DFS College Basketball: Saturday Sweet 16 Preview

DFS College Basketball: Saturday Sweet 16 Preview

This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.

Saturday's first four games of the Sweet 16 gets going at 2:40 p.m. et. At no point in time did I think I'd type this, but upstart Oral Roberts gives us the slate's two most pricey players in Kevin Obanor ($8,900 DK, $8,300 FD) and Max Abmas ($8,700 DK, $8,500 FD). And why not, they averaged 50.5 and 43.63 DKP, respectively, in the Golden Eagles' first two tournament outings, and their matchup with Arkansas features the slate's largest total of the day at a whopping 159 points. Despite being 11-point underdogs, Oral Roberts has the slate's second-highest implied total. The opposite side of this game features Justin Smith ($7,700 DK, $7,700 FD) as the stable Razorback, while Moses Moody ($7,800 DK, $6,700 FD) and JD Notae ($6,300 DK, $5,200 FD) are far more volatile with higher ceilings.

A winning tournament strategy can be to grab some studs in other contests, some cheaper pieces in this obvious spot, and build a little more balanced lineup. The obvious pivot point seems to be Jeremiah Robinson-Earl ($8,500 DK, $8,200 FD), as he's essentially all the Wildcats have. Lets dive in to some potential alternative targets, values, and some other options who may not be as ideal.

Targets

Quentin Grimes, G/F, Houston ($7,900 DK, $7,800 FD)

Grimes fits into a similar category as Robinson-Earl, as he's almost all the Cougars have, especially with DeJon Jarreau ($6,500 DK, $6,200 FD) limited at best due to a hip issue. He's in a nice groove right now, with a 29.5 DKP floor across his last four, topping 40 DKP in two of those contests. He shoots better from 3-point range than 2-point territory, and should have ample hoisting opportunities against the 'Cuse's 2-3 zone. Position flexibility is nice as well, as guard play continues to dominate.

MaCio Teague, G/F, Baylor ($6,400 DK, $6,400 FD)

We're in a spot to buy the dip on Teague. He's been priced as high as $7,900 DK recently, and is only down here thanks to a poor shooting outing against Wisconsin (3-11, 15 DKP). He'd averaged 34.75 DKP in his previous six outings, which would represent a cool 5.4x return. The Bears are big favorites, flirt with the second-highest implied total, and appear to be finding their form again after some down games following an in-season pause. This is a nice price point to get in on their surging offense, and with further position flexibility, you could line up Teague and Grimes in forward spots, and go incredibly guard heavy if interested.

Jaylin Williams, F, Arkansas ($4,900 DK, $4,800 FD)

Williams looks like an intriguing upside option in the game we know we need some shares in. He moved into the starting lineup in the Round of 32 for the first time since mid-January, playing 28 minutes in the process. He managed 30 minutes in the SEC Championship game against LSU, and averaged 24.5 DKP in those two outings. There's an unfortunately low, low floor, as he doesn't put the ball in the hoop, needing to rely on rebounds and blocks predominately for a return (so much so, as he's scored just nine points in the Hawgs last three). But if we trust the minutes will be there, there should be an opportunity for 4x given how favorable the matchup is, and 6x paired with some upper-tier choices could be a winning formula. Carlos Jurgens ($5,100 DK, $4,900 FD) profiles nearly identically if searching for bargains on the ORU side, and his minutes are more guaranteed.

Fades

Buddy Boeheim, G, Syracuse ($8,100 DK, $7,200 FD)

There's obviously no doubting Boeheim's form; he's simply in a zone scoring the basketball. But that's essentially all he does, having grabbed more than three rebounds just four in the Orange's last 10, while handing out more than three assists just twice in that span. The Cougars are tough defensively, ranking first in effective field goal percentage allowed, and 12th against the 3-point shot, where Boeheim lives, allowing just a 29.3 percent success rate. The floor here feels stable for Boeheim, as we know he's going to hoist. But there's limited upside in from a fantasy perspective, as he could score 30 and still not reach 5x.

Justin Moore, G, Villanova ($6,100 DK, $6,300 FD)

This has nothing to do with matchup, or Moore's form. He's seizing the opportunity with Collin Gillespie ($3,000 DK, $3,000 FD) out, putting up 28.5 and 28.25 DKP in 'Nova's first two tournament games while playing 34 and 37 minutes. And I think there will be points scored here in spite of Baylor's defensive prowess. I just assume Moore will be heavily, heavily used. Maybe that makes him a free square, but if we're looking to differentiate, a pivot to Oregon State's Jarod Lucas ($6,000 DK, $5,200 FD) who has been vital in the Beavers' run, could prove fruitful.

Braden Norris, G, Loyola Chicago ($5,400 DK, $5,300 FD)

Norris averaged 8.0 ppg during the year, but has poured in 45 total between a conference championship game and last week's impressive two-game spurt. This game has the lowest total on the slate by some 15 points, and we can see that the Ramblers' secondary pieces are incredibly sporadic, with a price disparity of $2,800 between Cameron Krutwig ($8,300 DK, $8,000 FD) and any of his teammates. Perhaps stacking multiple secondary pieces here on the cheap as a GPP dart throw is a path to try, but on the surface, you lineups need to be heavily built around the other three games, despite my loose suggestion to Lucas just above.

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. Chris Bennett plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: k30kittles, DraftKings: k30kittles.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bennett
Bennett covers baseball, college football and college basketball for RotoWire. Before turning to fantasy writing, he worked in scouting/player development for the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos. He's also a fan of the ACC.
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