Happy New Year! Friday sees bowl season closed out, as from this point on its only playoff games (that are being needlessly dragged out, but I digress). There are four bowl games Friday, so before I get into the DFS recommendations, let's take a look at those bowls.
CFB DFS Slate Overview for Friday, January 2
Armed Forces Bowl: Rice vs. Texas State (1 p.m. ET)
Liberty Bowl: Navy vs. Cincinnati (4:30 p.m. ET)
Holiday Bowl: Arizona vs. SMU (8 p.m. ET)
Duke's Mayo Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State (8 p.m. ET)
Not the most-riveting slate of games, as Rice and Mississippi State are 5-7 teams that were included to fill out the schedule. There are also situations like Cincinnati's, where quarterback Brendan Sorsby is already in the portal and off the roster. Hey, Arizona vs. SMU is a solid matchup, and somebody is going to get mayonnaise dumped on their head, so let's enjoy the last of the bowl games for the 2025 season. Onto the lineup recommendations.
Quarterback DFS Plays for Friday, January 2
Brad Jackson, Texas State vs. Rice ($12,400): If you don't pay a ton of attention to the Sun Belt, you might not be up on Jackson. He threw for over 3,000 yards with 18 touchdowns, but it's his status as a dual threat that makes him stand out. Jackson also ran for 16 scores. Unsurprisingly for a 5-7 team, Rice hasn't been all that stellar defensively. The Owls have given up over 400 total yards and over 30 points per contest.
Noah Fifita, Arizona vs. SMU ($9,600): Fifita bounced back in 2025, looking like the guy he was in 2023. He's totaled 29 touchdowns against six turnovers, so he's all but locked to get to over 3,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns on the season with this game. The Mustangs make things easy for opposing quarterbacks. SMU has given up 284.7 passing yards per game, which is second-highest in the FBS.
Samaj Jones, Cincinnati vs. Navy ($7,500): This is one of those bowl game mystery box situations. Sorsby is gone, and Jones and Brady Lichtenberg are going to split snaps, but Lichtenberg is a redshirt senior and Jones is a redshirt freshman, so there is more intrigue and upside to Jones. Miller Moss, Drew Mestemaker, etc. If you are down to take a risk to save some salary under center, I'd go with Jones.
Running Back DFS Plays for Friday, January 2
TJ Harden, SMU vs. Arizona ($8,000): The Wildcats have one of the best pass defenses in college football, so if you want to get anything done against them, you have to rely on your running game. Harden could be up to the task against Arizona. He's no workhorse running back, but he's rushed for 747 yards and seven touchdowns.
Ty Clark, Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State ($7,800): Clark scored a touchdown in each of Wake Forest's last two games, and he's likely in for a bigger role in this bowl game. Demond Claiborne is has declared for the NFL Draft, and that usually means not playing in a bowl. Mississippi State may be an SEC team, but it doesn't have much of a run defense. The Bulldogs have allowed 189.5 rushing yards per game, which is in UCLA territory.
Alex Tecza, Navy vs. Cincinnati ($7,200): Tecza is closing in on his first season with double-digit rushing touchdowns, as he has nine after ending up with eight last season. If a service academy team adheres to assumptions, it doesn't take its foot off the gas for a bowl game. Cincinnati had a subpar run defense, and with its starting quarterback not playing may not be as locked in as Navy for this one.
Quinton Jackson, Rice vs. Texas State ($7,000): Rice's new run-heavy offense saw Jackson rise to the forefront of the depth chart. He has 811 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, with three 100-yard games to his name. I'm expected a high-flying, high-scoring game here, given that both teams have allowed over 30 points per contest. Texas State has also given up 170.1 rushing yards per game.
Wide Receiver DFS Plays for Friday, January 2
Beau Sparks, Texas State vs. Rice ($9,200): It took Sparks a season to acclimate to FBS football after a strong season at Utah Tech in 2023, but in 2025 the receiver looked like he belonged at this level, and then some. Sparks has caught 80 passes for 1,113 yards and nine touchdowns. He's not all-or-nothing either, as the fewest yards he had in a game was 57, and he scored a touchdown that day. That makes Sparks easy to trust, especially against a Rice squad that has given up 243.8 passing yards per game.
Kris Hutson, Arizona vs. SMU ($8,400): Well, once I noted that SMU has allowed the second-most passing yards per game in the FBS, you probably could have guessed I would be recommending an Arizona receiver. Hutson is in his sixth season of college football, having already been a success at Oregon and Washington State. He has 57 catches for 740 yards and four touchdowns, even though he missed the season opener against Hawaii. I like Hutson's chances of capping his season, and his college career, on a high note.
Cyrus Allen, Cincinnati vs. Navy ($8,000): Jones and Lichtenberg would be wise to try and get the ball to Allen. He has 49 catches this year, but they have gone for 665 yards and 12 touchdowns. When you see that Navy has allowed 241.1 passing yards per game, on par with Purdue and UNLV, you have to remember that it didn't just play Army and Navy, but Rice and VMI this season.
Tre Spivey, Arizona vs. SMU ($5,300): Hey, why not have two options from Arizona, this one a roll of the dice with a salary that is easy to take a chance on. Spivey delivered back for Arizona's buck, as he had six receiving touchdowns on only 21 catches, and turned one of his two rushing attempts into a score as well. Now he gets to face a Mustangs defense that allowed more passing yards per game than any team other than Stanford. If he finds the end zone, he'll serve you very well being on your roster.
