College DFS Picks: Thursday Plays on DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 7

We have a bit of a sleepy slate for Thursday's DFS action, but both of these games should be competitive enough. FanDuel has the better selection of contests this evening, so I will continue hammering cash games on DraftKings. Wednesday's endorsements netted us solid cashes on both sites, so let's try to keep the ball rolling as we head into the weekend. Action for this slate commences at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Slate Overview

West Virginia (-2.5) @ Houston O/U: 49.5

SMU (-11.5) @ East Carolina O/U: 49.5

I avoided East Carolina this evening, but the remaining three teams garnered almost equal exposure in my builds.

CFB DFS Tools

• DraftKings College Football Optimizer
• FanDuel College Football Optimizer
• Weekly CFB Matchup Info
• CFB Targets
• CFB Stats
• CFB Team Trends
• CFB Advanced Team Stats with Plays per Game, Pass %, Run % and more    

CFB DFS Thursday Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel - Week 7

Quarterback

Donovan Smith, Houston (DK $8,000, FD $10,200) vs. West Virginia

Smith struggled to begin the season, but he put on a clinic in his last game, shredding Texas Tech's defense for 335 yards and four touchdowns. West Virginia's defense may cause him some problems, but he's worth the inflated salary as our top QB.

Preston Stone, SMU (DK $7,400, FD $10,500) @ East Carolina

Sometimes, we have slates where placing a quarterback in your S-FLEX isn't the best option. It could be a slate-breaking call, but my lack of enthusiasm for a second option makes me lean in that direction. I couldn't stomach Garrett Greene's numbers, which leaves Stone and Mason Garcia. Stone has 11 touchdowns and is efficient enough, but I have a hard time justifying him on FanDuel, where he's more expensive than Smith.

Running Back

SMU Running Back Situation

Camar Wheaton (DK $5,500, FD $9,500) is the Mustangs' top back, but he is currently listed as questionable. Jaylan Knighton (DK $6,100, FD $9,000) has benefitted the most from his absence, but his value would diminish somewhat if Wheaton returned to action. If Wheaton is a total scratch, you could also go down to Velton Gardner (DK $3,200, FD $6,000), who had 14 carries last week after returning from a suspension.

CJ Donaldson, West Virginia (DK $6,300, FD $8,500) @ Houston

Houston's rush defense doesn't have much to offer, making Donaldson a clear favorite. There's no need to get creative here - the salaries at running back are low enough that you should be able to escape the position with enough salary clout to get at least one good wideout. 

Wide Receiver

Samuel Brown, Houston   (DK $6,900, FD $8,700) vs. West Virginia

Donovan Smith has three great wideouts at his disposal, and they are all near the top of the wideout rankings. Brown is the most consistent target and has the best recency data of the three, and he's inexpensive enough to slot on both sites. He had nine catches for 113 yards and a touchdown during his last outing. Matthew Golden (DK $6,700, FD $8,500) has four touchdowns this season and is also viable.

RJ Maryland, SMU (DK $4,700, FD $7,800) @ East Carolina

A consistent option is challenging to find at the position, but Preston Stone has his tight end in his sights enough to make him a decent budget add. A lack of cheap GPPs on DraftKings will lead me to play a lot of cash games today, which depends on guaranteed output. The PPR scoring from Maryland will help our cause, even if he fails to score.

Also consider: Kole Taylor, West Virginia (DK $4,500, FD $6,000) @ Houston