This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Five championship games come our way Saturday evening, with Kansas-Texas and Utah State-San Diego State starting at 6:00 p.m. EST, and UCLA-Arizona meeting for the third time at 10:30. Another $5,000 is available for a first-place finish in a $15 entry.
Similar to the early day contest, we've got two games that appear as outliers as far as scoring totals go, led by Xavier-Marquette's 154 points. Unfortunately, that game features teams that lack depth, so if we want shares, we'll have to pay up for rotational pieces. Unlike the afternoon contest, we don't have a five-figure price tag on any player, so we can spend a touch more per player here.
Top Tier
Jalen Wilson, F, Kansas ($9,300)
There's nothing wrong with any of the players priced in the 9k tier. I'd expect Tyler Kolek ($9,500) to be chalky given his current form and the game's high total, so I'm looking to be a tad different and build around Wilson, who also gives me a forward anchor where there's less depth. He had middling results against Texas, putting up just two points and six rebounds in a foul-limited game initially. But Wilson bounced back last weekend to go for 23 and 10, the first of what's now three straight 20+ point outing double-doubles, resulting in at least 40.5 DKP. With a modest 141.5 point total, the slate's third-highest, I wouldn't expect the masses to build around Wilson, hopefully giving us a leg up.
Colby Jones, G, Xavier ($8,700)
We know we likely need to target both sides of this game. Xavier comes in third in offensive efficiency and 34th in tempo, per KenPom, and Marquette counters at sixth in offense, though 115th in tempo. I loosely expect Musketeer big Jack Nunge to be popular ($8,300) at a discount, but he had uneven showings against Marquette previously. As such, I prefer Jones as a stable option with upside. He went for 33.0 and 35.5 DKP in their two regular season meetings, somewhat amazingly posting identical 13-point, eight-rebound, five-assist lines. Jones also offers upside as his game is surging in the late season, averaging 20.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists across Xavier's last five.
Middle Tier
Taylor Funk, F, Utah State ($6,700)
We may be able to sneak some value out of this less marquee matchup Saturday night. No player is priced north of $7,200, and though we've got a less-than-ideal 138-point total, these two did play to an 85-75 final once previously. Funk has major upside -- he scored 32 and 24 points in the Aggies two previous games prior to yesterday's foul trouble. But in that foul trouble, he still snagged 10 boards. Make no mistake, fouls are a concern here, Funk has four in three of the last four. But he showed well against the Aztecs in two meetings to combat the foul worries, posting 36.5 and 32.75 DKP.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper, F, Marquette ($6,200)
To be frank, I prefer other options from the Golden Eagles, but we can't take all the $7,000-$8,000 players we want. Prosper gives us a lineup-average player in the game we know we want to target, which hopefully provides a boost. He's quietly scored in double-figures in five straight, averaging 12.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in that stretch. The bad news; Prosper averaged just 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds against the Musketeers during the regular season. With steady minutes, a narrow point spread and high game total, Prosper will have opportunities to provide a 4x return out of necessity.
Bargain Tier
Jaedon LeDee, F, San Diego State ($5,300)
LeDee is the definition of a GPP dart throw. Take one look at his game logs and you'll see the immense potential and catastrophic floor he comes with. His last five games have yielded 5.5, 28.0, 36.5, 13.5 and 6.0 DKP. But those are the kinds of risks required to win big tournaments. This game is a major contrast in styles, with SDST ranking 10th in defensive efficiency, and Utah St. 12th in offensive efficiency. I believe that creates opportunities for LeDee on both ends; he's scored 14+ in three of nine, showing capable of putting in the hoop for a team that lacks clear scoring options. He's also got 5+ rebounds in five of 10 and should reach that number if both sides struggle to score (i.e. miss shots). It's not perfect, and I'd be okay if you completely ignored the Aztecs on this slate, but with low usage, you could get a big star Saturday night. LeDee averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 boards against the Aggies in the regular season.
David Singleton, G, UCLA ($5,100)
Singleton has started three straight for the Bruins, showing a 16.5 DKP floor and averaging 18.8 DKP while playing a very nice 33.7 minutes. The problem for his fantasy upside is he does nothing but score, averaging 11.7 points, but just 1.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals. Unlike LeDee above who can be a slate winner, Singleton perhaps offers us some stability on the cheap. The game comes with the targetable 148.5 points, and it's fair to say Singleton is the Bruins third offensive option, at worst. Lets hopefully take a steady 3.5x return, and spend elsewhere.
