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DraftKings College Football Picks – Week 12
By Chris Feery in NCAA Football Picks — Nov 16th, 2018 1:59pm PST December 28, 2018
Saturday's main slate of College Football action on DraftKings kicks off at Noon EST and includes 11
games, five of which kick off in the early afternoon window with the other six contests beginning later in the day. Projected totals run the gamut from a low of 48 points for the game between Michigan State and Nebraska all the way up to whopping 713 points for the West Virginia-Oklahoma State tilt.
All told, there are five games with a projected total of 60 points or greater. Here they are for your reference.
Pitt Panthers at Wake Forest Demon Deacons, +7, 60.5
USF Bulls at Temple Owls, +14, 61
NC State Wolfpack at Louisville Cardinals, +16.5. 63.5
Syracuse Orange vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Yankee Stadium, -10, 65
West Virginia Mountaineers at Oklahoma State Cowboys, +5.5, 73
There's plenty of intrigue to be found in those contests, as well as in the other six tilts on the slate. The College Football regular season is getting long in the tooth, and there remains much to be solved. While there are of course different motivation levels for each team on a given week, many are still battling for divisional crowns, conference titles, playoff spots, and/or jockeying for position in primo bowl spots.
In addition, we have plenty of players and teams that are looking to make statements. Postseason awards season is right around the corner, and players with legitimate shots will be looking to bolster their resumes. The same applies for a number of teams, as they won't be taking their foots off of the gas pedal as they look to curry favor for the postseason.
In all, it shapes up to be another wild Saturday afternoon of action, and the fact that the regular season is quickly winding down at this point only enhances the excitement. While we still have Bowl season to look forward to, that's a completely different kettle of fish for DFS purposes, as it can be even tougher to figure out who is really coming to play for the game at hand.
Of course, that's a big part of the enjoyment when it comes to CFB DFS. Unlike some of the other sports, there remains a big edge to be found in College Football for those who are willing to roll up their sleeves and do their homework. Let's take a look at some of the players that we really like at each position for our Week 12 lineups.
QB: Tyler Cornelius – Oklahoma State Cowboys ($8.6k)
We were all over Cowboys QB Tyler Cornelius for last week's big game with the Oklahoma Sooners, and he didn't disappoint. The game devolved into a wild shootout with the Sooners notching a win by a score of 48-47. Cornelius had a big hand in lighting up the scoreboard like a Christmas tree, as he threw for a whopping 501 yards and three scores.
That was good enough for a cool 34.54 fantasy points, and he has another primo matchup at hand this week versus West Virginia. We're not going to discourage you from rostering Mountaineers signal caller Will Grier in a potential shootout, but we will point out the same thing we did last week: You can save a lot of coin by rolling with Cornelius and still have exposure to a potential fantasy bonanza.
RB: Karan Higdon – Michigan Wolverines ($7.7k)
The Wolverines have one more roadblock on the way to next week's epic showdown with the Ohio State Buckeyes. That comes in the form of the Indiana Hoosiers, who will be coming into the hostile territory that is Michigan Stadium as 28.5-point underdogs. Michigan currently holds down the #4 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, and they're hellbent on keeping it, as well as potentially moving up depending on the weekend's other results.
As such, there will be no mercy shown. The Wolverines need another dominating win to further bolster their standing, and head coach Jim Harbaugh will be in for a world of criticism if the squad falls flat with so much at stake. Karan Higdon is having a stellar season – 188/1,005/9 for an average of 20.5 points per game – and we'll be looking for him to have a huge day for a Wolverines squad that has its sights set on very big things.
RB: Justice Hill – Oklahoma State Cowboys ($5.8k)
The holiday shopping season is upon us, and there seem to be discounts everywhere we turn around. It looks like the salary makers at DraftKings are in the giving spirit, as Justice Hill is way undervalued in regards to the situation at hand. Granted, he had a rough week with 9.5 versus the Sooners after leaving early with injury, but he's still averaging 18.2 points per game with five 20+ point outings on his 2018 resume.
Signs point to hime being ready to go this week, but you will of course want to confirm prior to kickoff. The game with West Virginia has a massive projected total of 73 points. The Cowboys can keep pace with the high-powered Mountaineers offense, but they're also going to want to mix it up and slow things down here and there. That's where Hill comes in, and we like him for a solid day at an affordable price.
WR: Miles Boykin – Notre Dame Fighting Irish ($6.8k)
The Fighting Irish are taking their talents to the Big Apple for a huge game with the Syracuse Orange, currently the #12 team in the nation. Notre Dame is currently the #3 team as far as the College Football Playoff committee is concerned, and they face a similar story as Michigan does this week. A big win helps to cement their ranking, while a poor showing could sully their standing.
We'll lean towards Notre Dame being up to the task in what could be a fun game. That said, Syracuse has plenty at stake as well, so they're not going to roll over. The fans in Yankee Stadium could be treated to a fun back and forth affair, and we'll want ourselves a piece of it for DFS purposes. That leads us to land on Notre Dame's top pass catcher as a fine choice. Miles Boykin has hauled in 44 passes for 654 yards and eight scores on the year, good enough for an average of 16.5 points per contest. We're sold at a price of $6,800, but we're looking for him to exceed his season average.
WR: Marcus Simms – West Virginia Mountaineers ($5.3k)
After starting off the season with three huge outings in his first four games, Marcus Simms has tailed off as David Sills V and Greg Jennings Jr. have been having the majority of the fun. That said, Simms remains capable of exploding, especially when the other two find themselves being occupied by opposing secondaries.
To be clear, we don't expect Oklahoma State to hold those two players in check. However, we do see them getting extra attention and the ball being spread around a bit more than normal. Simms has eight receptions over his last two, and we like him to be a factor in what could be a wild one. His bargain basement price for solid upside only enhances the appeal.
WR: Maurice Ffrench – Pitt Panthers ($4.2k)
The Pitt Panthers have a ton at stake this week. A win and they lock up the ACC Coastal division, and they would punch their ticket to the conference title game versus Clemson as a result. We would imagine that motivation won't be an issue, as that would amount to a massive accomplishment for a squad which is a bit of a surprise in 2018.
The Panthers face off with an inconsistent Wake Forest Demon Deacons squad which has dropped three of its last five. This is a road game for Pitt, and you can be sure their fellow ACC team won't want to see any celebrating on their home turf. Pitt will need to be on point in all facets, and we're looking for the passing game to make some noise against a squad that struggles on defense. Maurice French has had a pair of 23+ point outings in his last three, and we'll see if he has another under his belt at a really cheap price.
Flex: Tyre McCants – South Florida Bulls ($4.7k)
South Florida heads to Temple this week as a 14-point underdog in a game with a projected total of 61 points. If we compose a game script based on that information, we come up with a scenario in which the Bulls are playing catch up in the second half. That's a recipe for the air being filled with footballs, so we may be able to find some value in the USF passing attack.
The salary makers have made things easy for us, as the solid Tyre McCants comes it an affordable price with nice potential upside on his plate. On the season, McCants has a line of t53/572/3, which is good enough for an average of 13.4 points per game. While that's not a big average, McCants is the Bulls leading receiver the passing attack and capable of much more. We'll look for him to deliver that on Saturday.
S-Flex: Shea Patterson – Michigan Wolverines ($6.7k)
As we mentioned up above, we like the Wolverines to put up a ton of points this week. That being the case, we have zero problem looking for other value beyond Higdon. QB Shea Patterson has fit in very nicely with the Harbaugh offense, and he has been improving as the season moves along. Patterson has thrown for seven touchdowns over his past three, and he has delivered 20+ fantasy points in four of his last five.
If we break down the game line (Michigan -28.5, 53.5 points), we find that the Wolverines have a baseline of 41 points. Adding just a single point to that equals 42 points, that translates to six touchdowns. That sounds like a fair projection, and Patterson should have a big hand in many of them.
Thanks for reading. We hope we've helped you narrow down your list of targets for this week's featured slate of College Football DFS on DraftKings. Enjoy the games this weekend and best of luck with your lineups!
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Chris Feery / Author
Chris has been covering sports professionally since 2014. Initially focused on the NFL and College Football, he has branched out to cover all of the other major team sports such as MLB, NHL, NBA, and College Basketball. Chris also has extensive experience in the world of fantasy sports. His work has been recognized on two separate occasions by the Fantasy Sports Writer's Association. From parlays to power rankings and previews to picks, Chris prides himself on delivering exceptional content with actionable information.
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