RADIO
Happy New Year! We kick it off with a full day of bowl games! Unfortunately, these are the last college football games of the 2023 season except for the National Championship Game. The end of the season is hitting a little harder than normal because college football will change for the worse in 2024. So I'm going to enjoy the last gasp of 2023.
We begin in Tampa with Wisconsin taking on LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Next up is Liberty and Oregon from the desert in the Fiesta Bowl. We have Iowa and Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl from Orlando. The CFP begins with the Rose Bowl between Alabama and Michigan. We finish this off with a rematch between Texas and Washington in the Sugar Bowl with much bigger stakes.
In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/1/24, locking at noon Eastern. I’ll provide multiple player suggestions for players at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, aiming to highlight one option at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. Good luck, RotoBallers.
Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 10% off using code BALLER! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Michael Penix Jr., Washington ($8,600)
Penix threw for 287 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Texas last year in the Alamo Bowl. The bad news is that Penix hasn't topped 30 DraftKings points since Week 9 against Stanford. The schedule did get tougher down the stretch, but Penix not hitting that mark against USC is a bit concerning. Washington leaned more on the running game, but they're not going to be able to do that against Texas. A month of practice should help bring back the old Penix. Washington is going to need him.
Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin ($7,000)
Mordecai was supposed to bring explosiveness to this Wisconsin offense. Instead, he brought six touchdowns and four interceptions over nine games. It's hard to rely too heavily on Mordecai here, but you can't underestimate how good the matchup is. He is at least worth mentioning in this situation.
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee ($6,500)
Iamaleava looked good in limited action this year. This is a tough matchup against Iowa, but the Hawkeyes can't move the ball and Tennessee will have short passes in there to get Iamaleava comfortable. The risk is baked into the price here. The Iowa defense can be had by elite offenses. Tennessee thinks they are. We'll find out here.
Also consider: Bo Nix, Oregon ($9,000); Quinn Ewers, Texas ($8,000); Deacon Hill, Iowa ($6,500)
Want some more CFB DFS tools? If you like what you see here, don't forget to sign up for your RotoBaller CFB DFS Premium Pass. Use code MARTENY and receive 10% off your purchase! You'll love the College Football DFS Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheets Premium Slack Chatrooms to help you out in real time.
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Blake Corum, Michigan ($8,200)
Corum is matchup-proof. He has scored at least two rushing touchdowns in five straight games and in nine of 13 games this season. That's 12 points right there! Almost every running back has a tough matchup on this slate. That's what happens when we get to this point of the bowl games. I'll take the stable floor on a slate like this.
CJ Baxter, Texas ($5,600)
This is all about the price for me. Baxter is going to get a healthy workload and he might be even better out of the backfield as a receiver than Jonathon Brooks. I expect to see Jaydon Blue as well, but Baxter should still start and has the higher upside.
Also consider: Quinton Cooley, Liberty ($6,800); Logan Diggs, LSU ($6,100); Jordan James, Oregon ($5,500); Billy Lucas, Liberty ($4,200)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Malik Nabers, LSU ($8,600)
This has to do with the caliber of players around Rome Odunze. He didn't have any huge games with the entire receiver room healthy, as it should be for this game. On the other hand, Nabers is without his Heisman-winning quarterback, so maybe it's a wash? This is a better matchup on paper for Odunze, but Nabers has at least 100 receiving yards in nine of the last 10 games, including five straight. He is easily the favorite target of whoever is the quarterback for LSU.
Tez Johnson, Oregon ($6,600)
Johnson had some big games even with Troy Franklin on the field. With Franklin declaring for the draft, Johnson gets promoted to the top receiver for the Ducks. Johnson closed the season with at least five receptions in every game after September. The sky is the limit for Johnson against Liberty, depending on how much Oregon throws the ball. Part of me thinks they'll use this game as a quasi-pro day for Bo Nix. If that's what happens, a couple of Oregon guys are going to have huge games.
CJ Daniels, Liberty ($5,600)
The Flames haven't had to play from behind much this year, but they likely will here. If that's the case, we could see a big game from Daniels. I don't know that I trust Kaiden Salter enough against this defense, but Daniels is a very intriguing option if we think Liberty is playing from behind for much of the day.
Kaleb Brown, Iowa ($3,900)
Brown had 15 receptions for 126 yards and four carries for 23 yards over the last three games of the season. That's a day at the office for Malik Nabers. That's a great month for an Iowa receiver. The Hawkeyes don't throw much and that's not going to change. Deacon Hill looks like he could be a decent quarterback, but he's still not all that accurate (among other things). Still, this kind of volume at this price is a nice bargain play...even if it is an Iowa receiver.
Also consider: Rome Odunze, Washington ($7,400); Jalen McMillan, Washington ($6,500); Adonai Mitchell, Texas ($6,200); Squirrel White, Tennessee ($5,700); Ramel Keyton, Tennessee ($5,000); Ja'Tavion Sanders, Texas ($4,700); Addison Ostrenga, Iowa ($4,400)
DraftKings CFB Stacks:
Oregon
Liberty's defense was strong against questionable competition, but the Ducks are a different animal. The only team that could figure out Oregon was Washington. I don't think Liberty figures them out either. Bo Nix and Tez Johnson will start any Oregon stack. Terrence Ferguson and Jordan James are pieces that may go overlooked, especially if this game gets out of hand.
Washington
There isn't a stack on this slate with the upside that Oregon has, but stacking the Washington passing game could turn out well. Penix is still really expensive, but you can get Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja'Lynn Polk for $20,600. With Penix at QB, that still leaves you with $5,200 for both backs, a flex, and superflex. It can be done at low ownership.
Also consider: Wisconsin, Texas
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
