DFS College Basketball: Saturday Preview

There are just two days remaining in the regular season in college basketball. After Sunday, it will all be conference tournaments followed by postseason tournaments. The reason that March drives people to madness is that when many of these teams lose their next game, it will be their last. While we are coming to the season of Spring, it will be the Fall for teams. This is the last very, very busy of the college hoops calendar, so let's dig in and find you some winning players for DFS.

Top Players

Dedric Lawson, F, Kansas vs. Baylor ($10,000 DK/$9,100 FD)

Will this be Lawson's last home game as a Jayhawk? While it is possible, his relative lack of athleticism and inconsistent long-range shot won't set NBA draft wonks' tongues a-wagging. He could be back next year to rack up double-doubles for Kansas. Lawson has three such dub-dubs in his last three games. He was limited to three rebounds in the win over Baylor on Jan.12, but had 17 points, five steals and five blocks. Coach Bill Self will have the team feed him the ball to take advantage of Baylor's small lineup. 

Shizz Alston Jr, G, Temple vs. UCF ($9,200 DK/$8,500 FD)

It is pretty clear that Alston does not want his senior season to end. He has been the Owls' leading scorer throughout the season, but has put up at least 22 points in his last six games. Temple has won five. If they want to worm their way into the NCAA Tournament, they will need to get wins against tough teams like UCF. The Knights are defensively oriented and will take away the paint from Alston. He scored 18 points in the loss at Orlando on Jan. 12, but did not hit a 2-point shot. Alston could burn the UCF defense for another 20-point game.

Jeremiah Martin, G, Memphis vs. Tulsa ($9,400 DK/$9,300 FD)

As hot as Alston has been, Martin has been even more scorching. The senior has put up at least 25 points in his last five games, including 80 combined points in wins over Tulane and Wichita State. He has a better matchup against Tulsa, although the Golden Hurricane limited him to 14 points in a loss Jan. 30. He added six assists and four steals, so the game was not a total waste from a fantasy perspective. It may be an emotional home game for the three-year starter, who has been able to score in a variety of ways.

Max Strus, G, DePaul at Creighton ($8,700 DK/$8,700 FD)

Our tour of high-scoring guards ends in the most unlikely of places: DePaul. The 6-6 Strus has caught fire at the end of his senior season and has put up 73 combined points in wins over St. John's and DePaul. The Blue Demons will go for three wins in a row for the first time since the Big East re-formed at Creighton. The Bluejays beat DePaul on Feb. 20, but Strus had 18 points and eight rebounds before fouling out. He is providing 19.0 points and 6.2 rebounds and should outdo both of those averages on Saturday.

Value Players

Jase Febres, G, Texas vs. TCU ($4,800 DK/$5,500 FD)

Don't put too much stock in Febres' poor showing Monday. The 6-5 sophomore was limited to four points on 1-of-10 from the field against Texas Tech. Prior to Monday's loss to the Red Raiders, Febres had averaged 21.0 points and 6.7 three-pointers in his three previous games. With Kerwin Roach (suspended) out until the conference tournament, Febres will still be well worth his modest price as a three-point bombardier.

Lindell Wigginton, G, Iowa State vs. Texas Tech ($6,600 DK/$5,900 FD)

Marial Shayok is out with an ankle injury, so we might be able to flash back a season for the Cyclones. Wigginton was a high-scoring guard for Iowa State as a freshman when he averaged 16.7 points. He started the season on the injury list and has been coming off the bench as an offensive spark. The 6-2 sophomore should see increased offensive opportunities, but the opponent is very tough. The Red Raiders have the best defense in the Big 12 and need to win in order to secure at least a share of the Big 12 regular season championship. Despite those things, Wigginton could score well.

Jordan McCabe, G, West Virginia at Oklahoma State ($4,100 DK/$5,700 FD)

The West Virginia faithful bid a fond farewell to Beetle Bolden, who was an offensive dynamo and caused defensive issues. McCabe, a 6-0 freshman, has been playing heavy minutes and has averaged 18.8 points and 5.8 assists over his last four games. The Mountaineers have won two of those games, which is a pretty good way to close out a terrible season for coach Bob Huggins. They have a winnable road game in the season finale. McCabe should get a lot of usage.

Ryan Welage, F, Xavier vs. St. John's ($4,000 DK/$3,900 FD)

There is a chance that Naji Marshall will be unable to play in the season finale due to an ankle injury. If the star forward is unable to play or is limited, it could be Welage time. The San Jose State transfer raised expectations by scoring 24 points, including six three-pointers, in the season opener against IUPUI. He has only scored in double digits in five games since and none in 2019. Despite the reduced production, Welage is still hitting 40.5 percent of his three-pointers and could be a surprise source of points and treys.

Games/Teams to Target:

Duke (+2.5) at UNC (o/u 165.5), 6PM EST

This game lost a lot of its appeal with human highlight Zion Williamson out. It would have been interesting to see what he could do after getting hurt against the Tar Heels two weeks ago. R.J. Barrett ($11,000 DK/$9,800 FD) should once again be a good play since he is going to have control of the ball for the Blue Devils. Tre Jones ($6,600 DK/$6,800 FD), who is questionable with a quad injury, and Cam Reddish ($7,500 DK/$7,400 FD) will also get more shots in the fast-paced game. The lack of Zion will also lead to more rebounding opportunities for Jack White ($4,500 DK/$4,600 FD). North Carolina was able to pummel the Blue Devils on Feb. 20. Luke Maye ($8,900 DK/$8,600 FD) led the way with 30 points and 15 rebounds, while Cameron Johnson ($8,100 DK/$8,100 FD) contributed 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Maye has averaged 16.8 points and 13.6 rebounds over his last five games. Coby White ($7,900 DK/$7,800 FD) will likely draw Jones as a defensive pest and was limited to nine points in the win at Cameron Indoor.

UCLA (+4.5) at Utah (o/u 159), 7PM EST

While the Utes play at a relatively modest pace (239rd in the country, per KenPom), the Bruins like to run. UCLA is 17th in pace and are somewhat permissive defensively. Utah pumped in 92 points in the win over Washington State on Feb. 23 after being limited to 45 points three days prior against Washington. Sedrick Barefield ($7,100 DK) and Parker Van Dyke ($4,400 DK) have been a decent one-two punch and combined for 37 points in the win over USC on Thursday. Novak Topalovic ($3,400 DK) could be a nice value play with Jayce Johnson possibly out with an ankle injury. The Idaho State transfer played 33 minutes against the Trojans and grabbed seven rebounds. The Bruins have not had one of their better seasons, but they have some intriguing DFS options. Point guard Jaylen Hands ($8,400 DK) has scored at least 18 points and doled out a combined 20 assists in his last three games. He had 27 points and seven assists in the loss to the Utes on Feb. 9. Kris Wilkes ($7,200 DK) has scored at least 16 points in his last three games and has averaged 17.2 points on the season. Freshman center Moses Brown ($6,600 DK) is a possible option with double-doubles in two of his last four games. He was held to three points and three rebounds Thursday in the loss to Colorado.

Georgetown (+10) at Marquette (o/u 153), 2:30PM EST

When the Golden Eagles lost to Creighton last Sunday, it was the first time they had lost consecutive games this season. They proceeded to lose at Seton Hall on Wednesday to extend the losing streak to an unfathomable three games. In other words, they need to win against Georgetown. The teams played an interesting game on Jan. 15. Markus Howard ($9,600 DK) played just three minutes due to back issues, so Sam Hauser ($7,800 DK) took over with a career-high 31 points to lead Marquette to a win. Theo John ($4,900 DK) will be an important factor because he will can deal with Jessie Govan ($9,200 DK). The Hoya center had 14 points and nine rebounds in the loss. The freshmen guards for Georgetown are high-ceiling/low-floor plays. Mac McClung ($6,100 DK) had 24 points in the loss to the Golden Eagles, but has not topped 15 points in his last three games. James Akinjo ($6,700 DK) has scored at least 13 points in his last three games and leads the Hoyas with 5.4 assists.

Games/Teams to Consider Fading:

Louisville (+13.5) at Virginia (o/u 126), 4PM EST

Despite their gaudy record, the Cavaliers should almost always be shunned. This season's UVA team has been better offensively, but they still play at a snail's pace. Louisville also does not like to run and gun, so this game should be a battle in which every possession is precious. When the teams met in Kentucky on Feb. 23, the Cardinals were held to 52 points. Virginia won with 63 points and were led by DeAndre Hunter ($7,600 DK/$8,200 FD), who had 26 points. Mamadi Diakite ($5,100 DK/$6,100 FD) and Jay Huff ($4,000 DK/$3,900 FD) also scored in double digits, although neither player has topped double digits in three games since. Conversely, Kyle Guy ($7,000 DK/$8,000 FD) and Ty Jerome ($7,800 DK/$7,000 FD) were held to single digits against Louisville, but have scored at least 10 points in the three games since. Jordan Nwora ($8,200 DK/$7,500 FD) was able to pierce the Virginia defense for 17 points, but no other Cardinal scored more than 12 points. Nwora has back-to-back double-doubles. Keep an eye on Steven Enoch ($4,500 DK/$4,900 FD) who had 22 points in the loss to Boston College on Feb. 27 and can quickly out produce his modest price.

Oklahoma (+6) at Kansas State (o/u 127.5), 6PM EST

The name Bramlage Coliseum does not conjure much of a picture. However, call it the Octagon of Doom and you have a scary name for visitors. Kansas State is sixth in defensive efficiency, per KenPom, and they are particularly stingy at home. Their last two opponents have failed to score more than 60 points and Oklahoma had just 61 points in the loss to Kansas State on Jan .16. Barry Brown ($3,000 DK/$7,600 FD) had 25 points in the win and Dean Wade ($3,000 DK/$7,600 FD) contributed 20 points. Brown has not topped 16 points in his last four games and has not hit a three-pointer in that span. He is hitting a career-low 29.8 percent of his treys. Wade scored 20 points in the win over Baylor, but has been held to single-digit scoring in three of his last four games. After an early season flurry, Christian James ($3,000 DK/$7,300 FD) has been quiet for the Sooners. He has scored a combined 13 points in the team's last two games. Kristian Doolittle ($3,000 DK/$7,200 FD) and Brady Manek ($3,000 DK/$6,800 FD) each had at least 20 points in the win over Kansas on Tuesday. They probably will not play up to their salaries.

Florida (+9.5) at Kentucky (o/u 128.5), 2PM EST

When these teams met Feb. 2, they combined for 119 points. Neither team came that close to making 30.0 percent of its three-pointers. Florida likes to accentuate defense and will slow the pace in an effort to get even in the series. Jalen Hudson ($5,100 DK/$5,400 FD) is coming off his best game of the season with 33 points in the overtime loss to LSU. He has scored in double digits in five straight games. Kevarrius Hayes ($6,100 DK/$6,200 FD) snagged 15 rebounds against the Tigers and is grabbing 6.1 boards on the season. Freshman Andrew Nembhard ($6,100 DK/$5,800 FD) scored a team-high 12 points in the loss to the Wildcats. Reid Travis ($6,200 DK/$6,500 FD) could be back after missing the last four games. He could add muscle to the Wildcat frontcourt and take opportunities away from E.J. Montgomery ($4,200 DK/$4,200 FD) and Nick Richards ($4,200 DK/$4,100 FD). Tyler Herro ($6,800 DK/$7,200 FD) had 25 points in the win over the Gators. After looking dominant against Tennessee last month, P.J. Washington ($8,400 DK/$8,200 FD) has cooled off with just 12.7 points over his last three games.