DraftKings College Football: Saturday Bowl Main Slate

DraftKings College Football: Saturday Bowl Main Slate

This article is part of our DraftKings College Football series.

Welcome to the main slate breakdown for Saturday's three-game bowl offering that features Western Kentucky versus Georgia State, UTSA versus Louisiana, and the headliner game between Coastal Carolina and Liberty. Louisiana and Coastal Carolina have the highest implied totals on the board, but finding value from other teams will be the key to this slate. 

Below, you'll find our suite of DFS tools along with matchup info and a position-by-position breakdown of the best plays and values on the board for Saturday's action. 

DFS Tools

Matchup Info

Position-by-Position Breakdown

Quarterback

Malik Willis, Liberty ($9,200) vs. Coastal Carolina

Coastal Carolina is the better team, but Willis is the best player on the field for this matchup. The Auburn transfer averages 35.9 fantasy points per game, the third-highest mark in FBS among quarterbacks who played five or more games. Coastal is excellent against the pass, allowing just 200 passing yards per game, and was the only team to truly stifle BYU's Zach Wilson this season. The difference is that Willis can be slowed through the air but still leave his mark as a rusher. On a small slate, it's tough to justify fading a player with Willis' ceiling. 

Cornelious Brown, Georgia State ($6,900) vs. Western Kentucky

Going after a Willis-McCall pairing at QB/Superflex makes plenty of sense for Saturday but it will be a popular move

Welcome to the main slate breakdown for Saturday's three-game bowl offering that features Western Kentucky versus Georgia State, UTSA versus Louisiana, and the headliner game between Coastal Carolina and Liberty. Louisiana and Coastal Carolina have the highest implied totals on the board, but finding value from other teams will be the key to this slate. 

Below, you'll find our suite of DFS tools along with matchup info and a position-by-position breakdown of the best plays and values on the board for Saturday's action. 

DFS Tools

Matchup Info

Position-by-Position Breakdown

Quarterback

Malik Willis, Liberty ($9,200) vs. Coastal Carolina

Coastal Carolina is the better team, but Willis is the best player on the field for this matchup. The Auburn transfer averages 35.9 fantasy points per game, the third-highest mark in FBS among quarterbacks who played five or more games. Coastal is excellent against the pass, allowing just 200 passing yards per game, and was the only team to truly stifle BYU's Zach Wilson this season. The difference is that Willis can be slowed through the air but still leave his mark as a rusher. On a small slate, it's tough to justify fading a player with Willis' ceiling. 

Cornelious Brown, Georgia State ($6,900) vs. Western Kentucky

Going after a Willis-McCall pairing at QB/Superflex makes plenty of sense for Saturday but it will be a popular move as well. Finding a pivot with plausible upside could be the key to the slate if the chalk doesn't hit. Brown stands out in that regard. Yes, Brown has a low floor and Western Kentucky has great numbers against the pass (170 PaYD per game), but Brown has turned in some stellar performances this season. Brown has posted more than 20 DK points on seven different occasions, including a 30-pointer against UL-Monroe and a 47-pointer against Arkansas State. Brown has a high enough passing volume to challenge for the 300-yard bonus in this spot and if he can generate a little production on the ground, he will return value and differentiate your lineup from the field. 

Running Back

Sincere McCormick, UTSA ($8,000) vs. Louisiana

If you're paying up at QB and Superflex, this play might not work for your lineup. That said, if you have room, McCormick is a very strong option. McCormick is the engine of the Roadrunner offense with 226 carries; only Iowa State's Breece Hall has more carries this season and he ranks fifth in the country in carries per game (22.6). Taking it a step further, McCormick had the highest YPC mark (5.95) among all running backs with at least 200 carries. That's consistent explosiveness with a heavy workload. He'll face the weakest run defense on the slate Saturday in Louisiana as the Cajuns allow 180 rushing yards per game and 1.9 rushing scores. 

Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana-Lafayette ($6,400) vs. UTSA

It's difficult to parse out Mitchell and Ragas out of the Louisiana backfield as both see a similar workload -- Mitchell has 122 carries to Ragas' 117 and has 17 targets compared to Ragas' 12 -- and are both extremely effective on a per-touch basis. With how close they are in terms of volume and production, the field may make Ragas the more popular play Saturday as he checks in $500 less than Mitchell. Louisiana shouldn't have much trouble moving the ball on the ground against UTSA and Mitchell projects to see enough volume to return value. 

GPP Suggestion

Tucker Gregg, Georgia State ($4,300) vs. Western Kentucky

The Hilltoppers are more vulnerable against the run than they are against the pass, and that puts Gregg firmly in play for this slate. Gregg sees fewer carries than teammate Destin Coates ($5,500) but has the same number of rushing touchdowns (6) and averages nearly a full yard per carry more than his backfield counterpart. With Gregg seeing double-digit carries in each of his last three games, it stands to reason that he'll see solid volume again Saturday, making him one of the better bargain-bin running back options. 

Wide Receiver

Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina ($4,600) vs. Liberty

It's surprising to see Likely down in this end of the player pool. His target floor may not be high as he sees 3.5 targets per game but Likely is a splash play waiting to happen. He averages 13.3 YPT and ranks second on the team in target share (15.5 percent) so when Coastal goes to the air, Likely is always in serious contention for an opportunity. The roster percentage should be reasonable on Likely, and if you're in on Coastal reaching its implied total (33.5), the explosive tight end should be in consideration for your lineup build. 

DJ Stubbs, Liberty ($3,800) vs. Coastal Carolina

While Malik Willis is the highest-salaried player on the slate, finding value among his pass-catchers is not overly difficult. Stubbs stands out as he leads the team in targets (41) while also averaging an explosive 11.1 YPT. If you're looking for pairing options to go with Willis, Stubbs should be at the top of your list. Demario Douglas ($4,300) is also worth a look as he has drawn a slightly higher target share than Stubbs in the second half of the season. 

Dakota Thomas, Western Kentucky ($4,400) vs. Georgia State

Thomas has just one game under his belt -- a five-catch, 78-yard showing against Charlotte -- and yet he's priced well above $4,000. That speaks to the lack of depth in terms of the pass-catching options on this slate. Finding players with just a pulse is enough for this batch of games, and Thomas qualifies. He figures to have a role again Saturday given his strong debut late in the season plus the fact that Xavier Lane (knee) is unlikely to play. Thomas may be short on track record but the early returns are promising and he faces the worst pass defense on the slate. 

Want to Read More?
Subscribe to RotoWire to see the full article.

We reserve some of our best content for our paid subscribers. Plus, if you choose to subscribe you can discuss this article with the author and the rest of the RotoWire community.

Get Instant Access To This Article Get Access To This Article
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only College Football Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire College Football fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John McKechnie
John is the 2016 and 2021 FSWA College Writer of the Year winner. He is a Maryland native and graduate of the University of Georgia. He's been writing for RotoWire since 2014.
CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 11
CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 11
College Football Picks: Pittsburgh vs. SMU
College Football Picks: Pittsburgh vs. SMU
College Football Picks: Florida vs. Georgia
College Football Picks: Florida vs. Georgia
College Football Picks: Clemson vs. Louisville
College Football Picks: Clemson vs. Louisville