NCAAF

College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 12/22/20

Dillon Gabriel and the Central Florida Knights square off with the BYU Cougars in a game filled with fantasy goodness. Who should else should we consider rostering on Tuesday?

The college football bowl season is here! FanDuel's Tuesday college football DFS main slate includes two games.

In case you're unfamiliar with how it works, you can check out the rules and scoring on FanDuel, where you can hit the lobby each week to see the full array of slates and contests being offered.

As for the basics, your roster consists of a quarterback slot, two running back slots, three wide receiver slots (which also includes tight ends), and one super flex slot. In the flex, you can insert one player from any position, including quarterbacks.

Here, our goal is to help you field a roster full of fantasy goodness, and in true numberFire fashion, we'll use our in-house projections as well as betting totals and advanced statistics to tackle as many slates as possible in the lead-up to the College Football Playoff. Today, we are only breaking down the Tuesday slate, which locks at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Let's break down which players are in great spots as well as identify some players with cheap salaries who will allow you to roster the high-dollar players.

Quarterbacks

Dillon Gabriel, Central Florida ($11,000) – Let me say that both Gabriel and Zach Wilson ($11,200) are the top two plays on Tuesday. Gabriel posted game averages of 372.6 passing yards, 15.3 rushing yards, and 3.56 total touchdowns in nine regular-season games. In total, the sophomore accounted for 32 out of the Central Florida Knights' 52 offensive touchdowns (61.5%). The lefty has no issues airing it out as he's attempted at least 33 passes in eight out of nine games. With an implied team total of 40, Gabriel's ceiling is sky-high against the Brigham Young Cougars.

Michael Pratt, Tulane ($9,200) – Pratt had a phenomenal freshman season in 2020 for the Tulane Green Wave. The dual-threat quarterback recorded at least two touchdowns in all nine starts this season. In total, he accounted for 25 out of the Green Wave's 49 offensive touchdowns despite not playing in the first two games. The matchup with the Nevada Wolf Pack is unimposing. The Wolfpack allowed 248.3 passing yards per game this season. Additionally, Nevada struggled to contain dual-threat quarterbacks in each of their last two regular-season games. Fresno State Bulldogs quarterback Jake Haener threw for 485 yards and 2 touchdowns while also adding a rushing touchdown. San Jose State Spartans quarterback Nick Starkel threw for 306 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception.

Carson Strong, Nevada ($8,500) – I am surprised that Strong is the cheapest quarterback on this slate. The gunslinger averaged an impressive 323.4 passing yards and 2.75 touchdown passes per game. Strong looks like a great play as he battles a vulnerable Tulane pass defense. The Green Wave allowed 279.4 passing yards per game; they were burned for 22 touchdown passes in 11 games.

Running Backs

Tyler Allgeier, Brigham Young ($9,200) – First of all, Allgeier is expected to play despite missing the Cougars' regular-season finale. The bruising back has a nose for the end zone as he scored at least one touchdown in eight straight games. Allgeier enters the bowl game having eclipsed 105 rushing yards in each of his last three games. The matchup with Central Florida is solid too. The Knights allowed 190.2 rushing yards per game during the regular season.

Greg McRae, Central Florida ($8,600) – McRae was the Knights' leading rusher with 681 yards and 9 touchdowns on 131 carries this season. The senior has a nose for the end zone as he recorded at least one rushing touchdown in six straight games. Additionally, The Knights' running back topped 100 yards rushing in three out of the final five regular-season games.

Devonte Lee, Nevada ($5,900) – I debated between listing Lee and Tulane's Stephen Huderson ($7,000) as the salary relief option at running back. I choose Lee because he's cheaper and the matchup for both running backs is similar (Nevada is allowing 130.8 rushing yards per game and 1.25 rushing touchdowns per game while Tulane is allowing 137.4 rushing yards per game and 1.36 rushing touchdowns per game). While Lee doesn't start, he should receive 4-8 carries in the bowl game. Additionally, he's the preferred Nevada running back in short-yardage and goal situations.

Others to consider: Toa Taua, Lopini Katoa, Otis Anderson (if he plays), Bentavious Thompson (better if Anderson is OUT), and Stephon Huderson.

Wide Receivers

Dax Milne, Brigham Young ($8,900) – Brigham Young's leading receiver should have a field day with Central Florida's porous pass defense. The Knights were creamed for 283.4 passing yards per game. Moreover, they allowed an eye-popping 23 touchdown passes in nine games. Milne enters the bowl game having topped 100 yards receiving in each of his last three games. Nevada wide receiver, Romeo Doubs ($9,800), is also a worthy spend on Tuesday as he encounters a Tulane defense that struggles against the pass (as mentioned above).

Tre Nixon, Central Florida ($6,900) – Nixon battled an injury that lasted nearly the entire season. He was able to suit up in the Knights' final two regular-season games. Per Pro Football Focus, Nixon was targeted 18 times in those two games. The senior had 10 receptions and 118 receiving yards in those two games. Nixon was the second leading receiver for Central Florida in 2019; he had more receiving yards and touchdowns than Marlon Williams last season.

Jacob Harris, Central Florida ($6,100) – Harris took advantage of Marlon Williams' absence. Per Pro Football Focus, Harris had 5 receptions, 110 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns on nine targets against the South Florida Bulls in Central Florida's regular season finale. The Knights' deep threat was second on the team with seven touchdown receptions. He's a tremendous source of salary relief.

Others to consider: Romeo Doubs, Jaylon Robinson, Cole Turner, Gunner Romney, Isaac Rex, Tory Horton, Deuce Watts, Neil Pau'u, Jha'Quan Jackson, and Ryan O'Keefe.


Matthew Hiatt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matthew Hiatt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username easternmh. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.