Week 8 CFB DFS picks: DeSean Bishop headlines DraftKings, FanDuel slates

Week 8 college football DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel start with Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop and LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who each cost less than lower-ranked options at their positions on both sites.

Bishop ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-10 win over Alabama, and Leavitt threw four touchdown passes without a turnover in a 31-0 shutout of Mississippi State.

Picks are split across the DraftKings noon and evening slates and the FanDuel noon slate.

MORE: College fantasy football Week 8 rankings: KJ Duff, Jahiem White make big jumps

Week 8 CFB DFS QB picks

Quarterback outlook

Sam Leavitt: LSU’s quarterback completed 31 of 38 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns against Mississippi State in his first turnover-free game of the season. “We talked a lot this week about trusting the receivers and allowing them to go make plays,” LSU coach Lane Kiffin said. My QB7 costs less than QB13 Darian Mensah on both sites, and he ranks ahead of Trinidad Chambliss, FanDuel’s second-most expensive quarterback. That makes him a smarter premium buy than paying up for QB1 Michael Hawkins Jr. LSU at Auburn kicks off at noon ET on ABC.

Trinidad Chambliss: Chambliss threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth score in Ole Miss’ 31-3 win over Missouri, and the Rebels piled up 498 total yards. “He wasn’t perfect either, but I’m glad he’s on our side,” Ole Miss coach Pete Golding said. My QB10 costs $9,000 on the DraftKings evening slate, $500 less than QB12 Drew Mestemaker. The former Ferris State star gives you the higher-ranked quarterback and extra salary for the road trip to Texas.

Bear Bachmeier: Bachmeier threw for 224 yards, ran for two touchdowns and caught another in BYU’s 28-24 win over Notre Dame, then hit Walker Lyons for the go-ahead 6-yard score with 1:47 left. “We’re tired of being disrespected,” the Cougars quarterback said. My QB9 costs $8,200 on the DraftKings noon slate, $500 less than Leavitt and $800 less than Mensah, and he ranks ahead of the pricier Kamario Taylor. A quarterback who can score three different ways justifies an upper-middle price at UCF.

Keelon Russell: Alabama’s sophomore threw two interceptions in the 26-10 loss at Tennessee, and he’s been held under 200 passing yards in consecutive games. His legs give him a floor, with 231 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on 57 carries. My QB14 costs $10,300 on FanDuel, less than LaNorris Sellers, Byrum Brown, Colton Joseph and Jayden Maiava, all of whom I rank behind him. Check on receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams before Texas A&M at Alabama, since he missed the Tennessee game with injuries that included a concussion.

Ethan Grunkemeyer: Grunkemeyer threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns in Virginia Tech’s 34-24 win over Georgia Tech, starting with a 60-yard strike to Que’Sean Brown on the game’s third play. The Penn State transfer is my QB21 at $7,600 on the DraftKings evening slate. QB20 Colton Joseph costs $7,900 and QB25 Jayden Maiava costs $8,100, so Grunkemeyer offers a similar ranking at a lower price for Virginia Tech at Clemson.

Kenny Minchey: Minchey completed 21 of 28 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns in Kentucky’s 21-13 win at Oklahoma, and both scores went to tight end Willie Rodriguez. My QB34 costs $7,000 on DraftKings and $9,800 on FanDuel, and he ranks ahead of Arch Manning while costing less on both sites. His modest passing volume makes him a relative budget option rather than a minimum-price play. Vanderbilt at Kentucky kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

Jaden Craig: Craig threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns in TCU’s 17-6 win at Baylor, the Horned Frogs’ first Big 12 victory this season. West Virginia allows 333.5 passing yards per game, the most in the country. The former Harvard quarterback is my QB35 at $6,400 on the DraftKings noon slate, $1,100 less than QB36 Josh Hoover and $500 less than QB50 John Mateer. He’s the best mix of salary relief and ranking among the cheaper quarterbacks here, and West Virginia at TCU kicks off at noon ET on ESPN2.

MORE: Bear Bachmeier reveals Notre Dame recruiting grudge after BYU topples No. 2 Irish

Week 8 CFB DFS RB picks

Running backs outlook

DeSean Bishop: Bishop ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns against Alabama, with 95 of those yards coming after halftime. His 5-yard score capped a fourth-quarter drive that lasted 9 minutes, 32 seconds, and Tennessee coach Josh Heupel called him “a special back.” My RB4 costs less than RB6 Wayne Knight and RB14 Cam Cook on both sites, and DraftKings also prices RB15 Dilin Jones above him. South Carolina allows 120.2 rushing yards per game.

J’Koby Williams: Williams ran for a career-high 165 yards on 11 carries against Arizona State, and his two touchdown runs covered 100 yards. Cameron Dickey’s high ankle sprain left the Texas Tech backfield to him. “Everybody needs a J’Koby Williams in their life,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. My RB9 costs $7,900 on the DraftKings noon slate, $500 less than Cook and $300 less than Jones while ranking ahead of both. Bishop costs only $200 more, but Williams adds another top-10 back against a Cincinnati defense that gave up 598 yards to West Virginia.

Aiden Flora: Iowa State’s former walk-on returns from a bye after running for 86 yards on 17 carries at BYU. One week before that, he ran for 212 yards and three touchdowns against West Virginia and threw two touchdown passes on halfback throws. My RB12 costs $8,200 on the DraftKings evening slate, $500 less than RB11 Caleb Hawkins. That’s a one-spot ranking drop for meaningful savings as Iowa State visits Arizona.

Jeffrey Overton Jr.: Overton caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Grunkemeyer against Georgia Tech, and that receiving work carries extra weight under DraftKings’ full point-per-reception scoring. My RB16 costs $7,800 on the DraftKings evening slate, $100 less than RB46 CJ Baxter. He’s only $200 more than RB53 Kewan Lacy and $500 more than RB68 King Miller, and that small premium buys a much higher-ranked back for Virginia Tech at Clemson.

Matt Fuller: South Carolina’s back had 485 yards and five touchdowns on 81 carries through six games in his first season as the starter, and he’s coming off a bye. My RB17 costs $8,000 on FanDuel, less than Mark Fletcher Jr., Baxter, Lacy, Jeremy Payne and Miller, all of whom I rank well below him. He’s also $700 cheaper than RB19 Cole Tabb, which makes him the strongest FanDuel discount at the position. Tennessee visits Columbia, so Fuller and Bishop line up on opposite sides of the same game.

Cole Tabb: The former Stanford back ran 15 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns and caught a scoring pass in Cincinnati’s 45-42 loss to West Virginia. His 6-yard run put the Bearcats ahead with 5:35 left. My RB19 costs $6,600 on the DraftKings noon slate, where several lower-ranked backs cost more. His $8,700 FanDuel price is less appealing, but he costs only $200 more than RB55 Fletcher and keeps the third FanDuel pick inside my top 20. Texas Tech at Cincinnati kicks off at noon ET on FS1.

MORE: Week 8 college football prediction market picks: Tennessee, Indiana carry best values

Week 8 CFB DFS WR/TE picks

Wide receiver & tight end outlook

Collin Dixon: Illinois’ senior captain has 47 catches for 608 yards and nine touchdowns in six games, and he’s fresh off a bye. “He’s just extremely talented,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said in September. My WR3 costs $8,200 on the DraftKings noon slate, $1,100 less than WR1 Malachi Toney and only $200 more than WR7 Charlie Becker. Oregon allows 238.6 passing yards per game, which ranks 90th nationally.

Charlie Becker: Becker caught nine passes for a career-high 165 yards in Indiana’s 19-15 loss to Ohio State, and he beat the Buckeyes’ defensive backs all afternoon even though several throws missed him. He had 27 catches for 477 yards and eight touchdowns through his first five games. My WR7 costs $9,000 on FanDuel, below WR30 Trent Mosley at $9,300, and he saves $800 versus WR5 Umari Hatcher and $2,600 versus Toney. Indiana at Michigan kicks off at noon ET on Fox.

Joseph Williams: Colorado’s leading receiver caught at least five passes in three straight games and scored in four straight before the Buffaloes’ Week 6 bye, finishing that stretch with 32 catches for 454 yards and five touchdowns. My WR12 costs $7,000 on the DraftKings evening slate, one spot behind Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Young at $7,600 in the same game. The Tulsa transfer also costs less than Colorado’s lower-ranked Mosley, Deuce Alexander and Justin Bowick at Oklahoma State.

Junior Sherrill: The Nashville native has 41 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns, and his 13.2-yard average depth of target makes him Vanderbilt’s primary downfield option. My WR15 costs $6,300 on the DraftKings evening slate, $300 less than WR61 Cam Coleman and only $100 more than WR27 Que’Sean Brown. His ranking holds up against every receiver priced near him, and Vanderbilt at Kentucky kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

Jackson Harris: Harris caught six passes for 85 yards and two of Leavitt’s touchdown throws in the shutout of Mississippi State. My WR26 costs $5,800 on the DraftKings noon slate, less than lower-ranked Nick Marsh, Isaiah Sategna III and Dakorien Moore. He’s a natural stack with Leavitt at Auburn, but Ed Small ranks higher and costs less, which makes the TCU receiver the better overall value.

Ed Small: Small caught Craig’s 25-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring at Baylor, and he entered that game as TCU’s leading receiver with 403 yards. My WR21 costs only $4,900 on DraftKings, below numerous receivers ranked behind him, and his $7,500 FanDuel price compares well with Harris at $8,900 and Marsh at $8,600. Pairing Small with Craig on DraftKings costs $11,300 against the defense that allows the most passing yards in the country.

Kari Ashley: Baylor held TCU’s tight end to four catches for 18 yards, but he entered last week third among tight ends nationally with 374 receiving yards. Ashley is my TE2 and No. 57 in my FLEX rankings, which is the more useful number when he’s competing with receivers for a roster spot. At $6,100, he costs less than every other top-eight tight end in the FanDuel pool, and West Virginia’s pass defense gives him room to bounce back.

Willie Rodriguez: Rodriguez caught both of Minchey’s touchdown passes in Kentucky’s win at Oklahoma. My TE8 costs $4,100 on the DraftKings evening slate, $2,000 less than TE9 Luke Reynolds and $300 less than TE24 Caleb Odom, and my FLEX rankings place him slightly ahead of Reynolds. Tight end production drops off quickly, so a TE8 ranking doesn’t carry the same weight as a WR8 ranking. He’s a budget receiving option against Vanderbilt.

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