College Basketball DFS Playbook December 3: Top DraftKings CBB DFS Picks
Welcome back as we finish another weekend of college basketball action as we dive into top CBB DFS picks for Sunday. The ACC will be in action as Louisville faces Virginia Tech and Clemson takes on Pittsburgh. We also will see some Big Ten basketball with Minnesota playing Ohio State plus the battle for Nebraska as No. 15 Creighton plays intra-state rival Nebraska. It's a seven-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 Sunday December 3rd!
College Basketball DFS Slate December 3, 2023
1p ET Auburn (-7.5) @ Appalachian State 142.5 O/U
2p ET Clemson @ Pittsburgh (-1.0) 148.0 O/U
3p ET San Francisco @ Arizona State (-1.5) 134.5 O/U
3p ET Wichita State @ Missouri (-6.0) 144.5 O/U
4p ET Creighton (-3.5) @ Nebraska 147.5 O/U
4p ET Louisville @ Virginia Tech (-12.0) 148.5 O/U
6:30p ET Minnesota @ Ohio State (-13.5) 143.5 O/U
Top CBB DFS Guards
Baylor Scheierman - Creighton @ Nebraska ($9.6K DK)
Is there anyone more consistent than Baylor Scheierman? The guard has attempted double-digit shots in each game this season, which includes an average of eight per game from beyond the arc. Scheierman is scoring 18.6 points per game and averaging 7.1 rebounds for the Bluejays and is clicking in nearly every statistical category with a 25.7% usage/27.6% shot rate, a 21.7% offensive rebounding and 19.8% assist rate. With a 35.8 DK point average he is one of the top overall plays on the slate as Creighton faces Nebraska, a team off to its best start in over two decades.
Bruce Thornton - Ohio State @ Minnesota ($7.6K DK)
If the theme of this game at Arizona State is maintaining momentum for the Buckeyes, there’s one place to look for the most momentum right now on the team – the backcourt. Bruce Thornton leads the charge in that area. Ohio State’s star point guard tops the team in points (18.3) and assists (4.4) per game. He racked up a career-high 29 points against Alabama, then a career-high seven assists in the next game at Santa Clara and then dropped 25 points on Wednesday against Central Michigan. Thornton is the new alpha for an Ohio State offense that is ranked #17th in the nation with an adjusted offense efficiency of 117.6. He leads the team with a 24.7% usage/25.4% shot rate, 26.8% assist and 3.0% steal rate and is a core play today as one of the top point per dollar plays on the slate.
Marcus Williams - San Francisco @ Arizona State ($6.3K DK)
Former Texas A&M guard and MWC Freshman of the Year (Wyoming) Marcus Williams has found a home at San Francisco. He is the type of guard that the Dons have been searching for and as one of their key offensive leaders has scored double digit points in four straight with a 14.9 point overall average playing 30 minutes a game. With a 26.1 usage rate and 31.2% shot rate (80th in nation) Williams is a core play today against Arizona State.
Skyy Clark - Louisville @ Virginia Tech ($6.1K DK)
Sky Clark immediately made his presence known at Louisville as the Illinois transfer point guard has stepped in as the offensive leader. He is a key member of head coach Kenny Payne’s rebuilding process and has been asked to orchestrate the Cardinals collection of newcomers and returners on the court and has done more than what was expected. He can score, distribute and run a basketball team as he is now averaging a team high 17.4 points with a 25.4% usage and 25.1% shot rate. Clark is also averaging 26.9 DK points and even though they are 13-point road dogs against Virginia Tech today this is just too cheap of a price for a talent like Skyy Clark.
Other Top CBB DFS Guards
- Ishmael Leggett, Pittsburgh ($8.1K DK) GPP
- Xavier Bell, Wichita State ($7.2K DK) GPP
- Roddy Gayle Jr., Ohio State ($6.6K DK) Cash/GPP
- Sean East, Missouri ($6.3K DK) Cash/GPP
- Tre White, Louisville ($6.7K DK) Cash/GPP
- Hunter Cattoor, Virginia Tech ($6.1K DK) GPP
Top CBB DFS Value Guard
Mike Sharavjamts - San Francisco ($5.8K DK)
“Mongolian Mike” was one of the most sought-after transfer portal targets in the nation last year and chose the Dons since he would step right into a starting role. The first Mongolian citizen to play Division I men’s basketball, Sharavjamts, made the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie team averaging 5.6 points and 2.6 assists per game. He has stepped right into the San Francisco starting lineup and is averaging 25.4 DK points a game with a 21% usage rate. With four straight 26+ DK point games “Mongolian Mike” is looking to make it five today as the Dons travel to Arizona State.
Other CBB DFS Value Guards
- Ryan Beasley, San Francisco ($5.5K DK) GPP
- Myles Tate, Appalachian State ($5.4K DK) GPP
- Anthony Robinson II, Missouri ($4.7K DK) GPP
- Ty-Laur Johnson, Louisville ($4.8K DK) GPP
- Dale Bonner, Ohio State ($4.5K DK) Cash/GPP
Top CBB DFS Forwards
PJ Hall - Clemson @ Pittsburgh ($9.8K DK)
PJ Hall could win the ACC Player of the Year and that is no small feat. Yes, Armando Bacot or Kyle Filipowski could just as easily take the honor but let’s not forget about the player from a football school. Clemson is 6-0 for the first time in 15 years and it is because of Hall. He’s now had four 20-plus point performances already with a career high 29 points against Alcorn State, and his 21-point, eight-rebound game in just 21 minutes in the win over Alabama was amazing as he played during some foul trouble. Hall’s senior season is certainly off to a big boy start as he is averaging 21.3 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 55 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. He is averaging over 40 DK points a game and that is while only playing 27 minutes per game so far. Do I need to say more? Find a way to get PJ Hall in your lineup today.
Blake Hinson - Pittsburgh vs. Clemson ($7.5K DK)
Today’s ACC battle between Clemson and Pitt will feature another one of the best players in the conference – Blake Hinson. He has been one of the Panthers’ best assets and his star power will be a driving factor all season as tries to become Pitt’s third player to earn first team All-ACC honors in the last four seasons (Justin Champagnie, Jamarius Burton). With a 25.6% usage to go along with a 31.4% shot rate Hinson will have the ball a lot today and a good chance we get a 5-6X day out of the Panther senior star.
Noah Carter - Missouri vs. Wichita State ($7.3K DK)
Noah Carter was a former All Missouri Valley Conference selection at Northern Iowa and now has made a return to Missouri for one last go around. His decision to stay one more year at Missouri is paying dividends so far as he is carrying a 22.2% usage/24.2% shot rate to go along with 22.7% defensive rebounding and 6.2% block rate. He has been over 26 DK points in every game but two so far this season with a 29 DK point overall average. At $7.3K DK this is too cheap of a price for Noah Carter against Wichita State.
Other Top CBB DFS Forwards
- Johni Broome, Auburn ($9.5K DK)
- Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton ($8.4K DK) GPP
- Rienk Mast, Nebraska ($8.3K DK) Cash/GPP
- Donovan Gregory, Appalachian State ($6.2K DK)
- Jaylin Williams, Auburn ($6.0K DK)
Top CBB DFS Value Forwards
Note: Forward Value is lacking today, and no one stands out as a clear Must-Play. Here are a few that can be used in your lineups…
- Pharrel Payne, Minnesota ($5.2K DK)
- Federiko Federiko, Pittsburgh ($5.2K DK)
- Felix Okpara, Ohio State ($5.7K DK)
- JJ Traynor, Louisville ($4.8K DK)
- Ndewedo Newbury, San Francisco ($4.7K DK)
DRAFTKINGS CORE
- Bruce Thornton - Ohio State
- Skyy Clark - Louisville
- Marcus Williams - San Francisco
- PJ Hall - Clemson
Player News
The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt said “it would not shock me if the Jets went from last to first in terms of rushing attempts” this season.
In addition to his belief that the Jets could lead the league in rush attempts, Rosenblatt also adds that Braelon Allen will “have plenty of opportunities” to make an impact this season as Breece Hall enters the final year of his rookie deal. Allen was selected 134th overall last season and finished his rookie year with 92 carries for 334 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 3.6 YPC. According to Rosenblatt, head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand are hoping to model their offense after the one Ben Johnson ran in Detroit, with Breece Hall playing the “Jahmyr Gibbs role” and Allen playing the “David Montgomery role.” Should this come to fruition, Allen could have tons of late-round fantasy value for those willing to take shots on him.
Shane McClanahan (triceps) allowed one run on four hits in 1 2/3 innings for Triple-A Durham on Sunday.
The left-hander also struck out three and didn’t walk anybody while throwing 23 of his 36 pitches for strikes. The command is the biggest thing here, and McClanahan seemed to be more than able to fill up the zone. His breaking pitches had plenty of movement and generated a handful of swings and misses, which is also nice to see. His fastball sat just 94 mph, but this was his first rehab appearance, so we assume that number will tick up as he continues to ramp up. We’d expect a few more starts for McClanahan at Triple-A, with an early August return looking likely. It’s probably time ot stash him in leagues where he was dropped.
Kyle Harrison threw 3 2/3 shutout innings for Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, walking three and striking out five.
Harrison needed 92 pitches to get 11 outs, throwing 54 of those pitches for strikes while allowing four hits. Harrison threw primarily fastballs and got eight of his nine whiffs on his four-seam. He also threw 22 curves and mixed in 15 of his new cutters. Patience is required when making changes to an approach and pitch mix. Given the Red Sox’s success with their pitchers at the minor league level, it’s reasonable to assume Harrison will work out the kinks. But with Tanner Houck also nearing a return from the IL, they may not need to rush Harrison up to the big leagues.
Yankees OF prospect Spencer Jones went 1-for-4 with a solo home run for Triple-A Scranton Wilkes/Barre on Sunday.
The 24-year-old is now hitting .362/.426/.776 in 14 games at Triple-A with seven home runs, 15 RBI, and six steals. He has some very loud raw tools that hint at stardom, but he also has 20 strikeouts in those 14 Triple-A games with just a 64 percent overall contact rate and a nearly 19 percent swinging strike rate. He had just a 58 percent contact rate and an 18.5 percent swinging strike rate at Double-A before his promotion. It’s rare for a player with such a poor contact profile to succeed at the big league level with any consistency.
Kyle Filipowski accumulated 21 points (9-of-21 FGs, 2-of-4 FTs), six rebounds, one assist, one block and one three-pointer in Sunday’s loss to the Warriors.
Two days removed from putting on a show with a 32-point effort against the Hornets, Filipowski was not as effective on Sunday. He still surpassed 20 points, but sometimes the Jazz forward/center was not as decisive as he needed to be offensively. Instead of making quick moves to take advantage of mismatches, Filipowski was too deliberate at times, thus eliminating whatever advantage he had. With Utah trading John Collins, there’s an opening in the starting lineup. While Filipowski may be a candidate, the same can be said for Brice Sensabaugh, who played so well in Salt Lake City that the Jazz shut him down before arriving in Las Vegas.
Cody Williams amassed 22 points (8-of-17 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs), eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and one three-pointer in Sunday’s loss to the Warriors.
Williams has surpassed 20 points in two straight games, a positive development for a player who struggled mightily as a rookie. However, the perimeter shot remains a work in progress. Williams was 1-of-6 from deep on Sunday, two nights after going 3-of-11 in the loss to the Hornets. He isn’t going to turn into a knockdown shooter overnight. Williams remains a player worth the risk in dynasty leagues, but managers in redraft leagues can afford to leave him on the board.