College football Week 6 continues with a two-game Thrusday slate. CFB DFS differs from traditional NFL DFS in a few key areas. Rosters do not require a defense and instead incorporate a superflex where a second quarterback can be rostered. With the exception of short slates, using a second quarterback generally makes the most sense. From there, traditional stacking rules and other general football DFS strategies apply (such as looking at college football ownership projections). With that said, let’s get into the CFB Week 6 DFS picks and projections for Thursday, Oct. 5.
CFB Week 6 DFS Picks and Projections | Saturday, Oct. 5
Quarterback
Kaidon Salter ($8,000): Liberty enters Week 6 as an 18-point favorite over Sam Houston State in a game with a 46.5 total. The Liberty offense ranks 109th in pace and throws the ball 35.1% of the time. Despite the slow, run-heavy offense, Kaidon Salter comes in as the top price-adjusted quarterback play. Salter averages 23 attempts per game for 230 yards. He also has elite mobility with 268 rushing yards to date. Overall, Salter brings the top floor/ceiling combination on the slate.
Austin Reed ($8,800): Western Kentucky comes into Week 6 as a 5.5-point favorite over Louisiana Tech in a game with a 59.5 total. The Hilltoppers rank 43rd in pace and pass the ball 65.6% of the time. Austin Reed averages 42.4 attempts per game for 273.2 yards. While Reed doesn’t provide the best mobility, the offensive scheme will put him close to the 300-yard passing bonus most weeks.
Hank Bachmeier ($6,100): While Louisiana Tech comes in as a 5.5-point underdog, the team ranks 81st in pace and passes the ball 53.4% of the time. Quarterback Hank Bachmeier has returned to practice and should have a solid chance to play here. The stats do not look great on Bachmeier to date, but offense should also propel Bachmeier to some strong fantasy scores.
Running Back
Quinton Cooley ($5,300): Liberty runs a two-back committee comprised of Quinton Cooley and Billy Lucas. Cooley averages 13.5 touches per game for 80.8 rushing yards. Lucas averages ten touches per game for 61 rushing yards. Liberty rarely throws to the running back position, but Sam Houston State allows 4.6 yards per carry. This should provide enough efficiency to target either back here.
John Gentry ($5,200): Sam Houston State comes in as a massive underdog to Liberty here, but injuries to Zach Hrbacek and Charles Crawford III have narrowed the rotation. With these injuries, John Gentry handled 30 carries and five targets in the pass game. While Sam Houston State doesn’t project for much efficiency, this type of workload might be too much to ignore.
Tyre Shelton ($5,900): Louisiana Tech continues to deal with a multitude of injuries to the running back position, including Keith Willis Jr., Charvis Thornton, and Jacob Fields. Last week, Tyre Shelton led the team with 17 touches, making him the best bet this week. It should be noted that Marquis Crosby did return and touch the ball one time last week. Last week, Crosby led the team with 918 rushing yards, making him a potential deep GPP target.
Editor Note: Looking for more 2023 college football predictions or CFB Week 6 DFS picks? Experts are to break down this college football season — make sure to check out the rest of OddsShopper’s’ college football articles. If you still need more picks, our market-based betting model might just be for you — or try it out now! Looking for a straight Sam Houston State-Liberty pick and predictions?
Wide Receiver
Malachi Corley ($7,700): The top receiver on the slate, Malachi Corley hasn’t seen fewer than 13 targets in three straight games.
Noah Smith ($4,700): Sam Houston State already lost their top two pass catchers, thrusting Noah Smith into the top pass catching role. In his first game without Ife Adeyi, Smith received 12 targets last week. His route rate also jumped to 92.5%. While Sam Houston State’s passing attack is inept, Smith’s volume at his price stands out.
Cyrus Allen ($6,500): Louisiana Tech funnels most of their targets through Smoke Harris and Cyrus Allen. Harris averages 7.8 targets per game, but Allen averages 6.4 himself. Allen’s 331 receiving yards also narrowly trail Harris at 374. From a price-adjusted standpoint, Allen comes in as just as strong of a play as Harris.
Elijah Smoot ($4,000): Another run-based team, Liberty also rotates receivers quite a bit. With that said, Elijah Smoot averages 4.0 targets and and 26.5 yards per game. With that said, his 53% route share and 18% target share stand out for his price. CJ Daniels and Treon Sibley average 65.8 and 72.0 yards per game, but they only run routes on 48.7% and 55.8% of routes. From there, Bentley Hanshaw and Noah Firth also have 55% and 63% of routes.
