Evening DraftKings college football running back picks October 12
Top Tier:
The Ole Miss defense has had real issues stopping the run. That makes Bryant a strong play, but Larry Rountree could be as well. His upside is capped with Bryant around, but there should be enough to go around here.
Both LSU and Florida have outstanding run defenses, so I’ll stay away from that game. However, Lamical Perine could be a nice GPP dart due to his game breaking ability.
Middle Tier:
Even with a healthy Jermar Jefferson, Artavis Pierce was still the feature back against UCLA. Utah’s run defense is very good as well, but Pierce is priced right. I wouldn’t use him in cash though.
I absolutely love Rodney Smith here. In a game that should be dominated on the ground, Smith is more of a grinder than his backfield mates or anyone Nebraska has. Nebraska has the speed with Maurice Washington, but that’s not going to help here. The conditions heavily favor Smith and Nebraska’s Dedrick Mills.
Bargain Shoppers:
Missouri backup Tyler Badie has at least eight touches in every game this year. That’s good volume for a backup, especially when you consider the issues that Ole Miss has had in rush defense.
I would expect the Irish to bring Jafar Armstrong along slowly, so Tony Jones should still get plenty of touches against USC. USC’s run defense has been the better part for them, but the Irish are still going to start out on the ground. There is ample upside for Jones. For the price though, I think I much prefer Javian Hawkins. Especially if Jawon Pass is out again.
Dedrick Mills and Shannon Brooks are both technically backups, but both are going to get healthy workloads here. Mills’ style of running is going to suit this game and is going to be about the only way Nebraska will get going in this one. I like both of them for the price.