Welcome back to another week of the CFB DFS Playbook Saturday Night Edition. Today we will dive into the Saturday college football 7pm Week 9 Night slate with a focus on the top CFB DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. Some of the top players and teams in action for this Saturday Night CFB Week 9 slate include #5 Washington led by Heisman hopeful Michael Penix and one of the best receiving duos in the nation, Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan. We also have Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., North Carolina’s Drake Maye and UCLA’s Carson Steele on this slate.  Check out the college football betting odds, team totals, and over/under's below to get an idea of which games or teams to target in CFB DFS lineups. If you're building CFB DFS lineups tonight, be sure to check out our college football weekly projections and CFB DFS lineup generator. So now we are ready to dive in and check out my top CFB DFS top picks and plays for Saturday Night, October 28th.

 

College Football Week 9 Saturday Night Odds

7p ET Tennessee (-3.5) @ Kentucky 51.5 O/U

7p ET Washington (-26.5) @ Stanford 60.5 O/U

7p ET Air Force (-13.5) @ Colorado State 47.5 O/U

7:30p ET Colorado @ UCLA (-17.0) 62.5 O/U

7:30p ET Vanderbilt @ Mississippi (-24.5) 63.0 O/U

7:30p ET Ohio State (-14.5) @ Wisconsin 43.5 O/U 45.5 O/U

8p ET North Carolina (-11.0) @ Georgia Tech 64.0 O/U

8p ET Washington State (-5.5) @ Arizona State 50.5 O/U FD Only

8p ET Cincinnati @ Oklahoma State (-7.5) 52.5 O/U FD Only

8p ET Old Dominion @ James Madison (-20.5) 48.5 O/U FD Only

 

CFB DFS QUARTERBACKS

Jaxson Dart - Mississippi vs. Vanderbilt ($9.4K DK/11.5 K FD)

Year two of the Jaxson Dart era is very similar to Matt Corral’s second season (2021) at Ole Miss. After seven games in 2021, Corral threw for 1,914 yards (67% completion rate) to go along with 15 touchdown passes to just one interception. Through seven games in 2023 Dart has tossed for 1,840 passing yards (64% completion rate) to pair with 13 touchdowns to three interceptions. Through seven games, Corral ran for 474 yards on 100 carries (4.74 YPC) to go along with nine rushing scores while this season, Dart has run 77 times for a total of 346 yards (4.5 YPC) to go with six rushing touchdowns. I guess you get the point and tonight he gets a favorable matchup at home against Vanderbilt which you yield plenty of fantasy goodness.

Drake Maye - North Carolina @ Georgia Tech ($9.3K DK/11.2K FD)

With that quick release and running ability Drake Maye is a very similar quarterback to the Chargers Justin Herbert. He only completed half of his pass attempts last week when UNC was upset by Virginia, but he racked up 347 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air and added a third score on the ground. Maye is now averaging 28.4 DK points per game and the dual threat QB who will run the ball nearly 10 times a game (five touchdowns) gets to face the second worse run defense in all of college football tonight- Georgia Tech. I will have at least one of Maye or Jaxson Dart in my main lineup and let them do the rest. 

Kyle McCord - Ohio State @ Wisconsin ($7.1K DK/7.6K FD)

Contrary to what some may think, Buckeye’s quarterback Kyle McCord has not been this season. His 1,937 passing yards in 2023 currently rank 20th in FBS and he has the 17th quarterback rating in the country as well. These are darn good numbers for a first year starting signal caller, maybe just not what Ohio State fans are used to after Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, and CJ Stroud for the past five years. But how can you beat this- the kid has not lost and is undefeated as a starter, throwing 12 touchdown passes and only a single interception. Wisconsin’s defense is no joke but at $7.1K and with weapons like high school teammate all-world Marvin Harrison Jr, McCord is firmly in play tonight as a value on both sites.

Other Top Quarterbacks

Michael Penix, Washington (10.7K DK/11.7K FD) - Penix, a Heisman hopeful, is averaging 27.9 DK points per game.

Haynes King, Georgia Tech ($8.4K DK/10.4K FD) - Four of Haynes six games have been 30+ DK points and we may get a shootout tonight at Bobby Dodd Stadium. 

Ken Seals, Vanderbilt ($5.9K DK/6.9K FD) - Seals is 65-for-105 with eight touchdowns and two interceptions and remains the starting QB after AJ Swann threw two pick-sixes against Kentucky. 

Trenton Bourguet, Arizona State ($7.5K FD) - FanDuel GPP value play only.

 

CFB DFS RUNNING BACKS

Quinshon Judkins - Mississippi vs. Vanderbilt ($6.9K DK/9.3K FD)

Once again, Alabama native Quinshon Judkins put on a show against a school from his home state. He carried the football 21 times for 124 yards and scored a touchdown as the Rebels knocked Auburn 28-21 last Saturday night. Judkins has now rushed for at least 100 yards in two of the last three games after struggling to clear 60 in the first four weeks of the season. Judkins is heating up at the right time so expect another big game tonight against a Vandy run defense that is allowing 174.1 rushing yards per game on the ground.

Carson Steele - UCLA vs. Colorado ($6.3K DK/8.8K FD)

Ball State transfer running back Carson Steele is a beast and has provided consistent tough running every single game this season for the Bruins. He is a big reason that UCLA is 5-2 and the 6'1", 225-pound junior had his best game of the year last Saturday (his 21st birthday) against Stanford rushing for 76 yards and scoring 3 touchdowns. He is a true bell cow now and has recorded 599 yards on the ground for six touchdowns on 113 carries. Against Colorado tonight Steele is one of the top point per dollar plays of the slate. 

Omarion Hampton - North Carolina @ Georgia Tech ($5.8K DK/9.5K FD)

Last week was shaping up to be a career game for Omarion Hampton, the ACC’s leading rusher. One of Mack Brown’s main goals was to get the ball to Hampton considering the Cavaliers defensive issues as the second-worst run defense in the conference. By halftime, he had 76 yards on 14 carries (5.4 yards per rush) but in the second half, Hampton carried the ball only five times for 36 yards (7.2 yards per rush), and the sophomore went without a touch across the final 8:51 of game time. Now tonight Hampton gets to face Georgia Tech who is allowing 277.7 yards on the ground and ranked 129th out of all 130 FBS schools in the nation. If UNC doesn’t abandon the run game again this could be a monster game for Hampton and $5.8K is a steal on DraftKings. 

Ulysses Bentley IV - Mississippi vs. Vanderbilt ($4.4K DK/7.4K FD)

Bentley has lately shown why Ole Miss wanted him out of the transfer portal. Over the last three weekends combined, Bentley has rushed for 236 yards and has scored twice. This past weekend against Arkansas, he had his Ole Miss career-high of 94 yards to go with the go-ahead score that put Ole Miss up for good. Last Saturday at Auburn he ran the ball 17 times for 52 yards and caught two passes, so Bentley is getting plenty of run in the game plan. Bentley and Quinshon Judkins are a “thunder and lightning” combo and I do not expect it to stop tonight at home in Oxford. A player that is now carrying the ball 15-17 times a game and is only $4.4K is a steal on a slate that is lacking value at the running back position.

Other Top Running Backs

Ray Davis, Kentucky ($6.6K DK/10.0K FD) - Davis currently ranks first in the SEC in rushing yards per game with 111.6 yards on the ground per contest. Transferring from Vanderbilt has already paid dividends as he's on pace for a career season and set a personal best with eight rushing scores this year.

Emmanuel Michel, Air Force ($6.1K DK/8.5K FD) - Air Force leads the nation in rushing yards and rushing attempts per game and Michel has emerged as the lead back averaging nearly 100 yards per game (98.0) over the last four games. The more I look the more I like Michel tonight as a top play at the running back position.

Dillon Johnson, Washington ($6.8K DK/8.2K FD) - The one-time Mississippi State back put together 191 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns against Oregon and Arizona State, but the run game wasn’t needed last week against ASU. Johnson is a top FanDuel value at running back.

 

CFB DFS WIDE RECEIVERS

Jalen McMillan - Washington @ Stanford ($6.9K DK/9.5K FD)

All reports are that Jalen McMillan is finally a “go” tonight. The Husky’s standout receiver initially was injured on Sept. 16 in the UW-Michigan State game, sat out games against California and Arizona, returned against Oregon only to leave after a couple of series with a re-injury and missed this past weekend's game against Arizona State. McMillan's season totals stand at 20 receptions for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus a fourth score by rushing and at this price he is a lock for cash lineups in the high scoring Washington offense. 

Note - Check discord for up-to-date information on McMillan’s injury and other CFB Saturday news.

Squirrel White - Tennessee @ Kentucky ($5.8K DK/6.9K FD)

Squirrel White is developing into a dangerous weapon for the Volunteers. He is coming off his best game of the season against Alabama where he amassed 10 catches for 111 receiving yards and a touchdown. There was a clear emphasis to get the electric receiver involved last week as White is becoming the featured piece of the Tennessee offense with Brue McCoy sidelined for the rest of the year. He is averaging nearly 20 DK points over his last three games and it’s a good bet that White hits that mark or higher at Kentucky tonight.

Tory Horton - Colorado State ($6.0K DK/9.1K FD)

Tory Horton is arguably the wide receiver in the Mountain West and should be a mid-round NFL pick nest season. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound wideout has caught 65 passes for 738 yards and six touchdowns in seven games this year. He’s had two monster games this season where he caught 16 passes on 16 targets for 133 yards and a score at Colorado and then reeled in 10 passes on 10 targets for 227 yards against Utah Tech. With a 27.7 DK point game average Horton will always be one of the top receivers on the board even when playing against a tough defense like Air Force.

Eric Singleton Jr. - Georgia Tech ($4.1K DK/7.0K FD)

Freshman wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. continues to be a main offensive focal point as the Z receiver for the Yellow Jackets. His 355 yards and five touchdowns are at a record-setting pace, and he is carrying 14.3 DK points and 4.2 target per game averages. The kid can burn and has remarkable acceleration which lets him get open in space and makes for one heck of a connection with quarterback Haynes King.   Singleton Jr. has scored a touchdown in every game but one and should be back to 100% after missing last week with an illness.

J. Michael Sturdivant - UCLA vs. Colorado ($5.6K DK/7.1K FD)

Redshirt sophomore J. Michael-Sturdivant will likely go head-to-head with two-way Buffs player Travis Hunter in Boulder tonight. This may be the matchup of the night as Sturdivant is listed two notches higher than Hunter at 17th on the Pac-12 receiving list. Colorado is ranked dead last in the entire FBS allowing 316.3 yards per game in the air and it’s a pretty good bet that a player like Sturdivant with a 17.7 YPC will find the end zone.

Other Top Wide Receivers

Marvin Harrison Jr, Ohio State ($8.9K DK/9.8K FD) - Harrison Jr. is always low owned due to his big price tag and he nukes every slate. The star wideout is compiling yet another strong season with 42 catches, 766 yards, and six touchdowns.

Ja’Lynn Polk, Washington ($6.8K DK/9.4K FD) - Jalen McMillan is trending towards playing but if he sits again Polk is a must for your main lineup. He has 21 targets over the last two games and is averaging 24 DK points in that span. You need at least one Husky receiver in every lineup, and we don’t even have to talk about Rome Odunze- he’s a pure stud but you will pay top dollar. 

Xavier Weaver, Colorado ($7.0K DK/8.8K FD) - Weaver and Travis Hunter are both fully in play against a UCLA defense that did not look good against Stanford. Weaver is coming off a three-touchdown game where he caught seven passes for 124 yards.

Nate McCollum, North Carolina ($6.3K DK/5.7K FD) - McCollum is the top wide receiver value on FanDuel as he faces his former team. He has 17 targets over his last two games, but he did drop four passes in the loss to Virginia.  This should be a “get right” spot for McCollum in what should be a high scoring game.

Elic Ayomanor, Stanford ($5.9K DK/7.5K FD) - Ayomanor now has 30 targets over his last two games and 36 catches for 591 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Just two weeks ago he erupted for a school-record 294 yards and three TDs as the Cardinal rallied to beat Colorado in overtime.  

London Humphreys, Vanderbilt ($4.3K DK/6.5K FD) - Freshman Humphreys is even better as advertised with four touchdowns in eight games. He is coming off a 13 DK point day against Georgia (a 49-yard touchdown catch) and gets better every game. 

Christian Leary, Georgia Tech ($3.1K DK/5.3K FD) - Leary is a GPP dart only with Singleton back but he has scored in two of the last three games and Tech will be slinging the ball trying to keep up with UNC.

Caden Prieskorn, Mississippi ($3.8K DK/5.1K FD) - Prieskorn is another bargain bin flyer as he is coming off a season-high 63 yards last week at Auburn. He does play every snap which is something to look for in these cheap GPP flyers. 

 

DRAFTKINGS CORE

Drake Maye - North Carolina

Omarion Hampton - North Carolina

Carson Steele - UCLA

Squirrel White - Tennessee

 

FANDUEL CORE

Drake Maye - North Carolina

Dillon Johnson - Washington

Nate McCollum - North Carolina