This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
It's becoming the norm now, but it's another busy day on the college hardwood Saturday. Three slates to sort through featuring 68 teams. Let's jump right in.
Main Slate
This may be the second-largest prize pool we've see all season and perhaps a sign of things to come. DraftKings' main slate tips at 12:00 p.m. EST and stretches until 3:30 tipoffs with a featured $15,000 in total prizes and $5,000 first-place payout.
Five of the 12 games come with projected point totals of at least 150, led by Alabama-LSU and Auburn-Florida. Wisconsin-Rutgers looks awful on both sides, while Vanderbilt is another team we can probably ignore facing South Carolina's slow pace and stout defense.
Top Players
Johni Broome, F, Auburn ($9,500)
It's rare where we highlight the slate's highest-salaried option as we don't really need to tell you he's a solid play. But this is a spot where - even with the depth of the slate - I find it prudent to try and build around Broome. He's topped 40 DKP in three straight, four of five and five of seven while going for at least 49.75 three times. The matchup here with Florida comes with a nice pace boost as they rank 28th in tempo per KenPom. The Tigers are one of six sides on this slate with an anticipated team total of at least 79 points, but I find the other offenses deeper. Broome carries a 28.3 percent usage rate over the last five, and only one other starter sits above 20. He's got the floor and ceiling we want, and is only $600 more than PJ Hall - who I like a great deal.
Tamin Lipsey, G, Iowa State ($7,600)
If we're using Broome, we're probably not going to be able to consider players in the $8,000 tier, and even Lipsey is a touch expensive if we're looking for a second high-end option as we're only left with under $5,500 per roster spot. But as the player note states, Lipsey is the only player in the country averaging at least 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. That gives him so many paths to fantasy relevance that the floor we need is already created. The Cyclones are a solid seven-point favorite and expected to top 76 points Saturday against TCU's 68th-ranked tempo, so the matchup shouldn't scare us away.
Current form be damned, Duke's Kyle Filipowski looks misvalued.
Middle Tier
B.J. Mack, F, South Carolina ($6,000)
Mack's salary has fallen too far here to not have interest as he's been as high as $7,600 this season. He only posted 19.0 total DKP over his last two outings, yet that's come with a massive 38.4 percent usage rate. Mack just isn't knocking down shots, having connected on 5-of-19. That changes Saturday against Vanderbilt, who ranks 184th in defensive efficiency, 244th in effective field goal percentage, and 352nd in 3-point percentage defense - the latter where Mack takes over four attempts per game. Prior two this two-game funk, he averaged 16.7 points and 5.8 rebounds across his last six while only failing to provide at least a 3.9x return once. Expect a bounceback performance.
Latrell Wrightsell, G, Alabama ($5,800)
So let's say you use the top two options above. That means you're going to have to get creative and be comfortable with a plethora of sub-$6,000 players. The Alabama-LSU matchup is one where we certainly want to grab pieces thanks to a 166.5 point total where both teams can score in the 80s, further highlighted by the fact these two combined for 196 on Jan. 27. Wrightsell has started five straight for the Tide while averaging a decent enough 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.0 steals while taking seven three-pointers nightly. The Tigers rank 179th in defending the arc and 266th in offensive turnover percentage. Wrightsell has shown a disappointing floor, but the tempo raises it as does the matchup lending itself to his strengths. He went for 26.25 DKP in the previous matchup mainly just from scoring, and I'm banking on more balance here.
LSU's Trae Hannibal is going to be an option, one way or another. He's started over Jalen Cook in consecutive outings while Cook is dealing with a hamstring injury. Chalky play given the matchup and a potential Cook absence, perhaps contrarian if he's deemed fit to play. Teammate Will Baker is also in play.
Bargain Options
Jack Clark, F, Clemson ($4,200)
Clark started Clemson's last game after not having done so since November, and it's fair to question if that was a matchup-based decision. But he logged 33 minutes and earned six points, seven rebounds, a steal and a block to set him up for another opportunity. Syracuse carries decent defensive metrics, but they play wide open ranking 36th in tempo. And at 6-foot-10, Clark will have a few inches on whomever is guarding him. It's a pretty low-floor, low-ceiling play, though the value looks sound and I also believe the opportunity will be.
Brock Cunningham, F, Texas ($3,900)
Cunningham is coming off of a 29-minute outing, his third with at least 20 across his last four, which is good enough for me at the sub-$4,000 salary. He doesn't do anything singularly well and has managed at least 9.75 DKP in these four appearances with a low 13.25 ceiling while his rebounding has been nonexistent. The matchup is solid enough with WVU sitting 109th defensively, and Texas is expected to win comfortably while producing around 80. If the minutes are there, this is a second cheap frontcourt player who won't likely hurt us while opening up our budget.
Afternoon Slate
12 games are included on this slate, tipping at 4:00 p.m. EST and going until 6:30. We've got a $4,000 prize pool and $1,000 first-place prize up for grabs in the premier tournament with plenty of options for all players. It's slightly disappointing we're not seeing more cash on the line as this slate was challenging to break down and seems to offer plenty of scoring as seven sides are expected to produce at least 79 points and a couple others in the 75-plus range. There are definitely some slow matchups we can ignore, though there are so many solid options to consider in all salary tiers to where I think this is going to require a really balanced lineup build and high fantasy scoring to prevail.
I'll issue a buyer beware to all things Georgia-Arkansas. Both teams continue to shuffle their starting lineups and have no continuity, yet everyone is favorably valued. There's going to be someone here that pops, but it's a complete guess as to who that may be.
Top Players
Antonio Reeves, G, Kentucky ($7,900)
It's no secret how fast and wide open the Wildcats play. They've topped 90 points in three straight and nine of their last 12 while listing an implied total of 86-plus here, so we know we want a piece of the action. Reeves isn't my profile for a player as he's largely just a scorer, but his floor is established having topped 20 points in three of four and six of eight. There's some ambiguity within the Kentucky rotation with Tre Mitchell and D.J. Wagner uncertain, which is why I prefer Reeves to Reed Sheppard or the higher-valued Robert Dillingham. Reeves does carry upside, but at just under $8,000 he's a set it-and-forget it anchor.
Andrew Carr, F, Wake Forest ($7,500)
I feel I'm reaching a bit, but this slate is really guard-heavy, especially when we get the likes of Matt Cleveland and Tramon Mark in favorable spots while not being forward-eligible. So perhaps Carr offers a lower-rostered frontcourt option in a plus spot. The Deacons have an implied total of 79 points, and he erupted for 37.5 DKP in his last matchup against the Wolfpack. Carr did that by being nearly flawless from the floor, so a repeat of that is unlikely and that's fine. He's coming off a double-double, his fourth of the season. And while Carr's rebounding is down and only managed four against NCST last time, his 6-foot-10 frame presents a mismatch for the guard-heavy opponents. If budget is no concern, consider N'Faly Dante to lead your frontcourt as a lower-rostered option.
Kevin McCullar is a no-brainer at his still-reduced salary, particularly if you want to fade the top end of Kentucky-Gonzaga.
Middle Tier
Ryan Nembhard, G, Gonzaga ($6,600)
I'd fault no one for building their lineup around Gonzaga forward Anton Watson, who's listed eight straight games of at least 30 DKP. But this is a step up in class for the Bulldogs, and he's slightly struggled in non-conference play - particularly against Purdue. Kentucky's defense won't be confused with the Boilermakers, though I think we can save a little and still get a piece of the Zags' attack with some upside. Nembhard is averaging nearly six assists, and Kentucky allows them on 54.1 percent of the field goals they allow to put them at 269th in the nation. The pace here should be incredibly high, which should allow this lead guard ample scoring and distributing chances in transition. Nembhard represents a high-ceiling, volatile floor option while giving us a second piece of the matchup everyone will be targeting.
David Joplin, F, Marquette ($6,500)
I think a nice contrarian build on this slate is to lead with Marquette's aces of Tyler Kolek and/or Osasere Ighodaro while Kameron Jones is also quite favorably valued. But if we go trendy in the upper tier, I think we still should want someone from the Golden Eagles' attack, and Joplin works nicely as he's averaging 17.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals across his last four games with a stout 26.3 percent usage rate. He produced a similar 26.9 rate against St. John's in an earlier meeting, yet only provided 20.75 DKP. I'm banking on a different approach from the team and Joplin here, more shots to drop given current form, and continued steady usage. Marquette should flirt with 80 points, and this gives us a nice mid-tier frontcourt option.
Nebraska's Juwan Gary is my best guess at a trendy, high-rostered forward paydown.
Bargain Options
Jaelin Llewellyn, G, Michigan ($4,700)
This is the easiest play of the day across all slates. At sub-$5,000, it really doesn't matter if everyone uses him, but it'll hurt you more if you don't. We're in Game 4 of Dug McDaniel's six-game road suspension. In his three prior absences, Llewellyn has started and averaged 32.3 minutes, 14.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals. So long as McDaniel doesn't make a surprise return, this is an easy selection.
Tyler Nickel, F, Virginia Tech ($4,500)
As we reach the end of this slate's breakdown, I'm feeling a bit of writer's remorse. I still stand by all the plays, but the forward options here aren't great. I think it makes sense to build around high-end options, as you should be able to find plenty of cheaper guards to round out your lineup while the targetable games are very obvious. That being said, here we are. And for the sake of balance, I need a paydown forward. Enter Nickel, who's been in single-digit fantasy points only once since Dec. 21. As such, we think we can get a 2-3x return solely based on average. Nickel's ceiling comes from hot perimeter shooting, which Notre Dame can allow as they rank 182nd in 3-point percentage defense.
Evening Slate
10 games are featured in our nightcap, with tipoffs spanning from 7:00 p.m. EST until 10:00 on the East Coast. We've got a featured $3,000 prize pool, with $1,000 up for grabs for the winner among 352 entries. Four games list totals of 149.5 points or greater, led by the last tip between Arizona and Colorado at 157.5. On the other end, Virginia-Florida State is our lowlight at 125.0.
This is our Zach Edey slate for Saturday, where the Purdue big man is valued $1,400 more than anyone else, and is our only player in five-figures on Saturday. He previously went for 53.0 DKP against Indiana. And with Kel'el Ware uncertain to play, he could be unguardable. We'll omit Edey below, but also strive to find enough value options where you can consider using him.
Top Players
KJ Simpson, G, Colorado ($9,000)
If you're not going with Edey, you have to assume others are and you'll need upside to match that at a reduced salary. Simpson seems like he offers the most potential of the high-end options. It's a terrific pace-boosted matchup against Arizona, who ranks 15th in tempo. Simpson took 17 shots in an earlier meeting against the Wildcats, but only five went in. He added seven rebounds in that appearances, and is averaging 18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals across nine games since these two teams last faced each other. We know the opportunity is there for a blow-up game; Simpson just needs to convert.
Deivon Smith, G, Utah ($8,900)
Perhaps I lied in the Simpson breakout, as Smith's current form is so ridiculous with his slate-breaking upside. In games against Arizona and Colorado, he averaged 15.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 9.5 assists. Since moving into the starting lineup seven games ago, Smith has produced 15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.4 assists, 31.1 minutes and a 30.7 percent usage rate per outing, four times with at least 48.25 DKP. It's unchartered territory for the Georgia Tech transfer, but Arizona State's 79th-ranked tempo is fast enough to think it can continue. If we pair these two to anchor and combat Edey, we've got huge ceilings. And your opponent is only going to have $7,200 to find a match for Edey to combat you.
Middle Tier
Isaiah Collier, G, USC ($6,500)
We've got a great salary break here to pounce on. Collier has been as high as $8,700, but is discounted having only one appearance under his belt since a six-game absence. But he looked like his usual self as he scored 20 points over 27 minutes en route to 31.75 DKP. Collier gets a Stanford opponent that he previously posted a 26-3-4 line against, and it's a matchup where both teams are expected to score at least 75 with the Trojans coming in as underdogs. I'd expect Collier to get a full slate of minutes even if he remains a reserve.
Jalon Moore, F, Oklahoma ($6,300)
It makes sense to target the Sooners here as they have a 76-point implied total and don't have a starter valued north of this salary. And with a 13-point spread, we'd expect their starters to get the job done somewhat quickly. So it's likely Moore or Javian McCollum, and I'm siding with the more consistent option, who also happens to provide us a frontcourt option. Moore is averaging 11.9 points and 7.0 rebounds across his last nine games.
Bargain Options
Roddie Anderson III, G, Boise State ($4,900)
At this salary tier, we're usually searching for newfound opportunities and hoping for the best. Anderson seems to be the exact opposite of a rare anchor at a low value point. There's no upside as he's only managed two 20-plus point fantasy showings in conference, and none since Jan. 12. But the stability comes from the fact he's had just one effort going under double-digit points since Dec. 5. Anderson starts and is a lock for 22-30 minutes where production comes by default. It's a decent matchup with Utah State 89th in tempo while Boise State posted 84 points against them in a previous OT defeat. Anderson finished that game with a diverse stat line and 16.25 DKP. Not elite, but surely good enough.
Shawn Phillips, F, Arizona State ($4,700)
That Phillips moved into the starting lineup in the Devils' last outing isn't overly relevant as he only received 17 minutes, yet he's logged double-digits in five straight and always returns double-digit fantasy points with a 26.25 DKP ceiling. The matchup predicts a decent 146.5-point total, though ASU isn't expected to get to 70, so it's not an ideal play. Phillips still offers nice size and his role seems to steady at worst, and emerging at best. A 3x return is certainly possible, and he won't likely hurt us as a lineup-roundout forward.
