College Basketball DFS Playbook January 3: Top DraftKings and FanDuel CBB DFS Picks
Wednesday night's college basketball schedule is another loaded one for CBB DFS lineups. DraftKings has a 10-game slate and FanDuel has a 6-game slate. Conference matchups are in full swing now with some intriguing games in the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, and Pac-12 on tap tonight. Let's dive into the top CBB DFS picks and value plays on both DK and FD as you build those college basketball daily fantasy lineups. All college basketball odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and the KenPom team totals are up-to-date as of this publishing, but keep an eye on any line movement. Good luck with your college basketball DFS lineups tonight!
College Basketball DFS Slate January 3
- 6:30 pm ET – Seton Hall at Providence (-6.5) – 135.5 O/U
- 7 pm ET – Rutgers at Ohio State (-8.5) – 135.5 O/U
- 7 pm ET – Georgia Tech at Florida State (-4) – 144 O/U (DK)
- 7 pm ET – Louisville at Virginia (-15.5) – 128 O/U (DK)
- 8 pm ET – Clemson (-1) at Miami FL – 155.5 O/U
- 8:30 pm ET – Xavier at Villanova (-8.5) – 142 O/U
- 9 pm ET – Indiana at Nebraska (-5) – 150 O/U
- 9 pm ET – NC State (-5) at Notre Dame – 136.5 O/U (DK)
- 9 pm ET – Stanford at UCLA (-4.5) – 137.5 O/U
- 10 pm ET – California at USC (-7) – 152 O/U (DK)
Top KenPom Team Totals
- USC – 83
- Clemson – 79
- Nebraska – 79
- Miami FL – 76
- Villanova – 73
- Providence – 73
- Florida State – 73
- Indiana – 72
- UCLA – 71
- Ohio State – 71
College Basketball CBB DFS Picks
CBB DFS Top Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Devin Carter | PROV | SHU | 8900 | 36.56 | 8300 | 32.57 |
| Devin Carter has been on a scoring tear lately with 22 and 24 points against Marquette and Butler, respectively, to begin Big East play. He also has 17+ points in five straight games and 40+ DK in four of the past six. Carter is the offensive alpha for Providence while also averaging 7.9 rebounds per game. He’s gotten expensive but should keep it going at home against an average Seton Hall defense tonight. | ||||||
| Reece Beekman | UV | UL | 8500 | 31.27 | ||
| As usual with Reece Beekman, he’s a safe cash guard in his high-usage point guard role for Virginia. Despite the low total matchup, Beekman will fill the stat sheet plenty and score 15-20 points as UVA’s top playmaker. He has 30+ DK in all but four games this season and each of those were either blowout wins/losses. Virginia is a big favorite vs Louisville, but we should still get a full game from Beekman with ACC play just ramping up. | ||||||
| Boogie Ellis | USC | CAL | 8200 | 31.83 | ||
| On the DK slate, we get the late-night matchup of Cal vs USC to cap the evening. Boogie Ellis is the Trojans’ offensive anchor while averaging 18.8 PPG and he’s a top cash guard tonight. Ellis is always a good bet to score 20+ points with 30-40 DK points in his high-usage role with heavy shot volume. We can bank on that in this easy matchup vs Cal. | ||||||
| Joseph Girard III | CLEM | MIA | 7900 | 28.06 | 6800 | 25.67 |
| Clemson and Joe Girard has been a perfect transfer portal match. Girard is thriving on his new team while averaging 15.6 PPG, shooting 45% from three, and regularly performing well for DFS lineups. Tonight’s matchup vs Miami should be a higher-scoring and Girard will play key role for the Clemson side of things. He’ll likely give us 30+ DK as he stuffs the stat sheet enough and scores 15-20 points. His cheaper FD price is especially nice. | ||||||
| Matthew Cleveland | MIA | CLEM | 7200 | 28.15 | 7300 | 26.17 |
| Matthew Cleveland continues to be a consistent cash play as he’s averaging 15 PPG while rebounding well from the wing position. He only has two duds this season but otherwise is a lock for 25-30 DK points in a higher-usage role for Miami. Keep an eye on Miami’s injury news tonight as both Wooga Poplar and Nijel Pack are game-time decisions. If one or both are out, then Cleveland is locked into an even bigger offensive role. | ||||||
CBB DFS Value Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Kanaan Carlyle | STAN | UCLA | 5700 | 22.31 | 5800 | 19.85 |
| We mentioned Kanaan Carlyle in a playbook last month when he first became eligible. Well, the freshman is no longer a secret after dropping 28 points and 46 DK across 30 minutes in Sunday’s upset win vs Arizona. He’s now seen a price increase to the mid-5k price range, but is still a GPP upside value if we continue seeing performances like that last one. Carlyle has been coming off the bench, but that might change soon if he turns into a stud one-and-done freshman. | ||||||
| Jordan Longino | VU | XAV | 5500 | 18.73 | 5600 | 17.27 |
| Jordan Longino continues to be one of Villanova’s more consistent players and solid DFS value while accruing stats in multiple categories. He’s been starting lately with Justin Moore out, but Longino is a top reserve for Nova even if Moore plays tonight. Longino is a good bet for 20-25 DK at home in a pace-boost matchup as he does enough across the board to return cash value. Hakim Hart is also a Villanova value to consider if Moore sits again. | ||||||
| Keisei Tominaga | NEB | IU | 5400 | 20.25 | 5700 | 18.86 |
| The Indiana vs Nebraska game has one of the higher totals of the slate. For the Cornhuskers, Keisei Tominaga always has the GPP upside to get hot scoring-wise and exceed value on his mid-5k prices. His cash floor is almost non-existent with weak ancillary stats. Still, Tominaga regularly takes double-digit shots with a team-high 27% shot rate. He has 25-30 DK upside at his ceiling. | ||||||
| Isaac McKneely | UV | UL | 4500 | 19.88 | ||
| At this point, Isaac McKneely shouldn’t be priced below 5k on the DK slate and we’ll gladly take the discount. The sophomore is playing about 30 minutes per game while averaging 20 DK this season. He should do enough to return value in an easy matchup vs Louisville tonight despite the low-scoring game flow overall. | ||||||
| Jayden Pierre | PROV | SHU | 4100 | 16.35 | 4700 | 13.34 |
| Jayden Pierre isn’t a flashy value, but he’s a bit underpriced on DK. He’s a regular starter who usually plays 25-30 minutes per game in Providence’s tight rotation. Since returning from a hamstring injury in December, Pierre has 15+ DK in four of six games. We’ll take that all day in cash with the upside for 20+ DK in this matchup. Pierre is shooting 41% from three and Seton Hall has a poor 3-point defense. | ||||||
| Bronny James | USC | CAL | 4000 | 15.1 | ||
| Bronny James is coming off his best game at USC when he scored 15 points in Saturday’s win vs Oregon St. He’s still in a bench role for the Trojans after a late start to the season, but that recent outburst could be sign of things to come as James gets more comfortable in his sixth-man role. At just 4k flat on DK, he’s a decent value in a higher-total matchup here vs Cal’s weaker defense. | ||||||
| Kyshawn George | MIA | CLEM | 3700 | 12.81 | 4600 | 11.47 |
| With Nijel Pack out, Kyshawn George has started the past two games in Miami’s backcourt. The freshman had 30 and 24 DK in these two starts while playing 34 and 27 minutes, respectively. If Pack is out again tonight, then George is a lock value play in all formats. There’s also a chance Wooga Poplar is out too, so George would benefit from an even bigger role. By the way, if Nijel Pack does end up playing and starting, he is too cheap on DK and would be a nice value. | ||||||
CBB DFS Top Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| PJ Hall | CLEM | MIA | 9800 | 39.27 | 8800 | 37.16 |
| The big man battle between PJ Hall and Norchad Omier will be a good one tonight in Clemson vs Miami. Both guys are top DFS plays on this slate and you’ll likely have to choose between them (if you have the salary). Hall is having a stellar season, averaging 20.5 PPG as Clemson’s top player. He has 35+ DK in every close game this year with locked-in shot volume, usage, and overall DFS production. We know what we’re getting here, so paying up for him is certainly worth it. | ||||||
| Fardaws Aimaq | CAL | USC | 9100 | 35.88 | ||
| On the DK slate, Fardaws Aimaq gives us stud exposure to the late-night hammer matchup. You can look at Jaylon Tyson from Cal as well, but Aimaq gets a pretty favorable setup against the shaky USC frontcourt defense. The Cal center is averaging 16.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 35 DK this season in his high-usage role and he’s a candidate to drop 45-50 DK at his ceiling. We might get one of those tonight in a high-total game vs USC. | ||||||
| Clifford Omoruyi | RU | OSU | 8200 | 31.44 | 8000 | 29.69 |
| If you’ve rostered Cliff Omoruyi this year, then you know all about his boom-or-bust tendency for DFS. His past two outings are a perfect example. Omoruyi just had 17 points, 17 rebounds, and 50 DK last game but also busted for just 4.5 DK the game before. It really is hit-or-miss with the Rutgers center, so roster at your own risk – especially in a tough road matchup at Ohio State. Still, the GPP-winning ceiling for 40-50 DK is always there when he’s dominating down low. | ||||||
| Adem Bona | UCLA | STAN | 7100 | 27.83 | 6800 | 24.48 |
| Adem Bona is the classic boom-or-bust GPP forward. He has the ability and upside to dominate the paint on both ends and go off for 35-40 DK like he’s done the past two games. However, that’s only happened a handful of times this season as he also tends to deal with foul trouble and/or inefficiency as a scorer. This home matchup vs Stanford is a toss-up, so put Bona in GPP lineups but stay away in cash. | ||||||
| Eric Dixon | VU | XAV | 6900 | 27.17 | 6900 | 25.23 |
| Eric Dixon’s DFS and real-life performances have been fluctuating this season. Tonight could be one of those ceiling games at home in a pace-boost matchup vs Xavier, who have a weaker frontcourt. Dixon can have success offensively in this spot, and he just recently went off for 32 points and 46 DK in the road upset of Creighton. If we get that version of Dixon, he’ll smash the slate again at his sub-7k prices. | ||||||
CBB DFS Value Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Carey Booth | ND | NCST | 6000 | 15.27 | ||
| After coming off the bench all season, Carey Booth has now started the past two games for Notre Dame and it seems his role is expanding. The freshman big has 23 and 30 DK in these past two starts, including 17 points and 9 rebounds in the upset win vs Virginia on Saturday. Booth’s 21% usage and 23% shot rate trail only Markus Burton on the team, so he’d been plenty involved when on the court previously. The starting role clearly raises his DFS floor/ceiling a lot more now. | ||||||
| Mawot Mag | RU | OSU | 5400 | 17.75 | 5300 | 17.05 |
| Overall, we want to stay away from this Rutgers vs Ohio State game because of the low-scoring game flow and strong defenses on both sides. Still, Mawot Mag is a decent cash value from this matchup. Mag has played four games since returning from a preseason knee injury and he’s averaging 25 minutes and 18 DK per contest so far as a starter for Rutgers. Mag tends to do just enough across multiple stat categories to return cash value. | ||||||
| Payton Sparks | IU | NEB | 3800 | 8.09 | 3900 | 7.78 |
| Payton Sparks moved into Indiana’s starting lineup last game with Kel’el Ware out due to COVID. The Hoosiers’ backup center had 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 33 DK across just 14 minutes in his new starting role. That’s some efficient stat production in limited minutes, though it did come against Kennesaw State. It’s possible Ware sits out again with the quick turnaround from Friday, so Sparks should be considered a GPP value if he starts. | ||||||
| Brandon Williams | UCLA | STAN | 3400 | 7.04 | 4200 | 6.24 |
| With UCLA struggling early on this season, Mick Cronin’s rotations and starting lineups are changing by the game and it’s tough to pinpoint viable DFS plays. One GPP dart to consider is Brandon Williams. The freshman has been a bigger part of the rotation over the past month and he’s now playing 20 minutes or so after barely sniffing the floor earlier this year. Williams is a versatile forward and he’s recorded 16 and 12 DK in the first two Pac-12 contests. | ||||||
CBB DFS Core Plays
DraftKings Cash
- Boogie Ellis – USC
- Jordan Longino – Villanova
- Kyshawn George – Miami FL (if Pack out)
DraftKings GPP
- Clifford Omoruyi – Rutgers
- Eric Dixon – Villanova
- Kanaan Carlyle – Stanford
FanDuel Cash
- PJ Hall – Clemson
- Matthew Cleveland – Miami FL
- Payton Sparks – Indiana (if Ware out)
FanDuel GPP
- Adem Bona – UCLA
- Joseph Girard – Clemson
- Keisei Tominaga – Nebraska
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