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DFS Picks: Top Sleeper plays for every College Football Playoff quarterfinal game
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The quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff begins Tuesday night with a matchup between Penn State and Boise State at the Fiesta Bowl. On New Year’s Day, Oregon and Ohio State face off at the Rose Bowl. Texas plays Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. Georgia plays Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
As we approach kickoff, here are 4 player props to consider — 1 from each of the 4 quarterfinal games.
Each of the 4 plays below can be found within the Sleeper app. Use our exclusive Sleeper promo code SOUTHXL to unlock a sign-up offer that scores you $55 in bonus entries when you play your first $5 contest.
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty higher than 14.5 receiving yards
Last season, Jeanty touched the football on 28% of Boise State’s offensive plays and provided 31% of its total offensive yardage. This season, Jeanty has touched the ball on 41% of Boise State’s offensive plays and produced 43% of its total offensive yardage. With a much larger load as a runner — Jeanty has 124 more carries this year — Boise State has scaled back what it has done with Jeanty as a receiver. Last season, Jeanty had 43 receptions for 569 yards out of the backfield. This year, he has just 20 receptions for 116 yards. With this becoming a 1-game season for Boise State, there’s no reason to hold anything back. If it helps the offense, it’s worth looking at and Jeanty’s capability as a pass-catcher feels like a natural counter to what should be an aggressive approach from Penn State’s defense. This is 1 screen catch or a gadget play. In the Fiesta Bowl of all places, I expect Boise State to have some tricks up its sleeve.
Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt higher than 15.5 completions
ASU’s starting quarterback has played up the underdog role in the run-up to this game. “People keep counting me out since Day 1,” Leavitt said last weekend. “I’m going to go prove why I’m the better quarterback. That’s how I feel since Day 1.” The Big 12 champs feel disrespected; maybe they have been. Texas is coming off a first-round performance that saw Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik carve up the secondary. Klubnik finished with 336 yards and 3 scores in a losing effort. Texas jumped out to an early lead and Clemson had to lean on the pass game to catch up. I trust ASU coach Kenny Dillingham to have a plan designed to try and do some of the same things Klubnik had success with. Leavitt only completed 12 passes in the Big 12 title game against Iowa State, but the ground game was rolling and ASU just didn’t need to do much through the air to race away. That probably won’t be the case against the Longhorns. Whether Arizona State is trying to break tendency and catch Texas off-guard (this is a very run-heavy team that leans on the play-action) or play catch-up, Leavitt will have a healthy amount of responsibility on his shoulders. He also cleared this number in 7 of his final 9 regular-season appearances. And Texas, for what it’s worth, gave up an average of 16.5 completions per game throughout SEC play.
Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson higher than 33.5 receiving yards
In the first meeting between Oregon and Ohio State, Ferguson caught 4 balls for 62 yards. He was targeted 8 times that day. Ohio State also gave up 4 catches for 47 yards to Penn State’s Tyler Warren and 4 catches for 55 yards to Nebraska’s Thomas Fidone. So much attention has been paid to what Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson did to Ohio State’s corners in the first meeting, but getting the ball to the tight end was a major point of emphasis for the Ducks in the first meeting and it might be again here in the rematch. Ohio State has given up similar games to good tight ends throughout the year, and Ferguson is a big part of what Oregon does regardless of the gameplan. He has multiple receptions in 10 of his 11 appearances this season, and he has at least 34 receiving yards in 8 of his 11 appearances.
Georgia QB Gunner Stockton higher than 0.5 interceptions
The Bulldogs have expressed confidence in Stockton and optimism over what he can provide the offense, but what else are they supposed to say? “Our starting quarterback is hurt, so we’re doomed.” Of course not. Stockton might turn out fine for Georgia, and his first career start certainly isn’t guaranteed to make or break his career, but we can also acknowledge that this is a very difficult spot the young man finds himself in. And with what I’ve seen from both Stockton and his pass-catchers, it’s more than reasonable to think Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden can create a takeaway or 2. Georgia drops a ton of passes. Stockton is inexperienced. He had a pick in the SEC Championship Game that you expect young quarterbacks to throw, and now he will get the full game against a ball-hawking secondary. Notre Dame is eighth nationally in passes defended, fourth in interceptions, and first in quarterback rating allowed. Safety Xavier Watts has 6 interceptions on the season, patrolling the back end and pouncing on errant throws. Christian Gray and Leonard Moore both have multiple picks from their cornerback spots. They’re going to try to confuse Stockton and jump on Georgia.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
