CBB DFS Playbook & Core Plays: December 3
Published: Dec 03, 2021
THE SLATE (Odds & Totals via DraftKings Sportsbook):
- 6 pm ET -- Notre Dame (-4) at Boston College -- 136 o/u
- 7 pm ET -- Kansas (-9) at St. John’s -- 157 o/u
- 7 pm ET -- Rutgers at Illinois (-11) -- 133 o/u
- 8 pm ET -- Pittsburgh at Virginia (-13) -- 115 o/u (DK Only)
- 9 pm ET -- Iowa at Purdue (-9) -- 161 o/u
Top Implied Team Totals (per KenPom projections)
- Purdue -- 85
- Kansas -- 83
- Iowa -- 76
- St. John’s -- 74
- Illinois -- 72
- Notre Dame -- 70
Top Guards
| Top Guards | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Julian Champagnie | STJN | KU | 8700 | 41.04 | 8700 | 38.45 | |
| Just like last year, Champagnie continues to be one of the best DFS options out there when St. John’s is in action due to the high-scoring, fast-paced environment. He’s a legit stat-stuffer with the potential for 20-30 points scored, 10+ rebounds and multiple steals in any given game. Champagnie’s put up 40+ DK in four straight and provides a very high DFS floor/ceiling combination. Expect him and the Kansas guys to be a popular stack tonight. | |||||||
| Ochai Agbaji | KU | STJN | 8300 | 32.54 | 8100 | 30.70 | |
| Kansas will benefit from a fast-paced matchup here vs. St. John’s and it should make for a great spot to target in DFS. As for Agbaji, he’s quickly emerged as the Jayhawks’ alpha offensively this year despite Remy Martin getting all the national preseason hype. He’s averaging 22.5 PPG while shooting 41% from three and putting up no less than 24 DK in any game thus far. His floor isn’t as high as Champagnie, but it’s hard to imagine Agbaji disappointing tonight in a high-scoring game. | |||||||
| Ron Harper Jr. | RU | IL | 8000 | 36.04 | 8300 | 32.73 | |
| Harper may go overlooked on this slate because he’s not in a high total game like other top guards, but he’s got as good of a floor/ceiling combo as any. Rutgers’ best player just dropped 23 real points and 43 DK last game vs. Clemson. He’s pretty much locked into 30+ DFS points with his heavy offensive usage and all-around stat accumulation. Harper is perfectly fine for cash and could be lower-rostered than normal. | |||||||
| Jaden Ivey | PUR | IOWA | 7800 | 32.66 | 7700 | 30.42 | |
| Even with Zach Edey and Trevion Williams on the squad, Ivey is the clear alpha playmaker offensively and he’s been fantastic in Purdue’s toughest matchups so far. The future NBA lottery pick just put up 18 real points and 35 DK last game vs. Florida State and previously had 49 DK and 32 DK vs. UNC and Villanova, respectively. The fast-paced environment of this matchup vs. Iowa should help Ivey anchor your cash or GPP lineups with 30-40 DFS points at least. | |||||||
Other Top Guards to Consider:
- Posh Alexander -- St. John’s ($6,800 DK / $8,200 FD)
- Christian Braun -- Kansas ($6,600 DK / $7,600 FD)
- Alfonso Plummer -- Illinois ($5,700 DK / $6,000 FD)
- Montez Mathis -- St. John’s ($5,600 DK / $7,400 FD)
Value Guards
| Value Guards | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Stef Smith | STJN | KU | 5500 | 19.29 | 5400 | 17.90 | |
| Finding the right cheap exposure to the slate’s highest totals could be the key to finishing in the green and Smith is one of those value options. The Vermont transfer is a regular starter in the St. John’s backcourt and his best game of the season came in the team’s hardest matchup vs. Indiana - which is a good sign for a former low-major player. He can easily put up 20-25 DK and return value in this uptempo matchup. | |||||||
| Jaeden Zackery | BC | ND | 5200 | 20 | 5900 | 18.33 | |
| The freshman is Boston College’s best three-point shooter at 52% from deep thus far - and now he’ll face a Notre Dame team that’s been among the nation’s worst at defending the perimeter. There’s a clear path for Zackery to get hot from three to smash value with 25+ DFS points in this matchup - like he’s done a few times already this season. | |||||||
| Da'Monte Williams | IL | RU | 5100 | 18.61 | 5200 | 17.40 | |
| Williams is one of a few Illinois guards who are much more valuable in real life and DFS right now as long as Andre Curbelo remains out. The senior has started the last few games with Curbelo sidelined and is putting up just enough ancillary stats for a solid floor despite not being involved much scoring-wise. If you want a safe cash play in the 5k range, he’s better than most on this slate. | |||||||
| Blake Wesley | ND | BC | 4300 | 18.58 | 4500 | 14.80 | |
| Somehow Wesley is still below 5k on both sites despite scoring 24 real points and 31 DK last time out vs. Illinois. Even though he comes off the bench, the freshman leads the Irish in usage rate and shots share this season and is quickly establishing himself as the team’s best player - especially with Cormac Ryan and Prentiss Hubb struggling thus far. He’s way too cheap on both sites and should be popular on this slate. | |||||||
Other Value Guards to Consider:
- Dylan Addae-Wusu -- St. John’s ($4,600 DK / $4,900 FD)
- Joe Toussaint -- Iowa ($4,200 DK / $4,400 FD)
- Jamarius Burton -- Pittsburgh ($3,800 DK Only)
- Taine Murray -- Virginia ($3,000 DK Only)
Top Forwards
| Top Forwards | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Kofi Cockburn | IL | RU | 8900 | 42.75 | 8900 | 40.03 | |
| Arguably the best big man in the country has been a DFS stud ever since he returned from that early-season suspension. Cockburn is averaging 26.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG and 42+ DK points as a dominant force on both ends of the floor. As long as Curbelo remains out, he’ll be the focal point of Illinois’ offense and his floor/ceiling is at the top-tier of the sport right now. Hard to fade in cash tonight as the Rutgers frontcourt won't be able to contain him. | |||||||
| Keegan Murray | IOWA | PUR | 8200 | 45.21 | 8800 | 43.27 | |
| Part of me expects Murray to slow down his DFS and real-life production at some point - and it may come tonight against Purdue’s two-headed monster of a frontcourt. The other part of me sees a guy who’s clearly taken a step up talent-wise and is taking full advantage of the Luka Garza-sized void left in Iowa’s rotation. Maybe he’s better suited for GPPs, but Murray could easily return value or smash again in this fast-paced, high-scoring contest. | |||||||
| Jayden Gardner | UV | PITT | 8100 | 26.12 | |||
| On the DK slate, Gardner is an interesting high-priced option for GPPs that could go overlooked. Though he’s been a bit boom-or-bust this season, the East Carolina transfer is still UVA’s go-to offensive option who can take over inside. He’s coming off a productive outing of 18 real points and 33 DK vs. Iowa, and could do the same tonight - though there’s some risk with such a low total and slow tempo matchup. | |||||||
| Trevion Williams | PUR | IOWA | 7100 | 27.56 | 7300 | 25.21 | |
| Until the DFS sites adjust pricing to a more reasonable level, both Trevion Williams and Zach Edey are GPP plays at their current salaries. They continue to split playing time down the middle at Purdue’s center position and the ceilings for both are thus capped because of that. Williams, though, has already shown the upside to post 30+ DK points in his limited playing time when he asserts himself in the paint - and Iowa doesn’t have the size or skill down low to contain him or Edey. | |||||||
Other Top Forwards to Consider:
- David McCormack -- Kansas ($7,900 DK / $6,700 FD)
- Zach Edey -- Purdue ($7,200 DK / $7,900 FD)
- Joel Soriano -- St. John’s ($6,100 DK / $6,100 FD)
Value Forwards
| Value Forwards | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Kadin Shedrick | UV | PITT | 5500 | 22 | |||
| As long as he’s priced in the 5k range, Shedrick will continue to be a decent value for cash despite playing in slow-paced and low-total games. As Virginia’s starting center, the 6-foot-11 sophomore has a solid floor with his rebounding and shot-blocking to return value. Though he “only” put up 18 DK last game, Shedrick should get 20+ DFS points or so on a nightly basis with his safe floor. | |||||||
| Caleb Furst | PUR | IOWA | 5000 | 21.62 | 5600 | 20.21 | |
| Furst gets a slight pay increase after posting 22 DK and smashing value earlier this week. Still, he’s a solid salary-saver in the 5k range because he’s locked into Purdue’s power forward spot and will benefit from the uptempo, high-scoring environment tonight. He’s put up no less than 18 DK in six straight games and should be a safe cash value here. | |||||||
| Jacob Grandison | IL | RU | 4700 | 18.29 | 4900 | 16.67 | |
| Grandison returned from a one-game absence earlier this week and put up 21 DK in just 18 minutes of action off the bench. There’s a chance he returns to the starting lineup tonight and would be locked into more playing time. Like Da’Monte Williams above, Grandison is another Illini player whose DFS value is safer with Andre Curbelo out of the rotation right now. At sub 5k on both sites, he can easily give you 20+ DFS points to return value. | |||||||
| Patrick McCaffery | IOWA | PUR | 4000 | 19.1 | 4900 | 18.18 | |
| How about another cheap exposure to one of the slate’s high total matchups? McCaffery has now put up 17+ DK points in every game this season as a regular starter for Iowa and is still below 5k on both sites. Now he gets an uptempo matchup vs. Purdue with more opportunities for ancillary stat production to raise his DFS floor. He’s especially too cheap on DK for being a starter in a high-scoring contest. | |||||||
Other Value Forwards to Consider:
- James Karnik -- Boston College ($4,900 DK / $5,300 FD)
- Aundre Hyatt -- Rutgers ($4,100 DK / $4,800 FD)
DraftKings Core Plays
- Jaden Ivey -- Purdue ($7,800)
- Blake Wesley -- Notre Dame ($4,300)
- Patrick McCaffery -- Iowa ($4,000)
FanDuel Core Plays
- Julian Champagnie -- St. John’s ($8,700)
- Kofi Cockburn -- Illinois ($8,900)
- Blake Wesley -- Notre Dame ($4,500)