This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
10 games appear on the Thursday night slate, with at $2k top prize up for grabs among the regular assortment of contests on DraftKings. Michigan and TCU are in a tier of their own when it comes to implied total tonight, but there's blowout risk for fantasy in both. Three games have single digit spreads (FIU vs. TARL, MTSU vs. SFA, St. Mary's vs. UNM) for those looking for more stable rotations/minutes. Let's jump right into the top plays by salary tier.
Top Plays
A.J. Hoggard, G, Michigan State ($8,800)
While Tyson Walker ($9,100) dominated the usage in the opener and put up a slate-breaking 56.8 DK points, it was reported later that he did that despite lower-leg pain caused by shin splints. I doubt that affects his availability here, but after logging 39 minutes in Monday's opening-night loss, I expect that total to go down a bit with MSU entering as 27-point favorites, per KenPom (32-point, per Vegas). Instead, I'll look to his backcourt running mate in Hoggard for a turn at a boom game against a bottom-35 defense in the country.
Keion Brooks, F, Washington ($8,700)
Washington is a tier below some of the top team implied totals Thursday, but this game should be more competitive than most high major vs. mid-major matchups on the slate, so I'm looking for a relatively stable minutes workload here for Washington's leading man. Brooks still put up 28.3 DK points across 28 minutes in a 44-point blowout, and given his 35.6 mpg average last season, the ceiling is tremendous if things are just a little tighter, even against a slow-paced Northern Kentucky squad.
Middle Tier
Jameer Nelson, G, TCU ($6,600)
As of publication time, TCU enters with a slight advantage in implied total over Michigan State, so I'm looking to get as many pieces of both as possible. In the season opener, Nelson led the team in minutes (26) and fantasy points (41.3), 14 of which came from steals/blocks. Give me the floor general for the Horned Frogs in a high-floor game, and a stack with big man Emanuel Miller ($7,800) is also very much in play.
Brandon Newman, G, Western Kentucky ($5,200)
Newman started and led WKU in usage rate at 32.1 percent in the opener, posting over a fantasy point per minute across 18 minutes played. The former Boilermaker guard should see a bump in playing time with the Hilltoppers entering as road underdogs Thursday, as a closer game likely means a tighter rotation and more minutes/shots.
Value Plays
Micah Peavy, G, TCU ($4,900)
Peavy started and led TCU with a 32.3 percent usage rate and put up 35.5 DK points in just 21 minutes in the season opener. He could take a big step back, or cede some of those field goal attempts to the aforementioned Nelson, but he still has an easy path to 4x as the second-lowest priced Horned Frogs starter.
Keith Lamar, F, Florida A&M ($4,900)
Lamar and the Rattlers were blown out by 51 points in Monday's opener at Creighton, but the senior power forward still logged 30 minutes, 16 real-life points and 22.0 fantasy points at an outstanding 34 percent usage rate. Nebraska -- a team dealing with injuries across the board -- are only 26-point favorites here.
