DFS College Basketball: Monday Preview

DFS College Basketball: Monday Preview

This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.

While college football may be stealing the show Monday, DraftKings has put together a three-game slate featuring a $10 Big Jam, which awards $2,000 to first place. Let's take a closer look at some of the games offered by both sites, starting with implied totals:

Targets

1. Tyler Polley, F, Connecticut ($5,300 DK, $5,100 FD)

UConn star James Bouknight is a game-time decision Monday due to an elbow injury, and without his massive scoring efforts, it's been Polley who has picked up the shot volume. In the two games Bouknight has been affected by injury, Polley has shined with 32.0 and 21.5 DK points. DePaul plays at the 33rd-fastest tempo in the nation (per KenPom), so most Huskies are in play here. Brendan Adams ($4,500 DK, $4,000 FD) started for Bouknight on Saturday, playing 34 minutes but producing 17.0 DK points. Any one of Tyrese Martin ($6,800 DK, $6,400 FD), R.J. Cole ($5,700 DK, $5,500 FD) and Isaiah Whaley ($7,100 DK, $6,600 FD) should also be in consideration.

2. Jeriah Horne, F, Colorado ($6,000 DK, $5,800 FD)

Horne has served as the primary sixth man for the Buffaloes this season, but with Dallas Walton set to miss a fourth-straight game, Horne is now set for a fourth-straight start. He's averaged 30.0 mpg in three contests as a starter, most recently putting up 30 DK points against Oregon. Additionally, Evan Battey ($6,200 DK, $5,900 FD) could also be worth a look for similar reasoning while the price is manageable. Utah isn't doing us any tempo favors here, but with a defensive rebounding rate at No. 285 in the country, both Colorado post options are in play.

3. Derrick Alston, G, Boise State ($7,700 DK)

When a team has the highest implied total on slate by a full six points, we should at least take a look at one of their guys. Why not the usage leader, who also happens to be the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year? Alston has now topped 30 DK points in six consecutive conference games, and Boise State hasn't really had to hit the gas pedal much, with an average margin of victory of 24 points in that span. Enter a matchup with Wyoming, a team with above-average pace and the country's No. 285-ranked defense (per KenPom's efficiency metric), and there's plenty reason to turn to Alston over the other stars on the slate.

Fades

1. James Bouknight, G, Connecticut ($8,300 DK, $7,800 FD)

I'll admit I wrote the Polley section above under the assumption that Bouknight wouldn't be playing. This is a game the Huskies are favored by five in with Bouknight's status still unknown, so they should be able to take care of business against the injured and inexperienced DePaul roster -- even without their leading scorer. That said, even a healthy Bouknight barely hit 4x against DePaul back on Dec. 30. His fantasy production is often dependent on high scoring totals, so even if he's cleared, I'm not sure I'm ready to trust him in his first game back.

2. Javon Freeman-Liberty, G, DePaul ($8,000 DK, $7,200 FD)

He's a top-4 priced player on both sites, but UConn is already responsible for his lowest fantasy game of the season -- nine points on 4-of-13 shooting, resulting in 21.3 DK points. A good outing against Seton Hall saved his shooting percentages for the season, but remember this is a DePaul team that was on COVID shutdown for a while and has played just four games this year. Expect the Blue Demons, and effectively their best players, to still struggle a bit when the competition rises.

3. Alfonso Plummer, G, Utah ($6,000 DK, $6,000 FD)

Two games after a season-best 22 points, Plummer came off the bench for a season-low 17 minutes. Freshman Pelle Larsson took his spot in the starting five and tallied a season-high 28.3 DK points -- his fourth 20-point DK effort of the year despite coming off the bench in the season's first seven games. It's unclear if Plummer is getting phased out, but I don't like the way things are headed. Mix that with a matchup against a Colorado team with a top-30 defense and pace right around 250 (both stats per KenPom), and I'm staying away from the Utah backcourt Monday.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Jake Letarski plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: rotojakeski, DraftKings: RotoJakeSki.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jake Letarski
RotoWire Editor for College Basketball and MMA. Frequent podcaster, plus radio and video guest. Follow Jake on Twitter at @RotoJake.
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