It's time to break down Thursday night's college basketball DFS slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Tonight's CBB DFS picks feature a couple of Big Ten games and a few Pac-12 matchups, including Colorado vs Arizona as the headliner. The DK slate tips off at 7 pm ET with Penn State vs Michigan State but the FD slate doesn't start until 9 pm ET. So, keep an eye on the start times depending on which slate you're playing on. 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 4
- 7 pm ET – Penn State at Michigan State (-13) – 145.5 O/U (DK)
- 9 pm ET – North Texas at Wichita State (-1.5) – 132.5 O/U (DK)
- 9 pm ET – Minnesota at Michigan (-6.5) – 151.5 O/U
- 9 pm ET – Oregon at Washington (-4.5) – 154.5 O/U
- 9:30 pm ET – Colorado at Arizona (-12.5) – 159 O/U
- 11 pm ET – Utah (-6) at Arizona State – 146.5 O/U
Top KenPom Team Totals
- Arizona – 86
- Washington – 79
- Michigan – 79
- Michigan State – 79
- Utah – 78
- Colorado – 77
- Oregon – 75
- Minnesota – 74
- Arizona State – 71
College Basketball CBB DFS Picks
CBB DFS Top Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| KJ Simpson | COL | ARIZ | 9000 | 38.15 | 9100 | 35.99 |
| KJ Simpson is rolling right now with at least 20 points scored and 39 DK in five straight and six of the last seven. He’s averaging 24 points, 10 reb+asts, and 44 DK over the past five games too. Despite the road matchup vs Arizona tonight, this is still going to be a high-scoring game where Colorado likely puts up 75-80 points even if they lose by double digits. Simpson will have a lot to do with that as the Buffs’ alpha playmaker, especially if Tristan da Silva remains out tonight. | ||||||
| Caleb Love | ARIZ | COL | 7900 | 32.14 | 7900 | 30.04 |
| Caleb Love really shouldn’t be priced below 8k on either site right now. He’s scored 20+ points in five of the past six games with 30+ DK in nine of the last 10. Love is taking a ton of shots for Arizona as their go-to scorer more often than not and he’s scoring at a high clip. This Arizona vs Colorado game is definitely one to target tonight and, simply put, Love is the best play from the favored team. | ||||||
| Dug McDaniel | MICH | MINN | 7500 | 33.96 | 8000 | 31.25 |
| At home vs Minnesota in one of the higher-total games of the slate, Dug McDaniel is a top cash or GPP guard to roster. He usually brings a strong floor as Michigan’s lead point guard and top scorer, averaging 19 points and 9.2 reb+asts per game. McDaniel recently went off for 33 points and 53 DK vs Florida but will usually be a solid cash option for 30+ DK. | ||||||
| Jackson Shelstad | ORE | UW | 7100 | 24.14 | 6400 | 21.98 |
| After missing the start of the season, Jackson Shelstad has quickly become Oregon’s top playmaker and go-to scorer. The freshman is averaging 17.8 PPG and 30 DK over the past five games while in a high-usage role running the point. Shelstad’s price tag is rising but he’s still a nice buy-low candidate – especially sub-6k on FD tonight. This is a pace-boost matchup and a tight spread vs Oregon and Shelstad is firmly in play in all formats. | ||||||
| Sahvir Wheeler | UW | ORE | 6800 | 31.31 | 7200 | 27.93 |
| Sahvir Wheeler’s DFS and real-life outputs have fluctuated lately, so we’re getting the Washington point guard at a slightly depressed price tonight. It’s a nice buy-low spot now in this likely higher-scoring game vs Oregon where Wheeler should rack up points and assists to provide GPP upside. The Huskies’ attack is based around Wheeler and Keion Brooks with both being top plays on tonight’s slate with their heavy offensive roles. | ||||||
| Gabe Madsen | UTAH | ASU | 6500 | 26.83 | 6600 | 24.18 |
| Utah has a pair of higher-priced guards worth considering tonight as Rollie Worster and Gabe Madsen are both firmly in play at some affordable prices. Worster is a bit safer in cash as Utah’s point guard. Madsen comes in hot, though, with 30+ DK in four of the last six games and then 28 and 26 DK in the two others. He’s shooting 47% from three and that 3-point shooting gives him GPP upside at sub-7k on both sites. | ||||||
CBB DFS Value Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jason Edwards | UNT | WICH | 5700 | 21.1 | ||
| Despite likely playing in a low-scoring game tonight, Jason Edwards can still come through as a value guard. The sophomore comes off the bench for North Texas but he leads the team in both usage (30%) and shot rate (31%) while playing 25-30 minutes per game. Ignore the bench role because Edwards is leading the team in scoring at 15.3 PPG and usually puts up 20-25 DK with the heavy shot volume. This is notably a pace boost for North Texas too. | ||||||
| Nimari Burnett | MICH | MINN | 5700 | 22.08 | 5600 | 20.17 |
| If Nimari Burnett is priced below 6k, then he has GPP upside value at his best. The Michigan shooting guard has been more active offensively lately with double-digit shot attempts in three of the last four games and 25+ DK in three of the last six. When he’s taking and making more shots, Burnett’s value naturally increases – though it is inconsistent. With Jaelin Llewellyn questionable tonight. Burnett could be locked into more minutes and offensive role. | ||||||
| Adam Miller | ASU | UTAH | 5500 | 21.31 | 5400 | 19.27 |
| Since he became eligible last month, Adam Miller has stepped right into a high-usage role in Arizona State’s offense as one of their better players. The former LSU and Illinois transfer has a 23% usage rate through four games and has taken double-digit shots in three straight. In his four games so far, Miller has 31, 25, and 20 DK in three of those. He likely won’t be priced below 6k soon, so it’s still a buy-low opportunity. | ||||||
| Julian Hammond III | COL | ARIZ | 5100 | 17.79 | 4900 | 15.77 |
| With Tristan da Silva out, Julian Hammond has started the past two games for Colorado. He’s logged 31 and 30 minutes in these starts with 24 and 19 DK. Hammond was a key bench piece for Colorado already but his DFS value is at a safer cash level as long as he’s starting in place of da Silva. The Buffs don’t have much depth and run a tight rotation, so Hammond will be locked into minutes in this high-scoring, fast-paced matchup. | ||||||
| Tre Holloman | MSU | PSU | 4700 | 14.65 | ||
| With Jeremy Fears out, Tre Holloman has become more important to Michigan State’s backcourt rotation and more viable for DFS. He’s now the team’s clear top reserve guard behind Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard. The sophomore has already been logging 20-25 minutes off the bench but he’ll be locked into playing time with Big Ten play starting up now and Fears sidelined indefinitely. Holloman has 20+ DK in three of the past four games and tends to do just enough to return value. | ||||||
| Mookie Cook | ORE | UW | 3200 | 0 | 3000 | |
| If you want to take a dirt-cheap GPP dart on an elite talent, then Mookie Cook is your guy. The Oregon freshman hasn’t played yet this season while recovering from an ankle injury but he’s expected to debut tonight. Cook is a McDonald’s All-American with a ton of athleticism as a three-level scorer. It’s unclear how he’ll play in his first game, but Oregon lacks depth on the wing right now while dealing with multiple injuries in the rotation. Cook could take on 15-20 minutes or so and he doesn't need to do much to return value. He’s risky but brings plenty of upside. | ||||||
CBB DFS Top Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Branden Carlson | UTAH | ASU | 8800 | 34.02 | 8500 | 31.78 |
| There are some night where Brenden Carlson looks like one of the best players in college basketball, like when he scored 34 points with 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 53 DK last game vs Washington. We’ve seen that version of Carlson often this year and it gives him one of the higher GPP ceilings for forwards – especially on tonight’s slate. He has a clear size and talent advantage vs Arizona State’s frontcourt. | ||||||
| Dawson Garcia | MINN | MICH | 8300 | 33.05 | 8100 | 31.74 |
| Dawson Garcia returned from injury last game and was just decent with 12 points and 21 DK in 28 minutes. This is likely why his price is at a season-low point on DK and cheaper on FD too. Still, Garcia has the ceiling to drop 30+ DK in any game with his high-usage role in Minnesota’s offense. He’s a buy-low candidate tonight and he could easily dominate this matchup against Michigan’s mostly undersized frontcourt that could have issues containing him. | ||||||
| Keion Brooks Jr. | UW | ORE | 7700 | 34.6 | 8200 | 32.12 |
| Keion Brooks is following up last year’s breakout with an even better season as Washington’s top playmaker. He’s averaging 20.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG as a strong cash play whenever he’s on the slate. The Washington offense essentially revolves around Brooks on the wing and Sahvir Wheeler at the point with both having heavy usage and shot volume. Brooks has 35+ DK in three of the last four games and is a good bet to do it again tonight. | ||||||
| Olivier Nkamhoua | MICH | MiNN | 7600 | 33.38 | 7900 | 30.55 |
| Olivier Nkamhous is having a strong season for Michigan, averaging 17.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG. With the solidified scoring and rebounding role, the big man consistently performs for cash as a safe play for high-floor DFS production. That should continue at home in a higher-total matchup against a Minnesota team that struggles inside defensively. Nkamhous has the upside to record a double-double and 30-40 DK. | ||||||
| Oumar Ballo | ARIZ | COL | 7300 | 27.98 | 6700 | 26.38 |
| Oumar Ballo is one of those boom-or-bust centers that we often see throughout college basketball. He can go off for a double-double and 30-40 DK to smash GPP contests, or he can give us “only” 20-25 DFS points and fail to return value. It’s up and down for Ballo, who will be going up against a talented center in Eddie Lampkin tonight. Ballo has struggled against some other top bigs this year, but he always has the upside to dominate the paint. | ||||||
CBB DFS Value Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Puff Johnson | PSU | MSU | 5100 | 14.25 | ||
| Puff Johnson began the season coming off the bench for Penn State, but he’s now entrenched in the starting lineup. The UNC transfer has started the past six games and his role seems to be expanding. Johnson has 25, 22, and 25 DK in the past three games and he’s seeing an increase in shot attempts and offensive usage. He’s a decent cash or GPP value on DK tonight and has guard eligibility too. | ||||||
| Wilhelm Breidenbach | UW | ORE | 4400 | 10.64 | 4700 | 10.03 |
| With Franck Kepnang out lately, Wilhelm Breidenbach has started playing more center minutes for Washington. The junior center just had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 26 DK vs Utah on Sunday while playing a season-high 25 minutes. Though he’s still coming off the bench, Breidenbach’s DFS value has increased as long as Kepnang remains out. | ||||||
| Will Tschetter | MICH | MINN | 4300 | 13.75 | 4500 | 12.72 |
| Michigan’s backup big is cheap enough to consider as a GPP upside value tonight. Will Tschetter usually just plays 20 minutes or less but he’s efficient in the limited playing time. Tschetter has shown he can score double-digit points with 5-6 rebounds and 18-20 DK in only 20 minutes or so. Michigan might need his size a bit more tonight against Minnesota’s frontcourt duo of Dawson Garcia and Pharrel Payne. | ||||||
| Motiejus Krivas | ARIZ | COL | 3700 | 15.96 | 4700 | 15.21 |
| If you want cheap GPP exposure to the highest total of the slate, Motiejus Krivas is an option sub-4k on DK and sub-5k on FD. Arizona’s backup center is a wild card with his minutes changing by the game and his DFS production very inconsistent. At his best, though, Krivas has 20-25 DK upside when he sees more minutes with Oumar Ballo in foul trouble. The 7-foot-2 freshman has plenty of raw skills in the paint and Arizona may need his size tonight if Ballo struggles vs Eddie Lampkin. | ||||||
CBB DFS Core Plays
DraftKings Cash
- Caleb Love – Arizona
- Keion Brooks – Washington
- Adam Miller – Arizona State
DraftKings GPP
- Brenden Carlson – Utah
- Sahvir Wheeler – Washington
- Nimari Burnett – Michigan
FanDuel Cash
- Caleb Love – Arizona
- Jackson Shelstad – Oregon
- Julian Hammond – Colorado
FanDuel GPP
- Dug McDaniel – Michigan
- Oumar Ballo – Arizona
- Mookie Cook – Oregon
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