It’s the best rushing matchup on the DK slate for opposing backs and Smith could easily pop off if he’s the guy with Watson out. There’s a chance Smith and Brandon Thomas split the workload, but the former has seen more carries this season. | ||||||
Top CFB DFS Wide Receivers
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. | OSU | PSU | 8400 | 22.35 | 9400 | 17.77 |
| We say it every week – if Ohio State is on the slate, then Marvin Harrison Jr. should be in consideration as a top WR play. He now has 25+ DK in four of the past five games with 100+ yards and a TD in all four contests. Though Penn State’s defense presents a tough matchup, Harrison always has the talent and GPP upside to dominate opposing secondaries for 30+ DFS points. You can look for cheaper options in cash lineups, but Harrison could be a contrarian play since he’s still pricey and in a tougher matchup. If Emeka Egbuka is out again for OSU, then Harrison should be fed targets. | ||||||
| Troy Franklin | ORE | WSU | 8200 | 28.98 | 10400 | 23.15 |
| Troy Franklin has been a stud DFS play all season and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. He just went for 8 catches, 154 yards, a TD, and 32 DK last week vs Washington. He now has 100+ yards, a TD, and 25+ DK in five of six games with the only “down” effort coming against Hawaii in a blowout. Franklin is locked in as Bo Nix’s top target in the Oregon passing attack and the offense should roll this week in a favorable home matchup vs Wazzu. Franklin is a top-tier cash WR play per usual. | ||||||
| Xavier Worthy | UT | UH | 6500 | 16.83 | 8000 | 13.33 |
| The Texas passing attack will get a soft matchup coming out of the bye as Houston’s pass defense is one of the worst among power conference teams. Xavier Worthy has yet to have one of those slate-breaking performances, though he did just have 8 receptions for 108 yards last game vs OU. While Texas does spread the ball around a ton, Worthy has 12+ DK in every game thus far and usually brings a strong cash DFS floor. The upside for a 25-30 DK outing is there in this matchup too. If you want a cheaper Texas pass-catcher, consider Adonai Mitchell, Jordan Whittington, and Ja'Tavion Sanders as GPP plays. | ||||||
| Andrew Armstrong | ARK | MSST | 6000 | 16.21 | 7700 | 12.95 |
| As mentioned above, Arkansas’ passing attack gets a great matchup here at home vs Miss St. If you’re playing KJ Jefferson, his top WR pairing is Andrew Armstrong. He’s been consistent for double-digit DK points in every game thus far with at least 76 receiving yards in five of seven games. Armstrong has 16+ DK in five of seven as well. You can look at tight end Ty Washington in GPPs as a cheaper pass-catcher to pair with KJ Jefferson, but Armstrong is safer for cash. | ||||||
| Roc Taylor | MEM | UAB | 5800 | 17.65 | ||
| If you’re playing Seth Henigan, his top pass-catcher is Roc Taylor in this favorable matchup. Taylor has three straight games with 100+ yards and 20+ DK as one of Memphis’ best playmakers. The sub-6k price tag on the DK slate is pretty cheap considering his current form and the matchup vs a weak UAB defense. Outside of the Tigers’ blowout win, Taylor has been a safe cash WR all year with consistent targets as Henigan’s No. 1 option. He’s a better per-dollar play than other guys priced above him. | ||||||
| Kyle Williams | WSU | ORE | 5700 | 17.28 | 7300 | 14.03 |
| Kyle Williams has been a very consistent DFS play this season and he’s come on strong in recent games for Washington State. His 33 receptions and 447 yards lead the Wazzu receiving corps and he has at least 12 DK in every game so far. In the past three games, Williams has seen at least 7 receptions each time while benefiting from Lincoln Victor’s absence. Even though Victor is back, Williams still had 9 catches for 61 yards last week. The matchup vs Oregon is tough, but Williams is clearly a top target in this offense. | ||||||
| Tez Johnson | ORE | WSU | 5700 | 13.88 | 7200 | 11.68 |
| Oregon’s secondary receivers behind Troy Franklin are tough to trust in cash, but one could always pop in GPP lineups. Last week, we suggested Gary Bryant but he was held catchless (of course). Tez Johnson is another upside GPP option after he went for 7 receptions and 71 yards vs Washington last game. He’s also tough to trust game-to-game, but it’s good to see him that involved in a marquee matchup. Traeshon Holden is another cheap Oregon pass-catcher to consider in tournaments. The Ducks could score enough for all to be involved in some manner to be viable DFS plays. | ||||||
| Javon Baker | UCF | OU | 5300 | 12.95 | 5800 | 9.60 |
| John Rhys Plumlee is expected back and though he’s not the best passer, his return should boost the UCF passing game. This matchup vs Oklahoma is a tough one on the road, but at least we know UCF should be throwing it more while trailing. Kobe Hudson is an upside GPP play too, but Javon Baker has been more consistent and is cheaper on both sites. Baker has produced the last two games without Plumlee, but he was a favorite target when his QB was healthy earlier this season. The matchup makes him a GPP option, but Baker can easily exceed his cheap price tags. | ||||||
| Amare Thomas | UAB | MEM | 5100 | 13.87 | ||
| As noted above, the UAB side of this game should not be ignored for DFS cash or GPP lineups. The Blazers’ passing attack does spread the ball around to a ton of receivers, but Amare Thomas is the top option. He leads the team in receptions with 35 and his 326 yards barely trail Tejhaun Palmer’s 386 thus far. Thomas has been more consistent game-to-game than Palmer. He has at least eight receptions and/or 50+ yards in five straight games and presents a nice cash bargain in the 5k DK price range. | ||||||
| Rashod Owens | OKST | WVU | 4800 | 9.88 | 6000 | 8.68 |
| Ever since De’Zhaun Stribling got hurt, Rashod Owens has emerged as one of Oklahoma State’s top receivers. In the past two games with Stribling out, Owens had 5 catches for 75 yards and then 9 receptions for 112 yards last week. This doesn’t seem to be a fluke as QB Alan Bowman is looking his way a ton (12 targets last game). Despite the slight price increase, Owens can still return value because of his larger target share. | ||||||
| Demeer Blankumsee | MEM | UAB | 4700 | 13.7 | ||
| If you want some cheaper exposure to Memphis, then Demeer Blankumsee is a solid salary-saver at sub-5k on the DK slate. He’s the clear No. 2 target behind Roc Taylor in this passing attack and could easily exceed value. Blankumsee went off for 108 yards, a TD, and 26 DK last week and now has 6+ catches in three of six games (with a 4-for-83 stat line in another). Again, the UAB defense is one of the worst in the country and Memphis should put up plenty of points/yards in this matchup. There can be enough production for Blankumsee alongside Taylor. | ||||||
| Addison Ostrenga | IOWA | MINN | 3200 | 3.9 | ||
| Iowa is now down its top two tight ends with Erick All tearing his ACL last week. The injury creates some interesting GPP punt plays among the remaining Iowa tight ends. Addison Ostrenga has missed the past month with an injury of his own but he practiced this week and could play. If he’s active and starting, then the dirt-cheap price tag is worth a dart throw because we know the Iowa tight ends are top targets in the offense. If Ostrenga is out, you could take a chance on Steven Stillianos at $3100. | ||||||
CFB DFS Week 8 Core Plays
DraftKings Cash
- Jonathon Brooks – Texas
- Seth Henigan – Memphis
- Tory Franklin – Oregon
DraftKings GPP
- AJ Green – Arkansas
- Xavier Worthy – Texas
- Jermaine Brown Jr. – UAB
- Sutton Smith – Memphis (If Watson is out)
FanDuel Cash (Early Games)
- Jonathon Brooks – Texas
- Troy Franklin – Oregon
- Rashod Owens – Oklahoma State
FanDuel GPP (Early Games)
- Bucky Irving – Oregon
- Marcus Major – Oklahoma
- Xavier Worthy – Texas
- Javon Baker – UCF
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