College Basketball DFS Playbook January 27: Top DraftKings & FanDuel CBB DFS Picks
Welcome back to another weekend of college basketball action as we dive into the top CBB DFS picks for Saturday. The marquee game of the slate is a Big 12 battle pitting Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar from No. 7 Kansas visiting Tamin Lipsey and No. 23 Iowa State. Other high scoring DFS games will be Georgia heading to Florida in an SEC battle with a 160.5 game total; No. 21 BYU hosting Dylan Disu and Texas in the Big 12, and No. 3 North Carolina heading to Tallahassee to play Florida State in an ACC showdown. It's a 12-game slate on DraftKings while FanDuel brings us 10 games to work with. Let's dive into all the top CBB DFS picks and value plays at the guard and forward positions today. All college basketball odds below are via DraftKings Sportsbook when publishing. Good luck with your college basketball DFS lineups today!
College Basketball DFS Slate January 27, 2024
12p ET Georgia @ Florida (-7.5) 160.5 O/U
12p ET Nebraska @ Maryland (-5.00 142.0 O/U
12p ET Kansas State @ Houston (-15.0) 128.5 O/U
12p ET Virginia (-9.0) @ Louisville 129.5 O/U
12p ET Georgetown @ Providence (-11.5) 142.0 O/U
1p ET Seton Hall @ Marquette (-9.0) 146.0 O/U
1:30 ET Kansas @ Iowa State (-4.5) 142.5 O/U
2p ET Texas Tech @ Oklahoma (-3.5) 139.5 O/U
2p ET West Virginia @ Oklahoma State (-4.5) 144.0 O/U
2p ET Texas @ BYU 150.5 (-7.0) O/U
2p ET North Carolina (-6.0) @ Florida State 153.0 O/U
2:15p ET Pittsburgh @ Miami (-4.0) 150.0 O/U
3p ET Villanova @ Butler (-1.5) 141.5 O/U FD Only
3:30p ET Auburn (-2.5) @ Mississippi State 146.5 O/U
4p ET TCU @ Baylor (-4.5) 150.5 O/U
4p ET Clemson @ Duke (-7.5) 150.5 O/U
Top CBB DFS Guards
Devin Carter - Providence vs. Georgetown ($9.3K DK)
With Bryce Hopkins out for the season Devin Carter has put the Friars on his shoulders and has not looked back. Today is the Return of Ed Cooley game as the former Providence coach comes back home with his new team and Carter will be the highest projected guard on the slate. He is a two-way talent that is an elite rebounder for a guard and is one of the best in the country on the defensive side producing 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game to go along with a 26.;7% usage/27.8$ shot rate. Over his last five games Carter is averaging 41.1 DK and today gets a pace up against a fast Hoyas squad that is ranked 291st in defensive adjusted efficiency (112.3). This is a near must play for cash lineups.
Tamin Lipsey - Iowa State vs. Kansas ($7.2K DK/8.8K FD)
Tamin Lipsey is Iowa State’s leader in scoring (14.1), rebounding (5.3), assists (5.6) and steals (3.2) and the team will need all of that talent as they look to stay undefeated at home against No. 7 Kansas. Like Devin Cater, Lipsey does it all with a 25.8% usage and 6.0% steal rate which is good enough for sixth in the nation plus he is scoring 33.4 DK over his last five games. Lipsey is an aggressive player that dives around the floor going for balls and entering the paint to secure fouls and buckets. That aggressive style of play has allowed him to turn Iowa State’s offense into a serious threat while becoming one of the better point guards in the nation. Kansas may have the 25th ranked defense in the nation (96.6) but at the price I will have plenty of shares of Tamin Lipsey.
Johnny Furphy - Kansas @ Iowa State ($6.5K DK/5.6K FD)
Bill Self’s decision to insert Johnny Furphy back into the starting lineup during Big 12 play has helped allow the newcomer to show the potential he’d exhibited through the first month of his KU career. But what Furphy accomplished Monday, in a 74-69 win at home against Cincinnati was amazing as he put up his first career double-double — a 23-point and 11-rebound night (42.8 DK). When the international prospect from Australia Wis on the floor, KU has its best chance of surviving the Big 12 grind. In three games as a starter, Furphy is averaging 17 points a game while nailing over half his shots from the floor, also grabbing over eight rebounds a night in the process. The Jayhawks have found the final piece of their best five and even though his price has jumped up in a tough matchup Furphy is still the top point point per dollar play at guard.
Other Top CBB DFS Guards
- RJ Davis, North Carolina ($8.2K DK) - Davis is having an ACC player of the year level season as he is averaging 21 ppg, 3.4 apg with a 44.5 FG%. Smash spot for the UNC guard.
- Jahmir Young, Maryland ($8.6K DK/8.1K FD)
- Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas ($8.3K DK/8.6K FD) - This is McCullar Jr.’s lowest price since 11/22 yet he is still putting nearly 40 DK every night.
- Reece Beekman, Virginia ($8.1K DK)
- Jamal Shead, Houston ($8.0K DK)
- Zyon Pullin, Florida ($7.0K DK) - Pullin has a solid25 DK point floor and gets a plus matchup against Georgia.
- Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State ($7.1K DK/7.0K FD) - Gilbert is averaging 37 DK over his last two games.
- Wooga Poplar, Miami ($6.4K DK) - If Cleveland is out lock and load Poplar who will be low owned after two down games.
- Carlton Carrington, Pittsburgh ($6.6K DK) - The freshman gets a dream matchup against Miami and could become the sneak play of the slate with 25.2 DK over his last five.
- Posh Alexander, Butler ($7.6K FD) - Alexander and Jahmir Young are the top FD guard plays.
Top CBB DFS Value Guard
Kyshawn George - Miami vs. Pittsburgh ($5.9K DK)
Kyshawn George, a freshman that attended school in France, has started the last two games and becomes a solid value if Matthew Cleveland is out after hurting his hip against Notre Dame. He has been the pick over Bensley Joseph in the starting lineup and is coming off a game where he played 35 minutes against Notre Dame scoring 11 points with five rebounds and four dimes (29.8 DK).
Other Top CBB DFS Value Guards
- Isaiah Coleman, Seton Hall ($4.3K DK/$4.4K FD) - If Richmond is out again Coleman becomes a core value play after torching Providence for 25 DK in the first start of his college career.
- Cormac Ryan, North Carolina ($5.3K DK) - Ryan is averaging 20.7 DK over his last five games.
- Ithiel Horton, Texas ($4.3K DK/4.5K FD) - Horton has started three straight games but is very volatile as he can put up 30 DK or just 2 DK.
- RJ Melendez, Georgia ($4.8K DK) - Melendez is a scoring option off the bench for Georgia and is in a high scoring game environment.
- Chendall Weaver, Texas ($3.6K DK/3.9K FD) - Weaver played 28 minutes off the bench earlier in the week against Oklahoma and put up 21 DK.
Top CBB DFS Forwards
Armando Bacot - North Carolina @ Florida State ($7.5K DK)
Armando Bacot has seen his scoring drop for the second consecutive season (16.3 ppg in 21-22 to just 14.1 ppg this season) but has become college basketball’s premier garbage man. He still gobbles up rebounds and gets plenty of put-backs with a 37.6% combined rebound rate on the season. This $7.5K is his lowest price point on the season which should make Bacot one of the highest owned players on the slate. There are foul trouble worries on one of the best front court players in the conference, but this is just a no-brainer in cash games and a possible fade in GPP’s.
Julian Reese - Maryland vs. Nebraska ($8.4K DK/8.2K FD)
After a breakout sophomore campaign that saw Julian Reese become one of the top big men in the Big Ten, he just continues to quietly crush and is now one of the best in the nation. Reese is a nightly double-double threat and has nine total on the season as his 23.2% defensive rebound rate is in the Top-100 (35.0% combined). The 6’9” forward is averaging 13.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game and should cause problems in the pain for the Huskers mediocre frontcourt that carries a 30.4% offensive rebound and 29.3% defensive rebound rate on the year.
Tyrese Samuel - Florida vs. Georgia ($7.3K DK/7.5K FD)
Tyrese Samuel may not be the focal point of Florida's offense, but he is still pretty productive. Samuel is producing 13.6 points per game and grabbing 8.3 rebounds with a total of seven double-doubles on the year. He has scored in double digits in every game but one and is coming off a solid game against Tolu Smith and Mississippi State where he put up 12 points with eight boards and a couple of assists. Today he faces Georgia at home and there is no Tolu Smith on the Bulldogs roster. Tyrese Samuel will eat today in a game that has the highest point total of the slate.
Other Top CBB Forwards
- Norchad Omier, Miami ($9.0K DK) - After missing a game with an ankle injury Omier returned with a fifty-burger at Notre Dame.
- Josh Oduro, Providence ($7.6K DK) - Oduro now has three straight 35+ DK games and gets one of the best scoring environments on the slate against Georgetown.
- Dylan Disu, Texas ($7.4K DK/6.8K FD) - Disu can win you a GPP but his fouls can be frustrating. He is coming off a 19-point/10-rebound game against Oklahoma (43.0 DK).
- Waren Washington, Texas Tech ($7.2K DK/7.3K FD)
- Harrison Ingram, North Carolina ($7.1K DK) - Ingram can be a Bacot pivot in GPPs and has double-doubles in three of his last four games.
- Dillon Mitchell, Texas ($6.3K DK/7.2K FD)
- Kyle Filipowski, Duke ($9.0K FD) - Filipowski is the top overall forward on FanDuel with over 40 FD per game over his last five.
Top CBB DFS Value Forward
Noah Waterman - BYU vs. Texas ($5.8K DK/5.9K FD)
Noah Waterman has been a major contributor for the Cougars this season, averaging 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and one assist per game. The New York native is currently shooting 44% from the field and 37.4% from beyond the arc and plays nearly 30 minutes. Coming out of high school, Waterman was unranked by most major recruiting services but has become a star at BYU. He is coming off two huge games- 17 points against Houston (28.3 DK) and 18 points against Louisiana State (30.5 DK). This is a very fair price for a player that is averaging nearly 30 DK over his last two games.
Other Top CBB DFS Value Forwards
- Brandon Garrison, Oklahoma State ($5.4K DK) - The freshman Garrison plays inconsistent minutes but is capable of a huge game like we saw against Baylor (38.5 DK).
- Jordan Minor, Virginia ($5.8K DK) - Minor has started four games straight for the Cavs and should get you 4-5X.
- Erric Dailey Jr., Oklahoma State ($5.4K DK) - This game could shoot out and someone from Oklahoma State is going to smash. Why not Dailey Jr.?
- Russel Tchewa, Georgia ($5.8K DK) - Tchewa starts but you never know what you are going to get in DFS purposes- he is coming off a huge 32.8 DK game against LSU where he had a double-double but a week before he puts up 6.8 DK against Tennessee.
- Ja’Vier Francis, Houston ($5.3K DK) - Francis has 5+ rebounds in 9 of his last 10 games.
- Mark Mitchell, Duke ($6.7K FD) - Mitchell is top FD value today at forward.
- Jalen Thomas. Butler ($5.8K FD) - Another great FD value with double-digit FD in five straight.
- Robert Jones, Iowa State ($4.6K DK/4.1K FD) - Jones is more of a gut play for me today. He has slowed down a bit (only 16.0 DK over his last five) but 5X is not out of the question today and KU.
DRAFTKINGS CORE
Armando Bacot - North Carolina
Tamin Lipsey - Iowa State
Kyshawn George (Value) - Miami
Julian Reese - Maryland
FANDUEL CORE
Posh Alexander - Butler
Kyle Filipowski - Duke
Jalen Thomas (Value) - Butler
Mark Mitchell - Duke