College basketball season is finally upon us, and DraftKings and FanDuel continue to provide sizable contests for DFS grinders. Examining the slate for Jan. 20, 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.
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CBB DFS Picks: DraftKings + FanDuel Core Plays | Jan. 20
Kentucky vs. Georgia
Kentucky (74 Team Total)
One of the better overall games for DFS, Georgia’s frantic pace of play generally bodes well for opponents. However, Kentucky is shaking up their rotation as they struggle to find their groove. Last time out, Keion Brooks ($6,500) fouled out in just 22 minutes after coming off the bench. He started the previous game. Olivier Sarr ($5,400) started the game but played just 14 minutes after committing two fouls and two turnovers in that span. In their place, Jacob Toppin ($4,200) emerged for 22 minutes after playing 24 in their previous contest. Toppin only took four shots, but he notched six boards and brings appeal as a punt. The guards are consistent with Brandon Boston ($6,000), Davion Mintz ($5,700) and Devin Askew ($5,000). Boston continued his struggles, shooting just 2-for-9 in 27 minutes. Askew also only notched 5 points as the team’s primary point guard in 30 minutes. Mintz is their top shooter, but he led the team with just 11 points. Interestingly, Dontaie Allen ($4,600) played 23 minutes off the bench alongside Toppin. Allen has now played at least 22 minutes in three straight games. Rumors swirl surrounding a Boston benching. If Allen enters the starting lineup, he would provide an excellent value play. Otherwise, Askew looks like the safest play from a tumultuous team.
Georgia (70.5 Team Total)
Kentucky plays sound defense, but Georgia’s overall pace keeps the Bulldogs in play for DFS. Sahvir Wheeler leads this team in usage (20.5%) and plays every single minute. He has at least 14 points in three straight games. Toumani Camara ($7,800) also plays every single minute, but he draws the tougher matchup against a strong Kentucky interior defense. The same goes for P.J. Horne ($5,300), who found his way to 30 minutes despite shooing 1-for-3 last time out. Justin Kier ($5,500) will also play around 30 minutes. He also plays a non-aggressive style and recently began ceding work to freshman K.D. Johnson ($3,800) off the bench. Johnson could start over Kier or Tye Fagan at any point. If this were to occur, he would become one of the strongest value plays on the slate.
Wake Forest vs. North Carolina
Wake Forest (64.5 Team Total)
One of the lowest implied team totals on the slate, Wake Forest is a 12-point underdog to North Carolina. Wake Forest varies their starting minutes outside of Daivien Williamson, who has played at least 38 minutes in three straight games. Williamson has double-digit points in each of these contests and draws a far easier matchup against the North Carolina guards. Isaiah Mucius ($5,200) will have to face that tough interior defense, and no one else plays consistent minutes for Wake Forest. Carter Whitt ($3,400) could be in play if he enters the starting lineup. However, that is far from a guarantee.
North Carolina (76.5 Team Total)
Top four in implied team total, North Carolina draws a phenomenal matchup in the post, where Wake Forest ranks 332nd. Garrison Brooks ($7,500) is the best play here with 33 minutes and double-digit points in back-to-back games. Day’ron Sharpe ($6,900) could also be used in GPPs, but he seldom plays more than 25 minutes with Armando Bacot ($6,100) in the starting lineup. North Carolina varies minutes between Caleb Love ($4,500), R.J. Davis ($4,700), Leaky Black ($5,900) and Kerwin Walton ($4,900) at the guard positions. Walton played 29 minutes and went 5-for-13 shooting in his last time out. He took 10 3-pointers, giving him immense upside. With Love and Davis struggling, Walton looks like a potential value play for North Carolina.
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech
Clemson (64.25 Team Total)
One of the worst game environments on the slate, this contest has a 129.5 over/under. Clemson plays extremely slow but draws a pace-up spot against Georgia Tech. Aamir Simms ($7,300) plays the most consistent role for Clemson, but draws an elevated price tag. Nick Honor ($6,500) actually leads the team with a 17.7% usage rate, but he continues to come off the bench. Clyde Trapp ($5,000) and Al-Amir Dawes ($4,100) play more consistent roles for this Clemson team, but neither ranks highly in usage rate. Dawes is just 4-for-16 shooting in his last three but provides the best value option on an uninspiring team.
Georgia Tech (65.25 Team Total)
Georgia Tech generally plays fast, but they draw a slow Clemson team that ranks 14th in defensive efficiency. Jose Alvarado ($9,200) plays every minute and paces the team with a 17.8% usage. However, Georgia Tech plays an extremely narrow rotation with spread usage. This makes Alvarado a bit expensive in this spot. Moses Wright ($8,200) draws the toughest matchup against Simms in the paint. He has also been held under 10 points in back-to-back games. Michael Devoe ($6,800), Jordan Usher ($6,500) and Bubba Parham ($5,400) round out the starting five, with Devoe pacing the group in usage. While the rotation is tight, the low total and tough matchup render all GPP dart throws.
Providence vs. Creighton
Providence (67.5 Team Total)
With Jared Bynum expected to miss this contest, Providence’s rotation is narrow. Creighton plays solid defense on the perimeter, but David Duke ($9,400) has an elite 21.4% usage rate with at least 39 minutes in three straight games. Because of the matchup, Duke’s price is attainable at $9,400. Behind Duke, Nate Watson ($7,900) and A.J. Reeves ($5,600) soak up most of the usage. Watson has at least 13 points in three straight, but Reeves has seen the largest spike in usage. He has taken at least 10 shots in three straight games, providing a solid floor/ceiling combo for DFS.
Creighton (77.5 Team Total)
On Creighton, stud Marcus Zegarowski ($7,100) is questionable with a hamstring injury. Zegarowski leads the team with a 19% usage rate and warrants consideration if active. Denzel Mahoney ($8,300) has stepped up without Zegarowski. He has a 27.4% shot rate and 14.3% rebounding rate in this last three games. Mitchell Ballock ($5,800) and Damien Jefferson ($7,000) offer two cheaper attachments to the offense. Ballock in particular plays every minute at a discounted price. The last player to consider is Shereef Mitchell ($4,400). If Zegarowski misses the game, Mitchell likely will start again after playing 29 minutes in Creighton’s most recent game.
Northwestern vs. Wisconsin
Northwestern (62.75 Team Total)
With the second-lowest implied team total on the slate, Northwestern also runs a nine-man rotation. Wisconsin plays extremely slowly and ranks 44th in defensive efficiency, so ignoring Northwestern makes sense. For those with a hyper-contrarian mindset, Miller Kopp ($6,300) plays the most. Boo Buie ($5,200) and Chase Audige ($5,900) have also had their moments. However, neither plays a consistent role nor provides salary relief.
Wisconsin (72.25 Team Total)
Wisconsin enters this contest with a solid implied team total and one locked in starter with D’Mitrik Trice ($7,300). Trice has at least 32 minutes in each of Wisconsin’s last three games and a 19.8% usage rate. Wisconsin also narrowed their rotation last time out, playing Brad Davison ($5,300) and Aleem Ford ($5,900) over 30 minutes. Interestingly, they also benched Nate Reuvers in favor of Tyler Wahl ($4,700), who played 35 minutes himself. If Wahl starts again, he makes for a solid punt play. Lastly, Micah Potter ($6,700) functions as Wisconsin’s most efficient play, but he hasn’t eclipsed 24 minutes in three straight games. Wisconsin’s starting five looks like a major piece of news to wait for on this slate.
Tulsa vs. Houston
Tulsa (56.25 Team Total)
Playing with the lowest implied team total on the slate, ignoring Tulsa entirely makes sense. Tulsa plays a nine-man rotation against a Houston team ranked third in defensive efficiency. Brandon Rachal ($7,700) and Elijah Joiner ($6,200) both play around 30 minutes, but both are too expensive here. Curtis Haywood ($4,000) started last time out, but he only played 25 minutes.
Houston (68.25 Team Total)
While Houston is a 12-point favorite here, a slow projected pace keeps their implied team total in check. Quentin Grimes ($8,500) leads this team with a 22% usage rate and pushes 30 minutes in competitive games. Marcus Sasser ($6,700) also makes a ton of sense with a 20% usage rate and almost $2,000 in savings. Together Grimes and Sasser account for 25% and 20% of the team’s shots in Houston’s last three games. Dejon Jarreau ($6,800) and Justin Gorham ($7,200) also play significantly for this team. Gorham is the primary rebounder, while Jarreau paces the team in assist rate. Both make sense in GPPs as contrarian options off Grimes and Sasser.
Auburn vs. Arkansas
Auburn (75.25 Team Total)
Justin Powell is expected to miss this game, leaving Auburn with a clean rotation in a pace-up spot against Arkansas. The story for Auburn has been the debut of Sharife Cooper ($9,000). In this three active games, Cooper holds an absurd 31.9% usage rate and has played at least 32 minutes in each contest. Cooper is one of the top studs to target here. Behind Cooper, Allen Flanigan ($7,000) is steady with a 18.5% shot rate and 19.6% rebounding rate in Auburn’s last three games. Jamal Johnson ($4,800) also looks intriguing as a potential punt play after playing at least 26 minutes in three straight games. Devan Cambridge ($5,600), J.T. Thor ($5,800), Jaylin Williams ($6,200) and Dylan Cardwell ($4,000) enter the mix as GPP plays in an explosive offense.
Arkansas (79.75 Team Total)
Arkansas paces the slate with a 79.75 implied team total, but they rotate eight or more players consistently. Moses Moody ($8,800) stands out as the only consistent minutes getter for this team. Moody has at least 35 minutes in three straight games with a 28% shot rate and 18.5% rebounding rate. Jalen Tate ($6,100) provides the next most consistent play, but most of it comes from his 29.8% assist rate. Justin Smith ($5,100) enters the fold as a potential punt. After missing a series of games, Smith returned to the starting lineup and played 18 minutes in a blowout loss. Theoretically Smith should see increased usage in upcoming games. The rest of the team sees 20-25 minutes (Desi Sills, J.D. Notae, Davonte Davis, Jaylin Williams).
Colorado vs. Washington
Colorado (77 Team Total)
Despite playing with one of the highest implied team totals on the board, Colorado is almost unusable, with at least nine players in the rotation on a nightly basis. Even more frustrating, they split the usage almost evenly. McKinley Wright IV ($7,400) paces the team with a 20.5% usage rate, but most of that comes from a 40.5% assist rate. Jeriah Horne ($4,900) and Evan Battey ($5,700) play the most minutes behind Wright, but neither has a usage rate above 15%. Making matters worse, the emergence of Jabari Walker ($6,600) has depressed their usage further in recent weeks. Ultimately, this team is difficult to trust without a clear rotation in mind.
Washington (64 Team Total)
Conversely, Washington has narrowed their rotation, but they face a difficult matchup against a Colorado team ranked 23rd in defensive efficiency. Quade Green ($7,200) leads the team with a 20.9% usage rate. However, he brings significant opportunity cost, with other studs in better matchups. Lately, Jamal Bey ($5,300), Erik Stevenson ($5,500) and Hameir Wright ($5,500) all push 30 minutes without foul trouble. However, DraftKings elevated their price in the new condensed rotation. This renders all of them appropriate values at best in this tough matchup.
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