This article is part of our DraftKings College Football series.
CFB DFS Picks: DraftKings College Football Week 9 DFS Picks and Plays
From a college football fan perspective, Week 9 lacks the panache of some of the Week 8 matchups, such as Alabama-Tennessee and Georgia-Texas. Of course, in games like those, DFS opportunities can often be kyboshed by the robust defenses on displays. Track meets and mismatches are where the DFS bread gets buttered. The 12-game main DFS slate on DraftKings will not yield matchups as pivotal from a playoffs perspective, but intrigue abounds.
To that end, the biggest game on the slate is one where the DFS options are lacking, and I would largely avoid it. That would be Notre Dame-Navy. Blake Horvath ($8,400) has shined for the Midshipmen, but Notre Dame's defense has held the opposition to 11.9 points and 113.1 rushing yards per game. Only Louisville has managed to score over 16 points on the Irish, and that was done with Tyler Shough's arm. Meanwhile, the nature of the Navy offense truncates games and kills clock, which means Notre Dame should see fewer drives than it is accustomed to.
The largest injury to point out before diving into the recommendations comes to us from Bloomington. Curt Cignetti's first season at Indiana has been an unequivocal success, and his team could beat Washington at home most assuredly. The Hoosiers will just have to do it without quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who suffered a thumb injury. Tayven Jackson ($6,600) steps into the starting lineup, but Rourke leaves big shoes to fill.
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Quarterback
Josh Hoover ($8,500) TCU vs. Texas Tech
Hoover has had some issues turning the ball over, but he also has 19 total touchdowns (16 passing, three rushing) through seven games and has averaged over 320 yards per game through the air. There are two teams that have allowed over 300 passing yards per contest on average. One of them is the MAC's Ball State. The other, as you may have surmised, is Texas Tech. As soon as the Red Raiders allowed FCS school Abilene Christian to drop 51 on them, I knew this was going to be a defense to target in 2024.
Jake Retzlaff ($8,000) BYU at UCF
Retzlaff doesn't through the ball with the same gusto as Hoover, but he is more of a dual threat. He has 15 passing touchdowns (against seven picks), but has also rushed for 265 yards and two touchdowns. UCF started the year with easy wins against New Hampshire and Sam Houston, but since then, the wheels have come off a bit, especially defensively. TCU, Colorado, and Iowa State have all scored at least 34 points against the Golden Knights, who have lost four games in a row.
Max Brosmer ($5,000) Minnesota vs. Maryland
At New Hampshire last season, Brosmer threw for 3,464 yards, 29 touchdowns, and six picks. He added five rushing touchdowns. FBS football has not been as kind to him, as he only has three games with multiple passing touchdowns. However, one of his games with two passing scores was against Iowa's tough defense, and he had three rushing scores against USC. Maryland has allowed 269.4 passing yards per game, most among Big Ten teams, and seems to be experiencing the usual post-September regression.
Others to Consider: Darian Mensah ($5,000) Tulane at North Texas
Running Back
Jordan James ($7,800) Oregon vs. Illinois
James has been stellar as the Ducks' lead back, as he's tallied 717 yards and eight touchdowns through seven games. The only game he's had under 86 yards rushing was against Purdue, and he only got 10 carries in that game because Oregon was routing a woeful opponent. Oh, and James had two touchdowns anyway. The perception may be that Illinois has a tough defense, but while it has been good against the pass and has held the opposition in check from a scoring perspective a few times, it has allowed 145.3 yards per game on the ground.
Makhi Hughes ($7,400) Tulane at North Texas
The top back for me in Week 9 is Hughes, the focal point of Tulane's attack. He's tallied 744 yards on the ground with eight rushing scores and added 102 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Hughes has yet to be held off the score sheet this season. Well, North Texas has allowed 35.7 points per game, so if Hughes does tally at least one touchdown, I will be quite surprised.
Justice Ellison ($5,500) Indiana vs. Washington
What do you do when your star quarterback is injured? Oh, how about handing the ball off to the guy who has averaged 7.0 yards per carry and scored eight touchdowns? Ellison, a Wake transfer, is one of Curt Cignetti's many transfers who have excelled under his stewardship. The dude can coach. The Huskies have a tough pass defense as is, regardless of Rourke's health, but has allowed a middling 143.3 rushing yards per game. There's also the fact this game is a 12 p.m. ET start, which means a 9 a.m. PT start in terms of Washington's internal clocks.
Others to Consider: Jaivian Thomas ($4,800) California vs. Oregon State
Wide Receiver
Jeremiah Smith ($7,300) Ohio State vs. Nebraska
This is a bet on talent, though the fact the Cornhuskers just got housed 56-7 by Indiana and now have to visit Ohio State doesn't hurt. Ryan Williams is getting plenty of adoration down in Tuscaloosa, but I think Smith is arguably the best freshman receiver in college football. He has at least one touchdown in every single game, and in only one game has he had under four catches and under 80 yards. That was a rout of Marshall where he turned all three of his targets into catches and had 70 yards with a score.
Savion Williams ($5,100) TCU vs. Texas Tech
Jake Bech ($8,000) is TCU's top receiver, but this is the kind of matchup where multiple players can get their numbers, so Williams offers you a chance to save on salary with plenty of upside. After all, Texas Tech has allowed over 300 passing yards and over 36 points per contest, and Baylor just dropped 59 on its defense. Williams has tallied 36 catches for 355 yards and four touchdowns. Intriguingly, he had seven carries for 72 yards against Utah in Week 8, and Texas Tech has also given up 163.4 rushing yards per game.
Matthew Golden ($3,800) Texas at Vanderbilt
Isaiah Bond ($5,300) is considered doubtful for this game, which would likely leave Golden as the number-one receiver for the Longhorns. While the last sampling of the Texas offense we saw was not ideal, I fully expect a rebound, even if Vanderbilt has been feistier than usual in 2024. The fact that Ball State or Kentucky or Alcorn State couldn't throw on the Commodores doesn't mean this is a lockdown pass defense. Christian Veilleux of Georgia State threw three touchdowns against them, after all. In his secondary role, Golden has 22 catches for 323 yards and three scores, but again, he should be the top target in Week 9.
Others to Consider: Mario Williams ($6,100) Tulane at North Texas
