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Mike Marteny's DraftKings daily fantasy college football lineup picks for the Wednesday (12/31/25) slate. His CFB DFS lineup picks and DFS sleepers will help you win.
The last day of the year gives us another great DFS day. We are approaching the bowls, where there appear to be fewer opt-outs, but we still need to keep an eye on that. The first CFP quarterfinal is on this slate as well, giving us a rematch of the 2002 National Championship game. That game changed the trajectory of the Miami and Ohio State programs. Can the Canes reverse the curse?
Diego Pavia's potential final ride with Vanderbilt against Iowa is on here. So is Texas-Michigan. Arizona State faces Duke. We also have Nebraska and Utah on here.
In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for the DraftKings slate on 12/31/25, 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
Julian Sayin, Ohio State ($7.8K)
Sayin is about as efficient as they come, but that also lowers his ceiling. Sayin hasn't topped 20 DraftKings points since November 1 against Penn State. He hasn't been bad in the five games since, but the 8:3 TD:INT leaves something to be desired.
Ohio State has been content to attack on the ground, but that will be harder to do against Miami. Sayin is going to have to make more plays than he has been forced to this year.
Darian Mensah, Duke ($7.5K)
Mensah went from one conference champ (Tulane) to another. The difference is that he transferred to the ACC Champ and still missed the CFP. The CFP Committee was upset and made sure it would never happen again.
Mensah has already committed to returning to Duke. He made some huge strides as a passer this year, as he led the ACC in passing yards and passing touchdowns during the regular season. He'll be an early first-round talent in the 2027 NFL Draft. Mensah would probably be a first-round pick in this year's draft, but players can now make more in college than they can on a rookie contract in the NFL if they aren't a top-5 pick.
Darian Mensah with the beautiful over the shoulder touchdown throw.
I know scouts are iffy on his mechanics, but he can throw a damn pretty ball and has a good arm.
He is going to be a fast riser in the #NFLDraft in 2027#Duke pic.twitter.com/DluoANN7rn— Chris Connor (@LastCallwChrisC) November 1, 2025
Mensah isn't there yet. The NFL's loss is our DFS gain. Mensah slowed down a little bit in conference play, but he still didn't put up bad games. He has the best matchup on the slate, and we know the ceiling is above 40. That's perfect for GPP usage.
TJ Lateef, Nebraska ($6K)
We don't get a free space at QB as we did on Saturday. Part of it is the lack of opt-out news. Another part of it is that most high-profile quarterbacks are staying put. Dylan Raiola is not, so we know that Lateef is Nebraska's starter.
He was abysmal against Iowa, but most of the team was as well. Don't expect a miracle out of Lateef, but his ceiling is around 20 DK points. I'll be happy with that for the price.
Also consider these QBs
- Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt ($9.2K)
- Jeff Sims, Arizona State ($7.2K)
- Bryce Underwood, Michigan ($5.7K)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Wayshawn Parker, Utah ($6.4K)
We'll have to keep an eye on Parker. Even if he doesn't follow Kyle Whittingham to Michigan, he could still transfer elsewhere. Parker will be a college running back for at least one more season.
Nebraska's run defense was a sore spot this year after being a top-20 unit last year. Utah loves to run the ball. If it isn't Parker, NaQuari Rogers, or Daniel Bray, they will do the damage. We want whoever starts at RB for Utah on this slate.
Mark Fletcher Jr., Miami (FL) ($5.1K)
What a story Mark Fletcher is man.
Was committed to Ohio State flipped to Miami so his family can watch him. Plays for his dad and mom drives to every single game.
Best game of his career on the biggest stage.
172 rushing yards & 10.1 YPC
pic.twitter.com/3wxpKqSisK— Garrett Armbrust (@4thandsaturday) December 20, 2025
Fletcher is the kind of back that you can play against any defense. Is he going to have a monster game against Ohio State? No. Will he get a lot of touches and hold his own against this defense? Absolutely.
The risk is baked into Fletcher's price. He was over $7K for much of the ACC season for Miami. I don't see a scenario where Fletcher gets less than 15 touches unless Ohio State blows Miami off the field.
Isaiah Mozee, Nebraska ($4.8K)
Emmett Johnson is one of the more high-profile transfers so far. Who will take over at RB for Nebraska? Will he get the touches that Johnson did? It's doubtful, but true freshman Isaiah Mozee should get a long look in this game.
Nebraska HC Matt Rhule on the RB room ahead of the Las Vegas Bowl without Emmett Johnson: "Those guys are gonna have to show up, not just in running the football, making plays. But also in the protection game."
***Rhule added that he expects Isaiah Mozee, Kwinten Ives, Mekhi…
— Bobby Schneider (@bschneider33) December 19, 2025
Mozee was the primary backup to Johnson for the last couple of games, but that was like being a punter on the 1999 St Louis Rams. The guy still didn't get much work. I don't like the way Matt Rhule makes this sound like a committee, but I believe in Mozee's talent.
Also consider these RBs
- Nate Sheppard, Duke ($6.9K)
- Kamari Moulton, Iowa ($5.8K)
- Kanye Udoh, Arizona State ($5K)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State ($8.4K)
JEREMIAH SMITH CONTINUES HIS STELLAR FRESHMAN SEASON 🔥
Ohio State responds with a touchdown of its own 😤 pic.twitter.com/FOEr4rNIF9
— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025
Remember last year when the debate about Ryan Williams and Jeremiah Smith emerged? Who was better? Williams faded down the stretch. Smith went nuclear in the CFP. Williams has slipped further from people's minds this year. Smith has not.
Ohio State leaned heavily on Smith when the chips were down in the CFP last year. It's going to happen again. He put up 25.4 DK points in the Big Ten Championship against Indiana and totaled 290 yards and four touchdowns on 13 receptions across his first two CFP playoff games.
Cooper Barkate, Duke ($6.6K)
The strange thing about the ACC Championship tiebreaker disaster is that it likely kept the Duke team together. Changes are coming to the CFP -- including but not limited to -- all Power 4 conferences getting an automatic bid, which closes the loophole. The fans who dislike fun will get their wish.
The byproduct is that both Mensah and Barkate are returning to Duke. It's very likely that one or both would have fled it, not for that one little detail.
Barkate is easily Mensah's favorite target. He has a relatively high floor (or at least he did until the North Carolina game), and the ceiling is well over 40. This is a dress rehearsal for 2026. I'm buying in on the pair.
Malik McClain, Arizona State ($5.7K)
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Jordyn Tyson is off to the NFL and will skip this game. Who can blame him? After a hamstring injury cost him most of November, he was knocked out of the Territory Cup game with another injury.
Tyson's decision for his future is McClain's gain. He formed a bit of a rapport with journeyman Sims, who filled in for Sam Leavitt the last half of the season. TE Chamon Metayer is also opting out, so even more targets will be up for grabs.
Derek Eusebio, Arizona State ($4.5K)
Eusebio outgained and out-targeted McClain in two of the three games in which both of them played. McClain will probably get a few more looks, but there's no guarantee that he will do more with them than Eusebio does.
Also consider these WRs:
- Malachi Toney, Miami (FL) ($7K)
- Junior Sherrill, Vanderbilt ($5.6K)
- Parker Livingstone, Texas ($4.3K)
- Jacory Barney Jr., Nebraska ($3.8K)
DraftKings CFB Stacks
Duke vs. Arizona State - Game Stack
There are a couple of layers to this, which is why I'm suggesting a game stack instead of a full stack on either side. Both Duke and Arizona State have been tough against the run. Duke has been brutalized through the air.
Sims, McClain, and Eusebio are going to be a very popular stack, and for good reason. They're very affordable. Many will go value hunting with Kanye Udoh, thanks to injuries and opt-outs in the Arizona State backfield. I'll just use Jalen Moss instead. Udoh won't be used in the passing game, and Sims will be the only decent option in the ASU run game.
For Duke, it's much of the same. I'll have many mini stacks of Mensah and Barkate. Jeremiah Halsey was outstanding down the stretch for Duke as well. If you're willing to take a chance on Que'Sean Brown, I would suggest just using Sheppard instead. He'll get more volume and should be more productive. Even Anderson Castle is as good an option as Brown.
The problem with the game stack is that you can use a maximum of four receivers if you use both quarterbacks...and you have to use both quarterbacks. I like the idea of using McClain, Eusebio, Barkate, and Halsey. If you want to be different, this stack is cheap enough that you can leave McClain out and add another star at the flex spot.
Also consider these stacks:
- Utah
- Ohio State (GPP only)
- Iowa (GPP only)
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