College Football DFS: DraftKings and FanDuel Picks and Strategy for Wednesday, December 17

College Football DFS: Wednesday Picks

The college football postseason rolls on Wednesday evening, and gives our first multi-game slate of bowl season. Down in Orlando, two programs seeking a double-digit win season in 9-3 USF and 9-3 Old Dominion clash with the StaffDNA Cure Bowl on the line. Meanwhile in Mobile, Alabama, first-year FBS program Delaware does battle with Louisiana-Lafayette in the 68 Ventures Bowl, with both teams looking for win No. 7 in 2025. 

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

Wednesday College Football DFS Slate Overview 

FanDuel offers both games Wednesday night, while on DraftKings you're limited to the Monarchs versus the Bulls in the Cure Bowl. Still, we'll break down the plays we like for both sites below. 

Both games are expected to be tight contests and relatively high-scoring, which is music to the ears of DFS players. Delaware and South Florida are each slim 2.5-point favorites, respectively, while the 68 Ventures Bowl between Louisiana-Lafayette and Delaware is expected to produce the most points with a total set at 61.5. 

In the Cure Bowl, South Florida's soft secondary (allowing 252.4 passing yards per game) looks like a unit to try to exploit. Neither team has been particularly strong against the run, either, so it's hard to go wrong in this one. Be weary of Old Dominion's pass defense, however — it allows a stingy 184.0 yards per game. 

There's clear weaknesses to exploit when Delaware does business with the Ragin' Cajuns, as well, starting with Louisiana-Lafayette's run defense that allows a whopping 189.1 yards per game, 4.7 yards per carry and 2.0 rushing touchdowns per game. On the other side, the Blue Hens' pass defense looks highly permeable as well. 

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DFS Plays on DraftKings and FanDuel for Wednesday, December 17

QB Quinn Henicle, Old Dominion vs. USF ($10,200 on DraftKings, $9,200 on FanDuel) 

On the DraftKings side of things, Henicle is your only option as the only other listed quarterback, USF's Byrum Brown, has opted out of the Cure Bowl. Still, he could be a solid play regardless. Yes, he's been limited to mop-up work this season as Colton Joseph — who will enter the transfer portal — had an excellent season for the Monarchs. And yes, Henicle's limited action (6-of-15 passing for 57 yards, along with 102 yards on the ground) doesn't inspire the most confidence. Nonetheless, this is a favorable matchup, as the Bulls' aforementioned weak pass defense allows 254.4 passing yards per game and 22.7 fantasy point per game to opposing quarterbacks. Additionally, with a whole slate of bowl practices, Henicle has plenty of time to prepare as the starter and should have better command of the offense than he did when he was inserted into games here and there this season. 

RB Nykahi Davenport, USF vs. Old Dominion ($8,600 on DraftKings, $8,800 on FanDuel) 

Davenport is the priciest back on both slates, but he should be well worth it. The clear lead back for the Bulls gets to face an Old Dominion run defense that hasn't been anything to write home about, allowing 147.4 rushing yards per game. He's logged double-digit carries in each of his last two games, finding the end zone in each contest as well. South Florida appears to be leaning on the sophomore tailback as of late and what's more, with starting quarterback Byrum Brown out for the Cure Bowl, the Bulls should lean on their ground game considering they'll be starting a quarterback who's thrown 20 passes this season (Gaston Moore). Davenport is among the safest plays on both sites. 

WR Ja'Cory Thomas, Old Dominion vs. USF ($5,200 on DraftKings, $6,600 on FanDuel) 

Thomas looks like a potential steal on both slates. Though he's very affordable as just the sixth-priciest receiver on DraftKings and the eighth-priciest on FanDuel, he's been very productive this season with 38 grabs for 669 yards and five touchdowns as the Monarchs' second-leading receiver. Old Dominion has three productive receivers on its offense, but Thomas has been the most consistent with multiple catches in each game this fall. And once again, South Florida's struggles in pass defense have been well-documented, and the Bulls allow 23.2 fantasy points per game to wideouts. 

DraftKings College Football DFS Picks for Wednesday, December 17

RB Trequan Jones, Old Dominion ($7,600 on DraftKings) vs. USF ($5,400 on FanDuel)

Old Dominion's ground game has been extremely fruitful this season, and Jones is its second-leading rusher behind quarterback Colton Joseph. Fellow tailback Devin Roche has been more involved in recent weeks, making him the more expensive option on both slates. Still, if you're looking for a sneaky play, Jones is staring you right in the face. He's been explosive, with 736 rushing yards and five scores on 7.6 yards per carry. South Florida's run defense isn't anything particularly special, allowing 134.4 rushing yards per game, and with a backup quarterback set to start for the Monarchs, there should be no shortage of handoffs. 

WR Tre' Brown, Old Dominion ($5,600 on DraftKings) vs. USF ($5,700 on FanDuel) 

You could put Brown in the same category as his fellow Monarchs' receiver, Ja'Cory Thomas — both are sleeper options who could feast come Wednesday night. Thomas has been productive, as mentioned, but Brown is actually the Monarchs' leading receiver this season with 37 catches for 751 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound wideout is coming off two quiet performances in Weeks 13 and 14, but he appears primed for a bounce-back against what we've extensively laid out as a porous Bulls' pass defense. As just the fifth-priciest receiver on DraftKings, Brown is a no-brainer here. 

WR Jeremiah Koger, USF ($6,600 on DraftKings) vs. Old Dominion ($8,400 on FanDuel) 

The top two Bulls wideouts in this game are pretty clear: junior Keshaun Singleton and the true freshman Koger. But while Singleton is (perhaps rightfully so) the most expensive receiver on DraftKings, Koger is offered as the third-priciest, making him an intriguing option. He hasn't been as productive as Singleton, who has nearly 900 yards this fall, but he's been no slouch himself with 34 catches for 529 yards and seven touchdowns. He's also picking up steam at the end of the year, with 15 catches (on 23 targets) for 174 yards and two touchdowns over his last three games. Moreover, these days bowl games are often big opportunities for a program's younger pieces; it's not hard to imagine Koger being a focal point of the passing game Wednesday. 

FanDuel College Football DFS Picks for Wednesday, December 17

QB Nick Minicucci, Delaware ($12,200 on FanDuel) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (N/A on DraftKings) 

Minicucci is far from a bargain as the most expensive signal-caller on the FanDuel slate, but he should be well worth the pretty penny. The FBS's fifth-leading passer with 3,507 yards, and 22 touchdowns has also added 231 yards and 10 scores on the ground this season, stuffing the stat sheet week in and week out. He now gets to face a Louisiana-Lafayette squad that ranks just 113th nationally in total defense and surrenders 22.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Again, Minicucci is costly, but he's a sure thing against a poor defense and every other gunslinger on the slate has question marks. 

RB Viron Ellison, Delaware ($6,400 on FanDuel) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (N/A on DraftKings) 

Sure, you could pick up Delaware's leading rusher, Jo Silver, for significantly more cash ($8,200 on FanDuel), but Ellison is great deal as just the seventh-priciest halfback on the slate and could easily out-perform not only his price point, but his fellow tailback Silver. Ellison out-carried Silver in the Blue Hens' last game, notching 13 carries to the former's seven. It was Silver's first game back from injury after missing two straight contests, but Ellison was a steady factor for the Blue Hens before Silver's injury, averaging 8.5 touches per game. Now, he gets to face an abysmal run defense that allows 189.1 yards per game on the ground and 26.6 fantasy points per game to opposing tailbacks, one of the worst marks in the Sun Belt. Though he's the cheaper option, Ellison could easily receive just as many or more opportunities come Wednesday night, and he'll be licking his chops against this run defense. 

WR Shelton Sampson, Louisiana-Lafayette ($7,100 on FanDuel) vs. Delaware (N/A on DraftKings) 

It's unclear who will play quarterback for the Ragin' Cajuns on Wednesday — Lunch Winfield is expected to play, but backup Walker Howard also has a chance to get the nod. Regardless, whoever trots out as the signal-caller for Louisiana-Lafayette should target Sampson, its star receiver, plenty. Sampson is easily the team's leading pass-catcher with 29 catches for 495 yards and five touchdowns, and he's seen eight targets in three straight games. And despite an inspiring first season in the FBS for the Blue Hens, Delaware has one of the worst pass defenses on the slate, allowing 246.8 passing yards per game and 7.6 yards per attempt. It also allows 25.9 fantasy points per game to wideouts, one of the worst marks in Conference USA.