We have arrived at the finale of the college football season, and it couldn’t be a more exciting finish. We have undefeated Clemson facing off against undefeated LSU in a matchup that has everything. Clemson is the defending national champion with a future No. 1 pick at quarterback facing off against LSU, who has the Heisman Trophy winner and a soon-to-be No. 1 pick. This article is going to breakdown the game from a CFB DFS perspective. Make sure to look out for the Betting breakdown which will go more in depth on the teams and their seasons to date. Since this is a single game, we are dealing with Showdown, so identifying captains and narratives is the name of the game.
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8 PM EST: Clemson vs LSU -5.5 , O/U 68
Quarterback
It is no surprise that these two quarterbacks are the most expensive guys on the slate. If you use a quarterback at captain we are going to have to find some cheap values to fill out the roster as that’s a $16,000-plus hit to the cap. Both of these guys are unbelievable and each bring as much upside as you could imagine with a game that has a 68 over/under.
Joe Burrow – LSU $12,800
Burrow comes into the game having thrown seven touchdowns against Oklahoma in the semifinal and it easily could have been more if they didn’t let up in the second half. He added a rushing score for a solid snowman performance, but isn’t an extreme running threat on a week-to-week basis. On the season, Burrow has 55 touchdowns through the air with just six picks which is the reason he was the runaway Heisman Trophy winner. He goes up against Clemson’s top-ranked defense, but with his weapons, there is no doubt he will have some success moving the ball.
Trevor Lawrence – Clemson $10,800
On the Clemson side, we have Lawrence who still hasn’t been beaten in his college career. He had a sluggish start to the season and that killed his Heisman chances, but he is in a groove heading into this game. Lawrence had two touchdowns through the air against Ohio State and added in 100 yards on the ground and another score. If he is able to run like that, it is an incredible boost to his CFB DFS ceiling.
Running Backs
If there is an injury situation to monitor, it is at running back, specifically with LSU. Clyde Edwards-Helaire was injured leading up to the semifinal and was questionable to go with the hamstring issue. He played against Oklahoma, but was limited and only rushed the ball twice. All reports are that he is good to go and should be much more involved here, but still keep an eye leading up until lock.
Clemson’s Travis Etienne might be underrated despite being one of the best running backs in the country. Clemson blows out so many teams that Etienne is usually resting late in games so the numbers don’t always add up like they should. He comes into this game averaging a mind boggling 8.0 yards a carry on the season and is also a threat in the passing game. His breakaway speed caused issues for Ohio State in the semifinal as Etienne torched them for three touchdowns (one rushing, two receiving). The quarterbacks certainly have all the tools for massive games, but Etienne is another interesting pick for a captain look as he is explosive and will be heavily involved.
I already mentioned LSU’s Edwards-Helaire and his injury, but it looks like he will be back in action. He also can catch some balls and him being close to 100% is a major boost to the LSU offense. In terms of how to roster him for CFB DFS, I don’t love the idea of him as a captain as I would rather pay up to the premier guys or take a high-upside receiver.
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Wide Receivers
Considering the way these offenses move the ball and the quality of quarterbacks, it is not a surprise how elite the weapons are on the outside for these teams. Clemson has two legit first-rounders, while LSU has a bunch of guys for Burrow to get involved, so each secondary will have their hands full. Honestly, talking about this game is unique because every position for both teams jumps off the page and it is strength on strength basically across the board. Still, the total is hovering near 70 so we know the offenses will have the advantage. That gives us plenty to work with at receiver. Here is a breakdown of all the main weapons from both sides:
LSU
Justin Jefferson – $9,800 – 102-1434-18
Ja’Marr Chase – $8,600 – 75-1559-18
Terrace Marshall Jr – $6,800 – 43-625-12 (injured for a stretch during season)
Thaddeus Moss – $4,200 – 42-534-2
As you can see, Burrow has guys putting up video game numbers and any of them can have a blowup game. Lately, Jefferson has been doing the heavy lifting, but Chase may be overlooked in CFB DFS because of the recency bias. Both of them make for a reasonable captain option if you do not want to pay up for the quarterbacks in that spot.
Clemson
Tee Higgins – $8,000 – 56-1115-13
Justyn Ross – $7,400 – 61-789-8
Amari Rodgers – $4,800 – 28-418-5
Clemson to me has the best group of wide receivers in the country, but it is essentially a dynamic duo with Higgins and Ross on the outside. The numbers aren’t going to jump off the page, but that’s due to Clemson beating teams by 40-plus basically every week. When Clemson is in competitive games like this one, they lean heavily on Higgins and Ross. Ross to me is the more explosive of the two, while Higgins is a better target in the red zone. LSU has a fantastic secondary and a phenom freshman corner who will challenge them, but I still would feel confident rostering either or both of these guys on my lineups.
Final Thoughts
As we talk about each week with the NFL, the key to Showdown is to try and build according to certain game scripts and hope you connect the dots. With two teams this talented, we have plenty of options at captain and then it’s a matter of trying to stay under the cap while not being overly obvious to avoid duplication issues. The kickers are available on this slate while the defenses are not, but both kickers get most of their points from PATs. Taking a shot with one of the big time play makers on either team is a worthwhile CFB DFS strategy as you can save some salary with a non-quarterback at captain.
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Good Luck everyone!
