This article is part of our DraftKings College Football series.
CFB DraftKings DFS Breakdown for Saturday, December 21
We have a short slate on the horizon, but it's clearly the most important one thus far. Three CFP games adorn the slate, sporting somewhat similar lines but still some range between them. Texas is the biggest favorite on the slate at -12.5, and they sport the largest expected score (21.5) on the slate, trailed closely by Penn State (31.0), who is a nine-point favorite over SMU, as two of the three home teams. Ohio State, the No. 8 seed and final home team of the three-game slate, is a 7-point favorite over the vols and ranks third on the slate with a 26.5 expected score.
Among the underdogs, SMU sports the highest expected score (22.0), with Tennessee (19.5) and Clemson (19.0) a bit behind them. There will likely be certain spots worth a look on each of the teams, though those with higher scores should generally be worth a larger portion of the lineup.
College Football DFS Weather (winds 15+ MPH, precip. chance 50-plus percent and hot/cold temps noted)
Tennessee at Ohio State - Temps expected to be in the 20s, may be colder than the Vols are used to.
SMU at Penn State - Temps in the mid-20s will presumably be colder than SMU is used to as well
Notable College Football Injuries/Absences for Saturday, December 21
QB
None
RB
Cameron Seldon, Tennessee 
- Entered transfer portal. Hasn't been practicing with team
Jay Haynes, Clemson 
- Done for season after knee surgery
WR
Isaiah Bond, Texas 
- Unlikely to play in CFP First Round against Clemson due to ankle injury
Bru McCoy, Tennessee - Non-contact in practice Tuesday
Squirrel White, Tennessee - Non-contact at practice Tuesday
Dont'e Thornton, Tennessee - Non-contact at practice Tuesday
Tyler Brown, Clemson - Looked full speed during team practices this week
TE
None
College Football DFS Tools
- DraftKings Lineup Optimizer
- Matchups Page (Vegas odds, opponent averages, etc.)
- Advanced Lineups Page
- Stats
- Team Trends
- Targets
- Defense vs. Position
- Team Rankings
Saturday, December 21 CFB DFS Plays on DraftKings
Quarterback
Will Howard, Ohio State 
($8,200) vs. Tennessee
Cade Klubnik faces an extremely stout Texas defense and is a massive underdog with the lowest expected score, so I'll bypass him. Quinn Ewers is somewhat reliable under center but isn't much of a runner. Clemson has allowed more than two passing touchdowns just twice all season, and Ewers typically needs three passing touchdowns to provide fantasy value. Thus, we land on Howard.
While the matchup isn't perfect, none are going to be good when you have the top 12 teams in the country squaring off. However, rushing aptitude is something Howard does possess in his bag of tricks, running for a combined 16 touchdowns between the last two seasons. Tennessee's two most fantasy points allowed this season were the only two games it allowed a rushing touchdown to the opposing quarterback. In addition to that, Ohio State has arguably the best wideout crop of the bunch to turn to in the passing attack, and the Tennessee defense allows just 99.6 rushing yards per game, so I'll take my chances Howard can find his way into the end zone and put in one or two through the air to deliver fantasy value.
Kevin Jennings, SMU 
($7,700) at Penn State
Here's a decent game script play, not that Jennings needs it. Penn State has allowed more 16.5 DK points just once all season, but it came in the Big Ten Championship Game against Oregon. The Nittany Lions have yet to allow a rushing touchdown to opposing quarterbacks, so don't count on that. Luckily, Jennings' fantasy value doesn't need to include a ton of ground production. Jennings has thrown for 3,050 yards and 22 touchdowns on the year, and Sonny Dykes with have that Oregon game to study as a roadmap to passing success. The Ducks exploited the tight end matchup to the tune of three touchdowns, and Sonny Dykes has been known for usage of that position, so that could be a place the Mustangs attack in the passing game.
Drew Allar, Penn State 
($7,300) vs. SMU
Back to the favorites we go with Penn State and Allar, who may be the quarterback I'm feeling the best about. Four of the last six quarterbacks to face the Mustangs in the second half of the season finished with 18.98 or more DK points, including Klubnik's 262-yard, four-touchdown effort to secure the ACC Championship. Allar isn't a quarterback who typically tosses it around 40 times per game, but he can if the occasion calls for it,, throwing the ball 39 times against Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game. It's also an interesting matchup play, with the Mustangs matching a slate-high mark allowing seven passing touchdowns to tight ends. Coincidentally, Penn State's tight end won the Mackey Award, and he will be mentioned below as a recommendation below. That's a matchup that could be exploited.
Running Back
Dylan Sampson, Tennessee ($8,200) at Ohio State
While the game script (Vols +7) doesn't favor a heavy dose of Sampson out of the backfield, a seven-point spread should mean the game is close enough to keep the running game in play. The Buckeyes also showed some cracks against the better rushing attacks they faced down the stretch, allowing 100 or more rushing yards to opposing running back rooms in three of the last four games and a combined three rushing scores to Indiana and Michigan. When we look a bit deeper under the hood, we see that five of Ohio State's 12 opponents this season ranked outside the top 90 in rushing yards per game. So, there seems to be a potential path to success for the Vols on the ground, and there will need to be against a Buckeyes defense that has allowed just four passing touchdowns this season.
Quintrevion Wisner, Texas ($6,200) vs. Clemson
Wisner may turn out to be the chalkiest play on the slate. Down the stretch, the sophomore back took over the lead role due, in part, to fumbles by Jaydon Blue in back-to-back games against Arkansas and Kentucky in Weeks 12 and 13. Blue amassed a combined seven totes in the two games since, while Wisner has toted the rock a combined 52 times. I'd expect that trend to continue in the CFP against Clemson. The Tigers, by the way, are also the weakest team on the slate against the run, yielding a slate-worst 4.6 yards per carry, 150.5 rushing yards per game and 1.1 rushing touchdowns per game. He's RB6 in terms of salary on the slate but could have RB1 upside on the slate, so he's definitely worth a look.
Budget Play
Kaytron Allen, Penn State ($5,000) vs. SMU
If you're looking for an option moving down the slate, Allen stands out to me. You can add him to your lineup as the cheapest running back on the slate to receive regular volume, claiming double-digit carries in each of the last two games. He's still cheaper than Jaydon Blue ($5,700), who I mentioned above has seen minimal action in the last two games. Allen is also a threat around the goal-line, accruing six rushing scores this year, including a touchdown in the Big Ten Championship Game versus Oregon. If you need to save some salary toward the bottom of the slate, Allen is where I'd look.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tyler Warren, Penn State ($7,200) vs. SMU
Warren is as versatile as they come at the tight end position, racking up 88 catches for 1,062 yards and six touchdowns as a receiver while adding 23 carries for 191 yards and four more scores as a runner and even putting up 35 passing yards and a touchdown of five pass attempts. Give offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki a month to dream up plays, and there's definitely a chance we get something unexpected featuring Warren in this contest. Even in the traditional sense, SMU has struggled against the tight end position, allowing three of the last five at the group to produce above average, which includes three 20-plus DK efforts. Seeing Warren continue the trend of 20-plus DK output efforts would be far from surprising, especially given his status as arguably the best in the country at the position.
Matthew Golden, ($5,100) or DeAndre Moore ($4,200) Texas vs. Clemson
While I don't necessarily view Ewers as a big upside play from a fantasy perspective, I think he'll do enough to make one or two of the Longhorns' wideouts viable options from a fantasy standpoint. With Isaiah Bond in line to miss the contest, Golden and Moore are the two obvious candidates to put up big games. Bond was limited in the SEC Championship Game because of the issue, resulting in an 8-162-0 line from Golden and a 9-114-1 line from Moore as the clear 1-2 punch in the wideout room. Look for that pairing to play a big role again Saturday.
Budget Plays
Matthew Hibner, SMU ($3,900) at Penn State
As long as we're talking about tight ends in the Penn State-SMU game, let's not let Hibner be completely overshadowed here. Hibner took over the lead tight end role late in the season after RJ Maryland suffered a season-ending injury, and he's tallied a touchdown in three of the four games since, including three straight leading up to the First Round CFP tilt. The Nittany Lions have also displayed some struggles against the position down the stretch, yielding five touchdown receptions to the position over the last four games, including three to Oregon tight ends in the Big Ten Championship Game. It's no secret that Sonny Dykes likes to utilize the tight end position, so this could be a good spot for Hibner.
Ryan Wingo, Texas ($3,500) vs. Clemson
With Bond in line to sit, the reports indicate Wingo has been the wideout slotting into the starting wideout unit in his place. Wingo's production has been muted for the most part, but he does have a 24.7 DK point effort under his belt against UTSa earlier in the year, and extended time working with the starting unit during bowl prep could pay dividends. Getting a starting wideout at a discount rate on the team with the highest expected scoring total is certainly worth consideration.
Tyler Brown, Clemson ($3,000) if he plays vs. Texas
If you're in need of a hail mary of a player at a minimum price tag, Brown is worth a look, in my opinion. Brown's been sidelined since Week 6 due to an ankle injury and really wasn't himself early in the season, either. However, he's reportedly been looking full speed in practice leading up to the CFP First Round tilt, and Brown put up 52 catches for 531 yards and four touchdowns last year. The Tigers will need whatever they can get to compete in this contest, so if Brown is available for a full workload, he's a player who could produce at a minimum tag, and one who will likely be lightly rostered.
