College Football DFS: Dec. 23 Bowl Slate

Written by

Published on December 22, 2021

Slate Overview

We're treated to a two-game slate Thursday with Miami of Ohio (-2.5, O/U 54.5) facing North Texas in the afternoon and Florida (-7, O/U 55.5) squaring off with UCF at night. These games are mostly equal in terms of total and implied competitiveness. In other words, there isn't a game that's a clear target or fade over the other. It's important to get exposure to both games.

In terms of passing defenses, North Texas allows the most yardage per game through the air at 225.4. That ranks 68th in the nation, though, so even though the Mean Green are technically the worst on the slate, it's still not a bad unit.

Run defenses are the same story. All four of these defenses allow between 151 and 156 rushing yards per game. Central Florida's is technically the worst and Miami of Ohio's is technically the best, but again, these defenses are average when looking at the big picture.

Note: FanDuel has not released its salaries for this slate as of this writing

DFS Tools

Matchup Info

Position-by-Position Breakdown

Quarterback

Emory Jones, Florida ($6,400) vs. Central Florida

This is Jones' last ride as Florida's quarterback before he hits the transfer portal this offseason and I expect him to play at a high level. Anthony Richardson is out with a knee injury, too, so there's no concern about Jones getting rotated out of the game. This will be the Jones show for all four quarters.

Now, Jones didn't exactly light it up down the stretch. His lone game with over 20 fantasy points against an FBS opponent in the final six weeks of the season came against Missouri when he went for 22 DK points. He registered a 10:6 TD:INT in that span with six of those touchdowns coming against Samford. In other words, there's a reason he's down at $6,400, which is the lowest among Thursday's starting quarterbacks.

That being said, Jones is at the helm of a Gator offense that has the highest implied total on the board at 31.25. Jones provides consistent rushing production and is an efficient passer (67 percent completion rate, 8.3 YPA), checks in as a value play on this slate, and draws a favorable matchup against a mediocre defense.

Running Back

Dameon Pierce, Florida ($5,300 DK) vs. UCF

UCF's run defense is in trouble Thursday. Florida's run game wasn't great during the season but it still ranked inside the top 25 in rushing offense and the Gators have a distinct advantage in the trenches against UCF. Pierce is coming off one of his best games of the season with 12 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown against Florida State. He has a clearer path to carries than backfield mate Malik Davis and this is a great matchup. I won't be surprised if Florida runs for 200 yards Thursday.

DeAndre Torrey, North Texas ($6,800) vs. Miami (OH)

Torrey checks in as the highest salaried running back on the slate and deservedly so. For one, we're light on elite running back talent on this slate and, ahem, it's also a two-game slate. What can you do?

Still, Torrey is worth serious consideration on this slate. All the defenses on this slate allow 150-156 rushing yards per game, so there isn't an obvious target or fade in that sense. With the conditions being mostly equal then, we look at talent and role. Torrey tied for 24th in the nation in rushing touchdowns with 13 and he easily cracked the 1,000-yard mark on the year with 1,214 in 12 games. He sees 20.7 carries per game and it's hard to imagine North Texas going away from that formula Thursday against Miami (OH). There is more than enough value at other spots on this slate to jam Torrey in without sacrificing much in your lineup.

Kevin Davis, Miami (OH) ($3,300) vs. North Texas

This play is geared towards DraftKings and its full-point PPR format. While Keyon Mozee led the backfield in carries, he only drew six targets on the year. Davis has a clear role on passing downs, having reeled in 18 of 21 targets for 184 yards and a touchdown. With a clearly defined role, Davis is positioned to return some value thanks to his pass-catching upside and he has also proven to be effective with his carries, averaging over 6.0 yards per attempt.

Wide Receiver

Jack Sorenson, Miami (OH) ($8,700 DK) vs. North Texas

There might be some sticker shock with Sorenson given that he's a full $2,200 clear of the next highest salaried receiver on the board. With a dearth of other skill position players priced over $7K, there are plenty of ways to lock in Sorenson and still build a strong lineup without too many sacrifices.

Sorenson was elite this season, averaging 11.3 yards per target and 9.5 targets per game while scoring 10 touchdowns. He had five games with double-digit targets and had fewer than six targets just once, which came all the way back in Week 4. His combination of explosiveness and target share along with a favorable matchup against the worst pass defense on the slate make him close to a must-play on this two-game slate.

Teammate Mac Hippenhammer is also a worthwhile target from this offense. He checks in at just $5,200 on DraftKings but was one of the hottest receivers on this slate down the stretch. Over the last four weeks of the regular season, Hippenhammer averaged 8.8 targets per game and notched 8.3 yards per target. He also scored four touchdowns in that stretch. He's a great stacking option alongside Sorenson as you'd be locking in over 50 percent of Miami's target share, but Hippenhammer also works as a pivot off Sorenson if you're bold enough to fade the star receiver.

Justin Shorter, Florida ($5,100) vs. UCF

Jacob Copeland is the team's leading receiver and it's not out of the question that he plays Thursday despite being in the transfer portal. Still, Shorter is a worthwhile play even if Florida is at full strength in the receiving corps. The former five-star receiver averaged 8.7 yards per target and caught 67 percent of his targets. Shorter has the highest floor of the non-Copeland Florida receivers. Florida may not have an overwhelming passing volume Thursday but Shorter is positioned to be first in line for targets. Trent Whittemore or Xzavier Henderson may be worthwhile dart throws but I wouldn't pursue a full Gator passing game stack.

Khatib Lyles, North Texas ($3,100 DK) vs. Miami (OH)

This is a GPP-only type of consideration but North Texas has some value plays with upside on this slate. Lyles gets my attention as he's close to min-price but played his way into a larger role as the season progressed. He caught 11 of 14 targets for 144 yards and a touchdown in the last seven games of the season. Lyles also played a season-high 60 snaps in the regular-season finale. He's effective on a per-target basis and could be in line for more targets than his season averages in this spot.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. John McKechnie plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Fanduel: mckech3; DraftKings: mckech3.