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We now have college football every day until January 2, and not just one game per day like last week. Most wonderful time of the year, indeed! There are two games today to give us another classic college football slate before the bowl action starts ramping up. We here at Rotoballer will be with you every step of the way, just like we were all season!
Both games are early to make room for the NFL on Monday night, but the better action will be during the day if the previous primetime games for the NFL this year have been any indicator of how the Monday night game will go. We have a morning kickoff in Detroit with Western Michigan taking on a depleted Nevada squad. The afternoon game features East Carolina taking on Boston College in Annapolis. This is still a nice little slate!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 12/27/21 locking at 11 am eastern. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. Good luck, RotoBallers. But first, we start with the betting picks!
CFB Betting Picks 12/27:
Western Michigan(-6.5) vs. Nevada at Detroit, MI
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
This line opened with the Wolf Pack favored by a touchdown, but with the news that QB Carson Strong and TE Cole Turner are skipping the game and preparing for the NFL draft, it has now swung the other way. I'm honestly surprised that it's not higher since the Wolf Pack will also be without WRs Melquan Stovall, Justin Lockhart, and Tory Horton, who all hit the transfer portal. There's no word yet on star receiver Romeo Doubs, but I would be shocked if he plays. I smell blowout. I'll take the Broncos by double digits.
East Carolina vs. Boston College(-2.5) at Annapolis, MD
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
Phil Jurkovec is playing for BC and coming back next year, so the Eagles are pretty happy right now. I still have East Carolina outright in Bowl Mania, but I'm really on the fence about this one. I'll take ECU, but I liked it a lot better when the line was -3.5.
DraftKings CFB DFS Quarterbacks
Phil Jurkovec, Boston College ($6,700)
Jurkovec went out with a whimper this year, but this is a plus matchup for him against an East Carolina team that gave up 231.8 passing yards per game. The bad news is the Pirates picked off 15 passes in 12 games. There is a higher ceiling for Jurkovec than any other quarterback on the slate, but he did throw four interceptions in only 96 pass attempts this year. ECU could ruin his score by picking off a few passes, but the upside at this price is too nice to just ignore.
Holton Ahlers, East Carolina ($6,400)
Ahlers is the best runner of the four starting quarterbacks on this slate. That has to count for something. His floor is probably higher than anyone else besides maybe Eleby, but his ceiling isn't as high as Cox or Jurkovec. The good news is that Ahlers is far less of a risk. He might be my favorite cash play, but he is arguably more valuable in GPP formats.
Also consider: Kaleb Eleby, Western Michigan ($7,100); Nate Cox, Nevada ($5,900)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Running Backs
Keaton Mitchell, East Carolina ($6,300)
Don't judge Mitchell by the Cincinnati game. That defense is really good. Before that game, Mitchell had three consecutive games over 20 DraftKings points. Boston College is allowing an average of 170.3 rushing yards per game with 15 touchdowns in 12 games. I expect to see a lot of this game unfold on the ground. There's a good ceiling for Mitchell, but there could be better than him out there in GPP's.
Pat Garwo, Boston College ($5,800)
This is a great matchup for Garwo. While the Pirates have been a ball-hawking secondary, their run defense has left something to be desired. The 176 rushing yards per game isn't great, but the 20 touchdowns allowed is a little more alarming. Garwo took a ton of carries (205) for the Eagles this year. This is still a run-first team. We are going to see that on display in this game.
LaDarius Jefferson, Western Michigan ($4,300)
Technically Jefferson isn't the starter, but he still gets at least ten touches per game. His upside isn't massive with Tyler in the fold, but Jefferson has at least seven DraftKings points in four straight games. Not bad for a value pick! His floor is higher than most value picks, but the ceiling is also lower.
Also consider: Sean Tyler, Western Michigan ($6,000); Toa Taua, Nevada ($5,200); Rahjai Harris, East Carolina ($3,400)
DraftKings CFB DFS Wide Receivers
Skyy Moore, Western Michigan ($7,500)
Moore has the highest ceiling on the slate of any player at any position. I'm not kidding. This is true even if Romeo Doubs does play. Moore has 98.7 DraftKings points over the last two games alone! The Broncos may let off the gas and run the clock out if they get up big, but they did on NIU and Moore still put up a monster stat line. He's the guy that can win you a tournament.
Zay Flowers, Boston College ($6,000)
Flowers is the most electric player in the Boston College offense, but Phil Jurkovec can't always get the ball to him. A lot of scouts will be watching this game for a couple of players on both sides. Flowers could turn a lot of heads with a big game here. He has already announced that he is returning with Jurkovec for next season. This could be a prequel to a special season for the both of them.
Tyler Snead, East Carolina ($5,400)
Snead closed the season with some big numbers over the last three games. He hauled in 24 passes for 341 yards and a pair of touchdowns to acount for 65.4 DraftKings points. They were all against solid defensive teams in Navy, Cincinnati, and Memphis, so the Eagles defense doesn't scare me. Snead led the team in receptions by 27 and yards by 309. I'll take that kind of target share in a game where ECU could be playing from behind.
Harry Ballard, Nevada ($3,100)
If you're keeping track at home, four of the top five Nevada receivers have already transferred or gone pro. I'm guessing Doubs is the next to go. If so, that leaves Ballard as the leading receiver in this game with Tyrese Mack, Reagan Roberson, and Jamaal Bell jockeying for position. None of them are what I would consider safe, but Ballard certainly is if Doubs sits out. However, there is a chance that the transfers (Lockhart and Horton) may play, but I certainly wouldn't count on it.
Also consider: Romeo Doubs, Nevada ($7,000); Ryan Jones, East Carolina ($4,800); Corey Crooms, Western Michigan ($4,500); Trae Berry, Boston College ($3,400)
