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Free college basketball DFS picks and lineup advice for tonight's games on DraftKings. Mike's expert NCAA DFS projections and sleepers help you build winning lineups for December 16, 2025.
Tonight, we have one big slate that even includes the early game. It may only be because Duke is involved, but we'll take it. We have a couple of big matchups like Louisville and Tennessee, with other top-10 teams in action. Duke, Kansas, BYU, and UConn are all on this star-studded slate tonight.
We'll provide you with the core pieces to build a cash or GPP lineup. Then, we'll have some value plays to make it all fit. And for you Ricky Bobby types, we'll give you guys who have a great ceiling with a low floor because, "if you ain't first, you're last."
Here are my picks for the CBB DFS slate on Tuesday, December 16, with the main slate starting at 6 p.m. EST on DraftKings.
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Today's Main Slate DraftKings CBB DFS Lineup Picks
Best Matchups:
- Duke vs. Lipscomb
- Kansas vs. Towson
- Connecticut guards vs. Butler
- Michigan State vs. Toledo
- Dayton vs. Florida State
Core DFS Plays
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina ($10.2K)
Caleb Wilson is way too much to handle at the collegiate level, with some making references to him looking like baby Giannis, an important factor in any Wilson evaluation will be whether he can carry this kind of physical dominance over to the NBA level.
— Point Made: Scouting & Film Room (@PointMadeLiam) December 16, 2025
Both Wilson and Cameron Boozer could be core plays today, but Wilson is significantly ($1.6K) cheaper. The floor is just as high. Wilson hasn't been under 30 DraftKings points on the season. His ceiling isn't quite as high as what you get with Boozer, and that's why you pay more.
I'm happy with Wilson in cash games and smaller GPPs because the chances of Boozer breaking the slate are minimal. Wilson's ceiling, despite him being the only freshman with four 20-point double-doubles already, is still in the mid-50s. Boozer has hit 70 once this year.
That extra $1.6K is the deciding factor for me. There are a ton of stars on this slate, and you can pay up for one more if you use Wilson instead of Boozer. I'm all for using Boozer in large-field GPPs because he should be less popular.
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's ($9.4K)
Ejiofor is the most elite rim protector in the college game. He has 16 blocks in the last two games alone! The Johnnies face another undersized team in DePaul. We could see another stuffed stat sheet from Ejiofor tonight. He's an afterthought on offense, but he's elite around the rim for blocks and rebounds.
Tarris Reed Jr., Connecticut ($8.4K)
Reed didn't miss a beat after missing most of the last three weeks with an ankle injury. He doesn't carry any injury designation into this one and played 30 minutes against Texas over the weekend.
Reed can put up big numbers because he is everywhere on the court. His stat line from the Texas game was 12 points, six rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and a steal. That's how you put up big points in DFS.
Value DFS Plays
Lajae Jones, Florida State ($5K)
The first rule of value plays is to look for players with good opportunities. I look for guys who play a lot of minutes. Jones has played at least 25 minutes in every game this season.
He had a couple of clunkers when his shot wasn't falling, but he has scored 23 points and hauled in 10 boards over the last two games. The slump seems to be over.
Dillon Hunter, Clemson ($4.8K)
Hunter is mostly a scorer, but that's not a bad thing. He's playing nearly 30 minutes per game over the last three weeks. Hunter has scored in double figures in four of those six games.
RJ Smith, DePaul ($4.2K)
Smith has at least 16 DK points in every game over the last month. He is now firmly in the starting lineup, playing at least 30 minutes in three of the last four games. It's going to be tough sledding against St. John's, but a guy who plays that many minutes is enticing.
Slate-Breaking DFS Plays
Cameron Boozer, Duke ($11.8K)
PLAYER VALUE GRAPH
This graph shows the top college basketball players in terms of per-possession offensive value (X axis) and defensive value (Y axis), according to BPR at https://t.co/cegyfz96ax 👇 pic.twitter.com/q9uxIjOF8c
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) December 10, 2025
Boozer's collegiate career is only 10 games old, and he's already created his own stratosphere. Boozer hasn't had a game under 32 DraftKings points, and has already hit 70 once. His average is 47.4, and that includes playing less than 30 minutes in half the games.
Boozer is by far the highest-priced player on the slate, but I don't see how you get away from him in cash games. He hasn't been a total bust in any game yet, and he has that high ceiling that GPP players covet.
You think he can't get there in a blowout? Boozer's best game of the season (71.5 DK points) was in a 38-point win over Indiana State in which Boozer only played 29 minutes. Fade at your own risk.
Melvin Council Jr., Kansas ($9.7K)
Council nailed nine three-pointers in the win over North Carolina State on Saturday. He had made five total in the first nine games of the season. Freshman phenom Darryn Peterson will likely be on the sidelines again after he suffered a quad injury at the end of the North Carolina State game.
Kansas has struggled to score at times without Peterson in the lineup. Maybe Council's explosion will lead to him becoming the focal point of the offense with Peterson out.
He is a huge risk because that game literally came out of nowhere. His price rose $3K over Saturday's price despite him only topping 30 DK points three times (none higher than 34.5) in the first nine games.
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State ($7.8K)
Fears can threaten all of Braden Smith's Big Ten records if he sticks around for four years. He's already an elite passer, but sometimes to a fault. Fears is a good shooter, but he is always looking to dish it out first.
He's a constant double-double threat. When he hits that mark, his ceiling is in the low-to-mid 40s. Not many in this price range have a ceiling like that.
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DFS Stacking Options
USC vs. San Diego
Basketball, unlike football and hockey, isn't always great to stack all five starters. There are exceptions, but it usually will not maximize your output. We may be able to get away with it with the Flyers.
Dayton only runs about seven players deep in most games. The starting five play a lot of minutes, and the production is very spread out. The best part is, only De'Shayne Montgomery is expensive.
This is one of the best spots on the slate. The entire Dayton starting five will only cost $31.8K. My preferred stack will be Montgomery, Amael L'Etang, and Javon Bennett, so I can still play Caleb Wilson without scraping the bottom of the value barrel.
Also consider:
- St. John's
- Louisville (GPP only)
