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Akron and Kent decided to be prudes and that they really didn't need the extra television exposure by playing on Saturday this week. Wednesday's MACtion is a little bit smaller, but both of the games look good! That's what really matters, right?
Both games are at the same time tonight. We have Central Michigan heading to Ball State in what should be a delightful showing of offense. The pendulum swings the other way (for one team anyway) with Northern Illinois heading to Buffalo. This is still going to be fun even without Akron and Kent!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 11/17/21 locking at 7 pm eastern. 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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CFB Betting Picks 11/17 and 11/18:
Central Michigan at Ball State(-1.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This line is all over the place. I've even see it go a touch above -3 in one spot. It's warranted. The over 59.5 almost looks better than the spread right now. I can't quit this Ball State offense and it has cost me a few times. I shouldn't against this defense. Give me the Lettermans.
Northern Illinois(-1.5) at Buffalo
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
Seriously? NIU just took out Ball State last week. One team is 7-4. The other is 3-6. One has a quarterback that might have a future after this. One has a quarterback that has only thrown two more touchdowns than interceptions. NIU wins all of these comparisons and they are going to win this game.....by double digits. This might be my favorite pick of the entire season. NIU's defense has struggled a bit, but not to the point where they'll lose to the Bulls.
Louisville(-19.5) at Duke
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This line keeps creeping upwards, so if you like the Louisville side, I would go grab it now. I would bet that it hits -21 by kickoff. It should. Give me Louisville.
DraftKings CFB DFS Quarterbacks
Rocky Lombardi, Northern Illinois ($7,500)
Eight touchdowns to just one interception in the last four games with two games over 300 passing yards. This seems like a small price to pay, especially against a defense like Buffalo. It is also worth noting that Lombardi has thrown 95 passes in the last two games. The volume is increasing, and unless Vegas is completely out of their freaking minds, this could be a close game. There's no reason to think that Lombardi will have under two touchdowns, under 250 yards, or under 30 attempts. He's cheap for the potential here.
Drew Plitt, Ball State ($6,200)
Plitt's stats are down due to run-ins with NIU, Miami of Ohio, and Eastern Michigan in three of the last four games. It gets easier for Plitt and the Cardinals from here on out. The Chippewas are allowing an average of 280.4 passing yards per game and have only picked off four passes all season. Plitt has only thrown one interception since Week 3 with 13 of his 15 touchdown passes coming since then as well. There is a lot to like about Plitt here. I could see him being the highest scoring quarterback on this slate.
Also consider: Daniel Richardson, Central Michigan ($7,200); Kyle Vantrease, Buffalo ($5,000)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Running Backs
Lew Nichols III, Central Michigan ($9,000)
That's quite a price hike on Lew, but it's definitely warranted. Nichols has 890 rushing yards and nine touchdowns over the last five games. That not counting the 20 receptions for 138 yards and another touchdown. Ball State has allowed over 200 rushing yards to four different opponents. The Chippewas will make five. Lock in Lew and build from there.
Jay Ducker, Northern Illinois ($5,700)
There is still no word on Harrison Waylee (shocker!), but there's no guarantee that he'll get his job back even if he is ready to play. Ducker has 649 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the four games that Waylee has missed. Buffalo is allowing 197.7 rushing yards per game (that's including the 18 they allowed to Wagner in the opener) and 22 touchdowns in ten games. I expect a big game from Ducker and his pals tonight.
Carson Steele, Ball State ($5,500)
It's a runner's paradise tonight. Central Michigan has allowed over 100 yards rushing in six straight games. Steele has seen a large enough workload over the last couple of games that he should be able to reach that threshold again. The emergence of a reliable run game has made the passing game into more of what it was last year. The Ball State offense as a whole looks better. Steele taking over as the workhorse back is a big reason for that.
Also consider: Dylan McDuffie, Buffalo ($6,700); Clint Ratkovich, Northern Illinois ($4,300); Kevin Marks Jr., Buffalo ($4,000)
DraftKings CFB DFS Wide Receivers
Trayvon Rudolph, Northern Illinois ($7,300)
Rudolph has 577 receiving yards on 28 receptions with five touchdowns in the last three games. The NIU offense taking off has everything to do with hitting their stride just in time to get into the MAC Championship Game. Rudolph's ceiling is even higher than that of Nichols if this winds up being a close game. I have my doubts, but you're going to need to have Rudolph to cash if that's the case. The good news is that he's nearly $2,000 cheaper than Nichols.
Justin Hall, Ball State ($7,100)
Defenses have started to really crack down on Justin Hall. He hasn't had a 100-yard game since the opener. Ball State's answer is to use him as a running back. That new wrinkle has yielded six rushing touchdowns in the last five games. The volume is still there for Hall as a receiver, but teams have been forcing someone else to beat them. Hall still has a nice floor, but the ceiling game is fleeting right now with the way defenses are handling him. If they weren't playing the porous Central Michigan defense, I might be off of Hall this week. However, there's plenty to go around here. Hall should find the end zone in some way tonight.
Cole Tucker, Northern Illinois ($5,100)
You would think that three massive games from Rudolph would limit the receivers around him, but that hasn't been the case. Tucker has 15 receptions for 277 yards and a touchdown in the same span as Rudolph's hot streak. Rudolph gets more touchdowns, but Tucker has a great floor for his price. If NIU goes nuts in this game, which is a distinct possibility against Buffalo, Tucker will go way above and beyond what's expected from this price.
Joel Wilson, Central Michigan ($4,200)
The Chippewas have a couple of more known receivers, but Wilson has found the end zone four times in the last three games. He's a bit touchdown dependent, but even if you take away the scores, Wilson has nearly 22 DraftKings points in those three games. That still acceptable for this price. It's worth using Wilson to see if he can find the end zone again since he has a decent floor as well.
Also consider: Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan ($6,500); Quian Williams, Buffalo ($5,900); JaCorey Sullivan, Central Michigan ($4,900); Yo'Heinz Tyler, Ball State ($4,100)
