Early college football DFS picks September 26: Get some R&R

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FORT WORTH, TX – NOVEMBER 29: Leddie Brown #4 of the West Virginia Mountaineers is hit by Trevon Moehrig #7 of the TCU Horned Frogs in the second half at Amon G. Carter Stadium on November 29, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. West Virginia won 20-17. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /

College football DFS running back picks September 26:

Top Tier:

The volume on Chuba Hubbard is nice, but that line couldn’t keep the Tulsa front off of him. That spells trouble against West Virginia. I’d much rather use Leddie Brown against this Oklahoma State front that Tulsa pushed around. The fact that he is $1,400 cheaper than Chuba is just ludicrous.

There is a lot of uncertainty in the LSU backfield. There are three backs that could get carries. Technically, Chris Curry is the starter. However, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Tigers just ride the hot hand. Tyrion Davis-Price could be a nice value. That also makes Curry a huge risk at that price. A guy like Sa’Rodorick Thompson, who gets a lot of touches, is a better play even against a tougher Texas defense.

Javian Hawkins has been a horse for Louisville thus far. If he can run for 164 on Miami’s defense, his matchup against Pitt doesn’t scare me at all. He is underpriced on this slate on DraftKings.

Middle Tier:

Zamir White is the projected starter for Georgia in a plus matchup, but I have my eye more on James Cook. Cook is the better athlete of the two on a team that needs playmakers. White is the safe pick. Cook is the guy who could come up huge for the price…..or get you nothing.

We were all about 1000% sure that Texas wouldn’t overwork Ingram in the first game, but it was surprising that Roschon Johnson did a lot more with his touches than Ingram did. Johnson is the back I want out of this backfield for the same reason that I want James Cook. They are electric athletes.

Duke has been shredded on the ground so far. I’m all over Wayne Taulapapa. Yeah, he burned me a couple of times last year, but he scored 12 rushing touchdowns on just 116 carries. He can chew up Duke, but the fact that this backfield is crowded means I’m not going too heavily on Taulapapa.

Syracuse has been tough against the run, but Jahmyr Gibbs was huge against South Florida. With Jordan Mason out again, expect the freshman to be a large part of the Bees offense once again. He’s too cheap to overthink this.

Bargain Shoppers:

Malik Davis is listed as a co-starter for the Gators in their opener. As with Perine last year, the Gators aren’t going to overwork the backs. Davis should get around 15-20 touches in this one. That’s not bad for $4,200.

The Oklahoma backfield is a fluid situation, but Seth McGowan looked like the best back on the field for the Sooners in the opener. Even if T.J. Pledger plays, I would expect McGowan to still get some work based on his game against the Bears.

Oklahoma’s run defense is a strength, but they have had trouble with every diminutive back that K-State has thrown at them over the last 25 years. Deuce Vaughn is dirt cheap and electric. He’s well worth a flier here.