This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Three slates, 34 games, 340 starters, and tipoffs spanning 10 hours. It's our typically busy Saturday of conference hoops action. Let's dive in and see if we can make sense of it all.
Main Slate
12 games get us going Saturday at noon and stretch until 2:15 p.m. EST. It's our largest prize pool of the day with $15,000 in total prizes available in DraftKings biggest tournament and $5,000 for first place.
Low point totals are expected from Houston-Kansas State and Virginia-Louisville. But with the large spread in favor of the Cougars and the low caliber of Louisville's defense, we can't completely write those games off. The highest total comes from Florida-Georgia at 162, which will make it popular and is further bolstered by the fact we don't have a player valued north of $7,300.
No player here is above $9,300, so we should be able to build a strong, well-rounded roster. Seton Hall's Kadary Richmond is the only top injury of concern.
Top Players
Josh Oduro, F, Providence ($7,600)
If salary is no barrier, deploy Devin Carter from the Friars at will. But for a significant discount, we can get another piece with not quite the same ceiling but a high enough one for the number. Oduro is averaging 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.0 blocks over his last three games - including a 17-9-2 line in only 17 minutes during a blowout over DePaul - so we shouldn't be too concerned if this one also gets out of hand. The Hoyas have Supreme Cook on the interior, and that's it. Oduro will have 10-plus pounds on him to allow for a great spot to succeed. Georgetown's 291st-ranked defensive efficiency per KenPom doesn't hurt either.
Armando Bacot, F, North Carolina ($7,500)
Salary and upside scream out here. Bacot isn't the offensive force we've previously known as he's not commanding the ball down low and letting his teammates drive the scoring from the perimeter, though that's cooked into this heavily reduced number. Florida State boasts tremendous length, but not much bulk. Bacot dominated in their December matchup by earning 41.5 DKP thanks to 13 points, 13 rebounds and a season-high six blocks while the rest of the team only managed 15 total rebounds. Expect him to dominate the glass once again, particularly on the defensive end where FSU ranks 192nd in offensive rebounding. And the defense can be real, as Bacot is averaging 2.3 blocks over his last seven games.
Middle Tier
Silas Demary, G, Georgia ($6,900)
A little higher-valued than most of the mid-tier, but Demary looks quite appealing for stability and game-flow upside since we're not forced to pay all the way up at the top. And across his last four appearances, he's averaging 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks. The usage isn't massive at only 19.5 percent, but Demary is a nice multi-faceted option who keeps his floor up - which has been 24.5 DKP during this stretch, a fair enough 3.5x return. The Bulldogs are averaging 79.25 points over this run and should again flirt with 80 thanks to Florida's 20th-ranked tempo.
On a 12-game slate, I don't want to dwell on this game too much. All three Florida options in the $7,000 tier are appealing, yet I'm siding with Will Richard ($6,300) as my preferred piece on the Gators.
Carlton Carrington, G, Pittsburgh ($6,600)
Season-long readers know I love the Panthers for DFS because their offense has long been a three-man funnel. As luck would have it, Saturday's slate has that three-man group all valued under $7,000. Ishmael Leggett remains a bargain as he's rounding back into form and minutes following injury, but I like Carrington in this matchup. It's kinda high on the salary, but if you actually build a lineup from the four choices here and above - and even include Richard - you're still going to have $5,000 to spend per player. Carrington has taken at least nine shots in eight straight and has produced 30 DKP in four of those. Two down efforts came against Duke and their 38th-ranked defense, another came with foul trouble, and one where he shot 0-for-10. Miami sits 115th defensively and 106th in effective field goal percentage allowed, so that many misses again seems unlikely.
Bargain Options
Curtis Williams, G/F, Louisville ($4,700)
As touched upon above, I don't think we need to get cute with our bargain choices on this slate. And this is absolutely a risky call given the matchup with Virginia and their ninth-ranked D. But Williams scored 14 points against them earlier in the year, and the Cavaliers aren't likely to scheme to take him away. He's been surging up until the last two games by averaging 9.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while garnering a 20.9 percent usage. Williams' recent form will get us low roster percentages as will the matchup, though he just moved into the starting lineup and the Cards gain nothing by not allowing their freshman to continue his development. Position flexibility is also appealing.
Robert Jones, F, Iowa State ($4,600)
Jones hasn't gone under 11.0 DKP all season, so that's a stable 2.4x return at a minimum. He'll need to stay out of foul trouble while likely being matched up with Hunter Dickinson, and there's not a lot of potential. But we can take the five-or-so points and rebounds and use the savings to add better players elsewhere. Georgetown's Ismael Massoud profiles similarly if you need a paydown guard as he's averaging 27.5 minutes over his last five and can't help but produce some with that kind of court time.
Isaiah Coleman is an immediate - albeit chalky - play if Richmond is out for the Pirates.
Afternoon Slate
We tip here at a slightly later than usual 3:00 p.m. EST and go to 6:30 with 12 more games to sort through. DraftKings is offering a $1,000 first-place prize and $4,000 overall in their largest tournament.
Points here will not be hard to come by. We don't have a game with a total under 141.5 and three are expected to hit at least 160, led by Kentucky-Arkansas at 167.5. Tennessee and Illinois are double-digit favorites, though six of the matchups lists spreads of 3.5 or less, so we should see some heavy back-and-forth and the opportunity for stars to shine. We again don't have a player in five-figures and only two come over $9,000, so there should be nice options that don't require heavy spending.
Top Players
Tre Mitchell, F, Kentucky ($7,900)
Unless you're simply trying to be different, I see no reason to not use Mitchell. Perhaps others will disagree as he's been under 26 DKP in two of his last three, but the matchup just looks too good to pass up. We know Kentucky runs as often as possible, and Arkansas will oblige. Looking for a bounceback for the entire offense after their dud in South Carolina, there's nothing to suggest this game won't produce points. And Mitchell makes for a rock-solid anchor.
Olivier Nkamhoua, F, Michigan ($7,500)
The writeup and logic here is virtually identical. Nkamhoua is off two subpar performances and perhaps that keeps him off of many rosters, but the value point is low enough to where we only need a 30 DKP outing to provide a fair return. And with Iowa playing at the nation's 11th-fastest pace, why wouldn't we expect the Wolverine's leading scorer to produce when they're expected to score 84 points?
Middle Tier
Jaylen Wells, F, Washington State ($6,400)
The salary point is rightfully rising, yet there still appears to be value in Wells here with the game being a virtual pick 'em and a decent enough 145-point total. He's started five straight and has absolutely delivered by averaging 13.8 points and 5.4 rebounds to results in a 20.5 DKP floor and 31.75 ceiling. We're going to need the matchup to allow this salary to play up, but even a 3x floor can work if we're correct elsewhere.
Nick Kern, G, Penn State ($5,400)
Kern is becoming a mainstay in this column. Penn State ranks 33rd in tempo and he's in a nice scoring groove where he's averaged 12.2 points from his last six outings while logging 24.8 minutes, leading to his first start since November two games ago. And Kern's shown a 17.0 DKP floor during this current stretch. We've got a tight spread and solid point total. There's minimal upside, but this feels like a safe set it-and-forget it 15-20 fantasy points and move on for upside elsewhere.
Bargain Options
Robbie Beran, F, Virginia Tech ($4,800)
Beran has started five straight for the Hokies while averaging 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds, good enough for an average of 18.3 DKP and a fair enough 3.8x return. With the Hokies having an implied total of nearly 78 points, what's not to like at this low salary point?
Kylan Boswell, G, Arizona ($4,600)
Boswell is in quite the funk as he's gone for 10 or less DKP in three of his last four - including one where he lost fantasy points - making this a risky and upside play only. But we've also seen he offers 30 DKP potential, and the game script seems to fit with a 163 point total and three-point spread. Oregon allows dribble drive penetration and kick outs, ranking 206th in 2-point field goal percentage and 231st in 3-point percentage allowed. Boswell only needs a handful of baskets and can thrive with assists.
Evening Slate
Another $1,000 first-place prize is on the line late Saturday with tips coming between 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. EST. LSU-Alabama headlines our scoring with a total of 166 points, followed closely by Utah-Washington at 162.
We don't have a player valued above $8,900, so it's a shocking Saturday overall that's missing five-figure players to again make for an opportunity to build through balance. Two matchups list totals at 136, which isn't super low and means all 10 teams will be in play to wrap up our busy day.
Top Players
Baylor Scheierman, G, Creighton ($8,700)
Scheierman is always a nightly option, but not usually one we want to select as he's always valued up to limit his upside. But it's beyond time to recognize his consistency and value as a plug-and-play as he's only recorded one game all season under 29.0 DKP. That's a 3.3x floor, which isn't elite but beyond stable. That makes Scheierman the definition of a can't miss play.
Branden Carlson, F, Utah ($7,600)
Carlson is undervalued thanks to two straight games with only three rebounds in each. He's still posted double-figures in five straight and eight of nine. And he owns Washington with a massive 53.75 DKP against them when they last met and never going under 26.5 against them over the last three seasons. If our worst case scenario is nearly a 3.5x return on this salary reduction and there's a 7x ceiling, what's the downside?
Middle Tier
Rylan Griffen, G, Alabama ($6,100)
The valuation here doesn't match the game flow or current form. This matchup comes with a massive 166 point total, and 'Bama is favored by double-digits. Griffin has averaged 27.6 minutes across his last eight while producing 23.25 DKP. With the over-under and the Tide as heavy favorites, this should set Griffin up for ample minutes early and late.
Dexter Akanno, G, Oregon State ($5,000)
When Akanno starts, he produces by averaging 12.5 points and 3.3 rebounds across 30.1 minutes. He's started two straight and curiously hasn't flirted with those totals. It's not the most targetable game with a 136.5 point total nor is there big-time potential. But it's another spot where we can easily squeeze out a 3x return at worst simply based on opportunity.
Bargain Options
Moussa Cisse, F, Mississippi ($4,800)
It's imperative you ask what your goals are here at the bottom of the slate. If it's upside, Cisse isn't the answer. If it's a stable, low floor, he looks to be the choice having only failed to return 2x twice all season. Cisse's started five straight while averaging 5.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 total everything else, resulting in an average of 14.65 DKP or right at a 3x return. The game comes with the Rebels expecting to score just under 70 points. Not ideal, but scoring isn't Cisse's forte. Take the points he stumbles into, bank on his boards and build elsewhere.
Jaden Henley, F, DePaul ($4,700)
Henley has started two in a row while averaging 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists over 23.5 minutes where he's produced no worse than 14.5 DKP. No upside at all with DePaul expected to get smoked yet again, though the sophomore looks to be building confidence and the team gains nothing by limiting his opportunities.
