College Football CFB DFS Playbook Friday December 30 Bowl Games: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
The college football bowl schedule is in full swing and Friday brings along five more matchups for our CFB DFS lineups. The Duke's Mayo Bowl between Maryland and NC State kicks us off at 12 pm ET on Friday. The Orange Bowl headlines the slate with Tennessee and Clemson facing off at night. There's also the Sun Bowl, Gator Bowl, and Arizona Bowl featuring teams like UCLA, Notre Dame, and South Carolina. Check out all the CFB DFS top picks, lineup strategies, teams to target, and value plays to lock in for these college football bowl games. Remember, you can access all of our College Football DFS coverage with a Fantasy Alarm All-Pro Subscription. If you have any questions about CFB daily fantasy lineup strategy, ask away in the Fantasy Alarm Discord chat. Plus, check out our college football daily projections and the CFB DFS lineup generator for more winning picks. Now, let's jump into the CFB DFS top plays and lineup picks for the College Football bowls on Friday, December 30th.
College Football Bowl Game Betting Odds – Friday, December 30
(via DraftKings Sportsbook)
- 12 pm ET – Maryland vs NC State (-1) – 46.5 O/U (in Charlotte, NC)
- 2 pm ET – Pittsburgh vs UCLA (-7.5) – 54 O/U (in El Paso, TX)
- 3:30 pm ET – Notre Dame (-3) vs South Carolina – 50.5 O/U (in Jacksonville, FL)
- 4:30 pm ET – Ohio (-2.5) vs Wyoming – 42 O/U (in Tucson, AZ)
- 8 pm ET – Tennessee vs Clemson (-6) – 63 O/U (in Miami, FL)
College Football CFB DFS Picks – Friday 12/30 Bowl Games
CFB DFS Quarterbacks
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Dorian Thompson-Robinson | UCLA | PITT | 9600 | 28.96 | 12000 | 27.96 |
| All indications are that DTR will be playing in this bowl game instead of opting out. If he’s playing, then the UCLA dual-threat is the clear top QB on a slate without many high-end options at the position. Pitt was average against the pass this season, but the unit has lost multiple starters on defense to opt out or transfer. He’s expensive, but DTR can put up 30-40 DFS points at his best if he’s indeed playing and fully engaged. | ||||||
| Joe Milton III | TENN | CLEM | 7400 | 9.14 | 10500 | 8.72 |
| Milton didn’t do a ton in his one start after Hendon Hooker tore his ACL, though it was a blowout win vs Vandy where Tennessee didn’t need to throw it much. Expect a better stat line in this bowl against a beatable Clemson pass defense that will be playing without a few starters. Milton has the dual-threat talent to go off for 30+ DFS points at his best and this game could turn into a mini-shootout. | ||||||
| Cade Klubnik | CLEM | TENN | 6900 | 4.64 | 9700 | 4.59 |
| Klubnik is locked into Clemson’s starting QB spot for this bowl (and likely next season) with DJ Uiagalelei transferring away. Klubnik looked pretty comfortable in the ACC title game when he was given extended run, going 20-for-24 for 279 yards and a TD through the air and adding a rushing score. Now he faces a weak Tennessee pass defense that got torched for 287 passing yards per game this season (fifth-worst in FBS). It sets up for Klubnik to be a top cash QB play on this slate in the highest total game. | ||||||
| MJ Morris | NCST | UMD | 5800 | 13 | 6500 | 14.88 |
| Morris missed the last two games of the season with injury, but he’s practicing and apparently fully healthy for this bowl. NC State won’t reveal a starter, but there’s really no reason for Morris not to start if he’s healthy. At least we’ll know early on since it’s the first game of the day. Morris put up 23 and 24 DK in his two full games this season, tossing three TDs in both. He can definitely return value as your Super-Flex against an average Maryland pass defense. | ||||||
| Nick Patti | PITT | UCLA | 5400 | 5.86 | 7200 | 5.86 |
| Patti is slated to start for Pitt with Kedon Slovis transferring away. Patti has been the Panthers’ backup for a few years now and only has 87 career pass attempts across four seasons while stuck behind Slovis and Kenny Pickett previously. Still, there’s upside here against a bottom-tier UCLA pass defense that gave up 275 passing yards per game (120th in FBS). He's firmly in play as a cheap Super-Flex option. | ||||||
Also Consider:
- Taulia Tagovailoa – Maryland (GPP)
- Spencer Rattler – South Carolina (GPP)
CFB DFS Running Backs
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Zach Charbonnet | UCLA | PITT | 8600 | 31.2 | 11000 | 26.85 |
| Like DTR, we’re expecting the Bruins’ star RB to play in this bowl game and not opt out. If that’s the case, then Charbonnet is a top running back in all formats with legit 50+ DK upside and one of the most trustworthy volumes on the slate. Of course, there’s the risk he exits early. Pitt had a stout rush defense this year, but it also lost multiple starting defensive linemen to opt out. Since we have cheaper options at RB, limit Charbonnet exposure to GPP. | ||||||
| Sieh Bangura | OHIO | WYO | 7300 | 20.89 | 10000 | 18.94 |
| Bangura is one of the lone RBs on this slate that brings a workhorse role into the bowl game. The Ohio lead back saw 20+ carries with a rush TD in four straight games to end the season. The offense will likely feature him plenty with starting QB Kurtis Rourke out for the season still. Wyoming lost multiple starters on defense due to transfer and Bangura’s volume should make him a safe cash play. | ||||||
| Rodney Hammond Jr. | PITT | UCLA | 5700 | 9.73 | 7000 | 8.80 |
| Hammond steps into Pitt’s starting RB spot with Israel Abanikanda opting out for the NFL Draft. He’s more than capable of filling in as a lead back and should take on the huge volume that Abanikanda was getting. In Week 10 when Abanikanda was out, Hammond saw 28 carries for 124 yards and a TD. The Pitt offense was already run-heavy, but it’ll likely lean on Hammond and the run game with starting QB Kedon Slovis transferring away. Expect Hammond to be a popular cash play. | ||||||
| Logan Diggs | ND | SCAR | 5400 | 11.56 | 7200 | 10.38 |
| Notre Dame rotates three guys in the backfield, so it’s tough to trust any of them on a game-to-game basis in cash lineups. However, this matchup vs. a terrible South Carolina rush defense puts all of Logan Diggs, Aucris Estime, and Chris Tyree in play for GPPs. If choosing one, Diggs saw the more consistent workload down the final stretch of the regular season compared to Estime and Tyree. The SC defense gave up 192 rushing yards per game this year (112th in FBS). Diggs has 100+ yards in two of the last four games. | ||||||
| Juju McDowell | SCAR | ND | 4800 | 6.36 | 5900 | 5.40 |
| With MarShawn Lloyd entering the transfer portal, the South Carolina backfield has listed co-starters at RB with Christian Beal-Smith and Juju McDowell sharing lead duties. However, Beal-Smith is banged up and may not see the field much in this bowl. McDowell may fall into a ton of touches by default. There’s definite potential to return value as either a rusher and pass-catcher out of the Gamecocks’ backfield. | ||||||
Also Consider:
- Will Shipley – Clemson (Cash/GPP)
- Audric Estime – Notre Dame (GPP)
- Jaylen Wright – Tennessee (GPP)
CFB DFS Wide Receivers
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jake Bobo | UCLA | PITT | 6900 | 15.16 | 8500 | 12.32 |
| Bobo is another UCLA player who could have opted out, but all reports say he’s playing in this bowl with DTR and Charbonnet. The Bruins’ top WR should see even more targets than usual with Kazmeir Allen sitting out ahead of the NFL Draft. Bobo had seven catches for 62 yards and a TD last game and has the GPP ceiling to go for 100+ yards and 25+ DFS points. | ||||||
| Bru McCoy | TENN | CLEM | 6500 | 12.47 | 8800 | 10.24 |
| With Cedric Tillman and Jalin Hyatt sitting out, McCoy becomes Tennessee’s clear No. 1 WR and top target for Joe Milton. He was already playing a ton and seeing plenty of targets, but McCoy should be locked into a bigger workload now. He has a ton of GPP upside against a shaky Clemson secondary that could struggle to contain his size and bigger build in the red zone. | ||||||
| Antwane Wells Jr. | SCAR | ND | 6300 | 18.82 | 9400 | 14.77 |
| Josh Vann is out, Jalen Brooks is doubtful, and South Carolina lost a couple other key offensive players to the transfer portal including MarShawn Lloyd and Raheim Bell. So, Wells should be locked into a ton of targets as the clear top playmaker for the Gamecocks now. He’s coming into this bowl game hot with 30+ DK in three of the last four games, including 11 catches for 177 yards vs Tennessee and nine catches for 131 yards vs Clemson in the final two regular-season contests. Wells has a clear rapport with Spencer Rattler and the pair should be connecting often. | ||||||
| Jeshaun Jones | UMD | NCST | 5700 | 10.76 | 6800 | 8.67 |
| Rakim Jarrett, Jacob Copeland, and Dontay Demus are all off to the NFL and opting out of this bowl game. That leaves Jones as one of Maryland’s lone proven pass-catchers and a top target for Taulia Tagovailoa. His 478 receiving yards and four TDs led the team this season and he just went off for nine catches, 152 yards, and 33 DK in the last game of the regular season. | ||||||
| Squirrel White | TENN | CLEM | 4800 | 9.69 | 7500 | 5.60 |
| With Tillman and Hyatt out for Tennessee, we have Ramel Keyton and Squirrel White stepping into starting WR roles. Both are good values on this slate with the uptick in targets and snap share. White will be in Hyatt’s place in the slot, which is a very productive position in the Vols’ offense. He should return DK value with his reception volume as a quick-strike option for Joe Milton. | ||||||
| Davis Allen | CLEM | TENN | 4400 | 8.62 | 5900 | 7.08 |
| Clemson’s passing attack spreads it around a bunch, but Allen could easily return value against a weak Tennessee pass defense. The tight end had double-digit DK points in three of the last four games to end the season, including a TD catch in the ACC title game from Cade Klubnik. If you’re interested in narratives, Allen announced this will be his final game at Clemson and won’t return next season – so maybe the Tigers will look to send him out on a high note. Joseph Ngata and Cole Turner are other cheap Clemson receivers to consider. | ||||||
| Corey Dyches | UMD | NCST | 4200 | 8.41 | 6000 | 6.70 |
| There are a ton of targets up for grabs in Maryland’s receiving corps with Jarrett, Copeland, and Demus all out. Dyches should step into a bigger pass-catching role for this bowl, especially with fellow tight end CJ Dippre transferring away. Dyches had 35 catches for 449 yards and three TDs this season as one of Tagovailoa’s top targets overall. Two other dart throws for the Terps are Tai Felton and Octavian Smith Jr. | ||||||
| Dakereon Joyner | SCAR | ND | 3700 | 7.36 | 5000 | 6.95 |
| As mentioned above, South Carolina is dealing with a ton of roster turnover at the offensive skill positions and, specifically, in the WR corps. Joyner is moving into a starting receiver role with Josh Vann out and there’s a ton of targets and DFS production up for grabs in the Gamecocks’ offense. Joyner is interesting because he’s a former QB who’s being used at WR, but he also brings some rushing ability into the mix. Whether he’s catching it or running it, we may see a lot of Joyner in this bowl and the price tags are very attractive in all formats. Nate Adkins and Ahmareon Brown are other cheap SC pass-catchers to consider. | ||||||
| Lorenzo Styles | ND | SCAR | 3300 | 6.81 | 6200 | 5.45 |
| Michael Mayer opting out for the NFL Draft opens up a ton of targets and offensive production for Notre Dame. The Irish have a ton of cheap pass-catchers to consider here, but Styles might provide the best bang for your buck. The wideout could end up being a favorite target for Tyler Buchner, who’s expected to start at QB with Drew Pyne transferring away. Styles had seven catches for 69 yards in Week 2 with Buchner under center. It’s risky, but the upside is there for either Styles, Braden Lenzy, Deion Colzie, Mitchell Evans, and/or Jayden Thomas to smash value with Mayer out. | ||||||
Also Consider:
- Jared Wayne – Pittsburgh (GPP)
- Ramel Keyton – Tennessee (Cash/GPP)
- Joseph Ngata – Clemson (GPP)
- Cole Turner – Clemson (GPP)
- Tai Felton – Maryland (GPP)
- Nate Adkins – South Carolina (GPP)
CFB DFS Core Plays
DraftKings Cash:
- Cade Klubnik – Clemson
- Rodney Hammond – Pittsburgh
- Squirrel White – Tennessee
DraftKings GPP:
- Joe Milton – Tennessee
- Logan Diggs – Notre Dame
- Dakereon Joyner – South Carolina
FanDuel Cash:
- Cade Klubnik – Clemson
- Rodney Hammond – Pittsburgh
- Sieh Bangura – Ohio
FanDuel GPP:
- Dorian Thompson-Robinson – UCLA
- Jeshaun Jones – Maryland
- Juju McDowell – South Carolina
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