College Football DFS: DraftKings and FanDuel Picks for Thursday, December 28

DraftKings has excluded the early Fenway Bowl from their main slate, so we will use FanDuel's 'late slate to best align our recommendations between the two sites.  The Fenway Bowl begins at 8 a.m. on the West Coast, so many of you would need to get an early start to include that game. We have plenty of good options to choose from in three bowl games with narrow spreads.

SLATE OVERVIEW

Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers (-2.5) vs. Miami O/U: 41.5

Pop-Tarts Bowl: Kansas State (-2.5) vs. North Carolina State O/U: 47.5

Alamo Bowl: Arizona (-1.5) vs. Oklahoma O/U: 59.5

CFB DFS TOOLS

• DraftKings College Football Optimizer
• FanDuel College Football Optimizer
• Weekly CFB Matchup Info
• CFB Targets
• CFB Stats
• CFB Team Trends
• CFB Advanced Team Stats with Plays per Game, Pass %, Run % and more       
   

CFB DFS Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for December 28

Quarterback

Noah Fifita, Arizona (DK $7,400, FD $11,200) vs. Oklahoma

What a difference a season makes. Most predicted an improvement from the Wildcats, but few could have envisioned Arizona facing Oklahoma in a major bowl. We would have also expected Jayden de Laura in the picture with that outcome, but enter Noah Fifita, the electrifying freshman who carried the team to a 9-3 record. If you didn't get a chance to see him in action this season, you are in for a treat. The last freshman quarterback I've seen with this kind of poise and execution was Trevor Lawrence, and Fifita's story is very similar to Lawrence's. Fifita stayed under center with de Laura healthy, and like Kelly Bryant, he is headed for the transfer portal. Fifita also has a host of weapons at his disposal (we'll highlight one in a moment), and the team is nowhere near as affected by the transfer portal and opt-outs as the Sooners, who are missing Dillon Gabriel and all of their starting running backs. 

Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma (DK $7,300, FD $9,800) vs. Arizona

I wanted to find a way around Arnold to be a bit cuter with some uniqueness, but after looking at RB and WR depth, I couldn't do it. The projected total of this game is too good to pass up.  Arizona didn't get to a 9-3 record by containing offenses - they simply outgunned them. Although Arnold will be without Marcus Major and Tawee Walker to open up the passing game, he has enough real-game experience to drive the offense down the field effectively. All of Oklahoma's wideouts are suited up and playing, so he'll get the kind of support he needs for a great passing total.

Running Back

Jonah Coleman, Arizona (DK $5,800, FD $7,000) vs. Oklahoma

I have nothing against Michael Wiley (DK  $5,500, FD $8,000), but it's easy to forget how potent Coleman was when healthy.  This is a simple fix, as the salaries are similar enough for a pivot if we get word that Coleman will be limited. The only wrinkle is the flip in cost between the two sites. I want Coleman if he's a full go, but it will be wise to roster Wiley first on FanDuel and pivot later due to Coleman's standing as the cheaper player. We can probably use the additional $1k to grab a better value on Oklahoma on Arizona's roster. Coleman is no problem to begin with on DraftKings, as he is more expensive than Wiley over there.

Gavin Sawchuk, Oklahoma (DK $6,000, FD $9,200) vs. Arizona

The sky is the limit for Sawchuck, as Jovantae Barnes (DK $3,900, FD $4,700) is the only other back on the roster with game experience. Every other standard back is out for the Sooners, and Sawchuck has shown his value with three consecutive 100-plus yard performances heading into the bowl game. Arizona is tougher against the pass but has given up some big totals to running backs, and Jackson Arnold will need to lean on Swchuck's experience to keep him comfortable.

Also consider:  Mark Fletcher, Miami (DK $5,700, FD $7,300) vs. Rutgers

Wide Receiver

Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona (DK $7,500, FD $10,200) vs. Oklahoma

I respect Jacob Cowing's game, but McMillan's star has risen to unbelievable heights. His synergy with Noah Fifita created one of the Pac-12's best QB/WR duos, and he outplayed Cowing in almost every game this season.  I knew I would smash McMillan before I even started my analysis, and nothing will move me off of him in this contest.

Jalil Farooq, Oklahoma (DK $5,100, FD $6,100) vs. Arizona

I tend to build my best targets as I go, and if we are being faithful to our previous picks, we need wideouts and flexes in the $5k range moving forward.  Although I'm confident that Nic Anderson and Drake Stoops will fare well, they don't fit as well as Farooq. Anderson is slightly more doable if we move way down with one of our remaining picks, but I'll try to find the extra $700 after I've done the best that I can with the remaining selections.

Let's look at our final budget calls and discuss how they fit into our plans

TE Tanner McLachlan, Arizona (DK $4,200, FD $6,300)

WR  Phillip Brooks, Kansas State (DK $5,600, FD $6,600)

WR Christian Dremel, Rutgers (DK $4,300, FD $6,200)

Anderson, Stoops or Brooks can all be reachable if we employ a combination of McLchlan, Farooq, and Dremel somewhere in our remaining spots. There's no circumstance where I will move off McMillan, and I think my favorite combination is to combine Farooq and McLachlan, which will give us room for Stoops, Anderson or Brooks in the flex.