College basketball season is in full swing, and DraftKings and FanDuel continue to provide sizable contests for CBB DFS grinders. Examining the college basketball DFS slate for Jan. 12, a number of core plays stand out. This piece will locate the plays from each college basketball matchup and determine the top CBB DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.
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CBB DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel College Fantasy
Studs
Paolo Banchero ($9,800) — The best game environment on the slate, Duke is a 5-point favorite over Wake Forest in a game with a 151-point total. For those trying to target this game environment, Paolo Banchero provides an elite floor/ceiling combo as the premier freshman in the country. Playing maximum minutes, Banchero already accounts for a 23.2% shot rate, 21.7% rebound rate and 22.5% assist rate. Wake Forest plays solid defense across the board, but with both teams pushing pace, Banchero has a decent shot at being the top overall scorer on this slate.
Dereon Seabron ($9,200) — A slightly less attractive game environment, North Carolina State enters this slate as a 6-point underdog in a game against Louisville with a 145-point total. Also playing max minutes, Seabron has an absurd 22.1% shot rate, 26.0% rebound rate, and 29.4% assist rate. Louisville plays solid defense across the board, but this is another spot where targeting star power could payoff. If North Carolina State plays to the point spread, that likely comes from a good Seabron game.
Tari Eason ($8,100) — For those looking just a little less expensive than the premier tier, LSU could bring some value today. Xavier Pinson will miss this game, likely opening some value and usage. Pinson vacates a 13.6% shot rate and 35.4% assist rate. Tari Eason plays a different position, but he still stands to benefit. Eason has played 32 and 29 minutes in back-to-back games for LSU, while recording a double-double in his most recent performance. The big man still comes off the bench but has outperformed Darius Days of late, making him an interesting contrarian piece. This game has a 137.5-point total, but Florida has struggled to defend the interior at times, ranking 175 in interior defense. Eason is a solid GPP piece.
Posh Alexander ($7,900) — The second premier game environment on the slate, St John’s enters this game against UConn as a 11.5-point underdog. Julian Champagnie has the highest usage on this team, but Posh Alexander has become increasingly involved. Alexander accounts for a 17% shot rate and 24% assist rate over St John’s last three games. While R.J. Cole projects slightly better on the other side of this game, Alexander brings similar upside in the same price range.
Mid-Range
Andre Jackson ($6,000) — Mentioned above, this St Johns vs. UConn game looks excellent for DFS purposed. UConn is an 11.5-point favorite in a game with a 150-point total and elevated pace. One of the bigger surprises this year, Andre Jackson has been incredibly involved. Over the last two games, Jackson logged 36 and 37 minutes for UConn. While Jackson only has a 9.8% shot rate over the last three games, he has been extremely involved on the periphery with a 26% rebound rate and 12.8% assist rate for UConn.
Jackson was one of the most popular plays popping in the college basketball projections, and in the CBB DFS lineup optimizer as well. Check out the DraftKings CBB Cheat Sheet and FanDuel CBB Cheat Sheet today for more of our free CBB DFS lineup optimizer picks.
Adama Sanogo ($5,600) — While Jackson has been extremely consistent, much of his production came with missing pieces in the UConn roster. One of those missing pieces was Adama Sanogo, who now appears fully healthy. Sanogo played 32 minutes in UConn’s most recent game, logging 18 points and 16 boards. Sanogo does not have the best matchup, but his usage and minute allocation in UConn’s most recent loss bode well moving forward. Potentially significantly underpriced, Sanogo is an interesting GPP piece here.
Eric Gaines ($5,200) –A more direct beneficiary from the Pinson absence looks like Eric Gaines. Gaines previously jumped to 30 minutes when Brandon Murray missed a game and he looks like the most logical replacement here. In that game, Gaines started, but only went 1/9 from the floor. LSU typically paces up their opponents, which should be the case here. Gaines also has the second-highest assist rate on the team, which naturally fills the 35.4% assist rate vacated by Pinson. At $5,200, Gaines is a solid mid-priced option.
Value Plays
Prentiss Hubb ($4,500) — A middling game environment on the 12-game slate, Notre Dame is a 3-point favorite over Clemson in a game with a 138.5-point total. Recently re-entering the starting lineup, Prentiss Hubb looks over his early-season struggles. Hubb has now played at least 33 minutes in three straight games, accounting for a 15.8% shot rate and 34.7% assist rate. Widely expected to provide a veteran presence to this roster, Hubb finally looks to have regained his footing. Hubb also ranks second on Notre Dame in 3-point attempts, which exploits Clemson’s primary defensive weakness. This is also an area where Hubb should see positive regression. He is shooting 29% from 3 after shooting 34% each of the last two years.
Nick Jourdain ($4,100) — Temple enters the slate as a 3-point underdog to Tulsa in a game with a 133-point total. While this projects as one of the slower games on the slate, Temple is one of the main injury situations to watch. Tai Strickland and Jake Forrester are both questionable for this game. Nick Jourdain has started the last three games without these players, accounting for a 16.4% shot rate and 13.2% rebound rate. This situation is highly dependent on late news, so stay close to your computer near tipoff, if rostering Jourdain.
Brandon Murray ($4,000) — For those trying to capitalize on the cheap value available on LSU, both Murray and Mwani Wilkinson could make some sense. Wilkinson has an extremely low usage rate at 6.4, giving a slight edge to Murray. Murray already played 28 and 30 minutes in LSU’s last two games, giving him solid minute consistency. On top of his consistent role, Murray also has peripheral upside with his involvement statistical categories. Overall, Murray is one of the safer punt plays on this slate.
Thomas Allen ($3,100) — For those looking at a pure punt option near the minimum price, North Carolina State’s Thomas Allen is probably the top option. Mentioned above, North Carolina State is in a tough matchup as 6-point underdog to Louisville. However, Allen has played 27 and 32 minutes in two of North Carolina State’s last three games. This rotation has been difficult to decipher outside of Seabron and Jericole Hellems. However, for tournaments, Allen provides a potential minute ceiling at a dirt-cheap price. He has also been involved when on the floor with a 13.3% shot rate and 19.4% assist rate over North Carolina State’s last three games.
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