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Late DraftKings CFB picks September 14: Hurts so good

By Mike Marteny

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 07: Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) before the start of an the Oklahoma Sooners game against the South Dakota Coyotes on September 7, 2019, at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. (Photo by Alonzo Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 07: Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) before the start of an the Oklahoma Sooners game against the South Dakota Coyotes on September 7, 2019, at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. (Photo by Alonzo Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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DraftKings CFB
ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 29: Clemson Tigers running back Travis Etienne (9) heads to the end zone during the CFP Semifinal Cotton Bowl Classic game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on December 29, 2018 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas(Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

DraftKings CFB running back picks September 14

Top Tier:

We just watched Maryland run circles around what was supposed to be a good Syracuse defense. Travis Etienne is more than worth the money here. This upper tier of running backs is rather weak, and Etienne comes at a discount because A&M handled him. I don’t think the Orange can. I’m not opposed to using Lyn-J Dixon either.

Cam Akers is literally the Florida State offense right now, so I can see taking a shot on him against Virginia. The bad news is that Virginia’s defense is as advertised. Akers will get enough chances to make it worth our while, but there is still a risk that Virginia completely locks him down since Blackman isn’t good enough to soften the run defense.

Middle Tier:

The middle tier of running backs is a mess as well. Both Perine and Asim Rose will be running against stout fronts. I do think that Rose will see a lot of carries with Wilson out, but Florida is good enough up front to lock him down.

Oklahoma’s version of running back roulette continues. Hurts has actually been the most productive running back. It’s not because the backs aren’t good enough. Trey Sermon is probably my favorite Oklahoma back to use, but it truly is a committee approach, which makes all of them a risk.

Texas has zero running back depth behind Keaontay Ingram, so one would think that Ingram would see a lot of work, right? Maybe not. Ingram still isn’t 100%. The fact that Texas ran Ehlinger 14 times against LSU suggests that Ingram’s knee is still getting sore from time to time. Ingram could have a big game against Rice, but the more likely outcome is that Texas runs several backups in the second half. The Longhorns wont need to run to win.

Bargain Shoppers:

The Hoos’ running back carousel continues with Mike Hollins looking good against William & Mary. Virginia didn’t disclose that Wayne Taulapapa was battling an injury until after that game. That hosed a couple of my Friday lines, so thanks for that.

At any rate, I like both against Florida State, but I don’t think I want to take a big risk on Taulapapa. There’s a good chance that UVA keeps it under wraps until after kickoff again. Even if Taulapapa plays, Hollins should still see enough action to make us happy with the production for the price.

Rhamondre Stevenson has looked absolutely explosive for Oklahoma, but then again, his long runs were against backup defenses in garbage time. If this game gets out of hand, Stevenson could have another big run. There’s a lot of mouths to feed in the OU backfield though, so this is only a viable option if you are very desperate and expect a Sooners blowout win.

The bottom tier of backs is so bad that Stevenson, even with all of the risks, is truly the best option. Oklahoma transfer Abdul Adams is seeing carries for Syracuse, but neither he nor Moe Neal are running well. It’s best to stay in the middle tier and cut corners elsewhere.

It is worth noting that Jaren Watkins and Jarrett Smith are the only two healthy Texas backs behind Ingram. The problem is that neither of them have seen the field yet. There’s a chance Texas doesn’t use either one again.