College Basketball CBB DFS Playbook & Core Plays December 23: James Bishop IV is a Top Play
Happy Holidays to the FAmily! Christmas weekend starts today here at Fantasy Alarm with a four-game college basketball slate on DraftKings. The CBB DFS action will feature three of the four games from the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic which is headlined by #18 Indiana. It will all lock at 6:45p ET with SMU facing Utah State and continue on until the 12a ET nightcap between Washington State and Hawaii. If you're looking to play college basketball DFS this season, get full access to our CBB DFS Playbooks and Core Plays with a Fantasy Alarm All-Pro Subscription. Check out all the CBB DFS top picks, lineup strategies, teams to target, and value plays to lock in for this evening's college basketball action. If you have any questions about CBB daily fantasy lineup strategy or are looking for updated DFS news we will be in the Fantasy Alarm Discord chat. Now, let's jump into the CBB DFS top plays and lineup picks for Friday, December 23rd.
College Basketball CBB DFS Slate & Betting Odds December 23rd
- 6:45p ET Utah State (-12.0) @ SMU 145.5 O/U
- 7p ET Kennesaw State @ Indiana (-19.0) 141.0 O/U
- 10p ET George Washington @ Pepperdine (-3.0) 151.0 O/U
- 12a ET Washington State (-3.0) @ Hawaii 127.0 O/U
College Basketball CBB DFS Top Plays December 23rd
CBB DFS Top Guards
James Bishop IV- George Washington @ Pepperdine ($7.9K)
Bishop is today's lock and top overall play. The senior has single-handedly carried the Colonials offense this season and like we've said many times here - if you see a player with a 30% usage and 30% shot rate then you need to take notice. He comes into tonight's game carrying a 31.7% usage (11th in nation) and 31.7% shot rate (37th in nation) along with a 28.6% assist mark. Now Bishop gets a nice pace-up game against Pepperdine- the #22 adjusted tempo team in the country. His price is up after a mediocre performance last night but we get a “bounce back” game tonight.
Zhuric Phelps- SMU vs. Utah State ($7.6k)
If Bishop IV is the top overall guard, then Phelps is a close runner-up. We have another 30/30 player- as Phelps is ranked 6th in the nation with an outstanding 32.7% usage rate to go along with a 10th-ranked 34.6% shot rate. Both Bishop and Phelps average 20.8 points over the last five games and both are over 30 DraftKings fantasy points in the same span- te only difference is the plus matchup for Bishop while Phelps sees a much tougher Utah State defense.
Other Top Guards
Top point per $ Plays
- Jalen Hood-Schifino- Indiana ($6.4K) Love this play with Xavier Johnson out- back to back 29+ DKFP games
- Zach Nutall- SMU ($6.6K) 25.5% shot rate
- Max Shulga- Utah State ($7.3K) 25.5 ARate and 20% DR rate
- Steven Ashworth- Utah State ($7.2K) 28.9% ARate
- Houston Mallette- Pepperdine ($6.1K) 10 straight 20+ DKFP games
- TJ Bamba- Washington State ($6.8K) 25.5% usage/28% shot rate- cash play but upside usually limited
CBB DFS Value Guards
Samuta Avea- Hawaii vs. Washington State ($5.2K)
Avea, a senior wing co-captain, has been playing solid basketball. He is coming off a double-double (11 points/10 rebounds) against Pepperdine (32 DKFP) and the game before that he scored 18 points (25 DKFP) against St. Francis, PA. Lack of value has become a trend on DraftKings and Avea will probably see some ownership tonight against a tough Washington State defense (95.9 adjusted efficiency).
Top point per $ value plays
- Jabe Mullins- Washington State ($5.7K) News-reliant; if he starts then he is in play as a value
- CJ Gunn- Indiana ($3.4K) 20 ins/24 DKFP last game with Johnson out
- Trey Golloway- Indiana ($4.7K)
- Rylan Jones- Utah State ($4.5K) 27+ mins in 3 of last 4
- JoVon McClanahan- Hawaii ($5.1K)
CBB DFS Top Forwards
Maxwell Lewis - Pepperdine vs. George Washington ($7.0K)
Lewis is an animal. 26% usage and 26.9% shot to go along with a 4.4 block rate. Five of his last six games have been over 30 DKFP with three over 40 DKFP. He is a solid 3-point shooter and uses his length to block shots and generate deflections. Lewis stuffs the stat sheet, plays every minute, and is the best forward on the slate- it's not even close.
Race Thompson- Indiana vs. Kennesaw State ($6.7K)
Without Trayce Jackson-Davis and Xavier Johnson, sixth-year forward Thompson picked up the slack, finishing with a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds with four blocks in 30 minutes against Elon on Tuesday. I am projecting this as if TJD is out again so that makes Thompson a lock as he is priced as if TJD is playing. A double-double could easily be on tap for tonight.
Other Top Forwards
Top point per $ Plays
- Kamka Hepa- Hawaii ($6.9K) 17.4% DR and 4.0% Block rate
- Samuell Williamson- SMU ($6.5K)
- Taylor Funk- Utah state ($6.6K) 4 straight over 20DKFP; ceiling not the greatest but obviously a floor
- Jevon Porter - Pepperdine ($6.4K) GPP-only
- Mouhamed Gueye- Washington State ($7.5K) Price is up but Gueye always offers a ceiling - 27.1% usage/25% shot
CBB DFS Value Forwards
Malik Reneau- Indiana vs. Kennesaw State ($7.0K)
Once again TJD news dependent- but if he is out I absolutely will be inserting the freshman Reneau into my main lineup. The 6-foot-9 Montverde Academy product was expected to play a role right away and he did make an impact and it wasn't against cupcakes. Reneau had 12 points and six rebounds in just 16 minutes against Xavier, giving Indiana a spark off the bench that played a major role in an important road win. Reneau made 28 of his first 44 shots (63.6 percent) over the first six games of his college career and averaged 10.7 points and 4.7 rebounds over that span despite playing just 17.7 minutes. Foul trouble has plagued him but Mike Woodson came out this week and said he is going to let him play with two fouls so he can establish a rhythm That's all I need to hear- Value lock tonight.
Top point per $ value plays
- Hunter Dean- George Washington ($5.5K) 18.1% DR and 4.2% Blk rate; 28/22/11/19 L4 DKFP
- Bernardo da Silva - Hawaii ($5.7K) 30.9% combined rebound rate
- Carson Basham- Pepperdine ($4.9K) L4- 21/32/22/4 DKFP- GPP only obviously
- Logan Duncomb- Indiana ($3.2K) Will be Reneau's backup if TJD is out
- Keon Ambrose-Hylton- SMU ($3.9K)
DRAFTKINGS CORE
James Bishop IV- George Washington
Maxwell Lewis- Pepperdine
Race Thompson- Indiana
Malik Reneau- Indiana (if TJD out)
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Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.