This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Sunday brings a small three-game slate on DraftKings, hosting their $10 Big Jam Contest with $3K up for grabs including $1K to first. FanDuel has its own three game slate, with Texas at Stanford being the only one that appears on both slates. Let's get on to the action.
Top Players
Tyler Burton, G/F, Richmond ($8,400 DK)
Richmond has the highest projected total of 72.50 and is favored by 12, making Burton and his teammates intriguing picks. Burton leads the Spiders in points (18.2) and rebounds (6.7) while averaging 31 minutes. He averages 31.4 DK points and he's scored at least 20 DK points in 10 of 11 games. Unlike a lot of the other options on the slate, Burton puts up points whether his team is winning or losing. The All-Time NCAA leader in steals, Jacob Gilyard ($8,600 DK), is also a good option, as he pads the stats in rebounds, assists and steals even when he's not scoring.
Tre Mitchell, F, Texas ($7,300 DK, $6,600 FD)
Mitchell has been hot lately, and his salary has increased to reflect that. He has taken over as the starting center, and his minutes have gone up too. Over the last three games, he's put up 26.8, 31.3 and 43.3 DK points. On the season, he averages 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in 21 minutes, while sporting a 27 percent usage rate. Stanford allows opponents to shoot 53.5 percent from the field, which ranks 297th, according to KenPom. Mitchell should be able to take advantage of that and have another double digit scoring affair. He is an even better value on FanDuel.
Middle Tier
Tre Williams, F, Duquesne ($7,100 DK)
Williams is looking for a bounce back performance after coming off his worst game of the season, going 0-for-7 from the field. It was likely a fluke game for him, as he scored in double digits in each of the last seven games before that. He averages 11.7 points and is the Dukes' leading rebounder with 6.9/game. In addition, he leads the team in minutes with 34/game. He's eclipsed 30 DK points five different times already this season. Duquesne is the underdog, however, Williams has had his best contests this season when his team is losing.
Grant Golden, F, Richmond ($6,700 DK)
It's not a bad idea to have multiple Spiders on the slate given the lack of options. Golden provides a great value for his salary range. He leads Richmond with a 28.6 percent usage rate. While averaging 28 minutes, he is second on the team in points (15.8) and rebounds (5.8) behind Tyler Burton. Despite failing to score in double digits in two of his last three games, Golden is still averaging 30 DK points. His team is 12-point favorites, and he's consistently putting up at least 20 DK points at a minimum. Expect Golden to make an impact on both sides of the ball in this game.
Value Plays
Mekhi Long, G/F, Old Dominion ($4,600 DK)
Long is benefiting from playing on a lesser known team and is the best value pick on this slate. The Monarchs are 12-point underdogs, which probably contributed to his low salary. However, over the last five games, he has consistently overperformed his season averages. Long is averaging 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 23.1 DK points in 32 minutes. Over the last five contests, he's averaging 11.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 28.2 DK points in 34 minutes. In those five games, he's eclipsed 20 DK points each time, while reaching 40 once. He's as good of a guarantee of at least 5x value as you can get.
Kevin Easley, G/F, Duquesne ($4,300 DK)
Like Mekhi Long, Easley is another greater pick for his low salary. It's rare to have a team's leading point scorer in the $4K price range. He is averaging 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 23.6 DK points in 31 minutes. He's scored in double digits in each of his last seven games. Easley is another pick with a great chance of returning at least 5x value.
