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Mike Marteny's DraftKings daily fantasy college football lineup picks for the Thursday (1/1/26) slate. His CFB DFS lineup picks and DFS sleepers will help you win.
Remember when you were a kid and the only thing that was on television on New Year's Day was bowl games? Where have those days gone? Our New Year's Day only has three games this year, but they are all College Football Playoff quarterfinal games.
Does that make up for fewer games? Not really, but we'll make do. Oregon and Texas Tech should be a fun matchup, or at the very least, a fun fan war on X leading up to the game. Indiana facing Alabama is intriguing because it pits one of the winningest programs in college football history against the one with the most losses. Ole Miss and Georgia face off in a rematch, but at least this one is at a neutral site, and Lane Kiffin won't be on my TV.
In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for the DraftKings slate on 1/1/26, starting at noon Eastern. I’ll give multiple player suggestions for quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers, highlighting one option at each end of the salary scale. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Gunner Stockton, Georgia ($8.1K)
Gunner Stockton's stellar performance vs Ole Miss. He's really got that dawg in him 🤧 pic.twitter.com/EYDyY2OBLt
— ℍ𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕥𝕠𝕟⚡️ (@HamDawg115) October 19, 2025
Stockton nuked Ole Miss the first time around. He put up 39.5 DraftKings points in that game, by far the highest total of the season. Stockton has that kind of ceiling again, so plan accordingly.
He might be my favorite play on the entire slate. This is full of tougher matchups except for Stockton against Mississippi.
Behren Morton, Texas Tech ($7.2K)
We just saw Alonza Barnett III have a nice game against Oregon. Granted, the Dukes were down big early, but still. Barnett did a lot of damage on the ground. Morton is about as mobile as Peyton Manning.
Morton will have to do all of his damage through the air, but that's not out of the question. Morton hasn't thrown an interception since his return to the lineup on November 1. He's hitting his stride at the right time.
Also consider these QBs
- Fernando Mendoza, Indiana ($8.5K)
- Trinidad Chambliss, Mississippi ($8K)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Cameron Dickey, Texas Tech ($6.8K)
Before the season, Texas Tech’s coaching staff made the decision to take a running back by committee approach.
Between Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams, it was about being 1A and 1B.
It was a 60-40 split throughout the regular season between the two. Dickey led with 1,023… pic.twitter.com/VkCsnmSnUI
— KeithInglisDT (@KeithInglisDT) November 30, 2025
Tech decided to take this approach after USC transfer Quinten Joyner was lost for the season in camp. It took a while, but Dickey is finally living up to his pricing again. It happened when Tech got Behren Morton back. It's not a coincidence.
Morton looks for Dickey more in the passing game because of his elite speed. The ceiling isn't that high because Williams will still get plenty of touches, but most of Dickey's touches in the last month have been more meaningful.
Nate Frazier, Georgia ($5.5K)
Stockton stole the show in the first meeting, but Frazier still notched 15.6 DraftKings points. If he gets close to that again for this price, I'll be ecstatic. We have every reason to think he will. Frazier has at least 14 DK points in all but two games since the first meeting.
Kaelon Black, Indiana ($5.1K)
Black and Roman Hemby have split carries all season, but they haven't always split production. Hemby gets more work in the passing game, but Black has been almost as productive at a fraction of the price. It's all about pricing here. We're going to need that extra $900.
Also consider these RBs
- Kewan Lacy, Mississippi ($7.8K)
- Jordon Davison, Oregon ($6.2K)
- Logan Diggs, Mississippi ($5.3K)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana ($6.3K)
Indiana's offense is often a master class in spreading the ball around. That's usually not good for DFS, but Alabama has been had by alpha receivers this year.
Cooper is the definition of alpha. This catch cemented his legacy in Indiana football history.
THE MOST INSANE TOE TAP YOU'LL SEE ALL SEASON
Omar Cooper Jr. take a bow 👏@IndianaFootball pic.twitter.com/07MncUCK4d
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 8, 2025
Cooper's ceiling isn't the highest on the slate. It isn't even the highest at the position. However, he is one of the lower-risk plays that you can build a lineup around.
Reggie Virgil, Texas Tech ($5.4K)
This Tech receiving corps is often tough to figure out. The higher ceiling belongs to Caleb Douglas, but you have to pay a hefty premium for him. Virgil is less boom and less bust, but his ceiling is still in the 30s.
Jeremiah McClellan, Oregon ($4.1K)
Oregon, like most of the other teams on this slate, is at its best when they spread the ball around. McClellan put up some good numbers with Dakorien Moore out. He has at least three receptions and eight DK points in every game without Moore.
Even with Moore back, McClellan put up six receptions against James Madison. Some of that was due to the blowout nature, but not all of it. JMU ended up pushing Oregon in the second half. They were still trying to win this game.
Josh Cuevas, Alabama ($3.7K)
The tight end has been the star of the Alabama offense lately. He has over 10 DK points in three of the last four games. Against a team like Indiana, we'll see Simpson check the ball down more. I love Cuevas at this price.
Also consider these WRs:
- Germie Bernard, Alabama ($6.1K)
- Zachariah Branch, Georgia ($5K)
- De'Zhaun Stribling, Mississippi ($4.8K)
- Coy Eakin, Texas Tech ($4.5K)
DraftKings CFB Stacks
Georgia vs. Mississippi - Game Stack
The teams combined for 78 points in the first meeting. On a slate with only three games, this isn't anywhere close to the worst idea. However, if you do this, you'll have to plan for around a quarter of the field doing the same thing. You'll have to be different somewhere.
A straight Georgia stack with Chambliss as a naked runback is intriguing and affordable. The most common Georgia stack, especially in a game stack, will be Stockton, Branch, and Frazier. Chauncey Bowens will be a little-used piece who was effective in the first meeting and has seen a few more touches lately.
Noah Thomas is a wild card and the fifth option in a Georgia full stack. Thomas missed the first meeting. Dillon Bell had his best game of the season in Thomas's stead.
The Mississippi stack can get expensive with Chambliss and Lacy. It's a good thing that Harrison Wallace III, Stribling, and Dae'Quan Wright are all affordable to run a full stack.
It is possible to run a 4-3 Georgia-Ole Miss stack, even with both QBs and Lacy, due to the price of the receivers. I like using Thomas in all of these instead of Bell. It's Stockton, Frazier, Branch, and Thomas for Georgia and Chambliss, Lacy, and Stribling for the Rebels.
Also consider these stacks:
- Indiana
- Texas Tech (GPP only)
- Oregon (GPP only)
More College Football Analysis
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