College Football DFS: Dec. 28 Bowl Game Breakdown

In the lead-up to the College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve, the bowl games are starting to get rolled out more robustly. There are five games Tuesday, though the noon ET kickoff between Houston and Auburn isn't being included on the DFS front. Hey, that still leaves you with four games, and that's nothing to sneeze at. After you get your New Year's resolutions locked in, check out these recommendations for your DFS lineups.

SLATE OVERIVEW

Here are the four games taking place Tuesday (as of this writing, fingers crossed, etc.)

Air Force vs. Louisville   3:15 p.m. ET: Air Force maybe quietly put up a 9-3 record. It was in the running for the Mountain West title down the stretch. Louisville is only 6-6, but that offense led by Malik Cunningham can be dynamic.

Air Force's starting quarterback Haaziq Daniels didn't play in its season finale, but that was with an illness. He should be fine for this game. Falcons wide receiver Micah Davis also missed that matchup with an undisclosed issue. Now, as a receiver in a triple-option offense, he only had 10 catches, but Davis carried the ball 47 times for 360 yards and four touchdowns. Louisville doesn't have receiver Braden Smith, but he's been out since Week 4 with his knee injury.

Mississippi State   vs. Texas Tech   6:45 p.m. ET: Mike Leach and the school he used to coach for (and is still suing, I believe) matchup in the Liberty Bowl. The Red Raiders are 6-6 and fired their head coach. Leach is going to want to try and run up the score on his former team, presuming Mississippi State proves up to the task.

Bulldogs receiver Malik Heath was in a car accident earlier in December. He's been out of the hospital for a few weeks, but he's questionable for this game. Mississippi State's kicker Brandon Ruiz is also questionable, which could leave Nolan McCord kicking. He's 9-for-16 on field goals, so even though you can use kickers in DraftKings DFS, I'd advise against him. Quarterback Tyler Shough will miss the game with his collarbone injury, but that was to be expected. Receiver Myles Price is questionable with an ankle injury.

UCLA   vs. North Carolina State   8 p.m. ET: This is the game of the day on paper. The Bruins went 8-4, while the Wolfpack went 9-3. Both teams have good offenses. I think this will be a fun one, but also a good one for DFS players.

UCLA back Brittain Brown missed the last two games with an ankle issue, and his absence would be a concern. He rushed for 616 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Kazmeier Allen showed big-play potential in his absence with four total touchdowns in those two games. NC State is healthy.

West Virginia vs. Minnesota   10:15 p.m. ET: After the fun of that Bruins-Wolfpack matchup, we get this game, which is also happening. The Mountaineers are 6-6, while the Golden Gophers are 8-4.

West Virginia receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton is questionable with an undisclosed injury. His 40 catches for 560 yards in 11 games would be missed. Minnesota, of course, suffered quite the blow to its running back position this season. Mohamed Ibrahim, Treyson Potts, and Bryce Williams are all out and have been for weeks.

QUARTERBACK

Will Rogers, Mississippi State   vs. Texas Tech ($8,800 DK/$11,200 FD)

Rogers is a quarterback in a Mike Leach offense, which tends to yield gaudy numbers. Also, as I said, I think Leach will have his knives out for his old team, who fired their head coach in the middle of the season. Rogers had a bad game against Alabama, which is fair, but if you take that game out of the equation, he threw 35 touchdowns against five picks. Texas Tech is not Alabama. It allowed 258.5 passing yards per game.

Devin Leary, North Carolina State   vs. UCLA ($7,800 DK/$10,000 FD)

The Red Raiders rank 103rd in passing yards allowed per game. UCLA  ranks one spot lower than that. Granted, the Bruins are 38th in passing yards allowed per attempt, but that's not enough to concern me with Leary under center. Leary is efficient, as he's completed 65.7 percent of his passes with 35 touchdowns and five interceptions. He only had one game with more than one pick, so there is basically no chance of a disastrous outing from Leary. The New Jersey native is a high-floor player.

RUNNING BACK

Brad Roberts, Air Force   vs. Louisville ($7,500 DK/$9,500 FD)

 A lot of triple-option teams spread the wealth. Air Force is more centralized on Roberts as the clear lead back. He's carried the ball a whopping 279 times for 1,279 yards and 13 touchdowns. Only San Diego State – an elite run defense – really kept him in check. Louisville is not such a defense. The Cardinals have allowed 163.5 rushing yards per contest.

Ky Thomas, Minnesota   vs. West Virginia ($6,600 DK/$7,500 FD)

 Thomas may have been fourth in line for the Golden Gophers to start the year, but nevertheless, he's been up to the challenge. He's gotten at least 16 carries in each of his last six games, which is when he took over as the lead back. In that time he's averaged 98.5 rushing yards per game and tallied four touchdowns. He went over 100 yards four times, and even managed 55 yards and a touchdown against Wisconsin. I believe in Thomas, even if he began the year buried down the depth chart.

WIDE RECEIVER

Emeka Emezie, North Carolina State   vs. UCLA ($6,300 DK/$8,000 FD)

Emezie can be feast-or-famine. He had three games this season with fewer than 10 receiving yards. In spite of that, he has 60 catches for 802 yards and six touchdowns. Clearly, Emezie has a high upside, even if he also has a low floor. Presuming he's up for the bowl game, he'll be facing a defense that ranked 104th in passing yards allowed per contest.

Jaden Walley, Mississippi State  vs. Texas Tech ($4,900 DK/$7,800 FD)

 If I believe the Bulldogs will have a big day through the air, I have to imagine them spreading the ball around a bit. As such, I've dug into the roster a bit to try and find a high-upside value play. Walley began the season hot with a three-game touchdown streak. While he cooled down, he ended the year with 52 catches for 610 yards and six touchdowns. The Red Raiders rank 103rd in passing yards allowed per game but also 102nd in passing yards given up per attempt.

Kaylon Geiger, Texas Tech   vs. Mississippi State ($3,900 DK/$5,500 FD)

 If Texas Tech wants to keep up with Mississippi State, it will need to throw the ball around too. Erik Ezukanma has declared for the NFL Draft and is sitting out the bowl game. That leaves the Red Raiders without their top receiver. This could mean a big uptick for Geiger. The Troy transfer had 41 catches for 541 yards and a touchdown this year. He had a four-game stretch in the middle of the season where he had 24 catches for 402 yards, so at his peak, he's capable of an impressive output.