College Football DFS Picks: Thursday Plays on DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 6

I heard an intriguing statistic yesterday. With MACtion around the corner, we are one day into a 50-day stretch where we will have either college football or NFL every day of the week! Expect more small slates like these to exploit in the coming weeks. Thursday's slate consists of two games, and the action begins at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Slate Overview

Liberty (-20.5) vs. Sam Houston State O/U: 46

Western Kentucky (-5.5) @ Louisiana Tech O/U: 60

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CFB DFS Thursday Night Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 6

Quarterback

Austin Reed, Western Kentucky (DK $8,800, FD $10,500)  @ Louisiana Tech

Reed is a pretty clear favorite for quarterback on this slate. He's thrown for 1,362 yards over five games and has a dynamite 11:2 TD/INT ratio. He's mostly a pocket passer, so you won't get any dual-threat capability, but he should be universally rostered if you're playing this slate and should also get at least a single stack.

Kaidon Salter, Liberty (DK $8,000, FD $12,000) vs. Sam Houston State

I'd love to get unique and pivot to Hank Bachmeier (shoulder), but we aren't 100 percent certain of his status. Also, Salter's dual-threat numbers are too strong to ignore despite the inflated FanDuel price. His yardage numbers will jump around a bit, but he is an absolute TD machine who will burn you in the end zone through the ground and in the air. It's a bit of a toss-up if Bachmieier was active, and I would probably prefer Reed versus Salter with Bachmeieier due to the blowout potential. Salter did score five touchdowns against Buffalo with a substantial lead, however.

Running Back

Tyre Shelton, Louisiana Tech (DK $5,900, FD $10,000) vs. Western Kentucky

I don't think we can take Shelton on FanDuel - the salary is prohibitively high. The running back salaries are static on DraftKings, and Shelton is a must-add there. The Hilltoppers would probably be 4-1 were it not for its defense, which is near the bottom against the run and pass(another reason I like the Bachmeier pivot). Shelton has the most impressive rushing numbers on the slate, so it's no accident that he's at the top. If Charvis Thornton  (DK $5,000, FD $4,800) suits up, I would downgrade Shelton a bit. The Bulldogs interchange their running backs at will, but injuries throughout the depth chart have kept Shelton's usage up.

Billy Lucas, Liberty (DK $5,500, FD $7,600) vs. Sam Houston State

I'm using recency as a guide by going with Lucas, but I could just as easily interchange Quinton Cooley (DK $5,300, FD $7,100) with Lucas at a similar cost. James Jointer also saw time in blowout situations, but our running back costs are low enough for us to stay safe. It's an odd drop on FanDuel, where $2,500 separates Shelton and the rest of the pack, pushing me further away from Shelton on FanDuel. You can make up more production with the extra $2,500 with more elite options at receiver.

Also consider: John Gentry, Sam Houston State (DK $5,200, FD $6,800)

Wide Receiver

It looks like I am endorsing two players, but it's actually four. I have faded Liberty here, but if you opt for Salter, I will go with Treon Sibley (DK $5,000, FD $8,000) for the stack.

Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky (DK $7,700, FD $9,800) @ Louisiana Tech

Before I go any further, I'm also fine with Easton Messer (DK $5,900, FD $8,100), and I will stack them with Reed in some lineups. Corley still has the edge on Messer, with one exception. Messer has three touchdowns to Corley's two, but their yardage is similar enough that you wouldn't suffer a significant drop-off by opting for Messer. At a minimum, you want one of them as a Reed stack to take advantage of the Hilltoppers' pass-happy offense.

Smoke Harris, Louisiana Tech (DK $7,300, FD $8,700) vs. Western Kentucky

We also have a tandem situation for the Bulldogs but to a lesser extent. Cyrus Allen (DK $6,500, FD $7,500) is targeted less frequently, but he does have big-play capability. It's an $800 savings for Allen on DraftKings, which isn't enough to move the needle away from Harris. It's a better argument on FanDuel, where salary is scarce after the high-dollar quarterbacks.