DraftKings CFB DFS Lineup Picks: Daily College Fantasy Football (12/28/24)

Mike Marteny's DraftKings daily fantasy college football lineup picks for Saturday (12/28/24). His CFB DFS lineup picks and DFS sleepers will help you win.

This is our last big college football slate of the season. We have eight bowl games today, but DraftKings cut off the Fenway Bowl between North Carolina and Connecticut. We still hope we have seven good games going on. Opt-outs change everything. We kick off in Yankee Stadium for the Pinstripe Bowl with Boston College facing Nebraska.

The afternoon begins with Louisiana facing TCU in the New Mexico Bowl. Next, we have Iowa State facing Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl from Orlando. The other Miami (Ohio) faces Colorado State in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl from Tucson. East Carolina faces North Carolina State in the Military Bowl from Annapolis. BYU faces Colorado in a conference game in the Alamo Bowl. We end the night in Shreveport with 5-7 Louisiana Tech facing Army in the Independence Bowl.

In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 12/28/24, starting at noon Eastern. I’ll give multiple player suggestions for players at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, aiming to highlight one option at the salary scale's high, middle, and lower end. Good luck, RotoBallers.

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks

Shedeur Sanders, Colorado ($9.7K)

? HUNTER AND SANDERS SECURE RECORD INSURANCE AHEAD OF NFL DRAFT

Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders have obtained unprecedented insurance policies to protect against injury risks while continuing to play for Colorado.

This bold move showcases their commitment to the team before… pic.twitter.com/kmBqOw60SK

— João Neves (@jon_snow_pt) December 25, 2024

I know I will get some static for this, but I think this is a good thing. Schools should do this if they want players to play in bowl games. Anyway, this means we know that Sanders is playing in this game. It's a matchup that we should have seen during the regular season but gains more hype in the postseason. BYU is trying to prove that it was worthy of an at-large bid.

Sanders was only under 22 DraftKings points once this season. That was in the Week 2 loss at Nebraska. He feels like a lock for 25 DraftKings points with a ceiling in the mid-30s. That's what I'm looking for at this price.

CJ Bailey, North Carolina State ($6.3K)

The middle tier of quarterback is full of land mines today. Bailey seems to be one of the exceptions. He's not all that proven, but he had good games against North Carolina and Georgia Tech to close out the season. East Carolina won't provide too much resistance in pass defense, either. There is a lot of potential for the price.

Brett Gabbert, Miami (OH) ($5.8K)

Gabbert struggled against strong defenses in the MAC this year. Colorado State does not have a strong defense. Miami is still a run-first team, but this is Gabbert's final game. I expect him to put forth one of his better performances in this one.

Also consider: Bryson Daily, Army ($10.2K); Rocco Becht, Iowa State ($8K); Dylan Raiola, Nebraska ($5.6K)

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

Rahjai Harris, East Carolina ($6.5K)

Harris closed the season with 113.5 DraftKings points over the last five games. His workload has been high even in games that weren't close. He's active enough in the passing game to ensure Harris has a solid floor. The matchup makes me a little bit nervous, but Harris could be in for a huge game if this stays close.

Hollywood Smothers, North Carolina State ($4.9K)

Smothers appears to have passed Jordan Waters on the depth chart if the last month is any indication. The redshirt freshman has more burst than Waters and is a better receiver. The Pack has the best matchup on the slate as far as running backs are concerned. Smothers is a bargain at this price, especially if he gets around 20 touches again.

Carson Hansen, Iowa State ($4.5K)

Hansen is the only Iowa State back who gets consistent carries. I still feel that Abu Sama III is the better back, but the team is committed to Hansen. Both should have ample room to run if this game stays close. Teams have been able to run on Miami this year.

Also consider: Dante Dowdell, Nebraska ($6.2K); Avery Morrow, Colorado State ($5.9K); Noah Short, Army ($4.7K)

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers

Jayden Higgins, Iowa State ($7.9K)

Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins is the 2nd best SR WR in this class. Complete skillset as a WR with his contested ability, run after catch, and above average route running pic.twitter.com/5DnRSo5qPz

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) July 21, 2024

This will be the last game for Higgins and Jaylin Noel in an Iowa State uniform. It has been a great run for both of them and I expect at least one to go out with a big game. As for which one, who knows?

Higgins had two 100-yard games out of his last three contests. He is the more consistent Iowa State receiver, leading in targets against Arizona State and Utah. He should be the first option in the bowl game as well.

Jacolby George, Miami (FL) ($5.5K)

Winston Wright Jr. became the latest opt-out. I originally had him written up. There's not a lot in this range, but George closed the season strong after teams paid more attention to Xavier Restrepo. George had 20 receptions for 300 yards and two touchdowns over the last three games.

Eric McAlister, TCU ($4.2K)

With Jack Bech and Savion Williams out, the Boise State transfer jumps up to WR1. McAlister was the preferred receiver out of camp but was quickly bypassed by Bech and Williams. He still has three receptions in each of the last four games. He should easily triple that output in this one.

Also consider: Travis Hunter, Colorado ($9.5K); LaJohntay Wester, Colorado ($7.2K); Cade McDonald, Miami (OH) ($5K); JP Richardson, TCU ($3.9K)

DraftKings CFB Stacks

North Carolina State

The Pack draw a good matchup here. It's one of the best of the bowls for offenses. Bailey and Hollywood are the easy picks. I'm not opposed to Jordan Waters, either. Finding the replacement for Kevin Concepcion is the real trick. Dacari Collins is the best bet with Justin Joly seeing a nice uptick in targets as well.

TCU

Louisiana's defense has been solid this year, but it hasn't faced a team like TCU, either. I like Josh Hoover a lot here. McAlister and Richardson are both worth using. Cam Cook is even worth a look if you're looking to go beyond the customary three-player stack.

Also consider: Iowa State, Army

More College Football Analysis

More DFS Lineup Picks