What's better than football on Thanksgiving Day? College football on Thanksgiving Day! I guarantee you that the two games served up to us by the college football powers that be will be more entertaining than the Lions and the Bears! Let's see what we have to feast on after our actual feast!
We have Fresno visiting San Jose State just in time for pumpkin pie in most locations at 3:30 eastern. The nightcap is the annual Thanksgiving Day game that college usually gives us: The Egg Bowl! It may be a small slate, but it's a college football DFS slate on Thanksgiving! I'll never complain about that!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 11/25/21 locking at 3:30 pm eastern. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard and forward, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings CFB DFS Quarterbacks
Will Rogers, Mississippi State ($8,600)
Volume is king, especially on small slates. Rogers only threw 34 passes last week, his lowest total of the season. The caveat is that was his total in the one half he played against Tennessee State. Rogers still racked up 38.64 DraftKings points. The Ole Miss defense is going to provide more resistance, but Rogers still has only had one bad game all season. That was against Alabama. I think we can trust him here.
Jake Haener, Fresno State ($7,900)
Starkel may have the starting quarterback job back, but he as atrocious against Utah State. I'll pay the extra for Haener here. The San Jose State defense has been solid all season, but Haener's floor is a lot higher than either San Jose State quarterback. I don't think they'll turn back to Nick Nash, but who knows after last game. San Jose State is best left for large field GPP's.
Also consider: Matt Corrall, Mississippi ($8,900); Nick Starkel, San Jose State ($5,500)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Running Backs
Jerrion Ealy, Mississippi ($6,500)
The Mississippi State run defense has been solid, but statistically Texas A&M is still better and Ealy ran for 152 yards on them. He got a bit of a breather against Vandy last week. This Ole Miss backfield rotation can be a headache, but Ealy has had multiple touchdowns in two of the last three games while rushing for 322 yards and catching 13 passes in those games. His floor is the safest of any back and the upside is enough to use him in GPP's as well.
Dillon Johnson, Mississippi State ($5,100)
Marks has more carries and more receptions on the season, so why does Johnson get better billing? The price difference isn't enough on it's own, but Ole Miss is much better against the pass than the run. Mike Leach isn't known for running the ball, but we could see a little more on the ground than we are used to. If that's the case, Johnson is the more successful runner between he and Marks. Both are good plays here, but I'm taking the chance with Johnson first.
Tyler Nevens, San Jose State ($4,700)
It took the quarterbacks collapsing after Starkel got hurt for the Spartans to remember that they still had a good back in Nevens. He salvaged his game against Utah State with a touchdown, but the whole team struggled. The Fresno defense has given up its share of yards and touchdowns this year. I like Nevens to get back on track here. Of course, it would help if Starkel could hold up the passing end of the bargain.
Also consider: Jo'Quavious Marks, Mississippi State ($5,400); Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State ($5,000); Snoop Conner, Mississippi ($4,000); Kairee Robinson, San Jose State ($3,300)
DraftKings CFB DFS Wide Receivers
Makai Polk, Mississippi State ($6,900)
Volume is king, so Polk is king. He has 88 receptions on the season, which is the most among Mississippi State receivers (Marks has more out of the backfield). That kind of floor is what I'm looking for in a top receiver. The Bulldogs throw the ball to a lot of different targets, but with 50 or more passes being thrown per game, there's plenty to go around. Polk is the Mississippi State receiver that I want.
Josh Kelly, Fresno State ($5,700)
Jalen Cropper is the guy the defenses are keying on in conference play. Kelly has stepped up with 16 receptions over the last four games with 259 yards and a touchdown. This passing attack has had a rough go of it with San Diego State, Nevada, and Boise in the last month. The Spartans are a bit of a reprieve, but not much. I'm guessing that San Jose State will put their energy into stopping Cropper first, leaving Kelly to have another solid game.
Jermaine Braddock, San Jose State ($4,600)
Braddock had the best day among Spartans receivers despite an absolutely dreadful day by the starting quarterback. We'll sweep the Utah State game under the rug since Fresno's defense shouldn't be able to do the same thing. This is also the last home game for many San Jose State seniors, so they're going to be amped up for this one. Braddock is the guy to have if Starkel starts at quarterback. If they revert to Nick Nash, sub in Deese instead.
Jahcour Pearson, Mississippi ($4,400)
It appears that Matt Corral has found a new favorite target. Pearson has 16 receptions for 305 yards in the last three games. The bad news? He hasn't found the end zone yet. There is also the little inconvenience of him being named a starter against Liberty in Week 10 and not catching a pass. That game was a bit of an aberration because of the blowout nature and the fact that Ole Miss was down three receivers in that game. His performances against Auburn, Texas, A&M, and Vandy speak for themselves. Pearson appears to be a safe punt.
Also consider: Dontario Drummond, Mississippi ($6,700); Austin Williams, Mississippi State ($4,900); Derrick Deese Jr., San Jose State ($4,800); Jaden Walley, Mississippi State ($4,300); Malik Heath, Mississippi State ($4,000)