DraftKings College Football DFS Picks: CFB Week 7 Main Slate Plays and Lineup Strategy

This article is part of our DraftKings College Football series.

CFB DFS Picks: DraftKings College Football Week 7 DFS Picks and Plays

Last weekend was one to remember. It was this year's proverbial "Blood Week." You know, the week where you look ahead slate and maybe make some other plans with your significant other to go apple picking because you don't think you'll be missing anything.

And then, of course, chaos rains down from the heavens. The No.1 team in the nation loses to Vanderbilt. Tennessee falls to Arkansas in...interesting fashion. Michigan does not fare well in its trip to the West Coast. USC does not fare well in its trip away from the West Coast. Miami flirts with disaster and somehow escapes Berkley with a win. Madness.

The DFS slate was a good'n, too. I whiffed on my visions of glory for Pitt running back Rodney Hammond, though he did get some goalline cracks that went nowhere. Going cheap at quarterback was shrewd as SMU's Kevin Jennings was in a lot of cashing lineups as was CJ Bailey.

The Bailey drama was a perfect encapsulation of what can be so maddening about this game. He had been playing well enough to keep the job but Grayson McCall was cleared to play and announced as the starter shortly before kickoff. This sent the DFS grinders into a tizzy as they had to tweak their lineups and get Bailey out of there, only for McCall to get hurt early in the game and Bailey to take over and turn in a solid effort. 

Basically, the folks who paid the closest attention Saturday morning ended up getting burned for their diligence. Tough. 

Let's press on to this week's slate that's got a lot of ACC flavor to it.

Slate Overview

Wake Forest vs Clemson

I can't believe how off I was about Clemson this year. I thought it'd be more of the same of what we saw the last two years with little reason to think running it back with that core would be enough. Then Week 1 happens and I got cocky. 

Well, all Clemson's done is lay waste to everyone it has faced over the last month. The average score of a Clemson game from Week 2 onward has been 47.5 to 20.5. Wake Forest ranks 117th in defensive FPI. I'm not sure homefield advantage really matters when Wake Forest has the smallest student body of any P4 program. This could get ugly. 

Cade Klubnik ($9,000) is the headliner at quarterback. He has averaged 35 DK points per game during Clemson's hot streak and has a 14:1 TD:INT in that span to go with a solid 185 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He's a core play this week, now let's figure out how to get more pieces of the Clemson offense.

Phil Mafah ($6,500) really stands out. It might seem counterintuitive to play a running back and quarterback from the same team in the same lineup when the offense itself is so balanced, but when Clemson is set to put up 40+ points, everyone can eat. Mafah has gone for at least 100 rushing yards in two of three ACC games and I'm surprised to see him priced sort of on an island among RBs with one other back (Jonah Coleman $6,300) within $200 of him. He gets 43 percent of the carries and the other ones go to Klubnik so this is a good way to corner the market on Clemson's rushing production.

As for the pass-catchers, Antonio Williams paces this group at $5,000 and leads the team in every category we care about. Jake Briningstool ($4,000) being a tight end must be the only thing keeping his price down because he sees about five targets per game, averages 8.0 YPT and has three touchdowns. Bryant Wesco ($4,700) is a really intriguing freshman who has led the team in targets each of the last two weeks and is explosive with a 23.8 YPC 

North Carolina vs Georgia Tech

This ACC matchup should be more competitive than Clemson-Wake but we've got a high total (60.0) so it makes sense to target both sides of this one.

UNC quarterback Jacolby Criswell ($7,600) let us down last week and I'm not sure if this is a good buy-low or not. Georgia Tech's Haynes King ($8,100) is more consistent but also runs you $8,100. 

The fantasy centerpiece of this game is Omarion Hampton ($8,900). For better or worse, I won't be targeting him heavily this week. $8,900 is a serious chunk of change to throw on a player facing a rushing defense that has allowed 87 rushing yards per game (not accounting for sacks). Tech also hasn't given up a rushing touchdown since the season opener. 

UCF vs Cincinnati

It's hard not to be drawn to this one. Each team has been an excellent source of fantasy production all year. We have a total of 58.5 and the defenses rank 90th (UCF) and 91st (CIN) in FPI. 

It's fairly easy to identify where to go when approaching these teams, too. UCF is a run-heavy outfit that leans on RJ Harvey ($9,200) and KJ Jefferson ($8,900). We can expect a bounceback from Jefferson after his dud against Florida with 3.8 DK Points. He's back at home and faces a weaker defense. Still, I'll tread somewhat lightly on my KJJ exposure given the $8,900. 

It's tough to be confident about UCF's pass-catchers, but if you look closely enough there are cases to be made. Kobe Hudson ($6,500) has been consistently explosive with 13 YPT on a 24% share. The surprising Xavier Townsend departure opens a 14% target vacuum that we can expect to be filled by Trent Whittemore ($3,900) or Jacoby Jones ($3,300). 

Jones was a nice producer in his MACtion days but has been rough thus far at UCF with one grab on nine targets. Whittemore has gotten more work of late, including four targets last week. Randy Pittman ($3,300) is a nice punt play as well for the price as he has 11 targets over the last two weeks.

On the Cincy side, Brendan Sorsby ($7,400) is going to be a core play. The salary does not match up with his production. I'd have been comfortable rostering Sorsby in the mid-$8k range. 

Xavier Henderson ($7,100) is a great stacking option and there are some other cheaper pieces of the Cincy offense to consider. Tight end Joe Royer ($3,400) is a top-15 producer at his position thus far and averages seven targets per game. Jamoi Mayes ($3,300) is another great way to get some savings while having real upside. He had eight targets in his last game and finished with 10.6 DK points. That's a fine return on a near min-priced salary and if he sees eight targets again, it's likely that we see even better production this time out. 

Texas vs Oklahoma

I'd be remiss to not even mention this game but frankly I'm not sure how much exposure I'll have to it. Both defenses are great and Texas is favored by the most it has been since the Vince Young era. Quinn Ewers could of course come out on fire after a long layoff but I'm not willing to sink $9,900 into every lineup. 

I see this one going under and will live with the consequences of mostly fading it for DFS.

Quarterback

Haynes King ($8,100) Georgia Tech at North Carolina

I continue to be drawn to the GT players whenever they're on the slate. I can't help it. They're always cheaper than you'd expect and almost always have a good matchup to target. This week is no different with a matchup against UNC on tap.

UNC's defense ranks 97th according to FPI and surrenders 8.4 YPA to opposing offenses -- the worst mark on the slate. This bodes well for King's chances to bounce back after a pedestrian showing against Duke in which he mustered just 17.68 DK points. 

King has a high floor already with a 24 percent rushing share in this offense and the plus-matchup through the air really sets up a nice outing from him. Additionally, stacking his top two targets in Eric Singleton ($5,500) and Malik Rutherford ($5,500) is more than attainable.

Riley Leonard ($8,000) Notre Dame vs Stanford

Leonard's not a flash play but he's a solid building block on this slate. He's got a great rushing floor to start with; Leonard has double-digit rushing attempts in each game and has scored on the ground in four straight. 

Stanford has statistically been the fourth-worst-performing defense against opposing wide receivers for fantasy this season in the P4. Opposing teams average 270.4 passing yards, 8.2 YPA and 2.2 passing touchdowns per game against the Cardinal. 

Leonard has been somewhat coddled as a passer so far with 25 or fewer attempts in each of his last three but the conditions couldn't be much better for him to have useful stats through the air to go with solid ground production. 

If you want to take it further, no Notre Dame pass-catcher is listed above $4,300. Beaux Collins $4,300 has led the way but for just 17 catches, 181 yards and a score. Jaden Greathouse has some intriguing talent at $3,800 but he'll need a touchdown to be worth it with the lack of projected target volume. I'll likely moreso use Leonard solo in lineups but might consider one of those two in larger field tourneys.

Jalen Milroe ($10,800) Alabama vs. South Carolina

I wouldn't want to be a Gamecock player or fan tomorrow. It's going to get ugly in T-Town. This is a good spot to buy back in on Milroe after last week's relative clunker in the loss to Vandy in which he posted a season-low 24.4 DK points.

Given the loss last week and the astronomical $10,800 salary, roster percentage should be reasonable on Milroe this week since it will be difficult to build out the rest of the lineup without going to the bargain bin more than once. You'll need to get creative with your S-Flex call if you use Milroe but this could be a game where 35 DK points is his floor. 

Brendan Sorsby ($7,400) Cincinnati at UCF

For better or worse, Sorsby will be my most-rostered quarterback on this slate. We outlined the tailwinds working in Cincinnati's direction earlier, so let's dig a little deeper into Sorsby himself.

Sorsby checks in as QB18 on the year in all of FBS and yet he's priced as QB14 on this slate among probably starters. That alone should interest us. Sorsby has better per-game production than the likes of Will Howard, Dillon Gabriel and even Riley Leonard.

He has fared extremely well against Big 12 competition, completing 71 percent of his passes at a 10.2 YPA clip and a 6:1 TD:INT through two games. He also carved up Pitt for just under 300 yards and three touchdowns. He's also a big dude who can tuck it and run when he needs to. Given Cincinnati's relative lack of a great run game, Sorsby's arguably its best rushing option in goal line situations. 

Sorsby has top 5 QB upside on this slate at a salary that allows you to load up elsewhere in your lineup at just $7,400.

Others to Consider: Cade Klubnik, Clemson ($9,000); Noah Fifita, Arizona ($6,500); Tyler Shough, Louisville ($7,700)

Running Back

RJ Harvey ($9,200) UCF vs Cincinnati

Harvey hasn't been playing quite to the level we saw earlier this season. He was held in check by Florida in Gainesville last week, which is forgivable, and he still managed to scratch out 25 DK points against Colorado. Neither was the monstrous performance required from a $9K investment but not terrible, either. Luckily, this is looking like a solid opportunity. 

For one, this game has the third-highest total on the slate at 58.5 and it's expected to be competitive with UCF favored by 3.5 at home. Cincinnati has been gashed on the ground all year to the tune of 158.6 rushing yards per game allowed at a 5.0 YPC clip. Texas Tech racked up 231 yards at a 6.42 clip against the Bearcats in their last game. 

With Harvey carrying the load for a team with a near-Service Academy run game ethos, this looks to be a spot for one of his better games of the entire season. 

Tawee Walker ($5,300) Wisconsin at Rutgers

I guess 19 carries for 94 yards and three touchdowns wasn't enough for Walker to get the respect of the salary algorithm as he's just $200 more expensive this week. 

Rutgers on the road is admittedly several degrees tougher than a home game against this year's Purdue team (yuck) but $5,300 for a lead Wisconsin back is just too cheap. Rutgers' defense hasn't exactly been great in its own right. 

Akron of all teams ran for 156 at a 6.24 clip on the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway for crying out loud. What do we think a Wisconsin team on the road with a backup quarterback is going to do? 

We have a similar game theory conundrum with Walker that we did a week ago where he will be chalky at the price. Still, sometimes you need to take the good chalk and figure out the rest and I think that's the case here. 

LJ Martin ($4,100) BYU vs. Arizona

Unfortunately, this play is going to require to you have either lineup notifications on your phone or be by your computer up until the late kickoffs because it's hard to trust Big 12 teams that aren't obligated to release injury reports. Get with the times, Big 12. Even the SEC does it.

Anywho, the BYU backfield is one to target this weekend and the latest reports are that Martin will be ready to go for this one. Martin opened the year as the starter and has been out the last three games plus the bye due to an ankle issue. 

Provided there are no antics, chicanery, rug pulling or tomfoolery, Martin should be ready to take back over as the lead back. BYU is a bad matchup for Arizona, which is a fitness team that doesn't handle physicality well (see: K-State in Week 3).

Martin getting 15+ cracks at this defense should pay off at $4,100. The nice part about the Martin play despite him coming off the injury and the tricky time slot as the last kickoff, the pivots are right in range. Sione I Moa ($4,000) is an easy swap if Martin is somehow not available and Enoch Nawahine is $3,500.

Others to Consider: Isaac Brown, Louisville ($4,300); Kaleb Johnson, Iowa ($8,300)

Wide Receiver

Below is this week's target snapshot. Parameters are the same. These are players seeing at least 4.5 targets over the last four weeks and average at least 9.5 YPT. I'd be leery of Trell Harris' inclusion as he's played just one game in this timeframe due to injury and a bye. 

Xavier Henderson ($7,100) Cincinnati at UCF

Again, we want pieces of this game. Bad defenses, good offenses and high implied totals on either side. If UCF has a defensive weakness, it's against the pass. Florida didn't light it up against UCF on paper with 229 yards, but that came with an 82 percent completion rate at 8.2 YPA. Colorado and TCU did what they wanted through the air as well. 

Cincinnati has a balanced offense with an explosive passing game. Brendan Sorsby puts it in the air 32.6 times per game and 28% of those passes are in Henderson's direction. Henderson is rewarding him for that trust as X averages 9.4 yards per target with a 67 percent catch rate to compile 32 grabs for 453 yards and four touchdowns through five games.

As mentioned earlier, Joe Royer ($3,400) and Jamoi Mayes ($3,300) are nice pieces to squeeze into a Cincinnati stack as well. 

Louisville Wideouts: Ja'Corey Brooks ($6,700); Caullin Lacy ($3,900); Ahmari Huggins-Bruce ($3,200) vs Virginia

This game is as good as any to target this weekend and it might be less popular than some of the other matchups we've profiled in terms of roster percentage.

Brooks' salary has finally caught up to his performance after he was far too cheap each of the last three weeks, including $4,800 against Georgia Tech in Week 4. All told, Brooks ranks as WR9 in fantasy points per game thus far with an impressive 13.97 YPT figure and six touchdowns on 25 grabs. UVA's leaky secondary is going to have its hands full try to slow him.

Elsewhere, Lacy is still cheap after a dud last week (3.1 DK Points) but it was just his second game back from injury. He had five grabs for 71 yards against Notre Dame in his season debut and drew eight targets. This is a good spot for him to bounce back.

Huggins-Bruce is the confounding one. He's nearly min-priced and has a good track record in his career with 80 grabs for 1,121 yards and 10 scores in three seasons coming into 2024. He hasn't been as involved this season but last week was easily his biggest performance as he made five grabs for 82 yards on six targets. He's worth a look if you're shopping in this end of the player pool. 

Chris Bell ($3,500) is the toughest to figure out. He plays a heavy amount of snaps but the usage is very volatile and his efficiency is suspect with just 11 catches on 19 targets. Bell does damage when he hangs onto the ball though with a 17.7 YPC mark and two touchdowns. The field will be off him this week and it might be a good spot to sneak him into your lineup.

Eric Singleton ($5,500) and Malik Rutherford ($5,300) Georgia Tech at UNC

These guys are frequent flyers in this article so y'all know the deal. These two have combined for 50 percent of Tech's targets over the last three games and have each recorded at least 16 grabs for 230 yards and a touchdown in that span. Other than the Washington tandem of Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson, they're the only teammates on this slate that have seen at least 5.0 targets per game over the last four weeks and averaged at least 9.5 yards per target. 

Both have high floors and the ceiling could be really high this week given that North Carolina's opponents average 8.4 YPA. Only Purdue and West Virginia are worse by that metric in the P4. 

And, of course, both make sense as stacking options with your Haynes King lineups.

Ryan Williams ($7,400) Alabama vs South Carolina

It's October so spooky season is already in full swing and it's scary to think about what Alabama might do to South Carolina tomorrow. It could be straight out of In A Violent Nature (just watched -- would recommend to any slasher fans out there). 

Bama of course has been the butt of every joke on the internet and sports talk shows all week after losing to Vanderbilt last week and the Tide would like to change the subject Saturday. 

Williams is the scariest of the Alabama skill guys by far and he still managed to gnaw off a solid game last week despite the loss. It sounds hackneyed but the idea of an angry Crimson Tide team coming off a loss still strikes fear into my heart and I think Williams is ready to go off in this spot. 

Others to consider: Bryant Wesco ($4,700) and Antonio Williams ($5,000) Clemson; Beaux Collins, Notre Dame ($4,300) ;  Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona ($8,500); Isaiah Bond, Texas ($5,900); Nate McCollum, UNC ($4,800)