This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.
CFB FanDuel DFS Breakdown for Saturday Main Slate
We have a hefty slate by bowl standards Saturday, though the main slate on FanDuel omits the early game between UConn and North Carolina, leaving us with seven total contests on the slate. Leading the charge on the expected scoring chart is TCU at 34.5, with NC State (33.5) and Miami (31.0) also both crossing the 30-point threshold and Army (29) and Colorado (29) not far behind.
Army is also the heaviest favorite on the slate as 14.5-point favorites over Louisiana Tech, and the Black Knights are the only double-digit favorites. TCU is the closes as 9.5-point favorites over Louisiana, and the Wolfpack (NC State) round out the favorites of more than a touchdown as 7.5-point favorites.
Unsurprisingly, the top expected teams are featured in the highest-scoring games, with TCU-Louisiana topping and NC State-East Carolina topping the charts at 59.5 each, Miami-Iowa State (57.5) not far behind and Colorado-BYU (54.5) rounding out the 50-plus point totals.
College Football DFS Weather (winds 15+ MPH, precip. chance 50-plus percent and hot/cold temps noted)
Boston College vs. Nebraska - Significant chance of rain at Yankee Stadium
East Carolina vs. NC State - Good chance of rain in Annapolis
Notable College Football Injuries/Absences for Saturday, December 28
QB
Chandler Fields, Louisiana-Lafayette 
- Was carted off during conference championship game. Wooldridge expected to start
Ben Wooldridge, Lousiana-Lafayette - Expected to start bowl game after missing final-three regular-season games
RB
Isaiah Augustave, Colorado 
- Sat out regular-season finale. Status for bowl game uncertain
WR
Jimmy Horn Jr., Colorado - Status unclear for the bowl game after playing just one snap in regular-season finale
Reggie Virgil, Miami (Ohio) 
- Entered transfer portal
Javon Tracy, Miami (Ohio) 
- Entered transfer portal
Jerand Bradley, Boston College 
- Transferred to Kansas State
Isaiah Neyor, Nebraska 
- Preparing for NFL Draft
Jack Bech, TCU 
- Sitting out bowl game with knee issue and preparing for NFL Draft
Savion Williams, TCU - Sitting out New Mexico Bowl
Isaiah Horton, Miami 
- Transferred to Alabama
Chase Sowell, East Carolina 
- Transferred to Iowa State
TE
None
College Football DFS Tools
- FanDuel Lineup Optimizer
- Matchups Page (Vegas odds, opponent averages, etc.)
- Advanced Lineups Page
- Stats
- Team Trends
- Targets
- Defense vs. Position
- Team Rankings
CFB DFS Plays on FanDuel for Saturday, December 28
Quarterback
Cam Ward, Miami 
($12,200) vs. Iowa State
I didn't initially include Ward among my picks because of the matchup, but this is more of a gut feeling. Ward is playing one final game with the Hurricanes, and the total for this game has steadily climbed from the open of 53.5 to where it sits at 57.0 at the moment, and I find it hard to believe the staff won't let him chuck it around in his final collegiate game. The lone concern would be if Ward just plays a small amount to avoid injury as a potential first-round draft pick, so there is a bit of risk involved with utilizing Ward, but he's certainly capable of delivering a return if he plays the full game.
Bryson Daily, Army 
($12,000) vs. Louisiana Tech
Daily and the Black Knights got a replacement team for their bowl game after Marshall had too many transfers to field a team. As a result, Daily and co. face a 5-7 Louisiana Tech squad and are two-touchdown favorites, sporting an expected score higher than many outputs this season. Daily is the centerpiece of this team and will aim to bounce back after a rough showing in the annual Army-Navy game. I expect him to do just that to end 2025 on a high note despite facing a defense yielding just 3.4 yards per carry this season.
C.J. Bailey, NC State 
($9,300) vs. East Carolina
The weather is something worth considering here, but Bailey also offers some intrigue as a runner, racking up a combined 23 carries for 137 yards and three touchdowns between the last two regular-season games. The Pirates have allowed 512 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 139 carries from quarterbacks in just 11 games this year, though the result are heavily bouyed by matchups with Army and Navy, but I see potential here for a strong showing.
Ben Wooldridge, Louisiana-Lafayette ($4,000) vs. TCU
Wooldridge seems like a bit of a no-brainer here on poor pricing. Wooldridge is an intriguing dual-threat option under center, totaling 60 carries for 200 yards and five touchdowns over 10 games before missing the final three contests of the regular season due to injury. He also added 2,392 passing yards and a 17:5 TD:INT ratio over that span. Fortunately, he's reportedly healthy and in line to start the bowl game, one that is expected to be a high-scoring affair. At minimum salary, he should be a lock in most lineups.
Running Back
Hollywood Smothers, NC State ($7,300) vs. East Carolina
Smothers earned a healthy share of the carries down the stretch and racked up a combined 20 carries for 162 yards and three touchdowns over the last two games, adding four catches for 42 yards as well. Smothers gets a solid matchup here against an East Carolina squad allowing a slate-high 25.2 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, and with so few workhorses on the slate, I'll take my shot here with one of the heavy favorites in an expected high-scoring game.
LJ Martin, BYU 
($7,200) vs. Colorado
Martin and the Cougars aren't favorites in this contest, but they are just 3.5-point underdogs against the Buffs. Martin is the clear best back in the Cougars backfield and is coming off a season-high 22 carries against Houston to close out the regular season. While he hasn't scored a touchdown since the last week of October, I could see him finding pay dirt again Saturday and providing more than enough value at this salary. He's a workhorse back when the opportunity presents itself.
Keyon Mozee, Miami (Ohio) .png)
($6,600) vs. Colorado State
While it's the expected scoring total on the slate, I like Mozee as an option here in a game that sees the RedHawks down their top two wide receivers in Virgil and Tracy, who both entered the transfer portal (see above in the key absences). As such, I wouldn't be shocked if we see a heavier emphasis on the ground game in this one, and the RedHawks are still 2.5-point favorites for the contest. Mozee has been the clear leader in the backfield this season for Miami (Ohio), amassing 170 carries for 1,073 yards and four touchdowns on the year. There is some concern whether he'll get a chance to punch it in around the goal line, standing just 5-foot-7, 187 pounds, but he should still receive a firm run in the contest.
Bargain Options
Emmett Johnson ($6,300) or Rahmir Johnson ($4,800), Nebraska vs. Boston College
(Emmett) Johnson figures to head the Huskers' backfield in the bowl game with the news that Dante Dowdell is in the transfer portal. He had etched out the lead role down the stretch anyway, totaling a combined 46 touches over the last two games of the regular season. He'll likely receive a heavy dose of work in this one as well, which is intriguing at this salary in a slate that is short on backs with this sort of volume.
If you're looking for a pivot, (Rahmir) Johnson could step into a larger role in the bowl game in lieu of Dowdell, leaving double-digit touches on the table. Gabe Ervin is also in the transfer portal, so any carries not headed to Emmett will likely fall to Rahmir.
Carson Hansen, Iowa State ($5,700) vs. Miami
Iowa State's backfield has been a rotation all season, but Hansen has seen a decent amount of work down the stretch, tallying double-digit carries in each of the last three games. On top of that, Jaylon Jackson and his handful of carries per contest (16 over the last three games) are now on the table after Jackson was suspended indefinitely following his arrest. Hansen could be an option for a few more carries as a result, and it will come against a Miami defense that wasn't particularly impressive overall on the year. Abu Sama remains in the mix for carries as well and could be an option, but Hansesn has been the more reliable option down the stretch.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Travis Hunter, Colorado ($10,700) vs. BYU
Hunter in the bowl game is risky, because we don't know for certain he will play the entire game. There are no opt-outs for the Buffs, so, assuming he plays it out, Hunter is seemingly the best option on the slate. He closed out the regular season with 18 catches for 241 yards and five touchdowns over the final two contests and should be in line for a significant target count again Saturday to close out his college career.
Eric McAlister, TCU ($7,800) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
McAlister is a player who had some explosive efforts already this season, and his importance will be amplified in the bowl game with Savion Williams and Jack Bech, the team's top two targets in 2025, out for the bowl game. The Horned Frogs' backfield options are unimpressive, so I still expect Sonny Dykes to lean on his gunslinger in Josh Hoover, who has averaged 36.6 pass attempts per game this season. McAlister should be on the receiving end of a large portion of those passes Saturday and could be in line for a big day.
Jacolby George, Miami ($7,600) vs. Iowa State
While Xavier Restrepo ($9,400) certainly shouldn't be discounted as an option, Jacolby George has a similar target share (27.5 percent for Restrepo versus 24.6 percent for George) over the last pair of games, and George has been more productive with his looks. Given the discrepancy in the two salaries, I'm more interested in George for the bowl game slate.
Cade McDonald, Miami (Ohio) ($7,300) vs. Colorado State
I'm not advocating for a RedHawks stack as some of my selections here would seem to suggest. It's more the case of vacated target share available. Between Tracy (24.8 percent) and Virgil (23.4 percent), we see a combined 52.2 percent of the season target share out the door for the bowl game via the transfer portal. McDonald is the clear No. 3 target in the offense, sporting a 20.9 percent share on the year, so it wouldn't be surprising to see quarterback Brett Gabbert look his direction more frequently in the bowl game. At this salary, it's probably worth a shot.
Bargain Options
JP Richardson ($6,800) and Blake Nowell ($5,800), TCU vs. Lousiana-Lafayette
Speaking of vacated target shares, this is again the case with the TCU wideouts. While McAllister may be the most explosive option, Richardson actually sports a larger target share on the year, entering the bowl game at 16.5 percent. He could be leaned on a bit more heavily here in the slot as a comfortable option for Hoover. Nowell, on the other hand, is someone who could be in line for added action in the bowl game as a fill-in starter for the Horned Frogs. It's certainly not the same crew, but Nowell doesn't need to produce at the same level as Williams or Bech to deliver returns worthy of his salary.
Yannick Smith, East Carolina 
($6,600) vs. NC State
We continue on the train of opt-outs and transfers with East Carolina, where Smith could be in line for some adding looks as a potential starter out wide Saturday. Chase Sowell's transfer to Iowa State seemingly opens the door for a larger role for Smith, who impressed late in the season with 10 catches for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns over the final two games of the regular season. I wouldn't be shocked if we see another big effort from him in the bowl game.
Kam Perry ($5,100) and Cole Weaver ($4,800), Miami (Ohio) vs. Colorado State
Rounding out the transfer portal openings are the other wideouts who could see some increased run Saturday for the RedHawks. Perry has worked in some this year at wide receiver but hasn't seen a ton of work. That seems likely to change in the bowl game with the two aforementioned top wideouts (see above) out for the bowl game. Weaver is the other listed starter on the depth chart. He has all of one catch to his name this year, so he could be a sneaky name if you're looking for someone unknown to take a chance on for the bowl slate.
