DFS Main Slate Primer: Monday Bowl Games

There are four bowl games Monday, including the first of the "New Years Six" games, which is weird given that Monday is, you know, the 30th of December. Well, whatever works for the NCAA. Also, there are some really strong defenses, and some pretty mediocre offenses, in action. That makes it not a terribly great day for DFS options. Don't fret, though. Here's a look at the key positions for college football DFS; quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. Also, both DraftKings and FanDuel have a "Super Flex" position for lineups, which can be any player, including quarterbacks. That being said, this isn't a glaringly-obvious day for two-quarterback lineups, so your choices may not be so cut and dry.

Servpro First Responder Bowl – Western Kentucky (-3.5) vs. Western Michigan O/U 53

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl – Mississippi State (-4) vs. Louisville O/U 63

Redbox Bowl – Cal (-6.5) vs. Illinois O/U 43

Capital One Orange Bowl – Florida (-15) vs. Virginia O/U 54

QUARTERBACK

The quarterback that had the best season for this octet of teams is probably Virginia's Bryce Perkins ($7,200 DK, $9,400 FD). He was basically a one-man offense. In addition to throwing for 3,215 yards and 18 touchdowns, he led the Cavaliers in rushing with 745 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. However, I've got to fade him, because the Gators are just too good on defense. The Gators finished the year ranked 13th in yards allowed per game. They were 21st against the pass and 19th against the run. Yes, C.J. Henderson is skipping the bowl for Florida's defense, but I still am down on Perkins.

Brandon Peters, Illinois vs. Cal ($6,300 DK, $7,000 FD)

The team that had the worst pass defense of the bunch here is Cal, who gave up 262.4 yards per game through the air. Granted, they faced teams like Wazzu and USC, but that's still bad. Brandon Peters had a weird season, and he missed Illinois' last game due to an injury. However, at his peak he threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns against Michigan State. That's worth something.

Tommy Stevens, Mississippi State vs. Louisville ($7,200 DK, $8,000 FD)

When I was first looking at quarterbacks to recommend, I had an eye on Garrett Shrader ($6,800 DK, $4,000 FD), who had taken over as quarterback for the Bulldogs from Stevens. If you cut out Lousiville's shutout of Eastern Kentucky, the Cardinals gave up 36.9 points per game. That was 120th in the FBS. They were 99th against the pass, decidedly mediocre, but 115th versus the run. Shrader is a guy who can do a lot of damage with his legs! However, he suffered an eye injury during bowl practice, leaving Stevens to take back over. He's a better passer than Shrader, and while he's not as good on the ground he can still do damage with his legs. The Penn State transfer rushed 66 times for 310 yards and three touchdowns.

RUNNING BACK

The quarterback position doesn't wow me Monday, but I am much higher on the running back position. This is because of the talent available, but also because of the running defenses taking the field. That means I'm not feeling the need to include LeVante Bellamy ($15,900 DK, $10,500 FD) in my lineup. Western Kentucky was 13th in points allowed per game and 51st in rushing yards given up per contest. Sure, that was against largely a Conference USA schedule, but it's not like the MAC is that much tougher.

Gaej Walker, Western Kentucky vs. Western Michigan  ($13,500 DK, $8,200 FD)

Speaking of the Hilltoppers, I'm in on their top running back Walker. By "top" back I mean he carried the ball 226 times and no other Western Kentucky back had more than nine carries. So yeah, the Hilltoppers rely on Walker, who rushed for 1,115 yards and eight touchdowns. He'll probably get 20 carries, and the Broncos allowed 191.8 yards per game on the ground.

Christopher Brown Jr., Cal vs. Illinois ($6,700 DK, $8,400 FD)

Brown was banged up at times this year, though he didn't miss any games. There were just times he was clearly far less than 100 percent. In his last game of the season, though, he racked up 111 yards and two touchdowns against UCLA. Illinois gave up over 200 yards per game rushing, and even Northwestern, a brutal offense to watch this year, was able to do damage on the ground in a season-ending upset. If the Wildcats can do it, the Golden Bears, and Brown, can do it.

Kylin Hill, Mississippi State vs. Louisville ($8,000 DK, $9,200 FD)

Hill has already said he's declaring for the draft after his first year as the Bulldogs' primary back, but he showed what he can do on the ground. He's not cheap for DFS purposes, but he also rushed for over 100 yards eight times this year. Teams like LSU and Alabama kept him in check, but Louisville is not that kind of team. I mentioned the Cardinals struggles against the run when I was talking about Schrader. I can fully envision Mississippi State just churning it against Louisville and finding a ton of success. If Hill doesn't end up with 150 yards and at least one touchdown I'll be surprised.

Javian Hawkins, Louisville vs. Mississippi State ($7,300 DK, $8,800 FD)

If you aren't afraid of a matchup that isn't a cakewalk (the Bulldogs rank 64th in rushing yards allowed per game), Hawkins has a ton of talent and upside. The redshirt freshman had a breakout campaign that saw him rush for 1,420 yards and average 5.9 yards per carry. Hawkins rushed for over 100 yards against Notre Dame, Clemson, and Virginia. He won't be daunted in the Music City Bowl.

WIDE RECEIVER

If you're wondering if Florida or Virginia are going to show up at all here, the answer is no. Florida's defense is too good. Virginia's isn't quite as good, especially against the pass, but I have zero faith in Kyle Trask ($7,400 DK, $9,300 FD) as a quarterback. Plus, Florida's top receiver, Kyle Pitts ($5,700 DK, $7,000 FD), had 610 yards and five touchdowns on the year. Those numbers don't wow me.

Chatarius Atwell, Louisville vs. Mississippi State ($7,600 DK, $9,100 FD)

It was easy for me to hone in on Atwell, and price didn't really concern me. Simply put, he's the only receiver who had a 1,000-yard season playing Monday. Notching 61 catches for 1,129 yards and 12 touchdowns is eye catching to be sure, especially since his only real bad game was against Clemson, who had the best pass defense in the FBS. Mississippi State, who gave up 240 yards per game through the air, isn't Clemson.

Osirus Mitchell, Mississippi State vs. Louisville ($5,500 DK, $7,200 FD)

The Bulldogs have a very favorable matchup for their passing game. The Cardinals rank 99th in passing yards allowed per contest. They are bad defensively, is what I've been trying to tell you in various different ways. The problem? Mississippi State has no standout receiver. Literally, its top receiving had 390 yards. That wasn't Mitchell, but what Mitchell has going for him is that he had 383 yards and five receiving touchdowns. However, the bulk of that was early in the season. This is a bit of a roll of the dice, but somebody needs to be represented in this matchup.

Josh Imatorbhebhe, Illinois vs. Cal ($5,800 DK, $7,700 FD)

You are going to have to be careful about this one and keep an eye on Imatorbhebhe's status heading into this game. He missed Illinois' final game of the year against Northwestern with an injury. Obviously, if he's not healthy, that's a problem. If he is healthy, well, he's a guy who caught 33 passes for 634 yards and a whopping nine touchdowns. This is a big-play dude. Meanwhile, Cal ranks 107th in passing yards allowed per game. They have the worst pass defense of any team playing Monday. As such, if Imatorbhebhe can't give it a go, consider Donny Navarro ($4,600 DK, $6,600 FD) for your lineup.

Lucky Jackson, Western Kentucky vs. Western Michigan ($13,800 DK, $8,300 FD)

So I've recommended a guy who has seen his numbers drop down the stretch and then a guy who is dealing with an injury. I bet you're looking for a steadier, option. Well Jackson is plenty steady. He had 77 catches this year, and he was on fire down the stretch. The senior had at least five catches in each of his last seven games, and at least seven receptions in each of his last five. The only quibble is that he had only three touchdowns, but those all came in his final six games as well. Ty Storey ($14,700 DK, $9,000 FD) loves to look to Jackson, so we can count on him to be involved against the Broncos.