DFS College Basketball: Tuesday Preview

Top Players:

Zion Williamson ($9,100 FD, $10,700 DK)/RJ Barrett ($8,900 FD, $9,700 DK): I know better than to say "fade Zion Williamson" because fantasy owners always want some exposure in the event he posts one of his ridiculous lines. But I think RJ Barrett is the better play here, and gives you a little more salary flexibility (it's nearly impossible to use both). Tre Jones (shoulder) is not expected to return Tuesday, and in the absence of their point guard, Barrett has had to assume more ball handling duties. Sure, Alex O'Connell and Cam Reddish handle the ball a little bit more too, but Barrett towers over them with his 31.3 percent usage rate over his last 10 games. Barring a complete and total blowout, Barrett is the safest bet on the slate for 40 fantasy points.

Jordan Murphy ($8,600 FD, $9,500 DK): Murphy followed up a dreadful performance of less than 15 fantasy points against Illinois by absolutely going off for 19 points & 21 boards against Penn State on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are woefully dreadful against big men, but Michigan will prove to be a much tougher test. Ethan Happ and the Badgers dealt the Wolverines their first loss of the year Saturday, and Happ posted an excellent 26/10/7 line, but don't count on that from Murphy. The ceiling is there, but he seems less likely to reach it against KenPom's No. 3-ranked defensive team, which also happens to play at a pace outside the top-300.

Jarrett Culver ($8,500 FD, $9,400 DK): Few are more consistent than Culver, who has scored 40 DraftKings points in three of his last four. He's a pretty safe bet for cash games, though I'm trying to find the extra $300-400 for Barrett whenever I can. The ceiling is just higher for Barrett, who happens to be playing in a game with an over/under that is nearly 36 points greater. The same logic for me applies to Clemson's Marquise Reed ($8,300 FD, $9,300 DK). He's a solid play and you certainly want some exposure if you're making 100 lineups, but I'll roll with Barrett in the 2-3 I generally put together.

Game to Target:

Butler vs. Villanova (-1.5), o/u 142, 7:00 p.m. EST

It doesn't sit at the top of the over/under lists, but there are a couple players in this game I'm targeting. One is Villanova's Phil Booth ($8,400 FD, $8,400 DK), who is playing like a superstar, but not priced in the superstar tier on DraftKings. He's averaged 39.6 DK points over his last seven games, all of which have been against respectable opposition. This projects to be a close, back-and-forth matchup, so look for the team's usage leader to have the ball in his hands early and often. A case can be made for Eric Paschall ($8,100 FD, $7,900 DK) or Butler's Kamar Baldwin ($8,300 FD, $8,700 DK) too, but that likely comes at the cost of one of the Duke guys and I'm not sure I'm ready to take that leap. If you are, Paschall is my choice after registering 35 or more DK points in six-straight games. The one Butler player that's a lock for me, however, is Jordan Tucker ($6,500 FD, $5,300 DK). His last three games have resulted in 29.5, 32.0 and 37.0 DraftKings points, and the DK salary is far from catching up. Also, don't forget about Butler's Sean McDermott, who is priced at just $4,900 despite scoring exactly 29.0 DK points in his last two games.

Alabama (-1) vs. Ole Miss, o/u 151, 9:00 p.m. EST

While Buffalo/UNI is the second-highest over/under on DraftKings, we'll look at this SEC matchup that is included on both sites. Terence Davis ($8,100 FD, $8,900 DK) isn't slowing down and has a 50-point ceiling, but he'll have lower ownership due to Duke being on the slate. There's a GPP angle here if you take him and hope the Blue Devils bust. I'm fading Devonte Shuler ($6,00 FD, $6,200 DK), who has been limited of late by a foot injury and is coming off a three-point performance on 1-of-6 shooting.. His replacement might be an OK punt play, as D.C. Davis ($4,500 FD, $3,200 DK) scored a season-high 17.5 DK points his last time out. He could be worth a look if anything surfaces to suggest Shuler is limited. For Alabama, Donta Hall ($7,900 FD, $7,600 DK) has a double-double in three straight, but his DK price has reached a season-high because of it. The Bama player with the most GPP intrigue for me is John Petty ($5,900 FD, $6,300 DK). Sure, he comes off the bench, but his usage is greater than three starters, and his confidence is high after scoring 30 against Tennessee on Saturday. I don't mind Dazon Ingram ($5,000 FD, $5,000 DK) in cash, as he starts, contributes in multiple categories and is usually a safe bet for 15-20 fantasy points.

Game to Avoid:

Kansas St. (-1.5) vs. Texas Tech, o/u 120, 7:00 p.m. EST

This game has huge implications for the Big 12 conference, but it shouldn't for your fantasy lineups. I discussed Culver above and can't fault anyone for using him, but even in a close game, few plays jump out at me. One of my colleagues suggested Texas Tech's Davide Moretti ($6,100 FD, $4,900 DK), who has reached double figures in six straight. The DraftKings price is palatable, at least. KSU's Dean Wade ($7,100 FD, $7,500 DK) has 40-point potential moving forward at a middle-tier price now that he's healthy, but I'm not banking on it here against the nation's best defense, according to KenPom. A little Moretti is about as far as my exposure here will go.

South Florida (-2.5) vs. Wichita State, o/u 138.5, 8:00 p.m. EST (DraftKings Only)

DraftKings has a few more games than FanDuel for tonight's slate, but outside of Buffalo, the other two are duds. I'm fading anyone from this AAC showdown, as the over/under isn't great and the rotations run too deep to single out any individual player, especially on the Wichita St. side. I'm also not messing around with the Florida/Texas A&M game that sports a woeful over/under of 130. Both are slow-paced teams that lack standout contributors. I was a fan of Wendell Mitchell ($5,900 DK) in last week's slate, but his price is up $700 since then and he gets a much tougher matchup Tuesday.

Injuries:

Tre Jones (foot): Jones ($7,100 FD, $6,400 DK) is likely out, so look for RJ Barrett to have another big game, as discussed above. Alex O'Connell ($4,000 FD, $3,700 DK) had a huge game against Syracuse, but was shut down completely against Virginia, which is not at all uncommon. He's a GPP dart throw at best.

Phil Cofer (foot): Cofer ($5,500 FD, $5,400 DK) was a surprise scratch Saturday, which leads us to believe his foot injury may not be completely healed. While PJ Savoy ($4,100 FD, $4,300 DK) drew the start in his stead, the real beneficiary is Mfiondu Kabengele ($6,300 FD, $6,000 DK), who went off for 26 points and 9 rebounds in the surprise loss to Boston College. If we get news Cofer is out early, then definitely boost your exposure to Kabengele, despite a slight foul trouble risk.

Jose Alvarado (groin): Alvarado ($6,900 FD, $6,600 DK) leads Georgia Tech in usage and shot rates, but is unlikely to play Tuesday against Notre Dame after a groin injury held him out Saturday. Khalid Moore ($4,200 FD, $3,600 DK) got back in the starting lineup and played 30 minutes as a result, but it was post player James Banks ($7,700 FD, $7,200 DK) who picked up all the scoring in the 28-point loss to Louisville. No other Yellow Jacket player reached double figures.

Brandon Alston (personal): Alston ($4,700 FD, $4,400 DK) has now missed two-straight games, and his status is uncertain for Tuesday night. While no replacement options can be considered "elite" plays, there are some salary relief openings in Michael Devoe ($5,800 FD, $5,900 DK), Curtis Haywood ($5,400 FD, $4,800 DK) and even Shembari Phillips ($4,100 FD, $3,300 DK) in the event both Alston and Alvarado sit once again.

Juwan Durham (ankle): Durham ($5,500 FD, $5,300 DK), a 6-11 forward, has missed two of his last three, and is equally uncertain for Tuesday. John Mooney ($8,400 FD, $9,000 DK) will continue to see heavy run without a true backup, while freshman nate Laszewski ($4,600 FD, $4,300 DK) is another lower-cost option.