Teams To Target (By Implied Point Totals):

  1. SMU -- 36.5 Points vs. FAU (70 Total)

  2. FAU -- 33.5 Points vs. SMU (70 Total)

  3. Arkansas State -- 32.5 Points vs. FIU (62.5 Total)

  4. Appalachian State -- 32.25 Points vs. UAB (48 Total)

  5. Georgia Southern -- 31.75 Points vs. Liberty (58.5 Total)

  6. FIU -- 30 Points vs. Arkansas State (62.5 Total)

 

QUARTERBACKS

Shane Buechele - SMU ($7,700 DK / $10,500 FD)

Buechele is the highest-priced QB on both sites for good reason - he’s quarterbacking the team projected to score the most points on the slate in the game with the highest total. Still, he’s worth paying up for on this slate because there’s a big drop-off in talent after him. Out of the 12 starting QB’s on this slate, Buechele led them all in passing yards (3,626) and passing touchdowns (33) as he benefited from playing in the high-scoring SMU offense. Although the Mustangs boast a strong running back in Xavier Jones, that hasn’t taken away from Buechele’s passing volume this season. The senior had 34 or more attempts in seven of 12 games this year and he once averaged 47 attempts from Weeks 8-11 when the SMU offense hit its stride. We should expect Buechele to air it out in his last collegiate game so he can pad his stats and put more on film for potential scouts - he seems like the safest QB to start your lineups with in all formats today. 

Layne Hatcher - Arkansas State ($6,900 DK / $9,400 FD)

After Buechele, it gets a little dicey as to where to go for your Super-Flex. Hatcher, though, has been putting up some monster numbers at the helm of Arkansas State’s offense. Since taking over as the starter in Week 5, he threw for at least two touchdowns in every game and racked up 300 or more passing yards in six of seven (and tossed 299 yards in another). Arkansas State has a couple of stud receivers at Hatcher’s disposal and it’s encouraging to see the coaching staff stick with him the rest of the season to run the offense. The only risk with Hatcher today is his matchup, though. The FIU defense is much better against the pass than the run and it could mean less passing volume for Hatcher (who doesn’t add much rushing upside either). Still, he’ll be an excellent GPP play today because of the likely lower-ownership and potential for another big passing day. The Arkansas State defense is terrible and it could mean Hatcher needs to throw more in the second half to make up a potential deficit. 

Shai Werts - Georgia Southern ($6,500 DK / $7,900 FD)

If you’ve been laying CFB DFS this season, you know what you’re getting in Shai Werts when you roster him. He’s a rush-first QB in Georgia Southern’s triple-option offense and any passing numbers we get from him is a bonus. Still, he’s been a very solid value QB this year because of the damage he does with his legs as one of the team’s top three rushing options - and he does add some passing production here-and-there. Werts ran for 676 yards and five touchdowns this season - and he also passed for 704 yards and nine touchdowns. Again, we’re not targeting his passing numbers - but it’s encouraging to see him throw for three touchdowns in a single game in two of the final four weeks to end the year. Werts, though, should be able to return value as a runner in this matchup against a Liberty defense that allowed 193 rushing yards per game this season. If you’re playing Werts, it might be smart to pair him with one of his backfield mates who could steal rushing touchdowns away. We’ll get to them in a second. 

Also Consider: 

  • Chris Robison - FAU ($7,300 DK / $8,300 FD)

  • Zac Thomas - Appalachian State ($7,100 DK / $9,600 FD)

  • James Morgan - FIU ($5,400 DK / $7,000 FD)

 

RUNNING BACKS

Xavier Jones - SMU ($7,800 DK / $9,700 FD)

Deciding on which high-priced RB to play (if any) could make-or-break your DFS lineups today - but Xavier Jones should be the safest among them. The SMU tailback has been a DFS beast all season long and there’s no reason he’ll stop now. Jones rushed for 100 or more yards in eight of his 12 games this season and racked up 21 rushing touchdowns in the process. Outside of Appalachian State’s Darrynton Evans, no other RB on this slate receives a bigger workload than Jones as he regularly sees 20 total touches on a weekly basis. He’s the clear bell-cow back in the SMU backfield and that guaranteed volume is always something we like to target in our DFS lineups - especially at the RB position. Plus, in this matchup where SMU could be ahead for the majority of the game against a depleted FAU team - Jones could have plenty of opportunities to rack up second-half yards as they run out the clock. If you’re paying up at RB today, Jones is the best option. 

Wesley Kennedy - Georgia Southern ($7,600 DK / $9,100 FD) 

While Jones should be the shalky high-priced back today, it’s certainly worth taking a look at the Georgia Southern backfield with Wesley Kennedy leading the way. As we mentioned earlier, the Liberty defense is not good against the run - allowing 193 rushing yards per game - and that doesn’t bode well for a matchup against the Eagles’ triple-option offense. Kenendy averaged 6,9 yards per rush this season and scored 10 touchdowns in eight games. Although he was injured to begin the year, Kennedy has been strong all season when he’s on the field with at least 75 rushing yards in each of the past seven games. Limit your exposure to Kennedy to GPP’s because of the fact that either fellow back J.D. King or QB Shai Werts can steal touchdowns whenever the team is in the red-zone. Still, Kennedy is the big-play threat in this backfield while King is the short-yardage runner - and there’s always a chance he breaks a big run or two in this easy matchup vs. Liberty. 

Anthony Jones - FIU ($5,500 DK / $7,900 FD)

We mentioned earlier that Arkansas State’s defense is bad - well, how bad is it? The Red Wolves’ D gave up 224 rushing yards and 469 total yards per game this season. They have the worst rushing defense on this slate - by far - so we need to be strongly considering Anthony Jones, the lead running back on the other side. The FIU senior isn’t the normal workhorse back we like for DFS, but he still led the team in rushes and yards this season by a significant margin. Jones racked up 802 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 166 carries - 50 more rushes than any other FIU back. In FIU’s second-to-last game of the year, Jones ran for 112 yards and a score on 16 carries against Miami (FL) - a notable accomplishment considering it’s against a Power 5 defense on the road. The price isn’t too bad for Jones on either site and we can bank on him returning value in a cupcake matchup. 

BJ Emmons - FAU ($4,600 DK / $7,000 FD)

Malcolm Davidson, FAU’s leading rusher this season, has been ruled out for this bowl game with an undisclosed injury and it will thrust Emmons into a much bigger workload than originally expected. Emmons was likely going to see a fair share of carries behind Davidson, but now the starting job is his to lose. After missing the majority of the season with an injury, Emmonds returned for the final three games and was actually very productive. He was FAU’s best rusher over the last three weeks of the regular season with 164 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 33 carries. His knack to get into the end zone is certainly noteworthy as he was used on the goal-line ahead of Davidson at times. Considering how bad the Owls’ passing attack could be with three starting receivers also out today, Emmons might be leaned on more than expected in this game - which is projecting to be the highest-scoring matchup on the slate. 

Also Consider:

  • Darrynton Evans - Appalachian State ($7,400 DK / $10,000 FD)

  • J.D. King - Georgia Southern ($5,800 DK / $7,700 FD)

  • Marcel Murray - Arkansas State ($5,500 DK / $7,600 FD)

  • Napoleon Maxwell - FIU ($5,000 DK / $6,900 FD)

  • James Charles - FAU ($4,200 DK / $5,100 FD)

 

WIDE RECEIVERS

Omer Bayless - Arkansas State ($8,100 DK / $9,900 FD)

You may not have heard of Omer Bayless until now - but that shouldn’t stop you from playing him in DFS today. He’s the highest-priced WR for a reason and even in a tough matchup against FIU’s good pass defense - Bayless needs to be strongly considered. The Arkansas State wideout has scored a touchdown in all but two games this season and was held under 19 DK points just once - back in Week 3 vs. Georgia. Bayless is almost matchup-proof at this point and he has the potential to be the highest-scoring player on this entire slate. In 12 games, he AVERAGED seven receptions, 123 receiving yards and 1.3 touchdowns. He’s a target machine in the Ark St offense and could actually be relatively popular on a slate with some clear value and not many studs worth paying up for. Bayless has proven he’s certainly worth every penny. 

James Proche - SMU ($7,900 DK / $9,500 FD)

With how much value there is on this slate, there’s a real opportunity to roster both Omer Bayless and James Proche in the same lineup - but SMU’s top wideout should be strongly considered either way. The senior will likely be playing on Sunday’s next year as he proved to be one of the best wideout talents in college football this season. Proche caught at least seven passes in all but one of his 12 games this season and he caught a touchdown in every week since the season opener. The high target volume is certainly there for Proche and he’s seen an uptick in usage in the SMU receiving corps with Reggie Roberson dealing with an injury that could keep him out today. If you want an idea as to Proche’s legit DFS ceiling, take a look at his performances in Weeks 10 and 11 - he had 13 receptions, 149 yards and a score vs. Memphis and then followed up with 14 catches, 167 yards and two touchdowns vs. ECU. 

Thomas Hennigan - Appalachian State ($5,000 DK / $7,100 FD)

Hennigan has become the top pass-catcher in the App State offense over the past two games with the Mountaineers’ leading receiver, Corey Sutton, out for the year. In the first game without Sutton in Week 14, we saw Hennigan catch 11 passes for 140 yards - then he followed up with four receptions for 60 yards in the final game. Although App State may not have to throw it much in what should be an easy bowl victory over UAB, Hennigan is the top receiver for QB Zac Thomas right now and we’re still getting him at a discount on both sites. It’s easy to see Hennigan return value with his receptions, yardage and a possible touchdown before the game is taken care of in the second half. 

FAU Receivers

The Florida Atlantic offense will look very different from when they last took the field, but it allows us to take advantage with some value plays here. The Owls will be missing three starters in the receiving corps, specifically, and this should open up more snaps and targets for the remaining pass-catchers. All-American tight end Harrison Bryant is expected to sit out as he preps for the NFL Draft, and a pair of starting receivers (Deangelo Antoine and Tavaris Harrison) are reportedly suspended for academic reasons. Those three were FAU’s top three leading receivers during the regular season and it leaves starting wideout John Mitchell ($4,900 DK / $5,800 FD) and back-up tight end John Raine ($5,000 DK / $5,500 FD) as the only Owls left who caught at least 15 passes this season. However, there’s some playing time opening up for a couple of cheap guys now. Willie Wright ($3,700 DK / $5,600 FD) is expected to start in the slot in place of Antoine, and walk-on Brandon Robinson ($3,400 DK / $4,800 FD) will take over Harrison’s starting spot after he practiced with the first team this past week. Obviously Mitchell and Raine are the safer options because they’ve been more consistently involved in the FAU offense - but Wright and Robinson are certainly viable cheap fliers with the increase in playing time. Wright seems like the better play than Robinson because he’s been catching passes periodically all season long. 

Cade Otton - Washington ($4,600 DK / $6,000 FD)

With Huskies’ tight end Hunter Bryant opting to skip this bowl game to prep for the NFL Draft, Cade Otton is thrust into a starting role in the offense today. Bryant, himself, was very productive as Washington’s leading receiver this year with 4-6 catches weekly. We could very possibly see similar usage and target volume for Otton now that he’s the starter for QB Jacob Eason, who clearly favored using his tight end in the passing tree. Otton, though, was actually decent even when Bryant was there - catching at least three passes in four of the last five games heading into today. Outside of the FAU value wideouts, Otton is the next-best cheap receiver on this slate. 

Also Consider: 

  • Antonio Gandy-Golden - Liberty ($7,500 DK / $8,600 FD)

  • Aaron Fuller - Washington ($6,500 DK / $7,200 FD)

  • Khalil Shakir - Boise State ($6,100 DK / $8,000 FD)

  • Malik Williams - Appalachian State ($4,700 DK / $6,200 FD)

  • Terrell Bynum - Washington ($3,500 DK / $6,700 FD)

 

DraftKings Example Lineup:

QB: Shane Buechele - SMU ($7,700)

RB: J.D. King - GSU ($5,800)

RB: BJ Emmons - FAU ($4,600)

WR: James Proche - SMU ($7,900)

WR: Omer Bayless - ARST ($8,100)

WR: Willie Wright - FAU ($3,700)

FLEX: Anthony Jones - FIU ($5,500)

S-FLEX: Shai Werts - GSU ($6,500)

 

FanDuel Example Lineup:

QB: Shane Buechele - SMU ($10,500)

RB: Wesley Kennedy - GSOU ($9,100)

RB: BJ Emmons - FAU ($7,000)

WR: James Proche - SMU ($9,500)

WR: Omer Bayless - ARKST ($9,900)

WR: Cade Otton - WASH ($6,000)

S-FLEX: Shai Werts - GSOU ($7,900)