College Football DFS: New Year's Day Bowl Slate

College football's  New Year's Day bowl slate kicks off at 12:00 p.m. ET with the Outback Bowl.

SLATE OVERVIEW

Outback Bowl -Arkansas (-2.5) vs. Penn State O/U: 48.5

Fiesta Bowl - Notre Dame (-2) vs. Oklahoma State O/U: 43.5

Citrus Bowl -Kentucky (-3) vs.  Iowa O/U: 44

Rose Bowl - Ohio State (-4) vs. Utah O/U: 64

Sugar Bowl -Mississippi (-1) vs. Baylor O/U: 55.5

There are several very watchable games on the New Year's Day slate. No point spread exceeds four points, and we'll get to see how good teams like Utah, Notre Dame and Penn State are against some stiff competition.

WEATHER

No significant weather concerns on the slate.

QUARTERBACK

Matt Corral, Mississippi (DK $9,100, FD $10,700) vs. Baylor

This season, Corral put together a Heisman-worthy campaign, and his dual-threat capability is often overlooked by the team's propensity to attack through the air. Not only has Corral tossed 20 touchdown passes, but he also distinguished himself as a capable runner, punching in 11 touchdowns on the ground. There's a wide array of contrarian QB plays on this slate, but the majority of your lineups would do well with Corral and a one-or-two receiver stack. He also has a stackable pass-catcher in the backfield, which we will touch on in a moment.

C.J. Stroud, Ohio State (DK $9,900, FD $11.500) vs. Utah

It's an all-red Rose Bowl, and Stroud sits atop the QB rankings with the most expensive salary. He's an obvious go if you're playing the single-game showdown here (I think this is the most straightforward game in that format), but you have to tick a few points off of Stroud's projections due to Utah's defense and the absences of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, who opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. While most listed players are endorsements, some are listed as a warning, and I think Stroud is in that category. The Buckeyes are no stranger to Pasadena, and Stroud is a dynamic offensive engine, but the blowout loss to Michigan showed how vulnerable they are against a stout defense. One can argue that Utah's defense is even tougher than the Wolverines. He'll find his way into a couple of lineups, but I'm keeping the exposure down. There is one stack I like, however. We'll name him in a moment.

Gerry Bohanon. Baylor (DK $6,300, FD $8,300) vs. Mississippi

The Bears aren't equipped for a shoot-out against Ole Miss, but if they can keep the Rebels contained with their stingy defense, they'll have an excellent shot to win. Bohanon says he is good to go after going down with a hamstring injury at the end of the season, and this low-cost contrarian signal-caller will excel as the director of this run0forst offense. Bohanon has rushed for 301 yards and nine touchdowns and is one of the better dual-threat passers on the slate, but he's no slouch in the passing game, either. He's had two straight subpar games before missing time with injury, but he should be able to bounce back after a couple of weeks of rest with a focus on exploiting the Ole Miss defense.

Also consider: Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State (DK $6,800, FD $7,700) vs. Notre Dame

RUNNING BACK

Tavion Thomas, Utah (DK $7,500, FD $9,800) vs. Ohio State

Thomas' 20 touchdowns are one of the best scoring totals on the slate, and he helped the Utes with an impressive 1,000-yard campaign. The Buckeyes have had success against the run, but the duo of Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum had a field day against them in the Big 10 Championship, so we have to wonder if their defensive front is as good as advertised. Few people give Utah a chance in this game, but I think this may be the upset contest on New Year's Day, especially if Thomas can rack up another 100-yard performance.

Abram Smith, Baylor (DK $6,800, FD $8,300) vs. Mississippi

Ole Miss has the slate's worst run defense on paper, so it makes perfect sense to ride with Baylor's top rusher. He isn't a touchdown machine (12), but his 1,429 yards puts him in the top echelon of FBS backs. The Rebels give up an average of 180 rushing yards to their opponents, and next to Baylor's defensive prowess, their ability to run the Rebels could be the key difference-maker. 

Ivory Kelly-Martin, Iowa (DK $3,000, FD $5,400) vs. Arkansas

Thanks to opt-outs, some juicy budget spots are available, and Kelly-Martin has been named the Hawkeyes' starter in place of Tyler Goodson, who will now prepare for the NFL Draft. Gavin Williams (DK $3,600, FD $6,000) was taking a lot of the first-team reps in practice this week, so right now, we have conflicting information about who will do the bulk of the work. My advice is to slot one of them and pivot as the game approaches because they have similar salary points and are easy to late-swap.

Jaylen Warren, Oklahoma State (DK $6,100, FD $8,200) vs. Notre Dame

With safety Kyle Hamilton (NFL) and cornerback Cam Hart (lower body) banged up, the Cowboys have an excellent chance to exploit Notre Dame through the air, but Warren will be vital to open up the passing game and keep the Irish defense honest. With two of the nation's best defenses squaring off, something has to give, but Warren should have a good game if the Cowboys can keep the Irish offense off the field and control time of possession.

DRAFTKINGS STACK: Jerrion Ealy, Mississippi (DK $6,500) vs. Baylor

DraftKings awards you more PPR points, and Ealy is one of the best pass-catchers out of the backfield in the player pool. He has 30 catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns and can also get things done on the ground with an average of 64 yards per game. If I'm rostering Corral, Ealy will be rostered less as a stack than Corral's receiving corps.

Also consider: Dominique Johnson, Arkansas (DK $4,400, FD $5,800) vs. Penn State

WIDE RECEIVER

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State (DK $7,700, FD $10,000)vs. Utah

This is the Stroud stack I was excited about, and it's another one of those opt-out pivots once again. Unfortunately, neither site has been caught sleeping with this exploitable opportunity, so his salaries aren't where we would like. Still, Stroud will have to find Njigba-Smith often as no other receiver even comes close to his output on the roster. They will need more than one receiver, and Jeremy Ruckert (DK $3,400, FD $5,600) will probably line up on the other end. A budget call for Ruckert is also quite feasible.

Dontario Drummond, Mississippi (DK $6,800, FD $8,600) vs. Baylor

With an average of 13.8 yards per catch, Drummond's YAC numbers can inflict damage swiftly. Baylor's run defense is stout, but Drummond has the advantage over Johnathan Mingo as a breakaway threat. While things could swing Mingo's way of Drummond struggles, Mingo is much easier to key on than Drummond, who is a faster and more elusive target. If you want to save coin with an Ole Miss receiver, my pick would be Braylon Sanders (DK $4,300, FD $6,000).

Britain Covey, Utah (DK $4,900, FD $6,300) vs. Ohio State

Covey came on strong in the season's final two games, logging 10 receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown. Brant Kuithe (DK $5,100, FD $6,500) will probably be the Utes' most popular receiver, but you can go with recency and take a chance on Covey. The Buckeyes will have Kuithe square in their sites, and Utah's running game will open up things for medium-length passes. Covey excels as a possession receiver and hasn't logged a catch longer than 33 yards. So he's a better play for DraftKings due to the site's PPR advantage.

Also consider: Michael Mayer, Notre Dame (DK $5,900, FD $7,400) vs. Oklahoma State, R.J. Sneed, Baylor (DK $4,100, FD $5,800) vs. Mississippi