College Football DFS: DraftKings and FanDuel Picks and Strategy for Tuesday, December 23

College Football DFS: Tuesday Picks

Bowl season is in full swing by now, and Tuesday gives us three more games to dive into. Only one Power Four team suits up, as Louisville faces Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl, but there's still no shortage of storylines and DFS action all day as Western Kentucky takes on Southern Miss while UNLV faces Ohio in the nightcap. 

DraftKings and FanDuel are both up and running Tuesday, and below we break down some of the best plays on each slate.

Tuesday College Football DFS Slate Overview 

Both FanDuel and DraftKings offer all three games Tuesday, so you have no shortage of options regardless which site you fancy. 

Ohio and UNLV is easily expected to be the highest-scoring game, with Vegas setting the total at 66.5. The Runnin' Rebels are a seven-point favorite, but considering how porous both these defenses are, stops should be at a premium. And even though UNLV is a touchdown favorite, its pass defense (ranked 116th nationally) and run defense (ranked 100th nationally) both look incredibly appealing from a fantasy perspective. 

Louisville and Toledo, meanwhile, looks like a completely different story. Both teams have defenses ranked in the top-15 nationally in terms of yards allowed per game, with the Rockets' defense ranked a stunning No. 2 in the country, allowing just 156.5 passing yards per game and 92.2 rushing yards per game. This could be a total slugfest, and indeed, the total for this one is set at a lowly 43.5. 

Southern Miss and Western Kentucky is expected to be the narrowest contest, with the Hilltoppers a slim 1.5-point favorite. Both teams should have no problem scoring in this one as well, given that both defenses surrender over 220 passing yards per game and 175 rushing yards per game. While you'll need to be judicious with who you take in the Boca Raton Bowl with Louisville and Toledo, the other two contests should be more forgiving as poor defense abounds. 

College Football DFS Tools

• College Football DFS Lineup Optimizer
• Matchups Page (Vegas odds, opponent averages, etc.)
• Advanced Lineups Page
• Stats
• Team Trends
• Targets
• Defense vs. Position
• Team Rankings

DFS Plays on DraftKings and FanDuel for Tuesday, December 23

QB Parker Navarro, Ohio vs. UNLV ($7,800 on DraftKings, $11,400 on FanDuel) 

Navarro is the second-priciest gunslinger on both slates, but he should be well worth the top dollar. The experienced senior quarterback is in the midst of another very solid year for the Bobcats, having thrown for 2,232 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing for 843 yards and eight scores. That mobility gives him tremendous upside from a fantasy perspective, especially against a defense like UNLV that's surrendering 249.3 passing yards per game and 175.2 rushing yards per game. Couple that with the fact that the Runnin' Rebels are allowing 25.9 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks — the second-worst mark in the Mountain West — and this matchup looks highly appealing for Navarro. 

RB Jeffery Pittman, Southern Miss vs. Western Kentucky ($5,300 on DraftKings, $7,600 on FanDuel) 

If you're looking for a sneakier tailback who's quietly a great play on both slates, Pittman is staring you right in the face. He hasn't quite stuffed the stat sheet this fall, but he's still been the lead back for the Golden Eagles with 733 total yards and eight touchdowns. He averages 14.6 carries per game, and should be a lock to get fed the ball against the Hilltoppers, which should be music to DFS players' ears considering how permeable the Western Kentucky run defense is (180.8 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry). To sweeten the deal, he's the just seventh-priciest halfback on DraftKings and the fifth-most expensive on FanDuel. 

WR Elijah Metcalf, Southern Miss vs. Western Kentucky ($5,000 on DraftKings, $7,600 on FanDuel) 

Metcalf is a bargain on both slates as the eighth-priciest wideout on DraftKings and the seventh-priciest on FanDuel. Still, he could be primed to out-perform his price-point in a big way. He's been the Golden Eagles' leading receiver this season with 52 grabs for 677 yards and two touchdowns, and is fed a steady diet of targets, averaging 6.0 per game. He's also been much more involved over the last quarter of the season, tallying 395 of his yards in the last four games alone. And against a Western Kentucky pass defense that's been absolutely nothing to write home about, what's not to like about Metcalf in this matchup?

DraftKings College Football DFS Picks for Tuesday, December 23

QB Rodney Tisdale, Western Kentucky ($7,200 on DraftKings) vs. Southern Miss ($10,800 on FanDuel) 

Tisdale took over Western Kentucky's starting quarterback job in Week 9 and hasn't looked back. His numbers — 1,367 passing yards, 11 total touchdowns and six interceptions — won't wow you, but again, he's only really played in the second half of the season. The redshirt freshman will get his chance in the New Orleans Bowl, and gets to do so against a weak Southern Miss defense that allows 225.9 passing yards per game, as well as 24.1 fantasy points per game to opposing gunslingers. There's less data to bank on with Tisdale, but the good matchup — as well as the fact that he's just the sixth-priciest quarterback available on DraftKings as opposed to the third-priciest on FanDuel — makes him well worth considering here. 

RB Sieh Bangura, Ohio ($7,000 on DraftKings) vs. UNLV ($10,100 on FanDuel) 

Bangura is the most expensive running back available on FanDuel, but he's a bargain on DraftKings where he's just the third-priciest ball-carrier. He's been an absolute stud for the Bobcats and has enjoyed a career year, rushing for 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns this season on 5.6 yards per carry. He's a workhorse, averaging 18.5 carries per game, and he's hit the 100-yard mark in seven of his 12 games in 2025. Now he gets to face UNLV's run defense that allows 175.2 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry? Yes please. 

WR Carl Chester, Southern Miss ($5,600 on DraftKings) vs. Western Kentucky ($8,200 on FanDuel) 

Metcalf isn't the only Golden Eagles' wideout I like Tuesday. Especially not on DraftKings, where you can scoop up Chester as the fifth-most expensive receiver (as opposed to FanDuel, where he's the third-priciest). Chester is Southern Miss' second-leading receiver in catches and yards behind Metcalf, but leads the team in touchdown receptions with six. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior only averages one fewer target per game than his running mate Metcalf (5.0). And again, against a Western Kentucky secondary that's isn't exactly keeping offensive coordinators up at night, there's little not to like with Chester here. 

FanDuel College Football DFS Picks for Tuesday, December 23

QB Braylon Braxton, Southern Miss ($10,600 on FanDuel) vs. Western Kentucky ($7,600 on DraftKings) 

Braxton is coming off a career year in his first season with the Golden Eagles. The quarterback tossed for 2,795 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 194 yards and one score on the ground. He's thrown for under 200 yards just once this fall, and he's scored multiple touchdowns in eight of the 11 games he's played. Now, he gets to face a Western Kentucky defense that allows 221.8 passing yards per game, and has been largely friendly to opposing quarterbacks all season. What's more, he's just the fifth-most expensive quarterback on FanDuel, while DraftKings has him as the third-priciest. 

RB Jai'Den Thomas, UNLV ($8,400 on FanDuel) vs. Ohio ($7,200 on DraftKings) 

Thomas is in the midst of a career year, having ran for 985 yards and 12 touchdowns on 7l2 yards per carry, also catching 36 passes for 221 yards and a score. Now, he gets to put a bow on his junior season in a game where running lanes should be aplenty for both teams. Ohio's run defense isn't quite as incompetent as UNLV's, but the Bobcats still allow 147.9 rushing yards per game. This matchup should be a high-scoring, back-and-fourth affair, which bodes well for Thomas' involvement all game long. What's more, his prowess as a receiver means he has plenty of ways to hurt Ohio — and plenty of ways to rack up fantasy points. As just the fourth-most expensive ball-carrier on the FanDuel slate, Thomas is a no-brainer. 

WR K.D. Hutchinson, Western Kentucky ($7,200 on FanDuel) vs. Southern Miss ($5,700 on DraftKings)

Hutchinson could be a steal on this slate. While DraftKings has the wideout as the fourth-priciest option available, he's just the eighth-most expensive option on FanDuel. Meanwhile, he's been highly productive for the Hilltoppers and leads the team with 61 catches, parlaying that into 707 total yards and five touchdowns. He's very consistent, averaging 5.1 catches on 6.4 targets each game, and now he gets to face a Southern Miss secondary that allows 225.9 passing yards per game, good for 79th nationally. There's bigger-name wideouts you could grab, but Hutchinson is cheap and his floor appears very high.