The NFL takes center stage on Christmas Eve, leaving the NBA to dominate the day for the unofficial NBA opening day. It's when the casual fans start paying attention, anyway. That leaves us with only one Bowl game over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
It's an evening tilt in paradise as Middle Tennessee State faces off with San Diego State in Honolulu at 3 pm local time. That's 8 pm for those of you on the east coast. There will be no opt-outs in this game!
I will be providing you with daily college fantasy football picks DraftKings for the EasyPost Hawaii Bowl starting at 8 pm Eastern. We will take a look at the best captain plays and the utility plays to go with them.
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DFS Captain Plays
Jalen Mayden, QB, San Diego State ($16,200)
It's not a stretch to say that SDSU wouldn't be sitting where they are now without Mayden. The Aztecs won five of seven games with Mayden as the quarterback. He had his worst game against Air Force in the season finale, but we saw what the Air Force defense was able to do to Baylor a couple of nights ago. Middle Tennessee State isn't as strong against the run (or the pass for that matter), so I'll pay up for one of the best dual threats not on a power five team.
Izaiah Gathings, WR, Middle Tennessee State ($8,700)
It took the transfer from Gardner-Webb until the last two games of the season to really make an impact. Gathings has 12 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown in the last two games of the season. Gathings comes at a massive discount from the rest of the MTSU receivers and seems to have a high floor right now for the price. You can stack the good players up with Gathings in the captain slot.
Other Captains: Chase Cunningham, Middle Tennessee State ($16,800)
DFS Flex Plays
Frank Peasant, RB, Middle Tennessee State ($10,400)
The Blue Raiders aren't a run-first team, but Peasant still gets a lot of work out of the backfield with his carries. I'm a little nervous about Bracy's workload in the finale against FIU, but Peasant still racked up 55 yards and had a 26-yard reception. Considering the usage through the season, I'm inclined to trust Peasant. It's not like he played poorly against FIU.
Jaylin Lane, WR, Middle Tennessee State ($9,800)
Those who watched Middle Tennessee State go down to South Beach in Week 4 and smack the Hurricanes will be very familiar with Lane. He racked up 130 receiving yards against the Hurricanes. Lane hasn't been the most consistent receiver, but he led the team in yards by 339 yards over second place. He has a nice floor in the captain slot but might not offer much upside.
Darius Bracy, Middle Tennessee State ($6,400)
Bracy's 20-carry outburst against FIU really did come out of nowhere. It was his first game of the season with double-digit touches. Even if Bracy isn't the feature back, he still has solid upside. He has scored three touchdowns in the last two weeks. I don't know that I would trust him in cash games, but he's exactly what you are looking for in GPPs.
Other Flex Options: Jesse Matthews, San Diego State ($9,200); Yusuf Ali, Middle Tennessee State ($7,800)
DFS Value Plays
Tyrell Shavers, WR, San Diego State ($5,400)
Matthews is the possession receiver, but Shavers had led the team in receiving yards in half of the games this season. The bad news? He only has 34 receptions and three touchdowns on the entire season. Most plays on the SDSU side are boom-or-bust picks with the exception of Mayden. The good news is that most of them are priced like it.
DJ England-Chisholm, TE, Middle Tennessee State ($5,200)
Not a lot of college teams use tight ends, which means that they can often slip through the cracks of a good defense. England-Chisholm tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns despite playing in just eight games. Half of his receptions on the season came in the last two contests. DJ is the safest value play out there.
Other Value Plays: Jack Browning, San Diego State ($4,200); Brionne Penny, San Diego State ($2,400)
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