The two playoff games are complete and now we have a LSU Clemson championship game to look forward to in a few weeks. In the meantime we are in the thick of bowl season and basically everyday we will have a quality slate to breakdown. Monday gives us four games on the schedule, but with the first one starting early the sites have decided to mostly focus on a 3 game main slate. We have two ACC vs SEC matchups and another PAC12 vs Big 10 game, so we will have some decent names available on this slate.
** Make sure to monitor news close to lock as a lot of news can break late in CFB. Sometimes there is nothing we can do, but many other times you will be at an advantage if you can swap off someone late when others miss the news **
CFB DFS Picks: Quarterback
Tommy Stevens, Mississippi State – 7.2k DraftKings, 8k FanDuel
This was supposed to read Garrett Shrader, but apparently the freshman QB got into a post practice fight and injured himself. As a result he is unavailable for the game and that means Penn State transfer Tommy Stevens will get the call here. Stevens played a ton during the season so this isn’t a backup getting a start situation, and he should be in a position to succeed here.
Stevens isn’t the best pure passer, but he is a big guy who has shown an ability to run the football. One the year he has six touchdowns on the ground and keep in mind the playing time was not consistent. He draws a quality matchup with a Louisville defense that struggled all season and ranks 111th in scoring defense on the season. The way to attack them Is on the ground where they give up 200+ yards rushing and Stevens should be able to account for some of that production in this spot. The over under in this game clearly makes it the one to target so both quarterbacks are in play and a game stack could be utilized in this one.
Also Considering – Malik Cunningham
CFB DFS Running Backs
Christopher Brown Jr, California– 6.7k DraftKings, 8.4k FanDuel
Cal takes on Illinois in the first game of the main slate, and its really not an appealing one. The total sits at just 44 which is like an NFL game, and that clearly doesn’t scream shootout. Cal sits at 7-5 on the season while Illinois is just 6-6, so both teams have some issues. Adding to the confusion is that Cal has two quarterbacks that they utilize so it depends on the scenario and game flow to determine who is under center.
Regardless of all that we have Christopher Brown in the backfield for the Golden Bears, and he should be involved regardless. He comes into the game with 11 TD’s on the ground and should have success against the Illini front. The tempo and just overall blandness of Cal’s offense is always concerning, but he is the one player who should get volume regardless of game script. With a 6.5 point spread in favor of Cal this should set up for Brown to do work late and he is firmly in play on this slate.
Billy Kemp IV, Virginia – 3.6k DraftKings, 5.8k FanDuel
This is a guy I don’t know too much about, but on a slate this devoid of value we have to look for any opportunity to save salary. Kemp is a tailback at Virginia who seems to be solely a pass catcher, but that can hold some value in full point PPR formats. Virginia takes on Florida in the Orange bowl and is a big 14.5 point underdog so they should be playing catchup late in the game.
Against Clemson in the ACC Championship game Virginia was overwhelmed and trailing throughout which led to 14 targets for Kemp out of the backfield. We still do not have word if WR Joe Reed is available for Virginia, but either way Kemp could be the pure punt we are looking for. There is certainly a ton of risk for a guy like this, but I don’t see many other spots for salary relief and the game does set up perfectly for him to contribute.
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CFB DFS Picks: Wide Receivers
Chatarius Atwell, Louisville – 7.6k DraftKings, 9.1k FanDuel
Homerun threat on Louisville’s offense who really should be relied on heavily in this spot. Atwell has survived the quarterback carousel and thrived regardless of who is under center for the Cardinals. He is a big play type guy who comes into the game with six catches of 50+ yards on the year including a 90 yard TD against Syracuse. With the over under of this game sitting significantly higher than the other two it’s another great spot to target the Card playmaker.
Atwell’s speed is can and probably will cause problems for Mississippi States secondary, and he is live to break any slate he is on. Once again we don’t have a ton to like when looking over the WR options, so Atwell is clearly the best available despite being expensive and possibly overpriced.
Kyle Pitts, Florida – 5.7k DraftKings, 7k FanDuel
As I mentioned earlier we have Florida vs Virginia in the Orange bowl with the Gators coming in as the heavy favorite. They have had a quality year with just two losses on the resume (LSU & Georgia) both of which were nothing to feel too bad about. They are looking for an 11 win season and they should get it when you consider this matchup. QB Kyle Trask really thrived once he took over after Franks went down early in the season and the pass catchers will have opportunities in this one.
One of the major weapons for Florida is the tight end in Kyle Pitts. He is a 6 foot 5 225 pound Sophomore who really has carved out a role and looks to have unlimited potential when you see his skillset. He is one of Trasks most reliable options and I don’t know how Virginia plans to really blanket him. Florida has burners like Van Jefferson on the outside if you are looking for ceiling type performances, but Pitts has a great floor and should have plenty of opportunities to return value in this spot.
Also Considering – Terrell Jana (especially if Reed sits)
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Good Luck everyone!