Today's CFB DFS coverage will tackle the FanDuel Single-Game and DraftKings Showdown formats for the CFP semifinal match between Indiana and Oregon at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. I will utilize Rotowire's world-class CFB projections, and with a little help from our CFB DFS optimizer, we'll find the right combinations.
If you are new to the format, the rules are relatively simple. You are allotted five Utility spots and 1 Captain/MVP spot. The Captain/MVP earns 1.5x of their final DKFP total, but the catch is that this player also costs 1.5x more than their listed utility salary. While DraftKings and FanDuel have both tinkered with this format over the years, both sites now follow the same model.
While conventional wisdom suggests that finding the high scorer for the multiplayer spot is the key to success, that is not always the case. Sacrifices must sometimes be made to achieve balance throughout your roster, which will sometimes make the highest scorer sit in a utility position. We'll try to solve the puzzle and identify a few worthwhile avenues as we explore key options for the Peach Bowl.
College Football DFS Injuries
Oregon Running Backs
Jordon Davison (upper body) was listed as out earlier in the week, and an undetermined injury tag was just added to Jordan Whittington (undisclosed) as well. If Whittington misses, most of the running load will fall to Dierre Hill, and he'll definitely be involved in our selections below. Although he's declared for the transfer portal, coach Dan Lanning has managed to convince Jay Harris to suit up for the game to provide additional depth, but we'd probably need more news on the front to make a better determination of his usage.
College Football DFS Tools
- College Football DFS Lineup Optimizer
- Matchups Page (Vegas odds, opponent averages, etc.)
- Advanced Lineups Page
- Stats
- Team Trends
- Targets
- Defense vs. Position
- Team Rankings
Indiana vs Oregon CFB DFS Plays on DraftKings and FanDuel
Captain Selections
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
DK: CPTN $17,700, UTIL $11,800
FD: MVP $19,500, UTIL $13,000
Roman Hemby, RB, Indiana
DK: CPTN $11,100, UTIL $7,400
FD: MVP $14,400, UTIL $9,600
Dierre Hill, RB, Oregon
DK: CPTN $7,800, UTIL $5,200
FD: MVP $6,300, UTIL $4,200
For the purposes of the article, we'll assume that whoever you exclude from the list above is also in play for the available Utility spots.
The 1.5 multiplier is a valuable tool, but it's important not to let bias lead you to award it to the most productive player.
While one might be tempted to use the slot on a quarterback, it's not always the best play, and I believe that's the case on this slate. When choosing between QB candidates, I'm fairly convinced that Mendoza will have the biggest number, but he's just a fringe candidate for the top spot.
Also, while I am a fan of Hemby, the value that Hill presents is just too good to pass up. Of course, we need a limited snap count for Whttington to optimize this build. Using Hill will allow us to place Mendoza and Dante Moore (DK $11,000, FD $10,800) into the utility spots, and that three-player combo will leave us an average of $6,466 on DraftKings and $9,967 on FanDuel. Those are great averages to work with for the final three spots.
Utility Selections
For both sites, we need to focus on a player that will be at or below the average remaining salary, and for me, that player is Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq (DK $7,000, FD $5,800). He's going to be very useful on FanDuel, as his selection will give us a whopping average of $12,050 to work with. He'll give us access to Hemby at $9,600, and pretty much anyone else we want. If we are sold on Hemby, the DraftKings route may be to knock him off the list first and work from there.
We'll now touch on what makes DraftKings and FanDuel different. Kickers are available for use on DraftKings, and we're going to use one in our optimal build. The purpose is to get at least one receiver involved, and I think Oregon's Atticus Sappington (DK $4,200) is the better kicker selection. His insertion unlocks additional quality options on DraftKings that we already had within our grasp on FanDuel:
Elijah Sarratt, Indiana (DK $8,600, FD $11,400)
Omar Cooper, Indiana (DK $7,600, FD $10,000)
Malik Benson, Oregon (DK $5,800, FD $7,600)
The logical insertion for the final spot on DraftKings would be Cooper, as he leaves us only $200 after a build of Hill/Mendoza/Moore/Hemby/Sappington. On FanDuel, adding quality is no problem at all, as the base build of Hill/Mendoza/Moore/Sadiq will allow for a final duo of Sarratt/Hemby at the top, and pretty much anything else. So, with this avenue of thinking, our optimal builds are, assuming limitations for Whittington -
DraftKings: Hill (CPTN), Mendoza, Moore, Hemby, Sappington, Cooper
FanDuel: Hill (CPTN), Mendoza, Moore, Sadiq, Hemby, Sarrat
Others CFB DFS Showdown Strategies
As you have probably noticed, taking Hill instead of another MVP option gave us a lot of flexibility on FanDuel. The idea of pivoting to a quarterback at the MVP slot is much more doable. If I stick with my Mendoza prediction, we could fit a build of Mendoza, Moore, Hill, Hemby and Sarratt with the use of Oregon WR Dakorien Moore (FD $3,800) to round out the grouping. You could do your best to achieve the QB CPTN feat on DraftKings, but you'd be carrying more risk in your utility bids and would have to eliminate one of the quarterbacks to keep the 1x slots balanced. Obviously, Hill's effectiveness is curbed if Whittington is a full participant, which would increase the lean to a QB MVP.
Wildcards
Noah Whittington, RB, Oregon (DK $8,400, FD $6,800)
Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana (DK $4,800, FD $6,400)
Jayden Limar, RB, Oregon (DK $3,200, FD $2,400)
Jay Harris, RB, Oregon (DK $1,000, FD $2,600)
We already discussed Harris' uncertainty, but Limar will squarely be in play if Whittington is out or limited. Obviously, we should keep Whittington on our radar if he is active, as his appearance could force us into the QB build on FanDuel and a fade of Hill. If he's absent, I don't mind the idea of swapping Sappington, Moore or Benson with Limar on DraftKings. Using Harris as a punt would give you carte blanche for almost any build you desire, but I think taking the risk is unnecessary.
