Teams To Target (By Implied Point Totals):

  1. Florida -- 34 Points vs. Virginia (54.5 O/U)
  2. Mississippi State -- 33.5 Points vs. Louisville (63 O/U)
  3. Louisville -- 29.5 Points vs. Mississippi State (63 O/U)
  4. California -- 24.75 Points vs. Illinois (43.5 O/U)

QUARTERBACKS

Macale Cunningham - Louisville ($7,300 DK / $9,900 FD)

On a slate without a clear-cut top quarterback to pay up for, we should be targeting the highest over/under on the schedule and that’s the Music City Bowl matchup between Mississippi State and Louisville. And the best quarterback in that game is the Cardinals’ dual-threat Macale Cunningham. The sophomore began this season as the backup to Jawon Pass, but has been the starter since Week 3 after Pass got hurt. He’s been very solid with a balanced production of passing and running and he’ll be needed to make plays in both ways. The Mississippi State defense allowed 28 points and 376 total yards per game, including 227 passing yards given up per game. It’s the second-best matchup on the slate for quarterbacks and Cunningham should be able to do some damage. He has put up 20 or more DK points in six of 10 starts this season with 20 passing touchdowns and six rushing scores. 

Bryce Perkins - Virginia ($7,200 DK / $9,400 FD)

If we’re talking dual-threat quarterbacks, Virginia’s Bryce Perkins is one of the best in the country and his pass/rush combo from the quarterback or Super-FLEX position is very valuable on this small slate. The senior racked up 745 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns this season to go along with his 3,207 passing yards and 18 scores through the air. He’s been especially good lately as he led Virginia to an upset win over Virginia Tech and an ACC title in a matchup against Clemson. Perkins put up 34 or more DK points in three of the final five games of the season, and the two games where he finished with less came in a tough matchup vs. Clemson’s defense and in a blowout win over Liberty. Facing a Florida defense is definitely tough for Virginia and Perkins, but it is comparable to when he just played Clemson in the conference title game, where he still put up 22 DK points with 58 rushing yards and two touchdowns thrown. In his final collegiate game, we can bank on Perkins doing a ton in both the passing and running games today to return value. 

Emory Jones - Florida ($4,900 DK / $6,000 FD)

Who wants to take a chance on a certain Florida quarterback today? While Kyle Trask is still the Gators’ starting signal-caller, Emory Jones is being used a bit lately as a change-of-pace, dual-threat to give the offense a different look. Jones was originally recruited to be the starter next season after Feleipe Franks graduated, but Trask’s emergence has put some confusion into that plan. However, Florida clearly wants Jones to stick around and not transfer after this season so they have been giving him a decent amount of snaps in this final stretch of the year. He’s rushed for at least 33 yards on five or more carries in each of the last three games and exploded for three rushing touchdowns in mop-up duty vs. Vanderbilt back in Week 11. At Jones’ price tag on both sites, we’re basically paying for a back-up RB. However, he has more upside than that especially in this bowl game where the coaching staff should be willing to give him more snaps than usual, as the team essentially prepares for next season. He’s definitely more of a GPP play, but it’s worth the gamble on this short slate without many stud quarterbacks worth paying up for and more expensive running backs and wide receivers that we want exposure to instead.

Also Consider: 

  • Kyle Trask - Florida ($7,400 DK / $9,300 FD)
  • Tommy Stevens - Mississippi State ($7,200 DK / $8,000 FD)
  • Chase Garbers - California ($6,600 DK / $8,600 FD)

RUNNING BACKS

Kylin Hill - Mississippi State ($8,000 DK / $9,200 FD)

There was some speculation that Hill would skip out on this bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft, but he’s come out himself and said he will definitely play. One of the big reasons for that is likely because he has a chance to become Mississippi State’s all-time leading rusher if gets 50 or so more rushing yards. We should expect more than that, though, because he’ll be needed more than usual with the Bulldogs having to start Tommy Stevens at quarterback with regular starter Garrett Shrader ruled out. Hill was the SEC’s leading rusher this season as he racked up 1,347 yards on the ground (112 per game) with 11 total touchdowns. On this short slate without many top-end running backs to choose from, Hill should be very popular in all formats.  

Christopher Brown Jr. - California ($6,700 DK / $8,400 FD)

In a game with such a low total, there aren’t many legit DFS options in this Cal-Illinois matchup, but Brown is still one of the best plays on this smaller slate. He’s the workhorse back for the Golden Bears, with 18 or more rushes in three of the final four games, and gets a very favorable matchup against an Illinois defense that’s allowed 203 rushing yards per game this season. Although Brown only ran for 100 or more yards in two of 12 games this year, he is coming off his best single game performance of 2019 when he ran for 111 yards (6.2 ypc) with two touchdowns vs. UCLA in the season finale. Plus, Brown has a role as a pass-catcher out of the backfield which helps his DFS value today. 

Kadarius Toney - Florida ($3,800 DK / $6,000 FD)

While Lamical Perine is still the starting back for Florida, the offense has been using Toney a decent amount lately as the change-of-pace, pass-catching back. The speedster broke off a 66-yard touchdown catch in the season opener, but had been sidelined with an injury for the majority of the year. He returned in Week 10, though, and has seen more and more touches in each of the last four games to end the year. Toney capped off the season with his four catches for 65 yards in the finale vs. Florida State. He’s the fastest guy on the field whenever he’s out there, and he’s the biggest playmaker for Florida on offense. We should expect to see the Gators use Toney all over the field in this bowl game as he’s a mismatch against opposing defenses, and he’s worth a flier on this short slate without many solid value options. Keep in mind, though, that Toney is listed as a running back on DK but is a wide receiver on FD. 

Also Consider:

  • Javian Hawkins - Louisville ($7,300 DK / $8,800 FD)
  • Lamical Perine - Florida ($6,900 DK / $7,700 FD)
  • Nick Gibson - Mississippi State ($4,800 DK / $6,400 FD)

WIDE RECEIVERS

Chatarius Atwell - Louisville ($7,600 DK / $9,100 FD)

For much of the season, Atwell was one of the best value wide receivers in DFS because of his cheaper price tag and consistent production in the Louisville offense. His salary has now increased a ton on both sites as the most expensive wide receiver on this slate. He is still firmly in play because of the lack of top-end wideouts worth paying up for among today’s three games. Atwell had at least four receptions in ten of twelve games this season, and he has scored six touchdowns over the last five games to end year, including a score in every game. His stretch to end the season has been very remarkable as he had four straight games from Weeks 9-13 where he had at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown. Atwell is the clear top passing target for quarterback Micale Cunningham and presents a very nice pairing for the connection in DFS today. 

Van Jefferson - Florida ($6,400 DK / $7,400 FD)

If you want safe, near-guaranteed production from your wideout spot today then Jefferson is your guy. The senior is the Gators’ top receiver and he’ll be looking to end his collegiate career on a high note before a possible NFL opportunity. Jefferson capped off the regular season with a two-touchdown performance vs. Florida State and had 11 catches for 130 yards over the final two games. Florida’s quarterback change from Feleipe Franks to Kyle Trask has not affected his receiving production and he’s the bigger bodied wide receiver for Trask to trust right now in this bowl game. 

Nikko Remigio - California ($5,200 DK / $6,900 FD)

While this Cal-Illinois matchup doesn’t look attractive for DFS purposes because the very low total, we can find value on the California side and Remigio is a definite cash option. The Golden Bears’ receiver has been decent all year, but he exploded in the final two games of the year once quarterback Chase Garbers returned from injury. In Week 13 vs. Stanford, Remigio had season-highs in receptions (nine) and receiving yards (157) and added a touchdown for a whopping 34.5 DK points. Then in Week 14 vs. UCLA, he had five grabs for 58 yards, which was his second-best statistical game of the season. Remigio is clearly benefiting from Garbers being healthy, and he should do just enough in this one to return value. Illinois’ defense is questionable, allowing 401 total yards per game, and Remigio is Garbers’ top passing target right now. 

Also Consider: 

  • Hasise Dubois - Virginia ($6,600 DK / $7,500 FD)
  • Kyle Pitts - Florida ($5,700 DK / $7,000 FD)
  • Terrrell Jana - Virginia ($5,600 DK / $6,500 FD)
  • Deddrick Thomas - Mississippi State ($4,200 DK / $6,600 FD)

DraftKings Example Lineup:

QB: Macale Cunningham - UL ($7,300)

RB: Kylin Hill - MSST ($8,000)

RB: Christopher Brown Jr. - CAL ($6,700)

WR: Chatarius Atwell - UL ($7,600)

WR: Van Jefferson - UF ($6,400)

WR: Nikko Remigio - CAL ($5,200)

FLEX: Kadarius Toney - UF ($3,800)

S-FLEX: Emory Jones - UF ($4,900)

FanDuel Example Lineup:

QB: Bryce Perkins - UVA ($9,400)

RB: Kylin Hill - MSST ($9,200)

RB: Javian Hawkins - LOU ($8,800)

WR: Chatarius Atwell - LOU ($9,100)

WR: Van Jefferson - UF ($7,400)

WR: Kadarius Toney - UF ($6,000)

S-FLEX: Macale Cunningham - LOU ($9,900)