How college basketball DFS works
Ever watched your favorite college basketball team being thrashed? At that point, you’re probably convinced you could have done a better job of lining up players than Tom Izzo himself. No need to put your tactical genius to waste, you can create your virtual team with
fantasy sports betting.
College basketball fantasy involves drafting your own virtual college basketball team of eight real players within the salary cap. The goal is to create a lineup that outscores your opponent’s lineup. How? By competing with other players and scoring points through plays such as points, assists, blocks, rebounds, and more.
When you accumulate a lot of points, you score huge cash prizes, even if you don’t finish first. DFS college basketball differs from regular fantasy basketball in that you compete in single-day or week-long contests instead of an entire season. What I particularly like about college basketball DFS is each day on the best college basketball DFS sites offers you a chance to start afresh and partake in tournaments and cash games.
Best college basketball DFS sites
You now have an idea of what college fantasy basketball is all about, let’s talk about the best college basketball DFS sites. Contest modes, scoring formats, and bonuses differ from site to site, so you must pick a site that offers the most value within a given DFS pool. The following are great options.
Underdog Fantasy – Budget-friendly contests
Pros & Cons
- User-friendly website
- Intuitive app
- Affordable entry fees
- Rewarding promotions
- Decent welcome bonus
- Occasionally sluggish app speeds
To date, players at Underdog Fantasy have won over $600 million. It’s not the biggest DFS site I’ve seen, but it sure impresseses with a user-friendly interface and unique game formats like Battle Royal and Pickém games.
You can pick an entry amount of between $3 and $1,000 to join the latter. Needless to say, this makes Underdog Fantasy an affordable site for players looking to start college fantasy football without putting a dent in their finances.
Wanna Parlay Highlights
- Create parlays on a range of major sports leagues
- Fantastic sense of community with key social features
- No wagering requirement on referral bonuses
DraftKings – Generous welcome offerc
Pros & Cons
- Huge welcome offer
- Several contests
- Reputable platform
- User-friendly website
- Seamless app
Dubbed the King of the Industry, DraftKings is a household name, and among the top sites for college basketball DFS today. The massive deposit bonus of up to $500 for new players, backs up that narrative.
As long as there’s any college basketball action happening anywhere, DraftKings is on the ball and delivers multiple contests. I picked up on Guaranteed prize pools, Qualifiers, multipliers, and leagues to mention just a few. The user-friendly website is a plus, and the app is just as flawless.
Play Free for Your Share of Millions in Prizes with 1st Deposit
+ free $3 ticket
New Signups Get
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18+ in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply.
DraftKings Highlights
- Great sports coverage
- Impressive prize pools
- Dedicated social forum
FanDuel – High salary caps
Pros & Cons
- Multiple contests
- Reputable platform
- Intuitive site
- Unique game types
- Higher salary cap
FanDuel is also one of the best college basketball DFS sites and a fierce DraftKings competitor. Both have been circling the industry for a bit, but FanDuel has its own tricks up its sleeve, like having a higher salary cap for most college fantasy basketball games. That pretty much means it’s easier to assemble high-scoring teams at FanDuel.
It does have its downsides, like locking rosters the moment the game starts, so forget about any last-minute changes. As for contests, guaranteed prize pools, Head-to-Heads, and 50/50s are all on the cards.
ParlayPlay – Unique game modes
Pros & Cons
- Exciting game modes
- Fun social features
- Rewarding loyalty club
- 24/7 customer support
- Several contests
- Not available in all states
ParlayPay is another great option for college basketball DFS with its unique game modes, social features, and user-friendly app. The ParlayPlay Pin “‘M” is one of the more popular exclusive game modes on the site. Players can create prop parlays and enter into a contest. The larger the parlay, the higher the payout!
The Share4Cash feature—a weekly contest where existing customers earn prizes for referring players—stood out for me. And so did the Parlay Club, where players retrieve premium player insights and access exclusive contests.
Wanna Parlay Highlights
- Create parlays on a range of major sports leagues
- Fantastic sense of community with key social features
- No wagering requirement on referral bonuses
OwnersBox – Best for weekly college fantasy basketball contests
Pros & Cons
- Flexible tournament buy-ins
- Focuses on weekly contests
- Easy-to-navigate app
- Customizable interface
- Suits all player skill levels
OwnersBox recently exploded onto the college basketball fantasy scene and is doing a brilliant job with modern DFS. The site does focus more on week-long contests instead of single-day. So, while you don’t need to stick around for the long haul, it’s not as concentrated as the average DFS site.
Live in 35 states, OwnersBox currently offers Head 2 Heads and Tournaments for college fantasy basketball. Buy-ins are as low as $1 for tournaments, but go up to $1,000, making it one of the best college basketball DFS sites friendly to all player types. I also liked how you can sort out your master list of upcoming contests according to buy-ins, number of players, and more.
Wanna Parlay Highlights
- Create parlays on a range of major sports leagues
- Fantastic sense of community with key social features
- No wagering requirement on referral bonuses
Comparing college basketball DFS sites
I took the opportunity here to bundle up some of the key areas that make up the best 3 college basketball DFS sites, in my professional opinion that is. The table below will help your selection process.
| Betting Site | Welcome Bonus | Max teams per league | Live Streaming | Number of Users (2023) |
| Underdog Fantasy | Match deposit up to $100 | 12 | ✅ | 60,000+ |
| DraftKings | Get 20% deposit match up to $500 | 16 | ✅ | 8 million+ |
| FanDuel | Deposit $20, get $40 | 11 | ✅ | 6 million+ |
Choosing the best college basketball DFS sites
Choosing the best college basketball DFS sites makes the difference between a successful or unexceptional college fantasy basketball experience. You shouldn’t go wrong if you use this expert checklist as your yardstick:
The best sites provide innovative features for a better user experience. Kind of like how ParlayPlay created its unique ParlayPlay Pin “’M” game mode to increase player payouts
If you have to struggle to build teams or navigate to other sections of the site, you’re in for a frustrating college basketball DFS experience.
The best college basketball DFS sites provide customization options. I enjoy the activity better if I can personalize my player experience when drafting teams, leagues, and preferred scoring systems.
So much happens on the court with College basketball games. If I can get real-time updates on scores, schedules, and rankings, I’m kept informed.
Top college fantasy basketball sites foster a sense of community among players by providing chatrooms and social forums to promote friendly competition.
Tools for drafting and managing teams:
I’m more inclined to pick the site that provides projections, draft cheat sheets, and matchup analyzers. The latter helps you forecast who will win and pick up on teams with an advantage.
How to pick a winning college basketball DFS lineup
Making winning
CBB DFS picks today
can be quite intimidating for first-timers.
Understand the scoring system
Strategy and intent are prerequisites, and your first task is to understand the league scoring system. Each college basketball team has a specific scoring system. Get clued up on how points are awarded to help you draft the right players. As mentioned, with college basketball, points are awarded for assists and rebounds.
Research the players
Next, you must research players thoroughly. I’d say this is a blanket pointer for all fantasy sports to also be implemented as a fantasy hockey strategy, for example. Study the current statistics of players you’re interested in. This also includes checking the player’s past performance, injury histories, and even personal life events. These all can impact performance, and you want to draft a team of consistent players.
Include less popular players
In the same vein, building a roster with popular players isn’t always the best idea. If you do that, and win, then you and everyone else with that combination must split the prize pool. Where’s the fun in that? In my experience, winning lineups did not correlate with how popular the players were.
Don’t sleep on the rookies
Lastly don’t sleep on the rookies and undervalued players. Building a college basketball empire requires Looking at the bigger picture and long-term planning. That means analyzing every player with potential and not just sticking to well-performing players.
Fantasy basketball college DFS tips – pro strategies for winning
Like any proactive soldier going to battle, having the necessary armor can preserve your life. In this instance, using a few handy tips can help your winning chances. Quick disclaimer; I’m not making any promises here, but if you do the following your chances look good:
Mix high and low-owned players
Logic says to line up highly-owned players only, but you’ll need more points to win. Not to mention that you and several other players will have the same lineup. So, try mixing and matching players to boost your winning chances.
Lineup underpriced players
I also find that lining up underpriced players because of injuries to their teammates and then soaking up the remaining salary with the highest-priced players is a good move. The idea is for the superstars’ performance to make up for the injured players. It beats having a roster packed with mid-priced players, especially on a night when there are so many injuries.
Do everything to get information on the games. Watch games, follow college basketball DFS bloggers, and search players on X. Knowledge is power, and that’s not a myth!
Lastly, patience goes a long way. College basketball has a higher variance than the NBA. Most high-priced players are nothing like your Durants or LeBrons. So, don’t give up if you don’t succeed early on. Keep at it.
Fantasy basketball terms to know
To master fantasy college basketball, you must speak and understand the lingo. Here’s your personalized glossary with the most popular terms you must know:
- Usage rate:
An advanced stat that shows the number of times a player ends a team’s possession on the court.
- Offensive:
When a particular team is in possession of the ball.
- Minutes:
The amount of time a player has in a single game.
- Mock draft:
A practice draft you put together to get you ready for the real thing.
- Roster:
This refers to the list of players on your college football fantasy team.
- Playoff bracket:
These are the teams you’re facing in the Playoffs.
- Free agents:
Players available to pick for college football fantasy teams.
- IR:
Injured Reserve.
More than just a virtual team
Fantasy college basketball DFS is more than just an offshoot of the regular sport. Real basketball players are at play, and real cash wins are at stake. With the right lineup, strategy, and enough patience, the captivating game will have you creating a successful fantasy sports dynasty.
In college fantasy basketball, you’re not just a spectator but an active participant. Of course, all this can only happen when you pick the right site to kickstart your college basketball fantasy journey, and you should be cruising on the right path with any of my five recommended DFS sites.
College basketball DFS FAQ
📱 Can I participate in college basketball DFS on mobile?
You most certainly can. Most college basketball DFS have optimized their sites for mobile play because of its convenience. The same goes for other disciplines like football, which feature the
best fantasy football news app
to keep players updated on scores and player stats.
👍 What tips do I need to win at College Basketball DFS?
Luck is great, but you’ll need a few practical tips to get ahead with college fantasy basketball. Just as you would need Daily Fantasy premier league tips to boost your winning chances, researching and participating in mock drafts are also things to consider.
🏀 How many players can I draft in college basketball DFS?
Based on CBB rules, lineups will typically consist of 8 players per team.
