College basketball season is finally upon us, and DraftKings and FanDuel continue to provide sizable contests for DFS grinders. Examining the slate for Jan. 22, a number of core plays stand out. In this piece I’ll be locating top plays from each college basketball matchup and determining the top CBB DFS picks for your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.
[CONOR]
[SportsbookAffiliates]
CBB DFS Picks: DraftKings + FanDuel Core Plays | Jan. 22
Charlotte vs Florida Atlantic
Charlotte (62 Team Total)
The worst game to target for DFS, these teams have the two lowest implied team totals on the slate. Charlotte bottoms out the slate at 62 points. However, they draw a winnable matchup against a Florida Atlantic team ranked 242nd in defensive efficiency. Charlotte runs a tight rotation consisting of four main players. Jahmir Young ($7,300) plays almost every minute and leads the team with an 18.3% usage rate. Behind Young, Jhery Matos ($5,700) has played an elevated role for Charlotte of late. Matos has at least 34 minutes in three straight games and double-digit points in two of three contests. Jordan Shepherd ($6,000) and Brice Williams ($6,600) also routinely push 30 minutes, but both have seen their usage drop in favor of Matos of late. They are GPP plays in the worst game environment on the slate.
Florida Atlantic (64 Team Total)
The second-lowest implied team total on the slate, Florida Atlantic typically runs a semi-narrow rotation. Jailyn Ingram ($7,700) paces the team with a 23.8% usage rate. Ingram only played 19 minutes in FAU’s most recent game, but they also won by 44 points. Expect more time from Ingram in competitive games. The biggest factor on the DFS slate is minimum-priced Bryan Greenlee ($3,000). Greenlee starts and pushes 30 minutes in most competitive games. He also holds a 16.7% usage rate, making his pricing egregious. Expect Greenlee to carry immense ownership as the key to multiple studs on this slate. Karlis Silins ($4,800) and Michael Forrest ($6,200) also play a decent amount for FAU. Forrest holds an 18.8% usage rate and warrants GPP consideration with his 15% shot rate. However, targeting Silins or sixth man Everett Winchester ($5,700) doesn’t seem necessary with Greenlee at the minimum price.
Marshall vs Florida International
Marshall (81.75 Team Total)
With the total sitting at 155.5, Marshall paces the slate in team total in the fastest projected game on the slate. Unlike other teams on this slate, Marshall does not bring major injury concerns, and they run a fairly tight rotation. Taevion Kinsey ($9,000) leads the team statistically with a 20.5% shot rate, 16.9% rebounding rate and a 23.6% assist rate. Kinsey has also played at least 39 minutes in three straight games, making him arguably the safest play on the entire slate. Jarrod West‘s ($8,000) 18.3% usage rate actually eclipses Kinsey’s 17.4% mark, but West maxed out at 33 minutes in his last, while Kinsey hit 40 in Marshall’s third-most recent game. Ultimately both provide safe options. Behind the elite two scorers at the top, Andrew Taylor ($7,500) also routinely eclipses 30 minutes. However, Taylor’s usage comes mostly through the periphery with his 17.4% rebounding rate and 23.6% assist rate. Jannson Williams ($6,300) and Obinna Anochili-Killen ($5,200) round out thr starting five. Williams functions primarily as a shooter and plays 25-30 minutes per game. Anochili-Killen started Marshall’s last two games and appears to have an expanding role. This puts him in play for GPPs. Mikel Beyers ($4,500) also plays a fair amount off the bench, and his 16.2% usage rate could become useful even playing half of the minutes.
Florida International (73.75 Team Total)
Despite entering this contest as 8-point underdogs, Florida International possesses the second-highest implied team total on the slate. Unlike Marshall, FIU brings major injury concerns. Radshad Davis ($7,200) appeared to suffer an ankle injury and subsequently missed FIU’s most recent game. Eric Lovett ($5,000) has also missed two straight for FIU with an undisclosed injury. Respectively, Davis and Lovett started 13 and seven games for FIU this season. With little injury information available, news may not emerge until both teams release their starting five. When healthy, both push 30-plus minutes in competitive games. Lovett holds a superior usage rate (18%) at a cheaper price, but both would be in play for DFS. Without Davis and Lovett, Jonathan Nunez ($3,800) and Petar Krivokapic ($3,400) entered the starting lineup. FIU lost the game where both started by 44 points, making this rotation difficult to decipher. Both would theoretically come into play in GPP’s with another start. The true alpha scorer on this team is Antonio Daye Jr. ($8,700). Daye plays almost every minute and paces the team with a 19.7% usage rate. Daye’s rates have also climbed to monumental heights without Davis and Lovett in the lineup, making him a valuable target. Tevin Brewer ($6,100) will also play almost every minute regardless of the injury situation. Brewer has a 14.3% usage rate, but that number also climbs without Davis and Lovett. This makes him a strong mid-priced value. Dimon Carrigan ($4,900) rounds out the starting five, but his playing time has been significantly reduced of late. After playing just two minutes in their second-most recent game, Carrigan fouled out in eight minutes in their last time out. The rotation behind Carrigan is a complete nightmare, with five other players seeing 10 or more minutes in back-to-back games.
Michigan vs Purdue
Michigan (70.5 Team Total)
Projected to carry ownership on name value alone, Michigan enters this slate with the third-highest implied team total. Notably, Eli Brooks ($4,700) returned from injury and played 22 minutes, while Chaundee Brown ($4,100) still managed 23 last time out. Brown typically plays around 20 minutes, keeping him in play for GPPs. However, Brook’s minutes should rise, and he continues to recover from injury. Isaiah Livers ($7,900) and Franz Wagner ($8,300) pace Michigan in usage and playing time. Both account for at least 16% of the team’s shots and 18% of the team’s rebounds in their last three games. Both make solid GPP contrarian plays. Hunter Dickinson ($6,700) has played less since the return of Austin Davis ($3,800), making him better suited to GPP’s. Mike Smith ($5,600) rounds out the starting five. Smith generally doesn’t offer much upside as a peripheral player in Michigan’s offense. However, he is the cheapest of Michigan’s players expected to reach 30 minutes tonight.
Purdue (67.5 Team Total)
Playing with a middling implied team total, Purdue continues to run an expansive ten-man rotation. Usage leader Trevion Williams ($8,100) sees between 20 and 30 minutes per game. Michigan dominates team’s in the paint, suggesting Williams could see extended time. Even in a limited role, he accounts for 21.9% of Purdue’s shots and 25.4% of the team’s rebounds. Eric Hunter ($5,400) has been the second-most consistent player for Purdue with at least 31 minutes in three straight. His 17.1% usage also dwarfs Sasha Stefanovic‘s ($5,800) 12.9% usage rate. Behind these three Purdue’s rotation gets nasty. Starter Mason Gillis ($3,900) fouled out in 16 minutes last game, paving the way for more Zach Edey ($4,200) and Aaron Wheeler ($4,000). Those three cannibalize each other. Recently Purdue gave Jaden Ivey ($4,500) extended run over Brandon Newman ($4,900). If Ivey enters the starting five, he could make sense as a salary saver.
Louisiana Tech vs UTEP
Louisiana Tech (68.75 Team Total)
A middling game environment to cap off the night, Louisiana Tech enters a match against UTEP as 1.5-point favorites. This is a big mismatch, with UTEP ranking 267 in defensive efficiency. Louisiana Tech’s biggest concern is the status of Kalob Ledoux ($5,400). Ledoux hasn’t played in two games and remains questionable. He leads the team in usage when healthy. Without Ledoux, Amorie Archibald ($6,800) has taken on increased usage with 17.6% of the team’s shots. More importantly, Isaiah Crawford ($6,400) started in place of Ledoux, played 30-plus minutes and took 18% of the team’s shots. Cobe Williams ($5,200), Kenneth Lofton ($6,000) and JaColby Pemberton ($5,900) round out the starting five. Pemberton plays the most consistent minutes, but his usage is depressed at 12.6%. These three players look like GPP dart throws and nothing more.
UTEP (67.25 Team Total)
UTEP draws a much tougher matchup in this spot against a Louisiana Tech defense ranked 37th in defensive efficiency. Luckily, most of the team’s usage flows through Souley Boum ($6,900), Bryson Williams ($7,000) and Jamal Bieniemy ($6,500). All possess usage rates at 17% or better as well. Williams is the top play on the year with a 21% shot rate and a 21% rebounding rate. Bieniemy has most provided peripheral stats with his 35% assist rate, but all three can be considered. Keonte Kennedy ($5,100) is a cheaper attachment to UTEP. He has also shown some upside of late with a 15% shot rate and 17.3% rebounding rate in his last three games.
Follow us on all of our social channels! Check out our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more great Awesemo content.
Looking for more college basketball CBB and DFS picks content? We have loads of CBB DFS Picks articles, data, cheat sheets and more on the Awesemo CBB home page. Just click HERE.
