College Football DFS: DraftKings Picks and Strategy for Friday, January 2

College Football DFS: Friday DraftKings Picks

The calendar has flipped to 2026, and one last glorious slate of bowl games awaits before we advance to the College Football Playoff Semifinals. Eight teams will wrap up their seasons Friday, highlighted by Arizona and SMU in the Holiday Bowl and Wake Forest taking on Mississippi State in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. 

Below, we break down the best plays at each position on the DraftKings slate. 

Friday College Football DFS Slate Overview 

The first game Friday features a 5-7 Rice team taking on a heavily favored Texas State squad, in what's expected to be the highest scoring game of the day. Rice's defense looks extremely permeable both by air and ground, so it may be wise to scoop up some Bobcats' playmakers in this one. 

In the afternoon matchup, Navy faces Cincinnati in a game that looks favorable for both offenses, which is obviously music to the ears of DFS players. The Bearcats' defense is particularly weak on the ground, allowing 173.7 rushing yards per game, making it wise to target Navy ball-carriers. Still, there looks to be plenty of options in this one, as the Midshipmen defense — especially its secondary — appears vulnerable as well. 

SMU and Arizona is expected to be the narrowest contest, with the Wildcats slim 1.5-point favorites. It's also the game Vegas expects to be the lowest-scoring, with a total set at 51.5. Both teams' defenses are stout in various areas, but the number that catches your eye here is the 284.7 passing yards per game allowed by SMU. 

It's a similar situation in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, as there's another glaring area of weakness to exploit: the 189.5 rushing yards per game allowed by Mississippi State. 

College Football DFS Tools

• College Football DFS Lineup Optimizer
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• Advanced Lineups Page
• Stats
• Team Trends
• Targets
• Defense vs. Position
• Team Rankings

QB Picks on FanDuel for Friday, December 19

QB Noah Fifita, Arizona vs. SMU ($7,800) 

Fifita is a surprising bargain here as just the third-priciest quarterback on the slate for someone coming off a 3,112-yard, 29-touchdown season. Fifita was dynamic for 9-3 Arizona, and now he gets to face a Mustangs secondary that allows a whopping 284.7 passing yards per game, the second-worst mark in the country. That translates to SMU allowing an average of 24.3 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Fifita is one of the better quarterbacks in the country in a highly favorable matchup — don't overthink this. 

QB Brad Jackson, Texas State vs. Rice ($8,500)

Jackson is the most expensive quarterback on the slate, but if there's a player to break the bank for Friday, there might not be a better option than the dazzling dual-threat redshirt freshman. Jackson was unbelievable during the regular season, completing 71.3 percent of his passes for 3,050 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 692 yards and 16 scores. Now, he gets to wrap up his breakout year against the 95th-ranked total defense of the Rice Owls, who struggle against both the run and the pass. Jackson's ability to do damage with his arm and his legs, coupled with the hapless defense he's about to face, makes him well worth the price tag. 

QB Kevin Jennings, SMU vs. Arizona ($7,600) 

The matchup is certainly tough, as Arizona allows just 155.9 passing yards per game. Still, as just the fourth-most expensive quarterback on the slate, it's worth betting on the talented Jennings if you're looking to save on a gunslinger. He's coming off a year in which he tossed for 3,363 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding four scores on the ground. Jennings has used his legs less this season, but he's remained highly productive, scoring multiple touchdowns in all but two games in the regular season. The Wildcats' secondary could be cause for concern, but you should still feel comfortable betting on the talented, experienced senior Jennings. 

RB Picks on FanDuel for Friday, December 19

RB Ty Clark, Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State ($4,500) 

Clark could be the sneakiest play of the day, but he has a chance to put up big numbers out of nowhere. Wake Forest is set to be without star tailback Demond Claiborne, as he's declared for the NFL Draft. That leaves the door wide open for the sophomore Clark, who has 232 yards and three touchdowns on 58 handoffs this season, to dominate the carries for the Demon Deacons against a Bulldogs' run defense that surrenders a whopping 189.5 rushing yards per game, the worst mark on the slate. If you're looking for a bargain option at tailback, scoop up Clark at his heavily discounted price and don't look back. He appears extremely well-positioned to outperform his price tag. 

RB Quinton Jackson, Rice vs. Texas State ($5,800)

Jackson is another halfback who seems primed to be some serious bang for your buck. The Owls' starting ball-carrier had a very solid season in 2025, rushing for 811 yards and six scores on 4.9 yards per carry, also catching five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. He's consistently a factor for Rice, averaging 13.7 carries per game, and now gets to face a Texas State defense that's been kind to opposing running backs, allowing 170.3 rushing yards per game and 23.7 fantasy points per game. Rice has an uphill battle pull off the upset in this one, but Jackson should still manage to carve out some good production. 

RB Alex Tecza, Navy vs. Cincinnati ($6,500)

This a tough matchup for the Bearcats, whose shoddy run defense that allows 173.7 rushing yards per game must now face a Navy team that runs the football over 75 percent of the time at the third-highest rate in the nation. Midshipmen quarterback Blake Horvath is the leading rusher in the triple option system, but Tecza is the top tailback in this offense with 822 yards and nine touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry. He's primed to feast against this porous Cincinnati front seven, and as just the fourth-most expensive halfback on the slate, he looks like a steal. 

WR Picks on FanDuel for Friday, December 19

WR Kris Hutson, Arizona vs. SMU ($5,800)

Despite the fact that SMU's secondary is the second-worst in the nation in terms of passing yards per game allowed, DraftKings still lets you scoop up Arizona's top wideout as just the third-priciest pass-catcher on the slate. Hutson had the best season of his career this fall, reeling in 57 catches for 740 yards and four touchdowns. He was also especially hot to close out the year, catching 24 passes for 351 yards and one score. He should be licking his chops against this hapless Mustangs' secondary. 

WR Chris Dawn, Texas State vs. Rice ($5,400) 

The Bobcats' top receiver, Beau Sparks, is the priciest wideout on the slate, but you can scoop up his running mate, Dawn, for significantly cheaper. Dawn has been no slouch himself this season, with 54 catches for 931 yards and two touchdowns. His quarterback, Brad Jackson, peppers him with targets, as he averages 7.0 per game. Dawn appears sure to get involved in this one, and he'll line up against a Rice secondary that allows a suspect 243.8 passing yards per game as well as 27.4 fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts. 

WR Cyrus Allen, Cincinnati vs. Navy ($5,900) 

Allen isn't exactly a sneaky play as the second-priciest receiver available, but the Bearcats' top pass-catcher looks like a great play if you have cash to spend on a top-flight pass-catcher. His stats won't elicit a spit take, but Allen has been a massively important cog in this offense — and a touchdown machine — with 49 catches for 665 yards and 12 scores. Cincinnati is set to have the rather inexperienced Brady Lichtenberg at quarterback, but Navy's secondary hasn't been anything to write home about, allowing 241.1 passing yards per game and 26.9 fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts. In what should be his final collegiate game, Allen appears primed to produce like he's been doing all season.