We have four games on tap for our second multi-game Thursday slate of the season, and I'll be running down my favorite selections of the evening for DraftKings and FanDuel. Let's first look at the Vegas numbers!
CFB DFS Thursday Slate Overview
All of tonight's spreads are within 10 points, and all of the projected totals are decent, except the Louisiana Tech-Kennesaw State matchup. We only identified one target from this game, and our highest exposure comes from an obvious favorite and a road underdog (Mississippi State and East Carolina).
Top CFB DFS Week 7 Thursday Night Picks for DraftKings and FanDuel
Quarterback
Braylon Braxton, 
Southern Mississippi (DK $8,700, FD $11,200) @ Georgia Southern
We are paying a pretty penny for Braxton, but his dual-threat ability sets up incredibly well against a 74th-ranked passing defense and a rushing defense that ranks a horrific 132nd in opponent rushing yards per game. Other quarterbacks set up well statistically, but none are close to Braxton, who should be able to carve up the Eagles on the ground and through the air. I am willing to absorb the significant salary cap hit.
Katin Houser, 
East Carolina (DK $8,100, FD $9,600) @ Tulane
This game also sets up well for Houser, who is facing a Tulane passing defense that has given up an average of 251.4 passing yards per game. He lacks Braxton's dual-threat capability, but this game is expected to be pass-focused, with the action going back and forth several times. Neither
We have four games on tap for our second multi-game Thursday slate of the season, and I'll be running down my favorite selections of the evening for DraftKings and FanDuel. Let's first look at the Vegas numbers!
CFB DFS Thursday Slate Overview
All of tonight's spreads are within 10 points, and all of the projected totals are decent, except the Louisiana Tech-Kennesaw State matchup. We only identified one target from this game, and our highest exposure comes from an obvious favorite and a road underdog (Mississippi State and East Carolina).
Top CFB DFS Week 7 Thursday Night Picks for DraftKings and FanDuel
Quarterback
Braylon Braxton, Southern Mississippi (DK $8,700, FD $11,200) @ Georgia Southern
We are paying a pretty penny for Braxton, but his dual-threat ability sets up incredibly well against a 74th-ranked passing defense and a rushing defense that ranks a horrific 132nd in opponent rushing yards per game. Other quarterbacks set up well statistically, but none are close to Braxton, who should be able to carve up the Eagles on the ground and through the air. I am willing to absorb the significant salary cap hit.
Katin Houser, East Carolina (DK $8,100, FD $9,600) @ Tulane
This game also sets up well for Houser, who is facing a Tulane passing defense that has given up an average of 251.4 passing yards per game. He lacks Braxton's dual-threat capability, but this game is expected to be pass-focused, with the action going back and forth several times. Neither defense is particularly impressive, but the Pirates present a compelling case as the road underdog.
Running Back
Cam Cook, 
Jacksonville State (DK $8,000, FD $10,000) @ Sam Houston
It's a smash spot for Cook, but my only knock on this pick is how popular he will be against the 0-5 Bearkats. We have a little more wiggle room at running back on his slate, so the elevated salary doesn't bother me too much. We've already identified some areas where we can offset Cook's costs. Cook is excellent as a rusher and pass-catcher, and has 739 yards of total offense and five touchdowns this season.
Jeffery Pittman, Southern Mississippi (DK $5,200, FD $8,800) @ Georgia Southern
I'm going right back to the well again to attack Clay Helton's defense at running back. We've already illustrated how poor the Eagles are against the run, and there will be plenty of opportunities to go around for both Braxton and Pittman. The junior has 269 yards of total offense and four touchdowns on the season. His totals are slightly lower because he didn't play in Week 4.
Clay Thevenin, 
Louisiana Tech (DK $3,400, FD $7,300) @ Kennesaw State
I'm less confident in Louisiana Tech, but Kennesaw State's defense is nothing special. The only concern here is Omiri Wiggins DK $7,500, FD $6,800), who has spent most of the season as the team's top running back. He took a back seat against Thevenin at UTEP last week, but I think we can make a site-specific call here. Theverin is a great DraftKings choice, but Wiggins is less expensive on FanDuel, which leads me to consider him more there.
Wide Receiver
Shazz Preston, 
Tulane (DK $4,100, FD $6,000) vs. East Carolina
The slate doesn't have an impressive list of wide receivers, so we can save some coin with side-wide discounts at the position. I didn't pick Jake Retzlaff at quarterback, but he targeted Preston seven times against Tulsa. The junior seems to be trending up in the offensive game plan, and while I don't expect miracles, he's at a decent salary that should fit in well with our salary cap needs.
Carl Chester, Southern Mississippi (DK $6,200, FD $7,400) @ Georgia Southern
Chester and Braxton are the top stack for our rosters, although overspending with someone like Cook might make Chester out of reach. I don't mind a triple stack of Braxton, Pittman and Chester, and this combo will show up frequently in my builds. He's only catching 50 percent of his targets, but he should have better luck against the Eagles.
Yannick Smith, East Carolina (DK $5,900, FD $7,700) @ Tulane
Smith and teammate Anthony Smith (DK $6,800, FD $8,700) aren't brothers, but if you removed their numbers, it would be difficult to tell who is who from the upper deck. Both are 6-3 and quality route runners. Although the latter Smith has been more productive, I will take Yannick as his numbers are similar enough compared to his lower salary point. I'm fine with either receiver as a stack with Houser, but Yannick's salary will provide more relief.
