This article is part of our FanDuel College Football series.
Tuesday is New Year's Eve, which is a longtime touchstone of the college football season. Even with the bowl landscape now entirely different and a 12-team playoff taking the season well into January, this New Year's Eve packs a punch. There are five games taking place: blueblood programs, matchups between ranked teams, and the first quarterfinal playoff game in FBS history. Now, the first game does kick off at 12 p.m. ET, so you'll have to get your DFS lineups in early, but I have some lineup recommendations for you and also a quick rundown of some injuries and transfers.
Alabama vs. Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl: The Wolverines have been hit pretty hard. In addition to a couple of big defensive names opting out, Donovan Edwards and Colston Loveland are both sitting out as they prepare for the NFL Draft. Kalel Mullings also plans to go pro, but he hasn't declared himself out. Alex Orji is transferring, but he's also expected to play. Alabama has Jalen Milroe, which is really all that matters for its offense.
Louisville vs. Washington in the Sun Bowl: Running back Isaac Brown and wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks will be there for the Cardinals, but starting quarterback Tyler Shough is onto NFL Draft prep. The Huskies are pretty much good to go.
South Carolina vs. Illinois in the Citrus Bowl: South Carolina is in good shape, but Illinois will be without top receiver Pat Bryant, off to do NFL Draft stuff. You know, "draft prep" i.e. "Not getting hurt in a game that doesn't count for much."
Baylor vs. LSU in the Texas Bowl: Here's something unusual: Ashtyn Hawkins is questionable for this game with an injury. See, sometimes guys play in football games, and they get injured, and while they hope to come back to play more, it's up to whether or not they are healthy enough to do so. A wild concept, to be sure. Anyway, Hawkins had 41 catches for 512 yards and four touchdowns this season. LSU pulled off the coup of keeping Garrett Nussmeier away from the NFL or the transfer portal, but top receiver Kyren Lacy will sit out after declaring for the NFL Draft.
Penn State vs. Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl: This is a playoff game, so obviously, nobody is sitting out other than for injury. To that end, nobody important picked up an injury for the Nittany Lions in their crushing of SMU, and Boise State is good to go after having plenty of time off thanks to its first-round bye.
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FanDuel CFB DFS Plays for Tuesday, December 31
Quarterback
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina ($10,400) vs. Illinois
Had Sellers stayed healthy, the Gamecocks may have sneaked into one of the final playoff spots. Though he only had one game with more than two passing touchdowns against an FBS team (but it was five against Missouri), the redshirt freshman ran for 662 yards and seven touchdowns. You might have the sense of Illinois as a tough, Big Ten defense, but it allowed a middling 221.8 passing yards and 150.6 rushing yards per game.
Drew Allar, Penn State ($9,500) vs. Boise State
Allar didn't do a ton against SMU, but to be fair, multiple pick-six touchdowns for Penn State kept the ball out of his hands early, and by the end of the game, the backup quarterback was in. Allar threw for 21 touchdowns against seven picks this season and added six scores on the ground. Boise State is good against the run, and it didn't allow a lot of points, but the team actually had issues against the pass. The Broncos allowed 246.8 passing yards per contest, which is down with the likes of UCLA and Arkansas.
Maddux Madsen, Boise State ($8,300) vs. Penn State
Obviously, Ashton Jeanty is the star for the Broncos, but Madsen kept the offense humming under center. He threw for 2,714 yards with 22 touchdowns against only three picks, and he rushed for five scores while only fumbling once. The Nittany Lions have a formidable defense, and they kept SMU in check, but that was at home. I like Madsen's potential to make a splash on the national stage, and certainly, at this salary, he may be worth a shot.
Salary-Saving Dice Roll: Harrison Bailey, Louisville ($7,300) vs. Washington
Running Back
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State ($11,400) vs. Penn State
Sometimes, you don't need to overthink it. Just grab the superstar and make the effort to work around his salary as needed. Jeanty, in my opinion, should have won the Heisman. Through 13 game,s he's rushed for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns. He's rushed for over 200 yards in each of his last two games. When the Broncos visited the Oregon Ducks, Jeanty ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns. You can all but lock in Jeanty for at least 30 touches, and there has yet to be a defense that has shut him down this season.
Isaac Brown, Louisville ($9,200) vs. Washington
It's impressive enough that a true freshman rushed for over 1,000 yards with 11 touchdowns. Brown did that on only 147 carries. He averaged 7.3 yards per carry and earned more and more trust as the season went on. Every time Brown got at least 20 carries he rushed for at least 146 yards and scored at least once. The Huskies allowed 158.1 rushing yards per contest, so Brown has a chance to end his first college campaign on a high note.
Caden Durham, LSU ($7,600) vs. Baylor
Durham and Josh Williams shared a fairly even workload, but Durham, the true freshman, has more upside. He rushed for 689 yards and six touchdowns and added 257 yards and two touchdowns through the air. The Baylor Bears allowed 155.3 rushing yards per contest, and also 25.3 points per game. On seven occasions they allowed at least 28 points to the opposition.
Salary-Saving Dice Roll: Jordan Marshall, Michigan ($4,800) vs. Alabama
Wide Receiver
Ryan Williams, Alabama ($8,600) vs. Michigan
I was always in the camp that Jeremiah Smith, not Williams, was the best freshman receiver, but the Alabama youngster was no slouch. He managed 45 catches for 857 yards and eight touchdowns. Williams' quarterback, Milroe, will be here, whereas the numbers on the Michigan defense don't mean a ton. Top defensive back Will Johnson, as well as standout defensive tackle duo Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, have all declared for the NFL Draft.
Aaron Anderson, LSU ($8,400) vs. Baylor
Nine times this season, Anderson had at least 60 yards receiving, and he tallied five receiving scores (plus one on a kick return). That was with Kyren Lacy around to serve as the top receiver. Now, though, Lacy will be on the sidelines (if he's at the game), and Anderson should serve as the number-one option. Baylor allowed over 25 points per game but also gave up 227.6 passing yards per contest.
Zakhari Franklin, Illinois ($7,500) vs. South Carolina
Franklin was a star at UTSA back when it was a Conference USA program. He transferred to Mississippi for 2023, where he didn't play much at all, and then moved on to Illinois. Playing for a Big Ten school, Franklin was…okay. He had 51 catches for 613 yards and three scores. However, and this is a common trope of bowl season, the guy above him in the pecking order won't be playing. With Bryant declared for the NFL Draft, maybe Franklin will look like the guy who had over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns in two separate seasons at UTSA. South Carolina was decent against the pass, allowing 206.9 passing yards per game, but this is bowl season, and things can get a little wild out there on the field.
Joshua Simon, South Carolina ($6,500) vs. Illinois
Tyler Warren is the tight end in action Tuesday that draws all the national love, but Simon actually was the leading receiver for the Gamecocks. A Conference USA expat like Franklin (Simon was at Western Kentucky), the tight end picked it up as the season went on. Over his final five games, Simon had 18 catches for 308 yards and five scores. If Sellers or Sanders don't punch in touchdowns in goal-to-go situations, expect the big tight end to be the target.
Salary-Saving Dice Roll: Harrison Wallace, Penn State ($6,100) vs. Boise State
