Welcome back to another full night of college basketball as you build those CBB DFS lineups! Conference play is in full swing now and we have some intriguing matchups in the Big East, SEC, ACC, and Big Ten on tap for college basketball DFS contests on Tuesday, January 3rd. You can build CBB DFS lineups on DraftKings for the 8-game main slate tipping off at 6:30 pm ET with Marquette vs St. John's. We also have Kentucky, Creighton, Tennessee, and Michigan State headlining the slate. 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 Tuesday, January 3rd.
College Basketball CBB DFS Slate & Betting Odds January 3
(via DraftKings Sportsbook)
- 6:30 pm ET – Marquette (-2) at St. John’s – 158 O/U
- 7 pm ET – Mississippi State at Tennessee (-9.5) – 122.5 O/U
- 7 pm ET – South Carolina at Vanderbilt (-10) – 129 O/U
- 7 pm ET – Nebraska at Michigan State (-7) – 132 O/U
- 7 pm ET – Syracuse (-9) at Louisville – 137.5 O/U
- 7 pm ET – Notre Dame (-2.5) at Boston College – 130.5 O/U
- 8 pm ET – LSU at Kentucky (-10) – 136.5 O/U
- 8:30 pm ET – Seton Hall at Creighton (-8.5) – 135.5 O/U
CBB Top Team Totals
(via KenPom.com)
- Marquette – 80
- St. John's – 77
- Kentucky – 74
- Creighton – 72
- Syracuse – 72
- Vanderbilt – 67
- Michigan State – 66
- Notre Dame – 66
- Boston College – 65
College Basketball CBB DFS Top Plays 1/3
CBB DFS Top Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG |
| Baylor Scheierman | CRE | SHU | 9000 | 33.48 |
| Scheierman has been as automatic as it gets when it comes to DFS production this season. He’s now put up at least 31 DK in 12 of 14 games so far while consistently offering a strong cash floor of points, rebounds, and assists. The Creighton wing is averaging 14 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 38 DK in three conference games and should do the same tonight at home, even against a solid defensive team in Seton Hall. | ||||
| Kadary Richmond | SHU | CRE | 7800 | 25.7 |
| If you haven’t noticed, Richmond has flipped a switch ever since Seton Hall began Big East play. The Pirates’ point guard has taken on a bigger offensive role with double-digit shots in all four conference games – that’s after not eclipsing 10+ shots in any game prior this season. The larger scoring and playmaking role has led to 50, 31, and 47 DK in three of these conference matchups. Richmond gets a pace-boost tonight vs Creighton and should be active offensively once again to be good for cash or GPP. | ||||
| Judah Mintz | SYR | UL | 7500 | 28.93 |
| Targeting opposing players against a bad Louisville team is always a good strategy, so let’s do it here with Judah Mintz and Syracuse. The freshman has been on a roll lately with 40+ DK in three of the past four games and 34 DK last time out while maintaining heavy shot volume and a high offensive usage. Louisville shouldn’t slow him down much tonight and Mintz can give us his 35-40 DFS points with how hot he’s going. | ||||
| Kam Jones | MARQ | STJN | 7200 | 27.85 |
| Both Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek are firmly in play tonight while leading the Marquette backcourt in the highest total of the slate. Kolek brings a safer cash floor but limited upside for GPP. As for Jones, his lack of ancillary stats is tough to trust in cash – but the GPP ceiling is there in an uptempo matchup like this one. Jones has the potential to score 20-25 real points and 35-40 DK at his best and a high-scoring game flow like this one is conducive to one of those ceiling games. | ||||
Also Consider:
- A.J. Hoggard – Michigan State (GPP)
- Tyler Kolek – Marquette (Cash)
- El Ellis – Louisville (Cash)
- Cormac Ryan – Notre Dame (GPP)
CBB DFS Value Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG |
| Makai Ashton-Langford | BC | ND | 5200 | 22.77 |
| Ashton-Langford is still underpriced after recently returning from injury. He’s back to full strength now with 37 and 30 DK in the past two games with 35+ minutes and double-digit shot attempts in both. He’s a top offensive playmaker for Boston College and should probably be priced in the low-7k range. We’re getting a nice bargain here and don’t be surprised if he’s chalky in cash. | ||||
| Cam Hayes | LSU | UK | 4800 | 16.33 |
| Hayes is coming off two bad games, but he’s still a good value at sub-5k tonight. The former NC State transfer has now started the last four games for LSU and he isn’t far removed from dropping 30+ DK in three straight games with the elevated offensive role. On the road vs Kentucky’s solid defense is a tough matchup here, but Hayes has the proven upside to smash value at his best. | ||||
| Stevie Mitchell | MARQ | STJN | 4300 | 15.37 |
| Mitchell had been relatively quiet for DFS purposes this season, but the last two games are tough to ignore. The Marquette guard has put 22 and 34 DK in the past two contests, including a clutch 19 points scored vs Villanova on Saturday. Though Mitchell usually doesn’t have a big offensive role for Marquette, at least we now know his ceiling that would smash value at this price. He’s worth a look in GPPs, especially in an uptempo game script vs St. John’s. | ||||
| Montez Mathis | STJN | MARQ | 4100 | 16.4 |
| It’s a risky play, but Mathis provides cheap exposure to the highest total on the slate. He’s coming off a poor performance on the road at Seton Hall on Saturday, but expect a bounceback tonight. Mathis has shot it more efficiently and been better for DFS at home than on road. The St. John’s guard is shooting 56% from the field and 42% from three at home while averaging 18 DK, compared to marks of 30%, 28%, and 11 DK on the road. | ||||
| Jaden Akins | MSU | NEB | 3900 | 17.28 |
| Akins is weirdly cheap despite being in a starting role the past five games and outperforming this price tag lately. He’s put up 20+ DK in three straight games coming into tonight and is playing a key role in Michigan State’s backcourt. At sub-4k, we’ll take this bargain all day in cash and should be chalky. | ||||
Also Consider:
- Dashawn Davis – Mississippi State (Cash)
- Dylan Addae-Wusu – St. John's (GPP)
- Marcus Hammond – Notre Dame (GPP)
- DeMarr Langford – Boston College (Cash/GPP)
CBB DFS Top Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | UK | LSU | 10400 | 41.77 |
| If you follow college basketball at all, you know all about Oscar Tshiebwe at this point. The Kentucky big man is a nightly dominant force in the paint and he’s averaging 16.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 41 DK per game this season. He’s looked strong the past two contests with stat lines of 23 points/19 rebounds/50 DK and 24/14/47 – both vs SEC competition. Tshiebwe is expensive, but he’s worth it more often than not. As always, fade at your own risk. | ||||
| Joel Soriano | STJN | MARQ | 9300 | 36.08 |
| Soriano doesn’t get the same national recognition as other big men in college hoops, but he’s quietly averaging 15.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 36 DK this season. The St. John’s center has also put up 40+ DK in five of the last six games while dominating the paint on both ends. Marquette isn’t a great rebounding team and Soriano should get his double-double and 35-40 DK yet again tonight to anchor cash lineups. | ||||
| Joey Hauser | MSU | NEB | 7700 | 28.75 |
| Hauser is running hot right now with 41, 29, 34, and 37 DK in the past four games. He’s been Michigan State’s best player more often than not this season and should keep it going at home tonight. Hauser has performed better at home than on the road and his hot three-point shooting sets up well against a Nebraska team that struggles to defend the perimeter. | ||||
| Oso Ighodaro | MARQ | STJN | 7600 | 30.13 |
| Though he has to contend with Joel Soriano down low tonight, Ighodaro always has the upside to eclipse 40+ DK and outperform his price tag. He did it two games ago vs Seton Hall and now twice in the last five contests. Limit exposure to GPP lineups, but Ighodaro will likely go overlooked compared to the other top forwards on the slate. | ||||
Also Consider:
- Jesse Edwards – Syracuse (GPP)
- Gregory Jackson – South Carolina (Cash)
- David Jones – St. John's (GPP)
CBB DFS Value Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG |
| Derek Fountain | LSU | UK | 6100 | 19.92 |
| Fountain is right on the edge of being a value, but he’s worth considering because we may not see him this cheap for much longer. The big man has now started the last five games for LSU and he’s put up 24+ DK in all five while averaging 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds in 29 minutes per game. Fountain is excelling in this new starting role and he could be needed as a scorer/rebounder tonight if KJ WIlliams gets into foul trouble at all contending with Oscar Tshiebwe. | ||||
| Dre Davis | SHU | CRE | 5100 | 17.43 |
| Though he comes off the bench, Davis’ 24.2% usage rate and 25.2% shot rate actually lead the team this season. He’s Seton Hall’s offensive-minded sixth-man who provides a scoring burst in his 15-25 minutes. Davis has scored in double figures in eight of 11 games so far, which has allowed him to get to 20 DK or so more often than not. We’ll take that all day at this price tag, and the Pirates will benefit from a pace-boost against Creighton tonight. | ||||
| Prince Aligbe | BC | ND | 4200 | 12.56 |
| Aligbe is an interesting value play on this slate who could fly under-the-radar. The freshman has now started the past four games for Boston College and his role is starting to grow during ACC play. He just scored 12 points and 19 DK in a season-high 25 minutes on Saturday vs Syracuse and could easily return 5xx value on his price tag tonight – even in a lower-scoring game. | ||||
Also Consider:
- David Joplin – Marquette (GPP)
- Jonas Aidoo – Tennessee (GPP)
- Wilhelm Breidenbach – Nebraska (GPP)
CBB DFS Core Plays
DK Cash:
- Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
- Makai Ashton-Langford – Boston College
- Jaden Akins – Michigan State
DK GPP:
- Kam Jones – Marquette
- Joey Hauser – Michigan State
- Cam Hayes – LSU
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