College Football DFS: Thursday Bowl Slate Picks for DraftKings and FanDuel

We have three bowl games on tap for Thursday, and I've provided my favorite picks across both major sites. I've also included a list of the notable transfers that will impact the outcomes for a few teams.

SLATE OVERVIEW

GameAbove Sports Bowl: Pittsburgh (-7) vs. Toledo O/U: 49.5

Rate Bowl: Kansas State (-7) vs. Rutgers O/U: 50.5

68 Ventures Bowl: Bowling Green (-8) vs. Arkansas State O/U: 52.5

TRANSFERS/INJURIES

Pittsburgh

WR Daejon Reynolds (Transfer Portal)
DT Nahki Johnson (Transfer Portal)
WR Konata Mumpfield (Starter, Opt-Out)

TE Gavin Bartholomew (Starter, Potential Opt-Out)
QB Eli Holstein (Questionable, Ankle Injury)

Toledo

WR Larry Stephens (Transfer Portal)

TE Anthony Torres (Starter, Potential Opt-Out)
WR Jerjuan Newton (Starter, Potential Opt-Out)

Kansas State

WR Keagan Johnson (Starter, Transfer Portal)
OL Carver Willis (Starter, Signed with Washington)
RB DJ Giddens (Starter, Opt-Out)
CB Jacob Parrish (Starter, Opt-Out)

Rutgers

WR Chris Long (Transfer Portal)
RB Kyle Monangai (Starter, Opt-Out)

Bowling Green

RB Terion Stewart (Starter, Signed with Virginia Tech)
OL Alex Wollschlaeger (Starter, Signed with Kentucky)
LB Joseph Sipp (Starter, Signed with Kansas)
WR Jaylon Tillman (Transfer Portal)

Arkansas State

TE Miller McCrumby (Transfer Portal)
QB Timmy McClain (Transfer Portal)
CB Dontay Joyner (Starter, Transfer Portal)

CFB DFS Tools

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• CFB Stats
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CFB Thursday Bowl Slate Picks for DraftKings and FanDuel

Quarterback

Avery Johnson, Kansas State (DK $7,700), (FD $11,000) vs. Rutgers

There are a number of reasons to plant your DFS flag with Johnson. My favorite is that he's the most talented player on the three-game slate and Rutgers lines up minus their defensive coordinator (left for HC job at UMass). Johnson is a dual-threat quarterback and should get even more rushing attempts with RB DJ Giddens opting out of the game for the NFL Draft. In his last two games, Johnson averaged 26.6 fantasy points with a combined six total touchdowns.

Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State (DK $7,200), (FD $9,200) vs. Bowling Green

Because Pitt's QB Eli Holstein (DK $7,200/FD $9,700) enters their bowl game with a questionable tag, I lean towards Raynor as my second QB recommendation. Even if Holstein plays, he comes in with an ankle injury, so I'm not in love with that play. Raynor is a true volume shot as he averages 32.5 passing attempts and 10.8 rushing attempts per game. That's a lot of touches and they'll need their dynamic quarterback to play well to compete in a game with the highest over/under on the slate.

Running Back

Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh (DK $9,200), (FD $11,200) vs. Toledo

No reason to mess around as Pitt should dominate a MAC opponent in the trenches. Enter Reid, an amazing pass-catching back with 47 grabs for 564 yards and four touchdowns on 67 targets. Oh yeah, he also rushed for 797 yards and another four touchdowns. Reid was by far Pitt's best playmaker and if you can fit him in the line-up with a solid quarterback, it's just about finding value at the receiver position. I have no problems paying up for Reid who averaged 24.9 fantasy points per game.

Joe Jackson, Kansas State (DK $3,000), (FD $5,600) vs. Rutgers

With Giddens opting out, it's up to Jackson and Dylan Edwards (DK $4,500/FD $7,500) to carry the load in the backfield. I like Jackson a bit more with discount in price as QB Avery Johnson is expected to tote the rock quite a bit. Kansas State's offense revolves around their strong running game, so going with any of the three will yield some return on investment. Jackson is much easier to fit under the cap with Johnson and it will differentiate your line-up.

Wide Receiver

Garrett Oakley, Kansas State (DK $3,100), (FD $5,600) vs. Rutgers

The Wildcats are the best team playing on Thursday and they also like to throw to their tight ends. Oakley had four or more targets in four of his last six games. He also had three touchdowns over that stretch which shows that he's a legitimate red-zone threat. With the need for value at this position, this is one of your best bets for the slate. It's hard to fit in Bowling Green's TE Harold Fannin (DK $9,100/FD $10,500) with his expensive price tag.

Courtney Jackson, Arkansas State (DK $4,800), (FD $6,200) vs. Bowling Green

If you go ahead and roll with Raynor at QB, you need a stack at WR and Jackson is that guy. He's currently on a two-game TD streak and he's more affordable than teammate Corey Rucker (DK $5,500/FD $8,200) on both sites. There's no doubt that Arkansas State will fling it around in an effort to compete with Bowling Green, so this seems like a safe play. He has a good shot at surpassing the 4.6 targets per game that he averaged during the regular season.

Dymere Miller, Rutgers (DK $3,900), (FD $6,500) vs. Kansas State

Rutgers will be without their best playmaker in RB Kyle Monangai who opted out to prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft. Miller was a target hog in 2024 with 107 opportunities, including double-digit looks in four of his last five games. He had a ridiculous 20-target game at USC in Week 9. He's going to need that many targets in the bowl game as Rutgers will have a hard time stopping Kansas State's offense from putting up points early and often.