Today's CFB DFS coverage will tackle the CFP Championship Game between Indiana and Miami, and highlight selections for DraftKings' Showdown contests and FanDuel's Single-Game offerings. I will utilize Rotowire's world-class CFB projections, and with a bit of 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 their final FP total, but the catch is that this player also costs 1.5x 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 be made to achieve balance throughout your roster, which will sometimes make the highest scorer sit in a utility position. We'll solve the puzzle and identify a few worthwhile avenues as we explore key options for the National Championship.
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
College Football National Championship Game DFS Plays on DraftKings and FanDuel
Captain Selections
It didn't take me long to find out that taking quarterbacks at the top might not be the best way to go, as the pickings below the median are challenging to come by. I'll include them for the sake of being thorough, however. Anyone not selected below will automatically have value in the utility category.
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (DK: CPTN $17,400, UTIL $11,600, FD: MVP $19,500, UTIL $13,000)
Carson Beck, Miami (DK $15,900, FD $10,600, FD: MVP $16,800, UTIL $11,200)
Keelan Marion, Miami (DK: CPTN $5,400, UTIL ($3,600), FD: MVP $9,000, UTIL $6,000)
Mark Fletcher, Miami FANDUEL ONLY (MVP $13,500, UTIL $9,000)
Roman Hemby, Indiana (DK: CPTN $11,400, UTIL $7,600, FD: MVP $12,000, UTIL $8,000)
Charlie Becker, Indiana (DK $7,500, UTIL $5,000, FD: MVP $8,400, UTIL $5,600)
I'll be honest and tell you that the quarterback is not the play you want to go with for this matchup. The inflated salaries for Mendoza and Beck are more manageable in the UTIL category, and it's best to keep them there. I've identified a high-upside guy like Marion, who had a career game against Oregon, and I also like Roman Hemby against Miami's defense, which had more difficulty against the run game. Fletcher is an MVP selection specifically for FanDuel, as he's much closer to Mondoza and Beck in terms ot cost on DraftKings. Mendoza's propensity to spread the passes out to multiple wideouts makes me skeptical of going with a Hoosier receiver at the 1.5x multiplier, but I also acknowledge that you could be in for a long day if passes don't go Marion's way. That's one reason for adding Becker, who could find paydirt for a second consecutive week. Aside from Mendoza, Becker is a player who has continually shown up in the UTIL spot, and you could easily use him here.
Utility Selections
Let's assume we go with someone like Becker or Marion up top and guarantee Mendoza an entry. Beginning with a build like that gives us an average of $ 8,500-$9,000 per slot, which crystallizes what we have to look at elsewhere.
Elijah Sarratt, Indiana (DK $8,800, FD $10,600)
Omar Cooper, Indiana (DK $8,400, FD $8,800)
Malachi Toney, Miami (DK $9,800, FD $10,200)
CJ Daniels, [LOGO'Miami (DK $4,000, FD $6,200)
Obviously, our interest in guys like Daniels, Marion or Becker increases if we decide to put both Mendoza and Beck into the UTIL column, and I have some builds that include both quarterbacks in that manner. If we go with someone like Marion or Becker at the top with only one quarterback, we're able to reach into the grab bag of receivers that are risk-reward and in the $8-10k range. Based on what we have so far, here are some sample builds.
Marion CPTN/Mendoza//Sarratt/Toney/Hemby/Cooper
Becker CPTN/Mendoza/Beck/Hemby/Cooper/Daniels
Other CFB DFS Showdown/Single-Game Strategies
A popular approach for many is to take a wide receiver at the top and hope for a score. Becker certainly fit the bill last week, but if we're looking for TD frequency, the nod has to go to Sarratt and Cooper for Indiana. The TD count isn't as plentiful for the Hurricanes, and although I identified Marion as a low-cost multiplier, the cost for Toney isn't enough to warrant a 1.5x increase. C.J. Daniels has seven TD grabs for the year, and his salary is close to Marion and Becker on the low end, so he could suffice as a pivot for Captain if you are interested in a unique Miami-focused build.
Despite my protestations to the contrary, there will also be some of you who won't be able to resist slotting Mendoza into the multiplier. Here's a sample of the kind of builds you'll have to contend with.
DraftKings: Mendoza/Becker/Daniels/Radicic/Sarratt/Toney
FanDuel: Mendoza/Becker/Hamby/Cooper/Saratt/Daniels
