College Basketball DFS Playbook December 4: Top DraftKings & FanDuel CBB DFS Picks
Welcome back to the start of another week of college basketball action as we dive into the top CBB DFS picks for Monday night. The Big 10 Conference rolls out Zach Edey and Purdue at home against Iowa and we will also get to see the potent Alabama offense led by Mark Sears, Aaron Estrada and Grant Nelson take on Arkansas State. It's a 5-game slate on DraftKings and 3-game slate on FanDuel 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 Monday, December 4th.
College Basketball DFS Slate December 4th
- 7p ET Iowa @ Purdue (-12.5) 163.5 O/U
- 8p ET Arkansas State @ Alabama (-25.0) 163.5 O/U
- 8p ET Furman @ Arkansas (-11.0) 159.0 O/U
- 8p ET San Jose State @ North Dakota (-3.0) 137.0 O/U DK Only
- 10p ET Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo @ Oregon State (-13.5) 133.0 O/U DK Only
Top CBB DFS Guards
Braden Smith- Purdue @ Iowa (8.4K DK/8.0K FD)
Matt Painter and Purdue found out very early last season that Braden Smith was here to play. Not only was he named a starter, something that Matt Painter rarely entrusts to freshmen, but he became a leader on the team and a floor general to boot. This season Smith has expanded his scoring abilities and is shooting from deeper areas and taking 3’s off of high ball screens. He is the Big Ten assists leader at 7.0 APG (40.8% which is 14th in the nation) and has made 50% of his 3’s this season (12-24). With a 34.20 DK point average the consistent scoring has put Smith over the top and playing nearly every minute makes him the top pay up at guard tonight.
JP Pegues- Furman @ Arkansas ($7.0K DK/7.6K FD)
JP Pegues, last year’s SonCom Tournament MVP and everyone’s favorite to win Player of the Year this season is that guy now. Furman’s duo of guard Mike Bothwell and forward Jalen Slawson are gone and now it’s point guard Pegues and Marcus Foster’s time. Pegues averaged 20 PPG in three tournament games, and it followed that up by making one of the biggest shots in Furman basketball history against Virginia. This season he is averaging nearly 30 DK points a game with a 24.1% usage and 27.1% assist rate. He has a high floor and ceiling with a low of 22 DK points and a high of 54 and will be in a pace up tonight against Arkansas. At $7.0K JP Pegues is the top point per dollar play at the guard position.
Marcus Foster- Furman @ Arkansas ($6.0K DK/6.8K FD)
They may be 11-point road dogs at Arkansas tonight, but Furman’s lineup consists of quite a bit of fantasy goodness. Marcus Foster is among the best perimeter threats in the Southern Conference and possesses the strength and power to also play in the paint. His performances in road wins at East Tennessee State and at Mercer last season were the kind of performances that everyone expected to see with more consistency this season. He posted 21 and 25 points in those road wins and shot a combined 11-for-17 from 3-point land. Foster has not disappointed and has put up 28+ DK points in every game this season to go along with a team leading 28.5% usage/31.9% shot rate and a solid 17.8% defensive rebound rate.
Note: Foster would be the top overall guard tonight but there are some questions now as he went down awkwardly at the end of the first half on Saturday against Princeton and returned to the bench in street clothes for the second half. Stay tuned to our discord for the latest news up to 7p ET lock.
Other Top CBB DFS Guards:
- Mark Sears, Alabama ($8.9K DK/8.2K FD)
- Aaron Estrada, Alabama ($7.9K DK/7.2K FD)
- Khalif Battle, Arkansas ($7.3K DK/6.3K FD)
- Myron Amey Jr. - SJSU ($6.4K DK)- As the day goes on I am liking Amey Jr more and more- he may be a main lineup type play with 26% usage/28% shot rate- just too cheap
- Damari Wheeler-Thomas, North Dakota State ($6.2K DK)
- Myron Amey Jr., San Jose State ($6.4K DK)
- PJay Smith Jr, Furman ($5.9K DK/5.5K FD)- If Foster is out Smith should get a bump in usage and becomes a top value.
Top CBB DFS Value Guards
El Ellis- Arkansas ($5.0K DK/5.2K FD)
Feast Week did not go well for El for Ellis, who lost his starting spot and went scoreless on Paradise Island as the Razorbacks sputtered to a 1-2 showing at the event. He was reinserted into the lineup against Duke last week and got his swagger back. He missed his first four shots from the field before turning it back on and putting up a strong performance with 9 points, 6 assists and 0 turnovers. It's clear that when El plays good Arkansas has a much higher ceiling and is a much better team. Coach Musselman is tough to figure out in the DFS world and the minutes on his players can be sporadic but if El Ellis is in the starting lineup again tonight, he will be a great play at only $5K on DraftKings.
Other CBB DFS Value Guards:
- Jeremiah Davenport, Arkansas ($3.3K DK/4.0K FD)- If Mark remains out I like this value
- Jacari White, North Dakota State ($6.2K DK)
- Layden Blocker, Arkansas ($4.3K DK/4.2K FD)
- Derrian Ford, Arkansas State ($4.9K DK/4.3K FD)
Top CBB DFS Forwards
Zach Edey- Purdue vs. Iowa ($11.5K DK/9.6K FD)
Zach Edey is the nation’s biggest cheat code. He is averaging 23.5 points and 11.1 rebounds per game while converting nearly 61 percent of his field goal attempts. This is the No. 1 ranked KenPom Player of the Year with a 32.3% usage /29.5% shot rate; he is the 7th ranked offensive rebounder in the country at 18.3% (42% combined) and the 26th ranked shot blocker (10.6%) bit maybe even more importantly he leads the entire country with 10.9 fouls drawn rate. It’s an astronomical price to pay at $11.4K DK but if enough value pops today and you can fit him Edey is by far the top DFS player in the nation.
Trevon Brazile- Arkansas vs. Furman ($7.5K DK/6.5K FD)
Trevon Brazile has been a major piece to the puzzle for Arkansas in his return from last year's season-ending injury. Through eight games Brazile is averaging 11.1 points on an efficient 49% shooting from the field, 44% from beyond the arc and 75% from the free throw line to go along with team-highs at 8.3 rebounds (29% combined rate) and just under two blocks per game (6.2%). The health and confidence are back with the way he is attacking the boards, and he already has three double-doubles and that includes a 19-point, 11-rebound game against Duke This is the just the tip of the ice berg for an uber-talented big man who should eat tonight against a Furman squad that struggles on the offensive glass (29.0%) at Bud Walton.
Payton Sandfort- Iowa @ Purdue ($7.2K DK)
Payton Sandfort was there for Keegan Murray’s breakthrough sophomore campaign. And then Kris Murray’s brilliant junior season, as well. He had a front-row seat to the Murray brothers’ development and now it’s his turn. The blueprint is there. Sandfort has seen it for himself. Plus, he has the tools — the size, the offensive firepower, the experience — to make that jump. He averaged five points in 10.5 minutes per game as a freshman. Last season, those figures doubled to 10.3 points in about 21 minutes per game. It was enough to earn him last season’s Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award. Now Sandfort is a starter and a Hawkeye leader as he has a 24.4% usage/26.7% shot rate along with a 34.8% combined rebound rate. With three 40+ DK point games under his belt Sandfort is too cheap tonight even when facing top ranked Purdue.
Other Top CBB DFS Forwards:
- Grant Nelson, Alabama ($8.0K DK/7.8K DK)
- Ben Krikke, Iowa ($7.8K DK/7.7K FD)
- Tyler Bilodeau, Oregon State ($6.9K DK)
- Dyondre Dominguez, Arkansas State ($7.3K DK/6.4K FD)
- Trey Anderson, San Jose State ($6.2K DK)
CBB DFS Value Forwards
Note: For a second straight day, Forward Value is lacking, and no one stands out as a clear Must-Play. Here are a few that can be used in your lineups. Remember to check Discord closer to lock to see if any value plays pop after lineups are released:
Alex Williams, Furman ($5.4K DK/5.1K FD)- Williams made his return three games ago and has scored 18, 24 and 23 DK points in that span. Possibly the safest value of an underwhelming group.
Garrett Hein, Furman (5.8K DK/5.3K FD)- Hein has now been 30 minutes or over the last two games and has put up 24 & 28 DK points in each.
Chandler Lawson, Arkansas ($5.1K DK/4.8K FD)- When Lawson plays 30 minutes, he puts up fantasy points – 35 & 32 against Duke and Stanford. When he plays less it’s a much different story. Vintage Coach Musselman.
KC Ibekwe, Oregon State ($5.2K DK)- Ibekwe has a 25% usage rate with a 15.6% offensive rebound rate when he is on the floor.
Mohamed Wague, Alabama ($3.7K DK/4.4K FD)- Wague is good for 10-14 DK points in limited minutes; he has a 34% combined rebound rate when on the floor.
Mason Gillis, Purdue ($3.6K DK/3.9K FD)- Gillis has won me a GPP before- remember his 20-point/9-rebound game (32 DK) last March against Rutgers? He is very volatile but can explode on any given day.
Sam Walters, Alabama ($3.6K DK/4.1K FD)- The word is that if Pringle is OUT then Walters may get extra run and this is a nice price
DRAFTKINGS CORE
- JP Pegues, Furman
- Trevon Brazile, Arkansas
- Braden Smith, Purdue
FANDUEL CORE
- Zach Edey, Purdue
- Trevon Brazile, Arkansas
- PJay Smith Jr, Furman (if Foster is out)