College basketball season is finally upon us, and DraftKings and FanDuel continue to provide sizable contests for DFS grinders. Examining the slate for Jan. 30, 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. 30
Studs Tier
Jared Butler ($8,800) – One of the most consistent assets in DFS, Butler has three straight games of at least 34 points on DraftKings. Butler and this Baylor team sit with a slate-leading 84.25 implied team total against an up-tempo Auburn team. While some may choose to play Sharife Cooper ($9,200) on the other side, Butler actually looks like a superior play. Baylor ranks fourth overall in defensive efficiency and Cooper is only shooting 19% from three. Conversely, Butler holds a 21.5% usage rate that includes a 19% shot rate and a 29% assist rate. Involved in every facet of the game, Butler also enters this slate slightly cheaper than Cooper.
David Duke ($8,700) – One of the top players in the country, Duke continues to handle an absurd 20.9% usage rate for Providence. Compounding his elite usage rate, Duke plays every minute for Providence. In his last three games, Duke has taken 29.2% of the shots, 20.7% of the rebounds, and 42.9% of the assists. Georgetown remains one of the worst teams in the Big East, creating an advantageous matchup for Duke. With Georgetown also running 74.6 possessions per game, Duke enters a pace-up spot, making him an elite play on today’s slate.
Herbert Jones ($7,600) – Entering the slate with the second-highest implied team total, Alabama remains underappreciated on DraftKings. With the live moving significantly in their favor overnight, all Alabama players enter this slate with a discounted price tag. Jones leads the way a 16% usage rate, but he also played at least 33 minutes in Alabama’s last two games. Jones has involvement in every major statistical category with a 13.4% shot rate, a 14.6% rebounding rate, and a 19.0% assist rate. While less impressive than others, Alabama plays with one of the fastest paces in the country, creating additional opportunities for Jones to hit value.
Cameron Thomas ($7,800) – An interesting spot for LSU, the Tigers draw a strong Texas Tech team that ranks 11th in defensive efficiency this season. Currently, the total sits at 150.5 with an above average pace. On the LSU side, Thomas remains particularly cheap after missing a pair of games a few weeks back. Thomas leads LSU with a 25.4% usage rate and an absurd 43.3% shot rate in LSU’s last three games. Thomas has some peripheral involvement as well with a 13.2% assist rate in that span. Despite Texas Tech’s strong defense, they rank 198 in three-point defense this year. While Thomas enters a tough matchup, his absurd shot rate provides a ceiling in GPPs.
Mid-Priced Tier
Mac McClung ($7,300) – Perhaps a bit expensive for this tier, McClung and the Texas Tech players enter a pace up spot against LSU today. Texas Tech remains a 3.5-point road favorite in a game totaled at 77-points. While Terrence Shannon ($6,600), Kevin McCullar ($7,100) and Kyler Edwards ($6,100) provide cheaper attachments to the Texas Tech offense, McClung still paces the team in usage (21.1%). A talented guard, McClung holds a 21.3% shot rate and 19.1% assist rate this season. McClung does a lot of damage beyond the arc, but 71% of his shots in Texas Tech’s last three games came inside the arc. LSU defends the perimeter well, so McClung’s ability to score in a variety of ways keeps him viable in this spot. In an overall up-tempo spot, grabbing a piece of Texas Tech makes sense today.
Collin Gillespie ($6,800) – After an extended Covid-19 stoppage, Gillespie continued his mediocre play to start 2021. Last time out, Gillespie went just 5/14 from the field and subsequently saw his price fall. However, buying low on Gillespie makes sense here after he still reached 15 points in three straight games. One the year, Gillespie has a 19.5% usage rate, which includes a 20.8% shot rate and a 21.6% assist rate in his last three games. Gillespie has also played at least 32 minutes in each of those contests. As it stands, Gillespie looks like a strong buy-low candidate on this slate.
Moses Moody ($6,700) – While Justin Smith looks like the top value play in this game, his status remains questionable. Another potential buy-low in this game, Moody also saw a dramatic price drop after Arkansas’ last game. Moody’s price fell, because he committed three turnovers and three fouls while shooting 1/3 in just 19 minutes. However, Moody consistently played 30+ minutes prior to the break. With a 17.7% usage rate, Moody easily pays off value in his usual role for Arkansas. In this contest, Moody also benefits from a 151.5-point total against an Oklahoma State ream that ranks 170th in perimeter defense.
Value Tier
Scottie Lewis ($4,900) – After returning from a multi-game absence, Lewis played 28 minutes off the bench for Florida. With additional time to recover, Lewis should enter Florida’s starting lineup sooner rather than later. In his return, Lewis made an immediate impact with ten points, four assists, and four steals. Florida draws a tough matchup against West Virginia today, but the game remains totaled at 147.5-points. With the slate light on value already, Lewis provides 30+ minutes upside at a sub-$5k price tag.
Brad Davison ($4,700) – Similar to Lewis, Davison looks intriguing for his minute upside alone. Wisconsin faces Penn State today with a total sitting at 139 points. Wisconsin plays slow basketball, which usually caps upside from a DFS perspective. However, Davison has played at least 30 minutes in three straight games for Wisconsin, with a 15.1% usage rate this season. Davison also leads Wisconsin with 19 three-point attempts in their last three games. While Penn State struggles particularly against interior play, the Nittany Lions still rank 271 in overall defense. Another potential punt option, Davison offers enough salary relief to target multiple studs on this slate.
Umoja Gibson ($4,400) – On the other side of that up-tempo Alabama matchup, Gibson offers punt appeal as Oklahoma’s sixth man. Without a consistent starting lineup to start the year, Gibson has actually played a major role for Oklahoma of late. Coming off the bench, Gibson has at least 25 minutes in two-straight games for the Sooners. Gibson has double digit points in each game and looks to be taking on an ascending role in the offense. While he still carries immense risk, Gibson offers punt appeal on the DraftKings and FanDuel main slate.
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