We made it, college football fans! The College Football Playoff National Championship kicks off Monday night with Washington vs Michigan and a national title on the line. Michigan is a 4.5-point favorite with a 56.5 over/under. The game will be in NRG Stadium in Houston, TX with kickoff set for 7:30 pm ET. As always, you can build college football DFS lineups for the CFP National Championship on DraftKings and FanDuel for the showdown slate. Let's now dive into top CFB DFS picks, values, dart throws and more for Washington vs Michigan. Good luck!

 

College Football CFB DFS Picks for CFP National Championship

Captain/MVP Plays

Michael Penix Jr., Washington QB

If Washington wins, it’ll likely be because Michael Penix Jr. has another big game. He’s coming off one of his best performances of the season in the semifinal win vs Texas with 430 passing yards, 2 TDs, a 76% completion rate, and 31 DK. The Michigan pass defense and secondary presents a very tough matchup, but Penix is certainly capable of another big stat line. He’s the upside GPP option at Captain. You can also roster Penix in the utility for cash because he’ll likely throw for enough yards if Washington is trailing. 

Blake Corum, Michigan RB

Blake Corum is arguably the top overall DFS play for this game. We know he will get the carries as Michigan’s workhorse back with 20-25 touches likely coming. The Washington defense has struggled vs the run against some competent rushing offenses this season, including allowing 180 yards and 3 rush TDs last week to Texas. Corum also has at least 20 DK and 2+ TDs in six straight games now. He’s the safest cash Captain and should be in your cash lineups either way.

J.J. McCarthy, Michigan QB

With Michigan usually rolling with a run-heavy offense, J.J. McCarthy hasn’t always been a reliable DFS play. He is coming off a good performance in the semifinal with 3 pass TDs and 23 DK points. Before that, though, McCarthy failed to eclipse 20 DFS points in five straight games. If Michigan has success on the ground early on and plays with a lead, then McCarthy won’t return value. If Washington gets ahead and forces Michigan to throw more, then he offers GPP upside. McCarthy is likely most optimal in a Utility spot for cash, but he’s the contrarian GPP pivot off of Penix as your Captain. 

Rome Odunze, Washington WR

Rome Odunze has been the top target for Penix in this Washington offense all season as one of the best wide receivers in the entire sport. Odunze has 100+ receiving yards in five straight games and 10 of 14 overall this year. His DFS and real-life production should come no matter the game flow. Whether the Huskies are playing from ahead, trailing, or in a tight game, Odunze will be locked into targets. You’ll likely want him in cash lineups either way, but he’s in play as a Captain for cash or GPP. 
 

Utility Plays

Roman Wilson, Michigan WR

Roman Wilson is the clear-cut top pass-catcher to roster from Michigan. Though the Wolverines don’t usually pass it a lot, Wilson is J.J. McCarthy’s favorite target when they do. Ideally for Michigan, they have success on the ground early and often and Wilson wouldn’t have many catches with minimal DFS value. If they get into a shootout with Washington or are trailing, then Wilson becomes a lot more valuable. He’s better for GPPs on this showdown slate. 

Ja’Lynn Polk, Washington WR

Rome Odunze is the headliner for Washington’s WR corps, but Ja’Lynn Polk is also a stud and always capable of big games. He just had 122 yards, a TD, and 26 DK in the semifinal – which is likely his ceiling tonight unless he scores twice. Polk has a strong floor, similar to Odunze, because he’s usually locked into targets and catches. He has 5+ catches in 10 of 12 games played this season. Michigan’s secondary presents a tough matchup, but Polk should still get 5+ catches and 50+ yards as a solid cash play. 

Jalen McMillan, Washington WR

After missing most of the season due to injury, Jalen McMillan is back and producing again as one of Michael Penix’s favorite targets. In the Pac-12 title game, he had 9 catches for 131 yards and then added 5 catches for 58 yards with a TD in last week’s semifinal. Washington’s passing attack spreads the ball around to all three of its top WRs and McMillan is capable of matching or outproducing Odunze or Polk in this game. He’s in play for cash or GPP lineups despite facing a stout Michigan pass defense. 

Colston Loveland, Michigan TE

There aren’t many Michigan pass-catchers worth rostering tonight. Colston Loveland is one of the only other reasonable options outside of Roman Wilson. The Wolverines’ tight end had a quiet semifinal with just two catches and 13 yards. Still, we could see 4-5 catches and 50-70 yards from him tonight if Michigan is forced to pass more while either trailing or in a mini-shootout with Washington. Loveland had five catches for 88 yards not too long ago vs Ohio State and could be a mismatch vs the Huskies’ linebackers in this game. 

Dillon Johnson, Washington RB

Washington starting RB Dillon Johnson left last week’s game with a lower body injury. He’s reportedly expected to play with X-rays coming back negative, but it remains to be seen how much he’s actually out there. Johnson dealt with a foot injury throughout the season and it’s a quick turnaround if he reaggravated it. We could see Johnson get 20 touches per usual or Washington might be using gamesmanship by saying he’ll play. If you want to risk playing him, especially against an elite Michigan rush defense, then go for it in GPPs. 

 

Value Plays

Jack Westover, Washington TE

Washington’s tight end hasn’t been DFS-relevant much this year as he’s regularly the fourth option at best on most passing downs. However, Jack Westover emerged as a safety valve for Michael Penix last week when Texas either sent blitzes or focused coverage on the Huskies’ three talented WRs. Westover had 6 catches for 59 yards in the semifinal and could see a similar stat line tonight if Michigan’s defense forces Penix to look for his tight end more. His involvement and stats have been inconsistent this season, but he’s one of the better values after last week’s production. 

James Turner, Michigan K

On DraftKings, we can roster the kickers for both teams. If you played showdown contests before, especially in these Playoff or Championship games, then you know rostering one or both kickers is a viable strategy in cash. If choosing one, Michigan kicker James Turner is the safer of the two. Despite missing a field goal in the semifinal (and the Wolverines messing up an extra point), Turner is averaging 7.8 kicking points per game this year. Most of his production tends to come on extra points, but Turner went 7-for-7 in combined FGs in the Big Ten title game and regular season finale vs Ohio State. 

Grady Gross, Washington K

The other kicker to consider is Grady Gross for Washington. He just went 3-for-3 on field goals with four extra points in the semifinal for 14 DK. He also went 2-for-2 on field goals with four extra points and 10 DK in the Pac-12 title game. With how much Washington scores, Gross is usually good for double-digit DFS points – whether he’s kicking extra points or field goals. In this game, we could see the Huskies settle for more field goals if Michigan’s defense holds them out of the end zone. It’s worth noting that for both kickers, this game is in a dome with favorable conditions. 

 

Dart Throws

Tybo Rogers, Washington RB

As mentioned above, Washington's starting running back Dillon Johnson got banged up last week and could be limited for this game. If Johnson does see limited snaps or ends up sitting out altogether, then Tybo Rogers would likely be the next man up. Rogers saw five carries for 19 yards last week and saw more playing time after Johnson went out. He was rarely used this season with Johnson as the workhorse, so don’t expect much if his teammate is out there for the whole game. There’s a decent chance Rogers does see double-digit touches and is worth a GPP dart. 

Tyler Morris, Michigan WR

Tyler Morris came out of nowhere to catch a TD on two receptions for 45 yards in the semifinal. The freshman was previously barely involved in the Michigan offense with only 11 catches on the year before last week. However, the coaching staff may be looking to get him more touches now if that last game is any indication. Morris is a speedy wideout who can create mismatches and be a viable secondary pass-catcher for J.J. McCarthy if Michigan gets into more of a shootout with Washington. 

Germie Bernard, Washington WR

One Washington player who will surely be contrarian tonight is Germie Bernard, the Huskies’ fourth wide receiver. If you want to take a dart throw on a Washington pass-catcher, it’s either Bernard or Devin Culp as the guys who actually play and could catch a TD randomly. Bernard at least built some connection with Michael Penix when he operated as the WR3 with Jalen McMillan out. He caught three passes for 48 yards in the semifinal and got a rushing attempt too.

 

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