This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Though college football bowl season is kicking off and the NFL is including some Saturday games, we've got a loaded Saturday on the college hardwood. I'm a little surprised we don't have larger GPP prizes available, but the games featured throughout DraftKings' two contests still carry considerate appeal.
We've got 12 games on the larger main slate and a seven-game nightcap both full of power conference matchups. Lets dive in!
Main Slate
This 12-gamer tips at 12 p.m. EST and stretches all the way to 5:30 p.m. when North Carolina and Kentucky renew their non-conference rivalry, which conveniently is the slate's highest expected scoring matchup with a projected total of 164.5 points. We have a few games flirting with that, but no current spread sits in double-digits so we won't completely ignore any teams. We do have three matchups showing totals under 140, lowlighted by Houston-Texas A&M at 132.5 as the one to potentially fade.
$2,000 is up for grabs in the big tournament, but there's money to be won for all regardless of your preferred style and entry fee.
Top Players
PJ Hall, F, Clemson ($9,900)
Four of the top-five salaried players here are forwards, and it's going to be difficult for me to fade them all particularly when my personal lineup builds revolve around frontcourt anchors and value guards. Memphis is solid defensively at 34th in efficiency per KenPom, but also play at the 25th-fastest tempo. Hall carries a mamouth 30.9 percent usage over his last five where he's averaged 20.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.8 blocks and 1.0 steals. I'm not confident he can reach 40 DKP, yet the floor remains stable and he won't lose you the slate.
R.J. Davis, G, North Carolina ($8,400)
I personally think this is an Armando Bacot game, and we've routinely targeted bigs against Kentucky as they lack interior size, but it's really difficult to overlook Davis' current form at this reasonable salary. He's averaging a whopping 18.2 shot attempts and 7.2 free throws over his last five, resulting in 26.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists. I don't generally like going for undersized guards who heavily rely on scoring for their fantasy return, though the game flow here should be wide open. It's a matchup where we know we want shares, and Davis hasn't gone under a 4x return in any of his last five.
Middle Tier
Kanye Clary, G, Penn State ($6,600)
I'm going right back to the well after featuring Clary in last Saturday's column since I see next-to-no risk. His value didn't inflate and he comes with a tremendous 29.6 percent usage rate over his last five while taking 15.6 shots a night if we exclude the one he logged limited action due to injury. Clary's been worth 4x from four of those five with a a near 6.5x ceiling. The matchup shouldn't hurt the appeal as the Jackets rank 102nd defensively to lead to an implied total of 74.8 points for PSU.
Chad Venning, F, St. Bonaventure ($6,400)
Venning is my choice for a super low-rostered option who offers upside. There are a few games we can clearly select targets on both sides, and you can build a decent lineup of safe $7,000-$8,000 options for cash purposes. But for GPPs, we've got to take some shots and this is mine. Venning goes 6-foot-10, 255 pounds, making for a nice battle in the middle with FAU's Vladislav Goldin. He's averaged 13 shots across Bona's last four, with a 23.0 DKP floor and a ceiling of 33.75. Fouls are absolutely a concern, though this is a risk I'm willing to swing at. I'd be shocked if Venning comes with even five percent roster percentages with the Bonnies not expected to eclipse 70 points.
Bargain Options
Langston Love, G, Baylor ($4,900)
Love arguably shouldn't be sub-5k, so I'll pounce. He's listed a higher usage rate during the last five than two of Baylor's starters and plays more minutes than one. Love has yet to log less than 19 minutes or post an under double-digit DKP effort, which sets him up for a 2x floor while offering salary relief. Baylor should flirt with 75 points and Love averages 12.0 ppg. If he can get there and stumble into peripherals, the floor should rise to no lower than 3x.
Elmarko Jackson, G, Kansas ($4,300)
There are so many games on this main slate and so many fairly salaried options in plus spots. Our goal is to get as many of those into lineups. As such, we're not going to win on this slate with these bargains, but rather try not to lose while hopefully taking stable production with minimal ceiling and seek upside elsewhere. Jackson seems to fit that mold. Kansas uses four players for almost the entire game, and split the rest of the minutes between three with Jackson getting the bulk of that. Nothing he does stands out, yet he's been worth double-digit DKP in four straight while finding different paths to rack up fantasy points. Kansas is expected to score 77 points, putting Jackson in position to provide 3x return.
Late Slate
The nightcap at DK features seven games tipping between 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. EST. We have no players valued in five-figures and the highest-salaried option would only be the fifth such choice if he were on the main slate. It should create even more balance in lineups as we're not forced to spend for high-end options.
Three matchups come with a total of 150.5 or greater while three sit at 141.5 or less, so we should find clear spots to target while also knowing where the mass options will come from. There's a minimal $500 prize available in the main GPP, somewhat disheartening given the overall quality of the games. But that shouldn't scare us away from taking a shot.
Top Players
Trey Alexander, G, Creighton ($7,800)
This is the matchup everyone will target thanks to a 164.5 expected point total. None of the Blue Jays' big three are unfairly valued, and it's certainly possible to use two or even all three to build a competitive lineup. But give me Alexander if for nothing other than he's the cheapest of the three. He turned in a 2-for-13 stinker against UNLV, but had previously topped 30 DKP in three straight. Alexander's salary has since dropped $800 to create a buying opportunity. He's averaging career-highs across the board while shooting at a lower percentage. If that fixes itself, there's high-end upside.
Jamir Watkins, F, Florida State ($7,200)
The value point for the Noles' alpha is too enticing to pass up. Watkins has gone for 32.0 DKP or better DKP across four of his last five while garnering a 26.1 percent usage rate. He's taken 10 or more shots in six straight and has flirted with a 5x return in half of his appearances. Florida State should score in the mid-70s, and we know Watkins will feature. He's a player on the rise, though his salary isn't.
Middle Tier
Santiago Vescovi, G, Tennessee ($6,000)
Absolutely a boom or bust, GPP play here. Vescovi has been as high as $7,900 this season, speaking to upside we haven't seen. We know we want a share of the Vols offense here as they list an implied total of 78.5 against a Wolfpack team that ranks top-third in tempo. Jonas Aidoo is surging on the court and in salary, Zakai Zeigler is valued too high for his form even with increased minutes, so why can't Vescovi be the play from this lineup Saturday? His rebounds, assists and steals are consistent with career norms - it's just poor shooting for someone who doesn't do that well to begin with. Vescovi has performed well this year against bigger name competition, which North Carolina State certainly qualifies as.
Avery Anderson, G, TCU ($5,500)
Anderson has higher usage over his last five than two of TCU's starters and is coming off of a lousy performance, which may keep his roster percentages down. He comes at a $800 discount from a season-high rate three games prior, he's only posted under 20.5 DKP twice all season, and TCU comes with an implied total of 80 points thanks to both teams sitting top-60 in tempo. I'm banking on a bounceback from Anderson's last outing. And if he's paired with the two top options above, we've got a lot of budget to build out from.
Bargain Options
Jizzle James, G, Cincinnati ($5,200)
We strive to find sub-5k players in this section and I personally want to offer positional balance in these columns, but the frontcourt isn't presenting value on Saturday night to me and James' usage seems too good to not feature him again. He offers a 26.8 percent usage rate across his last five and a 4x floor from his last four. James isn't anything more than a scorer at this point, which does lead to doubt at the rising salary as fantasy managers need additional counting stats. At the same time, the Bearcats should top 70 points and James likely leads that charge.
MJ Rice, F, North Carolina State ($3,900)
Full disclaimer: I don't think we need to seek sub-5k players on this slate as no one is valued high and there are clear games to stack with mid-to-upper tier options. But Rice does seem to have merit even in that situation. He's showing a 27.1 percent usage rate in his two games since returning from a personal absence while providing an immediate scoring threat for the Wolfpack as they look to keep up with the Volunteers - who we already noted should flirt with 80 points. Rice doesn't offer much size, yet is active and should get enough boards as a result to give us a 3x floor.
