With the College Football regular season concluding, Army vs Navy week is finally here. A showcase game for the military academies, this standalone game holds a special place in college football. This college football DFS breakdown will look at both teams and provide information about each skill position player of note. Make sure to check out our projections, depth charts and datasheets for more information. With that said, let’s dive into the first iteration of the Army vs Navy CFB DFS picks for Saturday’s matchup.
College Football DFS: Army vs Navy CFB Picks
Army vs. Navy
Army (21.25 Total)
Plays per Game – 69.6 (74th)
Pass Rate – 12.50% (130th)
One of the most unique college football games all year, the Army vs Navy game features two triple option offenses. Short on pass attempts and scoring opportunities, this creates a unique environment for showdown. At quarterback, Army utilizes a pair of players in Christian Anderson ($16,200) and Tyhier Tyler ($9,000). Anderson is their preferred passer when the Black Knights take to the air. However, both will split the work on the ground. Over Army’s last four games, Tyler has 39 designed runs to Anderson’s 34. However, Anderson did play 29 snaps to Tyler’s 26 in Army’s most recent victory over Liberty. Anderson is safer option here, but both quarterbacks should play a role in this game.
Unlike Navy, Army utilizes the quarterback as the engine of their offense. However, the Black Knights also utilizes a heavy dose of the fullback position. This group is led by Jakobi Buchanan ($15,600), who averages 37.2 yards rushing per game on 10 touches. However, Buchanan has a solid ceiling and receiving 21 carries in Army’s most recent game. Buchanan also has 11 touchdowns rushing, while the quarterbacks each have seven. Behind Buchanan, Anthony Adkins ($7,800) is the second full back. He did not play in Army’s most recent game, so his status must be monitored. Adkins averages 34.3 yards rushing on 6.9 touches per game. Tyson Riley ($4,500) and Cade Barnard ($2,400) will also receive a handful of touches at the fullback position. Riley averages 5.6 touches per game to 2.6 for Barnard. If Adkins misses again, both could see a larger workload. On top of the full back position, Army also uses slot backs in their triple option attack. Tyrell Robinson ($12,000) is the top slot back, averaging 6.4 touches per game. However, he has been below that mark in three of Army’s last four games. Robinson is tied for second on the team with ten targets, adding some additional value there. Brandon Walters ($4,800) and A.J. Howard ($1,500) will also be involved as slot backs. Walters averages 2.2 touches per game and ranks fourth on the team with nine targets. Howard averages 2.1 touches per game and has three targets on the year, but he plays enough to consider in GPPs.
At receiver Isaiah Alston ($9,300) is as close to an alpha as Army gets. He has 29 targets on the year, but he averages 38.4 yards receiving on 2.9 targets per game. Braheam Murphy ($5,400), Reikan Donaldson ($1,500), and Cole Caterbone ($1,800) are the next most active receivers. Murphy has ten targets this year and occasionally receives a carry. Donaldson only has six targets and 15 yards. He has recently taken a step back to Caterbone, who only has 22 yards receiving on three targets this year. However, Caterbone has started to eclipse Donaldson in terms of routes run. Army receivers are normally a position to ignore. However, they can be used as GPP targets due to the showdown format of this game.
Navy (13.75 Total)
Plays per Game – 69.5 (75th)
Pass Rate – 15.71% (128th)
Navy utilizes one quarterback in their triple option attack in Tai Lavatai ($15,000). Lavatai averages 17.4 touches per game for an inefficient 42.2 yards. As a passer, Lavatai averages just 40.8 yards in the triple option. However, as touchdown underdogs, Navy looks more likely to throw the ball here. Overall, Lavatai is a safer option at quarterback, given his consistent role in the offense.
At fullback Navy primarily uses Isaac Ruoss ($14,400). Ruoss averages 55.3 yards rushing per game on 14.5 touches. He is also tied with Lavatai with five touchdowns rushing on the year. Behind Ruoss, James Harris ($6,000) sees a considerable amount of work as the team’s backup fullback. Harris averages 33.6 yards rushing per game on nine touches, making him a solid GPP pivot to Ruoss. Behind them, Kai Puailoa Rojas ($1,500) will handle a few touches. He averages 1.5 touches per game for Navy over the course of the season. At slot back, Carlinos Acie ($10,500) and Chance Warren ($13,500) are the primary ball carries. Acie averages 5.7 touches per game to Warren’s 5.5. However, they have very different skillsets. Acie is explosive as a rusher, out-rushing Warren 545-251 on the year. However, Warren ranks second on the team with 19 targets and 157 yards receiving. Both backs are viable here, but Acie looks like a slightly better price-adjusted play in a vacuum. Daniel Jones ($1,500) is the backup slot back, but he seldom plays.
Navy receivers typically are not considerations, but Showdown makes them playable in tournaments. Mychal Cooper ($11,400) is Navy’s leading pass catcher with 191 yards on 20 targets this year. This equates to just 17.4 yards and 1.8 targets per game. Jayden Umbarger ($8,400) has become the WR2. He averages 7.5 yards per game on 1.5 targets, but he saw a team-leading five targets last week. From there, Mark Walker ($2,100) is the next most active receiver with 8 targets and 45 yards on the year. Cal Long ($1,500) and Camari Williams ($1,500) will both run some routes, but neither has seen a target this year.
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