This article is part of our College Football DFS: Thursday Slate series.
Week 5 kicks off with a three-game Thursday slate. We'll be covering DFS action for DraftKings and FanDuel in this article. The action begins at 4:30 p.m. ET, with Western Kentucky as the headlining team.
SLATE OVERVIEW
Western Kentucky (-6.5) vs. Middle Tennessee State O/U: 60.5
Tulsa (-3.5) vs. Temple O/U: 55.5
Jacksonville State (-6.5) @ Sam Houston State O/U: 36.5
We have two games with the narrow slate/high total magic formula, so most of our selections will come from those games. Sam Houston State players didn't make our projections, and only one Jacksonville State player made the cut.
CFB DFS TOOLS
- New DraftKings College Football Optimizer
- New FanDuel College Football Optimizer
- Weekly CFB Matchup Info
- CFB Targets
- CFB Stats
- CFB Team Trends
- CFB Advanced Team Stats with Plays per Game, Pass %, Run % and more
CFB DFS Thursday Night Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 5
Quarterback
Austin Reed, Western Kentucky 
(DK $8,800, FD $12,000) vs. Middle Tennessee State
We won't get cute here. Just lock Reed in and go from there because I don't believe another quarterback comes close to him on this slate. The Hilltoppers' 2-2 record is surprising, but the blame falls on the defense, not Reed. He's thrown for 1,064 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception over four games and scored twice on the ground. There's a noticeable dip in production against Ohio State, but the loss was expected, and he still did some damage. The Blue Raiders are not memorable
Week 5 kicks off with a three-game Thursday slate. We'll be covering DFS action for DraftKings and FanDuel in this article. The action begins at 4:30 p.m. ET, with Western Kentucky as the headlining team.
SLATE OVERVIEW
Western Kentucky (-6.5) vs. Middle Tennessee State O/U: 60.5
Tulsa (-3.5) vs. Temple O/U: 55.5
Jacksonville State (-6.5) @ Sam Houston State O/U: 36.5
We have two games with the narrow slate/high total magic formula, so most of our selections will come from those games. Sam Houston State players didn't make our projections, and only one Jacksonville State player made the cut.
CFB DFS TOOLS
- New DraftKings College Football Optimizer
- New FanDuel College Football Optimizer
- Weekly CFB Matchup Info
- CFB Targets
- CFB Stats
- CFB Team Trends
- CFB Advanced Team Stats with Plays per Game, Pass %, Run % and more
CFB DFS Thursday Night Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 5
Quarterback
Austin Reed, Western Kentucky (DK $8,800, FD $12,000) vs. Middle Tennessee State
We won't get cute here. Just lock Reed in and go from there because I don't believe another quarterback comes close to him on this slate. The Hilltoppers' 2-2 record is surprising, but the blame falls on the defense, not Reed. He's thrown for 1,064 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception over four games and scored twice on the ground. There's a noticeable dip in production against Ohio State, but the loss was expected, and he still did some damage. The Blue Raiders are not memorable defensively, and the porous pass defense will fall prey to Reed's arm.
E.J. Warner, Temple 
(DK $5,800, FD $7,500) @ Tulsa
There's too much uncertainty elsewhere, making Warner my runner-up. Warner's thrown for 1,000 yards and five touchdowns this season but is coming off a poor showing against Miami, throwing two picks and fumbling once. His other games are decent enough, and he faces a Tulsa defense that has been ineffective against the pass. Tulsa's secondary might be the weakest secondary he's faced, so there's some upside for Warner on Thursday night.
Running Back
Malik Jackson, Jacksonville State 
(DK $5,900, FD $8,700) at Sam Houston State
Ron Wiggins (knee) will be out for the foreseeable future, leaving Jackson with reins in the Gamecocks' backfield. Jacksonville State lives and dies by the run, and Sam Houston State has surrendered an average of 181 yards against opposing rushers. Logan Smothers is likely to start, and he'll do a good bit of running himself, but he'll be handing the ball off to Jackson early and often.
Anthony Watkins, Tulsa 
(DK $6,100, FD $9,500) vs. Temple
The slate is littered with committee situations, and Tulsa is no different. Watkins shares carries with Jordan Ford, but Watkins was the clear favorite last week, rushing 23 times for 91 yards and a touchdown against Northern Illinois. Ford only managed six rushing attempts in a close game, which is an important distinction. Ford's best game came in a Week 1 blowout, and his carries have dropped sharply since.
Wide Receiver
Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky (DK $6,700, FD $10,000) vs. Middle Tennessee State
Corley fits the bill when it comes to star power on this slate, Corley fits the bill. He's one of the best receivers in Conference USA and has already put up great numbers against some formidable defenses already. Reed and Corley should be able to handle the Blue Raiders handily, and I am more than willing to hang my hopes on a potentially productive stack. The Reed-Croley connection is in all of my lineups tonight. I have also employed a double stack in some spots, putting Easton Messer (DK $5,600, FD $8,300) alongside Morley to maximize the Hilltoppers' passing production.
Dante Wright (DK $5,500, FD $8,700) or Amad Anderson (DK $5,400, FD $7,500), Temple @ Tulsa
Wright is considered day-to-day at this point, so I would check in before game time to see if he is active. If he can't go or you want a slight discount, pivot to Anderson. He provides decent salary relief on FanDuel, and both receivers work as a stack if you use Warner in the Superflex.
Also consider: Marquis Shoulders, Tulsa (DK $5,400, FD $6,500) vs. Temple
