We have another big weekend of college football DFS for you this week. There is a showdown slate for Thursday with just one game going on. Friday we have two, which is enough for a classic slate. These are two good ones though with plenty of DFS options on all four teams.
We start off with Central Florida heading north to Louisville. The nightcap is a little northwest of there in Champaign when Little Tua and the Terps come visiting. The DFS options are impressive for a small slate. We need to get different, so let's explore the best ways to do that.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/17/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard and forward, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings CFB DFS Quarterbacks
Dillon Gabriel, Central Florida ($8,600)
Gabriel cleared 30 DraftKings points in both games so far. Not bad considering the Knights opened up with Boise State. Louisville likely has the best defense UCF has faced so far, but I'm not sure they can stop Gabriel either. The Cardinals defense doesn't appear to be quite as strong as it was at the end of the last decade. I would like to see UCF have more of a running game to take pressure off of Gabriel, but his rushing ability is top notch as well. That puts him in the top spot tonight because of the extra points those rushing yards can provide.
Malik Cunningham, Louisville ($7,600)
Speaking of running quarterbacks, Cunningham has four rushing touchdowns in two games. Two of those were against Ole Miss and the Land Sharks. Cunningham's passing numbers are a bit lacking and the UCF defense looks much better than it did at the end of last year. Still, Cunningham's rushing ability makes him worth a look and he hasn't been bad throwing the football. Besides, rushing touchdowns are worth more. Us DFS players are happy with the production so far.
Also consider: Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland ($8,000)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Running Backs
Isaiah Bowser, Central Florida ($5,900)
It didn't take the Northwestern transfer long to take over the starting job. Bowser doesn't have game-breaking speed, but he will run over people. His stats are a bit skewed by a four-touchdown performance against Bethune-Cookman, but he ran 33 times for 172 yards against Boise. He is going to get most of the carries for the Knights in close games. This should be one of those.
Tayon Fleet-Davis, Maryland ($5,300)
The Maryland backfield looked like it could be a committee early in the season, but Fleet-Davis had 22 touches, including four receptions, against West Virginia. The Terrapins seem to have settled on Fleet-Davis as the feature back. Seeing him involved in the passing game is a nice addition to his game for this price.
Chase Brown, Illinois ($4,500)
Mike Epstein's absence gives a little clarity to the Illinois backfield situation, but not much. Brown still only carried the ball seven times against the Hoos, but he did catch four passes and score a touchdown. Brown seems to be more involved in the passing game and in the red zone, so he's still the Illinois back you want. There is volatility here though and if you don't have to mess with this situation, I wouldn't. Especially not in cash games.
Also consider: Jalen Mitchell, Louisville ($4,900); Hassan Hall, Louisville ($4,000); Jakari Norwood, Illinois ($3,000)
DraftKings CFB DFS Wide Receivers
Dontay Demus Jr., Maryland ($7,200)
UCF still has plenty of receivers to spread it around to. Maryland has two. Demus had a good year with inconsistent to bad quarterback play last year. Now he and Taulia are definitely on the same page. Demus has six catches in each of the first two games with 133 and 128 yards respectively. He even has one touchdown in each game. His consistency is the main draw, especially in cash games. He still has plenty of upside for GPP usage as well.
Rakim Jarrett, Maryland ($5,500)
Despite the two big games from Demus, Jarrett still has as many receptions as Demus does. What this says to me is that Tagovailoa isn't locked in on either one of them. Both will continue to see high numbers of targets. Illinois is much better against the run than in pass defense. Expect a nice game through the air for Taulia and at least one of the receivers and likely both.
Brandon Johnson, Central Florida ($5,000)
Both Robinson and Ryan O'Keefe have had a big game so far for the Knights. Robinson still has 12 receptions in the first two games. UCF throws enough that being the third receiver in this offense isn't a bad thing. Johnson is more the possession guy and has a better floor than anyone else in this price range. He's a cheap way to get a piece of a high-powered offensive unit.
Isaiah Williams, Illinois ($4,700)
The converted quarterback is now the leading receiver for the Illini. Will that continue with Brandon Peters back under center? It should, but Peters is more of a runner than Art Sitkowski. The Illini likely wont throw the ball as much as they did in the first three games, even if they get down big in this game. I still like Williams as the possession guy for a nice floor, but his upside is lower with Peters taking snaps than Sitkowski.
Also consider: Jaylon Robinson, Central Florida ($8,100); Ryan O'Keefe, Central Florida ($6,300); Braden Smith, Louisville ($4,800); Daniel Barker, Illinois ($3,800)