College Football Playoffs DFS Picks

Welcome back College Football DFS fans. Hopefully bowl season is treating you well so far. Whatever your thoughts on the College Football Playoffs may be (It needs to increase to at least 8 ASAP!) it kicks off this Friday. For the New Year’s Day slate we have Notre Dame vs Alabama and Ohio State vs Clemson along with two other bowls earlier in the day (Georgia vs Cincy and Auburn vs Northwestern)

When building your lineup, I’d recommend focusing on the playoff games. The O/U for ND/Bama sits at 65.5 while the O/U for OSU/Clemson is 66.5. In contrast, the O/U for UGA/Cincy is 50.5 and Aub/NW is a measly 43.5.

Here’s the line-up I’ll be entering. Let’s do this!!

College Football Playoffs DFS Picks:

QB – Trevor Lawrence – Clemson, $8.8K
SF – Justin Fields – Ohio St, $8K

My plan for the New Year’s Day slate is to roster both QB’s in the Ohio State/Clemson game. Justin Fields may be dealing with a sprained thumb and is coming off a down game vs Northwestern, but to have him cheaper than Mac Jones and Desmond Ridder (facing UGA) is surprising. In the semi-final loss to Clemson last year, he still threw for over 300 yards.

In the ACC championship game, Trevor Lawrence reminded everyone just how good he is by throwing for 322 yard and a TD while rushing for 90 and another score. Against the Buckeyes last year, he threw for 259 and 2 TD while rushing for over 100 yards and a score.

I prefer both of these guys over Mac Jones because of their dual-threat abilities. It’ll be the highest scoring game of the weekend and I’ll gladly spend up on the QB spot.

RB: Travis Etienne – Clemson, $6.9K

I was also surprised at the relatively low price for Travis Etienne and will quickly roster him at this price. He’s still one of the best running backs in the nation and the Buckeye D has been suspect this year.

Etienne accumulated over 130 yards from scrimmage and 3TD’s in last year’s game. Expect another strong showing.

Think you know who is going to win it all? Check out the college football championship odds.

RB: Kyren Williams – Notre Dame, $6.2K

Deciding on spending up on two expensive QB’s means I didn’t have the budget for Bama’s Najee Harris (9.2K). At $3K less, Kyren Williams isn’t a bad fall back.

Although Clemson held the ND rushing attack in check, Williams has exploded onto the scene this year and still averages over 23 fantasy points a week. Plus, the Fighting Irish tailback has caught at least three catches per game over the last four games. Lastly, it’s not like the Bama defense (that gives up over 350 yards per game) has been all that rock-solid this year. I think Kyren Williams can have an effective day and may be overlooked by other DFS’ers.

WR: Chris Olave – Ohio State, $6.4K

I enter the wide receiver position with anything but deep pockets. However, at only $6.4K I’m over-the-moon for Olave. I expect him to be fully healthy after missing the Big 10 championship game. Last time Olave was on the field, he caught 10 balls for 139 yards and a TD vs MSU. He also scored a TD vs Clemson last year.

WR: John Metchie III – Alabama, $5.1K

For those that can’t afford Bama’s DeVonta Smith ($9K) you could always snag the #2 WR for the Crimson Tide. Metchie has been hovering around the same price point much of the season. He provides you with a high floor but a bit of a low ceiling. In 11 games this season, only twice has the wideout scored less than 10 fantasy points. He’s also only been over 25 fantasy points once and that was way back in week 2.

I always recommend mixing some high upside guys with some reliable producers. As a guy who has already rostered Metchie a few times this season, sign me up again!

WR: E.J. Williams – Clemson, $4.3K

Slowly but surely, EJ Williams has been carving out more of role for himself in this Clemson offense. As his percentage of snaps and targets increased throughout the year, Williams rewarded the coaching staff with the best game of his young career in the ACC Championship. In the rematch against Notre Dame, the true freshman caught 4 balls for 80 yards and a TD.

Just scratching the surface of his talent, Williams is a sneaky play who could be in line for a breakout game against the Buckeyes. Due to a potential lack of volume, it’s risky but I don’t have a lot of coin to spend anyways. I’ll roll the dice with EJ Williams.

Flex: Master Teague III – Ohio State, $4.1K

At only $4.3K left to spend on my flex spot, I’ll stay in this same game and take a chance on Master Teague. With a couple 100 yard games early in the season, it appeared Teague was wrestling the backfield away from fellow RB Trey Sermon ($6.6K).

Then, after two unproductive games, Ryan Day leaned back towards Sermon. This was certainly evident in the Big 10 champ game where Sermon took 20 carries for over 300 yards and 2 TD’s.

In this game vs NW, Teague only received three touches. Yes, that’s the reason why he’s only $4.1K. However, the Buckeyes may look to spread things out more evenly against Clemson or Teague may be called upon if Sermon is struggling. The price is worth the gamble.