College Football CFB DFS Playbook for Saturday, December 16 Bowls: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Saturday brings us the first college football bowl slate of the year with five games on tap for CFB DFS contests You can build CFB DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel for Saturday's main slate that kicks off at 2:15 pm ET with Jacksonville State vs Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl. We have some interesting college football bowl matchups this weekend, including California vs Texas Tech in the Independence Bowl to wrap up Saturday night. Let's now dive into top CFB DFS picks and value plays as you build college football DFS lineups for this bowl game slate. All odds are via DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of this publishing.
College Football Schedule for Saturday, December 16th Bowls
CFB DFS Saturday Main Slate
- 2:15 pm ET – Jacksonville State (-2.5) vs Louisiana – 58.5 O/U (New Orleans, LA)
- 3:30 pm ET – Miami OH vs Appalachian State (-6.5) – 42.5 O/U (Orlando, FL)
- 5:45 pm ET – New Mexico State (-3.5) vs Fresno State – 51.5 O/U (Albuquerque, NM)
- 7:30 pm ET – UCLA (-4) vs Boise State – 48.5 O/U (Inglewood, CA)
- 9:15 pm ET – California vs Texas Tech (-3.5) – 56.5 O/U (Shreveport, LA)
College Football CFB DFS Picks for December 16th Bowls
Top CFB DFS Quarterbacks
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Diego Pavia | NMST | FRES | 8600 | 24.06 | 10700 | 23.69 |
| After suffering an arm injury in the C-USA title game, Diego Pavia is expected to play in this bowl per HC Jerry Kill. He put up 30 DK in that last game with 4 total TDs. Pavia was excellent this season with 26 passing TDs and 6 rushing scores. He brings a strong cash floor with dual-threat ability as he ran for 853 yards and threw for nearly 3,000 yards this season. He’s a top cash QB play despite being the most expensive on the slate. | ||||||
| Behren Morton | TTU | CAL | 8000 | 14.2 | 9200 | 14.60 |
| Behren Morton gets the best matchup on this slate with Cal’s 130th-ranked pass defense this season. Morton had a terrible end to the year with a poor showing vs Texas, but things get much easier here. He’s shown the upside for 20-25 DK in easier matchups this season and Cal would certainly qualify as a softer secondary. TTU head coach Joey Maguire said he expects Morton to finally be close to 100% healthy for this bowl, too. It lines up for him to be one of the top cash QBs on the slate. | ||||||
| Chandler Fields | ULL | JACST | 7500 | 13.71 | 8000 | 13.51 |
| Chandler Fields is expected to start this bowl after taking over as Louisiana’s starting QB for the season's final three games. He was productive enough for DFS with 18, 22, and 27 DK in those three games. He’ll face a Jacksonville St defense that’s much stronger against the run than pass (110th nationally in pass yards allowed per game this season). In one of the higher-total games this weekend, Fields can come through in cash or GPP. | ||||||
| Ethan Garbers | UCLA | BSU | 7400 | 11.82 | 9500 | 13.62 |
| According to UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, Ethan Garbers is expected to play in this bowl game after suffering with a forearm injury in the regular-season finale. Before leaving that game early, Garbers had 22, 21, and 18 DK in three of the previous four games while being UCLA’s top QB. Since Dante Moore is in the transfer portal, Garbers should be the starter over Collin Schlee if healthy now. He’ll get a great matchup vs Boise State’s 113th-ranked pass defense. | ||||||
| Zion Webb | JACST | ULL | 7000 | 16.82 | 9000 | 17.30 |
| Jacksonville State is favored in one of the two higher-total games this weekend, so Zion Webb should be a strong DFS QB play. Webb brings in a ton of dual-threat upside with 100+ rushing yards and 30+ DK in four of his last six full games, including 7 rush TDs in that stretch. His passing leaves a lot to be desired, but Louisiana’s defense is worse against the run than the pass. Webb could easily be the highest-scoring DFS QB on this slate and makes for an excellent cash or GPP play. | ||||||
| CJ Tiller | BSU | UCLA | 4500 | 0 | 6000 | |
| CJ Tiller, a true freshman, is expected to start at QB for Boise St after taking first-team practice reps this week. Taylen Green has already transferred to Arkansas and backup Maddux Madsen is out, so Tiller is the next man up. He’s yet to play this season, so who knows what we get here. Still, he’s dirt cheap on both sites and worth a GPP dart for your Super-Flex. | ||||||
Top CFB DFS Running Backs
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Ashton Jeanty | BSU | UCLA | 8500 | 32.16 | 10200 | 27.75 |
| Ashton Jeanty has been a stud RB DFS play for us all year and now we get to play him in the bowl game. Jeanty announced he’ll return to Boise St next year instead of transferring away, which is good news for his likely large usage and role in the offense this weekend. We could see a heavy workload for Jeanty with Boise down its top two QBs and starting a true freshman. UCLA did have a strong rush defense this season, but Jeanty should see plenty of carries and receptions here. He’s a fade-at-your-own-risk play like all season. | ||||||
| Jaydn Ott | CAL | TTU | 8400 | 23.47 | 10000 | 20.96 |
| Jaydn Ott gets one of the better rushing matchups on the slate with Texas Tech ranking 97th nationally in rush yards allowed per game this season. In a high-total game here, Ott should do plenty to be a top cash RB with plenty of GPP upside. Ott averaged 20 carries and 114 rush yards per game this year with 13 total TDs over 11 contests. He should be locked into carries in this bowl with backup Isaiah Ifanse questionable due to a late-season injury. Ott is certainly capable of breaking the slate with a 30+ DK ceiling. | ||||||
| Tahj Brooks | TTU | CAL | 7500 | 21.16 | 9400 | 18.19 |
| Tahj Brooks was a stud for Texas Tech this season with 1,447 rushing yards, averaging 120 yards per game. He’s been almost a weekly lock for 20+ DFS points and 100+ yards since early in the year with a regular heavy workload as the team’s bell-cow back. Brooks announced earlier this week that he’ll return to TTU next year, which is a great sign for his motivation and likely large involvement in this bowl. In this high-scoring matchup, expect Brooks to be a top RB play in all formats. | ||||||
| Rashad Amos | MIAOH | APPST | 6500 | 13.71 | 8400 | 12.81 |
| Miami OH is down its top two QBs for this bowl, so expect a run-focused offense. That should lead to plenty of carries for Rashad Amos for a strong cash floor of production. Amos had 20+ DK in four of the last five games to end the season. Now he’ll face the 114th-ranked App St rush defense that’s also allowed 27 rush TDs over 12 games. Amos has scored 9 TDs over the past six games alone and could find the end zone multiple times here to tack onto his heavy usage. | ||||||
| T.J. Harden | UCLA | BSU | 5500 | 11.85 | 7400 | 10.87 |
| It’s looking like T.J. Harden will be UCLA’s lead back for this bowl with Carson Steele not practicing this week and potentially out. If that’s the case, then Harden could see 20+ touches as the workhorse in the backfield and he would be a lock value play. Against USC recently, Harden had 22 carries, 142 yards, 2 total TDs, and a 32 DK performance. He’s been slightly more efficient than Steele this year and Chip Kelly will likely feed him with next season in mind. | ||||||
| Kanye Roberts | APPST | MIAOH | 5200 | 12.62 | 7000 | 11.12 |
| With Nate Noel in the transfer portal, Kanye Roberts should be App State’s lead RB for this bowl game. He wrapped up the season on a high note with 24 and 20 DK in the last two games. Roberts saw 15+ touches in both of those while outperforming Noel on the ground. Miami (OH) does have a decent run defense, but Roberts can still return value with a heavy workload here. He’s firmly in play for all formats. | ||||||
Top CFB DFS Wide Receivers
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jeremiah Hunter | CAL | TTU | 6100 | 14.46 | 8000 | 12.82 |
| Jeremiah Hunter led Cal in every major receiving category this season and should be locked into that WR1 role for this bowl game. He ended the year strong with 8 catches, 101 yards, 2 TDs, and 33 DK vs UCLA in the regular-season finale. Hunter has been a favorite target for Cal QB Fernando Mendoza and that shouldn’t change now. He could also see an uptick in targets and overall production with Taj Davis leaving the team. | ||||||
| Kaedin Robinson | APPST | MIAOH | 5600 | 15.82 | 7800 | 12.65 |
| Kaedin Robinson led App St in receptions (59), receiving yards (787), and receiving TDs (10) this season as QB Joey Aguilar’s favorite target. He’s been a strong DFS play more often than not with his locked-in target volume and usage in the red zone. Robinson should provide a good cash floor here with GPP upside if he finds the end zone once or twice. He also gets a slight boost with Dashaun Davis in the transfer portal. | ||||||
| Logan Loya | UCLA | BSU | 5500 | 13 | 7500 | 11.27 |
| Logan Loya has been a strong value play pretty much all season with consistent targets in the UCLA passing attack. He’s been a favorite target for Ethan Garbers, who should be starting this bowl game. Loya has 15+ DK in five of the last eight games and ended the year with 9 catches in both of the past two games. He’s a top value WR on this slate as he should double-digit targets or so as one of UCLA’s best offensive weapons. | ||||||
| Perry Carter | JACST | ULL | 5400 | 12.28 | 7100 | 10.87 |
| Perry Carter is Jacksonville State’s clear top receiver with his 603 yards this season leading the team by a big margin. Carter was especially a favorite target for Zion Webb later in the season. He had 24 DK in two of the last three and is a top playmaker for the Jacksonville State offense. Carter is a decent value on this slate in one of the two high-total games. | ||||||
| Trond Grizzell | CAL | TTU | 5200 | 12.3 | 7000 | 10.25 |
| Trond Grizzell has been a boom-or-bust DFS play lately and he’s a top GPP value to consider on this slate. The Cal wideout has popped off for 35 and 23 DK in two of the last four games and brings plenty of upside into this higher-scoring matchup. Grizzell should see an increase in targets and yards with Taj Davis leaving the team before this bowl. It’s now essentially him and Jeremiah Hunter as the clear top two receivers for Fernando Mendoza. | ||||||
| Jonathan Brady | NMST | FRES | 5100 | 9.77 | 5800 | 7.24 |
| Jonathan Brady led New Mexico St in receptions and receiving yards this year as Diego Pavia’s top target. He ended the season strong with 95 yards, a TD, and 19 DK in the C-USA title game. Though he’s been up and down for DFS, Brady should be locked into targets for this bowl with Trent Hudson in the transfer portal. Hudson led NM St in TD catches, so Brady should see more red-zone looks now. He's a strong GPP value on both sites. | ||||||
| Coy Eakin | TTU | CAL | 5000 | 8.61 | 5500 | 6.43 |
| Texas Tech has seen several WRs enter the transfer portal. So, it leaves Coy Eakin as one of Behren Morton’s top targets for this bowl. Eakin saw a larger role late in the season with 4+ catches in three of the last four games. He and Xavier White will likely be Tech’s top pass-catchers this week and both are very cheap considering the favorable matchup against a weak Cal pass defense. Drae McCray and Jordan Brown are also GPP darts from the TTU receiving corps. | ||||||
| Jacob Bernard | ULL | JACST | 4800 | 7.36 | 6200 | 6.35 |
| Most of the Louisiana pass-catchers are GPP options, but Jacob Bernard has a decent cash floor at a cheap price. Over the final four games of the season, he had at least 4 catches or 50+ yards in each while being one of Chandler Fields’ top targets. Louisiana will face a subpar Jacksonville St pass defense, so one or multiple ULL receivers can exceed value. Bernard has been more consistent than some others, though. | ||||||
| Eli Wilson | APPST | MIAOH | 3800 | 9.1 | 6500 | 7.69 |
| With Deshaun Davis entering the transfer portal, Eli Wilson is one App St receiver who should benefit in this bowl. Wilson ended the season on a high note with double-digit DK points in four of the last five games and four TDs in that stretch. He’s emerged as one of Joey Aguilar’s favorite targets late in the year and hopefully that carries over here. The prices are cheap enough to take a chance on Wilson, though he's a better value on DK. | ||||||
| Neal Johnson | ULL | JACST | 3500 | 7.88 | 5500 | 6.80 |
| If you want a cheap upside play from one of the two high-total games on the slate, Neal Johnson can easily exceed value. He had 13 and 21 DK in the final two games of the regular season with 3 total TDs and a combined stat line of 6 catches for 111 yards. Johnson appeared to be one of Chandler Fields’ top targets late in the year and that can carry over into this bowl matchup vs a weaker Jacksonville St pass defense. | ||||||
| Billy Bowens | BSU | UCLA | 3300 | 5.58 | 5500 | 4.54 |
| With Eric McAlister transferring away, Billy Bowens is one of a few Boise St receivers now in a much bigger role than earlier this season. Bowens had four catches for 91 yards last game vs UNLV as he led the team in receptions and yards. By default, he should be a top target for freshman QB CJ Tiller – though the Boise passing attack may struggle overall. Still, Bowens is worth a GP value dart at his cheap prices. | ||||||
CFB DFS Core Plays
DraftKings Cash
- Diego Pavia – New Mexico State
- Ashton Jeanty – Boise State
- T.J. Harden – UCLA
DraftKings GPP
- Behren Morton – Texas Tech
- Rashod Amos – Miami OH
- Jeremiah Hunter – California
FanDuel Cash
- Diego Pavia – New Mexico State
- T.J. Harden – UCLA
- Tahj Brooks – Texas Tech
FanDuel GPP
- Zion Webb – Jacksonville State
- Jaydn Ott – California
- Jonathan Brady – New Mexico State
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