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FanDuel Sportsbook Promos College Football Daily Fantasy Picks and Helper: Saturday 12/30/23
With daily fantasy football being so popular, it was only a matter of time before it translated to the college level.
FanDuel now offers college football daily fantasy contests in most states, and there's a twist on the NFL ruleset. You select a quarterback, two running backs, three wideouts (which includes tight ends), and a "SuperFLEX" that can be any of those positions.
Finding target data for pass-catchers in college can be difficult, so figuring out which players are on the field and getting work can make all the difference. Naturally, there are also more lopsided outcomes in college, so balance game scripts appropriately! Your running back's monstrous first half could lead to a bagel in the second.
How should we approach this week's main slate?
Note: All stats are from Pro Football Focus. All tables are sortable by any category. All college football odds are via FanDuel Sportsbook.
College Football DFS Picks
The Slate
Away Team | Home Team | Home Spread | Total | Implied Road Total | Implied Home Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ole Miss | Penn State | -4.5 | 49.5 | 22.5 | 27.0 |
| Auburn | Maryland | +6.5 | 47.5 | 27.0 | 20.5 |
| Georgia | Florida State | +20.5 | 44.5 | 32.5 | 12.0 |
| Toledo | Wyoming | -3.5 | 44.5 | 20.5 | 24.0 |
Two more of the New Year's Six bowls will occur Saturday. One is extremely bizarre, and the other is likely the best fantasy environment on the slate.
The Penn State Nittany Lions are built on a two-headed running game and defense, but they could be forced to score in droves against the Mississippi Rebels' shootout machine. The 49.5-point total in this one is the highest of the day.
On the flip side, the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida State Seminoles have just a 44.5-point total. If you're wondering why FSU was left out of the College Football Playoff, it might have to do with their 12.0-point implied team total against a team that just lost to the four seed.
Two other non-NY6 bowls provide some variety. Though without Tua Tagovailoa's brother, the Maryland Terrapins are just 6.5-point underdogs to the up-and-down Auburn Tigers in the Music City Bowl. The total there is 47.5 points.
Matching the Georgia-FSU total, 44.5 total points are projected between the Wyoming Cowboys and the Toledo Rockets, who are looking to shake off an ugly MAC Championship Game loss without their star QB. Wyoming is a 3.5-point favorite in the Arizona Bowl.
Quarterbacks
Player | Salary | Team | Attempts Per Game | YPA | Rush Yards Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson Beck | $11,200 | UGA | 30.8 | 9.2 | 14.2 |
| Jaxson Dart | $11,000 | MISS | 26.8 | 9.6 | 45.3 |
| Andrew Peasley | $10,200 | WYO | 21.9 | 8.1 | 49.0 |
| Payton Thorne | $9,800 | AUB | 19.9 | 6.5 | 55.7 |
| Drew Allar | $9,400 | PSU | 29.4 | 7.1 | 22.3 |
| Tucker Gleason | $8,500 | TOL | 10.0 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| Billy Edwards Jr. | $7,800 | MD | 5.0 | -0.2 | 24.0 |
Top Plays
- Jaxson Dart ($11,000)
- On a normal main slate, Dart is the only type of QB on this slate that I'd consider. His rushing upside (45.3 yards per game) and efficiency in the SEC (9.6 YPA) leave few questions despite a tough matchup with Penn State (6.3 passing YPA allowed; 14th in FBS).
- Payton Thorne ($9,800)
- As should be so surprise for an Auburn QB, Thorne's mobility (slate-best 55.7 rushing yards per game) gives him a path to a ceiling on FanDuel. Thorne's putrid 6.5 YPA came against tougher SEC foes than the Terps (6.9 passing YPA allowed) should represent on Saturday.
Others to Consider
- Andrew Peasley ($10,200)
- Facing a stout Toledo D, I don't really see the appeal, but he'll be popular due to perceived rushing upside (49.0 yards per game). He's failed to break 170 passing yards in four of his last five games without a solid stacking partner.
- Drew Allar ($9,400)
- On a slate of great defenses, Ole Miss' unit is far from one. They were 63rd against the pass (in terms of YPA) this year. Allar is a legitimate NFL prospect with four rushing scores this year. Per dollar of salary, he could be the best choice on the slate. I could see him outplaying Dart in the game I'll stack most often.
Running Backs
Player | Salary | Team | Rush Att Per Game | Rush Share % | Targets Per Game | Target Share % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peny Boone | $10,500 | TOL | 14.8 | 44.5% | 1.4 | 5.5% |
| Harrison Waylee | $10,000 | WYO | 16.2 | 55.3% | 1.3 | 4.6% |
| Jacquez Stuart | $9,500 | TOL | 9.2 | 26.9% | 1.4 | 4.6% |
| Quinshon Judkins | $9,200 | MISS | 19.8 | 54.8% | 2.0 | 7.3% |
| Jarquez Hunter | $8,800 | AUB | 13.4 | 42.1% | 2.2 | 9.1% |
| Roman Hemby | $8,700 | MD | 11.3 | 45.1% | 3.7 | 10.3% |
| Kendall Milton | $8,500 | UGA | 10.2 | 32.3% | 0.4 | 1.0% |
Top Plays
- Quinshon Judkins ($9,200)
- I'm stunned to see Judkins in line to play the Peach Bowl, but we'll happily take it. Though Ulysses Bentley IV ($5,700) is still involved enough to annoy us, Judkins has averaged 22.8 carries per game in his last five -- good for 62.2% of the Rebels' total totes. That's the highest share in that timeframe on the slate.
- Roman Hemby ($8,700)
- With Taulia Tagovailoa sitting out this bowl game, Maryland could absolutely lean more on their run game. Hemby has 58.4% of the Terps' carries and 10.3% of their targets in the past five weeks, but that's amounted to just 11.4 carries per game. A volume increase could pay huge dividends against the Tigers' leaky rush D (88th in YPA allowed).
Others to Consider
- Peny Boone ($10,500)
- When Toledo is humming, Boone has multi-touchdown potential despite just 14.0 rush attempts per game in his last five. However, with Dequan Finn transferring, I'm not expecting the Rockets to hum when Wyoming's strength all year was defense. They're a solid 65th in ESPN's scheduled-adjusted SP+ rankings on defense.
- Jarquez Hunter ($8,800)
- Hunter has the potential to go pro, but he'll play the Music City Bowl hoping to raise his stock. His role is imperfect (46.5% rush share), but he's the only Auburn player I'd consider outside of Thorne given the team's confusing target tree.
- Kaytron Allen ($8,000)
- Penn State has split carries between Allen and Nicholas Singleton ($7,600) for two years now, but Allen had the lead role late in the season. He posted 15.6 opportunities per game to Singleton's 13.3 in the last five contests. You could justify stacking both to grab all of the production against Ole Miss' rush D (50th in FBS in YPA allowed).
Wide Receivers
Player | Salary | Team | Targets Per Game | Target Share % | Routes Per Game | Yardage Share % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tre Harris | $9,600 | MISS | 6.7 | 24.5% | 24.2 | 25.7% |
| Jeshaun Jones | $9,000 | MD | 6.4 | 18.2% | 30.5 | 22.2% |
| Brock Bowers | $8,800 | UGA | 7.2 | 21.7% | 28.2 | 18.0% |
| Keon Coleman | $8,700 | FSU | 7.3 | 25.2% | 31.7 | 19.6% |
| KeAndre Lambert-Smith | $8,500 | PSU | 7.9 | 25.7% | 29.9 | 27.4% |
| Tai Felton | $8,200 | MD | 6.4 | 18.5% | 31.1 | 21.2% |
| Dayton Wade | $8,000 | MISS | 6.5 | 23.5% | 30.5 | 22.9% |
Top Plays
- KeAndre Lambert-Smith ($8,500)
- In the last five respective games for all wideouts on the slate, no one had more targets per game (7.9) or a higher target share (25.7%) than KLS. He's easily the top wideout on the slate without really any sort of debate.
- Ladd McConkey ($7,700)
- With Brock Bowers a total question mark to play, I still prefer turning to McConkey at a lower salary in a game built for him. Florida State's vaunted pass rush likely won't allow a ton of time to throw, so the slot receiver could see a bump from the 5.1 targets per contest he saw while fighting injuries during Georgia's last five games.
- Jordan Watkins ($7,200)
- Watkins led the Rebels in routes per game (30.7) over Mississippi's last five tilts, so I don't think his salary should be the lowest of their three-headed receiving monster. In terms of upside, the senior topped 70 receiving yards in five contests this season, so we've seen enough to assume he's got some.
Others to Consider
- Tre Harris ($9,600)
- Harris is the most talented Ole Miss wideout between he, Watkins, and Dayton Wade ($8,000), but his salary would better be used at quarterback or running back when -- as mentioned with Dart -- this isn't a great matchup for the passing game.
- Johnny Wilson ($7,500)
- Keon Coleman is turning pro, and that does leave Wilson in a position to consume a lot of targets. Wilson already had a 25.5% share in FSU's last five games as Coleman vacates a 25.2% share. However, expect horrible efficiency on them when Brock Glenn ($6,000) completed just eight balls against the Louisville Cardinals and is now set to face UGA.
- EDITOR'S NOTE: Wilson will not play in Saturday's game after declaring for the draft himself, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.
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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.
