This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
We've rapidly arrived at our first full Saturday of college hoops action, and it's a pretty different slate. Despite a plethora of games nationwide, there's no ranked team playing. As of 7:15 p.m. EST on Friday night, FanDuel has yet to post a contest, while DraftKings has an early offering tipping at 11:00 a.m., with a deeper main slate going off at 6:00 p.m.
Early Slate
We've got just three games to digest Saturday morning, two of which are presented with identical 145.5-point totals against a low 131.5 between St. Peters and Seton Hall. Large spreads are present, making it a question on the stars as to whether or not they can dominate in reduced minutes.
Top Tier
El Ellis, G, Louisville ($7,800)
Wright State's Trey Calvin ($8,300) scored 37 points in their opener and figures to be incredibly popular, so I'll pivot and save a bit. Ellis wasn't connecting in the Cards' opener, but he played 40 minutes and took 15 shots, finishing with an inefficient 14 points, five assists and three rebounds. This game figures to be higher scoring/lacking defense, and Ellis should connect on a few additional shots.
Qudus Wahab, F, Georgetown ($7,600)
We know we want at least one Hoya given the implied total, and I'd except Wahab to be at best the third, if not fourth, target in this lineup. Georgetown has some backcourt availability questions, which are enough for me to stay away if I'm looking to differentiate, while forward Akok Akok ($8,100) will be popular too. Wahab fouled out in 15 minutes in the Hoyas' opener yet still posted a double-double. Imagine the potential if he stays on the floor, and pair it with hopefully low usage.
Middle Tier
Amari Davis, G, Wright State ($5,900)
This is the game that will be popularly attacked, as it's got the high total and tight spread we need for big-time starter minutes. Wright State obliged in their double-OT loss to Davidson previously, with four starters seeing at least 42 minutes. Davis isn't going to repeat the 13 boards he pulled down in that opener given his 6-foot-2 frame, but he seems locked in to a vital role where at worst his minutes give us a stable floor.
Davin Zeigler, G, Green Bay ($5,800)
The Phoenix are pretty awful, losing to Indiana State by 27 and entering here as nearly 19-point underdogs. Zeigler flourished in his team debut, however, putting up 19 points and eight boards. Georgetown lost 21 straight to end last season and needed overtime to beat Coppin State. They ranked 43rd in tempo last year, and 225 in defensive efficiency, per KenPom. I'm not sure we should fear them at all, and if Zeigler is emerging as Green Bay's go-to, this looks like a nice bargain.
Value Plays
Tae Davis, F, Seton Hall ($5,200)
The Pirates played 10 guys at least 13 minutes in their opener, and as 15.5 point favorites Friday, I don't anticipate a trimmed rotation, making them difficult to target. Davis can be the exception however, as he's a top recruit that was incredibly efficient in his debut, putting up 11 points and eight boards in 16.0 minutes.
Kamari Lands, F, Louisville ($4,300)
I'm working strictly on memory, but I believe Lands was priced at $6,800 in the Cardinals' opener against Bellarmine. That alone makes him intriguing. Louisville is undoubtedly still sorting out their rotation, but the freshman saw 22 minutes in their opener, and I'm banking on the price dip pairing with an improved performance making him a viable option on the cheap. He was priced so high previously because of an impressive preseason, and there's minimal risk at this number in hoping he flashes.
Main Slate
We've got five games to digest on the main slate, and only one has a total north of 140 points, so we're not expecting a plethora of points. But with two pick 'ems and another with a small three-point spread, we should see tight rotations in at least three of these.
Top Tier
EJ Williams, F, LSU ($9,100)
I don't enjoy suggesting the slate's top-priced option, but when the next option is a scoring guard (Boise's Marcus Shaver, $9,000) that has seen a price increase of more than $2,500 from his previous outing, we take the stability. Williams seems to have a double-double floor. He was one of three Tigers to see 30+ minutes in their opener and only hit 38.5 percent from the floor, suggesting he has room to grow. We anchor him and look elsewhere. To Shaver's appeal, he had a fantastic opener and would be appealing Saturday if teammate Max Rice ($7,400) misses due to an injury, but he didn't show the upside last season he did in his debut, so I'm a little leery of the price point. He faces a decent defense and didn't provide peripheral stats last season.
Mouhamed Gueye, F, Washington State ($8,800)
The more I looked at this slate, the more value I seemingly believed in, making it entirely possible to go with a stars and "scrubs" build. Gueye returned to Wazzou after testing the NBA Draft waters and looks poised to take a big step forward, putting up a big double-double in his opener after averaging 7.4 points and 5.2 boards a year ago. The matchup and expected pace aren't ideal, but Gueye would still seem likely to flirt with another double-double thanks to ample rebounding, and some hopefully easy put backs
Middle Tier
Noah Locke, G, Providence ($6,700)
I honestly don't love Locke, but the bottom line is he played 34 minutes in the Friars opener and took a team-high 11 shots. He made only three, but the volume was there and more should fall. His price point isn't ideal, as his game isn't overly diverse, but we want some piece of the Providence rotation, and he's remarkably priced lower than five other teammates, including Clifton Moore ($7,600), who yielded only nine DKP off the bench in 25 minutes in their opener.
Issa Muhammad, F, New Mexico State ($5,500)
I don't suggest going too heavily in on the Aggies rotation, as their implied total is only in the mid-60s and we shouldn't overvalue their one-game outputs thus far against New Mexico Highlands. But there's certainly ample value across their starting five to help round out your lineup, as Muhammad is their highest-priced option. Muhammad put up 20 points and eight rebounds across 24 minutes in their opener, a 26.9 percent usage rate. He really only needs half of that to be valuable at this price.
Value Plays
Lance Terry, G, Georgia Tech ($4,900)
Terry played 24 minutes in the Jackets' opener and provided 16 points en route to 23.0 FDP. He's unlikely to be as efficient in the scoring column, but the usage is encouraging and he should see a more balanced stat line in an expected high-scoring (relatively speaking) tilt with tight margin.
Omar El-Sheikh, F, Arkansas State ($4,200)
El-Sheikh hadn't played since the the 2018-19 season, but if one game is influential, sign us up. He saw a massive 40.2 percent usage share, finishing with nine points and eight boards in 16 minutes. That type of potential is incredible rare at this price, even if he's tasked with guarding the Razorbacks' plethora of bigs. The rebounding should provide a decently stable floor relative to price.
Take a peek at Washington State's Justin Powell ($5,000) as well. He won't hand out 12 assists again, but he saw 36 minutes in Washington State's opener, and should produce amply paired for a minimal investment.
