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. 21, 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 Fantasy Basketball
Studs
Orlando Robinson ($9,300) — The Friday College Basketball DFS slate has an abundance of pay up options. At the top Kofi Cockburn is too expensive at $9,700 for a foul prone big man. Johnny Davis is more interesting with a 31% shot rate, 26% rebound rate and 11.4% assist rate over Wisconsin’s last four games. However, Orlando Robinson actually has the best rates of the entire group. He has a 32% shot rate, 39.1% rebound rate and 25% assist rate over Fresno State’s last three games. Fresno State is a 1.5-point underdog in a game with a 137.5-point total, giving them a middling game environment. However, Robinson individually takes advantage of a 229th ranked Nevada interior defense. For those looking to correlate, Grant Sherfield is another potential stud to target on the other side, behind his 24% usage rate.
Ban Vander Plas ($8,000) — Ohio paces the Friday slate with a 76-point implied team total as 4.5-point favorites over Toledo in a game with a 147.5-point total. Looking to grab pieces of this game makes sense, but the top three studs cannibalize each other’s usage to some degree. For those pivoting away from the Robinson tier, Ben Vander Plas looks like the top price-adjusted Ohio stud. Vander Plas will easily eclipse 30 minutes in competitive games, while he has recently seen an increase in rates. Over Ohio’s last three, Vander Plas has a 17.9% shot rate, 17% rebound rate and 27.9% assist rate. While the studs listed above have a higher ceiling, Vander Plas offers a solid floor and makes sense for those attacking this high-totaled game environment.
Jaren Holmes ($7,500) — While St. Bonaventure might not have the name recognition as the Big Ten teams on this slate, they play one of the tightest rotations in college basketball. The Bonnies are currently 5.5-point favorites over Duquesne in a game with a 136-point total. Among the starting five, Jaren Holmes’ 18% usage rate only trails Kyle Lofton. Both players receive maximum minutes, but Holmes offers $400 in savings. Over St Bonaventure’s last three games, Holmes has contributed a 20.2% shot rate, 16.3% rebound rate and 20.5% assist rate. Lofton relies more on shots and assists, giving Holmes the slightly better floor with his involvement across peripherals. Either way, any of the St Bonaventure starting five can be used here.
Ryan Rollins ($7,200) — On the other side of the Ohio game, Toledo has the second-highest implied team total at 71.5-points despite entering the slate as 4.5-point underdogs. Unlike Ohio, Toledo has more condensed usage between their studs. Leading the group, Ryan Rollins boasts a 22.3% usage rate, 23.6% shot rate, 13.6% rebound rate and 23.4% assist rate. On the cheaper side of the stud tier, Rollins offers a solid access point to this game.
Mid-Range
J.T. Shumate ($6,500) — Mentioned above, Toledo provides a solid team total and condensed usage compared to some other teams on this slate. Behind Rollins and Setric Millner, J.T. Shumate looks like a solid mid-priced option. Shumate has played 32, 32 and 36 minutes in three straight games for Toledo behind his 16.5% usage rate. Breaking this down, Shumate has provided a 19.2% shot rate, 14.6% rebound rate and 12.2% assist rate over Toledo’s last three games. Ohio ranks 188th in interior defense, giving Shumate a matchup advantage here as well.
Andre Curbelo ($6,300) — Making his first appearance since November, Andre Curbelo surprising played 26 minutes for Illinois in his return against Purdue. Ultimately, Illinois could not get the job done, but Curbelo played excellent in his return. Curbelo scored 20 points, while contributing six rebounds and three assists. Curbelo likely enters the starting lineup here and could play 30-plus minutes. Illinois is a four-point favorite over Maryland with a total of 136.5-points. Curbelo still presents risk after a soft start to the season, but the upside is still there for tournaments.
K.C. Ndefo ($5,700) — The worst game environment on the slate, Saint Peter’s is a two-point underdog to Niagara in a game with a 123-point total. Limiting exposure to this game makes sense, but a few players present some upside. In the mid-priced range K.C. Ndefo has played 34 and 30 minutes in back-to-back games. One of the team’s primary big men, Ndefo has a 17.7% shot rate, 23% rebound rate and 25% assist rate over Saint Peter’s last three games. Niagara ranks 201st in interior defense and 332nd in rebounding defense. The positive matchup should help make up for the poor game environment.
RayJ Dennis ($5,200) — Lastly, for those looking at the cheapest viable option in the Toledo vs. Ohio game, RayJ Dennis offers usable production at an affordable price. Dennis has a 14% usage rate this season, but his 35, 33 and 33 minutes over Toledo’s last three allow his to maximize this usage. Over that span, Dennis has accounted for 14% of the shots, 17.5% of the rebounds and 18.4% of the assists. Dennis is a solid play.
Value Plays
Kevin Easley ($4,600) — For those looking at run backs to their St Bonaventure players, Kevin Easley has recently taken on a larger role for Duquesne. Easley has played 32, 34 and 37 minutes in three straight games, maximizing his 14.7% usage rate. This has resulted in a 18.9% shot rate, 21.3% rebound rate and 9.7% assist rate for Duquesne. Cheaper than Leon Ayers, Tre Williams, and Amir Spears, Easley looks like the top price-adjusted option for this team.
Chucky Hepburn ($3,600) — Wisconsin’s freshman point guard, Chucky Hepburn has recently seen his price plummet after a series of poor performances. Hepburn has still played 35, 28 and 33 minutes in Wisconsin’s last three games. With Davis dominating usage, Hepburn does rely on his peripherals. Fortunately, ha has a 17% assist rate on the year to complement his 11% shot rate. At this price, Hepburn just needs a middling performance because of the studs he allows you to jam into lineups.
Sam Iorio ($3,000) — On the other side of this poor Saint Peter’s vs Niagara game environment, Niagara plays a nasty rotation. However, this has created some value with starter Sam Iorio priced at the stone minimum. Iorio has played 29, 24 and 27 minutes for Niagara in their last three games. He has a 14.4% usage rate, 11.8% shot rate, 15.4% rebound rate and 11.1% assist rate. Similar to Hepburn, Iorio does not need an elite performance to enter the optimal lineup. For players at the stone minimum, an average performance could be enough with the additional studs this construction allows.
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