RADIO
We've got another very large 14-game behemoth on DraftKings for the main slate this week. We start off with a couple of ACC tilts when the Seminoles climb Chestnut Hill and Wake heads down to Clemson. The Big 12(10) joins in with the Cyclones in Norman and an emasculated Texas team heads for the mountains of West Virginia. We have some Big Ten(14) as well with Northwestern hosting Purdue. Then we have the giant one with the Spartans heading into the 'Shoe. We finish off the morning with Penn State hosting Rutgers.
The afternoon starts with Illinois heading to Iowa City. Georgia Tech heads up to South Bend to get a taste of that cold weather. Arkansas heads into Tuscaloosa to tangle with the Tide. We have SMU heading to Cincy in what may be the toughest test that the Bearcats have left. Virginia heads to Pitt to test out the scoreboard in Heinz Field. Michigan heads east to Maryland. We finish it off with the Cornhuskers in Madison. This is going to be a very interesting slate.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for the early DraftKings slate that locks at noon eastern on 11/20/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, 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
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh ($9,100)
Pickett isn't the sexiest or most famous name at the top of the quarterback list, but he might be best for DFS purposes. Of course, this is all predicated on Virginia finding a way to keep it close. If Brennan Armstrong is out, I'll move off of Pickett. The Hoos simply wont be able to keep it close enough to have a ceiling game without him. With Armstrong in though, Pitt is going to have to keep up, which means lots of opportunities for Pickett. The Virginia defense is in shambles. There is a lot of potential here.
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati ($8,900)
If you think that SMU keeps this close, Ridder could put up huge numbers. South Florida hung around against the Bearcats last week and Ridder had a season-high 35.96 DraftKings points in that one. The SMU defense has had their problems this year, so if the Bearcats are forced to keep up, expect a good game from Ridder. His rushing ability gives him that much more upside. Ridder has scored a touchdown on the ground in each of the last two games.
Aidan O'Connell, Purdue ($6,200)
DraftKings continues to fudge the price on O'Connell. He has 69.74 DraftKings points over the last two games since taking over the quarterback job fully. He has nine touchdowns to no interceptions in the last three games. Northwestern's defense is an adventure, and not in a good way. We could see O'Connell flirt with 30 DraftKings points again if the Wildcats hang around.
Phil Jurkovec, Boston College ($4,500)
Well, here's your free space. DraftKings completely screwed up here. Jurkovec racked up 48.5 DraftKings points on Georgia Tech last week and is still out there for minimum price. The FSU defense will provide a little more resistance, but Jurkovec should outscore at least a dozen quarterbacks priced higher than him. This is a complete fail on the part of DraftKings that we have to take advantage of in all formats.
Also consider: Bryce Young, Alabama ($9,800); Jordan Travis, Florida State ($7,000); Casey Thompson, Texas($6,800); D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson ($5,900); Andrew Marty, Northwestern ($4,900)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Running Backs
Breece Hall, Iowa State ($9,400)
Hall has 328 rushing yards and five career rushing touchdowns in three games against Oklahoma. There's no reason to think that the Oklahoma defense is going to be better against him here. They were gouged by Gerry Bohanon last week, and while the Sooners have been solid against backs, Hall isn't your normal run-of-the-mill back. He's a special athlete and a superb runner. All he does is score touchdowns. He has at least one in 22 straight games. The last team to keep him out of the end zone was Notre Dame in the 2019 Camping World Bowl. Expect another touchdown or two here.
Leddie Brown, West Virginia ($6,200)
The Texas run defense has been a sore spot all season. It really reared its ugly head last week when the hapless Kansas Jayhawks ran for 218 and four touchdowns on the Longhorns. That's 23 rushing touchdowns allowed in ten games for Texas and they are allowing 203.3 rushing yards per game. Some teams have had success keeping Brown out of the game, but Texas wont be one of those. Brown could have his best game of the season here and should be a great play for his price.
Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh ($5,300)
If Brennan Armstrong is out, I like this play even more. Pitt will run the ball regardless, but they will run more if they build up a big lead. Abanikanda has been active in the passing game recently as well, picking up 12 receptions in the last four games. That's some more free points tacked on to already decent upside against a Virginia defense that hasn't been good in any aspect.
Keyvone Lee, Penn State ($3,600)
Lee was effective with his 20 carries against Michigan last week and may have finally seized the backfield job for his own. Lee isn't particularly electric, but he's a hard runner and will pick up lots of yards against a defense like Rutgers. If he gets 20 carries again, he can do a lot of damage.
Also consider: Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State ($9,200); Braelon Allen, Wisconsin ($8,600); Hassan Haskins, Michigan ($7,600); Evan Hull, Northwestern ($5,300); Roschon Johnson, Texas ($3,800)
DraftKings CFB DFS Wide Receivers
Jameson Williams, Alabama ($7,700)
I do think Arkansas will hang around for a while, so some pieces of the Alabama offense could be optimal. The most obvious choice is Williams, the Ohio State transfer. Williams has topped 100 receiving yards in four of the last five games, scoring seven touchdowns in that span. The Tide have had to throw more in conference play, which is great news for Young and his favorite receiver. I like running the duo together for an Alabama mini-stack today.
Jordan Addison, Pittsburgh ($7,100)
We have several ways to attack this game. If Armstrong plays, I want Pickett and at least one of his receivers. If Armstrong is out, I'll build around Abanikanda. However, I will also still target Addison. He hasn't had less than 60 receiving yards since Week 1 against UMass. The 12 receiving touchdowns tie him for the NCAA lead. Addison will be heavily involved no matter which way Pitt wins this game.
Garrett Wilson, Ohio State ($6,800)
Chris Olave has been the biggest loser when it comes to ceding targets to Smith-Njigba after his monster game against Nebraska. We may see Olave regain favor at any time (it's not like Olave is obsolete though. He still caught nine passes last week), so this is kind of a volatile situation and explains why I'm not so high on Smith-Njigba. Wilson had less targets than Smith-Njigba, but he also still caught double-digit passes and led the team with three touchdowns last week. Wilson is still the guy the Buckeyes look to in the red zone, so he's my receiver of choice.
Marcus Washington, Texas ($4,900)
The awful defense of the Longhorns has been great for DFS. Then the offense has to score more points! Jordan Whittington will apparently play after being ruled out the remainder of the regular season. Due to this swift recovery, I'm not sure that he's back to full health. With Washington's performance last week, Texas may not be in any hurry to put Whittington in harm's way more often. The status of Whittington is concerning, but I was impressed with Washington last week. I don't think he just disappears.
Beaux Collins, Clemson ($4,500)
The Wake defense is soft, so there is a lot of potential for the Clemson offense if they can get out of their own way. That's a big if though. Justyn Ross and Joseph Ngata are both out. That leaves Collins as the top option for cheap. He has already scored touchdowns in consecutive games. Having a struggling quarterback certainly limits his upside, but the floor on Collins means he's a very low-risk option.
Also consider: Jahan Dotson, Penn State ($8,400); Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State ($7,900); Xaiver Hutchinson, Iowa State ($7,500); Charlie Kolar, Iowa State ($4,500); Austin Allen, Nebraska ($4,200)
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