Welcome back to another night of college basketball and building CBB DFS lineups! Thursday night's NCAA men's basketball action features a couple of marquee Big Ten matchups with Ohio State vs Rutgers headlining the slate. Plus, Hunter Dickinson of the Michigan Wolverines is among the CBB DFS top plays for tonight. You can build CBB DFS lineups on DraftKings for tonight's 4-game slate tipping off at 7 pm ET. If you're looking to play college basketball DFS this season, get full access to our CBB DFS Playbooks and Core Plays with a Fantasy Alarm All-Pro Subscription. Check out all the CBB DFS top picks, lineup strategies, teams to target, and value plays to lock in for tonight's college basketball action. If you have any questions about CBB daily fantasy lineup strategy, ask away in the Fantasy Alarm Discord chat. Now, let's jump into the CBB DFS top plays and lineup picks for Thursday, December 8th. 

 

College Basketball CBB DFS Slate & Betting Odds December 8

(via DraftKings Sportsbook)

  • 7 pm ET – Rutgers at Ohio State (-6.5) – 136.5 O/U
  • 8 pm ET – Iowa State at Iowa (-4) – 138.5 O/U
  • 9 pm ET – Colorado State at Colorado (-4) – 143 O/U
  • 9 pm ET – Michigan (-5) at Minnesota – 135 O/U

Top Team Totals 

(via KenPom.com)

  1. Colorado – 75
  2. Iowa – 73
  3. Ohio State – 71
  4. Michigan – 69
  5. Colorado State – 69

 

College Basketball CBB DFS Top Plays December 8

CBB DFS Top Guards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPG
Ta'Lon CooperMINNMICH790031.28
Cooper is a true stat-stuffer for Minnesota and it regularly results in safe cash-level performances. He’s averaging 11 points, 7.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game with at least 29 DK in six of eight games this year. It’s nice to see him score in double figures in both of the past two games despite Jamison Battle being back in the lineup. There aren’t many stud guards worth rostering, but Cooper might be the best high-end option in cash.
Jett HowardMICHMINN720026.16
Outside of Dickinson, it’s Jett Howard who’s being leaned on offensively for Michigan this season. The freshman wing is averaging 15.3 PPG and he’s been good for 25-30 DK on a regular basis with his active scoring role and 42% three-point shooting (at least two makes every game). Howard is priced a little higher than we’d like, but he’ll still be one of the slate’s top performers.
Isaiah StevensCSUCOL690027.38
After missing the beginning of the season due to injury, Stevens is back in a high-usage and playmaking role for Colorado State. The minutes have been a bit limited and managed in two games back, but he’s still very affordable at sub-7k for the caliber of player he is at full strength. We just saw him score 20 points with 31 DK across 27 minutes last game and he could be out there for 30+ minutes tonight in a rivalry matchup with Colorado. This is a slight pace-boost and Stevens should be in line for plenty of shots again.
Caleb McConnellRUOSU650027.17
Since returning to Rutgers’ starting lineup the last two games, McConnell put up 33 DK in both coming into tonight. He’s been active offensively and doesn’t look too bothered by that early-season knee injury. McConnell was expected to take on a bigger role on both ends for Rutgers with Geo Baker and Rona Harper gone. Those past two games are a good sign that he’s now healthy and capable of taking that leap, making him a great cash DFS play while priced below 7k.

Also Consider:

  • Jaren Holmes – Iowa State ($7300) – GPP
  • John Tonje – Colorado State ($6700) – GPP

CBB DFS Value Guards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPG
Isaiah RiveraCSUCOL570021.86
Before he oddly went scoreless last game, Rivera had double-digit points scored in every game prior. It’s tough to tell what his role will be moving forward with Isaiah Stevens back, but his scoring role seemed to take a hit last time out. Still, this is a player who had at least 12 points and 24 DK in four straight games before that dud. The GPP upside is there at this affordable price.
Isaac LikekeleOSURU520018.88

EDIT: Likekele is OUT for tonight's game. Stay tuned in Discord to see what the OSU starting lineup will be. Sensabaugh, Sueing, Thornton, and Holden all get a boost and become better values.

Ohio State has a few value guards worth considering tonight. Likekele is one of them and he offers a slightly safer cash floor than Bruce Thornton and Sean McNeil. Though he doesn’t have a huge scoring role for OSU, Likekele does just enough in each stat category to give you 15-20 DK or more. It’s not great, but the value options tonight aren’t the best either.

Braeden CarringtonMINNMICH500017.29
Carrington comes off the bench for Minnesota but he’s still playing starter-level minutes. The freshman has logged at least 26 minutes in four straight games, which has coincided with Jamison Battle returning for the Gophers. It’s encouraging to see Carrington still be a firm part of the rotation while others get reduced playing time with Battle back. He’s a solid cash or GPP value at this 5k price tag and potential 5x return.
Dug McDanielMICHMINN430011.16
McDaniel likely enters Michigan’s starting lineup with Jaelin Llewellyn out for the season. The true freshman was already the Wolverines’ sixth-man in a tight rotation, but his starting point guard role raises the DFS floor a ton. He’s averaging 11.2 DK over 14.8 minutes per game so far while having a 24% usage rate when on the floor. If we increase his minutes to 25 or so, then the DFS production easily smashes value at this sub-5k price. Expect McDaniel to be a chalky cash value on this slate without many cheap options.

Also Consider:

  • Nique Clifford – Colorado ($5500) – Cash
  • Bruce Thornton – Ohio State ($4900) – GPP
 

CBB DFS Top Forwards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPG
Hunter DickinsonMICHMINN970038.84
On this small slate, Dickinson is in a tier by himself when it comes to cash studs – especially with Kris Murray’s questionable status. Dickinson is averaging 19.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game with at least 33 DK in all but one contest thus far. The Michigan big man is coming off strong 40+ DK performances against Virginia and Kentucky in the past two games. Minnesota’s frontcourt will struggle to contain him in the post.
Kris MurrayIOWAISU920038.34

EDIT: Kris Muray is OUT tonight.

Murray is the big question mark on this slate. The Iowa stud was seen in a walking boot on Wednesday after apparently getting hurt in the Duke game on Tuesday. His status is very much up in the air but the boot may just be precautionary. If he plays, then we should bank on another good outing from one of the breakout stars of this college season. If he’s out, then guys like Patrick McCaffery, Payton Sandfort, and Connor McCaffery would become better plays.

Zed KeyOSURU710027.5
The big man battle between Zed Key and Cliff Omoruyi will be a good one tonight, but unfortunately it puts both into GPP territory with foul trouble coming into play. Both are upside plays on this slate and tough to fully trust in cash lineups. Key gets the slight nod if choosing between them because he’s cheaper, gets to play at home, and faces a Rugers defense that’s allowing more scoring inside than on the perimeter. OSU may need to lean on Key more often than not in this matchup.
Jamison BattleMINNMICH660021
Battle has been up-and-down in his four games back from injury. The Minnesota wing just scored 21 points and went 5-for-10 from three-point range against Purdue last time out. He also had only six points and 10 DK the game prior vs. Virginia Tech. We can probably expect double-digit points tonight and 25-30 DK, but limit exposure to GPPs until we see more consistency from Battle.

Also Consider:

  • Clifford Omoruyi – Rutgers ($7700) – GPP

CBB DFS Value Forwards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPG
Brice SensabaughOSURU540020.66
Sensabaugh has been an electric scorer off the bench for Ohio State this season. He’s averaging 14.3 PPG with double-digit points in all but one game despite averaging less than 20 minutes per contest. His usage and shot rates are high because he’s getting the ball and shooting it a ton when he’s on the floor in a limited capacity. That role puts him squarely in GPP range, but a bit tough to trust the playing time in cash – especially against a good Rutgers defense.
Robert JonesISUIOWA500015.47
First off, all of the Iowa State guys have GPP upside on this slate in a pace-boost matchup with Iowa. Unfortunately, though, most are priced a tad too high to trust for a cash return compared to others in their price ranges. One cheap Cyclone to consider, though, is Jones. He’s the backup to Osun Osunniyi, but both are essential splitting time at the center spot. Jones is notably cheaper for similar DFS production and potential 20 DK with more rebounding opportunities in this pace-boost. He had 23 DK last game in a similar situation.

Also Consider:

  • Justice Sueing – Ohio State ($5900) – GPP
  • Patrick Cartier – Colorado State ($5200) – GPP

 

CBB DFS Core Plays December 8

DK Cash:

  • Hunter Dickinson – Michigan
  • Ta'Lon Cooper – Minnesota
  • Dug McDaniel – Michigan

DK GPP:

  • Zed Key – Ohio State
  • Jett Howard – Michigan
  • Isaiah Rivera – Colorado State
 

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