College Football DFS: FanDuel Picks and Strategy for Friday, December 19

College Football DFS: Friday FanDuel Picks

Friday is set to be a tremendous day of college football, the best postseason slate yet in the 2025 season. It helps, of course, that the College Football Playoff kicks off Friday night in Norman with the Sooners hosting Alabama, but the other two bowl games should serve as excellent appetizers. 

The Myrtle Beach bowl features one of the best stories in the sport this year, the Kennesaw State Owls — who went from 2-10 last fall to the doorstep of an 11-win season in 2025 — taking on a Western Michigan squad looking to get to double-digit wins as well. In the afternoon, NC State does battle with Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl down in Tampa Bay. 

Friday College Football DFS Slate Overview 

NC State and Memphis are expected to be the highest-scoring affair Friday, with Vegas setting the total at 56.5. With the Wolfpack a slim 3.5-point favorite, both teams are expected to have no issue scoring. However, NC State looks like the more permeable defense, especially through the air, where it allows 283.1 passing yards per game. 

Down in Myrtle Beach, there appear to be some glaring areas to exploit as well as some matchups to potentially avoid. For instance, the Kennesaw State run defense, which allows 178.0 yards per game, looks mightily enticing, while the Broncos' pass defense, surrendering just 177.7 passing yards per game, could be cause for concern. 

With the College Football Playoff matchup between Oklahoma and Alabama, you'll have to be deliberate. Both defenses are among the stingiest in the sport (The Sooners boast the No. 9 total defense in the country; the Crimson Tide check in at No. 12), and this was a relatively lower-scoring game in the first matchup, with both teams in particular struggling to run the ball. 

College Football DFS Tools

• College Football DFS Lineup Optimizer
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• Stats
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• Defense vs. Position
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QB Picks on FanDuel for Friday, December 19

QB Ty Simpson, Alabama vs. Oklahoma ($8,600) 

Yes, this is a tough matchup, as the Sooners' defense is one of the best in the nation. And yes, Alabama only scored 21 points the first time these two teams met. Still, Simpson had one of his most productive days of the season against Oklahoma the first time around, tossing for 346 yards. The Crimson Tide running game was bottled up, a big reason why Simpson was forced to air it out, and there's no reason why that won't be the case once again — Oklahoma allows just 81.4 rushing yards per game, the fifth-best mark in the nation. Simpson will likely have to throw it plenty once again, and while the Sooners have a talented defense, let's not forget he's a talented quarterback. As just the fifth-most expensive gunslinger, it's well worth taking a chance on Simpson.

QB Brendon Lewis, Memphis vs. NC State ($11,500) 

He's certainly a pretty penny, but for good reason: NC State's pass defense is the third-worst in the nation, allowing 283.1 passing yards per game. That's pretty horrendous, and when you consider how effective Lewis has been this season, tossing for 2,567 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions on 70 percent completion, with 613 rushing yards and nine touchdowns to boot, it's easy to understand why FanDuel considers Lewis a great play here. NC State surrenders 24.9 fantasy points to quarterbacks per game, and Lewis' mobility means he's got high upside to top that figure. Again, he's pricey, but if you're willing to open up the checkbook for a quarterback, Lewis is your man. 

QB CJ Bailey, NC State vs. Memphis ($10,500)

NC State's pass defense is abysmal, but Memphis' isn't much better, checking in at 83rd nationally with 227.7 passing yards allowed per game. Bailey, meanwhile, is having a good sophomore year and is coming off two good performances to close out the 2025 season. Bailey has tossed for 2,884 yards, 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions this season, rushing for 215 yards and five scores as well. He's also completed over 70 percent of his passes and thrown for two touchdowns in each of his last two outings. Bailey is the third most-expensive gunslinger on the FanDuel slate, but he's been productive and is facing a defense that's nothing to write home about. There's plenty to like here. 

RB Picks on FanDuel for Friday, December 19

RB Jalen Buckley, Western Michigan vs. Kennesaw State ($9,200)

Buckley is the most expensive tailback FanDuel has to offer, but the tailback should be licking his chops ahead of this one. For as good of a year as Kennesaw State has had, its run defense has been extremely poor, allowing an average of 178.0 rushing yards per game. That's bad enough to place it outside the top 100 in terms of run defense nationally. Buckley, meanwhile, is enjoying a very solid season, having ran for 829 yards and eight scores on 4.8 yards per carry. What's more, he's been a workhorse as of late for the Broncos, as he's tallied at least 14 carries in each of his last five games. This is a great running back in a great matchup, which makes swallowing the price tag worth it. 

RB Jayden Scott, NC State vs. Memphis ($6,100)

Scott has been the Wolfpack's backup running back all season. But with the news that their star tailback Hollywood Smothers is entering the transfer portal, and thus extremely unlikely to play in the bowl game, Scott looks like a steal. He's now primed to be NC State's starter against Memphis, and he's just the ninth-most expensive halfback on the slate. What's more, Memphis' run defense is nothing special, allowing 133.4 yards per game. This is a good matchup for Scott in what should be a high-scoring affair, and he's extremely cheap for the workload he should receive. 

RB Greg Desrosiers, Memphis vs. NC State ($7,600)

At this point, it should be pretty clear that neither Memphis nor NC State has a particularly good defense in any facet. That includes the Wolfpack run defense, which allows 137.9 rushing yards per game and 22.2 fantasy points per game to tailbacks. Desrosiers, meanwhile, is in the midst of a career year and can do damage by both land and air; he's tallied 563 rushing yards and seven scores (on 5.7 yards per carry) while reeling in 32 catches for 228 yards and one score. He has multiple catches in each of his last seven games, adding to his upside. What's more, he's just the fourth-most expensive halfback available. 

WR Picks on FanDuel for Friday, December 19

WR Germie Bernard, Alabama vs. Oklahoma ($8,000) 

Again, I like the Alabama passing game in this one -- at least to produce from a fantasy perspective -- despite the tough matchup analytically. The Crimson Tide is going to have to throw the ball, given the Sooners' stout run defense, and that means plenty of looks for Bernard, as it has all season. He easily leads Alabama in receiving with 57 catches for 762 yards and seven touchdowns this fall, and for what it's worth, he saw a season-high in targets in the first meeting between these two teams, catching seven of the 14 passes thrown his way for 71 yards. At $8,000 as the fourth most-expensive receiver, he's not exactly a steal, but he won't quite break the bank either. 

WR Christian Moss, Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan ($7,000)

Western Michigan's pass defense is one of the best on the slate, but the Owls' passing game isn't one trifle with either, as it sits inside the top-50 nationally with 245.7 yards per game. Moss himself has been no slouch, with 42 grabs for 670 yards and two touchdowns as Kennesaw State's second-leading receiver. Still, he's just the third-priciest Owls wideout on the board and the sixth most-expensive receiver in total. Don't let the matchup scare you away; take the productive receiver at a discount. 

TE Justin Joly, NC State vs. Memphis ($6,500) 

Joly is a sneaky play as just the ninth most-expensive pass-catcher on the slate, but he could easily outperform that price point. First of all, as you know by now, Memphis' defense isn't especially good in any facet. Joly, meanwhile, is a consistent factor in this Wolfpack passing game, reeling in 47 catches for 568 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season, leading NC State in both receptions and touchdown receptions. He also sees an average of 6.0 targets per game -- he's bound to get his opportunities. If you're looking for a cheaper, under-the-radar pass-catcher on this slate who could still produce, look no further than Joly.