College Basketball DFS Playbook December 15: Top DraftKings CBB DFS Picks
Welcome back to the start of another weekend of college basketball action as we dive into the top CBB DFS picks for Friday night. The marquee game of the evening takes us to the Continental Tire Seattle Tip-Off with No. 6 UConn playing No. 10 Gonzaga. Another expected close game will be Portland State at San Diego State and then the battle for Nex Mexico as New Mexico face off against New Mexico State. It's a 6-game slate on DraftKings so let's dive into all the top CBB DFS picks and value plays at the guard and forward positions tonight. All college basketball odds below are via DraftKings Sportsbook when publishing. Good luck with your college basketball DFS lineups for Friday, December 15th.
College Basketball DFS Slate December 15, 2023
- 8p ET Northern Colorado @ Colorado (-21.5) 152.5 O/U
- 8p ET Cleveland State @ Bradley (-9.5) 141.0 O/U
- 9p ET New Mexico @ New Mexico State 153.5 O/U
- 10p ET Cal State-Bakersfield @ Fresno State (-9.5) 132.5 O/U
- 10p ET Connecticut (-5.0) @ Gonzaga 150.5 O/U
- 10p ET Portland State (-1.0) @ San Diego 152.0 O/U
Top CBB DFS Guards
KJ Simpson - Colorado vs. Northern Colorado ($8.8K DK)
KJ Simpson is playing like a top 10-point guard in the country through the first nine games of the season. He has already outplayed fellow star point guards Nigel Pack and Isaiah Stevens in matchup against Miami and Colorado State and comes into tonight’s game with a 25.5% usage/28.0% shot and 29.1% assist rate. Over his last five games Simpson is averaging 35.4 DK points and has put up 40 DK in two of his last three games. Simpson is still too cheap with the only concern tonight being a blowout factor.
Donovan Dent - New Mexico @ New Mexico State ($7.3K DK)
Donovan Dent, the 2022 California Mr. Basketball continues his breakout sophomore season for New Mexico by winning the most recent Mountain West Player of the Week award after averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 assists and 2.5 steals in a pair of UNM wins over UC Santa Barbara and Santa Clara. On the season Dent has a team best 27.9% usage/26.2% shot rate to go along with a 40.1% assist rate, which is 13th best in the entire nation. He plays 30+ minutes and with a 35.3 DK average over his last five games this is just way too cheap of a price for Donovan Dent tonight.
Femi Odukale - New Mexico State vs. New Mexico ($6.8K DK)
Femi Odukale received his eligibility waiver from the NCAA a month ago and the Seton hall transfer immediately helped raise the Aggies’ ceiling. His 34.6% usage rate is 11th in the entire nation as he is averaging 12.3 points to go along with 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Tonight, he faces New Mexico again, a team he dismantled for 32.2 DK points (18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists) two weeks ago before getting ejected with two technical. At $6.8K Odukale is a possible main team core.
Other Top CBB DFS Guards:
- Tristen Newton, UConn ($10.5K DK)
- Jalen House, New Mexico ($8.4K DK)
- Isaiah Hill, Fresno State ($7.7K DK)
- Cam Spencer, UConn ($7.4K DK)
- Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga ($7.2K DK)
- Wayne McKinney III, San Diego State ($6.4K DK)
- Deuce Turner, Fresno State ($6.2K DK)
Top CBB DFS Guard Value
Julian Hammond - Colorado vs. Northern Colorado ($4.5K DK)
Cody Williams, a projected top-five selection in the 2024 NBA Draft, is expected to be out until mid-January at the earliest with a wrist injury, and that opened the door for Julian Hammond to enter the Buffaloes starting lineup. In a limited role as a freshman, Hammond shot .415 on 3-pointers but saw that total dip to .333 last year, even with a 5-for-10 finish over the final four games but he has played his part in CU’s hot start offensively, averaging a career-best 10.0 points going into tonight’s UNC game. He also has 7 assists and three turnovers in the past two games, which includes his first start of the season in Sunday’s win against Miami where he played 30+ minutes. He will be highly owned but take the discount on a starting guard that is only $4.7K tonight on the team with the highest implied point total.
Other Top CBB DFS Value Guards:
- Duke Deen, Bradley ($5.7K DK) Cash/GPP
- Jordan Rillie, Northern Colorado ($5.2K DK)- The lower owned pivot off of Hammond and a possible main lineup sneaky guard.
- Christian Cook, New Mexico State ($4.8K DK) GPP
- Marvin McGhee III, CS-Bakersfield ($4.0K DK) GPP
- Brandon Suggs, New Mexico State ($3.1K DK) GPP
Top CBB DFS Forwards
Saint Thomas - Northern Colorado @ Colorado ($9.0K DK)
Junior forward Saint Thomas is on a roll. For the second-straight week has been named the Big Sky Conference men’s basketball co-player of the week. Thomas scored 31 points (the highest single-game point total in the Big Sky this season), grabbed seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in UNC’s win over California State University Northridge. Thomas has scored in double figures in seven of UNC’s nine games this season and leads the team with an average of 17 points per game. He is averaging 39.9 DK points over his last five games and even though $9K may be a steep price it is still well worth it for a player as hot as Thomas.
Anton Watson - Gonzaga vs. Connecticut ($8.4K DK)
It is a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight game where UConn trounced the Zags 82-54. Anton Watson, the primary defender on Adama Sanogo in last year’s game will likely draw a matchup with another DFS fav tonight, Alex Karaban, a completely different type of player. In his fifth year at Gonzaga, Watson leads the team in rebounds (8.2 per game with a 30.6% combined) and is its second-leading scorer with 13.9 points per game while shooting 58% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the arc (7 of 18). With a 31.8 DK point average over his last five games Watson is one of the top point per dollar plays tonight and if he can exploit his matchup with Karban he could nuke the entire slate.
Alex Karaban – Connecticut @ Gonzaga ($7.5K DK)
Alex Karaban is putting it all together. The sophomore is coming off a career-high 26 points in No. 5 UConn’s 101-63 rout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff last weekend. Karaban had been dealing with a finger injury earlier in the month but is now probably playing the best basketball of his collegiate career. since. Against UNC he scored 18 points and nine boards (41.3 DK) in 38 minutes and then on Saturday he scored the career-best 26 in only 22 minutes. The breakout is finally here for Karaban, who is playing his way into all-conference consideration.
Other Top CBB DFS Forwards
- Tristan da Silva, Colorado ($8.6K DK) GPP
- Tristan Enaruna, Cleveland State ($8.2K DK) Cash/GPP
- Donovan Clingan, UConn ($7.6K DK) GPP
- Malevy Leons, Bradley ($7.4K DK) Cash/GPP
- Darius Hannah, Bradford ($7.1K DK) GPP
Top CBB DFS Forward Value
Eddie Lampkin Jr - Colorado vs. Northern Colorado ($5.2K DK)
Colorado received all kinds of hype going into the season after picking up a top ten recruit like Cody Williams and returning their two players in Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson. However, maybe the most important addition to the Buffs has been brushed over by many. Head coach Tad Boyle tapped into the transfer portal and picked up Eddie Lampkin Jr., a senior center from TCU. Lampkin Jr. has largely flown under the radar but his 34.5% combined rebound rate is making noise along with games like he put up against Pepperdine (25.5 DK), Florida State (26.8) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (39.0). He is still a very volatile player (14.8 DK against Miami last week) but with the forward position lacking value tonight and the Buffs going up against a Northern Colorado team that is ranked 322nd in offensive rebounding Lampkin Jr. ends up as the top value of the night.
Other Top CBB DFS Forward Value:
- Kaosi Ezeagu, New Mexico State ($5.7K DK) Cash/GPP
- Christian Davis, Bradley ($4.8K DK) Cash/GPP
- PJ Davis, San Diego ($4.5K DK) GPP
- Dylan Arnett, Cleveland State ($4.8K DK) Cash/GPP
DRAFTKINGS CORE
- Donovan Dent - New Mexico
- Femi Odukale - New Mexico State
- Alex Karaban - UConn
- Julian Hammond - Colorado
Player News
Daniel Palencia slammed the door on the Red Sox in the ninth inning on Friday afternoon, preserving a three-run advantage to earn his 13th save of the season.
The 25-year-old right-hander allowed a leadoff single to Marcelo Mayer to begin the ninth inning, but he was quickly erased on a double play ball. He then got Abraham Toro on a fly ball to right to end it. Palencia has been outstanding for the Cubs this season, compiling a 1.53 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and a 39/11 K/BB ratio across 35 1/3 innings while converting 13 of his first 14 save opportunities.
Colin Rea notched his eighth victory of the season on Friday afternoon, limiting the Red Sox to just one run on four hits over his five frames.
Rea punched out five batters on the day while also issuing four walks. The lone blemish on his day came on an RBI double off the bat of Roman Anthony in the third inning. The 35-year-old right-hander generated 11 whiffs on 84 pitches in the ballgame, posting a CSW of 27 percent. He’ll look to keep the good times rolling as he brings an 8-3 record, 3.80 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and a 70/27 K/BB ratio (97 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Royals.
Roman Anthony went 1-for-3 with a double and plated the Red Sox’ lone run in Friday afternoon’s loss to the Cubs.
The 21-year-old phenom got the Red Sox on the board with a run-scoring double off of Colin Rea in the third inning that pulled them to within two runs at 3-1. That would be as close as they would get. He also drew a walk in the ballgame. He’s now hitting a respectable .266/.375/.413 with a pair of homers, 14 RBI, two stolen bases and a 28/16 K/BB ratio through his first 128 plate appearances in the big leagues.
Lucas Giolito struggled in a losing effort against the Cubs on Friday afternoon, giving up four runs on five hits over his 5 1/3 innings of work.
The 31-year-old right-hander punched out six batters on the afternoon while issuing a pair of free passes. Most of the damage done against him came in the opening inning as Seiya Suzuki tagged him for a three-run homer. Giolito settled in nicely afterwards and didn’t give up another run until the sixth inning where he exited with a man on second and one out and that runner ultimately scored. He got 14 swings and misses on 98 pitches on the day, registering a CSW of 27 percent. He’ll try to get back in the win column as he carries a 3.59 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and a 70/23 K/BB ratio (77 2/3 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Phillies in Philadelphia.
Tyler Smith amassed 21 points (6-of-13 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs), five rebounds and four three-pointers in Friday’s loss to the Heat.
The 33rd overall pick in the 2024 draft, Smith finished his 2025 summer league experience with a solid offensive showing against the Heat. He appeared in 23 games as a rookie, averaging 2.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.3 minutes. Given the number of wings on the Bucks’ roster, Smith faces an arduous climb to earn consistent rotation minutes. While managers in deeper dynasty leagues may keep an eye on him, there won’t be a need for that in redraft leagues.
Vladislav Goldin tallied 18 points (7-of-10 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in Friday’s win over the Bucks.
Goldin’s layup with 11 seconds remaining gave the Heat a one-point victory, capping a solid finish to his first summer league experience. The 7-footer out of Michigan was signed by the Heat to a two-way contract almost immediately after June’s draft concluded, and he was solid after moving into the starting lineup once Kel’el Ware was shut down. Goldin will likely spend most of his time with the Heat’s G League affiliate next season, making him a non-factor in fantasy leagues.