College Football DFS Picks: Main Slate for Saturday, December 14

CFB DFS Breakdown for Saturday Main Slate

We have a small two-game slate ahead to both close out the regular season between Army and Navy and kick off the bowl season with the Veterans Bowl featuring South Alabama and Western Michigan. The Jaguars (32.75) and Broncos (24.75) both sport heftier scores on the slate, with Army drawing close to Western Michigan with a 22.75 expected score. Navy brings up the rear at 16.25.

The totals game total is clearly in favor of the Veterans Bowl, suggesting more players should be drawn from that slate, and both games are within manageable spreads in the single digits, so there shouldn't be concerns of blowouts causing starters to sit parts of the game.

College Football DFS Weather (winds 15+ MPH, precip. chance 50-plus percent and hot/cold temps noted)

None

Notable College Football Injuries/Absences for Saturday, December 14

QB

Blake Horvath, Navy - Expected to play based on statement from him earlier this week

Gio Lopez, South Alabama - Was dinged up late in the fourth quarter against Texas State, but there is no mention of concern over his status, so he seems likely to play

RB

Fluff Bothwell, South Alabama - Entered transfer portal

WR

None

TE

Blake Bosma, Western Michigan - Entered transfer portal

College Football DFS Tools

• FanDuel Lineup Optimizer
• Matchups Page (Vegas odds, opponent averages, etc.)
• Advanced Lineups Page
• Stats
• Team Trends
• Targets
• Defense vs. Position
• Team Rankings

Saturday, December 14 CFB DFS Plays

Quarterback

Bryson Daily, Army ($10,800 DK, $11,800 FD) vs. Navy

Daily is the clear-cut top option on this slate as far as quarterbacks go and may still be worth inclusion on both sites, given that we're on a small enough slate that it should be pretty easy to get under the salary threshold, but he's a better bang for your buck on FanDuel, where he only represents 19.67 percent of the budget versus 21.6 percent on DraftKings. That 2.27 percent difference marks the biggest for any starter at any position on the slate. It's justified, though, as Daily is tied with Ashton Jeanty for the most rushing touchdowns (29) in college football, and Daily only has 11 games under his belt. This game total doesn't suggest huge scoring totals, but Daily should get the lion's share of totes near the goal line and figures to punch at least one or two in on the ground. His upside may be too high to pass up.

Gio Lopez, South Alabama ($8,000 DK, $10,600 FD) vs. Western Michigan

Lopez is a much better value here on the DraftKings side, and it's unclear why that's the case. He's actually the best value among the four starters in terms of salary differential, and he's heading a Jags offense that sports by far the largest expected score on the slate. The last pair of quarterbacks didn't fare particularly well against the Broncos, but all but one quarterback prior to those finished with above-average fantasy production. Lopez affirmed his commitment to the Jags for next year earlier this week, and I expect him to end his 2024 season on a high note here.

Hayden Wolff, Western Michigan ($6,000 DK, $8,100 FD) vs. South Alabama

Wolff is another bargain on the DK side at just $6,000 on the other side of this game, as it seems DraftKings may be favoring previous player performance while evaluating salaries, while FanDuel may have a heavier weight on the game totals when it comes to comparing salaries. Either way, Wolff would be my preferred option outside of the top two here, as the Army defense has been stifling against quarterbacks, in general, this season, keeping each of the last five opponents under-average production and all but two under average on the season.

Running Back

Kentrel Bullock, South Alabama ($4,900 DK, $8,800 FD) vs. Western Michigan

Bullock sits atop the board on the FanDuel side, but he's not adequately priced on DK following the news of Fluff Bothwell entering the transfer portal, and thus, he should almost be locked in there. Bullock was averaging double-digit carries anyway, but I'd expect a hefty workload here with Bothwell's touches up for grabs. As mentioned above, the Jags sport the highest expected score on the slate and are favored by north of a touchdown, so they could find themselves salting the clock away in the second half with some runs, and Bullock seems like the most likely candidate to find pay dirt on the ground.

Jalen Buckley, Western Michigan ($6,500 DK, $8,200 FD) vs. South Alabama

Buckley's role fluctuated throughout the 2024 campaign, but he was back in the lead role by the end of the season, rushing 19 times for 103 yards and a score in the regular-season finale versus Eastern Michigan. He's the most likely bet to handle the lion's share of the totes in Saturday's bowl game and squares off against a South Alabama defense allowing a healthy 26.1 fantasy points per game. That said, a lot of the production also comes via the receiving. Buckley isn't a major contributor on that front, but he has had nine catches for 59 yards over the last four games.

Kanye Udoh, Army ($6,200 DK, $7,200 FD) vs. Navy

Udoh is the primary back in the Black Knights' backfield, racking up 20 carries for 158 yards and a touchdown against Tulane in the AAC Championship game last week. He should claim a healthy workload Saturday as well, though 20 carries is likely out of reach in a game featuring two triple-option offenses. I still see this game going over the total here, and Udoh is the most likely back to reach pay dirt among the options, sporting 10 rushing touchdowns on the season.

GPP Shot Plays

Braylon McReynolds, South Alabama ($3,500 DK, $5,800 FD) vs. Western Michigan

McReynolds is the ultimate bottom-of-the-board GPP option, totaling just 19 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown on the season. However, he could be positioned for some work Saturday with Bothwell in the transfer portal. He's a bit undersized (5-foot-7, 190 pounds) to see work around the goal line, but if he can break loose for a longer touchdown, that would return enough dividends to separate in GPP formats.

Jaden Nixon, Western Michigan ($6,000 DK, $7,400 FD)

Nixon is the pivot option if you want to take your chances, you can take a chance that he sees more work than Buckley. Nixon has double-digit carries to his name in six different games this year but lost his starting job in the back end of the season. With the extra time off, anything can happen during the bowl game.

Noah Short, Army ($4,200 DK, $6,100 FD) vs. Navy

Short is the Swiss Army Knife (pun intended) of this offense, amassing 65 carries for 533 yards and a pair of touchdown and 16 catches for another 313 yards and a trio of scores. In a game where the play counts won't be off the charts, Short becomes more appealing in my eyes for his ability to bust big plays as both a runner and a receiver. I'll likely have a fair amount of him, especially as a bit more of a value on DraftKings.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Jamaal Pritchett, South Alabama ($7,900 DK, $9,400 FD) vs. Western Michigan

Pritchett is the target hog of the slate, amassing a 33.6 percent target share on the season, including 11 or more in each of the last five games. He's a chalk play and should be in the lineup on both sites, because he's far and away the most reliable receiver among the options on the slate. He'll be the anchor piece to build around in DFS lineups on both sites.

Kenneth Womack, Western Michigan ($6,000 DK, $7,100 FD) vs. South Alabama

Womack has been the most consistent wideout for the Broncos since making his season debut in Week 5, sporting a 21.6 percent target share since that point. Womack has just two touchdowns under his belt in two seasons with the Broncos, so that's not a huge part of his game, but the game script, with the Broncos eight-point underdogs, suggests they may need to tap into the passing attack more than usual Saturday, and Womack would likely see a healthy volume of passes as a result.

GPP Shot Plays

Jeremiah Webb ($3,200 DK, $6,400 FD) and DJ Thomas-Jones ($3,500 DK, 5,200 FD), South Alabama vs. Western Michigan

Webb doesn't sport nearly the same target share, but he's definitely the second in line among wideouts for the Jags, averaging 5.3 targets, 3.3 receptions, 47.8 receiving yards, and totaling one touchdown over the final four games. He's certainly a player who can reach double-digits in the fantasy column on a given day and should have a chance to do so here. 

Thomas-Jones hasn't had the same target volume over that span and hasn't scored since Week 4, but he did rack up five grabs for 59 yards versus Texas State, and he'll face a defense that has allowed seven passing touchdowns to tight ends over 12 games.

Anthony Sambucci ($5,100 DK, $6,000 FD) and Chris Toudle ($3,500 DK, $5,000 FD), Western Michigan vs. South Alabama

Sambucci isn't a reliable option from a reception perspective, totaling no more than two in any of the last four games, but the Broncos could face a situation where they're going to need to throw the ball regularly in the second half of the game, and he's one of the better options to find pay dirt if they score through the air. While he only has a pair of scores this year, Sambucci totaled five over nine games last year, and a big red-zone threat in Blake Bosma (six touchdowns) is in the transfer portal, opening some looks around the goal line. 

That's the same reason to consider Toudle, who will now slot into that lead tight-end role for the Broncos in the bowl game. Toudle has racked up eight grabs for 91 yards and a score on limited action in the No. 2 role but could be in line to find pay dirt again Saturday stepping into that important lead tight end role.

Casey Reynolds, Army ($3,800 DK, $5,700 FD) vs. Navy

Like the others in the shot plays section, Reyonlds' production has been all over the place this season, but the has hit double-digit fantasy production five times in 11 games. With the extra week to prep for a big rivalry game, the Black Knights figure to pull out all the stops, which could include some unexpected looks for Reynolds.

Nathan Kent, Navy ($3,500 DK, $5,500 FD) vs. Army

 Speaking about pulling out all of the stops, look for Navy to throw caution to the wind in the team's biggest game of the year. Kent has even more volatility than Reynolds above, having scored under 4 fantasy points in eight of 11 games this year, but he's also crossed the nine-point mark three different times and more than 14 twice, which could be a differentiator in GPP tournaments.